Mi Xue was so nervous she was practically in tears. Having watched her father navigate the political landscape step by step since childhood, she understood the undercurrents of official circles all too well.

Besides, this was Lieshan County, squarely in Yu Yong's territory. Even if her father wanted to help, he might not be able to swing it, especially after what she had just witnessed of those men's miserable state.

"Mi Xue, why should I leave? Don't forget, they were the ones who smashed my car first, and then came at me with weapons!"

Zhang Yang shook his head gently, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Those kinds of people won't listen to reason. No, you have to go, I'll take you!"

The more Mi Xue spoke, the more frantic she became. She had been paralyzed by shock earlier, but now the reality was hitting her fully. And once it did, all that was left was overwhelming worry for Zhang Yang.

She knew the minutiae of this small county, its inherent darkness, better than anyone, having grown up here, hearing countless stories whispered in the shadows.

"Don't worry, Mi Xue. Didn't I call Young Master Su? He’ll be here soon!"

Zhang Yang chuckled softly, shaking his head again. He wasn't oblivious to her concern, but he wasn't afraid; he had a plan to handle these people.

More importantly, he was Mi Xue’s boyfriend, and he had come with her. If he genuinely left now, those men would undoubtedly target Mi Xue. Zhang Yang would never permit such a thing.

"Even if Young Master Su comes, you don't understand this place!"

Mi Xue shook her head again. After a moment's thought, she reached into Zhang Yang's canvas bag and pulled out his phone.

She called a very good friend—a friend whose family was wealthy and owned a car. She intended to borrow the car to get Zhang Yang away from here; at this moment, she could not bear for him to stay a second longer.

The distant wail of a siren sounded. Someone must have spotted the brawl and called the police, but nobody dared approach. Everyone who had peered over had fled, terrified by the sheer brutality of the scene.

"Fine, I can leave first. But I have to take Lightning with me. I can't just leave it at your place!"

Seeing how truly worried Mi Xue was, Zhang Yang reluctantly conceded to her wishes, offering a tactical excuse. His real goal was to get Mi Xue home safely, or at least stall until Su Zhantao arrived.

Zhang Yang’s suggestion brought a flicker of hesitation to Mi Xue’s eyes. She was acutely aware of how dangerous Lightning could be, and she knew Zhang Yang was the only one who fed the creature. She certainly wouldn't dare touch those venomous snakes.

"Okay. Let's go home first, and then you take Lightning and leave!"

Mi Xue considered it, then immediately nodded. Lightning truly couldn't be left behind. Her only thought now was that they still had time to go home quickly, that fetching something wouldn't take long.

With that settled, Mi Xue beckoned, and soon a cycle-rickshaw pulled up.

As soon as they reached home, Mi Xue frantically packed. Fortunately, her mother wasn't there—she had gone out to buy groceries—so no lengthy explanations were needed.

Once the things were packed, Mi Xue insisted on pulling Zhang Yang out the door. He could only follow her lead.

Mi Xue's greatest fear—the police arriving quickly—did not materialize. She led Zhang Yang to another location, anxiously waiting for her friend.

To her dismay, her friend suddenly called to say she couldn't make it. Just as Mi Xue was panicking, Su Zhantao arrived.

It took Su Zhantao just over an hour to get there. After inquiring, Zhang Yang learned that Su Zhantao hadn't been in Changjing either, but was in an adjacent city, less than a hundred kilometers away. Upon hearing Zhang Yang was in trouble, he had immediately dropped everything and driven over, explaining his rapid arrival.

"What's the big emergency that pulled me all this way?"

Su Zhantao found Zhang Yang at the agreed spot, got out of his car, and said lightly, smiling. At first, Su Zhantao had been genuinely worried; he rarely heard Zhang Yang sound so serious. Seeing that Zhang Yang was unharmed, he relaxed considerably.

"A small incident. I recall you mentioning you had a contact at the Provincial Newspaper, right?!" Zhang Yang first placed Lightning securely in the trunk of Su Zhantao's car. He couldn't keep carrying the little creature around.

"I do have a classmate at the Provincial Newspaper, why?"

Su Zhantao blinked, then asked quietly. He hadn't expected Zhang Yang to summon him in such haste for something so minor. If that was all, a phone call would have sufficed.

"How good is your connection with that classmate? Can they help run a story?"

Zhang Yang pressed, having already conceived this plan while taking the pictures. The idea was to expose these people through public opinion. With Yu Yong’s father about to become the County Magistrate, some well-timed 'publicity' might be just the thing.

"Running a story is certainly no problem. What exactly happened?" Su Zhantao was still slightly confused and asked again.

"The car you gave me got smashed. It was done by the son of the future County Magistrate here!"

Zhang Yang stated it calmly, his tone as detached as if he were discussing someone else's affairs.

"The car I gave you got smashed?"

