Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

Wu Yan took the sword and handed it to Zhang Sanlang. "It's a good sword, worth about ten strings of cash. He doesn't even want the sword anymore, so it seems he really wants to get away."

Zhang Sanlang took the sword and glanced down at its blade. The edge was gleaming, without nicks or wear; it was very well-preserved. A tiny mark was engraved on the guard.

He handed the sword to Lu Qiucheng, "Brother Lu, please keep it safe."

Sun Jizu then approached.

He stopped in front of Zhang Sanlang, looked him up and down, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Zhang Sanlang looked around, forced a smile, and said, "It's alright, let's go back first."

Wu Yan tucked the short stick back into his waistband, glanced at Fang Zhong'an who was still sitting on the ground, and asked, "Fang Tiesi, can you still walk?"

Fang Zhong'an pushed himself up from the ground, his legs still trembling.

He touched the top of his head, then the back, as if to make sure he was unharmed. "I can walk. My legs are a little weak though. Commander Wu, that sword strike just now... did it cut your hair?"

Wu Yan reached out and picked up the broken hair on his head to examine it. "You shaved off a lock. Not bad, very neat."

Fang Zhong'an touched the short stubble, his face a mixture of laughter and tears. "Captain Wu, you still have the mind to joke at a time like this? Old Fang almost became a headless ghost!"

Knowing that Fang Zhong'an was timid, Zhang Sanlang instructed Wu Yan to escort him home.

Ma Han led the way with a lantern, and the group returned to Jinshi Lane first.

The light flickered for a moment, then illuminated several dark shadows in their own yard.

Lu Sanbao stood guard at the entrance of the main room with the door bolt in his hand, Zhang Long and Zhao Hu squatted on the left and right sides of the back gate, Old Sun stood guard at the small gate with a wood-chopping knife in his hand, and Huangfu Ce stood across the entrance of the west wing with a carrying pole in both hands.

Hearing footsteps, the group looked towards the courtyard gate. As the lantern light swept across, Old Sun subconsciously raised his wood-chopping knife.

"It's me." Zhang Sanlang stepped into the courtyard first.

Everyone in the courtyard visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Lü Sanbao grinned and jogged over to greet them.

When Huangfu Ce saw Zhang Sanlang step into the courtyard, the carrying pole in his hand fell to the ground with a "bang." Huangfu Ce's lips moved twice, but he didn't say anything.

He bent down to pick up the carrying pole, but his hands trembled so badly that he had to squeeze it twice before he could grasp it. When he straightened up, his eyes were already red, and he called out in a hoarse voice, "Third Master."

Zhang Sanlang nodded to him, then looked past him toward the door of the west wing. Wang Yue'e stood there, still holding a rolling pin in her hand.

Her hair was a little disheveled, and a few stray strands of hair at her temples were stuck to her cheeks with sweat; her face was deathly pale.

Zhang Sanlang waved his hand, "It's alright, the thief has already escaped."

Wang Yue'e let out a long sigh and plopped down on the doorstep.

Zhang Sanlang glanced past Lü Sanbao into the house. "Are happy Mei and the others hurt?"

"Don't worry, Master, everything's fine. Xi'er, Qing'er, and the two Lin girls are all in the inner room in the back courtyard, with Miss Yun with them. The door is bolted tight, and even the window cracks are blocked with blankets. They won't open the door even when I call!"

Zhang Sanlang nodded and slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding all the way.

He gestured for everyone to enter the main room. Lü Sanbao quickly lit two more lamps. The flames of the oil lamps flickered, casting swaying shadows of everyone on the walls.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Lu Sanbao stood at the door, speaking and gesturing eagerly.

It turned out that Lu Qiucheng first heard a noise in the backyard, followed by happy Mei'er's scream. He shouted at the gatehouse and rushed into the backyard.

Lu Sanbao patted his chest. "I heard Mr. Lu calling for help, so I quickly ran to the backyard. That thief was coming straight at me in the dark, and I couldn't dodge in time, so I just stopped trying."

