In the Great Yu Kingdom, major wanted criminals were generally classified into four grades: A, B, C, and D. Anyone who captured a wanted criminal belonging to one of these four categories would receive a corresponding bounty.
Hearing that the reward was one thousand taels of silver, Shen Chuyun’s eyes lit up brighter and brighter.
Although she wasn’t short of money, who would ever complain about having more?
To thank the White-Faced Ghost for bringing her a thousand taels of silver, she walked over and kicked him again. Her kick was swift, precise, and vicious, landing squarely between his legs.
The White-Faced Ghost let out a miserable scream before fainting again from the pain.
Every man present instinctively clenched his legs together at the sight.
How tragic! Absolutely tragic! The White-Faced Ghost’s manhood must be ruined for good. Serves him right!
After kicking him, Shen Chuyun also lifted the White-Faced Ghost’s mask so everyone could see his true face.
The moment they recognized him, someone cried out in shock.
“Oh, heavens! Isn’t that Young Master Xu? He’s actually the White-Faced Ghost?”
Young Master Xu was named Xu Zhixuan. He was one of Luocheng’s three most talented scholars, handsome and refined, and born into a scholarly family. Two years earlier, he had passed the examination to become a xiucai, a recognized scholar who had qualified at the imperial examination’s first level.
He was the dream lover of countless young women.
No one could have imagined that behind closed doors, he was actually a notorious rapist.
After their initial shock, the crowd was overwhelmed by uncontrollable fury.
Physician Hu was especially enraged. He rushed forward and began punching and kicking Xu Zhixuan.
“Why did you hurt my wife? Why?! I even saved your mother’s life!”
Half a month earlier, Xu Zhixuan’s mother had suffered a stroke in the street. Physician Hu had managed to save her life. Although she was still bedridden, she had survived, and with proper care, there was hope she might eventually regain the ability to stand.
Yet Xu Zhixuan had repaid that kindness by harming Physician Hu’s wife.
Physician Hu was practically driven mad with rage.
The surrounding people were furious as well. However much they cursed or beat Xu Zhixuan, the man lying on the ground remained completely unresponsive.
Soon, officials from the authorities arrived. They took Xu Zhixuan into custody and escorted everyone present to the county yamen for questioning.
Shen Chuyun and Doudou went along, too.
Before leaving, Shen Chuyun noticed two people hiding in a corner by the wall. They were none other than the innkeeper and the attendant.
She paid them no attention, nimbly climbed onto the wolf’s back, and followed the officers and the crowd.
Seeing how harmoniously she interacted with the white wolf, which behaved as obediently as a dog around her, someone couldn’t resist asking, “May I ask your surname, little girl?”
“My surname is Shen,” Shen Chuyun replied with a sweet, agreeable smile.
The man continued, “Miss Shen, you’re so young, yet so capable. You can even tame wild beasts. Could it be that you’re from Julong City?”
A flicker of interest passed through Shen Chuyun’s eyes.
Julong City?
She had heard her senior brothers and sisters mention that place before.
According to them, the world was divided into three kingdoms: the Great Yu Kingdom, the Rui Kingdom, and the Qi Kingdom.
Julong City, however, was an exception. It belonged to none of the three kingdoms and existed as an independent city.
It was said that everyone living there possessed the ability to tame wild beasts. They rode wolves, used tigers to pull carriages, and kept leopards as pets.
Shen Chuyun smiled faintly.
“No, I’m from the capital.”
The county yamen held a hearing that very night. All the victims in the city and their families came as soon as they heard the news.
Although the victims had never seen the White-Faced Ghost’s real face when they were assaulted, they knew that he had a snake-head tattoo on his back.
The officers immediately stripped Xu Zhixuan’s upper clothing in front of everyone, exposing his back.
Xu Zhixuan had already been revived by having water splashed on him. He was severely injured and now tightly bound, leaving him completely powerless to resist. All he could do was endure the officers’ handling and humiliation.
When the victims saw the snake-head tattoo on his back, their faces turned pale. Their anger erupted as they stepped forward to identify him.
With both eyewitness testimony and physical evidence against him, Xu Zhixuan had no way to deny the charges. He was taken away and locked in the prison to await judgment.
As he was being dragged away, Xu Zhixuan showed neither fear nor remorse. Instead, he cast Shen Chuyun a provocative, sinister smile.
“You little brat, I’ll remember you. I’ll repay this grudge a hundredfold, a thousandfold! I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
Shen Chuyun hated being threatened, especially by a piece of trash like him.
