"This is all that hag Zhang Cuihua's fault! If she hadn't offended Master Xia, our village's feng shui wouldn't have been ruined."

"Zhang Cuihua, you son of a bitch! You've dragged us all down with you!"

"I had my suspicions that Zhang Cuihua bought a daughter-in-law, but I never had any proof."

"That's right! Master Xia himself said she bought a daughter-in-law, so she definitely did."

"Let's go to Zhang Cuihua's house and rescue that girl!"

That group of relatives turned on her in an instant. They went from being accomplices to a tyrant to self-proclaimed champions of justice. One had to admire their ability to switch allegiances with the wind. Zhang Cuihua's relatives had hoped to gain some benefits from the situation, but not only did they fail to get anything, they ended up taking the fall.

Xia Liang strolled to the village entrance. Not a single person dared to stop him; all the villagers looked at him with a mixture of respect and fear. Beads of sweat dotted Zhang Cuihua's face as she watched her relatives march boldly toward her house. She panicked. If the daughter-in-law she'd bought was discovered, she could forget about ever holding a grandchild in this lifetime.

Zhang Cuihua dropped her hoe and bolted toward her home.

"Mom, why are we running? We were being so impressive just now," her dimwitted son said, trailing behind her.

"Shut up," Zhang Cuihua scolded fiercely.

She led her foolish son in a desperate sprint toward their courtyard.

"You stand guard at the gate. Don't let anyone in," Zhang Cuihua told him.

She then entered the courtyard and headed for the side room. She had to move the daughter-in-law she'd bought somewhere nobody would ever find her.

Just then, all the villagers, led by Xia Liang and the Protectors, arrived at the front of Zhang Cuihua's courtyard.

"My mom said you can't come in!" the dimwitted son shouted, spreading his arms wide to block them.

"To hell with you!" a burly villager shouted, stepping forward and delivering a swift kick.

"WAAH, WAAH, WAAH..." The dimwitted son crumpled, wailing loudly with his mouth agape.

Just as the crowd was about to break down the courtyard gate, a piercing scream erupted from within.

Pushing the gate open, they found Zhang Cuihua lying on the ground, her right foot clamped tightly in a large animal trap. Judging by her injuries, her leg was likely broken. Even if she was taken to the hospital, she would be disabled for life. Zhang Cuihua had set the trap by the gate to prevent her daughter-in-law from escaping, but in her haste, she had forgotten about it and stepped right into it herself.

This was truly a case of reaping what you sow.

"Serves you right," a villager spat, stepping forward.

"Take me to the hospital!" Zhang Cuihua shrieked from the ground.

"You're not going to die," Xia Liang said indifferently after glancing at her injuries. Just then, a knocking sound came from the side room, followed by a young woman's voice.

"Is anyone out there? Help me, please! I was trafficked here!"

Xia Liang looked toward the side room door, but before he could say a word, the villagers surged forward and broke it down.

"Sob... someone finally came..." The trafficked girl inside was a weeping mess.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," the older Protector said in a steady, reassuring voice. Seeing the Protectors, the girl's taut nerves finally gave way.

She collapsed to the ground, crying even harder, as if releasing all the terror and grievances of the past few days. Eventually, drained of all strength, she fainted.

"Call an ambulance," Xia Liang said, lifting the girl into his arms.

He checked her fortune and saw nothing seriously wrong. She was likely just suffering from nervous exhaustion after the recent ordeal. Soon, an ambulance arrived, and the paramedics took away Zhang Cuihua, with her broken leg, and the unconscious girl.

And with that, the matter was finally brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

"Master Xia, we owe you a great deal for this," the older Protector said, offering Xia Liang a cigarette.

"Doing good deeds is simply what we physiognomists ought to do," Xia Liang replied, gently pushing the cigarette away.

"A master is truly a master. Your level of thinking is on another plane," the younger Protector chimed in from the side, sucking up to him.

"Go on, get out of here. This isn't your place to speak," the older Protector said, smacking the younger one on the head. "My name is Shen Anguo, and this kid here is Gan Ming."

"A pleasure," Xia Liang replied.

"If you ever need anything in the future, you can call me. Here's my number," Shen Anguo said, handing Xia Liang a slip of paper.

"Thank you." Xia Liang accepted the paper and glanced at Shen Anguo's face. "Captain Shen, it looks like you have a promotion to celebrate soon."

Xia Liang could see that Shen Anguo's Hall of Official Fortune was full and contained a faint trace of purple qi, which was a strong sign of an impending rise in rank.

"Really?" Shen Anguo's face lit up. The deputy chief of the sub-bureau was indeed about to retire, and he was one of the candidates for the position.

"It's about ninety percent certain," Xia Liang responded with a smile.

"As soon as I'm promoted, I'll be sure to treat you to a meal, Master Xia!" Shen Anguo clenched his fists, his excitement palpable.

"Your promotion will be the result of your own merit. It has little to do with me," Xia Liang said calmly.

He could see a thick halo of meritorious karma on Shen Anguo's forehead. While he couldn't say if Shen Anguo was a completely selfless benefactor of mankind, he was definitely a decent, hardworking man. A promotion for someone like him meant he would become a good official, which was a blessing for the common people.

"Master Xia, would you like me to give you a ride?" Shen Anguo asked.

"I drove here myself," Xia Liang said, shaking his head. Just then, the village head came running over with a large group of villagers in tow.

"Master Xia, please wait!" the village head gasped, finally reaching them.

"Is there something else?" Xia Liang asked.

The village head took a bank card from his pocket and presented it to Xia Liang with both hands. "Master Xia, this is the fifty cents that our village has pooled together."

Xia Liang looked at the card, unmoved. "Why are you giving me this money?"

"Well, first, it's to thank you for rescuing that girl," the village head said obsequiously. "Second, we were hoping you might restore the 'Turtle-Back Carrying Gold' formation for us."

Xia Liang took the bank card, which made the village head's grin widen.

"Does this mean you agree, Master Xia?" the village head beamed, and the villagers behind him broke into joyous expressions.

Suddenly, Xia Liang viciously snapped the bank card—the one containing the fifty cents—and tossed it to the ground.

"Master Xia, what are you...?" The village head's face turned ashen.

"Money is a fine thing, but my principles are more important," Xia Liang stated flatly. "Captain Shen, let's go."

He turned to leave.

"Master Xia, we're begging you! We'll kneel! Please, help us restore the feng shui!"

The village head led the group of villagers in kneeling at the village entrance, kowtowing in unison. Xia Liang didn't flinch. He didn't even turn his head. As he walked away, he spoke with his back to them.

"When you do something wrong, you must bear the consequences. This has been true since ancient times."

Xia Liang got in his car and followed the police, ignoring the shouts from the villagers of Zhang Family Village. Before long, they arrived at the Protectors Bureau.

"Master Xia, we'll need you to give a statement here."

Xia Liang nodded; he had expected as much.

"Just follow the normal procedure," he said with a wave, unconcerned with such minor details. No one gave him any trouble during the interview, likely because Shen Anguo had put in a good word beforehand. The male Protector asking the questions was exceptionally courteous, afraid of showing any disrespect.

The process was quick. By the time he finished his statement, it was nearly noon. As he left, the male Protector even gave him a popsicle.

Biting into his popsicle, Xia Liang wondered where to go next. His phone suddenly rang—it was Shen Anguo. He answered, slightly confused.

"Captain Shen, what's the matter?" Xia Liang asked, licking his popsicle.

"Master Xia! Tell me your location, and I'll send someone to pick you up," Shen Anguo said.

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