Chapter 5
However, in this era, there were probably no Magicians more powerful than Merlin and Morgan.
According to Mushroom's narrative, the current Britain is home to the last vestiges of mythology, as the Age of Gods has vanished in other regions, and only Britain persists.
So, is Merlin perhaps similar to the Immortal Nanhua from the Three Kingdoms period?
Lia thought for a moment. Perhaps the strongest people on Earth during this period were those in Britain.
If we compare the people of Britain to the current Huaxia, Lia might belong to the World of Feng Yun, while the Huaxia side is in the World of Datang Shuanglong Zhuan.
Or perhaps the difference between Datang Shuanglong and Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. In short, it's a difference of one level.
But, getting back to the main point, Lia asked directly, "So, that's why the government doesn't dare to manage them?"
"Of course not. Even if they are a famous gang here, facing the imperial army, they are just a slightly larger grasshopper. What truly makes them reckless is that their Gang Leader is related by marriage to the Prince of Leping in Liang Province. That's why they openly collect protection fees."
Speaking of this, the Shopkeeper sighed.
"Do they collect a lot?" Lia asked again.
"One tael of silver a month for others, and two taels for someone like me. To be honest, when my small shop has good business, I earn about ten taels of silver a month. They take two taels, I have to pay one tael in tax to the imperial court, plus four taels in costs, leaving me with at most three taels."
"Sometimes I also have to spend money to grease palms... and there are family expenses... If business is bad, I even lose money. This world... is too difficult." The Shopkeeper seemed to have found an opportunity to vent his grievances, spilling out a series of dark happenings in the area.
Lia realized these guys were truly ruthless; they took even more than the government. No wonder modern organized crime groups get wiped out by the state!
If the Black Tiger Gang hadn't been connected to the Prince of Leping, they probably wouldn't have dared to be so blatant.
Through her conversation with the Shopkeeper, Lia came to understand the current plight of the peasants. If business owners struggled this much, how much harder must it be for farmers?
But if the peasants weren't struggling, how could she raise the banner of righteousness?
Of course, this uprising couldn't just happen casually. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse; if Lia couldn't rally tens of thousands of people at once, she would still be suppressed.
However, now was a great opportunity, because Northern Wei and Liu Song Dynasty had just fought a battle, and both nations were severely weakened and lacked sufficient troops.
This was her best chance.
Just as the three of them were eating and drinking, Lia's eyes quickly scanned the area and she suddenly noticed movement in the corner. She focused her gaze and realized it was actually a person.
"Isn't there a person over there?" Lia pointed to a corner downstairs, which seemed to be where the shop dumped its swill.
"Miss, you have sharp eyes. That is indeed a person." Seeing where Lia pointed, the Shopkeeper glanced at it and quickly averted his gaze.
"What's going on with that person? A Beggar?" Lia was a little puzzled. Even for a Beggar, he was acting strangely, as the person on the ground was filthy and crawling around like an insect.
Dressed in rags, his face was dirty, messy, and black. He seemed to be searching for something, his hands constantly groping the ground, yet he made no sound.
The Shopkeeper gave a wry smile and said, "That person is not a Beggar, he's just... sigh. This happened a few months ago. His name is Lin Beizhong. He was a moderately well-known merchant here, always doing business with merchants from other regions, and he had a bit of money."
"But who knew that one time when his wife and daughter went shopping, they were seen by a Black Tiger Gang Hall Master. Upon seeing them, he was overcome with lust and forcibly took the mother and daughter back, attempting to force them into submission."
"Under duress, both women bit their tongues and committed suicide. The Black Tiger Gang Hall Master was enraged and actually sent people to capture him. In front of him, he ordered a group of men to violate the corpses of his wife and daughter... The people who collected the bodies afterward couldn't bear to look at them again."
Following this, the man went to the Prefect to demand severe punishment for the Black Tiger Gang members.
As a result, the Prefect not only failed to punish the Black Tiger Gang members but also sent people to break the man's hands and feet. His property was also confiscated by the Prefect's subordinates for their own use. Afterward, the Black Tiger Gang announced that no one was allowed to pity him, or if seen, the mildest punishment would be a severe beating, and the heaviest would be...
Hearing this, Lia was shaking with anger, wishing she could slaughter the Black Tiger Gang and that Prefect on the spot. However, after thinking for a moment, Lia decided against it.
"What, do you still intend to help the man down there?" Merlin asked.
"Merlin, can you heal him?" Lia asked.
Chapter 10: Lia Takes Action
Although this man was already very pitiful, Lia still intended to use him, because this was crucial for her subsequent plans.
"That's no problem, but what do you plan to do after saving him?" Merlin asked curiously.
Ever since they arrived here, Merlin realized he couldn't guess what Lia was going to do.
Even his proud Clairvoyance ability seemed to have gone significantly astray.
Lia should currently be embarking on the journey to pull out the stone in sword, yet now they were in a Great Eastern Country ten thousand kilometers away. How bizarre!
Lia didn't rush to save the man immediately. Instead, after finishing the meal, she took Merlin and Alice and walked toward him.
