Chapter 9: The waves are calm and the wind is gentle, the soldiers have laid down their arms.

  Fairy Road Dust 9

  The thick night color enveloped the county town of Poyang. The residents of the small town had always had the habit of going to bed early, and at this time, the streets had washed away the prosperity of the day and became empty and quiet. The yellow leaves on the branches by the street seemed to be unable to withstand the bleakness of this autumn night, swirling down in the gentle breeze. Occasionally, a few barks came from afar, making the autumn night in Poyang even more silent.

  The cold moon is silent, and the night colors are bewildering.

  However, just like a cow chewing on peonies, it's a great disappointment to the scenery. Facing such a romantic and desolate autumn street at night, there are actually people who are indifferent to it. Only at the corner of Xilin Street, there were two ghostly figures lurking in the shadows, anxiously waiting for their victim to deliver themselves.

  These two little scoundrels are none other than Zhang Xingyan and Ju Ying. They had just finished performing a scene of "Catching and Releasing Cao" on the surface of Poyang Lake, and before they could even remove their makeup, they rushed to this road that Lu County Magistrate must take when returning home, preparing to repeat their trick. The sentimental thief on the awning boat earlier was none other than Zhang Xingyan with his hoarse voice; while the "younger brother" he mentioned was Ju Ying reluctantly making a guest appearance.

  They had just dealt with Chen Kui, the outwardly strong but inwardly weak man. Logically speaking, this time should be a familiar and easy task. However, the crime scene had changed to a county town street, where they had to guard against nearby residents and passersby, unlike the desolate and uninhabited Poyang Lake last time. Therefore, the two of them were even more tense than before.

  "What's wrong with this old fellow, isn't he coming yet? Won't he be staying overnight at the 'Shuihu Wenshe' today?"

  Xingyan looked at Ju Ying, who was starting to shiver in the autumn wind, and couldn't help but feel anxious. He thought to himself that if things continued like this, they wouldn't catch up with their target, and someone would fall ill first. However, it shouldn't be so unlucky, because according to the information he had obtained, Lao Er, no matter how unwilling he was, would definitely not dare to stay out overnight. Xingyan encouraged himself while letting Ju Ying hide in a corner of the street to avoid the wind.

  Just as the two men were getting anxious, finally, amidst everyone's anticipation, another leading character of this play, Lu Chonghui, the county master of Poyang, slowly and leisurely walked over from across the street with his characteristic gait.

  Waking up, he hastily signaled to Ju Ying, and together they disappeared into the darkness.

  ☆＃★*！~☆＃*★！！！

  Next, Lü Laoye's experience was basically the same as that of his loyal subordinate just now, with only slight differences in details. Lü Laoye was being fed a mouthful of not very tasty rag balls, shouting could not be heard, and was quietly taken to a secluded place.

  It's just that Lü Laoye should be grateful that the main thief clearly realized that he couldn't control his strength well, looking at Lü Laoye's body as thin as an autumn tree by the street, thinking to himself that although he could already "lift heavy as light", he hadn't reached the state of "lifting light as heavy", afraid that with one punch, this Lü County Master would lose his life on the spot.

  As a result, Lü's old county master, who had always lacked exercise, was fortunately spared a beating. However, this bumping and crashing was unavoidable.

  In fact, these two careless young people did not know that behind Lü's old head, a young attendant was following closely. Due to the tension of Shengyan and Juying, as well as the dim moonlight, they only stared at the main person and didn't notice the attendant for a while; The young attendant also didn't react in time due to the suddenness of the matter.

  Just as he was about to let out a loud cry, he had already fallen down softly. Right where the back of his head had been just now, there was a fist the size of a vinegar jar!

  The young man who thought he had succeeded was still completely unaware, but didn't know that just now he narrowly escaped a great disaster!

  All these things were done quickly like a lantern slide show; if someone accidentally saw it, they would think that a shadow play was being performed just now.

  What happened afterwards was similar to the previous incident on Lake Poyang. Lü, who was used to giving lectures to others, had to accept a lifetime of unforgettable teachings. Gone were the flattering words he was accustomed to hearing, replaced by unbridled ridicule and intimidation.

  This time, they adjusted their words and portrayed themselves as bandits who fell in love on the Great Lonely Mountain; while Shengyan and the medicine-selling girl's romantic relationship also transformed from a hole-ridden one-night stand to a childhood sweetheart marriage. After all, this Lü old man is not like that rough and stupid Chen Kuai, if he is slightly careless, he might be seen through by him.

  The eloquent speech finally ended with Lü County's whole body drenched in cold sweat. With a terrifying threat as the finale, the two uninvited guests tossed him aside and strode away.

  After struggling for a long time, Mr. Lü finally managed to extricate himself from the cheap burlap sack that he had bought at a knocked-down price after haggling for half a day. His body was covered in cold sweat, and as the cool autumn breeze blew through the streets, combined with the unprecedented terror and suffering he had just endured, Mr. Lü felt particularly miserable both physically and mentally.

  After a while, he came to himself and stumbled along with his attendants, who supported each other as they made their way towards the Lu mansion. The young attendant, whose soul had not yet recovered from the shock, did not know what accident had befallen his master; but seeing his master's dispirited look, the clever young man knew that he should keep silent at this time.

