Chapter 3, Ingenious Plan

Fang Jia grabbed the man's hair and dragged him to the wall of the alley, using a torch to illuminate his face, comparing it with the image on the notice. After staring for a long time, he still could not discern any clarity.

"What we saw together, do you want to tarnish that part of me? You heartless thing..."

In a moment, Fang Jia arrived again, muttering: "Just sent to the court temple, how is it that another one has come? Five have already been sent today."

The courtyard of the court was bustling with activity. After Wu Sheng was brought in, someone immediately approached him to strip him of his clothes, checking for any wounds and verifying whether he matched the description in the wanted notice

Go call Fang Jia over

Self-proclaiming as a petty person indicates one's identity, suggesting that one is not a citizen of the country, but rather a wild person; claiming to be homeless signifies that one is not a resident of Yingdu, but a vagrant among the wild people

The question of whether Wu Sheng's appearance and portrait are similar has sparked another round of debate, the outcome of which is naturally inconclusive. Regardless, Fang Jia made another trip, escorting Wu Sheng to the court temple.

Wu Sheng's adaptability is quite strong. On the first day, he really couldn't eat anything, but by the second day, he finished his meal. By the third day, he began to compete with other prisoners for food—and he won. The other party was not convinced and fiercely issued a challenge, scheduling a rematch for the next day, with the winner taking the food

Fang Jia nodded slightly, yet still felt somewhat unwilling: "Not an assassin?"

Casually selecting a household, I climbed over the low earthen wall and raised my eyes to see strings of cured meat hanging from the eaves, unable to help but exclaim inwardly, the people of Yingdu are indeed prosperous

The door opened, revealing a hunting bow with arrows. The bow was held by an old man, followed by an old woman who was holding a rolling pin.

There is truly nowhere else to go, so I can only temporarily take shelter in the firewood shed of a local family in Guorenfang, warming myself by burrowing into the haystack while keeping a watchful eye and attentive ear to my surroundings, which is indeed quite arduous

More than ten people are locked in this cell, all of whom were captured as "assassins" in the past day or two. Besides this cell, the ones on the left and right are also filled with "assassins". With so many people eating, drinking, and relieving themselves in one place, how could the smell be anything but terrible

Not far away, on the street, there was a disheveled person kneeling, surrounded by a group of locals, each holding knives, sticks, and wooden rakes

The minor official stated: "Report the wild man's stay in the city, twenty coins, come to collect in a few days"

This group of guards is not numerous, with just over 20 individuals, but they forced Wu Sheng to leave without any options. He managed to endure until nightfall in a corner by a wall and quickly climbed over the wall to escape

Wu Sheng replied: "I am a lowly person named Ji Bai, without a home, wandering in the city to seek a meal"

Wu Sheng was taken down and locked in a cell, immediately sensing a pungent odor

Wu Sheng raised both hands and turned around in circles to demonstrate that he meant no harm: "I have no swords or blades on me..."

The minor official shook his head, offered no further explanation, and asked again: "Are there any other offenses?"

Then water was taken to wash his face, to see if there were any tattoo marks. If there were, he would be identified as an escaped slave. Each household had different tattoo marks, and he would be returned to the household that owned him. After being returned, there was a high possibility that he would be executed

The two sides faced each other for a moment, when suddenly the woman shouted, "Someone come, we have caught an assassin! There is an assassin!"

The neighbors immediately opened their doors, and many people rushed over in this direction

Still an assassin

Early in the morning, a monk from the court arrived to take the pulse of each of the prisoners who had been captured under the name of "assassin"

Punishment by whipping: The wild man was detained in the city, receiving three lashes for the theft of meat, followed by five lashes, totaling eight lashes.

Before the words had left his mouth, he was struck on the back of the head with a rolling pin, and immediately fell down.

I first saw ... ...

Before long, Fang Jia arrived: "Have you caught another one? Did you see clearly?"

The minor official scoffed: "If he were truly an assassin, could he have been captured by the old goat?"

The food in the prison is truly inedible, with two spoonfuls of gruel served in a broken clay pot, making it impossible to discern what it actually is, and there is only one meal each day

Wu Sheng was in a semi-dizzy state and did not dare to get up; he merely protected his head with both hands, repeatedly pleading, "Don't hit me, don't hit me, I have no knives or swords, I won't hurt anyone..."

