"Ah!"

Fan Kuai let out an angry roar from his throat, which was filled with filth. With his long, thick arms, he exerted force again, his face twisted as he staggered to his feet. He took a few steps, looking at Cao Yi with the eyes of a man staring at a corpse.

In his life, he had never been beaten so badly. He couldn't quell his anger without flaying his opponent alive.

"Fan Kuai, what happened? Why are you in such a miserable state? Who beat you?"

A middle-aged man in his forties, sporting a small mustache and looking rather disheveled, walked in just at that moment. Upon seeing the scene before him, he wore a look of astonishment.

Cao Yi glanced over.

That appearance? Wasn't this just Liu Bang, the future Emperor of Han, as depicted in television dramas?

Just as in the original storyline, he had come to scrounge some dog meat.

Fan Kuai pointed a finger at Cao Yi, squeezing out a few words through his teeth: "It's this person."

Liu Bang scrutinized Cao Yi and the people behind him, realizing he didn't recognize any of them. He relaxed and, with a serious expression, declared, "How outrageous! To dare commit violence within the county! As the county magistrate, I shall see to it that anyone involved is arrested and dealt with by the law. Fan Kuai, keep an eye on them. I'll be right back."

Just as Liu Bang turned to leave, Fan Kuai called out to him.

"Wait!"

Liu Bang turned back, looking puzzled at Fan Kuai.

"First, inform Brother Wang Ling, then report to the authorities."

A cruel smile spread across Fan Kuai's face.

At this point, reporting to the authorities would likely result in nothing more than light punishment—shaving the opponent's sideburns and beard, which was too lenient.

"What are you planning?" Liu Bang stared at Fan Kuai in surprise.

"Yeah," Fan Kuai nodded vigorously.

Liu Bang sighed and turned to leave.

"Are you planning to kill us?" Cao Yi spoke up, watching closely.

"None of you will leave Peixian alive!" Fan Kuai retorted, picking up the meat cleaver he had dropped earlier and retreating to the doorway. After the earlier confrontation, he had learned of Cao Yi's strength and didn't want to fall into a trap.

"Don't you fear violating the Qin law?" Cao Yi asked casually.

"The Qin law? Hmph, is this your first day out?" Fan Kuai sneered.

"Let me guess why you're so confident," Cao Yi mused, pausing briefly before continuing. "Your brother Wang Ling is a local powerful figure, well-connected and wealthy."

Fan Kuai didn't respond but the gleam of pride in his eyes gave him away.

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"A person with wealth and connections, whether for power or self-preservation, will get entangled with authority, helping them do unsavory things. So, you have powerful backing, like the chief official who oversees promotions, Xiao He, and the prison official, Cao Can, among others."

Cao Yi continued as if he were discussing something completely unrelated.

Fan Kuai maintained a blank expression, tacitly acknowledging Cao Yi's words.

"You have people, money, and power. When Wang Ling's men arrive, they can directly surround and kill us, report to the authorities afterward, framing us as thieves and even claiming a reward. Isn't that right?"

Cao Yi looked at Fan Kuai and asked.

"You're not completely foolish, but it's too late for you to understand," Fan Kuai retorted with a grin, retreating a few more steps.

"Alas, humans..." Cao Yi sighed.

No matter how strict the law, it ultimately relies on people to enforce it. Forces like this, where people, wealth, and power intertwine, render the law nothing more than a toy in their hands.

Beside him, Yi Xiaochuan, enduring pain, said, "Many diners witnessed what just happened; they heard it too, and they're outside right now."

At that moment, a commotion arose from outside.

Without needing to guess, it was clear Liu Bang had returned with his men.

Fan Kuai, who had retreated to the doorway without realizing it, suddenly tore down the curtain that blocked the entrance.

In the distance, a crowd of over a hundred people, led by Liu Bang, rushed over, exuding a murderous aura.

Standing at the entrance were around twenty onlookers, including diners and passersby.

Seeing reinforcements arrive, Fan Kuai's courage swelled. He scanned the crowd with a cold gaze and asked, "Is there anyone here who wants to expose me?"

Understood by the wise according to Qin law, those who witnessed such a situation but remained silent would be guilty, so the onlookers all bowed their heads.

"How can you all do this?" Yi Xiaochuan shouted in agony.

Fan Kuai approached a scrawny onlooker and leaned in closer, saying, "Answer him."

The onlooker trembled, fear etched on his face, and he looked up, stammering, "I-I didn't see anything."

Fan Kuai shook his head, pressing down hard on the onlooker's shoulder, his tone eerily calm: "I can't hear you."

"I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything!"

The onlooker panicked and yelled, terrified.

Fan Kuai's gaze swept over the crowd, and with a fierce expression, he said, "What about you all?"

"We didn't see anything."

"We know nothing."

"I was just out to buy wine and happened to pass by here."

...

Twenty or so trembling voices rang out simultaneously.

Fan Kuai shook his head again, turning to point inside the shop. "That's not right; you should say they're thieves."

Many showed expressions of reluctance. Once branded as thieves, it would be over for them.

"Say it!"

Fan Kuai's voice rose several decibels, filled with menace.

"They're thieves!"

"Thieves!"

"I saw them kill someone!"

...

Only less than half the crowd spoke up.

Fan Kuai approached one of the silent onlookers. Before he could say anything, the man shouted, "They're thieves!"

The rest quickly joined in.

"They're thieves!"

"They're thieves!"

"They're thieves!"

...

The shouts echoed throughout the street, yet no one came out to investigate, as if they had all agreed in advance to shut their doors and windows.

"You all..." Yi Xiaochuan looked on in despair.

How could these people be so blind to right and wrong?

Why was there a law if no one followed it?

In modern times, he had seen the Qin law and thought it was impressive; everyone feared it, and officials and common folk alike obeyed it.

Why was the reality so different?

"Stop talking."

Cao Yi stepped beside Yi Xiaochuan, giving him a healing talisman to suppress his injury.

"Alas..." Yi Xiaochuan sighed.

Cao Yi turned to Fan Kuai and said, "For money, to help the authorities gather enough thieves to complete the construction of the Great Wall and the tomb of Mount Li, your brother Wang Ling must have done this plenty of times, right?"

"You're asking too many questions."

Annoyance flashed across Fan Kuai's face.

"Fine, I have one last question."

Cao Yi said.

"This is the last question. After you answer, you can die."

Fan Kuai replied coldly.

"Where's the county magistrate? He can't be one of your people too, right?"

Cao Yi asked.

"The county magistrate's first order upon arriving in Peixian was to pay respects to Brother Wang Ling and the local tyrants. Do you think he could survive this long without their help to handle various pressures from above? He would have been chopped down long ago by those officials who only recognize the emperor's orders and follow the laws."

Fan Kuai replied casually, as if stating something very normal.

Cao Yi sighed inwardly, nodded, and said, "I've finished asking. Go ahead and act."