  The long night road, all the way in silence.

  On the surface, it seemed calm, but after listening to the speech of Lü County Master, his heart was stirred up like a stormy sea. For the first time in his life, he realized that the county master, who thought himself invincible, was actually so weak and incompetent when encountering roadside strongmen. Reflecting on his past actions, it was as if he had been struck by a sudden enlightenment, and he couldn't help but break out in cold sweat!

  At this point, he suddenly realized that everyone respected and feared him because of his official position and the law - although he often didn't take the law seriously; but once there were strong men who despised the law like him, he was no different from those humble people who were often oppressed and manipulated by him under their powerful means. And previously, he could be so reckless and invincible, often relying on his wife, the sister of the prefect, to clean up the mess for him; otherwise, without the bandits' intervention, he would have been overthrown by the powerful officials in the officialdom long ago.

  After experiencing this terrifying ordeal, Lü Chonghui suddenly became extremely clear-headed. It turned out that the wife he had always kept at arm's length was actually the one who truly loved and protected him. Thinking of this, Lü Chonghui quickened his pace even more, walking towards home where someone was waiting for his return.

  As soon as he entered the house, Mrs. Lü saw her husband in such a sorry state and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She didn't bother to scold him for being late, but instead hurriedly asked him what had happened. Mr. Lü didn't respond, but instead wrapped his arms around his wife and trembled as he called out: "Wife!" Only then did he realize that his wife's hair was already speckled with gray, and his heart felt even more overwhelmed with emotions.

  Alas, snow has dyed the clouds white, frost has frozen the apricot face, and the rosy cheeks are gone never to return.

  The peach blossoms have faded, I fear the rain and wind will wither them away.

  But I wish you no harm nor injury, what worries or troubles can we have between us...

  Tonight, how many people can't sleep?

  And speaking of the two illegal things, they rushed back to the inn in a crazy manner, thinking that they had sneaked into their room without being detected. When they arrived at the house, these two people were also like Chen Ban and Lü Xian, who were shocked and frightened. After a while, when they calmed down, the two of them realized that their legs were trembling uncontrollably, unable to speak clearly whether it was due to tension, fear, excitement, or the exhaustion of the night's ordeal causing leg cramps.

  "We're back!"

  "Ah, I'm back!"

  Both of their voices were trembling, but they saw joy in each other's eyes. No matter what the outcome is tomorrow, they have done their best and returned safely!

  In the eyes of mature and serious adults, this method of threatening to release people by holding up official power is actually quite rash and has many places that are not suitable for action. If it were them, no matter what, they would never dare to be so reckless and impulsive, and would have to repeatedly weigh and delay over time, and would not act in such a rough manner.

  Because of his straightforward words, this young man from the city didn't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth. The little girl who was with him previously didn't even know what fear was and instead thought that his plan was flawless and interesting, and could also teach a lesson to bad people. She eagerly followed his lead. As the saying goes, "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger." These two reckless youngsters said they would take action and did so immediately. In just one night, they managed to get everything done.

  Although the smooth sailing of this night is related to the relatively detailed plan, there may be a high-ranking person secretly helping along the way. Still, it's hard not to admire their luck and courage. Many times, it's just like that - those so-called wise people who think more clearly about difficulties are more likely to hesitate and not take action, thus never achieving anything. On the other hand, those ignorant and fearless rough men, due to their ignorance, charge forward without knowing what difficulties and setbacks they will encounter in the process, but ultimately get things done.

  Let's skip the idle chatter and talk about Xing Yan and Ju Ying, who despite having just gone through so much, didn't feel sleepy at all. Without returning to her own room, Ju Ying lowered her voice with Xing Yan and they chattered away, reviewing their previous actions. The two young people became more and more excited as they talked, and ended up being unable to sleep.

  So, Xing Yan teased Ju Ying that her voice was too girly when playing the role of a bandit, and also scolded her for changing the line "throw it to feed the turtle" to "throw it to feed the lake god", which didn't make sense. Ju Ying then mocked Xing Yan's over-the-top performance as the passionate bandit, laughing that he was so sincere and wondering if he really wanted a wife - until Xing Yan became flustered and loudly proclaimed his innocence, strenuously defending himself and insisting that those words were all things he had heard from customers at the Liuxianglou tavern.

  Two young people who didn't know the taste of worry struggled on until the rooster sang at dawn, and only then did they each go to rest.

  On the second day, until the sun was high in the sky, Xingyan finally got up, dressed and washed, then went to see if Juying had woken up. In the corridor, he happened to run into Juying's coachman. The coachman greeted Xingyan with a "good morning", and then seemed to casually mention that the father and daughter who were selling medicine on Wanghu Street yesterday had been released.

  Xingyan was overjoyed when he heard the news and couldn't wait to tell Ju Ying. He rushed to find her and told her the good news as soon as possible. Ju Ying was also thrilled when she heard it, it seemed that the two "catch-and-release" games last night had worked, and their hard work last night hadn't been in vain!

