"Master Zhao, just now Chen Dahu replied, saying he’s willing to surrender, but on the condition that we don’t pursue the charges against him and his sons. How should we handle this?" a constable asked respectfully.
At this moment, Zhao Ya was sitting at a roadside tea stall, drinking tea.
A large bowl of tea for five copper coins, Zhao Ya savored every sip.
After finishing the tea, Zhao Ya stood up, reaching for his money, but the tea shop owner stopped him.
"Master Zhao, you and the brothers work tirelessly every day, for whom? Isn’t it for us common people! It is my honor for you to drink my tea. If I take your money, others would talk behind my back."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya smiled without insisting, just nodded, "Then thank you very much."
The tea shop owner’s greasy face lit up, and he lowered his voice, "Master Zhao, sounds like you’re planning to deal with Chen Dahu?"
"Yes."
"Then you must be careful. This Chen Dahu is not an ordinary thug. Each of his seven sons is skilled in martial arts, and crucially, his wife is a pure troublemaker, a true Yaksha. So you must be very cautious." The tea shop owner advised.
"You know this Chen Dahu?" Zhao Ya asked with a smile.
"Of course I do. Every business on these streets has to pay tribute to Chen Dahu. Even my small tea stall has to pay him annually. Otherwise, there’s no way to survive on the street." The tea shop owner complained.
Zhao Ya patted his shoulder, said nothing, and walked out of the tea stall.
"Laoliu!" Zhao Ya called out casually.
The constable who delivered the message immediately stepped forward, "Master Zhao, what is it?"
"Where is Chen Dahu’s house?"
"Just on the next street. I’ve already got some brothers watching it."
"Alright, take me there."
"Sure!"
This constable was very excited.
Because he knew Zhao Ya was ready to take action.
Thinking of the mockery and insults he faced when he went to Chen Dahu’s house to persuade them to surrender just now, the constable was filled with anger.
Damn it.
Didn’t you all say you’re not afraid to die? Just wait for Master Zhao to deal with you.
They reached the street in no time.
When Zhao Ya arrived at Chen Dahu’s house, there were indeed more than a dozen government officials keeping watch in front.
Seeing Zhao Ya’s arrival, these officials hurriedly stood up.
"Master Zhao!"
"Master Zhao, you’re here!"
Zhao Ya nodded, turned his head, and took a look at the grand entrance.
"Is this Chen Dahu’s house?"
"That’s right, this is the home of Chen Dahu and his eight brothers. We’ve been keeping watch here and confirmed that Chen Dahu and his seven sons haven’t gone out. They’re all inside."
Zhao Ya nodded, "Good job!"
Saying that, Zhao Ya stepped towards the Chen family.
The officials gathered together, whispering.
"How long do you think Master Zhao will take this time?"
"I think it will take at least the time of an incense stick burning!"
"Nonsense, last time when dealing with the remnants of the Four Seas Gang, Master Zhao didn’t take that long. For just a local ruffian, it wouldn’t take the time of an incense stick. I think at most half a cup of tea."
"But don’t forget, the eight brothers of the Chen family aren’t scary, but that Yaksha wife is truly troublesome."
"Still depends on who she’s up against. Can she be more troublesome than the Four Seas Gang? In the end, didn’t even they get sorted out by Master Zhao single-handedly?"
Amidst the officials’ discussions, Zhao Ya stepped up and reached the front door.
The two tightly closed large doors, painted with vermillion several times, were shiny and looked grand.
But these doors could stop others, yet they were like nothing to Zhao Ya.
As he approached, Zhao Ya lightly waved his hand.
With a loud bang, one of the doors was blasted off, crashing onto the roof of the main house behind.
Bang bang bang.
Roof tiles flew, and cries of alarm sounded from inside, followed by a short, stout man, not even 1.6 meters tall but weighing at least 200 pounds, rushing out.
"Who dares act so boldly, causing trouble at the Chen family?"
Zhao Ya didn’t bother to respond, stepped forward and said faintly, "You are Chen Dahu?"
"Chen Dahu is my father. I’m his third son, known as..."
The short stout man wanted to introduce himself, but Zhao Ya didn’t give him the chance. He stepped out, immediately appearing before him, and smacked him out of the courtyard.
"Tie him up!" Zhao Ya said indifferently.
The officials swarmed forward, eager to tie up the short stout man with some even sneaking in a couple of kicks to vent their anger.
Meanwhile, a loud, messy yell came from inside the house.
"Who dares lay a hand on my son? Your life is forfeit!"
With the shout, seven dwarves rushed out from the house, all around the same height and weight as the stout man Zhao Ya had just knocked away.
Except that the foremost one had graying beard, making him look a bit older.
Zhao Ya didn’t bother talking with this group.
They had already been given a chance. If they would surrender, Zhao Ya wouldn’t make things difficult for them.
But it’s their own fault for not cherishing what they have, so they can’t blame others.
So Zhao Ya, as if delivering goods, picked up these short and chubby fellows one by one and tossed them outside.
