Chapter 130 Power and Intimidation (1/2)
Li Ye and Liu Zhiyan were at an inn, preparing to enjoy their freshly-laid meal on their table when a band of burly men, led by a few constables from the local magistrate stormed into the premises.
”This is an official business of the magistrate! Keep away at once!” The beefy leader of the constables barked loudly as soon as he had entered the inn.
No one dared say a word. At the sight of the constables in their uniform, the rest of the other patrons of the inn immediately scurried out of the door like frightened animals.
”Damn it! Who is this woman called Liu!” One of the constables bellowed, flipping over a table to intimidate Li Ye and Liu Zhiyan as he glared at them. He stepped on the fallen plates and cups, trampling on the shards and splinters to assert his threatening presence.
It was a rather pointless question, Li Ye mused. There was no one else in the inn save for Li Ye and Liu Zhiyan. Even the manager and the staff of the inn had hidden themselves under the counter.
”On your feet, both of you!” The constable barked again, slamming a fist on their table, craning over them menacingly with a vicious glare. ”You are hereby arrested on grounds of suspicion as river bandits! You will now be brought to the magistrate at once! Surrender yourselves!”
Li Ye ignored him, pouring a cup of liquor and downing it in one gulp. He smacked his lips and sighed. ”It a pity that the Imperial Court's name and reputation amongst the people are now in the gutters,” he remarked to Liu Zhiyan, ”Mostly thanks to these goons of the magistrate.”
”I do meet such types regularly and I detest them.” Liu Zhiyan nodding her head with approbation.
Li Ye emitted a surprised ”oh” and began filling with interest. ”So how do you deal with these people most of the time?”
”In the past, we could only tolerate with silence,” Liu Zhiyan replied earnestly, ”But nowadays...” She did not finish her sentence, but her eyes were glinting as she peered at Li Ye.
”Nowadays?” Li Ye prodded again, on the verge of giggling out loud.
”Nowadays, we let them kiss the soles of our boots,” Liu Zhiyan replied curtly.
”Somehow, I'm inclined to agree with your method,” Li Ye said, his head bobbing.
Liu Zhiyan stood up and faced the constable.
Li Ye stopped her. ”Have a cup first, shall we? It would be a terrible waste of good wine if we were to knock over this flask later.”
”We won't,” Liu Zhiyan replied simply, looking back at him.
Li Ye threw his hands up in the air, and allowed them to fall helplessly to his side, as if saying have it your way to her.
The constable was already burning with rage at being ignored by them. His sabre was already drawn when Liu Zhiyan stood up. Angrily, he swung his sabre at Li Ye, howling, ”How dare you disrespect me, you mangy cur! I'll send you down to Hell now! Let's see how you smirk then!”
Li Ye was hardly perturbed; he waved a hand dismissively. ”Why pick me? She's already waiting for you! What? You look down on women?”
”I don't care...” the beefy constable replied, the blade of his sabre arcing down like a bolt of lightning.
But the blade did not even come down. Liu Zhiyan planted a fist into the chest of the constable before he could finish his blow. With a crack from her blow, the constable was thrown off his feet, careening into a tableful of food and dishes in a loud motley of splintering wood and porcelain before he blacked out.
”How dare you!”
”You dare strike a constable of the magistrate!”
”Take her down!”
Everyone behind yelled at Liu Zhiyan and charged at her with their weapons drawn.
Still, their voices and noises stopped abruptly in no time.
Liu Zhiyan leaped into the fold, unleashing a successive series of blows on the remainder of the constables and the burly men with a cascade of thuds from her fists. Some crashed into tables and chairs, some through the windows and door, while another was stuck in a hole in the wall.
None of them were standing.
”How dare you lay a hand on a constable of the magistrate! You do not know the taste of Death!” Another voice rang suddenly. A figure lunged to the center of the inn. It was an old man wielding a spirit sword and he swung his weapon at Liu Zhiyan.
He was no way weaker than her. With that single stroke, winds were tossed up by the pressure of the Spiritual Qi imbued into his blow that the wooden beams of the inn began shaking as if ready to buckle at any time.
”I'll teach you a lesson!” The old man snarled at Liu Zhiyan.
”Just teach your own son,” Li Ye's calm voice rang suddenly in his ears before a foot stomped into the old man's face. The kick sent the elder man flying out of the door and into the streets. There he lay unconscious, unable to get to his feet.
”I should have been able to deal with him, Young Master,” said Liu Zhiyan with a note of indignance.
”I was afraid that he'd bring down the whole inn,” Li Ye remarked in jest.
His arm stretched forward as he spoke, reaching towards the direction of the door.
Manager Zhang was just outside, still perplexed by what had happened, when a sudden and invisible force yanked him into the inn.
With a loud thud, he flew into Li Ye's grasp who immediately smashed him into the counter.
The wooden counter was immediately crushed into pieces, with Manager Zhang lying in its midst, barely conscious with his eyes rolling up into his head.
”I trust you'll take care of the remunerations, will you not?” Li Ye regarded the bloodied Manager Zhang briefly, ”After all, it was you people who had damaged the properties of this good establishment, eh?”