C12 When the Children Were Beaten up the Whole Family Came
Welcome to our noble and esteemed profession. As of now, our county boasts 500 constables (200 permanent and 300 temporary) organized into five divisions: north, south, east, west, and headquarters. It's a rare occasion for us all (primarily the permanent staff, as the temporary workers continue their duties elsewhere) to gather like this. With such a strong presence of constables, I'm confident that the security and stability of the Dingyuan People's lives will see a notable enhancement. I have great expectations for all of you! Let's give a warm welcome to our new member with a round of applause!"
The hall erupted in applause, with some offering Jia Jiucheng a symbolic smile. The arrival of the new colleague helped alleviate the somber mood following the recent resignation of five constables.
"Thank you, everyone!" Jia Jiucheng expressed his gratitude to the assembly.
Captor Lee led Jia Jiucheng to a middle-aged constable with a square face, "Worker Zhang, Jia Jiucheng will be joining your team, which is conveniently in need of an extra hand. Jia, you'll be learning from Worker Zhang to start. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me. Don't think of Mr. Lee as an outsider."
"Thank you, Mr. Lee," Jia responded, then turned to Worker Zhang and greeted, "Hello."
Worker Zhang, as introduced by Captor Lee, was a man with a serious demeanor, a reliable work ethic, and a slightly balding forehead, marked by the presence of acne.
"In our line of work, respect for seniority is paramount. You're the newest, making you the junior," Worker Zhang explained, motioning to the three individuals behind him.
"Meet the eldest senior brother, Geh Yuanliang, the second senior sister, Xiao Shaomei, and the third senior brother, Big Beard Bamboo Leaf Qing. Now our team is complete."
Eldest senior brother, Geh Yuanliang, greeted him with a grin, his sparse black teeth visible as he gripped an ax.
Second senior sister, Xiao Shaomei, with her long, flowing hair and captivating eyes, wielded a long whip. She stood tall and gracefully gestured a greeting to Jia Jiucheng.
Third senior brother, Bamboo Leaf Qing, sported a scruffy beard. He was young and clearly unmarried, carrying a Yanling Blade. He squinted at Jia Jiucheng, nodding his chin in acknowledgment.
Bamboo Leaf Qing sneered dismissively, "Look who's dragging behind. Leader Lee, why do you keep bringing in these types of people into our squad?"
Captor Lee offered an awkward smile and quickly busied himself elsewhere.
Worker Zhang, noticing Captor Lee's departure, chided, "Laosan, what kind of way is that to talk? Where are your manners? Saying such things puts both Leader Lee and myself in an awkward position. I'm embarrassed for you. Remember to watch your words next time."
"Understood, Master!" Bamboo Leaf Qing responded, nodding submissively upon hearing Worker Zhang's reprimand.
Worker Zhang, pleased with his compliance, nodded in approval, "Good."
Jia Jiucheng could see that Worker Zhang was a decent man. The eldest senior brother and second senior sister seemed to be just enjoying the drama, likely harboring similar thoughts but choosing to remain silent, unlike the third senior brother who had spoken out.
Jia Jiucheng was aware he was being underestimated, which wasn't surprising given his youth. But he wasn't here to perform tricks. If they wanted to underestimate him, so be it. He simply smirked awkwardly and kept silent.
"Jia Jiucheng, the new Captor, come out here!"
The sudden clamor outside the door was unexpected—who would dare to call out the name of a new Captor so brazenly?
Outside the yamen, on the street, clusters of people from the Lee family stood in groups, while curious onlookers gathered, eager to witness the commotion. "My goodness, the Lee family's young master has arrived!"
[Ding… The system has issued a mission. Dingyuan Street's Side Line Mission 2: Outsmart the Evil Gentry's Fourth Generation.]
Jia Jiucheng witnessed a young bully harassing a woman in the street, an act he found utterly unacceptable. After giving the bully a sound thrashing to teach him a lesson in decency, the situation escalated when the bully's entire family, spanning four generations and hundreds of members, surrounded the yamen, clamoring for punishment against the assailant. With his reputation and position at stake, Jia Jiucheng had to handle the situation himself to safeguard both.
