Chapter 92: Liu Qi

When the young man asked her to get closer, Dantai Wanning was slightly taken aback. Then, the face under the light veil turned a rosy red.

"Hmm." With a soft murmur, Dantai Wanning blushed and moved closer, pressing against Shen Chen's back. It felt as if there was a magnetic force on the young man's back, pulling her closer.

Feeling the warmth from the young man's back, which was slightly heated due to his vigorous blood flow, Dantai Wanning's face under the veil turned even redder. She shyly lowered her head, standing there silently like a well-behaved little girl.

In front of her, Shen Chen was completely unaware of the young girl's bashfulness. At this moment, his eyes were filled with a dark and intense gaze, focused on the figure he wished to tear apart, leaving no room for anything else.

"Big Brother Shen Chen, is there someone you don't want to see in there?" Soon, Dantai Wanning also noticed the change in Shen Chen's expression. She lifted her face slightly and asked softly with concern.

"Hehe, little one, what you're saying is not right. How could there be someone I don't want to see in there? On the contrary, there's an old friend inside. I can even dream about him... " Shen Chen said with a somewhat sinister smile, as if he were talking about something trivial.

However, if Wang Yue were here, he would recognize Shen Chen's smile very well. Just a few months ago, when Shen Chen was cornered by Lin Hai in Blackstone Ridge, he had smiled in the same way. It was a bloodthirsty smile.

"Oh..." Dantai Wanning nodded, seemingly understanding but not asking too much. She was an extremely smart girl, knowing that too much talk could be counterproductive. She also knew when and how to stand beside Big Brother Shen Chen...

At this moment, the law enforcement captain on the platform seemed to have finished his lecture. He quickly walked to the front, his stern expression softening, and he bowed to the crowd, saying with a smile, "I, Song Mai, as the law enforcement captain of Qingyuan County, strictly follow the orders of County Magistrate Liu Hong. I always enforce the law impartially. Today, I thank all of you for coming to witness the ceremony for recruiting young members into our law enforcement team. Here, I would like to make two points. First, any young talent in our county, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to join our law enforcement team and serve the people. Of course, the benefits will be generous!"

Having said that, Captain Song Mai deliberately glanced at Liu Yong and others, and continued in a loud voice, "Second, the selection of law enforcement team members in our county has always been fair and transparent. Ten years ago, Magistrate Liu Hong's eldest son, Liu Qi, joined the law enforcement team through his performance on the platform. Ten years later, the second son, Liu Yong, also wants to join the law enforcement team, and it will be the same. We will not show favoritism!"

As Song Mai finished speaking, applause indeed rang out around the platform. Song Mai looked at this scene with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Then, he put on a respectful expression and looked at the VIP seats, saying, "Everything is ready. I wonder if Magistrate Liu Hong and Commander Liu Qi have any other instructions?"

"Hehe, everything will proceed as usual. I never interfere with the recruitment of the law enforcement team. You, Song Mai, and everyone here know that!" In the center of the VIP seats, a middle-aged man with a large, fat body stood up, his face trembling with fat, and said.

This man was dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with wind and snow patterns, and a jade from Hetian was embedded in his high hat. Anyone in the cities under the command of Lord Beifeng would recognize this attire as that of a county magistrate. Clearly, this was the "Magistrate Liu Hong" mentioned by Song Mai earlier.

Shen Chen noticed that when Magistrate Liu Hong spoke, although applause rang out, many people were clearly just going through the motions, showing no real enthusiasm.

From this, it was evident that Magistrate Liu Hong and his group of cronies were not well-liked by the people of Qingyuan County. Their various acts of flattery and sycophancy earlier only made them look worse.

Shen Chen, with his experience in dealing with corrupt officials in the past, could see this at a glance...

"Hehe, since Captain Song has invited me so warmly, I will go up and give my incompetent second brother a few words. I don't expect him to learn from it, but I hope it can set an example for everyone here..."

While Shen Chen was pondering in a corner of the platform, a handsome young man in silver light armor slowly walked up to the platform.

The moment this man appeared, even Shen Chen's heart skipped a beat. The silver light armor reminded him of his bold and heroic senior brother, Qi Zheng.

However, the man who walked up to the platform was clearly not Qi Zheng. He was much older, around 27 or 28 years old, and although his face was full of heroism, it lacked the natural leadership quality of Qi Zheng, seeming somewhat forced.

