Film & TV: Public Enemy of Justice

The trapped little girl, tears streaming down her face, kept crying out, "Don't come any closer, don't come any closer, please, please!"

This scene was witnessed by Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu, who happened to be passing by.

"This is outrageous! How dare they abduct a woman in broad daylight? They are truly audacious!"

Zeng Shushu rushed forward first, shouting loudly, "You audacious villain, how dare you commit violence in broad daylight! Release that woman immediately, or don't blame me for not warning you!"

Hearing the voice, the burly man turned around and saw Zeng Shushu. Emboldened by her beauty, he completely ignored her words.

"Hmph, where did this brat come from? He's got a death wish."

After speaking, several burly men pounced on Zeng Shushu. Enraged by the insignificant men's disregard, Zeng Shushu raised his sword to meet the burly men. Throughout the entire ordeal, Lin Yaoxie stood motionless.

Taking advantage of the moment when the thugs were fighting with Zeng Shushu, Xiao Huan quietly ran away, but was spotted by one of the burly men. The burly man grabbed Xiao Huan, who was trying to escape, and said with a wicked laugh, "Trying to run away? Not so easy."

The captured Xiao Huan struggled in fear in the big man's hand. Finally, she bit the big man's right hand hard. The big man cried out in pain and released his grip on Xiao Huan. Before Xiao Huan could react, she fell backward due to inertia.

Lin Yaoxie seized the opportunity to catch Xiao Huan before she fell. When Xiao Huan came to her senses, she found herself in a man's arms. Xiao Huan stared blankly at Lin Yaoxie below. The unfamiliar sensation of being in close contact with a stranger made her blush and her heart race. For a moment, she forgot to get up.

"Miss, Miss." The man's call brought Xiao Huan back to her senses. Only then did Xiao Huan get off Lin Yaoxie, her face flushed.

"I am deeply grateful to you, young master, for saving me."

No need for formalities, it was just a small favor.

"May I ask your name, sir? I will certainly pay my respects in the future."

"No need to repay the favor, but my name is Lin Yaoxie, and what is your name, young lady?"

Xiao Huan was shy and bashful, much like a budding flower, making one want to explore its secrets.

"This humble woman, Xiao Huan, expresses her deepest gratitude to Young Master Lin for saving her life."

Zeng Shushu, having dealt with the villains, ran over and saw the beautiful woman thanking Lin Yaoxie, who had stood by and watched, while he himself was fighting desperately against the thugs. He was immediately filled with anger. Why was it that every time he was with Lin Yaoxie, he could always easily win a woman's heart?

Lu Xueqi was like this, and now she's like this again. Under his influence, all his efforts are ignored. Zeng Shushu looked at Lin Yaoxie, who was pretending to be gentle and polite, and the anger in his heart was about to burn him up.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Meeting the City Lord of Yudu

After rescuing Xiao Huan from being harassed, Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu decided to personally escort Xiao Huan home to ensure her safety.

“Young Master Lin has been kind to me, and I don’t want to cause you any trouble. I can go back on my own.”

"Miss Xiao Huan, it's getting late. It's not safe for a woman to walk alone. Let us escort you!"

“Yes, yes! There are so many bad people around now, it’s too dangerous for you to be alone,” Zeng Shushu chimed in.

In the end, Xiao Huan yielded to Lin Yaoxie, and the three of them headed towards Xiao Huan's house.

Xiao Huan lived in a thatched house on the outskirts of Yudu City. Her grandfather made a living by telling fortunes for passersby in the market. Occasionally, Xiao Huan would embroider some samples to sell. Despite her family's poverty, Xiao Huan learned needlework herself.

Having been exposed to embroidery since childhood, Xiao Huan honed her skills to a superb degree. Her embroidery works were highly sought after by the ladies of Yudu City, and the money she earned from embroidery increased significantly.

The sense of urgency in the father-daughter relationship.

"Grandpa, I'm back."

Before even entering the house, Xiao Huan 04 excitedly called out in the yard. After a while, an elderly man with a hunched back and gray hair came out of the house. "Grandpa!" Xiao Huan happily ran over to the old man and helped him up.

"Grandpa, these two are Xiao Huan's saviors. They saved Xiao Huan when she was being bullied today," Xiao Huan said, pointing to Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu as she introduced them to the old man.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu bowed to the old man.

"Thank you for your help, two heroes. Since you are Xiao Huan's saviors, please come in and have a cup of hot tea!"