Without hesitation, she sprang into the air and kicked Xu Zhixuan squarely in the face before he could react.
“Who gave you the nerve to threaten a hero who rid the people of evil when you’re already at death’s door?”
Xu Zhixuan went flying, letting out a bloodcurdling scream as he crashed into the crowd standing outside the courtroom.
The onlookers already despised rapists. They had wanted to beat Xu Zhixuan throughout the hearing, but the officers had prevented them from doing so.
Now that Xu Zhixuan had practically delivered himself into their hands, they finally had their chance.
“Beat this bastard to death!”
Someone shouted, and the crowd immediately surged forward, surrounding Xu Zhixuan and raining punches and kicks down on him.
“Ahhh!”
His agonized screams rang out without end.
The county magistrate panicked and ordered the officers to rescue the prisoner. He then turned on Shen Chuyun and reprimanded her.
“He merely threatened you with a few words! Why did you have to strike him so viciously? You clearly have no regard for this official’s authority!”
The magistrate’s reaction struck Shen Chuyun as suspicious.
She smiled faintly and replied, “Your Honor, this rapist has committed countless evil deeds and harmed so many innocent women. Forget beating him up—even if I had killed him on the spot, he would have deserved it! I was doing a good deed for the people. If you don’t want to praise me, that’s fine, but now you’re criticizing me instead. Are you taking the rapist’s side?”
The magistrate flew into a rage.
“You must not slander this official—”
“Ahhh!”
Before the magistrate could finish speaking, Xu Zhixuan suddenly let out an even more agonized scream.
The magistrate became even more anxious. Forgetting about Shen Chuyun, he hurriedly ordered the officers to rescue the prisoner.
His behavior infuriated the townspeople.
They surrounded the magistrate and the officers, demanding to know why they were helping a rapist and insisting that the magistrate provide an explanation.
To appease the angry crowd, the magistrate had no choice but to wait until they had finished beating Xu Zhixuan before ordering the barely breathing man to be locked away in prison.
A burly man reminded the magistrate, “Your Honor, Miss Shen deserves a reward for catching the criminal. Don’t forget her bounty!”
Others chimed in.
“That’s right! Miss Shen must receive the reward!”
The magistrate snapped angrily, “This official will make his own decision!”
Apparently sensing what the magistrate was thinking, the same burly man who had first spoken up for Shen Chuyun added, “Your Honor, Miss Shen is from Julong City. If you anger her, she might command thousands of wild beasts to attack the yamen. Surely you wouldn’t want that trouble!”
The magistrate was momentarily speechless. He looked at Shen Chuyun in disbelief.
This little girl is from Julong City?
That terrifying place filled with wicked people and wild beasts roaming everywhere?
Shen Chuyun calmly stroked the white wolf beside her.
“Doudou, don’t be impatient. What belongs to us won’t be taken away, right, Your Honor?”
Doudou immediately fixed its sharp wolf eyes on the magistrate.
The magistrate shuddered.
“Yes, yes, yes! Of course not! You will absolutely receive what’s owed to you!”
Shen Chuyun smiled faintly.
“Then can I collect my reward tonight?”
The magistrate swallowed nervously.
“Yes! This official will arrange it immediately!”
The magistrate seemed deeply afraid of Julong City. In less than fifteen minutes, he had arranged for someone to bring out one thousand taels of silver in banknotes.
Shen Chuyun examined the notes and confirmed that they were genuine, universally accepted banknotes issued by the Tang family’s money house in the Great Yu Kingdom.
She put them away and left the yamen with the white wolf.
The victims and the onlookers gradually dispersed as well.
Once everyone had left, the magistrate wiped the sweat from his forehead. His expression darkened as he ordered the gates shut.
He then instructed the officers, “Keep a close eye on Xu Zhixuan. Under no circumstances must you let him die!”
After leaving the yamen, Shen Chuyun stopped the burly man who had spoken up for her earlier.
“Would you mind if I asked you about a few things?”
As she spoke, she took out five taels of silver and handed them to him.
The man’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Of course! Of course! Miss Shen, ask me anything you want to know!”
By the time Shen Chuyun returned to the inn, dawn had broken.
She was exhausted and desperately wanted to go back to her room for another nap. However, she discovered that a group of people was waiting for her in the inn’s main hall.
The young master leading the group took one look at her Doudou, and his eyes immediately lit up.
“What a magnificent big dog!”