The Water Ghost had clearly never expected this seemingly ordinary "prey" to possess such terrifying strength. Even when it pulled with all its might, its opponent remained as steady as Mount Tai.
A flicker of astonishment passed through its murky eyes, immediately replaced by boundless venomous resentment.
"Ghh—!"
The Water Ghost let out a howl that sounded nothing like a human voice. It was like fingernails scraping across glass, shrill and ear-piercing, carrying a mental shock powerful enough to make an ordinary person lose their wits and send their soul flying from their body.
But who was Lin Feng?
He was a ruthless man who had started out face-to-face with Zombies in the Mass Grave! This little bit of mental pollution was no more than a breeze brushing his face.
"Calling souls? That sounds awful!"
Instead of retreating, Lin Feng advanced. He let those ghostly hands clamp tightly around his ankles as his body suddenly pitched forward.
He was not jumping into the well. He was borrowing that forward momentum to turn the Hundred Refined Steel Blade in his hand into a bolt of lightning that tore through the night!
No needless movements—only ultimate speed and precision!
[2.7x critical hit triggered!]
"Swish!"
The blade flashed!
It was as though the air itself gave a soft sound like cloth being ripped apart.
The Water Ghost's forward charge came to an abrupt halt. The venomous expression on its savage, twisted face froze in an instant, replaced by blank confusion and utter disbelief.
A thin line of blood ran from its brow all the way down to its chin.
The next moment.
"Pfft!"
The Water Ghost's entire head split neatly into two from the middle. Dark green, foul-smelling blood and brain matter burst outward, splattering the well walls everywhere.
The ghostly hands clutching Lin Feng's ankles lost all strength and slid away limply. The headless remains fell back into the well with a plop, sending ripples across the surface. Before long, all was silent again, leaving only a well full of filth.
[Ding! Successfully killed a First Order demon, Water Ghost!] [Critical hit multiplier increased to 3x! Obtained 150 Crit Points!]
"Whew..."
Lin Feng slowly straightened up and flicked the filthy blood from his blade. Feeling the critical hit multiplier on his system panel jump from 2.7 to 3, while his Crit Points increased to 200 points (50+150), he felt thoroughly refreshed.
This Li Gang really was a good man!
Whatever he lacked, Li Gang delivered it right to him. Later, he ought to award him a "Best Logistics Award."
To keep the Water Ghost's corpse from causing any more trouble, and to have evidence to turn in.
Lin Feng found rope and iron hooks, endured the stench, and hauled the headless corpse and the two halves of its head out of the well.
By the time he had finished, the sky was already showing the pale light of dawn.
When the first ray of morning sunlight shone into Willow Tree Alley, the residents who had not slept all night cautiously opened their doors and windows, only to witness a scene they would never forget.
They saw the young Constable Lin, his entire body stained with blood, carrying a ferocious demon head split in two in one hand and dragging an equally mangled corpse with the other. Facing the rising sun, he walked out of the alley step by step.
To everyone watching, that figure seemed like a heavenly god descending to earth!
"D-dead?"
"That Water Ghost... Lord Lin killed it!"
"Heavens! Lord Lin is truly our lifesaving benefactor!"
After a brief silence, the entire Willow Tree Alley erupted in thunderous cheers and weeping. Countless commoners rushed from their homes and knelt toward Lin Feng's departing back, kowtowing in tearful gratitude.
Overnight, Lin Feng's reputation in the southern part of the city reached its peak!
County Office.
When Lin Feng dragged the Water Ghost's corpse before the constables, the entire County Office courtyard fell silent as a grave.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the strangely shaped demon corpse, then at Lin Feng's blood-stained yet tranquil face. The shock in their hearts was beyond words.
Another demon case!
And once again, one man had solved it overnight!
What kind of monster was this kid...?
When Li Gang received the news, he hurried out of his office. The instant he saw the Water Ghost's corpse, all the color drained from his face with a swish, leaving him paler than a dead man.