"I learned a couple of wrestling techniques from the second master, so without thinking, I grabbed his head and slammed it to the ground. That thief was quite strong; he bent over and twisted sharply, managing to shake me off."

"I pounced on him again, this time grabbing him around the waist, and my shouts alerted the neighbors. Old Master Sun, carrying a woodcutter's knife, was the first to rush in through the side door, followed by County Magistrate Sun, who also came running over with his spear."

"The thief panicked, suddenly jerked his hips, broke free from my embrace, and sprinted towards the wall. County Magistrate Sun threw his spear, piercing the man's left shoulder. He groaned, rolled off the wall, and burst through the courtyard gate to run away."

"The four brothers at the alley entrance heard the commotion and rushed to the courtyard gate, just as they came face to face with the man. It was pitch black, and before they could even see whether he was round or flat, the thief had already dashed out."

"Mr. Lu chased after us from the backyard to the front yard, hurriedly instructing Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and me to guard the house, while he, Wang Chao, and Ma Han went out to chase after them. County Lieutenant Sun picked up the gun and walked at the back..."

After listening to his rambling, Zhang Sanlang remained silent for a moment. Seeing that Sun Jizu looked calm, he told Lü Sanbao to take his four men back first.

Huangfu Ce glanced at the expressions of the two men, then pulled Lu Qiucheng back to the east wing.

Seeing that no one else was around, Old Sun immediately began to berate Sun Jizu, "Someone like you can't possibly go to the battlefield! You're so slow, you can't even react as quickly as this old man!"

"If I had a good weapon, would that kid have been able to escape? Back in your military days, weren't you someone who risked your life on the line? How come you've regressed since returning to the county government?"

Sun Jizu was sprayed with spittle by the old man. He wiped his face with his sleeve but didn't dare to talk back.

Old Sun got more and more excited as he talked, and then complained to Zhang Sanlang, "Sanlang, look at the five men you've raised, two and a half pairs are useless! So many people and you still let a thief get away!"

"Those Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu guys, they're all big and burly, but they're way too clumsy. They ran right into that thief, and he still got away..."

Seeing his father arguing with Zhang Sanlang, Sun Jizu quickly intervened, "Father, that man is skilled in martial arts and adept at scaling walls and breaking into houses. Ordinary people can't stop him. Next time..."

"Next time?" Old Sun glared at him. "There's going to be a next time? What if something happens to Qing-ge'er, Xi-mei'er, and the other kids? How am I supposed to explain this to San-lang?"

Sun Jizu wiped his face and head, then shut his mouth tightly, refusing to utter another word.

Seeing this, Zhang Sanlang quickly gave Xu Fang a wink.

Xu Fang still felt a slight tightness in his chest, the kick from the man in black hadn't fully subsided. But a smile had already appeared on his face as he gently placed his hand on Old Sun's shoulder. "You're absolutely right, sir."

"If they get hurt, we errand runners won't have the face to face the Third Master. I saw it just now; if you were twenty years ago, this petty thief definitely wouldn't have gotten away. He can scale walls and roofs, while you're like an iron bolt!"

"Please calm down, sir, and go back inside to rest. Thankfully, everything is alright; it was just a false alarm. You're berating Magistrate Sun here, but he can't get a word in edgewise, and it's only keeping everyone from getting some rest. Don't you agree?"

As he spoke, he winked at Xu Zheng, and the two brothers each took care of one of his arms.

Old Sun was led half a step towards the door of the main room by them, still muttering, "I was just in a hurry! How kind and righteous is Sanlang? How good he is to this old man like me! I can't bear the shame of a thief breaking into the house!"

Xu Fang chuckled and replied, "Everyone knows that you dote on Qing-ge and his siblings just as much as you dote on Ce-ge..."

Old Sun was half coaxed and half persuaded by the two brothers, and they managed to get him back to the Sun family's house next door.

After they left, Zhang Sanlang turned to Sun Jizu and asked, "Brother Sun, do you know who came?"

Sun Jizu glanced at him, nodded solemnly, and said, "I know."