Return to the Garrison Command

The tall, grey-black city walls of Black Rock City loomed into view, and the dusty group of travelers pressed onward without pause.

Lin Feng walked at the front, the head of a Black Tiger Demon clutched in his hand, its thick demonic blood still dripping, leaving intermittent dark red trails on the ground.

Behind him, the soldiers of the Northern Garrison Command, though weary, had exceptionally bright eyes. They gazed at the tall, straight figure ahead, filled with reverence.

They proceeded unimpeded, heading straight for the Northern Garrison Command's yamen in the north of the city.

Before the imposing, black lacquered main gate, two guards, hands resting on their sabers, blocked their path.

Their gazes swept over the ferocious tiger head in Lin Feng's hand, their pupils contracting slightly, but more so was a programmed arrogance.

"Halt! This is a restricted area of the Northern Garrison Command. Unauthorized personnel..." the burly guard on the left barked sternly, his tone impatient.

Lin Feng's steps didn't falter; he interrupted directly.

Lin Feng, Qianhu of the Northern Garrison Command, ordered the clearing of Black Wind Stronghold. I now present the head of the bandit leader Cao Meng and am here to report.

"Qianhu?" The burly guard sized Lin Feng up and down. Seeing his dusty appearance and ordinary clothes, his face immediately showed undisguised mockery. "You? A Qianhu? I've been serving in the Northern Garrison Command for five years, how have I never seen a Qianhu like you?

You chopped off a wild beast's head from who knows where and dare to impersonate merit, coming to our Northern Garrison Command to swindle? I think you're tired of living!"

The slightly shorter guard on the right also sneered, "Exactly. Cao Meng, the chieftain of Black Wind Village, is notoriously fierce. How could you possibly kill him?

If you know what's good for you, scram quickly, otherwise don't blame us for being ruthless with our blades!"

Lin Feng's eyes were indifferent as he looked at the faces of the two guards, filled with contempt and mockery.

He didn't get angry, merely slowly raised his left hand.

A waist token forged from dark iron, inscribed with intricate cloud patterns and the words "Lin Feng, Qianhu of the Northern Garrison Command," was revealed. In the dim light, it emitted a cold, faint glow.

Simultaneously, a condensed, mountain-like, sharp-as-a-knife palm intent flashed and disappeared, like an invisible needle prick, sweeping across the souls of the two guards.

The sneering laughter abruptly ceased.

The expressions on the two guards' faces instantly froze, shifting from extreme disdain to extreme shock.

The waist token was undeniable, and that soul-shattering aura was even more so!

This was true palm intent! Palm intent that only geniuses who had reached a certain level of cultivation could comprehend!

"P-palm intent..." the burly guard's voice trembled, his legs went weak, and he nearly fell to his knees. "Are... are you truly Qianhu Lin? This subordinate was blind! This subordinate deserves to die!

I beg Qianhu Lord for mercy! Mercy!"

He kowtowed like pounding garlic. The other guard, his face already pale, also desperately begged for mercy.

"The gates of the Northern Garrison Command do not tolerate fools," Lin Feng's tone was calm, revealing no hint of anger or pleasure.

Before his voice faded, he kept the tiger head in his right hand steady and, with his left hand, formed a sword with his fingers, casually pointing and slashing forward.

Two almost imperceptible, sharp bursts of energy tore through the air.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The guards' pleas for mercy abruptly stopped. Tiny blood holes appeared on their foreheads, their eyes fixed in a permanent state of terror and disbelief.

Their bodies swayed and they fell straight backward, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

Lin Feng didn't even glance at the corpses. Carrying the dripping tiger head, he strode across the threshold and walked straight inside.

As he passed by personnel of the command, they saw the tiger head in his hand and felt the not-yet-fully-dissipated bloody killing intent. Their expressions all changed, and they lowered their heads, making way.

He passed through several courtyards and arrived outside the main hall.

Inside the hall, Shen Mo, the Commander of the Northern Garrison Command, sat in the main seat. Below him, at the guest seats, were the patriarchs of the Three Great Families, led by Wang Xiong—Wang Xiong, Li Wanshan, and Nalan Qing.

