Chapter 0003: Tampered Bounty Documents
Qi Tian knew that he was in the county seat of Guangfu County, which was also one of his destinations. He glanced up at the not-so-tall City Gate Tower and relaxed, his face lighting up. He had been through life and death in his journey, and now he was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Strolling leisurely, Qi Tian tightened the bloody bundle on his back and walked toward the city gate.
There were two guards standing at the city gate, holding long spears, their red tassels almost bare, casually leaning against the city wall, basking in the sun. Whenever someone passed through the gate, they hardly even looked. At their feet lay a winnowing basket where passersby would voluntarily toss a few copper coins - the city entrance tax.
Qi Tian arrived at the city gate and directly tried to walk into the city. The guards who were lounged lazily moments ago got angry and blocked Qi Tian with their long spears.
"Who are you? Don't you know you have to pay the tax when entering the city?" A guard scolded.
Qi Tian said: "My name is Qi Tian, and I don't have to pay. Please step aside and don't delay my work."
"You don't have to pay? Who do you think you are? The County Magistrate?" With a sneer, the guard who blocked Qi Tian retorted.
"Zhang, have you seen what he is carrying?" The other guard noticed the bloody bundle on Qi Tian's back with its rounded bulges - an eerie sight that easily made one's mind race towards the worst conclusions.
Guard Zhang, who had stopped Qi Tian, glanced at the bundle on Qi Tian's back, and his face changed immediately. He leveled his spear, the tip towards Qi Tian, his voice trembling. "Tell me, what are you carrying on your back?"
"Human heads." Qi Tian's voice was deep and indifferent, but the two words he uttered sent chills down their spines.
"Human heads?" The guards felt their skin prickle, like falling into a cold pit. Qi Tian's bundle was big, which must contain more than one human head - it seemed to hold at least four or five. Qi Tian was so young, yet daring enough to parade around with so many human heads. He must have a strong taste for blood and an audacious attitude towards life to have such a demonic mentality.
Many people who had initially gathered around to watch the fun, hearing that Qi Tian was carrying human heads, scattered in all directions, afraid to be one step too slow and fall victim to Qi Tian's blade.
The guards also wanted to escape, but being duty-bound, it was inevitable that they would be punished for fleeing. They could lose their lives. Therefore, they had to suppress their unrest and point their trembling spears at Qi Tian.
Qi Tian understood that there had been a misunderstanding. Before they could ask, he said, "You've misunderstood. I've killed the four leaders of Dalong Mountain. I brought their heads to your Guangfu County to verify their identities and claim my reward silver. Now I ask you to guide me to the County Government Office."
After hearing this, the guards breathed a sigh of relief. At least now they had a valid reason not to have to fight Qi Tian right away. Guard Zhang, leaving the other on watch, led Qi Tian towards the County Government Office.
The County Government Office was in the center of the county seat. It took Guard Zhang and Qi Tian more than ten minutes of walking through the streets and alleys to reach the front gate of the office.
Squad leader Li Jianping from the County Government Office was just seeing off a guest. Guard Zhang waited until Li Jianping had sent the guest off and was about to turn to reenter the office, then hurriedly brought Qi Tian over.
"Head Li, this young man here says he killed the four leaders of Dalong Mountain. I didn't dare to take responsibility, so I brought him to you," Guard Zhang explained.
Li Jianping was astonished. He closely scrutinized Qi Tian from top to bottom, his eyebrows furrowed. Qi Tian was much too young – just a child in his eyes. His clothes were shabby, and he didn't look like someone from a big family or martial arts school. From his experience, Qi Tian was unlikely to be the one who achieved the feat of killing the four leaders of Dalong Mountain.
However, Li Jianping also noticed the bloody bundle on Qi Tian's back. Combined with his many years of case-handling experience and the smell of blood in the air, he was certain that there was likely a human head inside the bundle.
Li Jianping waved his hand, signaling Guard Zhang to leave. He then nodded at the two clerks standing guard at the entrance of the County Government Office and smiled at Qi Tian, saying, "How should I address this young man?"
"My name is Qi Tian," Qi Tian said, giving a salute.