From his attire and words, Shen Chen immediately recognized that this man was most likely Liu Yong's brother, Liu Qi.

Shen Chen, who had no good feelings towards the relatives of those he intended to kill, gave a cold glance at the platform.

However, as Liu Qi walked up to the platform, both the existing law enforcement team members and the young candidates looked at him with admiration, as if they greatly respected the magistrate's eldest son. Many of them greeted him without hesitation.

"Big brother, you're here!"

"Commander Liu Qi is our role model. If we have any shortcomings, we hope Commander Liu Qi will point them out!"

"Yes, we are here to have the opportunity to serve under you!"

"Serving under Commander Liu Qi has always been our dream!"

Among these people, many were flattering, but many also genuinely looked up to him.

Once on the platform, Liu Qi lived up to the admiration, his actions matching the respect he received. He put on a serious expression, walked up to Liu Yong, and patted his shoulder, his eyes narrowing in warning, "Second brother, as the commander of the law enforcement team, my every move is watched by the entire Qingyuan County. Let me be clear, if you are not skilled enough today, you will not join our law enforcement team. Don't blame me for being ruthless if that happens!"

"Yes, I won't let you down. If I don't get the qualification, I won't have the face to see you or Father. I'll go as far away as possible!" Liu Yong was initially taken aback but then vowed with determination. However, the hint of satisfaction in his eyes did not match his words.

However, the details were not noticed by the crowd, and applause rang out again.

Clearly, after making such a fair and transparent move, Liu Qi had become the focus of attention. Even some young girls and women in the audience looked at him with admiration.

"Hehe, Wanning, what do you think of that guy?" Shen Chen's lips curled slightly, finding the fawning behavior somewhat ridiculous, and he turned to look at Dantai Wanning with a playful gaze.

"Hmph! Big Brother Shen Chen, why do you even ask? Such a hypocritical person and the cunning people around him, can you not see through them?" Dantai Wanning glanced at him with disdain, "A truly capable person doesn't need to create a scene to establish their authority. I can't believe that under Father's command, there are only people like Liu Hong and Liu Qi!"

"Hehe, you can't blame your father. Under his command, there are over thirty cities, and his territory is vast, almost occupying one-fifth of Yunzhou. It's inevitable that there are some corrupt officials." Shen Chen smiled indifferently and then turned to leave, pulling the little girl along.

...

On the way, Dantai Wanning's brows were furrowed, still troubled by what had happened earlier.

"Big Brother Shen Chen, aren't those people your enemies? Why don't I reveal my identity and take them down?" After much thought, the girl finally stopped and looked at Shen Chen with hope, clearly eager to do something for him.

"Thump!"

However, the girl's good intentions were met with a playful tap from Shen Chen.

Shen Chen lightly tapped the girl's forehead and said, somewhat annoyed, "You make it sound so easy. But if you really did that, wouldn't you be causing trouble for your father? Think about it, the precious daughter of Lord Beifeng coming all the way to investigate a county magistrate. Do you think the Qin family in Ye City would see it that way?"

"Big Brother Shen Chen, you mean..." Dantai Wanning, being very intelligent, quickly understood what Shen Chen meant.

"Hehe, you have a bit of your father's political acumen," Shen Chen smiled faintly and said, "As you think, for territories like Ye City, which have recently joined your father's command, the local forces are most wary of your father breaking his promise and secretly weakening their control over the region. If you, with your status, were to overstep in Ye City, the Qin family might panic, thinking that your father is about to intervene forcefully. This misunderstanding could be serious, and in the worst case, the Qin family might turn against your father or secretly strengthen their defenses against him."

"This..." Dantai Wanning looked surprised, but soon a sweet smile appeared on her face as she looked at Shen Chen with admiration, "Big Brother Shen Chen, you're so smart. I'm glad you're here, or Father might scold me later!"

"Cut it out, you smart girl. Everyone in Beifeng City knows how clever you are. Could you not guess what I said?" Shen Chen rolled his eyes and then sighed, "Alright, I know you want to help me, but some things I need to handle myself. You don't need to worry about it..."

With that, Shen Chen waved and walked towards a nearby inn.

At the spot, Dantai Wanning stood there, somewhat dazed, her eyes following Shen Chen's departing figure with a strange look. She felt that after wandering around the county government, Shen Chen seemed to have changed.

She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different, but the feeling Shen Chen gave her was like a fierce beast gathering strength. He seemed casual and smiling, but deep down, there was a growing ferocity...

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