Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
Isn't this a bit too tragic?
Li Hengsheng had hoped that Master Yan could summon some elite troops for him, but who would have thought they'd turn out to be nothing more than little shrimps and crabs?
"Greetings to the Inspector."
Upon seeing Li Hengsheng, everyone's eyes lit up with eagerness, and they hurried to pay their respects.
Li Hengsheng was about to give them their overdue pay, and they were ecstatic.
They rushed over to collect the money.
"Wu Santong, check how much we owe them and make up for it," Li Hengsheng said helplessly.
Wu Santong could sense Li Hengsheng's helplessness and didn't say much, quickly stepping forward to distribute the pay. Meanwhile, Li Hengsheng called Master Yan aside.
"Master Yan, this…" Li Hengsheng said with a wry smile.
Master Yan understood Li Hengsheng's meaning and chuckled, "My lord, it's already good that we could find anyone at all."
"What about the former Chief Catchers and Divine Catchers of the Inspectorate?" Li Hengsheng was curious.
There should be some Chief Catchers and Divine Catchers in the Inspectorate, right? Those who reached the Innate Realm were considered Divine Catchers, and even those at the peak of the Acquired Realm should number a few.
"Reporting to my lord, previously, due to the inability to pay their salaries, most of the Chief Catchers have defected to the Shogunate or the Hua family to serve them. As for the Divine Catchers, our Inspectorate used to have two, one died mysteriously, and we still don't know who did it, while the other has already retired."
"If my lord wishes to recruit people, you could try recruiting some from White Snake Path," Master Yan suggested to Li Hengsheng. "The Hua family and the Shogunate have done many evil deeds along the entire White Snake Path, including the Cao River Manor. Many people have been persecuted by them. If my lord tries to recruit now, you might find some willing souls."
"Then, Master Yan, please recommend some people for me to try."
Li Hengsheng thought about it and decided that was all he could do.
He did want to clean up White Snake Path properly, but with no one at his disposal, he couldn't possibly handle everything himself, could he?
He could handle everything himself if he had the strength of his senior brother, but he didn't.
He was only at the peak of the Acquired Realm.
He only had Wu Santong by his side, who was also merely at the peak of the Acquired Realm.
As for Xu Kui, he had said on the way that he was only responsible for taking care of Li Hengsheng's daily life and safety, but he wouldn't work under Li Hengsheng's command; he wouldn't get involved in these matters.
So, Li Hengsheng really had no one at his disposal.
Without people, how could he carry on with the work?
While they were talking, the door was suddenly kicked open.
"Who dares to be so bold!"
Wu Santong shouted angrily.
"Yo-he," a voice chuckled, "quite spirited."
Several figures walked in.
The newcomers were dressed in black, their faces full of arrogance, and those following them also wore haughty expressions.
The newly returned guards of the Inspectorate were startled by the newcomers and quickly made way.
The man in black glanced at them, not taking them seriously at all.
"So you're the new Inspector?" The man in black approached Li Hengsheng, sizing him up.
"Mu Xiong, how dare you!" Master Yan trembled as he pointed at the man in black.
"Heh, old man Yan, I didn't expect you to still be living," Mu Xiong said with a smile. "But I'm not here for you. Keep your mouth shut and stand aside. I'm here for the new Inspector."
Master Yan was about to say something but was stopped by Li Hengsheng.
"It's me."
Li Hengsheng addressed Mu Xiong.
"So it's you." Mu Xiong walked over and took out a Silver Ticket from his chest, smiling, "Taking up the post on White Snake Path, becoming the Inspector of White Snake Path, you need to understand the rules here. The matters of White Snake Path don't need the involvement of your Inspectorate. This is a Silver Ticket from our Shogunate. As long as you obey, there will be more benefits. If you don't, then you don't need to be the Inspector anymore."
After speaking, Mu Xiong tossed the Silver Ticket in front of Li Hengsheng.
"Additionally, I have a message for you."
Mu Xiong glanced at the cowering guards around him and said with a smile, "You can recruit whatever trash you want for your subordinates, we don't care, but don't interfere with the Shogunate's affairs. Moreover, I'm informing you that in three days, at the hour of Hai, our Shogunate will be escorting a group of people to the docks. Make sure your patrols steer clear to avoid bad luck!"
