Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 376 - 355: Maybe Someone from the Han Family Really Will Join the Heavenly Punishment Sect

Chapter 376: Chapter 355: Maybe Someone from the Han Family Really Will Join the Heavenly Punishment Sect

Han Baiwen and Han Mingshi, along with numerous members of the Han Family and a plethora of gifts, made a beeline for Jin City Fang.

Having just arrived at Jin City Fang, many of the Han Family members following behind began to whisper among themselves.

"Why does this place feel so familiar?"

"I have a feeling we’ve been down this road before. Right, isn’t it..."

"Shut up!" Han Mingshi turned his head and let out a furious roar at the people behind him.

Instantly, all the Han Family members who had been murmuring behind closed their mouths.

Everyone also knew that the Family Head was truly angry today, so no one dared to respond.

Meanwhile, Han Baiwen, following the address given to him by Pharaoh, quickly arrived at the entrance of a large mansion.

Han Baiwen and Han Mingshi exchanged a glance, then, with no other choice, Han Baiwen went up to knock on the door himself.

Knock, knock, knock!

Suddenly, soft footsteps echoed from within the courtyard, and a young, beautiful girl wearing a golden hairpin opened the door. She glanced at the crowd outside and asked quietly, "Whom are you all looking for?"

Han Baiwen greeted the young woman with a salute, "I am Sixth Master Han Baiwen of the Han Family, here to see the master of this residence."

"Who’s looking for me?"

Accompanied by a very familiar voice from inside, Zhang San stepped out from the courtyard, glancing towards the outside.

At that moment, both Han Mingshi and Han Baiwen were stunned.

Even many of the elders from the Han Family behind them were also stunned.

"Brother San, are you the owner here?"

Zhang San pointed to the plaque with the words "Zhang Mansion" above the doorway, and said, "Didn’t your Han Family use your money to buy this mansion for me? Don’t you know that?"

Han Mingshi immediately turned around to look at the people from the Han Family behind him, finding many nodding in agreement, only then realizing that this place was indeed Zhang San’s residence. That being the case...

In an instant, Han Baiwen understood and took two steps forward, arriving beside Zhang San, "Our Han Family is here to deliver gifts to you. Bring forth the items, quickly carry them inside."

Zhang San hadn’t even comprehended what was going on when the Han Family members started scurrying inside with the items.

Han Mingshi then realized why Han Baiwen said nothing about the matter at hand earlier and only mentioned delivering the gifts.

The reason the Han Family was now embroiled in accusations of colluding with the Heavenly Punishment Sect was, after all, because Han Yanqiu wanted to stab Zhang San in the back.

And now they had to come over and ask for Zhang San’s help.

Why on earth should he help you?

But receiving gifts was a different matter.

Thus, Han Mingshi bellowed, "Move quickly, get them inside. What are you dawdling for!"

Zhang San, clearing a path for the Han Family members, was utterly baffled, having never seen such urgency in gift-giving before.

By the time the Han Family had carried everything inside, Zhang San had no idea what the gifts were, but just the area these items filled up almost crowded the entire front yard.

Since gifts had been brought in, Han Mingshi and Han Baiwen followed inside as well.

After the gift delivery was done, Zhang San, seeing that by his side Han Baiwen and Han Mingshi were lingering, chuckled.

"Gentlemen, now that the gifts are delivered, please return home."

Han Mingshi furrowed his brow.

Han Baiwen grinned wryly and whispered, "Brother San, don’t kid around. We Han Family have brought you so many gifts; at least allow us to stay and speak a few words!"

Zhang San, observing the expression on Han Baiwen’s face and sensing there was more to it, reluctantly nodded in faux agreeableness.

Han Mingshi looked back, then asked, "If my uncle addresses you as Brother San, then I’d presume to call you Uncle San. Uncle San, could you please close the main gate?"

Upon hearing Han Mingshi’s words, Zhang San felt there must indeed be something serious afoot.

Otherwise, why would the Head of the Han Family come over to call a young man not even twenty years old uncle?

Zhang San simply whistled towards the doorway, and a gust of wind immediately closed the gate.

Thump!

Just as the gate closed, Han Mingshi kneeled down before Zhang San, latching onto his thigh and beginning to sob his story.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don’t tug at my pants!"