Even when the three of them stood before the man, he didn't pay them any mind. It seemed he was already used to it, merely craning his neck to look for edible food in the swill.
"Hey, do you want revenge?" Lia asked directly, looking at the man.
The man paused his movements, then continued searching for food in the swill.
Seeing that the other party didn't respond, Lia continued, "Whether it's the life of the Prefect here, or those members of the Black Tiger Gang, I can help you deal with them."
Only then did the man stop. He opened a pair of hateful eyes, looked at Lia, and slowly said, "You've come to the wrong person. In my ghostly state, I can't help you with anything, nor can I give you anything."
Offering courtesy without reason means ill intent or theft. But even if the man wanted to help, he was already a cripple, worse than a Beggar.
"It's fine, I can heal you. My requirement is very simple: I need your life and your loyalty to me, and I will give you the chance to personally kill your enemies," Lia said calmly.
"Good!" The man accepted without hesitation.
"Merlin, I'm entrusting him to you. Clean him up and then bring him to me," Lia said to Merlin beside her.
"Aye, aye, aye," Merlin said somewhat helplessly.
This little girl hasn't even become King yet, but she's quite good at ordering people around.
"Also, my name is Dragon Lia," Lia said after thinking for a moment. The surname 'Long' naturally comes from the translation of pendragon, as pendragon means 'Dragon'.
Merlin didn't need to change his name, as the surname Mei already exists in Huaxia.
Looking at Merlin's helpless expression, Lia smiled, but her smile carried a deep aura of tyranny. For the oppressed populace, whether it was the Black Tiger Gang or that Prefect, they all had to die.
Despite this, Lia still planned to ask others in the city to ensure there were no misunderstandings later on.
Over the next period, Lia questioned other people in the city for a while. The results consistently showed that the Official Masters in Wuan Commandery did nothing good and often colluded with the Black Tiger Gang to oppress the common people.
And this Black Tiger Gang Leader was a Hu person.
After receiving this confirmation, Lia felt relieved.
We must restore the attire of Huaxia and recast the spine of Yanhuang.
These two groups—one foreign, one Han traitor—colluded to oppress the innocent and seize civilian land, proving they were both rotten apples!
After thinking for a while, Lia had an idea.
Over the next few days, she first investigated the soldiers in the city and the other Aristocratic Families. Once she felt ready, she prepared to act.
With the wise and mighty Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, Tuoba Tao, on the throne, the weather was naturally favorable, and the people lived in peace and contentment. For Prefect Wang, today was another day of relaxing.
Comfortably leaning back on a bamboo lounge chair, two attractive Maidservants waited upon him nearby. One Maidservant peeled tangerines and fed the segments one by one into Prefect Wang's mouth.
The other maid was rocking the bamboo chair under Prefect Wang, who was making groaning sounds, looking utterly comfortable and content.
"Oh my, our official, Prefect Wang, lives a truly comfortable life. Even the Emperor might not live better than this, right?" Just as Prefect Wang was comfortably enjoying himself, a strange voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
Faced with this unfamiliar voice, Prefect Wang immediately opened his eyes. He quickly looked towards the source of the sound and saw a young girl dressed like a Jianghu practitioner walking in.
The girl's beautiful and delicate appearance instantly captivated Prefect Wang's eyes, and he unconsciously let out a lewd chuckle: "Beauty, where might you be from?"
Lia looked at this old bastard with disgust, instantly drew the stone in sword from her person with a whoosh, and placed the silver-gleaming blade directly against Prefect Wang's neck, saying coldly, "Stand up."
Seeing this scene, the two maids immediately backed away a few steps, lowering their heads and daring not to speak.
"Who are you? Do you know that killing an imperial official without authorization is punishable by beheading!" Seeing Lia put a sword to his neck without a word, Prefect Wang was stunned for a moment, then threatened her.
You dare threaten me?
"Just killing a corrupt official. After killing you, I'll just leave. Are the imperial soldiers really going to recognize me?" Lia smirked.
In Prefect Wang's view, the girl in front of him must have come to kill him after listening to those troublesome commoners. Such acts of chivalry—killing corrupt officials for the people—were quite common, both in the past and now. He didn't want to be killed by Lia just like this; he had to find a way to save himself.
So Prefect Wang immediately backed down: "I wonder where the heroine heard that this Prefect is corrupt? I have always kept myself clean and never troubled any commoner. Heroine, please do not believe the one-sided words of those troublesome commoners!"
"Whether it's one-sided or not, I know what I know. If Prefect still wants to live, obediently hand over all the silver you embezzled and accepted as bribes, as well as the deeds and such. Otherwise, my sword has no eyes~"
As she spoke, Lia applied a little pressure. Prefect Wang felt a chill on his neck, followed by a sharp sting, and a trace of crimson emerged.
Prefect Wang quickly cried out, "No, no, no!!! Brave one, heroine, spare my life! Isn't it just money you want? I'll take you to my private treasury right now."
If it was just about money, that was fine. Although he would lose a lot of gold and silver, as long as he could survive, it was worth it.
Moreover, given the appearance of this girl, she couldn't carry much money away. Once he was free, he would immediately order his subordinates to capture the girl and "interrogate" her severely!