The sure-death trap he had painstakingly arranged had not only failed to kill Lin Feng—it had once again become a stepping stone for Lin Feng's meteoric rise!
This time, Lin Feng did not even need to spread the word himself. The rescued citizens of the southern district voluntarily beat gongs and drums, even pooling their money to make a banner reading, "Slay Demons, Uphold Justice, Protect Our People." In a mighty procession, they delivered it to the County Office and specifically named Lin Feng as the one they wished to thank.
With such a commotion, county magistrate Zhao Dehai could not possibly remain unaware.
He convened court again and lavishly praised Lin Feng before everyone in the County Office. Not only did he reward Lin Feng with another hundred taels of silver, but he also publicly announced that the County Office's limited monthly cultivation resources would be allocated preferentially to Lin Feng.
That completely ignited certain people's jealousy.
"Why! He's just a newcomer. Why does he get so many rewards and resources?"
Within the crowd, a burly constable with a face full of flesh could not help but roar in a low voice.
His name was Zhao Hu. He was Li Gang's cousin's son, and he had always run wild and acted tyrannically in the County Office, calling himself the foremost among the younger generation.
Relying on his Fourth Level Body Tempering cultivation and his connection to Li Gang, Zhao Hu had bullied plenty of colleagues in his daily life. He had long disliked Lin Feng, this suddenly appearing "favorite."
Now that he saw Lin Feng's limelight completely eclipsing his own, even threatening to take cultivation resources that should have belonged to him, the flames of jealousy in his heart could no longer be suppressed.
After court adjourned, Zhao Hu brought several lackeys and aggressively blocked Lin Feng's path along the only route to the training grounds.
"Lin, stop right there!"
Zhao Hu raised his chin, looking down his nose at Lin Feng with an openly provocative expression.
"Don't think killing two insignificant little demons makes you something special. We old hands have worked hard for so many years, our merit records are packed full. Why should a brat like you come in and take all the benefits for yourself?"
Lin Feng glanced at him. He remembered this man—relying on his ties to Li Gang to throw his weight around in the County Office, nothing more than a brainless brute.
"What are you trying to say?"
Lin Feng asked blandly.
"I'm saying you don't deserve it!"
Zhao Hu stepped forward, glaring at Lin Feng as spittle flew from his mouth.
"The County Office's resources are reserved for people with real strength! You climbed up through luck alone—what right do you have? Dare to have a spar with me at the training grounds? If you can take three of my punches, I'll admit you're qualified, and from then on I'll take a detour whenever I see you! But if you can't, obediently hand over the reward silver and resources you just received!"
It was naked provocation and robbery.
More and more constables gathered around to watch the show. Even Li Gang pretended to be merely passing by, standing some distance away with his arms folded as he watched coldly.
He had been worrying over how to find an excuse to suppress Lin Feng, only for his foolish nephew to deliver one right to his doorstep.
Zhao Hu was at the Fourth Level Body Tempering, Bone Refining realm. His muscles and bones had long been tempered until they were hard as iron; even ordinary blades and swords could barely harm him. In his view, no matter how monstrous Lin Feng was, he could at most be at the second or third level of Body Tempering. Against Zhao Hu, defeat was inevitable!
This was the perfect chance to cripple Lin Feng and let him know who truly called the shots in Qingyang County's County Office!
Faced with Zhao Hu's shouting, Lin Feng smiled.
He had been worrying that he had nowhere to use all his strength, and someone had conveniently offered up his face.
"Three punches?" Lin Feng shook his head.
Thinking Lin Feng was afraid, Zhao Hu laughed smugly. "What? Scared? If you're scared, kneel and kowtow, then call me Master Hu..."
"No."
Lin Feng interrupted him. A trace of amusement appeared in his smile. "What I mean is, that's too troublesome."
"One move is enough to deal with trash like you."
Before you continue