Su Han followed the waiter to a private room on the second floor.
Inside the room, a portly middle-aged man in fine robes was already present.
"Welcome. Please, have a seat!"
The table in the room was already laden with dishes.
Su Han still didn't understand what the trial was about, so he decided to take things one step at a time.
Su Han sat down opposite the胖子 (fatty).
Without ceremony, Su Han picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
The 胖子 opposite him spoke, "Let me introduce myself first. I am the boss here."
As Su Han ate, he asked, "The boss here? What boss?"
The 胖子 said, "You beat up my subordinates pretty badly today."
Su Han realized, "So that's it. You're the boss of those thugs."
Even knowing that this man was the boss of the thugs, Su Han showed no intention of stopping his meal.
However, he was surprised at how quickly this 胖子 managed to find him. His intelligence network was quite formidable.
Su Han said, "Then, what business do you, the boss of the thugs, have with me?"
The middle-aged 胖子 said, "Hehehe, my name is not boss of the thugs. You can call me Lord Shi Rongxuan."
Lord? Hearing this title, Su Han mused, "Could this be an official? What a clever scheme. They actually control this street from both the underworld and the authorities."
Su Han continued to ask, "You, boss of the thugs, Shi Rongxuan, what do you want with me?"
The middle-aged 胖子 said, "I've told you not to call me boss of the thugs. You have excellent skills. Join my ranks. If you join me, you'll live a life of luxury and feasting."
Su Han said, "A life of luxury and feasting? By bullying and oppressing others? I'm afraid my palate isn't suited for such things."
The middle-aged 胖子, Shi Rongxuan, said, "Hehehe, aren't you eating right now?"
Su Han looked at his bowl and chopsticks, then put them down. However, he picked up a chicken leg and continued eating.
The middle-aged 胖子, Shi Rongxuan, said, "Think it over carefully. If you don't join, don't blame me for being impolite."
Su Han nodded and said, "Alright, let me think about it carefully!"
Su Han resumed eating.
The middle-aged 胖子, Shi Rongxuan, said, "Then I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to consider. Someone, light the incense."
A person from outside the room entered and lit an incense stick. The incense burned quickly, and it looked like it would be gone in less than ten minutes.
Su Han glanced back towards the door. Shadows were moving outside. It was clear that a considerable number of people were lying in ambush.
Su Han pondered. He couldn't use his abilities right now, and at this level, he was just an ordinary person with some combat skills.
Su Han didn't think he could fight everyone outside by himself.
The incense stick soon burned down to its end.
The middle-aged 胖子, Shi Rongxuan, said, "Well? Have you made up your mind? If you join my ranks, I will immediately give you a position of importance."
Su Han pretended to be curious and asked, "Boss of the thugs, Shi Rongxuan, aren't you afraid of the authorities taking action against you with such open defiance?"
The middle-aged 胖子, Shi Rongxuan, said, "Hmm, the authorities taking action, that is indeed a serious issue."
Then, the middle-aged 胖子 began to laugh. "Hahahaha, why would they take action? It seems you are truly an outsider. Here, I am the government. As the county magistrate of this city, how could I arrest myself!"
Although Su Han had suspected this, hearing it now, he feigned surprise.
"What? You're the county magistrate of this city?"
Clatter.
Su Han's chopsticks fell to the floor.
"Ah! My chopsticks fell."
Su Han then bent down to pick them up.
The chopsticks had fallen near the middle-aged 胖子, Shi Rongxuan.
Shi Rongxuan watched Su Han pick up the chopsticks and said directly, "That's really unsightly. Don't pick up chopsticks that have fallen on the ground."
Su Han grabbed the chopsticks in his hand and slowly stood up.
The middle-aged 胖子, Shi Rongxuan, continued to ask, "Well? Have you decided?"
At this moment, Su Han thought, "This is an opportunity. This is an opportunity."
Because he was picking up the chopsticks, Su Han had moved close to Shi Rongxuan.
While halfway up, Su Han took two steps and then one, reaching Shi Rongxuan. He placed a pair of chopsticks directly against Shi Rongxuan's neck.
Su Han shouted, "Don't move!"
Shi Rongxuan, with two chopsticks pressed against his soft throat, was immediately startled.
Thump thump.
At this moment, the people hidden outside all rushed in together.
There were over ten people in this private room, and some outside had to wait because the room was too crowded.
Shi Rongxuan's heart turned cold and he said, "Don't panic. Let's talk slowly. If you don't want to join us, then don't."
Su Han said, "Tell them to get out of the way."
Shi Rongxuan yelled at his subordinates, "Didn't you hear? Clear a path."
Shi Rongxuan's subordinates looked at each other, then reluctantly cleared a path.
Su Han thus escorted Shi Rongxuan out of the private room.
Once outside, the people in the restaurant all gathered to watch. Some, seeing Su Han holding Shi Rongxuan hostage, quickly fled, afraid of being implicated.
As Su Han escorted Shi Rongxuan, he observed his surroundings.
Su Han noticed a long saber on one of the tables. It seemed to belong to a martial artist or a constable.
Su Han also worried that the chopsticks in his hand were not threatening enough. Su Han, holding Shi Rongxuan, went to the table, grabbed the long saber, and replaced the chopsticks, pressing the saber against Shi Rongxuan's neck.
This made Shi Rongxuan even more terrified.
As Su Han escorted Shi Rongxuan out of the restaurant and onto the street, he was about to figure out how to escape when a voice called out, "Choose. Will you save this person or not!"
From where the voice came, several people were holding an old woman hostage. It was the old vegetable seller from before.
The speaker was the leader. He wore ordinary clothes, and the saber in his hand was held against the old woman's neck.
"If you want to save this person, release the county magistrate."
Having to make a choice? Su Han knew he could not falter at this moment. If he showed weakness, he would be blackmailed by that constable.
Seemingly sensing the determination in Su Han's eyes, the constable gestured, and another person from the side rushed into the crowd and grabbed another person.
"What about those two? Do you want to release the county magistrate to save two people?"