The Demon Lords-Chapter 627 - 109 Yan Xiaoliu_2

Alright,

Mr. Guo had just received a reward,

and he was feeling rather pleased with himself.

His storytelling, which had been about war and iron-clad cavalry, suddenly drifted back to the romantic clichés he used to favor.

"Is that true?"

"Yeah, is it true?"

Some in the audience began to voice their doubts.

So, Mr. Guo, you're like a spittoon, right? Just there to catch all the gossip? You were on the scene and saw everything, were you?

Mr. Guo immediately adopted a serious tone, "Allow me to inform you, gentlemen, the Emperor of the Situ Family has always been frail. He returned from Snow Sea already injured. Therefore, those concubines in the rear palace have long been starved for affection. With whom would they share that brimming passion?"

"HAHAHA!"

"Great!"

"A reward for him!"

"The Eldest Prince is mighty!"

"Magnificent, our Prince of Yan!"

Street storytelling, if not a bit risqué and exaggerated, how could it build such an atmosphere? Without this atmosphere, how could it earn rewards?

This street livelihood caters to the working masses. If it tried to be overly refined, it would lose its essence and seem out of place.

As long as everyone is happy, the audience is happy, and our patrons are happy, then all is well!

"HEHEHE."

Head Constable Yan chuckled softly as he listened.

Truth be told,

he was rather looking forward to the upcoming plot developments, which he suspected would involve his elder brother and some scandalous tales from the Cheng State's imperial harem.

However, just then, a constable hurried over. "Big Boss, there's trouble at the government office."

"What's happened?"

"Someone's dead."

Upon hearing this, Head Constable Yan quickly thrust the remaining melon seeds into the hand of a man who, like him, was pressed against the doorframe, eavesdropping.

Then, he rushed towards the government office with this subordinate.

Someone had indeed died at the government office. When Head Constable Yan arrived at the main hall, he saw a man in black sitting on the ground, a roast chicken in his left hand and a wine jug in his right, eating and drinking with gusto.

The county magistrate was seated on the high platform, and the government servants and constables who had rushed over were gathered around the man in black, yet no one dared to approach him.

Oh, right, there was a corpse lying in the hall below. Head Constable Yan recognized the deceased: Hou San, who ran a gambling den and practiced usury on the backstreet.

At this moment, Hou San was well and truly dead.

"What happened?" Head Constable Yan asked a nearby constable.

"Boss, you're here! You won't believe what happened today. This man owed Hou San money and refused to pay. So, Hou San dragged him here to report to the magistrate. Our magistrate was just about to open the court session when this fellow suddenly pulled an iron ingot from his pocket and smashed Hou San to death with it, right here in the hall!

"Killing someone in court was one thing, but then the man sat down and started eating and drinking. He says he won't run or hide. After he finishes his meal, he'll willingly be shackled and sent to the army as a prisoner soldier."

"Did he bring his own food and wine?"

"Nah, the people over there gave it to him. They're all his sworn brothers, quite a few of them."

Head Constable Yan looked over and noticed that among the crowd of onlookers gathered at the entrance of the county yamen, a group of sturdy young men were kneeling.

"TSK. TSK."

Head Constable Yan pushed through the crowd, walked directly up to the man, squatted down, and asked, "Brother, is the wine enough?"

The man looked up at Head Constable Yan, smiled, and said, "Enough. If I get too drunk, I won't be able to walk. It's a long way from here to Cheng State, you know."

Head Constable Yan sat down cross-legged, pointed at the breathless Hou San, and asked, "An old grudge?"

"I had just returned from delivering some goods when I learned that the mother of one of my sworn brothers had been scammed by this Hou San. He tricked her into selling her house and land for a mere hundred wen. When the old woman realized what had happened, she had nowhere to turn for justice and threw herself into a well, dying.

"That brother of mine died young. When we were just starting out, his mother often fed us. When I returned and heard about this, well, it had to be a life for a life. I killed Hou San to avenge my deceased brother and his mother. Afterwards, I can go to the front lines as a prisoner soldier and fight the wild people or those Gan dogs."

Hou San's reputation was terrible. He engaged in unscrupulous dealings and had ruined many families, causing countless deaths. However, his backer was the county registrar, so no one had dared to touch him.

Now that Hou San was dead, it could be considered "eliminating a scourge for the people."

Head Constable Yan recalled what his friend, Zheng, had once said: the street world, though not respectable, still fascinates many. That's because people from the street will sometimes do things that those "well-dressed scoundrels" in high positions would never do.

