Under the night sky, the Mass Grave was still as ghostly and sinister as ever.
But to the present-day Lin Feng, this place had gone from a "newbie-village discouragement dungeon" to a "backyard leisure area."
Led by Huang Fugui, Lin Feng easily found his way to a solitary grave larger than the others.
Weeds choked the front of the grave. A pitch-black opening, half a man tall, could vaguely be seen, and a thick stench mingled with the smell of blood drifted from within.
"Sir, this is the place."
Huang Fugui stopped and lowered his voice, his tone brimming with malicious delight.
"Those rotten dogs are sleeping inside! They usually strut around like they own the place. Today, we'll let them see why flowers are so red!"
Lin Feng ignored its prattle. The senses of his sixth level of body tempering spread out, immediately detecting four life auras lurking deep within the cave.
Three were somewhat weaker, while one was somewhat stronger—but even the strongest one...
At most, it was comparable to the zombie he had cleaved in half with a single strike before. They were all insignificant First Order demons.
To the current Lin Feng, they were Crit Points delivered right to his doorstep.
"Wait outside."
After giving the order, Lin Feng drew his saber and bent over as he entered the cave.
The cave was pitch-black, and the damp scent of earth mixed with a rancid stench assaulted his face.
Lin Feng circulated the Qi Guiding Art. A gleam flashed through his eyes, and the dark surroundings instantly became clear.
Deep in the cave was a fairly spacious stone chamber, its floor covered in gnawed bones and scraps of cloth.
Four wild dogs, each twice the size of an ordinary mutt, were squeezed together and snoring soundly.
Three were ordinary black-and-yellow dogs. The leader, however, was snow-white from head to tail, with a peculiar patch of black fur on its forehead. Even in its sleep, it occasionally bared its fangs, revealing sharp canine teeth.
Clearly, this was the "dog demon leader" Huang Fugui had mentioned.
Lin Feng's arrival made no sound at all.
Like a ghost merged with the darkness, he stood silently at the entrance, the saber in his hand reflecting a cold gleam in the dark.
He needed Crit Points. Drawing his blade meant leaving no survivors.
"Wake up. Water meter inspection."
Lin Feng's calm voice rang through the silent stone chamber.
The four dog demons jolted awake. Pairs of ghostly green eyes lit up at once, staring fixedly at Lin Feng in the entrance.
"Roar!"
The white-furred dog demon leader gave a low growl, and a fierce demonic aura rushed toward him. It had clearly recognized Lin Feng's constable uniform, and its eyes were filled with bloodthirsty brutality. In the eyes of these lawless demons, human constables were merely another kind of two-legged sheep.
"Human? Courting death!"
A vicious thought entered Lin Feng's mind.
The next second, all four dog demons moved at once!
Their limbs drove against the ground, transforming them into four bolts of black-and-white lightning as they pounced toward Lin Feng from four different directions.
Their sharp claws and teeth glinted coldly in the darkness. Their coordination was seamless; clearly, they often hunted in encirclement like this.
But the one they faced was Lin Feng.
To Lin Feng, whose Flowing Wind Steps had reached perfection, the movements of these four dog demons were as slow as a slideshow.
[3x Critical Hit triggered!]
Lin Feng moved.
His body left an afterimage where he stood, while the saber in his hand transformed into a resplendent yet lethal silver moonbeam.
It was still the simplest move from the Basic Constable Saber Technique, yet in Lin Feng's hands, it displayed a terrifying power like slaughtering gods and massacring demons!
The blade light spilled across the ground like mercury, slipping into every crack.
Squelch!
Squelch...
Four soft sounds of blades entering flesh rang out almost at the same time.
The four dog demons, so ferocious only a moment ago, suddenly froze halfway through their pounce.
The next second—
Starting at the waist, they split neatly into two halves!
Blood and entrails spilled across the floor with a rush, staining the entire stone chamber into a bloody slaughterhouse.
Four dog heads rolled onto the ground. Their ghostly green eyes still held the savagery and astonishment from before death, as though they could not understand, even at the end, exactly how they had died.
One strike, total annihilation!
[Ding! Successfully killed First Order Dog Demons x4!] [Critical hit multiplier increased to 3.5x! Obtained 250 Crit Points!]
Lin Feng slowly returned his saber to its sheath. The blade remained unstained by a single drop of blood.
Without even looking at the eight pieces of dog corpses on the ground, he turned and left the cave.
Outside, Huang Fugui was standing on tiptoe, pacing back and forth anxiously.
It hoped Lin Feng could avenge it, but it was also worried that Lin Feng might not be a match for those dog demons.
Just then, Lin Feng emerged from the cave entrance, not a speck of dust on him, as though he had merely gone in for a stroll.
"Sir, how... how did it go?"
Huang Fugui asked cautiously.
Lin Feng said flatly, "It's settled. From now on, this place is your territory."
"S-settled?"
Huang Fugui froze.
How long had he been in there?
Not even the time it took to drink a cup of tea, right?
And he had... dealt with all of them?
Those were four vicious dog demons!
Unwilling to believe it, it craned its neck and peeked into the cave.
With just one look, it let out a strange "Aoo!" and nearly collapsed onto the ground in fright.