Su Zhantao's eyes widened instantly. He completely ignored the second part of the sentence; he held no regard for a mere County Magistrate's son. He himself was part of the bureaucracy, and his father’s yamen was considerably more powerful than that of any county official. What he truly could not tolerate was someone daring to smash a car he had gifted, especially a car gifted to Zhang Yang.

"Yes, smashed badly. It's probably totaled!"

Zhang Yang nodded. The car was indeed a wreck; Su Zhantao might not even recognize it if he saw it now.

"The audacity! Which bastard did it? The County Magistrate's son, you said? Wait right there, I’m calling someone!"

Su Zhantao erupted, pulling out his cell phone. Before he could dial, Zhang Yang snatched the phone away, asking, "Who were you calling?"

Su Zhantao stared at Zhang Yang blankly for a moment before replying, "My dad's secretary. If he just shows up, this County Magistrate will be finished!"

"Don't bother with such hassle. We don't need to involve family for something like this; we can handle it ourselves. You contact your classmate, have him run the story, and I'll take care of the rest!"

Zhang Yang shook his head. He had taken Su Zhantao's phone precisely to prevent him from calling home. If he were going to rely on family influence, he wouldn't have needed to call Su Zhantao; he could have simply revealed his own background here, as his father ranked significantly higher than Su Zhantao's. But Zhang Yang certainly wouldn't resort to that, leveraging his father’s shadow for such a petty matter.

"Run a story? What good will a story do to solve this?"

Su Zhantao was still foggy, but he followed Zhang Yang's lead and dropped the idea of calling his father's secretary.

"Of course. Now, let's find a place to develop these photos. You contact your classmate immediately, and I'll write the draft, but it must be under his name, and it should ideally run tomorrow!"

Zhang Yang nodded. Few people truly grasped the power of public opinion yet, but Zhang Yang, armed with experience from a later era, knew its weight well. Especially since he possessed the photographic evidence—that was his crucial advantage. Once the story was out, he would be untouchable, even if he remained here. These published reports would only ensure these local elements dared not move against him further. His immediate task was simply to hold out until the story went live.

"Alright!"

Su Zhantao readily agreed. Mi Xue listened from the side, slightly bewildered, but she understood what Zhang Yang intended to do.

The three immediately located a photo processing shop and paid extra for expedited service. They secured the developed photos in the shortest possible time. Following that, Su Zhantao found a fax machine and sent the drafted text along with the images. His classmate had agreed to run the piece.

Having completed these steps, Su Zhantao checked them into a hotel to stay put. He had no intention of leaving; since they had smashed a car he gifted, he naturally claimed the issue as his own. Furthermore, with Zhang Yang present, he had no worries.

Only after they had secured this public defense did the Yu family react, descending into complete fury. Yu Yong’s entourage included his two cousins, both of whom were now hospitalized. Initially, Yu Yong refused to say anything, and the others were mostly unconscious, yielding no useful information. It was only after the doctor administered several injections to settle him down that Yu Yong finally recounted the incident.

Naturally, he omitted any mention of initiating the car smashing. He claimed Zhang Yang had provoked them while showing off with Mi Xue, leading them to smash the car in anger. Zhang Yang then used that as an excuse to fight, and since Zhang Yang was too powerful, they were all defeated, leading to their current state.

Yu Yong’s account was riddled with inconsistencies that any intelligent person could see through. However, the Yu family was blinded by rage, especially Yu Wenwu, Yu Yong’s father, whose face was turning green with fury. It wasn't just his nephews being beaten; Zhang Yang openly accompanying Mi Xue infuriated him. He had personally visited Mi Zhiguo to propose an alliance, which Mi Zhiguo had provisionally accepted. Even if marriage wasn't finalized, agreeing to their relationship was seen by the Yus as tacit approval. Now, his future daughter-in-law was flaunting another man in public. Yu Wenwu had been biting his tongue, waiting for Mi Zhiguo to offer an explanation. Instead, he received a terrified son and two hospitalized nephews.

The Deputy Secretary Yu immediately issued an order to the Public Security Bureau, which dared not delay. The Bureau Chief personally led a team to Mi Zhiguo’s house.

However, by the time they arrived, it was past nine at night, and Mi Xue, Zhang Yang, and Su Zhantao were already at the hotel. It wasn't until seven the next morning that the police, having discovered Zhang Yang was staying at a hotel but finding no registration under his name, finally confirmed his location by showing his photo around. For the police force, this speed was rather impressive.

The Bureau Chief then led his team to the hotel, where they conveniently found Zhang Yang, Su Zhantao, and the others eating breakfast. Seeing that Zhang Yang hadn't fled and was still in Lieshan County, the Bureau Chief finally breathed a deep sigh of relief... Seventh chapter update, next chapter around eight o'clock. (To be continued...) RQ