"So, it's young Brother Qi Tian. This isn't a place for discussion. Let's talk inside."
As he spoke, Li Jianping led the way into the county office, with Qi Tian following behind. Two bailiffs at the door followed closely on Qi Tian's heels, their hands firmly gripping the steel knives on their waist. The moment Li Jianping gave them a signal, they would subdue Qi Tian without hesitation.
Li Jianping did not take Qi Tian to see the County Magistrate, but instead brought him to the detention room. A place where the constables kept watch was also the most effective place for him to assert his control.
The two bailiffs following Qi Tian kept winking at their colleagues, who quietly surrounded the room. Some even barricaded the courtyard of the detention room to prevent Qi Tian from escaping.
In the courtyard was a table, Li Jianping pointed to it and said, "Here, place the heads you brought on it."
Qi Tian stepped before the table and put his sack on it. Without Li Jianping needing to instruct him, he untied the sack to reveal four ghastly heads; it was clear they hadn't died willingly.
"Head Li, please feel free to inspect them. See if they're the heads of the four leaders from Dalong Mountain." Qi Tian commented nonchalantly.
Li Jianping recognized the faces of the four leaders from Dalong Mountain instantly. However, to be cautious, he had their warrants brought over to compare their sketches with the heads. There was no doubt, they were a perfect match.
Li Jianping looked at Qi Tian in disbelief, "Did you kill them all?"
Qi Tian didn't answer Li Jianping's question, thinking it was a stupid one. He simply said, "I know that the four leaders from Dalong Mountain were the bandits wanted by the bounty of Guangfu County. Four thousand taels of silver in total. Now, I've delivered their heads. Shouldn't your Guangfu County fulfill its promise and give me the bounty?"
Li Jianping's expression immediately changed. When Dalong Mountain's four bandits were still causing havoc, they had thought any bounty would be worth it to annihilate them. But faced with the heads and the young, seemingly powerless boy who brought them, his mentality subtly changed.
"What? Are you going back on your word?" Qi Tian asked sternly.
"Of course not! We always keep our promises. Let's go, Brother Qi Tian, let me take you to get your reward. You, go to my office and bring the warrant for this bounty." As Li Jianping spoke, he gestured to one of his trusted subordinates.
By the time Qi Tian and Li Jianping arrived at the treasury not far off, Li Jianping's subordinate had already arrived panting and carrying several warrants.
Li Jianping then introduced Qi Tian to squad leader Liu Minxiong, "Old Liu, this is Qi Tian, who delivered the heads of the four bandits from Dalong Mountain."
Liu Minxiong, a senior officer who had been working in the government office for years, greeted Qi Tian with indifference, "An indeed young hero, my apologies."
Li Jianping said, "When the Magistrate had us issue warrants for the bandits from Dalong Mountain and attached a bounty, it was all written in the official documents. He's here to collect it, just give him the bounty listed."
Liu Minxiong knew clearly that bounties worth four thousand taels had been set on the four bandits, but Li Jianping was asking him to give out the sum mentioned in the warrant, which had undoubtedly been tampered with. They knew each other well and understood what was to be done without discussion.
Li Jianping's subordinate quickly handed over the altered warrant. Liu Minxiong could not help but twitch at the sight. How could Li Jianping be so ruthless? The original bounty of four thousand taels was reduced to as pitifully low as forty, nearly begging for charity.
Although he thought Li Jianping's ploy was too harsh, the more they embezzled, the more he would benefit, so he said nothing. He asked Qi Tian to wait a moment while he fetched the silver.
Soon enough, Li Jianping came over with four silver ingots and handed them to Qi Tian, saying, "Young man, this is your reward. Take it and you'll have enough to get married when you're older."
Qi Tian's expression changed drastically, "Forty taels? You're treating me like a beggar?"
"Treating you like a beggar? You watch your language, young man. We follow the rules here. Look at these warrants. Does it not say forty taels? There's not a single mistake. One more time: take this forty taels and leave. If you keep making a fuss, do you believe we won't charge you with the crime of disturbing the court? Then not only will you lose these forty taels, you'll also end up getting your butt spanked," Liu Minxiong snapped impatiently.