[Mission Reward: 200 Righteousness Coins and one Speed Scroll (Grants a team of people a speed increase of 500%, up to 50 individuals).]
Recovery Scroll (Restores 500 Health Points and 50 Stamina to a team, up to 50 members)]
It appears that the reward for a group mission is appropriately a group-use item.
"Who is Jia Jiucheng? My grandson went out this morning to buy breakfast and was senselessly attacked by one of your captors! Look at him now! Is there no justice? Is there no law?"
The speaker was Lee Xian Ge, the patriarch of the largest clan among the eight prominent families of Dingyuan—the Lee family. He was a man of considerable stature and widely respected.
His son was a well-known noble in Dingyuan, having served as the previous County Peace Officer, and was among the most influential figures in the region. His grandson served as a Decurion in Dingyuan's defense camp. In the military structure of the time, five soldiers made up a unit, and a Decurion was in charge of ten such units, making him a second-tier officer with many under his command.
Ordinarily, crossing them would have dire consequences, let alone on a day when his treasured great-grandson had been assaulted. Resolving today's incident would be no small feat.
It turned out that the young man Jia Jiucheng had beaten in the street was now backed by several generations of his family, who had all descended upon the yamen. They came en masse, a veritable clan of troublemakers. Were even the wrongdoers this united? Or perhaps it was this very indulgence that had spoiled them.
The crowd approached with a menacing air, clearly not inclined to let the matter drop without a fight.
Jia Jiucheng stepped forward with a smile, declaring, "I am Jia Jiucheng!"
"The last one to show up is always the troublemaker. That Lee Er is nothing but a street bully, untouchable because of his family's power. And here he is, a greenhorn captor on his first day, completely out of his depth. He probably fancied himself a paragon of justice, meddling in affairs not his own," remarked the third senior brother, Bamboo Leaf Qing, his brow furrowed in distaste.
"It's only the Lee family who are blind to their own faults. Everyone else knows exactly what kind of person Lee Er is on the streets," muttered someone from among the captors, clearly underestimating Lee Er.
"I never expected the new guy, Jia Jiucheng, to be so impulsive. He just went ahead and hit someone in the heat of the moment, and now, I'm afraid there's no one on the street who will stand up and testify on his behalf."
"Let's drop it. If this can't be smoothed over, the newbie might have just been a Captor for a single day before losing the job. And the Lee family isn't going to let this slide, either."
Captor Lee inquired, "Elder Lee, you claim your grandson Lee Er was out buying breakfast when Jia Jiucheng stopped and assaulted him? Could you please go over the entire incident again for all of us? We'd like to hear it and give you a fair hearing."
The Lee family patriarch, Elder Lee, addressed his great-grandson, "Did you hear that, my dear boy? Go on, speak up. There's no need to be scared. Describe what happened to you, and today, your great-grandfather will stand up for you. Let's see who dares to mess with you!" He finished his statement with a commanding look that swept over everyone present.
Lee Er, holding his bandaged hand, said in a woeful tone, "I woke up this morning, as usual, feeling hungry, so I went out to buy some breakfast. That's when I ran into this new Captor. He was so aggressive, blocking my path on the street and accusing me of bumping into him before he started beating me!" Tears streamed down his face as he spoke.
He then shot a spiteful yet smug smile at Jia Jiucheng, as if to say, "You just wait."
He conveniently left out the part where he had harassed a woman in the street, instead portraying himself as an innocent citizen who was unjustly attacked while simply trying to get breakfast. His act was complete with innocent, pitiful sobs and his small, frail stature, which could easily convince the uninformed that he was a helpless victim of Jia Jiucheng's bullying.
"Did you hear that, Leader Lee? My grandson was merely out to buy breakfast and ended up being waylaid and beaten. How can such a frail child be subjected to such violence in broad daylight? Is there no justice in Dingyuan? What about the law? A Captor who breaks the law he's supposed to enforce—how can the public ever trust in that?" As he spoke, the Lee family members began to cause an uproar.