The room was simply furnished. In the small space, there was a huge, unfinished embroidery. On some old tables, there was a small bamboo basket containing some embroidery supplies and tools. Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu sat opposite Xiao Huan and the old man, quietly sipping the hot tea in their cups.

"Great hero, you possess an extraordinary bearing. May I ask which school or sect you belong to?" the old man's hoarse voice rang out.

“We are disciples of the Qingyun Sect,” Zeng Shushu quickly replied.

The old man paused noticeably in his hand holding the teacup for a moment, then continued, "Oh! I see."

"Gentlemen, it is getting late and not advisable to continue your journey. Why don't you stay at my humble abode for the time being and make further plans tomorrow?"

"Sorry to bother you over there."

Xiao Huan's family doesn't have many houses, only three rooms in total: one for Xiao Huan, one for Xiao Huan's father, and the other is a storage room for miscellaneous items. That night, Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu personally cleaned and tidied up the storage room. Although it was troublesome, they dared not make a sound.

“I’m really sorry, but my grandfather and I have been living alone for a long time and we don’t have any guests visiting. This house has gradually become a storage room. However, there is a kitchen in the yard, so compared to that, this storage room is still better.”

"It's alright, don't worry about it. We were the ones who disturbed you first, so how could we dare to complain? I think this place is pretty good too. Look at this window, you can even see the sunrise in the morning!" Lin Yaoxie replied, pointing to a window that wasn't covered with paper.

Xiao Huan was amused by Lin Yaoxie and laughed heartily, which immediately lifted her spirits. In less than a night, Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu tidied up their sleeping area and repaired the broken window. After doing all this, the two of them fell asleep exhausted.

The next morning, the two bid farewell to Xiao Huan and the old man and left.

Upon returning to Yudu City, Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu hurried to the residence of the city lord. They stood at the entrance of the mansion for a while before a servant returned, saying, "Young master, please." Led by the servant, Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu walked into the mansion.

"Aren't you the city lord's grandson? Why do you, the young master, need to report back to the manor?" Lin Yaoxie couldn't help but mock.

"It's been too long since I've been back! Besides, I had a falling out with my grandfather when I went to Qingyun Mountain to become his apprentice. If he hadn't taken the initiative to call me back, I wouldn't have been able to enter this gate."

Lin Yaoxie turned his head and looked deeply at Zeng Shushu beside him, remaining silent.

A short while later, the servant who had led the way turned to the two and said, "The city lord is in the main hall. Please go in!"

In the center of the hall sat a dignified, cold, and arrogant old man who kept staring at Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu the whole time.

grandfather."

"Greetings, City Lord."

The city lord remained seated, silent for several moments. Below, Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu exchanged a glance, unsure of what to do.

After a while, a dignified voice rang out: "You're back. How have you been lately?"

"Thank you for your concern, Grandpa. Everything is fine lately."

Zeng Ji glanced at Zeng Shushu without responding, then turned his gaze to Lin Yaoxie.

Who is this?

"This is my grandson's fellow disciple, who came here specifically to help my grandson share the burden with his grandfather."

Lin Yaoxie met Zeng Ji's gaze and nodded slightly.

"Have you heard about the recent events at Qiling River? I've heard that the number of people being poisoned to death is increasing. Do you have any solutions?"

Lin Yaoxie pondered for a moment, then replied, "The problem with the river must be related to its source. I have already gone up to Mount Sang in the sky to investigate and found that the source of the Qiling River is full of poisonous flowers. After the poisonous flowers are mixed into the river water, the river water becomes highly poisonous. None of the people who have drunk this water have died from poisoning."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Ji slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage: "Outrageous! Who is so vicious as to treat the lives of the people of Yudu City like ants? Once he falls into my hands, I will make him pay for the lives of those people who were harmed and poisoned by him."

"I think the most urgent task now is to stop the toxicity of the river water at the source, and then find a way to find an antidote for the poisonous flower."

Zeng Ji took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his chest, and said in a deep voice, "Yes, you are right. We will do as you say. You and Shushu will go and manage the river immediately. I will give you a warrant. You can mobilize the guards in the city at will, and the banks in the city will also follow your orders. You only need to report the progress of the incident to me at all times."

Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu knelt down and accepted the order: "Yes."

As they came out of the lobby, Zeng Shushu asked urgently, "Is the pollution of the Qiling River related to the poisonous flowers we saw at Kongsang Mountain last time? Then, who exactly planted the poisonous flowers at the source of the river?"

