7 Chapter 7: County Magistrate Commendation

The next day.

Han Ye didn't wake up until the sun had fully risen, slowly getting up to wash and brush his teeth.

The feeling of being fully rested was truly a rarity.

Since he had crossed over, he'd never slept this comfortably before.

Especially when other people were up early to farm while he could take a day off, luxuriously lying in bed resting.

He was rich now.

Ordinarily, it would mean that he no longer needed to work for others.

However, on the written agreement he signed with Liu Manor, written in black and white, he was still a tenant farmer under Liu Manor.

This was accepted by the Government Office.

Even if he was wealthy, it would make no difference.

Throughout the past dynasties, laws have varied, and which law of the current Great Zhou dynasty is applicable, he didn't know.

But generally speaking, if he wanted to cancel the agreement, he needed the consent of the landlord, and they would need to willingly terminate the agreement.

Which required agreement from both sides.

How exactly to do it and how to free himself from his tenant farmer identity, he still had to consider.

Every day after waking up, Han Ye would check the progress of his attribute panel.

"Name": Han Ye

"Cultivation": Mortal

"Destiny": Accumulate Over Time

"Owned Attributes": Friend of Women(White), Strong as an Ox(Green), Skilled in Hand-to-Hand Combat(Green)

"Strong as an Ox(93/100): Extremely powerful, equivalent to the strength of an ox, endlessly energetic."

"Skilled in Hand-to-Hand Combat (5/100): Your hand-to-hand combat skills are highly skilled, profound, and your comprehension level of it is slightly higher."

"Friend of Women(48/50): The charm towards married women is double, middle-aged women have a higher preference towards you."

"Just a little bit more."

Han Ye looked at the progress of "Strong as an Ox"; it had grown a significant amount, and his joy was reflected in his expression.

Last night, he and Da Niu had an arm wrestling competition.

Attributes dropped all over the place.

Until his hand was stiff and he could not move it at all!

Only then did the two stop, each retreating to their rooms to sleep.

"Brother Han, I was truly scared of you last night, others lose strength over time, but you, your strength got even stronger, truly strange."

Wang Da Niu, having finished washing, came in through the door and recalled the experience of last night with a bitter smile.

Though he was drunk and couldn't exactly remember what happened, the feeling still lingered deeply.

In the first half, he could easily beat Han Ye in arm wrestling.

But in the second half, even he had to treat it seriously in order to win against him.

Seeing this situation for the first time really shocked him.

"Maybe it was because I ate meat and drank wine last night, so my condition was good, but I still can't compare to Brother Da Niu."

While Han Ye honestly BS-ed, he didn't forget to compliment the other party.

"Alright, we should head back to the village now, we took a half-day off today, but we still have to go back to work."

"Alrighty, I'll go get the horse."

They tidied up a bit and prepared to leave the Inn.

But when they reached the door, a team of officers dressed in light-blue tunics, armed with sabers, surrounded them.

Their stance left Wang Da Niu and Han Ye extremely puzzled.

I'm a law-abiding citizen, I haven't done anything wrong, have I?

When Han Ye wondered what was going on, the officers stepped aside, and a middle-aged man in a blue official robe, embroidered with a heron on the chest, wearing a silver belt walked up smiling.

"Hahaha! Finally, got to meet the two of you!"

The middle-aged man's gaze landed on Han Ye, showing appreciation.

"I presume this is the brave man who killed the tiger."

A constable by his side introduced, "This gentleman is the honor of our County of Skyfire, Sir Liang."

At this revelation, Han Ye finally realized.

So it seems the news of him selling the tiger's skin yesterday had spread.

It seems that Wang Da Niu was right, he really had become famous.

So this county magistrate is here to give him a banner of honor today?

"We respectfully greet the honored magistrate."

Wang Da Niu and Han Ye both gave Magistrate Liang a salute.

The Great Zhou Dynasty's territory was divided into twenty-four provinces.

Amongst them, the leader of a county was called County Magistrate, a prefecture leader was called Prefect, a provincial officer was called Inspector, and a Governor was the leader of a province.

County of Skyfire was one of the many counties and prefectures under Yun Province jurisdiction.

The county magistrate was in charge of County of Skyfire, and held a relatively high position.

"What should I call the two of you?" Magistrate Liang asked.

"I am the humble Han Ye."

"Wang Da Niu."

Magistrate Liang seemed quite moved, "This black cliff tiger often preyed on passing travelers, extremely fierce, a lot of people have lost their lives to it, our office has also previously gathered brave warriors to go into the forest to kill the tiger, but we couldn't find it, and went back without achieving anything."

"What Han Ye has done is indeed relieving the people of a threat!"

After finishing speaking, he gestured, letting the nearby bailiff bring a tray covered with a red cloth.

The red cloth was pulled aside.

Surprisingly, it was a string of glittering silver ingots!

