Another Promotion, Acting Manager!

This question struck straight at the heart of the matter.

Lin Feng's gaze sharpened slightly.

"Someone had been feeding him evidence and stirring up his emotions, making him lose his rational judgment."

"Exactly."

Manager said approvingly, "The one who laid out this scheme was meticulous in thought and ruthless in method. Their grasp of the human heart had reached a state of consummate mastery. They had calculated Li Bantian's desperate love for his son and his stubborn, overbearing nature. They had also calculated that you would rise up and resist. They wanted to borrow your blade to kill Li Bantian."

"Killing two birds with one stone."

Lin Feng and Manager looked at each other. Almost in unison, they spoke a name.

"Ling Yue'er."

"The City Lord's daughter, Ling Yue'er."

The quiet chamber fell into a brief silence.

"It seemed you had noticed it too."

Manager sighed, his expression turning incomparably grave.

"This little girl is absolutely not simple. Starting with the Skin-Peeling Demon case, the entire affair had been like a grand play tailored specifically for her. She appeared to be an innocent victim, bait meant to lure the snake from its hole, yet every single time, she appeared at precisely the most crucial moment. With the most innocent posture, she pushed the entire situation toward the direction most favorable to her."

"She first drew out the Skin-Peeling Demon and used our hands to get rid of Li Tianyu, who had been pestering her. Then she sent the so-called evidence into Li Bantian's hands and lured him here to die."

"Once the Li Family father and son were dead, the Li Family would inevitably descend into chaos. What exactly was her goal? Was it merely to eliminate rivals and help her father consolidate his position as City Lord?"

Lin Feng's eyes turned icy. "I'm afraid it wasn't that simple."

Manager nodded and walked to the enormous map. His gaze fell upon the three words "City Lord's Mansion" at its center, his eyes deep and frightening.

"Nan Yan Commandery looked peaceful on the surface, but beneath it, undercurrents surged. The City Lord's Mansion, the Demon Suppression Division, and the major Lineages within the commandery formed a fragile balance. Now that the Li Family had fallen, that balance had been broken."

"This Ling Yue'er—her style was ruthless, precise, and left no future troubles behind. She did not resemble a young lady raised in a secluded boudoir at all. Instead, she was more like... an experienced hunter."

Manager turned around and said word by word, "This old man suspects that behind her lurked something a hundred times more terrifying than the Skin-Peeling Demon!"

This speculation sent a chill through Lin Feng's heart as well.

"What did Manager mean?"

"Hold our troops and watch the situation unfold."

The wisdom of an old fox glimmered in Manager's eyes. "Both your and my suspicions pointed toward her now, but we had no substantive evidence. The City Lord's Mansion was not the Li Family, and City Lord Ling Xiaotian was certainly not a reckless brute like Li Bantian. Without ironclad proof, no one could touch her."

"Besides, since she liked putting on plays and hiding behind the scenes to manipulate everything, then we would play along with her."

Manager returned to his chair and looked at Lin Feng solemnly. "Lin Feng, you are now the most crucial chess piece in this game. You killed the Li Family father and son. In her plans, you had already become the most useful blade. Next, she would certainly approach you again and try to grip you firmly in her hand."

"This was our opportunity."

"This subordinate understands."

Lin Feng immediately grasped Manager's intention. "Manager hoped that I would play along with her scheme, feign civility with her, and take the chance to uncover the true face and purpose of the force behind her."

"Correct!"

Manager nodded with satisfaction. "But remember, this was extremely dangerous. That Ling Yue'er's schemes ran as deep as the sea. With every step you took, you had to be exceptionally cautious. You absolutely could not let her lead you around by the nose."

Rather than fear, a spark of spirited excitement ignited on Lin Feng's face.

The wider this reached, the more people, demons, and monsters he would have to kill.

Wouldn't Crit Points then come pouring in like water?

If you enjoyed this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't have trouble finding it next time.

"This subordinate accepts the order."

"Good."

Manager smiled in satisfaction and tossed over his silver token.

"Go do as you pleased. From today onward, within the Demon Suppression Division, you possessed authority second only to this old man's. You could mobilize any resource."

"If you handled this case well, then this silver token... would not need to be returned."

News that Li Bantian, head of the Li Family and a Dan Yuan Realm third-stage expert, had been cleaved in two with three slashes by the newly promoted Bronze Token envoy Lin Feng at the entrance of the Demon Suppression Division swept through the entire Nan Yan Commandery overnight like a Category Twelve super hurricane.

If Lin Feng's earlier killing of the Golden Corpse King and destruction of Black Wind City had merely made him rise to fame within the Demon Suppression Division, earning him the fearsome title of "King Yama Lin,"

then this time, his public execution of Dan Yuan Realm Li Bantian had completely shattered the circle around him. He became a legendary figure known to everyone in every street and alley throughout Nan Yan Commandery.

Within the Demon Suppression Division's Iron Token Courtyard, those old hands who had once loved gathering together to brag and shoot the breeze had completely changed their style.

They no longer boasted about their own past glory. Instead, they had taken up a new and even more thrilling pastime—

Placing bets on Lin Feng.

"I'm opening the betting! I bet that the next time Lord Lin strikes, he can one-shot a Dan Yuan Realm fifth-stage expert! Three-to-one odds! Anyone in?"

"Pah, three-to-one? You're underestimating Lord Lin too much! I'm betting on Dan Yuan Realm seventh stage! Ten-to-one odds! I'm putting up all my salary for this month!"

"Your horizons are way too narrow! Let me tell you, I dreamed last night that Lord Lin cleaved the moon out of the sky with one slash! I bet Lord Lin's next slash can one-shot our Manager! I'm staking—"

Bang!

Before he could finish, an agitated colleague beside him punched him in the head.

"Are you fucking insane?! You dared to say that? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

At those words, everyone shuddered in unison and involuntarily cast incomparably reverent looks toward the Bronze Token Courtyard.

Since that day, under Manager's special authorization, Lin Feng was nominally still a Bronze Token envoy, but the silver token in his hand—which allowed him to mobilize every resource within the division—had already made him the acting Manager in all but name.

In the entire Demon Suppression Division, aside from Manager himself, Lin Feng was the biggest authority.

This rate of promotion could no longer be described as riding a rocket.

It was more like welding a warp engine onto a rocket and blasting out of the galaxy with one stomp on the accelerator!

Zhao Tie and Li Rui, those two diehard lackeys, now walked as though the wind followed them, their backs straighter than telephone poles.

"See that? That's my big brother!"

Whenever someone discussed Lin Feng behind his back, Zhao Tie would casually sidle over, pat his chest with pride, and speak up.

"Back when Brother Lin and I fought shoulder to shoulder in Qingyang County, that scene... tsk, tsk, rivers of blood and mountains of corpses! Let me tell you, Brother Lin's blade isn't a blade—it's heavenly punishment!"

Li Rui would sway his head beside him and add,

"Superficial! You only saw Brother Lin's dominance, but you failed to see Brother Lin's wisdom! That move of turning the scheme against them, luring the snake from its hole, and playing with people's hearts was a hundred times more brilliant than Lord Wu Yong's military strategies! In my eyes, Brother Lin could raise his pen to bring peace to the realm, and mount his horse to settle the universe!"

The two echoed each other, praising Lin Feng as though there were none above him in heaven or below him on earth. They looked exactly like two fanatical cult leaders recruiting followers for Lin Feng.

Yet Lin Feng himself did not take any of this to heart at all.

His only worry now was...

Nan Yan Commandery was too peaceful on the surface.

There were no more monsters foolish enough to stick their heads out for him to chop off.

If you enjoyed this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't have trouble finding it next time.