The next morning, at the County Captain's Office.

Huang Yunxiao sipped his tea and sneered, "That old man is asserting his authority."

Huang Qingzhou also looked displeased and said, "Is he targeting you, big brother?"

The two brothers had initially thought Shen Yuan was taken by the officials for some serious crime. Who would've thought, after Huang Yunxiao investigated this morning, that it was merely for cutting down five acres of forest?

The laws of Great Yu do stipulate that destroying private forests is a crime, but that law was established at the beginning of the founding for the well-being of the people.

In today's prosperous Great Yu, as long as one doesn't deliberately set fire to mountains or recklessly destroy government forest trees, actions like Shen Yuan's—cutting down one's own forest—are generally not pursued by the government.

Su Jingshan's arrest of Shen Yuan for this crime was clearly an intentional provocation.

"I'm going to see Su Jingshan."

After pondering for a moment, Huang Yunxiao stood up and spoke.

He guessed that Su Jingshan was waiting for him, wanting to see his stance.

At the County Magistrate's Office, when Huang Yunxiao arrived, Su Jingshan was handling official business.

"County Captain Huang, what brings you here today?"

Seeing Huang Yunxiao, Su Jingshan smiled faintly and did not stand to greet him.

Huang Yunxiao cupped his hands slightly, "Brother Su, let's not speak in riddles; you know why I'm here."

Hearing this, Su Jingshan finally put down his pen and asked in confusion, "Is there an official matter requiring the cooperation of this County Magistrate?"

Seeing him play dumb, Huang Yunxiao went straight to the point, "It's not about official matters; it's regarding Shen Yuan."

Su Jingshan feigned realization, then appeared very helpless, saying, "I do remember that matter."

"You say privately destroying forest isn't a big deal. As long as it's not too severe, the various government offices don't blame it heavily."

"As the saying goes, the government doesn't pursue what the people don't report, but since someone reported it to me, I have to give them an explanation."

Someone reported it?

Huang Yunxiao sneered inwardly after hearing this.

He didn't believe anyone would go out of their way to the county town to report Shen Yuan for cutting down his own forest.

This was clearly an excuse.

"By the way, I heard that your younger brother and the Shen Family have known each other for a long time; is that true?"

Huang Yunxiao resisted the urge to beat this old man up, smiling as he cupped his hands, "Our ancestors fought side by side, and we've been in contact over the years."

"Brother Su, since this is not a big deal, could you please..."

He understood very well that what Su Jingshan wanted was for him to plead and soften.

"Hahaha..."

Su Jingshan laughed.

"It's not a big deal after all, and since you ask, of course, I'll give some leniency."

"How about this, he'll be spared from prison, but the fine..."

"Must be paid."

Looking at the shifting expressions on Huang Yunxiao's face, Su Jingshan sighed and said, "We have to give people an account and let the common people know that the law doesn't bend."

Good "the law doesn't bend"!

Huang Yunxiao was infuriated inside, but he also understood that since "privately destroying forest" was in the law, he couldn't say anything about Su Jingshan's actions.

Being able to spare Shen Yuan from prison was already fortunate.

"In that case, Brother Su, can you release him first?"

"I'll pay the fine upfront."

After Huang Yunxiao spoke, Su Jingshan pretended to be in a difficult position, but then nodded, "Though this is against the rules, it doesn't matter."

While speaking, he wrote a note, called over an official, and ordered him to release Shen Yuan from the prison.

At the government office, Shen Yuan glanced thankfully at Huang Yunxiao.

Su Jingshan glanced at him seriously and said:

"Shen Yuan, in the future, you must be more careful in your actions and don't easily offend others."

"Today's matter wasn't a big deal; if no one had reported it, I wouldn't have troubled you."

Shen Yuan understood the implication in his words, cupping his hands slightly, "The humble citizen will remember, thank you, County Magistrate, for your leniency."

Su Jingshan waved his hand, "Alright, since it's over, go back quickly, don't let your family worry."

Huang Yunxiao also rose and cupped his hands, "Now that this is settled, I won't delay Brother Su from handling his official duties any longer, I'll take my leave."

The two walked out of the government office, and Shen Yuan immediately cupped his hands, "Thank you, Brother Yunxiao, for rescuing me."