Inside the cave, blood flowed like a river, and severed limbs covered the ground. The bloody sight made even this little demon feel its stomach churn like a river overturning the sea.
When Huang Fugui looked at Lin Feng again, its expression had completely changed.
There was no longer just fear and fawning in its gaze, but something that came from the depths of its soul... fervor!
Too strong!
This sir was so strong it was simply outrageous!
What an enormous thigh had it latched onto?!
"Sir! You are my reborn parent, you are my heaven!"
Huang Fugui was so excited that its words came out in a jumble. It threw itself flat on the ground and worshipped Lin Feng frantically.
"From this day onward, this little demon Huang Fugui's life belongs to you!"
"Enough, quit clowning around."
Lin Feng was amused by its appearance. "Handle the serious matter. How do you plan to explain the Wang Family's chickens?"
At the mention of serious business, Huang Fugui immediately scrambled up from the ground, a crafty gleam flashing in its tiny eyes.
"Sir, rest assured, leave this matter to this little demon!"
It patted its chest confidently. "This little demon may not have any other talents, but when it comes to playing god and ghost and making up stories, I'm unmatched! I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly, make Benefactor Wang deeply grateful to you, and spread your reputation as Qingyang County's foremost demon slayer throughout the entire county!"
The next day, Benefactor Wang came to the County Office again, beaming as he brought lavish gifts.
This time, he had not come to report a case. He had come to give thanks.
According to him, after Lord Lin had left the night before, he had followed the instructions and laid out roast chicken and fine wine.
At midnight, a sinister wind had indeed risen in the courtyard, accompanied by the cries of ghosts and howls of wolves.
Then, he had heard Lord Lin's rebuke, followed by a bout of earthshaking combat.
Finally, a white-bearded old man calling himself the Mountain God had appeared in his dream.
He told him why his family's chickens had disappeared.
It was because those chickens had been tainted with evil energy. The Mountain God had specially sent divine beasts under his command to take them away, lest they bring disaster upon the human world.
Now that the evil energy had been removed, he need not panic. He was also told to thank Lord Lin, who had eliminated harm for the people.
He was a Star Lord descended from heaven, specifically responsible for slaying demons and exterminating devils.
Benefactor Wang believed every word of it, and he admired Lin Feng so much that he practically threw himself to the ground in reverence.
At the County Office, the constables exchanged looks as they listened to Benefactor Wang's embellished account. Their gazes at Lin Feng were filled with awe.
Another demon case!
And he had solved it again as easily as lifting a hand!
And this time, it had even involved the Mountain God delivering a dream.
Could this Lin Feng truly have some kind of background?
Constable Chief Li Gang hid in the duty room, listening to the commotion outside. He was so furious that he slapped the table until it rang.
He could not understand why, every time he racked his brains trying to kill Lin Feng, he instead became the other man's stepping stone, pushing his reputation to one new height after another.
"Trash! You're all trash!"
Li Gang's face turned purple with rage. "What the hell are those people from the Black Tiger Gang doing? It's been so long, and they still haven't taken care of that brat!"
What he did not know was that, at this moment, the Black Tiger Gang was also having a headache over Lin Feng.
South of the city, at the Black Tiger Gang's main hall.
A burly man with one eye, a scar on his face, and a fiercer bearing than Liu Mazi sat in a tiger-skin chair, listening to his subordinate's report.
He was the Black Tiger Gang's leader, One-Eyed Tiger, Wang Ba.
"Gang Leader, that brat has been in the limelight too much lately. Ever since Liu Mazi was chopped down by him, our business in the south of the city has plummeted. The brothers don't even dare go out, afraid they'll run into that baleful star."
A trusted minor leader spoke with a bitter expression.
Wang Ba slammed his hand on the table and roared, "A mere greenhorn scared you into this state? You've thrown away every last shred of the Black Tiger Gang's face!"
"But, Gang Leader, that brat is wickedly strange! The moment he draws his saber, someone dies. We..."
"Enough!"
Wang Ba cut him off irritably.
"I don't care how strange he is! He dared to kill a man of the Black Tiger Gang, so he must die! Didn't Constable Li already send word? We're to find a chance and finish him!"
"But..."
"No buts!"
Wang Ba snorted coldly. "If facing him head-on won't work, then we'll play dirty! Doesn't he like meddling in other people's business? Then give him some business to meddle in! Go find those habitual thieves in the city with sticky fingers. Tell them to be more active lately—the bigger a racket they make, the better!"
"I refuse to believe that he alone can solve every case in the entire city! Once he's run ragged and exhausted, that will be our best chance to strike!"
"Gang Leader is wise!"
A conspiracy targeting Lin Feng quietly unfolded.
And every word of it was heard clearly by a weasel hiding atop a roof beam.
A trace of human-like contempt flashed through Huang Fugui's mung-bean eyes.
"With such a tiny trick, you want to deal with my master? Lighting a lamp in an outhouse—courting death!"
It silently slipped out of the main hall and told Lin Feng, who was dozing in his room, everything exactly as it had happened.
"Trying to cause me trouble? Good. I was just worrying that I had no reason to uproot your entire Black Tiger Gang, roots and all!"
Before you continue