Just as he was enjoying this, a tremendously powerful roar came from the backyard.
"Who dares to bully my son and husband!"
With those words, even the ground seemed to tremble slightly.
Then they saw an unidentified creature, at least two meters tall and weighing four to five hundred pounds, rushing over at extreme speed.
Chen Dahu was overjoyed at this sight, "Wife, kill that little boy!"
The Chen Family, known as the Sitting Eight Tigers, usually bullied the market, committing all sorts of evil, and their biggest reliance was actually this woman.
Not to mention ordinary people, even accomplished martial artists would have a headache dealing with such a giant.
What’s more, this woman had extraordinary talent and tremendous strength, so usually no one dared to provoke her.
But Zhao Ya, unhurried, watched as the woman charged forward and, suddenly opening his arms, grabbed her arms firmly.
Zhao Ya, a good six feet tall, seemed like a child in front of this woman.
So when the woman saw Zhao Ya neither dodge nor evade, but actually intended to compete in strength, she sneered grimly.
"You little bastard, I’ll tear you apart...!"
Before she even finished speaking, she was shocked to find herself lifted off the ground and then slammed heavily onto the gate tower.
Boom!
With a loud crash, dust flew everywhere.
Without even a groan, the woman died under the combined effect of her own massive weight and the violent impact, spitting blood as she went.
Zhao Ya clapped his hands, as if he had done something trivial, and then said to the terrified Chen Dahu.
"Two choices: surrender quietly, or be thrown out by me."
A moment later, Zhao Ya walked out of Chen Dahu’s home.
Behind him, a dozen government officials were escorting Chen Dahu and his seven sons out.
The townspeople watching the scene suddenly erupted in applause and cheers.
"Capital Prefecture rocks!"
"Master Zhao is mighty!"
Some even wept with joy, showing how terribly oppressed they were by the Chen Brothers.
Zhao Ya waved with a smile, declining the gifts offered by these merchants, as he made his way to the Capital Prefecture.
After returning to the Capital Prefecture and locking up the Chen Brothers in jail, Zhao Ya breathed a sigh of relief.
After these busy days, the ruffians and hooligans in Yan Capital City who had aroused great public resentment had been completely wiped out.
Even gangs like the Four Seas Gang had been thoroughly eliminated.
In fact, one could say that the current Yan Capital City was at its cleanest and most peaceful in decades.
Although the oppression from the upper echelons had not fundamentally eased, and Great Yan was still decaying and falling apart at an alarming rate, at least the people at the bottom could get a precious moment to breathe.
And this was the only thing Zhao Ya could do for Yan Capital City, or rather, for Great Yan.
Though Zhao Ya understood that Yan Capital City’s current situation was only a temporary void created under his strong pressure, and that once he left, the darkness would surely revive.
But that wasn’t a reason not to act.
Now that the matter at hand had finally come to a close, Zhao Ya had to take care of his own business.
After leaving the Capital Prefecture, Zhao Ya arrived at the Imperial College in Yan Capital City.
Zhao Ya didn’t come here to study, of course, but rather for the rich collection of books in the Imperial College.
Having already made arrangements beforehand, Zhao Ya was able to enter the Library with ease.
The shelves were densely packed with vast historical records, but Zhao Ya wasn’t interested in these; he focused on the maps of each county of Great Yan, especially those depicting the distribution of mountains and rivers.
Zhao Ya had never forgotten the Eastern King’s Treasure Map he had acquired from Fu Tingyuan, the Great Village Chief of Cyan Bamboo Ridge.
It’s just that he didn’t have the time or opportunity to look for it then.
Now that he had reached the Fifth Realm with time to spare, it was just the right moment to locate this treasure before heading to the lands Beyond the World.
As he compared the maps of world mountains and rivers little by little in the Library, subtle changes were quietly unfolding in the outside world.
Under the strong suppression by the Capital Prefecture, security in Yan Capital City had greatly improved, and even petty theft became rare, reaching the point where people could leave their doors unlocked at night.
The citizens naturally celebrated with raised hands, but this caused discomfort for the great families and noble houses.
Due to all this turmoil, their interests had been compromised to some extent.
The plan to win over Shang Jingchuan had also failed, and Prince Qi, Yan Sifu, had even expressed that he no longer wanted to participate in the matter.
As a result, they could only turn to the Wei Family, hoping Wei Tianlin could come up with a solution.
Wei Tianlin, at this moment, was both shocked and angry.
Shocked because Zhao Ya, whom he had previously dismissed, had stirred up such a great commotion.
Even the Wei Family had suffered great losses.
Angry because he did not want any new complications at such a critical juncture.
But seeing Shang Jingchuan amass a great deal of prestige among the people by holding a position in the Capital Prefecture, Wei Tianlin couldn’t help but pay attention.
He couldn’t lay a hand on Zhao Ya for the time being, but at the very least, he could make Shang Jingchuan move elsewhere.