Head Constable Yan had been in Nan'an County for some time and knew of Hou San's misdeeds. He hadn't rushed to deal with him because he hadn't yet sorted out his own relationship with the county registrar.

Of course, the most significant reason was that no matter how vile Hou San was, he wouldn't dare try any tricks on Head Constable Yan. That was the fundamental reason for the lack of urgency.

"Brother, would you tell me your name?"

"HEHE. I'll have to sign a confession and accept my punishment later anyway. But since you ask, I'll tell you. I am Ran Min of Nan'an. People call me Ran the Big Beard."

"But where's the beard?"

"Shaved it off beforehand. Saves the trouble of it getting infested with lice on the road to exile, since I wouldn't be able to groom it."

Saying this, Ran Min turned to the group of men kneeling outside the government office.

"Don't stand there with long faces! We're enlisting together. You're signing up as civilian conscripts and laborers; I'll start as a prisoner soldier. As long as there's a war to fight, it won't take me long to rise again. When that time comes, I'll still lead you to kill our enemies!"

Then, Ran Min turned back to the county magistrate on the high platform.

"My apologies, Your Honor, for disrespecting you by killing someone in your court. But Your Honor should come down and share a cup of wine with me. This incident will surely spread and become a celebrated tale. HA HA HA! I'm offering you this favorable wind, Your Honor. If you don't ride it, my good intentions will truly be wasted!"

The county magistrate remained seated, refusing to come down. His face twitched; he was visibly furious.

Seeing this, Head Constable Yan felt a sense of helplessness. No wonder this county magistrate was being undermined by his subordinate registrar and assistant magistrate; he had no backbone at all, even refusing such a freely offered chance to boost his reputation.

If that fellow Zheng were here, he would have rushed down, first toasted Ran Min three times, then tearfully recited the sentencing document in a loud voice. Finally, covering his face, he would have embraced this man and wept dramatically. He wouldn't have stopped until he had thoroughly cemented this benevolent image.

Ran Min shook his head, then looked at Head Constable Yan seated before him and sighed.

"It's a pity. Although His Majesty doesn't forbid minor functionaries from becoming officials, it's still too difficult for a brother like you, a constable, to climb the ranks. If you're not an official, having a good official reputation is useless. But how about a street name, brother? Do you want one?"

"I'll take it."

Head Constable Yan never refused anything offered.

Ran Min took the wine jug first, drank a large gulp, then handed the jug to Head Constable Yan and shouted, "Brother, bottoms up!"

Head Constable Yan wasn't put off by it and took a large swig directly from the jug's mouth.

Ran Min laughed heartily. Then, projecting his voice for all to hear, he asked Head Constable Yan, "May I ask your honorable name, brother?"

Head Constable Yan, feigning slight drunkenness, boomed, "Yan Xiaoliu of Nan'an, at your service!"

"Good! Making another brother before I'm exiled is a joyous occasion. Wait for me! Wait until your big brother has accumulated military merit on the battlefield and made a name for himself. A Captain won't cut it. I need to be at least a Commander, or maybe snag a position as an Assistant General! HA HA HA HA! After the war, if I have a chance to return, you'll work with me. A true man of our Great Yan, why be a mere constable? Killing those enemy dogs on the battlefield—that's real exhilaration! Brother Xiaoliu, wait for me. In the future, your big brother will protect you!"

To speak of fighting on the front lines and risking one's life for military merit as if it were as easy as taking something from a pocket—such words were undeniably arrogant. However, the street world, though seemingly insignificant, can often produce extraordinary individuals. What the future holds remained to be seen.

Head Constable Yan chuckled upon hearing this. "Funny you should say that. A brother of mine said the same thing years ago, also before he joined the army."

"Haha, he was just bluffing! I'm different!"

Head Constable Yan looked up and let out a long sigh. "Truth be told," he murmured, "I really miss that brother of mine. It's been almost a year."

"Did he die in battle?"

"......" Yan Xiaoliu remained silent.

Seeing Yan Xiaoliu's silence, Ran Min's expression turned solemn. "He was a true man. If he died fighting for our Great Yan, he deserves respect. Come, Brother Yan, let this cup of wine be a toast to your departed brother!"

"HEHEHE." Yan Xiaoliu laughed until his stomach hurt, but he still nodded. He reached out, and together with Ran Min, they held the same wine jug, tilted its mouth downwards, and poured the wine onto the ground.

"Brother, go well. May your journey be peaceful."

「...…」

"ACHOO!"

General Zheng, who had just been helped by Siniang to sit up in bed and was drinking chicken soup, let out a massive sneeze, nearly spilling the soup in his hands.

"Heh, someone must be thinking of me."