"Let's go!"
After finishing his words, Mu Xiong turned and left.
Those from the Shogunate who came with Mu Xiong also gave Li Hengsheng a threatening look, then swaggered out of the Inspectorate.
"Outrageous, utterly outrageous!" Master Yan was fuming.
"This is the Inspectorate, and they dare to act like this!" Master Yan's face turned red with anger, unable to restrain himself from saying, "If my grandfather, the Divine Catcher, were still here, he would have taken them down long ago!"
The others looked at Master Yan with strange eyes, always talking about his grandfather being a Divine Catcher, as if it were something from ages ago.
"Senior brother, isn't the Shogunate too arrogant!" Wu Santong also walked up angrily, never having suffered such humiliation back in Dao Mountain Ancient Land.
Li Hengsheng took a deep breath, not minding, and bent down to pick up the Silver Ticket from the ground, smiling, "It's not all bad. If they come to scold me and I can get five thousand taels of silver for it, I wouldn't mind them coming every day."
"My lord, how can you take their silver!" Master Yan said in shock.
"Oh?"
Li Hengsheng raised an eyebrow and said, "They gave it to me for free, why shouldn't I take it?"
"But…" Master Yan was surprised, "If you take their silver, won't you have to follow their orders?"
"Why?" Li Hengsheng was puzzled.
This "why" left Master Yan speechless. After a moment, he said, "Well… if they ask you to do something for them after you take their silver, and you refuse, wouldn't that be bad?"
"I have no shame, what am I afraid of?" Li Hengsheng said indifferently, "I didn't beg them for it; they offered it to me. Why shouldn't I take it? As for doing their bidding? I don't owe them anything, why should I work for them?"
"But really, they're quite stingy, only giving five thousand taels."
Li Hengsheng looked at the Silver Ticket, feeling undervalued. A bribe and only five thousand taels?
If an Innate expert came along, it should at least be tens of thousands of taels.
As they were speaking, a guard hurried in, saying anxiously, "My lord, it's bad, I saw people from the Hua family coming, heading straight for our Inspectorate."
"Master Yan, look, another one bringing money," Li Hengsheng said with a smile.
Master Yan didn't know what to say anymore.
Is their lord a bit different from the rest?
As they were speaking, several people from the outside walked in, not even knocking, strutting in as if they were strolling in their own backyard.
But Li Hengsheng forgave their rudeness, considering they were here to bring money.
"Who is the new Inspector?"
Although the person who came was a man, he was dressed in red, holding a handkerchief and covering his mouth with it, looking disdainfully at the surroundings as if the place smelled foul.
"This person is the nephew of the Hua family's patriarch, named Hua Zhe Liu."
Master Yan introduced him to Li Hengsheng.
"What a name, effeminate, just like the person," Li Hengsheng muttered, then stepped forward and said, "I am."
"Oh, it's you." Hua Zhe Liu looked Li Hengsheng up and down, then impatiently said, "Since you're the Inspector, let me make some things clear to you. When the Hua family is handling affairs, your Inspectorate should not ask questions. You just follow the orders issued by our Hua family, and I guarantee you'll make a good amount of money during your years as Inspector, and then you can return home with honor. Just don't cause trouble for yourself."
"Alright, enough talk, let's get on with it," Li Hengsheng was even more impatient, directly extending his hand.
This confused Hua Zhe Liu.
"What?" Hua Zhe Liu looked at Li Hengsheng's outstretched hand.
"What do you mean? Give me the money," Li Hengsheng said impatiently.
"You catch on quick." Hua Zhe Liu pinched a Silver Ticket from his sleeve with two fingers and carefully handed it to Li Hengsheng as if Li Hengsheng was covered in filth.
Li Hengsheng took it and frowned, "Your Hua family really is stingy!"
"Only three thousand taels?" Li Hengsheng looked at Hua Zhe Liu with disdain, "The Shogunate even gave ten thousand taels! Before I arrived, I heard that in Tushan City, both the Hua family and the Shogunate were dominant forces. Now it seems, there's quite a gap in stature."
