Chapter 113

Chapter 113

"Stop right there!" A fat, pig-headed officer blocked her path, speaking gruffly. "What are you doing? What are you holding in your hands?"

That officer hadn't brushed his teeth in who knows how long—his breath was so foul, Lu Wanxiao nearly hurled her breakfast.

Talk about bad luck—she should've checked the almanac before heading out, Lu Wanxiao cursed under her breath, taking two discreet steps back. Fighting back the urge to gag, she replied, "Buying medicine—I'm holding medicine!"

If she'd known she'd run into these dogs, she would've found a secluded spot earlier and stashed the medicine in her space.

"What medicine? Who's sick at home?"

Seeing that Lu Wanxiao wasn't panicking like the others they'd stopped, the officer narrowed his eyes, his tone turning even nastier.

Both his look and his tone made Lu Wanxiao's skin crawl, but to avoid stirring up any unnecessary trouble, she decided to suck it up.

Lu Wanxiao kept her eyes lowered, biting back her temper, answering as calmly as she could, "It's medicine for a cold. My husband is ill."

"Is that so?" The officer gave her a suspicious once-over, his gaze landing on her fair, radiant face without makeup and the pale wrist peeking from her sleeve, a leer spreading across his face.

He reached for the medicine in her hand. "Hand it over, let me take a look, bitch."

Though her eyes were lowered, she was watching his every move. The moment his hand came forward, she sidestepped nimbly, making him swipe at empty air.

Her sleeve brushed over his hand, leaving a trace of white powder on the back of his hand. The moment it touched his skin, it rapidly disappeared.

Luo Minghui's dogs all shared a common trait—ugly faces and wandering hands.

Then they don't need them anymore!

This was a special potion she'd made specifically for Luo Minghui's dogs with wandering hands after her last trip back.

It wasted a lot of her good herbs—too good for them!

This potion—at first, there's no feeling at all.

An hour later, the hand that touched the potion weakens and starts to ache dully. Two hours in, it becomes excruciating pain.

The pain lasts an hour, with no painkiller working unless they cut off the hand.

After an hour, the pain disappears—and the hand is ruined!

Who knows how many people those dog paws had harmed, how many innocent women they'd ruined? Today, crippling his hands is like ridding the people of a pest.

The officer missed and nearly stumbled, instantly flying into a rage. After steadying himself, he bellowed at his two goons behind him, "What are you waiting for? Grab this bitch!"

The two lackeys immediately obeyed and stepped forward to seize Lu Wanxiao.

Lu Wanxiao's eyes turned icy as she gave them a cold sweep.

Her look was like staring at dead men, utterly devoid of feeling. The two were cowards anyway; under her gaze, they froze and dared not advance.

It was as if the moment they touched her, they'd die.

Seeing them cowed, she gave a cold snort and stepped back. "Even if you're officers, you need a reason to arrest someone. Are you so arrogant you can grab anyone you fancy?"

Not only are they unreasonable, but when called out, they fly into a rage and try to arrest people. These dogs don't deserve any face.

Her words caused the few onlookers nearby to hastily back away, scared stiff of angering the officers and getting arrested too.

As they backed away, they whispered among themselves:

"This is outrageous—grabbing people left and right."

"Exactly. All this random lockdown and searches lately make it impossible to earn a living. Life was already barely survivable, and now they're arresting people in the streets? They're basically saying we common folks have no way to live!"

"Indeed. Who knows when this will end."

"That poor young lady—she's pitiful enough."

"Shh—keep your voice down, you might anger them..."

The whispers died down. The leading officer withdrew his gaze, his face dark as he sneered, "Stop spouting nonsense and misleading people!"

"We've got a reason, of course. A few days ago, a thief broke into the county office and stole something very important."

That excuse was flimsy and utterly shameless. Lu Wanxiao rolled her eyes in exasperation. "What does a thief in the county office have to do with me? Or do you think a weak woman like me stole it?"

"You flatter yourself." The officer sneered contemptuously. "That thief was injured, so we're checking everyone buying medicine these days."

"Then you should station people at the pharmacy, or tell the pharmacy doctors to report anyone buying wound medicine. Blocking everyone on the road and checking them one by one is not only inefficient, but what if you spill or damage the medicine? Who pays for that? We commoners already struggle to earn money; when someone is sick, it's hard enough. If the medicine gets ruined, that would be the death of us!"

As she spoke, Lu Wanxiao glanced at the onlookers. They glared hatefully at the officers, anger simmering.

But they dared not speak out.

However, that was exactly the effect Lu Wanxiao wanted.

If the people resent their ruler, the ruler's fall is inevitable.

As long as Luo Minghui still wanted to remain the magistrate of Jinghe County, he had to consider the people's sentiment to some extent.

Otherwise, if public anger boiled over into uncontrollable chaos, he could pack up early.

So he must have given his dogs some instructions.

Indeed, seeing the crowd's reaction, the officer withdrew his hand that had been reaching for Lu Wanxiao and pointed at her instead, shouting:

"We just wanted to check if your medicine was suspicious—when did we threaten your life? Stop your nonsense!"

"Nonsense? Do you even know what these herbs are?"

Lu Wanxiao glanced at his pointing finger and snorted. "If you really want to check my medicine, Huichun Hall is not far. You can go ask their doctor to come, or I'll go to Huichun Hall with you and let the doctor examine it openly. Instead of you pawing through it in the street—do you even recognize medicinal herbs?"

She added, "Of course, if you spill or break them, you'll pay. Then check all you want!"

After saying this, seeing he remained silent, she suppressed her anger and asked, "Well? Want to go to Huichun Hall?"

What a damn nuisance. If the situation allowed, she'd just slice this insolent dog right to Yama.

Why waste time and breath here?

She finally understood why so many people struggled tooth and nail, using any means, to climb up.

Because if you're high in status—except for a few brain-dead ones—nobody dares to make you unhappy; they'll even try to please you.

No, when she got back, she'd make Song Changting work hard to become a big official. Then, if she ever met such a blind dog again, she'd just slice him.

Finally, a local couldn't take it anymore and stepped forward to speak up for Lu Wanxiao, risking a beating or arrest:

"Officers, this lady's husband is sick and waiting for his medicine. If you truly suspect her medicine, why not go ask the doctor at Huichun Hall to check it?"

Once someone started, others naturally chimed in one after another.

People were already fed up with all the curfews and searches lately, but they never had a chance or the guts to speak up.

Now that they finally had a chance to vent, they naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to say a few more words while the crowd was large.

After all, there's safety in numbers, and they hadn't broken any laws.

"Exactly! A bad cold can kill too, you know. Officers, please have a heart and let this young lady take the medicine back to cure her husband."

"Oh dear, if the illness is delayed and something happens to this young lady's husband, how's this poor woman supposed to get by?"

"Poor thing..."

"..."

More and more people joined in, and the crowd's emotions ran high. The officer was afraid that if things got out of control and word got back to Luo Minghui, he'd be the one getting punished.

With a cold snort, he said gruffly to Lu Wanxiao, "All right, all right. You don't look like you're connected to the thief. Take your medicine and go home, so when that soon-to-be-dead husband of yours kicks it, don't come crying to me."

"Thank you, officer." Lu Wanxiao concealed the chill in her eyes, thanked him politely, picked up her medicine, and left.

Before leaving, she deliberately glanced at the officer's face.

At a tea house not far away.

A young man in fine clothes watched Lu Wanxiao's receding back and asked the elderly man beside him, "You sure it's her?"