Chapter 933: Leaving After the Task is Done

The main issue was that this man leading the ox looked to be in his late 40s or nearly 50, likely quite a bit older than Wang Dazhu.

As a young man of only 20, Wang An absolutely could not withstand such a kowtow; as for the man actually banging his head on the ground to him, Wang An could withstand that even less.

Primarily, they were strangers, and Wang An felt he hadn't done the man any great favor. If he were to accept such a kowtow for no reason, it would surely severely shorten his lifespan.

Because, as the story goes, the reason Luo Cheng of the Sui and Tang dynasties died at 23 with a heart pierced by a flurry of arrows was that he committed five heinous acts of filial impiety, which reduced his lifespan by a full 50 years.

One of those acts occurred when he was 16, when he forced someone older than himself to kowtow and acknowledge him as their father, costing Luo Cheng 10 years of his life.

Of course, there were many versions of the five heinous acts Luo Cheng committed that damaged his longevity, and besides, Luo Cheng had done plenty of other fucked-up things; no one actually knew which specific act reduced his lifespan.

Furthermore, many of these stories were compiled by later generations, so whether they were true or false, or if such a thing even happened, remained unknown.

Regardless, people have mouths, and they can say whatever the fuck they want.

No matter what, Wang An was not going to accept this kowtow. As soon as Wang An jumped down from the sidecar, he instantly shifted several steps to the side, dodging the direction of the man's kowtow.

Immediately following this, Wang An roared in frustration

"Holy shit, what the fuck are you doing? Why the hell are you kowtowing to me?"

To be honest, Wang An was genuinely angry at this moment.

Mainly, Wang An felt that his life after rebirth was going quite well, so he wanted to live for a few more years.

And here was this guy, actually trying to make him lose years of his life!

Fuck! How could he allow that?

After Wang An finished cursing, the man still wouldn't get up, saying with a voice full of tears

"Your Honor, you truly are a righteous judge!"

Hearing this, Wang An immediately interrupted loudly

"Hey, hey, hey, don't you fucking talk nonsense! What 'righteous judge'? I'm not that! Get your ass up quickly, or I'll smack you."

Although Wang An spoke this way, he felt a sense of helplessness and heartache for the man in his heart.

At over 40 years old, he surely had elders to support and children to raise; otherwise, given how fierce the local customs were, he would have long since traded lives with the likes of Wei Cheng.

It had to be admitted that men like this—with elders above, children below, and a wife in the middle—were absolutely the easiest to manipulate.

There was no other way; it didn't matter if he died himself, but what would happen to his parents, wife, and children??

If he were a bachelor, it was no exaggeration to say that no one could bully him, because as the old saying goes, "The barefoot man does not fear the one wearing shoes."

But then again, if he were a lone bachelor, Wei Cheng and his gang wouldn't have lent him money in the first place.

They knew all too well what the end result of lending money to a bachelor would be.

Hearing Wang An's lack of social grace and his beastly, domineering words, and seeing the fierce look on Wang An's face as if he might punch him at any moment, the man finally stood up from the ground.

Only then did Wang An speak in a normal tone

"If you have something to say, just say it. Man, you're at this age, and you're pulling this stunt with a youngster like me—how can I handle that? I'm telling you, it's only because I'm in a good mood today, otherwise I really would have beaten you."

Hearing this, the man apologized with a face full of embarrassment

"Sigh, I'm just... Officer Xiao Jing, please don't mind, I just..."

After stuttering for a long while without managing a single complete sentence, Wang An couldn't help but interrupt

"Alright, enough, man. I know what you mean. Let's leave it at that, and you just go home and live a good life. Wei Cheng and his lot are completely fucked now, so put your heart at ease."

After saying this, Wang An walked back toward the sidecar.

To be honest, Wang An really didn't want to keep dawdling with him. They didn't know each other; what the fuck did it matter to him whether the man lived well or poorly?

He wasn't Guanyin Bodhisattva; was he supposed to deliver all sentient beings from suffering?

Unexpectedly, just as Wang An mounted the sidecar, the man took a few quick steps forward and said

"Officer Xiao Jing, look, you solved such a huge problem for me and helped me avoid so much hardship. Why don't you take this calf back to slaughter for meat? Otherwise, I feel *cheng jing* uneasy in my heart."

The words "*cheng jing*" were local dialect, meaning "very" or "especially."

Wang An was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected this man to be so principled—even in such a miserable state, he was still thinking about returning a favor.

Calling it "returning a favor" wasn't actually wrong. After all, in the end, if Wang An hadn't wanted to solve the worries of Li Xiuyu's family, Zhang Shuya and the others might not have even known about Wei Cheng's gang.

Even if they had, Zhang Shuya might not have sent people directly to the countryside to make arrests.

Mainly, in this world, there are always corners where the sunlight never reaches.

Therefore, the fundamental reason Wei Cheng's gang was wiped out actually lay with Wang An.

Wang An looked at the man with a face full of surprise, then couldn't help but laugh

"What do I want with your calf? Besides, that calf is already half-grown; if you raise it for another year, it can work in the fields. Wouldn't it be a waste to slaughter it for meat?"

Seeing that the man still wanted to speak, Wang An continued

"Listen, man, we don't need to do this. Hurry home; I've got things to do too."

The man said with a pleading expression

"Officer Xiao Jing, please just take it..."

Wang An pursed his lips, suddenly remembering a phrase he had heard in his previous life. He felt that if he said this phrase, it would be genuinely high-class.

Thus, Wang An said solemnly

"Man, remember this: the people's police are for the people."

As he spoke, Wang An affectingly flattened his right hand against his temple and gave the man a salute.

For some reason, although Wang An was only a defense guard and, strictly speaking, not actually a policeman, after saying those words, he felt himself become significantly more great, and his whole body felt light.

It was a feeling akin to "leaving the scene with a brush of the clothes, leaving neither merit nor name."

While the man stood there completely bewildered, Wang An kicked the sidecar into gear, turned to Da Hei, and shouted

"Da Hei, let's go home."

Turning back, Wang An half-released the clutch and twisted the throttle, and the sidecar shot forward.

Hearing Wang An's shout, Da Hei followed along, barking "Woof woof woof woof..."

Hearing Da Hei's barking, the other dogs all began to run after him.

(End of Chapter)