Chapter 2: The Tyrant of Yunnan Province

  "Damn it! Dying feels like this, I knew I shouldn't have died!"

  It seems like it's too late to say anything now, my whole body aches all over, not to mention my head is dizzy and the surroundings are gloomy and cold. Is this really the underworld? Mo San cursed as he opened his eyes, only to be met with a muddy foot coming straight at him.

  "How dare you scold others, I'll kick you to death, you little piece of crap! Wait till we get to the government office, they'll skin off all your fat!"

  This kick was heart-wrenching, Mo San had never been kicked like this since he was a child, but the intense pain on his face also made him dizzy. Isn't it supposed to not hurt if you're dead?

  Dazed and confused, swaying back and forth, yes! That's right, swaying back and forth. This Mo San Ye is currently being carried by a group of slender men dressed in all sorts of attire.

  "Let's hurry up and get to the county, let County Master help us find Qinglian. I don't believe it, they dare to kidnap people right in front of our door, let County Master deal with these human traffickers!"

  As soon as he heard this, Mo San was completely confused. Wasn't he dead? This was the county magistrate and a human trafficker. Listening to their accents, they seemed to be from Yunnan. Had he been released by the government?

  This is absolutely impossible! He considered himself a big drug lord in the Golden Triangle, and it was already surprising that he hadn't been caught. If he were caught, it would be a dead end. Listening to these people talk was also very strange. The severe pain in the back of his head interrupted his thinking, and he couldn't think straight as he stumbled along. These men were punching and kicking him, making Mo San unable to think at all. However, this place was definitely not a good place to go, judging from what these people were wearing - grass shoes, bare feet, and torn pants, even poorer than the Golden Triangle.

  Covered in a body of rotten mud, the smell is even more unbearable, stinking to the point of nausea. These bastards, didn't they just step on dog shit?

  Mo San's constant movements made the porter unbearable, this stupid guy must weigh two or three hundred catties, heavier than an old sow, and he's swaying around like this. The bowl of thin porridge he had when leaving the village was gone before they even reached the county yamen.

  A heavy kick landed on the back of this scoundrel's head, and he indeed became much more obedient. The unfortunate Mo San was dizzy and fainted again.

  A group of twenty or thirty people arrived at the county government office, and a relatively well-dressed man came out and struck the drum in front of the gate. A Yi minority helper with a headscarf saw that they were a group of poor men and asked indifferently:

  "What are you doing, old master is busy! Stop messing around and get back to work, you lazy bums!"

  "Sir, we are from Tǔ Qiáo Village. Today, we caught a human trafficker who kidnapped my younger sister two days ago and was trying to commit another crime today. We've captured him now, please report this to the authorities and ask them to help us find my sister."

  That relatively intact Han man knew that the county government was not a place for decent people to come, but for his own sister, he also went all out and saw that the county government's attendants were not easy to talk to, so he hastily said.

  "Human traffickers? Don't fool me! When the time comes, I'll also have to suffer with you!"

  Originally, such a thing wouldn't have been passed on without some oil and water, but this group of runners knew that the human traffickers were entrusted by the county's masters and had to be dealt with. They knew these poor men didn't have any oil or water, but for their own positions, they reluctantly went to pass it on.

  After a while, a clerk followed by the assistant, came out of the county government office. The clerk also had a big attitude and said directly:

  "Where is Ren Shi? Where is the human trafficker?"

  This human trafficker is a good case for increasing the political achievements of the county magistrate, let alone no oil and water, even if some money is attached, the county will be willing to handle it!

  "A villager from Tuzi Village, Qinghu Township. A few days ago, my younger sister was kidnapped outside our village. Today, the human trafficker came again to commit a crime and was caught by us villagers together. I hope the authorities can help me find my sister."

  Although the Tǔ Qiáo village is adjacent to the county town, the old masters in the county have not seen much of Mǎ Qīng Hǔ. The clerk's loud shout made him a bit nervous, but his sister had been missing for several days and he was afraid that if they didn't find her soon, she would be gone forever. He could only muster up the courage to speak.

  "Can you see clearly? Is this man the one who abducted your sister?"

  It's hard to say if they're human traffickers or not, but this group of people are just troublemakers who like to stir up trouble for no reason. The one with the surname Ma is probably a Hui Muslim!

  "Our village has caught several human traffickers before, and they all dressed like him!"

  To find his sister, Ma Qinghu said with a solemn oath, Mo San Ye, who was also tied up, was knocked down by him. Tudiao Village is a mixed village, very chaotic, and it has become a place where human traffickers often visit.

  "Are you a Hui? What about these people? Are they all Hui?"

  Hui Hui was not well received in Yunnan Prefecture, fearing that he would offend the powerful and suffer consequences himself.

  "All ethnic groups have them, but there are most Han people!"

  The Tuqiao Village has the most Han people who can farm, and among these Hans, more than half are also Hans. In these mixed villages, different ethnic groups can get along harmoniously, unlike in other places where they fight and kill each other endlessly.

  "Wait and see!"

  The clerk just came out to make a show of it, as for whether or not to accept this case, we still need to ask the honorable governor.

  Buying and selling good people is against the imperial penal code, but they dare to do it openly and brazenly, so there must be many of them. Yiliang is a rich county with a mixed population of outsiders, making it an ideal place for human trafficking.

  Such a black hole, either has connections or is wandering around. If it's wandering around, then one can also get some benefits by following along, and maybe later on can handle some profitable business.

  The clerk walked away with a pleased smile, leaving behind a group of shabbily dressed men standing at the gate waiting anxiously.

