Chapter 42: You Won’t Live to See Tomorrow

Fang Ning looked innocent. "I am from Changping County and am here on business with my young master. We happened to stumble upon them trying to commit murder and robbery; how were we to know who they were? Magistrate, has this Zhao San committed many crimes? Are there any rewards for catching them?"

Nothing else mattered; the silver was what counted!

Si Yuheng looked at Fang Ning’s money-grubbing expression with a sense of helplessness.

Magistrate Zhang was shocked. "You two young masters do not know who Zhao San is? This man is vicious and cruel, with countless murders on his hands. The imperial court has been hunting him for many years, and the bounty on his head has reached one thousand taels!"

"Hiss, doesn't that mean we've struck it rich?" Fang Ning’s eyes lit up.

Magistrate Zhang could never have imagined that a wanted criminal who had been a headache for the imperial court for so many years would be taken down by two children.

"Don't just think about the money," Si Yuheng said in a low voice. He paused and looked at the magistrate. "These people were skulking around the streets during the day and even left marks on several shops. You might want to have someone go check them out right now."

"Right, right. Chen Hao, take your men to check the silver shops and those other places immediately."

"Yes!"

Chen Hao cupped his hands in salute, took his orders, and left with the other bailiffs.

Magistrate Zhang looked at Fang Ning and Si Yuheng with a much gentler gaze. Regardless of anything else, having Zhao San caught in Donglin County was a good thing for him!

Magistrate Zhang said, "The reward money must be reported to the imperial court. I can only give it to you once it has been issued by the court."

"No rush, no rush. As long as we get it."

"In that case, I must trouble you two to accompany me to the county office."

"Not a trouble at all."

Magistrate Zhang was very polite.

The bailiffs escorted Zhao San and his accomplices to the county office. As they passed by Fang Ning and Si Yuheng, Zhao San shot them a vicious glare. Si Yuheng’s expression remained indifferent, while Fang Ning curled her lips slightly.

At the county office, Magistrate Zhang interrogated Zhao San overnight. Fearing Zhao San, he insisted that Fang Ning and Si Yuheng remain present during the interrogation. After all, Zhao San’s reputation was notorious, and he was genuinely terrified that the man might break his shackles and kill him.

Zhao San was arrogant. While admitting to his crimes, he taunted the magistrate: "You corrupt official, remember to keep me locked up tight. Don't let me get out, or I will slaughter your entire family and make you watch as I toy with your wife and daughter until they die!"

"Just sever his hand and foot tendons," Si Yuheng said calmly. "Even if he tries to escape, he won't be able to. Just tell the imperial court that we feared he would resist and that we cut them ourselves!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao San glared at Si Yuheng with venomous intensity. "You brat, just you wait!"

Si Yuheng stepped forward and looked down at Zhao San with a faint, mocking smile. "You won't have the chance."

The next moment, Zhao San let out a miserable shriek. With incredible speed, Si Yuheng severed his tendons and crippled his martial arts, turning him into a complete invalid. Even if someone came to rescue him, he would never make it out of the prison—because Zhao San would not live to see tomorrow.

Fang Ning arched an eyebrow: *This guy is ruthless!*

Magistrate Zhang was also startled. Si Yuheng, however, walked over to him as if nothing had happened. "My apologies, Magistrate, I was a bit too heavy-handed."

Magistrate Zhang: "..." *What is there to apologize for? It would have been better if he had just killed him at the start; then I wouldn't even have needed to hold an interrogation.*

By the time the interrogation concluded, the eastern sky was already turning white. Fang Ning and Si Yuheng had not slept all night. Leaving the rest to the county office, they returned to the inn.

Fang Ning fell into bed and immediately drifted off. Si Yuheng watched her for a long time, his expression complex. Seeing that she hadn't even pulled up her blanket, he stepped forward and gently tucked her in.

Suddenly, Fang Ning grabbed his hand. "Don't go... Si Yuheng, you are so good-looking..." She smacked her lips as she spoke.

Si Yuheng: "..." He wanted to shake her hand off, but looking at her slightly upturned face in sleep, he ultimately decided not to wake her and carefully withdrew his hand. He walked to the table, sat down, and rested his head on his hand to close his eyes.

Fang Ning didn't wake up until noon. She stretched comfortably, feeling refreshed. As she opened her eyes, she saw Si Yuheng slumped over the table, asleep. Without his sharp, piercing gaze, he looked harmless, and his eyelashes were long and curled—absolutely perfect. Si Yuheng was truly a masterpiece of nature, flawless from every angle.

Even while sleeping, Si Yuheng was extremely alert. He instantly sensed her gaze and snapped his eyes open. A flash of cold, lethal intent emanated from him, causing Fang Ning’s heart to skip a beat. When he saw it was her, the murderous aura vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Young Master, were you trying to kill me?" Fang Ning raised an eyebrow.

"Not at all," Si Yuheng denied. "Go wash up. We'll go move that wild rice later."

"No need. This wild rice has two flowering periods a year. We'll come back to harvest it once it bears fruit. Speaking of which, our luck is truly incredible!"

"Is this the paternal or maternal line?"

"The paternal line. As for the maternal line, we can try the rice we've been growing. But Young Master, if we want to experiment, we're going to need a lot of paddies."

"Don't worry about that. I'll handle the fields."

"Then I'll go wash up." Fang Ning rolled out of bed. "By the way, Young Master, is Zhao San dead?"

"Hmm?"

"I saw you do it."

"He couldn't be allowed to live."

"Why?"

"Death solves everything."

Si Yuheng offered no further explanation, and Fang Ning did not press the matter. Whatever this reincarnated big shot said went.

"Young Master, what I gave you is epoch-making. In exchange, you can't just teach me for the imperial examinations—you have to teach me martial arts, too!" Fang Ning remained fixated on the idea of learning light-foot techniques.

"I can teach you the light-foot technique first. As for the rest, we'll see once the rice yield actually increases!"

"It's a deal. Young Master, I'm definitely going to learn your skills." Fang Ning beamed and opened the door to call for some water.

The innkeeper came up personally. He was incredibly grateful for the events of the previous night; not only did he waive their room fees, but he also presented them with fifty taels of silver. "Thanks to you two benefactors, please accept this small token of my gratitude."

"Innkeeper, do you think our Young Master looks like someone who lacks silver?"

Si Yuheng rubbed his forehead.

"Our Young Master doesn't care for fifty taels. If you really want to thank us, why don't you buy us some of the local delicacies of Donglin County?"

Si Yuheng: "..." *Didn't you say you came from a world of abundance? Why are you acting like a starving ghost?*

Fang Ning noticed his disdain and couldn't help but retort, "Food is the priority of the people. Loving to eat has nothing to do with being hungry."

Si Yuheng ignored her. Otherwise, she would just go on and on. *How could there be a man more long-winded than You An?*

When they left the inn, the innkeeper had bought many local specialties for Fang Ning. You An, who was waiting for them in the carriage outside, felt embarrassed upon seeing this. "Young Master Fang, did you come to Donglin County to rob the inn?"