The people cannot fight with the officials.

If not for Huang Yunxiao stepping in today, Su Jingshan could easily have ruined their family.

At this moment, a profound sense of powerlessness surged in his heart.

"Little brother, you don't need to be so formal; this matter is in part due to me."

"Luckily, this Su Jingshan is somewhat apprehensive; this matter should be considered over."

"You should return quickly so as not to make your wife worry."

Shen Yuan nodded, returned to the County Captain's Office, and then took a carriage with Huang Qingzhou back to Jinliu Village.

Seeing him return safely, Hu Yufen was finally able to relax her anxious heart.

After some small talk, Huang Qingzhou looked at Shen Wenxing and said, "Shi Tou, would you like to come back to the Martial Arts Hall with uncle?"

Shen Wenxing glanced at his parents behind him and cupped his hands, "Uncle, I want to stay at home and, besides training in martial arts, help my parents with some work."

Huang Qingzhou nodded slightly.

Having broken through to a postnatal martial artist, the masters at the Martial Arts Hall wouldn't be of much help anymore. Whether he could break through to the innate realm in the future depended on his own opportunities and efforts.

"That's fine. How about this, when the family isn't busy, you can visit the Martial Arts Hall."

"You can discuss training problems with the masters, and you might also help uncle manage the affairs at the hall and guide the disciples."

"As compensation, uncle will waive the cost of medicinal meals for you in the future."

The masters at the Martial Arts Hall were only at the early and middle stages of postnatal development, with only Huang Qingzhou at the peak of postnatal.

Shen Wenxing's current realm was already on par with the masters, and he was more than capable of helping guide the ordinary disciples.

"Thank you, uncle."

Shen Wenxing quickly cupped his hands.

The family watched Huang Qingzhou leave, and Shen Yuan turned to his son and asked, "Will not going to the Martial Arts Hall affect your training?"

Shen Wenxing smiled and shook his head, "I want to stay here to protect my parents."

"Training in martial arts is the same everywhere, it won't affect anything."

Shen Yuan smiled with relief and gently patted his shoulder.

The little rascal was just over ten years old and already nearly as tall as him.

In the evening, the father and son went to Lu Zhiyuan's house to pick up Shen Wenyan. Upon seeing Shen Yuan, Lu Zhiyuan was a bit surprised.

"They didn't trouble you?"

Shen Yuan shook his head slightly, then cupped his hands, "Thank you for your help today, sir."

Lu Zhiyuan waved his hand, "I didn't really do anything helpful."

The letter he wrote probably hadn't reached the County Government yet.

"Luckily, it was a false alarm, over and done with. You should be able to live well now."

Shen Yuan nodded, and the father and sons walked home along the path through the fields.

At night, after dinner, Shen Yuan practiced the pile skill with his son.

Through this period of training, he had adapted to the pile skill, and no longer experienced full-body aches after practice.

After half an hour of pile skill, the two took a simple wash and then went to sleep in their respective rooms.

On the bed, after the intimacy, Hu Yufen, with a blush on her face, gently nestled in his arms.

"Was today's matter because of Shi Tou and the Lingxiu girl?"

Shen Yuan sighed and said nothing.

"Husband, will they come again?"

Hu Yufen looked up, her face showing worry.

Shen Yuan gently arranged her hair, pressing his cheek against hers and whispering, "It's all over. The Su Family's goal has been achieved."

He could naturally see that what Su Jingshan did was likely a warning both to him and the Huang Family.

Being able to sit in the County Magistrate's position, Su Jingshan was no fool. Targeting an ordinary commoner without reason would only cause unnecessary trouble.

"Sleep."

He gently patted his wife's fragrant shoulder and whispered.

Deep at night, just after midnight, a golden light suddenly flashed in the sea of consciousness from the white jade turtle shell.

[The hexagram has been refreshed!]

[Today's Hexagram · Great Luck]: When you take your son Shen Wenxing to Black Water Pool for fishing, you will encounter a great opportunity.

Shen Yuan habitually glanced at the hexagram, a bit surprised.

This was the first time the hexagram showed something so ambiguous.

A great opportunity?

What could it be?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.