The idea of hundreds of people living under one roof seems inconceivable today. In ancient times, families didn't split up; four generations would reside together in a grand estate, with numerous servants and laborers attending to the wealthy's every need, from meals to daily life. It was quite a bustling household.
"Exactly, hand over the assailant!"
"Yes, give up the brute who's been harassing the common folk!"
"Turn over the murderer, and let us have a go at him too!"
The cries of hundreds resonated with righteous indignation, their collective voice commanding and forceful.
"Well said, Lee Er. You've got quite the way with words. If I don't speak up, I'll be unfairly maligned!"
Jia Jiucheng understood that verbal arguments were futile in such a charged atmosphere. To not counter the accusations would be to accept their slander. That was out of the question.
He produced the Floating Light Stone, an artifact he had never encountered in his past life. Thankfully, he had read plenty of news articles and online posts to prepare himself. Without this preparation, he would never have dared to intervene. Jia Jiucheng had discreetly activated the Floating Light Stone the moment he decided to get involved.
The Floating Light Stone functioned like a modern-day video camera, but with a divine perspective, capturing scenes from every angle without a blind spot. Once activated, it could replay the recorded events as if turning back time, immersing the viewers in a true 3D experience. A System Item, indeed, was nothing short of miraculous.
"I know what you're thinking, but I have proof."
With a flicker, the Floating Light Stone projected an image into the air, replaying that morning's events.
"What is this? How can a colorful stone contain such vivid imagery?"
"Is this a revival of the past or a reversal of time?" Captor Lee wondered, his eyes alight with fervor. If everyone had access to such a device, gathering evidence and apprehending criminals would be immeasurably easier.
All the captors present were equally enthralled. "This is truly an amazing device!"
In the image, Jia Jiucheng was seen enjoying his breakfast at a street stall when Lee Er burst into the alley, chasing and tearing at a woman's clothes as she cried for help. Onlookers gathered, murmuring amongst themselves, as Lee Er threatened them with a menacing glare. The scene continued to unfold, showing Jia Jiucheng stepping in to defend the woman, lashing Lee Er with a willow branch as Lee Er fought back with a knife, hurling insults throughout the ordeal.
Watching the situation unfold, the faces of the Lee family members turned a sickly green, unable to contain their shock. It was revealed that their own grandson had been caught harassing a woman in broad daylight, with the intent to assault her. Jia Jiucheng, a valiant and courageous Captor, was the one who intervened, and now he was the one being commended!
Spectators who relished the commotion began to gossip among themselves.
"Ah, so that's the story. Lee Er has always been a Street Rascal, always picking on girls."
"Exactly, exactly. Jia Jiucheng did the right thing."
"Indeed, he's far better than many Captors!" The murmurs of the crowd soon turned into praises, and they began to mock the other Captors.
"Shouldn't we intervene when someone is harassing a woman in the street?" Worker Zhang interjected.
"Lee Er wouldn't do such a thing. Others might commit crimes, but not our kids. Maybe that girl was just playing around," the Lee family elder stated coolly. "Bring that girl here, let's clear this up in front of everyone!"
"The older the ginger, the spicier it gets," someone remarked. The elder had the audacity to think of making the girl change her testimony in the face of damning evidence. This could complicate the legal proceedings. The crowd was taken aback. If the Lee family coerced the girl into lying, it would make a mockery of Lee Er, and Jia Jiucheng would be seen as meddling in others' affairs. Despite the presence of a stone that could serve as evidence, the Lee family could produce a counter-witness, leading to a stalemate with each side sticking to their story.
Anyone with a clear eye could see that the girl's desperate attempt to fend off Lee Er was an act of self-defense against his assault. Yet, the old man, a figure of prestige, shamelessly considered pushing the girl to refute the evidence.
Realizing this, the Lee family members couldn't help but react. "That's right, that's right. They were just fooling around!" they exclaimed. A figure from the Lee family crowd discreetly stepped forward, likely ready to carry out the elder's plan and alleviate his worries.
