Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

Upon hearing that he wouldn't be killed, the county magistrate felt as if he had grasped a life-saving charm.

He stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and tried his best to tidy his clothes up, paying no attention to the brothers in front of him or the situation on the fence.

Seeing the county magistrate's condition, Chi Honghai couldn't stand it and actually fired a shot next to him.

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet landed near the county magistrate, startling him: "Chi Honghai! How dare you mock me?"

"So I'm serious? Come on, give me the gun!"

"No need, no need. It was just a joke. Why did you take it so seriously, Master Chi?"

"Hehe, Magistrate, you're truly calm in the face of chaos, still able to crack a joke even in this situation," Chi Honghai replied, then turned to Pang San and said, "Pang San, take your men out and disarm them all, pin them aside. And you, seize Wu Laosi and the magistrate!"

"Hehe, I understand, sir. Just watch and see!"

Pang San led about a hundred men out of the village gate, herded the three hundred men aside, grabbed the county magistrate by the back of his collar, and dragged him toward Wu Laosi.

Although Wu Laosi was scared, he dared not move. The gun on the fence was still aimed at him, and he was afraid that if he took two more steps, he would only be able to move again in his next life.

As for the two inspectors, they cooperated by surrendering their weapons and standing aside.

Although the position of inspector is not high, to survive, one must be like a mudfish in a quagmire, and the key is to muddle through, and being able to muddle through is very important.

From the conversation just now, it was clear that this matter had nothing to do with him; it was a feud between the county magistrate and this man named Master Chi.

If you're sensible enough, nothing will happen, so there's no need to struggle.

That's true. In the past, the people were mainly bullied by the yamen runners. The soldiers responsible for the security of the county were mostly cowards, but they were often stationed in the camp and didn't have much to do with this.

Chi Honghai calmly walked up to the county magistrate. Looking at the magistrate kneeling before him with his head bowed, he lifted his foot and used his toes to lift the magistrate's head up, making him look at him.

"Chi Honghai, you have insulted a high-ranking official of the imperial court; you will be punished!"

"You know you're a high-ranking official of the imperial court! Look at everything you've done—is there anything that lives up to that title?"

Chi Honghai drew his knife, saying, "It's only because of the skin you're wearing that I'd have torn you to pieces right now." He then turned to Wu Laosi and threatened, "And you, you don't have that kind of skin!"

Wu Laosi immediately prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed: "Master Chi, I was blind to have opposed you. You are a magnanimous man, please forgive me! I will pay you tribute on time from now on and remember your great kindness. Please forgive me, please forgive me..."

At this moment, Chi Honghai heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Wu Wanruo, with Ai Si following closely behind.

Upon seeing her own father, Wu Wanruo immediately ran up to him.

"Master, you know, I can't stop Madam." Ai Si said helplessly.

Faced with these words, Chi Honghai had nothing to say; he really couldn't stop the mistress.

Upon hearing the word "Madam," Wu Laosi first glanced at his beloved daughter, then looked at Chi Honghai with a fierce glint in his eyes.

"Madam? What madam! You beast! You forced my daughter to marry you! I'll fight you to the death today!"

Wu Wanru tried to explain, but Wu Laosi wouldn't listen to a word. He was only thinking about how to kill the beast who had slept with his daughter. Even if he died here today, he would take the beast with him.

Wu Laosi clung to Chi Honghai's clothes, pulling him forcefully towards himself, ignoring Wu Wanruo's cries and shouts.

She even pushed her daughter, who was trying to stop her, and said something that surprised everyone present, whether out of anxiety or for some other reason.

"Get out of here, you filthy thing, how dare you follow this beast?"

Chi Honghai caught Wu Wanruo, who was pushed away, and kicked Wu Laosi in the chest.

"Father! How can you speak to your daughter like that!"

"You disregard your own cleanliness and still have an affair with this beast! Don't you know that this beast is the one I hate most?!" With that, Wu Laosi shook his head. "No, I'm not your father. I don't have a daughter like you!"

Wu Laosi's words broke Wu Wanruo's heart, and she cried out for her father but received no response.

In Wu Laosi's view, even if his daughter had been defiled by that beast, she should have committed suicide to prove her innocence, rather than spending time with someone he had a grudge against.

Chi Honghai hugged Wu Wanruo, making her stop looking at Wu Laosi's extremely disgusted expression.

"Old Wu, when you forced Wanruo to marry this county magistrate, did you ever think about how your daughter would be marrying a man in his late fifties or sixties at the tender age of twenty? Let's not even talk about the old man! We all know this county magistrate is a lecher; he has several concubines he's openly married and secretly taken from his household. How could you be so heartless as to let your daughter suffer like this!"

"No matter what, that's my family's business. It's none of your concern to decide who my daughter marries! The county magistrate is an official appointed by the imperial court; marrying him is her good fortune!"

"Good fortune? Being a concubine is hardly her good fortune! But your good fortune is just around the corner!"

As he said this, Chi Honghai suddenly felt Wu Wanruo hug him tighter, and he heard her soft sobs.

"Honghai...let him go...you promised me..."

Chi Honghai patted Wu Wanruo's back lightly, lowered his head and said softly, suppressing his anger, "Pang San, tell him to get lost. I don't want to see him."

"Remember, this time it's because I promised Wanruo before that you don't acknowledge her as your daughter now, but next time I'll make sure you know just how dangerous this knife can be. Get out!"

Pang San carried Wu Laosi a long way, kicked him away, and disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Will you blame me...?" Wu Wanruo asked.

Deep down, she probably knew that letting go of such an unfeeling father might cause trouble later, but her life and the first twenty years of her life were all given to her by this beast in human form.

Chi Honghai patted Wu Wanruo's head: "Alright, it's alright. I would never blame you for something I promised."

After calming Wu Wanruo down, Chi Honghai finally managed to get away and escort the three hundred men and the county magistrate back to Hong Kong Island.

At this moment, Liu Qingjiang walked up to him and reminded Chi Honghai of his concerns.

"Sir, if we don't let this magistrate go back, it's no different from killing him, and there are so many officials and constables around. What should we do?"

"Those yamen runners used to be so arrogant in front of us. When we get back to the island, we'll let them have their moment of glory again."