Looking at the anxious Zeng Shushu, Lin Yaoxie's heart softened. After observing Zeng Shushu for several days, Lin Yaoxie had clearly understood Zeng Shushu's character. Unlike the hypocrisy of the Qingyun Sect, Zeng Shushu was a man of integrity who put his words into action.

Just now in the main hall, Lin Yaoxie noticed that Zeng Ji kept pressing his left chest with his hand and his breathing was uneven. He suspected that Zeng Ji had a heart and lung disease. The day Zeng Shushu went to Kongsang Mountain to obtain bear bile to make medicine, it must have been for his grandfather's heart and lung disease. Even now, even though he had seen the poisonous flowers of Kongsang Mountain with his own eyes, he had not suspected Qingyun Sect at all.

Lin Yaoxie reached out and patted Zeng Shushu's left shoulder. "What we need to do first is save the lives of millions of people in Yudu City. We can deal with other things later."

Zeng Shushu said firmly, "Yes, you're right."

Chapter Thirty-Seven: River Management (Part One)

Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu returned to Kongsang Mountain. Kongsang Mountain is crisscrossed by tributaries. At the source of the Qiling River, Lin Yaoxie discovered a large area of ​​poisonous flowers. The petals of these poisonous flowers were dark purple and emitted a sweet and cool fragrance. The withered and fallen petals mixed into the river water and drifted downstream.

"It's because of these flower petals that the river is polluted," Lin Yaoxie said in a deep voice.

"But there are so many petals, and they are difficult to collect. How can we remove the toxicity from the river water?"

Lin Yaoxie fell silent, and Zeng Shushu, seeing this, also began to think.

After a long while, Lin Yaoxie spoke again: "Removing the poison from the river water doesn't necessarily mean we have to dredge up the flower petals. We can think of other ways. What we need to do now is figure out how to destroy this patch of poisonous flowers."

"That's simple, just burn it all up." Zeng Shushu blurted out.

Lin Yaoxie fully agreed with Zeng Shushu's method. Afterwards, the two of them got a torch and threw it into a patch of poisonous flowers. Instantly, flames shot into the sky, and a large patch of poisonous flowers turned to ashes in the flames.

"Let's go check out the residential areas downstream."

Zeng Shushu nodded and followed Lin Yaoxie.

Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu entered a small village downstream of the Qiling River. The village had a small population, and Lin Yaoxie walked in without seeing a single person. There was no sound of villagers talking, only the occasional barking of wild dogs.

"Where have all the people here gone?" Zeng Shushu asked, her heart pounding.

"died."

Lin Yaoxie responded and strode forward.

"Don't take my water! Don't take my water! This is for my mother. She hasn't had any water for many days."

A little girl was desperately clutching her water bag, pleading with the man trying to take it from her. The man ignored her pleas and didn't budge an inch.

The pressure on his hand: "I haven't had a drop of water for many days, I'm about to die too."

The man shoved the girl hard and snatched the water bag. The little girl, who had fallen to the ground, cried out in anguish as she lost her water bag: "My water bag! Don't take my water bag away! My mother is dying! She'll die without water!"

The man carrying the water bag ran frantically toward Lin Yaoxie and Zeng Shushu. Just as he brushed past Lin Yaoxie, Lin Yaoxie tripped him with his right foot. The man, seeing Lin Yaoxie clutching the water bag tightly, shouted, "What are you doing?"

Without a word, Lin Yaoxie snatched the water bag from the man's hand, turned around and walked towards the little girl: "Your water bag is here, go find your mother!"

The little girl took the water bag from Lin Yaoxie and thanked him repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, thank you, brother."

Lin Yaoxie returned to the man and asked, "How many villagers are left here?"

"Those who could die are all dead, so there's no one left."

"If you answer my questions seriously, I can give you water to drink." Lin Yaoxie took out a water bag from somewhere and kept waving it in front of the man.

"Alright, ask away, I'll answer everything I know."

"It's still the same question."

"There weren't many people here to begin with, but since the river was polluted, more than half of them have died or been injured. There are probably still about twenty people left!"

"Have you not had any water for days?"

"It's been about two days."

Lin Yaoxie tossed the water to the man, who hurriedly grabbed it and gulped it down. Once he had drunk his fill, the man smiled contentedly at Lin Yaoxie.