"The Shogunate gave ten thousand taels?" Hua Zhe Liu was also surprised. Had the Shogunate gone mad?
For a mere Acquired Realm martial artist, to give so much?
"Forget it, forget it, take your money back and spend it yourself," Li Hengsheng said with disgust, tossing the Silver Ticket on the ground.
Even Wu Santong beside him understood and chuckled, "Senior brother, isn't it said that the Hua family is always a step behind the Shogunate? It's not without reason. Look at their stature, then look at this, heh…"
With that remark, Hua Zhe Liu's face turned extremely ugly.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Hua Zhe Liu shouted angrily, "How is our Hua family a step below the Shogunate? Who came up with that shit?"
But Li Hengsheng and Wu Santong said nothing, just looking at Hua Zhe Liu with scorn.
Hua Zhe Liu, burning with rage and losing his rationality, blurted out angrily, "What three thousand taels? I just took the wrong one, not this one, this one!"
Saying that, he took out a ten-thousand-tael Silver Ticket from his sleeve.
Then he handed it to Li Hengsheng.
"Oh?" Li Hengsheng took it and looked at the ten thousand taels on it, then said leisurely, "So it was a mistake, I thought so. How could the Hua family do something so tasteless? Now isn't this on par with the Shogunate's stature?"
Who knew this statement would make Hua Zhe Liu even angrier. What did he mean by catching up with the Shogunate?
Was the Hua family inferior?
"Since these three thousand taels have been taken out, there's no reason to take them back. How could our Hua family be worse than others? What a joke!" Hua Zhe Liu said coldly.
"Oh, then thank you very much," Li Hengsheng said with a smile.
The guards watching this scene were dumbfounded.
A few words and they had coaxed so much money out of the Hua family?
They were making money too fast.
"Additionally, our Hua family has something to tell you," Hua Zhe Liu said coldly to Li Hengsheng. "Within three days, issue a new decree, by our Hua family, to collect a new tax, the Land Bearing Tax!"
Everyone: "???"
Li Hengsheng was also surprised and asked, "What on earth is a Land Bearing Tax?"
"As the name suggests, since they live on White Snake Path, their weight will press down on the ground of White Snake Path, causing damage to the ground, so of course they should pay tax, right? Cut the crap, post the tax notice within three days, collect the tax at one qian of silver per person per month, our Hua family will handle it, got it?"
"You Hua family really have some wild ideas," Li Hengsheng couldn't help but admire.
Such a bizarre tax they could come up with.
"Remember, within three days, our Hua family wants to see this tax notice!" After saying that, Hua Zhe Liu left, just like a leader assigning work, taking the Hua family's people with him.
"Senior brother, isn't this tax a bit outrageous?" Wu Santong said somewhat speechlessly.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"There are even more outrageous ones," Master Yan sneered. "There are many other taxes they've concocted, causing the people to complain, unable to pay, and then they would capture people to settle debts, men taken to labor, and women… I don't know where they're sent to become prostitutes."
"Outrageous!" Wu Santong was furious.
Hearing this, Li Hengsheng also narrowed his eyes and put away the Silver Ticket in his hand.
"Master Yan, bring me the tax regulations of White Snake Path. I want to see what kind of absurd taxes there are."
"Right away, I'll bring them to my lord."
Master Yan turned to find them.
Not long after, Master Yan brought back a booklet and handed it to Li Hengsheng.
Li Hengsheng opened it and was astounded. It was like opening a door to a new world.
Eating Tax.
Drinking Water Tax.
Defecation Tax.
Snoring Tax.
Li Hengsheng couldn't believe that even snoring in sleep was taxed.
And it got more ridiculous, like Rain Tax.
Taxed for getting rained on?
There were nearly a hundred absurd taxes, big and small, and it seemed that few people could actually afford to pay them.
Li Hengsheng felt it was urgent to find people to rectify this.
"Master Yan, you mentioned before that there might be someone who could help me. I need capable people now," Li Hengsheng said to Master Yan.
"My lord, there's a man named Lin Qizhu, who used to be a green forest hero here, with a cultivation at the peak of the Acquired Realm, a decent person. I once did him a favor, and he bears a great grudge against the Shogunate. If you need manpower, you could try to find him."