"Stop, stop, stop! You can’t touch this area!"

Zhang San nearly kicked Han Mingshi away in his effort to get free.

"Speak properly if you have something to say!"

Han Mingshi, crying, recounted the Han Family’s predicament to Zhang San.

Upon hearing this, Zhang San’s brow wrinkled slightly and he asked, "Why do you seek my help with this matter? I am merely an Acting Military Chief at the Town Martial Office. You do not think that I can settle such issues, do you?"

Han Baiwen, who was trying to curry favor at his side, said with a smile, "Aren’t you the closed-door disciple of Pharaoh? Our own matters at Legalism need to be handled by our own people, right?"

Only at this moment did Zhang San finally understand why there had been more behind Han Baiwen’s earlier expressions.

"Did the master tell you that?"

Han Mingshi and Han Baiwen nodded.

"But your Han Family colluding with the Heavenly Punishment Sect, that’s severe! My public identity is the Acting Military Chief of the Town Martial Office. I can’t help you. Take these gifts back... at least half of them."

Han Mingshi almost spat blood, unable to get the job done, but still expected to give up half of the gifts?

At his side, Han Baiwen spoke with a face full of respect, "Brother San, please help our Han family. How could our Han family possibly collude with the Heavenly Punishment Sect, right?"

Zhang San widened his eyes as he looked at Han Baiwen, thinking to himself: This guy’s acting skills are quite something! The way he said that nearly had me convinced it was true.

"You haven’t joined the Town Martial Office, so you’re not inherently opposed to the Heavenly Punishment Sect. In fact, the teachings of the Heavenly Punishment Sect—’Punish on Heaven’s Behalf’, ’Punishment of Righteousness’—some of these ideas are quite similar to those of Legalism. It’s quite possible someone from your Han family really has joined the Heavenly Punishment Sect!"

Knowing that Zhang San was deliberately teasing him, Han Baiwen was thinking of how to respond when Han Mingshi, kneeling on the ground, raised his hand to swear, "No one in my Han family has joined the Heavenly Punishment Sect, I, Han Mingshi, can swear on my life!"

Seeing Han Mingshi say so, Han Baiwen quickly added, "Indeed! No one in my Han family has joined the Heavenly Punishment Sect, and I too swear this on the life of Han Mingshi!"

Han Mingshi: ???

Zhang San, relieved by Han Baiwen’s performance, felt much less worried that the matter would truly be traced back to Han Baiwen.

After that, Zhang San looked over the gifts scattered throughout the courtyard and sighed.

"Alright, since it’s like this, I will find a way to help your Han family with this..."

Zhang San hadn’t finished speaking when he heard knocking at the door again.

Hu Xingxiang swiftly went to open the door, but this time it wasn’t someone from the Han family knocking—it was someone from the Pharaoh’s entourage.

Several elderly servants arrived with a tall Divine Beast in tow.

It was covered in black scales, akin to a Qilin; its head and neck were even adorned with black down, which stirred in the nameless breeze like black flames; as large as a cow, but with a posture full of might, exuding more presence than a fierce tiger; atop its head stood a single, perfectly straight horn.

"Third Young Master, this is the Xiezhi, a Divine Beast sent by our master. He said that our house has lately been poor and we’ve run out of food to feed it, so he’s asked us to bring it here for you to look after it for a few days," they said.

Han Mingshi had been somewhat incredulous that Zhang San really was a disciple of the Pharaoh.

But now that the Pharaoh’s men had brought the Xiezhi, a symbol of Legalism, to Zhang San, he was absolutely certain there was no mistake!

Zhang San glanced at the tall Xiezhi and asked with a smile, "What does it... eat every day?"

"Herbs will do, pills are fine too. This fellow doesn’t eat meat."

Upon hearing that it didn’t eat meat, Zhang San was somewhat relieved, but then considered that herbs and pills weren’t cheap either, and he glanced at Han Mingshi, still kneeling on the ground.

"As for the matter of the Han family, since you’ve all come asking for help, I can’t simply ignore it. However, keeping the Xiezhi here is a strain, as I too am quite poor. As a mere Acting Military Chief of the Town Martial Office, how much can I earn?"