  Let's pass over the two young people "弹冠相庆" for now, and talk about that Lü Chonghui, the county magistrate. Early in the morning, he rushed to the county government office, pacing back and forth in the study, thinking hard about how to come up with an excuse to release Chen Kui. Just as he was saying this, Cao Cao arrived, and heard outside the door that Chen Kui's subordinate, Chen Bantou, was requesting an audience.

  "This fellow has come surprisingly early today!"

  Just as he was about to look for him, Master Lü hurried back to the nanmu chair and sat up straight, then called him in.

  At this time, Lü County's heart had already made up his mind. Although in the past, Chen Ban would not let go of any woman with a good figure, like a cat seeing fish, but this time he must force him to let go, because the terrifying words of those two thieves last night were still ringing in his ears. If Chen Ban really didn't know what was good for him, then he could only use his official rank to pressure him. It's just that it would be best not to tear off the facade, after all, Chen Kui knew all about his own past misdeeds.

  He took a glance at Chen Kui, who was just entering, and suddenly had an idea. He picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, coughed, and then began to talk about the mysteries of the universe, speaking eloquently and at length, laying the groundwork for his final hint that Chen Kui should release him.

  Unfortunately, this charming glance was wasted on a blind man. Who would have thought that Chen Kui's heart was also like a thousand claws scratching at his heart, and he was anxious to the point of being on fire!

  Early in the morning, he rushed over to ask Master Lü to release him, but was mistaken by County Magistrate Lü as a fellow member of the Water Lake Society. He was subjected to a long and confusing lecture, which left Chen Daban dizzy and disoriented. Just as he was nodding and agreeing, Chen Kui suddenly remembered the ruthless tactics of those two scoundrels from last night, especially the warning to release him before noon. His hair stood on end, and he could no longer bear to interrupt County Magistrate Lü's enthusiastic speech, so he cut in and said:

  "Lord of Lü County, I have an urgent matter to report!"

  "What's wrong?"

  Lü Xian's carefully constructed long-winded speech was interrupted, and he was not pleased, but it wasn't convenient to get angry at this time, so he tried his best to smile and let Chen Kui slowly explain.

  "Master Lü, don't you think it's possible to release that father and daughter pair that Xiao Ren caught yesterday at noon?"

  "Gasp!"

  Lü County's old man spat out a mouthful of tea water!

  Suddenly, the old master's expression was strange, Chen Kui hastily brought out the speech he had prepared all night due to insomnia, and explained in a sincere and humble tone that yesterday's arrest of the father and daughter was indeed a misunderstanding. Chen Kui first made a solemn self-criticism for his own dereliction of duty, and finally even offered to deduct from his own salary the ransom for releasing the father and daughter as punishment for his own negligence.

  Lü County Master suppressed the urge to kiss Chen Ban's head and, in a gentle tone befitting his status as county master, praised his subordinate for bravely admitting his mistake. He hoped that Chen would quickly correct the error and release the father-daughter pair. Considering Chen's usual diligence and fairness in handling matters, Lü County Master decided not to deduct his salary due to this small mistake.

  It was Chen Daban, who had fully realized the difficulty of this matter, but did not expect that Lü Laoye would be so easy to talk to today. Originally, the tragic decision was to risk bankruptcy and take food from the tiger's mouth, but unexpectedly, today, without much effort, the county magistrate readily agreed to release the person. It is really unthinkable that Lü County Magistrate, who usually "cuts meat on the legs of a heron and scoops oil from the belly of a mosquito", has such an honest and noble side.

  "Was I misunderstanding him before? Anyway, last night's narrow escape and today's smooth sailing seem to be the result of my sincere prayers being heard by the Bodhisattva, blessing me to always turn bad luck into good fortune. After this matter is settled, I must hurry to that old temple to fulfill my vow and send the big pig head I promised last night to the Bodhisattva as soon as possible!"

  Chen Kui was lost in thought, while Lv Conghui was secretly rejoicing. For some reason, he hadn't noticed it before, but today he found Chen Ban's bruised face more and more lovable as he looked at him.

  Huh? A bruised face?! Lord Lü, who had been restless all along, only now noticed that his subordinate's face was covered in bruises, looking like a dye workshop. He hastily and kindly asked what had happened to this loyal subordinate.

  "Uh, this little injury was from last night when I was pouring out the foot washing water. It was dark and the ground was slippery, my foot slipped and I hit my face..."

  "Oh, then Chen Ban Tou should be careful with his feet afterwards."

  "Thank you for your concern, sir! I will definitely be more careful in the future!"

  "Huh? Sir, your face..."

  It turned out that Chen Ban Tuo also discovered at this time that there were several bloodstains on the face of Lü Laoye in front of him.

  "This... actually, I was annoyed by the meowing of that little cat in your mistress's arms last night and wanted to grab it and throw it out the door. But unexpectedly, I was scratched by that beast instead!"

  "Oh! You'd better be careful from now on, old man."

  These two people each had their own ulterior motives, and neither of them noticed the flaws in the other's words.

  "Sir, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave! Go and release that father-daughter pair."

  It was Chen Ban who feared the night would be long and his dreams many, so he didn't want to linger.

  "Let go as soon as possible!!!!!!"