They were clearly discussing important matters.

Lin Feng stepped into the hall, his footsteps exceptionally clear in the silence.

Can't find the book title? Try searching for the author, maybe the name has changed!

Instantly, all eyes focused on him, especially on the conspicuous Black Tiger head in his hand.

Wang Xiong spoke first, his voice booming, laced with undisguised mockery.

"Oh, isn't this our Northern Garrison Command's newly promoted young genius, Qianhu Lin? How long has it been since you left? Why are you running back in such a sorry state?

Could it be that the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold were too fierce, scaring our Qianhu Lin silly, so much so that you forgot about the mission and rushed back to cry to Lord Shen?

Li Wanshan stroked his beard and interjected sarcastically.

"Brother Wang, you speak incorrectly. Perhaps Qianhu Lin realized he was no match and wisely chose to protect himself?

It's good for a young person to know their limits. It's better than losing their life in some desolate, harsh land."

Although Nalan Qing didn't directly mock him, the faint, sneering smile at the corner of his mouth indicated his attitude.

Shen Mo, seated above, frowned slightly but did not immediately speak to reprimand them. He merely watched Lin Feng.

Lin Feng acted as if he heard none of the cold sarcasm. He walked directly to the center of the hall, casually threw the Black Tiger Demon's head onto the ground, which landed with a dull thud, and its demonic blood spread into a stain on the carpet.

He looked up, his gaze calm as he looked at Shen Mo, his voice clear.

"Reporting to the Commander, the bandit leader Cao Meng of Black Wind Stronghold has been slain by me. This is his head."

The moment these words were spoken, a deathly silence fell over the hall.

Immediately after, Wang Xiong burst into louder laughter, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Hahaha! You say you killed Cao Meng? You? Lin Feng, do you know who Cao Meng is..."

He paused, considering certain secrets, and didn't directly reveal the demon form.

"He's a fierce individual capable of fighting a peak Sixth Rank expert! How could you, a junior who just entered the Seventh Rank, kill him? With this tiger head you picked up from who knows where?"

Li Wanshan also shook his head and chuckled.

"Lord Lin Qianhu, it's understandable for young people to be competitive, but falsely reporting military achievements is a serious crime. Do you think we, and Lord Shen, are all blind?"

Nalan Qing finally spoke lightly, his tone carrying a condescending scrutiny. "Nephew Lin, if you truly suffered a setback, honesty is the best policy. Why resort to such methods that only invite ridicule?"

The patriarchs of the Three Great Families spoke one after another, their words filled with extreme disdain and doubt. They simply did not believe Lin Feng could complete such a difficult mission.

They were convinced that Lin Feng had brought back a tiger head to claim credit, or at most, had coincidentally killed a demon beast, and it had nothing to do with Cao Meng.

The atmosphere in the hall was filled with disdain and doubt towards Lin Feng.

Facing the mockery and accusations as if he were the target of a thousand arrows, Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged. He merely looked at Wang Xiong and the others indifferently, like watching noisy summer cicadas.

"Cao Meng transformed into this beast," he said, pointing to the tiger's head on the ground, his tone firm.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiong seemed to have found an even bigger handle to grasp. He sneered.

"The more you talk, the more absurd it gets! Cao Meng was a human martial artist, how could he be a tiger demon? Lin Feng, at least make your lies believable!"

"Is that so?" A very faint curve seemed to form at the corner of Lin Feng's mouth, carrying a hint of coldness.

He reached out, as if to take a further step to prove his claim, perhaps to retrieve other evidence from his storage bag, or perhaps...

His hand hovered in mid-air, his movement pausing slightly.

This very pause heightened everyone's curiosity, doubt, and mockery to the extreme.

Wang Xiong, Li Wanshan, and Nalan Qing's gazes were fixed on Lin Feng's hand, their faces showing even more ridicule.

"Lie, keep lying. Let's see what ridiculous thing you can produce!"

Shen Mo's gaze also held scrutiny and doubt.

The entire main hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, and the air seemed to solidify.