Han Mingshi immediately understood and said with a smile, "That can be arranged. From now on, every three days, my Han family will deliver thirty pounds of high-quality herbs and ten pounds of pills for strengthening muscles and bones to help Uncle San feed the Xiezhi, the Divine Beast."

Seeing the Head of the Han family kneeling on the ground, addressing him as "Uncle San" this and "Uncle San" that, the Pharaoh’s servants felt it was too disgraceful. After bidding Zhang San farewell, they promptly left.

Zhang San, observing the Xiezhi at his side, carefully inquired about the incident involving Han Yanqiu once again. He even called in Han Yanqiu’s father for questioning.

After listening, Zhang San pondered for a while, and coupled with the presence of the Xiezhi, he more or less figured out how to handle the situation.

Zhang San was still pondering, how he could maximize his own interests.

At this time, Han Baiwen took out a stack of servitude contracts and handed them to Zhang San.

"Brother San, previously in front of the Pharaoh, the Head of the Han family expressed his willingness, starting from himself, for all members of the Han family to become your followers. These are just the servitude contracts of the Family Head and the Elders, along with some important young members of the family. Once we return, we will have all the young members of the family sign servitude contracts."

Zhang San frowned slightly, but after careful pondering, he also understood why Han Mingshi so readily agreed.

After all, without his help, the Han family would be in trouble.

At best, it would just be the death of Han Yanqiu, affecting the reputation of the Han family.

But if things went worse, the Han family might be finished.

The Town Martial Office, having caught such a big fish as the Han family, would nail them with a few crimes even if they were innocent.

And the Han family, following him, although they became his followers, it was not difficult to see from the Pharaoh’s attitude that the Pharaoh was planning to hand over the entire Legalism to him in the future.

At that time, the Han family would suddenly become the most prestigious existence among the four major families of Legalism.

Zhang San smiled and said to Han Baiwen, "Let all the elders of the Han family outside come in."

Soon, the elders outside came in, and upon seeing their own Family Head kneeling there, followed suit and knelt down behind the Head of the Han family, Han Mingshi.

Zhang San looked at these kneeling people and gave a bitter laugh.

"You Han family have no real grudge against me; in the end, it was the Crown Prince who used Han Yanxia as a tool, and was killed by me as a result. Afterward, this Han Yanqiu didn’t see the situation clearly, and now he’s going to be implicated on behalf of the Crown Prince again. Haven’t you realized that it is I, Zhang San, you Han family must rely on, yet every time you are drawn into danger, it is by this Crown Prince with less than a sharp mind?"

The people of the Han family kept their heads low, not daring to point out that what Zhang San had just said about the Crown Prince was quite disrespectful.

"I’m helping your Han family, not because of the gifts you’ve sent, not because you all signed servitude contracts, but because I am a disciple of the Pharaoh, and after all, your Han family is part of our Legalism. Understand?"

The crowd nodded.

Zhang San glanced at Han Baiwen and waved his hand towards those below, saying, "Han Baiwen, after you go back, distribute these servitude contracts of the elders. Make sure to behave yourselves as good citizens. As for the contract of the Head of the Han family, I don’t need you to sell yourself to me, but I think the contract you wrote is quite collectible, so I’ll keep it framed, and let Hu Xingxiang help me collect it. Consider it a souvenir. Then, the Head of the Han family will come with me to the Town Martial Office. The rest of you can go back with Han Baiwen and wait for news."

"Thank you, Third Master San!"

The people of the Han family had the opportunity to get closer to Zhang San by associating themselves with Han Baiwen.

Zhang San went back to get ready, calling Third Miss Gan to accompany him.

After all, there were many things at the Town Martial Office he did not understand, and he could only rely on Third Miss Gan’s help.

The three of them, accompanied by the divine beast Xiezhi, arrived at the door of the Town Martial Office.

Just at the door, Zhang San pulled aside a Martial Artist who was on gate duty and asked with a smile, "Young brother, I heard that the Demon Cult Followers of the Heavenly Punishment Sect in the capital were all captured? Who led the team to capture them?"

The gatekeeping Martial Artist laughed and said, "Vermilion Bird Principal Officer."

Ah!?