In the third year of the Jinghe reign of the Great Zhou, Ningyuan County.
Three county magistrates have died in six months.
He Tai'an is the fourth.
He bought the post. After transmigrating, he awakened the Taobao System and used imitation gold to trade for ancient silver, exploiting a bug in the System to make a fortune.
He bribed the powerful with modern glass ornaments and secured the post of county magistrate in a key border defense town.
On the day he took office, after hearing his name, the gate guard turned to his companion and laughed: "See that? Here comes Magistrate He the Fourth."
How did the first three die? The deputy magistrate refuses to say a word.
But He Tai'an isn't in a hurry.
First, he goes to the prison and uses a chainsaw to hack open the cell door, recruiting Sheng Qi, a military officer who was framed and thrown in jail.
The next day, in the county office, He Tai'an is sitting in the courtyard eating breakfast and drinking tea when Zheng Yu, the young master of the Zheng family, barges in with his men.
"Be a good little dog for the Zheng family, or go keep the first three magistrates company in the wasteland west of town."
Zheng Yu drags over a chair, sits down, crosses his legs, and speaks with arrogant, overbearing contempt.
He Tai'an says nothing. He pulls a black rod from his sleeve, presses a switch, and blue sparks crackle.
Three breaths later, Zheng Yu and his servants are all on the ground, twitching uncontrollably.
He Tai'an squats down, points the stun baton at Zheng Yu's crotch, and presses it again.
Zheng Yu lets out a scream and doubles over like a shrimp.
You harass respectable women, do you? You threaten an official of the imperial court, do you? Let's see you act tough now!
Pah! You idiot!
He spits right in Zheng Yu's face, then stomps on him a few more times before he's satisfied.
Turning to the servants, who are collapsed on the ground trembling in fear, he says:
Pass a message to that old bastard in the Zheng family.
The day I pay the Zheng family a visit will be the day their property is confiscated and their entire clan wiped out.
