Liu Zhimou glanced at Ling Yi and gently shook his head.
“I’m afraid that if I send Xiao Ling and the others out and they get caught, the consequences would be unbearable.” Just thinking about that possibility made him abandon the idea.
After hearing this, Mr. Luo nodded slightly. If that were the case, it was better for the whole family to stay together.
He had only wanted to take a gamble… afraid…
He quietly let out a breath and began thinking of other solutions.
At this moment, Ling Jiu arrived and reported the situation outside to Liu Zhimou.
Upon hearing it, Liu Zhimou’s face darkened. He told Mr. Luo and the others to stay inside while he went out to take a look.
Mr. Luo told him to go without worry. He would take care of things inside.
Liu Zhimou nodded. He squeezed Li Qingling’s hand, giving her a reassuring look, then turned and hurried out.
Outside the magistrate’s residence, the heads of the He, Zhao, Wang, and Lin families stood there, ordering their servants to shout loudly.
“Corrupt official! Rebel! Come out! Don’t think hiding in the residence means we don’t know what you’ve done!”
Wang Yang sneered coldly.
He muttered in a low voice, “Let’s see how Liu Zhimou escapes this time.”
Last time, he had been lucky. Even the Netherworld assassins hadn’t managed to kill him. This time, he would definitely die.
Uncle He glanced at Wang Yang. If he weren’t afraid that that person might retaliate against the He family, he wouldn’t have come at all.
To be honest, he felt uneasy, worried that this operation might fail again.
“He Tao, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy? Don’t you want to see Liu Zhimou fall?” Wang Yang sneered when no one responded.
He had long been dissatisfied with He Tao, only suppressing it due to certain reasons. Now, his chance to rise had finally come.
If he gained that person’s favor, he could step on He Tao.
So this time, he had to perform well.
Uncle He curled one side of his lips coldly and said nothing.
He knew Wang Yang’s thoughts perfectly well. Didn’t he just want to ride over his head? Let’s see if he had the ability.
Wang Yang was choked by his half-smiling expression and snorted heavily.
He ordered his servants to keep shouting until Liu Zhimou came out.
“Liu Zhimou, you dog thief! Come out and surrender! You have a quarter of an hour—if you don’t come out, don’t blame us!”
“Rebel Liu Zhimou, get out here!”
As soon as the words fell, the shouting servants suddenly went silent.
“Shout! Keep shouting! Why did you stop?” Wang Yang walked forward angrily and kicked a servant.
With a loud bang, the servant fell to the ground. A jet of blood sprayed from his neck, splashing onto Wang Yang’s face and freezing him in shock.
What… what was going on? How… how did he die?
The other servants also collapsed one after another.
Looking down, Wang Yang saw that all of them had their throats slit.
He swallowed hard, covered his own neck in panic, and ran backward while shouting for protection.
Whoever did this was terrifying—killing silently, with one strike to the throat.
He was terrified.
Uncle He and the other two were just as fast, fleeing toward the carriage.
Only after hiding did their tense expressions ease slightly.
“Damn it! If I find out who did this, I’ll never spare him!” Wang Yang cursed viciously.
Uncle He mocked him with a glance, then turned his gloomy gaze toward the magistrate’s residence.
He was certain that Liu Zhimou had powerful experts protecting him.
Otherwise, he would have been killed long ago.
Could it be the Liu family guards? He had heard that they were all highly skilled.
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
Taking a quiet breath, Uncle He said in a deep voice, “Attack.”
Either Liu Zhimou dies, or we die.
For their own survival, Liu Zhimou had to die.
Once he was dead, they could claim he committed suicide out of guilt. No one would be able to investigate.
The other three looked at him in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“Don’t you want to finish this quickly?” Uncle He snapped. “The longer this drags on, the more dangerous it becomes.”
After a moment of silence, the three agreed.
Liu Zhimou had been pressing down on them for too long. It was time for him to fall.
“Let’s go. Tell them to move.”
Wang Yang’s heart skipped. “We still have to go out?”
He had been badly frightened earlier and didn’t want to face unknown danger again.
Uncle He chuckled. “If we don’t go out, why would they act?”
Grinding his teeth, Wang Yang forced a smile. “Fine.”
If I have to go, I’ll go. Who’s afraid of who?
When the four stepped out to give orders, a group of villagers suddenly rushed over carrying hoes.
“What are you trying to do? What are you doing?”
Daring to surround the magistrate’s residence—how outrageous!
The four were stunned.
What was going on? Hadn’t they already explained? Liu Zhimou was a rebel. Why were the people still protecting him?
“This is what we should ask you!” Wang Yang roared. “Are you defending a rebel?”
Wei Guo rushed over with several constables and stood in front of the villagers.
He sneered, “What evidence do you have that the magistrate is a rebel? If he were one, would he have done so much for the people? Do you think we’re three-year-olds?”
After receiving the news, he had secretly sent Deputy Magistrate Ma out of Ninghua County to seek reinforcements.
They just needed to hold on.
“That’s right! Do you think we’re fools?” the villagers shouted angrily.
They had seen everything the magistrate had done and remembered it in their hearts.
Such a good official could never be a rebel.
“I think you’re the real rebels!” someone shouted.
These four rich families had exploited them for years. If they weren’t rebels, what were they?
“Yes! You’re the rebels!”
The villagers grew more excited, banging their hoes on the ground.
If Wei Guo hadn’t stopped them, they would have rushed forward to fight.
The four men’s faces turned extremely ugly.
They never expected the people to support Liu Zhimou so firmly.
“Why waste words with them? Have them arrested,” Wang Yang said.
Uncle He looked at the villagers. “Are you sure you want to keep protecting a rebel?”
Unless absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to harm civilians.
The villagers cursed at him in response.
To them, the four families were leeches, sucking their blood.
Why would they believe such people?
Uncle He’s face grew colder and colder.
He raised his hand. “Arrest them. Kill anyone who resists.”
He no longer wanted to waste time.
Just as his men were about to move, the gate of the magistrate’s residence opened.
Wearing his official robe, Liu Zhimou stood at the entrance, his face cold.
“Stop!”
“It’s the magistrate!” the villagers exclaimed.
“Sir, we believe you’re innocent!”
“Yes, we believe you!”
Warmth surged through Liu Zhimou’s heart.
He never imagined the people would stand by him like this.
He was deeply moved.
He clapped his hands to quiet them, then said,
“Thank you, elders and villagers, for trusting me. I swear to heaven that I am not a rebel. Those who frame me will pay the price.”
His gaze swept over the four men, cold laughter in his eyes.
This time, he would uproot them completely.
“But I don’t want you to get hurt. Please go home. Don’t come out casually.”
Though touched, he didn’t want them involved.
The villagers refused to leave at first.
But Liu Zhimou was firm.
Under his insistence, they slowly retreated, stopping nearby to watch.
If his life were threatened, they would never stand by.
Wang Yang was impulsive, but not stupid.
Seeing the villagers leave, he held back his dissatisfaction.
Their target was Liu Zhimou.
This mission could only succeed.
Liu Zhimou also relaxed slightly.
With no civilians present, he could fight freely.
“Hah, dog thief! Let’s see what you have to say now!” Wang Yang mocked.
“Men, seize him!”
In his eyes, Liu Zhimou was already a dead man.
Liu Zhimou’s gaze turned icy.
The hand behind his back moved slightly, signaling Liu Shi and the others to prepare.
He wanted to see—whether the four families truly had the ability to take him down.
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