The officer, caught off guard, was directly kicked away by Xu Qing.
The remaining constables, enraged, swung their batons and aimed directly for Xu Qing's head.
At this point, Yue Fei could no longer stand idly by.
With just a flicker of movement, he appeared beside Xu Qing, spun, and kicked another constable away.
As they began to fight, the remaining villagers, fearing they would be at a disadvantage, all charged forward.
Yue Fei’s martial arts were honed by a master. While Xu Qing was no match for Yue Fei, he was far superior to these constables.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?"
This time, Cui Hao was truly panicking, and he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I think this corrupt official is colluding with those bandits and trying to frame us!"
Xu Qing was already furious, and this remark only fueled his anger. He picked up a club from the ground and swung it directly at Cui Hao's head.
A constable was about to lock the cell door but was grabbed by Xu Qing and almost suffocated.
The villagers also seized the opportunity, snatched the keys, and released the prisoners from the nearby cells. They then menacingly went to capture Cui Hao.
Seeing the crowd charging towards him, Cui Hao could no longer hold back. He turned and ran towards the cell entrance.
"Rebellion! The prisoners are rebelling!"
Seeing that the situation had escalated, Yue Fei knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully.
If they stayed, it would be a dead end. Whether he wanted to or not, he could only try to find a way to get out first.
"Seize this corrupt official!"
Upon hearing Yue Fei's words, the villagers no longer hesitated. They picked up clubs from the ground and chased after Cui Hao.
As the crowd prepared to break out, the soldiers guarding the cell entrance panicked.
Regardless of the reason, if prisoners escaped, they, the guards, would face severe punishment.
"No! Bring that fellow with us!"
In his solitary cell, Zhou Ding watched the villagers charge out and trembled with fear.
At this moment, he wished he could disappear into the ground. However, even as he curled up in the dark corner, Yue Fei spotted him immediately.
"Why bring this scoundrel? This fellow caused all this trouble today. I say we just kill him with one stroke!"
Xu Qing's eyes were bloodshot. Even with his usual honest nature, he understood that he had caused an immense disaster.
While he hated Cui Hao to the core, he equally despised the bandits before him.
Hearing this, some of the villagers immediately cast hostile glances at Zhou Ding.
"Don't kill me, don't kill me! This has nothing to do with me; it was all that fellow surnamed Cui's doing!"
At this point, Zhou Ding had no regard for camaraderie.
Without a second thought, he immediately sold out Cui Hao.
"Bring him along, but don't kill him. This fellow can help us clear our names!"
Yue Fei had already reached the cell entrance and, armed with a staff, faced over thirty fully armed constables. Naturally, he had no time for further words.
Even with his superior martial arts, he found it challenging against these fully armed constables.
After all, they possessed crossbows. Although their martial arts were lacking, even a crossbow bolt fired by a child could be fatal.
Within a few exchanges, he was locked in a desperate struggle.
"Lower the Dragon Seal stone! Lock the door, hurry and lock the door!"
Even Cui Hao hadn't expected the villagers' martial prowess to be this high.
Just one person escaping today had thrown them into disarray. If seven or eight more were to break free, wouldn't they be utterly defeated?
If this matter had been contained within Tangyin County, it wouldn't have been a major issue. After all, Tangyin County had plenty of wrongful convictions, and one or two more wouldn't matter.
As long as they could clean up the mess afterward, and once Zhou Ding escaped Tangyin County, what concern would it be of his?
Even if these unruly villagers appealed to higher authorities, they would receive thirty beatings before even reaching the yamen gates.
However, if this matter escalated, the situation would be entirely different.
After all, that fellow Zhou Ding was still in prison. If he were to say anything damaging, the matter would become entirely different.
Thinking this, Cui Hao began to regret his actions.
Yet, even so, he still didn't order Liao Wenxing to mobilize the garrison.
Once the army was involved, the subsequent cleanup would cost far more than ten thousand strings of copper coins.
If he had known it would be this troublesome, he should have paid the money and directly killed that young man!
"I'm here!"
As a few constables mustered the courage to try and block them, Xu Qing charged out.
Behind him, several strong villagers carried tables and door panels.
Although Yue Fei was fighting alone, the constables couldn't do much to him in the short term. But with so many more people now, the situation was entirely different.
In just a few breaths, Yue Fei unleashed his might, knocking down three more constables.
He then charged into the crowd. Seeing this golden opportunity, Xu Qing didn't hesitate and rushed to Yue Fei's side.
The scene descended into chaos again. This time, the crossbows in the constables' hands became mere decorations.
"Run away!"
They were already outmatched. Someone shouted, and almost instantly, seven or eight of the remaining constables fled.
At this point, Cui Hao finally reacted. Without thinking, he led a horse, mounted it, and galloped towards the county yamen.
Xu Qing wanted to pursue, but how could two legs outrun four legs?
After chasing for a few dozen zhang, he gave up. Cui Hao had already gotten far away. Naturally, the constables wouldn't stay to be killed and fled in an instant.
Now, it was Xu Qing and his companions who were left bewildered.
"What now?"
Xu Qing was completely stunned.
This matter had escalated. If the authorities were to capture them, it would likely implicate his family.
"Let's get out of the city first!"
Since the matter had blown up, Yue Fei had no other good options. However, he instinctively made the best choice.
After all, if they stayed in the city, once the imperial army arrived, it would be like catching turtles in a jar!
"Let's go!"