Chapter 642: Chapter 193: Shocking Change in Qiulong County! The Name of Fan Wu Known to All! (17,000-word Mega Update)_10
Fan Wu, with Yun Jiuqing and others behind him, could not see the changes in his expression.
Yet, they could feel that Daoist Priest Fan before them seemed to be emitting an extremely unsettling aura.
Such an aura made even the three of them shudder with fear!
They couldn’t help but exchange uneasy glances.
But, not a single one dared to speak.
At this moment, Fan Wu actually got off the carriage and, without turning back, said to the three behind him, "I’ve got something to take care of, I need to leave for a bit."
...
At the same time.
Qiulong County.
The current Qiulong County... was no longer the peaceful and serene place it used to be, even the more bustling areas were now deserted.
On the desolate streets, although occasionally a few passersby could be seen, each of their expressions was extremely numb.
Their eyes seemed to have lost all spirit, looking like nothing more than walking corpses.
These scattered residents of Qiulong County appeared even more sallow and emaciated.
As if they hadn’t had a full meal in quite some time.
Their clothes were very dirty.
Their faces bore more or less some wounds, and their hands were covered in numerous small cuts.
As if they had been through some harsh labor.
Their entire beings were drained of vitality.
"Hey!" Just at that moment, a voice abruptly rang out, "You there, yes! I’m talking to you lot!"
A man addressing a few of the numb residents on the street commanded, "Come over here!"
Hesitant upon hearing this man’s shout, the few citizens who looked in poor condition.
"Are you deaf? Hurry over here!" the speaker said, intensifying his tone a bit.
Helpless.
A few citizens of Qiulong County hurried over since the man had a long knife slung at his waist!
After the citizens of Qiulong County gathered in one spot, one of them, with a bitter expression, said to the man with the knife, "Liu... Head Arrestor Liu. Please let us off this time! We really have nothing left to give!"
"Yes, please!" another citizen cried, "The government has already conscripted our grain for over two months, and they even force us to make weapons. If we refuse, we’ll be punished with dozens of beatings. What... what kind of world is this!"
"Seeing as how it has come to this, we are not afraid of offending you; after all, we’d just be facing death anyway."
Head Arrestor Liu frowned and said, "I didn’t ask you to give anything. See that bag over there? You lot, divide up what’s in that bag."
The citizens of Qiulong County hesitated upon hearing Head Arrestor Liu’s words.
All their gazes turned to the full burlap sack nearby.
If they weren’t mistaken, that should be a sack used for carrying grain, right?
"This... this is grain..."
"Shh!!" Head Arrestor Liu quickly covered the mouth of a citizen about to shout, hissing through gritted teeth, "Damn it! I’ve managed to sneak out a sack of grain quietly. If you shout, you’ll get my whole family killed!"
"After you divide the grains, remember to hide them well and don’t bring them out casually. At least it can help each of your families survive a bit longer."
"That’s the most I can do. If you’re grateful, then keep your mouth shut. If you discover something, don’t expose me."
After leaving these words behind, Head Arrestor Liu quickly departed, hurrying away.
He zigzagged and walked several streets before finally slowing down his pace.
Looking up at the gloomy sky, Head Arrestor Liu sighed helplessly, "Just when one wave settled, another has risen. I managed to sort out the trouble at my father-in-law’s home, but upon returning to Qiulong County... I found that Qiulong County has faced a huge problem."
Head Arrestor Liu still remembered how, upon his return to Qiulong County some time ago, everything seemed normal at first, but within a few days, the whole of Qiulong County had changed.
Because...
A gang known as the Blood Gu Sect had invaded Qiulong County, capturing their Magistrate, county deputies, and many other officials... Unfortunately, Head Arrestor Liu was one of the unlucky ones.
Head Arrestor Liu didn’t even know what this Blood Gu Sect was, he thought of them as a bunch of ignorant rebels.
Unexpectedly, it turned out that the Magistrate of Qiulong County was a particularly spineless individual. Captured from the very beginning, he chose to defect at once!
A Magistrate defecting was a serious issue.
The so-called Blood Gu Sect, without spending any soldiers, managed to take control of the entire Qiulong County with the help of the Magistrate’s power.
In other words, Qiulong County was no longer under the Great Zhou Dynasty’s control.
It had become the stronghold of a band of rebels!
This made Head Arrestor Liu lament his terrible luck, having encountered such powerful rebels and a spineless Magistrate upon his return.
With the Magistrate having defected, what was he, the Chief Arrest Officer of Qiulong County, to do?
Defect as well!
Luckily, the Blood Gu Sect seemed quite welcoming to defectors. To save his own life, Head Arrestor Liu, who had followed the Magistrate in defecting, managed to preserve his life. Possibly due to his experience as an arrest officer, he got a bit of reuse from the Blood Gu Sect, retaining a small amount of power.