It truly showed he was worthy of being called the people's good official; even facing death, he couldn't stop his lustful thoughts.
Lia escorted Prefect Wang outwards, making him point the way.
After walking outside the gate, a group of house guards and thugs immediately noticed the situation. They wanted to rush forward, but Lia spoke up.
"Put down your weapons, or I can't guarantee your master will live." As she spoke, Lia slashed Prefect Wang's arm with her sword, and blood immediately flowed out like water.
Chapter Eleven: Heroine, Take Whatever You Want
Prefect Wang also screamed in pain, no longer having time to fantasize about what he would do once he captured Lia. He urgently said, "Put down your weapons, put them down."
Hearing this, the group of guards could only place their knives on the ground, watching Lia leave with Prefect Wang.
"Boss, what should we do?" The guards immediately looked toward one of their number.
The guard referred to as the Boss frowned. Then, he said to another guard, "Go and call those people from the Black Tiger Gang. We might need their help with this matter."
"Understood." The guard nodded and went to fetch reinforcements.
Lia escorted Prefect Wang all the way to his private treasury. Upon seeing the lock on the vault, Lia cut it off with a single sword stroke, and with a casual push, opened the vault door.
Inside, there was a small mountain of gold, silver, and treasures, along with various jewels and accessories. Walking further in, Lia also found several stacks of land deeds.
"Heh heh, Prefect Wang is truly a good official for the common people. If I recall correctly, the annual salary the imperial court grants a Prefect should only be a few hundred taels, right? This much gold and silver is at least a hundred thousand taels, and with the jewelry, it totals hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, plus all these antiques and calligraphy. Tsk tsk tsk... I wonder how the Prefect..."
"...came to acquire all this?"
Lia looked at this ill-gotten wealth, a tone of mockery in her voice.
One tael is 1,000 yuan, so hundreds of thousands of taels amounts to tens of millions of yuan. A normal official could never reach such heights.
"Heh heh, it was all gifted by others. Money is merely external wealth, esteemed heroine, please take whatever you want, as much as you can. Don't be polite with me!" Prefect Wang just laughed awkwardly.
"That's what Prefect said, so I won't stand on ceremony. Merlin, it's your turn to act!" Lia shouted outside.
"Coming, coming~" Hearing Lia call out, Merlin walked in with a grin.
"There's someone else?" Prefect Wang was stunned for a moment. But it was only one man; even two people couldn't carry too much. A thousand taels would be the absolute limit.
In this era, there were no bank notes; everything was solid gold and silver. Without using wooden crates for loading, a single person couldn't take much money.
Merlin walked in and glanced at the treasury, immediately opening his mouth in astonishment. He had never seen so much money before.
"Help me collect all the silver, jewelry, accessories, antiques, and calligraphy. Keep the land deeds separate; I'll need them later." Lia said, glancing at the arriving Merlin.
"Understood." Merlin nodded.
He saw him wave his hand at the silver and jewelry, and the silver and accessories vanished right before Prefect Wang's eyes. Prefect Wang was utterly dumbfounded.
"What did you do! Where is my money! You scoundrel, what kind of dark magic did you use!" After recovering his senses, Prefect Wang instantly became agitated!
"Didn't Prefect Wang say he was giving it all to me? Take as much as I can. Is Prefect Wang going back on his word?" Lia's tone instantly turned cold, and a hint of killing intent radiated from her eyes.
"N-no, no, heh heh. Since you've already taken all my money, can you let me go now? I have nothing left!" Feeling Lia's killing intent, Prefect Wang said with a mournful expression.
"Let you go? Don't rush. You still have quite a few uses. I'll release you after you've finished those tasks." Lia smirked.
Prefect Wang felt like cursing his mother. He never expected this little girl to be so vicious; she stole all his money and still wouldn't let him go!
Prefect Wang could only continue to ask, "May I ask what else the heroine requires of this humble official?"
"Don't talk. Just follow me outside." Lia put down the sword she was holding, grabbed Prefect Wang's sleeve directly, and walked toward the main door.
Just as Lia, holding Prefect Wang, reached the main gate, a palm strike came from the shadows. Without a word, it aimed for Lia's forehead. Judging by the internal energy contained within the strike, the attacker intended to kill Lia instantly.
Lia immediately countered with a palm strike. Palm met palm, and the attacker who struck Lia was sent flying backward with a "bang," breaking a tree behind them before falling into the river channel with a "splash."
"Hall Master!"
Seeing that the Hall Master who attacked the girl had fallen into the water and stopped reacting, the members of the Black Tiger Gang immediately rushed to the riverbank. In the river channel, their Hall Master was constantly spitting blood from his mouth and nose, but he remained unresponsive and gradually sank beneath the water.
"It looks like your Black Tiger Gang isn't all that great, huh?" Lia glanced at the group from the Black Tiger Gang, totaling over a dozen people, who were likely there to rescue Prefect Wang.
"Damn it, you actually killed the Hall Master!" Inside the Black Tiger Gang group, one member glared furiously at Lia and charged towards her.