  "Get out of here! Go find a corner and stay there, stop being a nuisance!"

  These poor devils, really have no sense of propriety, can they even stand at the gate of the county government? Seeing these people blocking the gate of the county government, those servants came out to drive them away. If by chance a high-ranking official comes out for an inspection and is rushed by these poor men, they themselves will be in big trouble.

  It wasn't until half a small time had passed that a big man with a large hat and official uniform slowly walked out of the gate and came this way. These men, seeing the arrival of the big master, hastily knelt down in a flurry.

  "Is this a human trafficker?"

  The one who came out was the county magistrate of Yiliang, in charge of criminal cases. At a glance at the man with a tiger's back and bear's waist, he knew that he didn't look like a good person just by his appearance.

  "In response to Master's words, it was indeed a human trafficker caught by the common people outside the village."

  Kneeling on the ground, Ma Qingtou also learned from the old men in the village, stuttering and speaking awkwardly in official language.

  "Turn over and take a look, what is this thing?"

  Seeing Mo Sanyi covered in mud, this old master was also afraid of getting his hands and feet dirty, and said with a pointing chin.

  Ma Qinghu knelt down and turned Mo San over, his face covered in mud. As soon as he saw that face, the old master immediately took action.

  "It's all over! It's all over!"

  Now the old master is no longer afraid of dirtying his official uniform, a pair of white and clean hands kept scrubbing the mud on Mo San's face, this one also checked his breath, found that Mo San was not dead, only then did he sit down on the ground with a thud.

  "Hurry up and come over..."

  No one knew what kind of person the tied-up man was, but the county government's historian, Mr. Dà Lǎo Ye, had turned green with rage, his voice cracking as he shouted. The yamen and bailiffs rushed out of the county government in a panic, saw Historian Mr. Dà sitting on the ground, hurried forward to help him up, but unexpectedly got scolded instead.

  "Something without eyes, first untie San Ye's rope, hurry up and find Liu Yi Tie, just say that a noble person is injured, let him hurry!"

  With the help of the yamen runners, the official stumbled to his feet. This was the end; these scoundrels had brought him a death warrant instead of a report on their administration!

  "Throw this group of unruly people into prison! Wait for Third Master to wake up and then deal with you bunch of unruly people."

  This man suffered a disaster in Yiliang County, and the whole of Yiliang County is unlucky from top to bottom. If things go wrong, lives will also be lost. What's good about this?

  "Hurry and invite County Magistrate, say it's a big deal!"

  A yamen runner received the order and hastily ran into the county government office. Before long, the county magistrate, dressed in casual attire, also hurriedly walked out of the county government office.

  "What's wrong?"

  No matter what time it is, official dignity cannot be lost. Although something big has happened, this county magistrate still asks in a calm and quiet tone.

  "Underground is Kunming Yang Sanlang!"

  This sentence made the majestic County Master stumble and almost fall, this is no trivial matter, this is clearly a catastrophic disaster.

  "Is he injured or dead?"

  Yang Sanlang was lying motionless on the ground, and the county magistrate asked in a trembling voice.

  "I've been hurt at the back of my head, I've already sent someone to ask Liu Yī to come and apply a bandage."

  This old historian is indeed a veteran of prison life. After being injured in the back of his head, he can't move around recklessly, and this matter has been handled quite well.

  "Where is the murderer?"

  As long as he didn't die, his own life was saved, but the person who hurt this Yang Sanlang couldn't be let off.

  "Things have already gone this far, and those villagers are taking Yang Sanlang as a human trafficker. What can be done now?"

  Yi Liang Dian Shi hunched his back and slumped his shoulders, with a bitter expression on his old face, also somewhat dispirited.

  Not long after that, a middle-aged man carrying a medical box was dragged to the scene by several genuine bailiffs.

  "Your Honor, County Magistrate! Your Honor, Prefectural Governor!"

  This was Liu Yitie, who first paid his respects to County Magistrate and Registrar before turning his gaze to Yang Sanlang on the ground.

  "Be careful, this is Yang Sanlang of Kunming!"

  The county magistrate was also afraid that Liu Yitie would not take it seriously and pointed out the origin of this person on the ground.

  With a "clatter", Liu Yizhi's medicine box fell to the ground, and the medicines and instruments inside scattered all over the floor.

  Kunming Yang Sanlang, the tyrant of Yunnan Province, didn't just bully ordinary people, even officials who died at his hands probably had a stroke of bad luck. This man was extremely famous in both Yunnan Prefecture and Yunnan Province, yet he was as stupid as an object, but behind him sat a great Buddha, and throughout all of Yunnan, only he was an existence that defied heaven and earth.

  This murderer is not breaking the law, he's an official in the government, and in these two years, several people have died at his hands, and countless clerks and runners from various yamens.

  In Yunnan Prefecture, as an official and a person, you may not know the Governor-General, you may not know the Provincial Governor, and you may not know the Prefectural Magistrate, but you must know this Lord of Dian Land. In all prefectures and counties, from the County Magistrate to the lowest-ranking officials, few have not seen his portrait.

  Let me come and treat this tyrant, if I can cure him, everything will be fine, if not, I'm afraid I'll be buried in the pauper's graveyard.

  "Hurry up and check his injuries, I've already sent a horse to the Yang's in Kunming. If someone comes from that side and you can't cure this one, we'll all be in trouble!"

  The county magistrate of Yiliang also had a bad luck today, this is indeed "disaster comes from the sky when one is at home", for no reason, he got involved with this famous stupid tyrant in Yunnan, it seems that his comfortable position has come to an end.