"You must accept these fifty taels of silver, they're what you deserve."

"County Lord, this..."

Before Wang Da Niu could finish saying 'We just lent a helping hand, there's no need for such politeness,' he was given a nudge in the elbow by Han Ye.

He stopped speaking.

Han Ye stepped forward, happily accepting the silver: "Since it's like this, I humbly accept."

"Such a heroic figure as Han, why not serve as a captain in our county? There's currently a vacancy in the yamen."

The Liang County Magistrate suggested with a smile.

This captain position, in the county, is equivalent to a criminal police captain.

Han Ye showed a regretful expression, feeling this was a great opportunity, but due to restrictions from Liu Manor, could only say:

"I'm not free, instead, I am a tenant farmer under the Liu Family... I apologize, County Lord."

Hearing this, the Liang County Magistrate also showed a regretful expression: "I see, what a pity."

However, he was not discouraged, seemingly unwilling to see such a talent becoming a slave to the wealthy. He considered and then said:

"Although the laws of Great Zhou cannot interfere with indenture matters, they can allow me to petition. The county office can write a writ for you, and you can try if you want to leave Liu Manor."

Han Ye thought and replied: "A petition is just a recommendation from the government office, the Liu Family can still refuse. It might cause a dispute, so I need to make some preparations. When the time is right, I will definitely inform the County Lord."

The Liang County Magistrate nodded after hearing this.

The other party could clearly understand the crux of the matter. This heroic figure was not only exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but also shrewd, a talent worth cultivating.

With that said, he lightly smiled and said: "In that case, this office will await for the good news from Hero Han. The captain position will always be ready for you."

After Han Ye left, the Liang County Magistrate watched his retreating figure, his gaze deep, and spoke to the bailiff beside him: "Keep an eye on this man. I know the master of Liu Family. If he indeed has the skill and courage, he should not be a mere farmhand."

"Yes."

...

Han Ye left County of Skyfire and started his journey back to the village.

On the way.

Watching Da Niu lost in thought, Han Ye couldn't help but smile.

"Da Niu, do you know why I accepted the silver?"

Wang Da Niu was still immersed in the conversation he just had with the County Magistrate. When he came back to his senses, he curiously asked with his coarse voice:

"We rid the people of a brutal tiger, it's enough that our reputation is on the rise, and the sale of the tiger skin garnered quite a bit of silver, why bother taking these silvers?"

Han Ye smiled and explained: "Think about it, Da Niu. If we had refused, although we'd gain a greater reputation, in the future, would anyone voluntarily help? No one would want to do things that are laborious and thankless."

"It seems that you're right…"

"Good deeds should be rewarded and affirmed; this would encourage more people to learn and follow."

"Good begets good. Effort should be rewarded."

"Should good people be pointed at with knives? That's impossible."

Wang Da Niu scratched the back of his head, and gave an embarrassed smile.

"You're the one who has a far better understanding of these principles, obviously I couldn't compare to you."

Time passed quickly and soon it was afternoon.

Gradually, the houses of Langlang Village came into view.

A group of young children was gathered at the entrance of the village, holding slingshots in their hands and firing at birds in the woods.

When they saw Han Ye, their faces brightened up with joy.

"Look, it's Brother Han Ye!"

"The hero who killed the tiger is back!"

Hearing the children calling him "Brother Han Ye", Han Ye couldn't help but burst into a smile.

"You little rascals, how did you all find out."

One kid with a buzz cut and tall for his age, smirked and said: "A lot of people returned from the Black Cliff Forest yesterday and word spread, everyone in the village is talking about Brother Han Ye!"

"Yeah, my father just said last night that I should hang out with you more and learn martial arts!"

"Oh, Brother Han Ye, when are you going to tell the story of 'Journey to the West'? What happens after Sun Wukong gets crushed under Wuxing Mountain?"

Han Ye laughed heartily: "Sure thing, when I have time. Now go play, I have things to take care of."

Once he finally escaped from them, Wang Da Niu said with a smile: "Brother Han, you're so well-liked by the kids, it's not easy. Those stories, games and interesting things, only you can come up with."

"Everyone has a childhood when they love to play."

Han Ye responded with a carefree smile.

Then Wang Da Niu reminded him: "It's the selection day tomorrow, let's go to Liu Manor to sign in so that we can guarantee our attendance."

"Let's go."

The two soon made their way into Liu Manor.

Upon reporting at the inner courtyard, they just needed to leave a fingerprint to confirm their attendance.

They were then given a meal ticket allowing for an extra meal tonight. This was quite considerate.

In one of Liu Manor's buildings.

Liu Lingqi, dressed in a green training gown, calmly watched Han Ye's departing figure from the window. She turned to the steward beside her and asked:

"Is this Han Ye?"

The steward respectfully replied: "Yes, miss, this is the man who killed the tiger."

"Pay more attention to him during the selection day tomorrow."

"Yes."

...