The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 144 - 145: Capture

Seven or eight soldiers surrounded Li Ji and attacked him all at once.

However, Li Ji didn’t seem to be at a disadvantage in the slightest.

Back in the day, he was a god of slaughter who could charge into an enemy camp single-handedly and emerge unscathed. These few grunts were no threat to him at all.

In just a few moments, he had knocked all his opponents to the ground, leaving them crying out in pain.

Hua Manman had originally wondered if she should step in and land a finishing blow, but now it seemed there was no opportunity for her to even join the fight.

All she could do was stand on the side, raising her hands high and shouting like a fangirl, "You’re awesome!"

The soldiers knew they had underestimated Li Ergou’s strength and were filled with regret. ’If only we’d known, we would have brought more men!’

Taking advantage of a moment when Li Ergou wasn’t looking, they practically scrambled and crawled out of the inn.

Only the arrest officer was still lying on the ground.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to leave, but both his legs were so severely injured that he couldn’t stand up, making escape impossible.

Li Ji pointed the tip of his blade at the man’s lips and asked again.

"Go on. Whose father did you say you were?"

The arrest officer never imagined that this Li Ergou was not only a martial arts expert but also completely insane. ’To fly into a rage and injure someone over a single sentence... he’s a madman!’

He was so frightened he had wet his pants, and he was crying, snot and tears streaming down his face.

"You’re my father! I’m your son! Is that good enough? Please, let me go! I was wrong!"

A look of disgust crossed Li Ji’s face. "I could never father a son as ugly and stupid as you."

The arrest officer hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, yes! I’m ugly and stupid, unworthy of being your son! Please be merciful and let me go. I promise I’ll never appear before you again."

However, what he was really thinking was—

’The moment I get back, I’m going to call a whole crew of my brothers over here and kill this bastard!’

Li Ji heard his thoughts and a cold smile touched his lips.

He raised his hand, and the blade struck again.

This time, it pierced the arrest officer’s right arm.

The pain made him scream again.

The scream carried to the backyard, causing the Shopkeeper and his staff, who were hiding in the kitchen, to tremble in fear.

’We originally thought he was just a poor bastard with nothing but a pretty face. Who knew he was actually a lunatic with incredible martial arts skills!’

’Oh, heavens, what are we going to do?’

The arrest officer fainted from the sheer pain.

Hua Manman immediately picked up the teapot, trotted over, and offered it to him with both hands.

Li Ji didn’t take it, instead jerking his chin in the direction of the arrest officer.

Hua Manman understood and splashed the cold tea onto the arrest officer’s face.

The shock quickly jolted the arrest officer awake.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Li Ergou’s inhumanly handsome face. He was so terrified his soul nearly left his body, and he wished he could faint again.

At that moment, in the arrest officer’s mind, the madman Li Ergou was more terrifying than King Yanluo himself.

Li Ji aimed the tip of his blade at the man’s eye and said coolly,

"If you faint again, I’ll gouge this eyeball out."

The arrest officer’s nerves instantly tensed. He didn’t dare faint.

He knew this madman was ruthless and would do exactly as he said.

He could only endure the pain and force himself to stay conscious, all the while praying desperately that his companions would quickly return with reinforcements.

Meanwhile, another branch of the story was unfolding.

The soldiers who had run into a wall with Li Ji fled back to the county government, bruised, swollen, and utterly disgraced.

Unwilling to suffer such a humiliating defeat, they immediately reported to County Magistrate Gao, begging him to dispatch more men so they could go kill that Li Ergou!

When County Magistrate Gao learned of the matter, he was naturally furious.

But he did not act rashly. Instead, he carefully inquired about the details of what had happened.

He learned that this Li Ergou’s martial arts were exceptionally strong and that ordinary men were no match for him.

County Magistrate Gao was well aware of the capabilities of the constables and government officials in the county government. They could only throw their weight around when dealing with common folk; in truth, they didn’t know a lick of martial arts and never bothered to train.

To subdue Li Ergou, relying on the good-for-nothings in the county government would certainly not be enough.

He would have to seek help elsewhere.

County Magistrate Gao soon had an idea.

He ran to request an audience with the Crown Prince, informing him that a bandit had appeared in the county seat. He explained that this bandit was highly skilled in martial arts and incredibly vicious, far beyond what ordinary constables could handle. He hoped the Crown Prince would dispatch a few experts to bring the situation under control.

Li Cheng was shocked. "How can there be a bandit hiding in the city? What kind of patrols have you been conducting?"

County Magistrate Gao hurriedly begged for forgiveness.

"Your humble servant has been completely overwhelmed with disaster relief recently and has had no time to oversee the city patrols.

I had assumed County Magistrate Luo would handle these matters properly.

I never imagined such a lapse could occur.

It is my dereliction of duty. I ask the Crown Prince to punish me!"

After hearing his explanation, Li Cheng’s disgust for Luo Yun only grew. He said coldly,

"Don’t call him County Magistrate Luo anymore. Such an incompetent fool is utterly unfit to be a ’parent official’ to the people!"

With those words from the Crown Prince, Luo Yun’s career was finished.

County Magistrate Gao was secretly overjoyed, but his face remained a mask of worry.

"What about the bandit in the city?"

Li Cheng said in a grim voice,

"I will immediately dispatch a squad from the Tiger Roar Camp to accompany you to capture the bandit.

Once he is caught, I want him hanged in the city’s busiest market.

Let everyone see the consequences of defying the court!"

County Magistrate Gao cupped his hands. "As you command!"

The Tiger Roar Camp was stationed on an open field not far from the county government.

The area was originally a training ground for the county government’s constables, but since the constables of Fu’an County never trained, the place had long been abandoned. It was now the temporary encampment for the Tiger Roar Camp.

The man in command of the Tiger Roar Camp was the General of the Brave Cavalry, Bian Ziming.

Bian Ziming was a rather slippery character, skilled at currying favor and advancing his own interests.

He received the Crown Prince’s handwritten letter from County Magistrate Gao and was quite surprised to learn there was a bandit hiding in the city.

As it happened, he was idle at the moment and decided to handle the matter personally. If he succeeded, he could make a good impression on the Crown Prince, which would be beneficial for his future career.

Thus, Bian Ziming took a small squad and accompanied County Magistrate Gao to capture the bandit.

They charged toward the inn on their tall horses, full of aggression.

The inn’s main doors were still wide open.

The doors and windows of all the nearby houses were shut tight, clearly frightened by the screams that had come from the inn earlier.

The entire street was eerily quiet, with not a single pedestrian in sight.

With a wave of Bian Ziming’s hand, the soldiers of the Tiger Roar Camp dismounted and surrounded the inn so tightly that not even a fly could get through, ensuring the bandit inside couldn’t escape even if he grew wings.

County Magistrate Gao turned his head to glance at the bruised and swollen constable beside him and asked in a low voice,

"This is the place?"

The constable nodded hurriedly. "Yes!"

County Magistrate Gao sneered.

"I’d like to see just what kind of guts this fellow has to dare run wild in Fu’an County!"

With that, he strode into the inn, radiating killing intent.

The constable followed close behind.

Without giving it much thought, Bian Ziming followed them inside as well.