Since so many assassins have been captured

Two strong and vigorous men lifted him up and dragged him to the wall of the alley. Wu Sheng made an effort to raise his head, exposing his face, first revealing his left cheek and then his right cheek, trying his best to allow them to recognize him clearly

There are still humanitarian considerations: "Even if they are not, they are either wild men or slaves. Wild men are not allowed to stay in the city, and slaves are not permitted to escape privately. Both are violations of the law, and reporting them will yield the same reward."

However, his pleas were of no use, and he was dragged away by a group of people

After contemplating for a long time, he emerged from the haystack, his body covered in grass roots and shoots. He then tousled his hair and swaggered outside.

Immediately, many people rushed out from the various houses, asking: "Have they caught the assassin?"

The people of the nation expressed their views one after another

Just when I was extremely hungry, I picked a bunch and sat in the small courtyard to eat heartily.

The old woman shouted: "It was caught by my family, it was knocked out by my family, and the reward will go to my family!"

In the afternoon, a group of guards from the State of Chu suddenly arrived at White Dragon Pool, and judging by their appearance, it seemed they intended to camp here

The hanging maritime capture document calmed Wu Sheng considerably, yet he still refrained from acting recklessly. Being unfamiliar with the terrain in Yingdu, he decided to hide in place for two days, seeking an opportunity to leave the city later

When it was Wu Sheng's turn, his wrist was seized by that monk, and after a sharp pain, he was released.

Fang Jia Dao: "I stole the meat from the old sheep's head at the Liu She family and was caught by him"

There are still injuries on the back, didn't the announcement say that the assassin was injured

However, for Wu Sheng, entering here meant safety

Wu Sheng in the haystack pondered carefully; from this implication, it seems that Nan Fang has already captured more than one "assassin," and it is likely that there are many elsewhere as well

After the inspection, it shall be registered by the temple clerk

Wu Sheng, who lacked cultivation, was sent to another grass hall, where he was immediately subdued and whipped.

Someone else said: "Let's first send it to the court temple and see, what if it is?"

Someone beside said: "Yes, yes, it looks very similar!"

The clerk responsible for registration had become numb and asked: "What is your name? Where is your home?"

Unfortunately, the appointment for the duel could not be fulfilled, as assassins were continuously being brought in, and the prison was truly unable to accommodate any more.

According to convention, after receiving a certain punishment, both the wild men and the vagrants would be expelled from the city. The next step for Wu Sheng is to wait

Is it an assassin

The minor official expressed his approval and directly took up the brush to make a note on the bamboo slip, then asked Fang Jia: "What is the matter for?"

As the eight lashes fell, Wu Sheng felt as if his soul had left his body and ascended to the heavens. In that moment of being struck, he deeply regretted his actions, wishing he had never eaten that piece of jerky. Those additional five lashes were excruciatingly painful

Suddenly, someone outside shouted: "Caught it! Caught it..."

Fang Jia sighed and left in a gloomy mood

Is there a bounty?

That person continued to struggle: "I am not an assassin, I am not an assassin, do not wrong me..."

The prison is located at the southwest corner of the court, where a large square pit has been excavated, measuring approximately ten feet deep. Inside, wooden stakes divide the space into individual cells, and the ceiling is sealed with logs.

All I could hear outside was a cacophony: "Where? Where?"

Wu Sheng shivered and remained motionless, hiding in the haystack

Wu Sheng and his wife stuffed the jerky into their mouths, wiped the grease from the corners of their mouths, and raised their hands: "I apologize, old man, I was truly famished and ate a piece of meat. You may punish me as you see fit; of course, I suggest it would be best to send me to the authorities."

Wu Sheng roughly understood that it was not he who had exposed his whereabouts, but rather that someone had been caught in the neighborhood. Therefore, he cautiously pushed aside a few blades of thatch and peered out through the gap.

Returning to the White Dragon Pool, beneath the stone bridge once again, Wu Sheng gnawed on the meat jerky, his mouth greasy from the feast. After finishing, he fell asleep right there, but this slumber was far from restful; he would wake at the slightest rustle of the wind or movement of the grass.

It should be, that is correct

Wu Sheng's eyes lit up

The clerk nodded: "Understood, I will await further instructions"