Before long, Du Yuanshan came over, carrying the young man.
"Why have you followed me all this way, and what do you want?"
Lin Youwei, who had always seemed very approachable in front of Shen Lin, now put on the airs of a county magistrate. He looked quite intimidating.
The man seemed scared witless. He stood there blankly staring at Lin Youyouwei.
"His Excellency is talking to you!"
Advisor Li scolded him impatiently.
Only then did the man come to his senses. His body trembled, and he immediately fell to his knees, crying, "My lord, please seek justice for this humble citizen! My family originally owned a hundred qing of good farmland, but just because we offended that landlord, he tried to seize it by force and beat my elderly father to death..."
Upon hearing this, Lin Youwei shot Advisor Li a displeased look.
Advisor Li immediately understood his meaning and shouted, "Shoo, shoo, shoo! If you want to report a case, go to the Criminal Affairs Office and explain everything clearly first. His Excellency the County Magistrate is busy with official duties day in and day out. How could he personally concern himself with such a minor matter?"
At that moment, Shen Lin, who had already been looking for a chance to slip away, rolled his eyes and immediately stepped forward. With righteous indignation, he said, "Advisor Li, that's not right. Who in the entire Qiulin County doesn't know that Lord Lin loves the people as his own children and enforces the law with an iron hand? Yet under His Excellency's rule, a murder has actually occurred..."
He turned around, clasped his fists toward Lin Youwei, and said, "Lord Lin, it seems today's assignment will have to be pushed back. This subordinate will take this man to the Criminal Affairs Office and investigate the case until every last detail comes to light!"
Lin Youwei's face was gloomy, without the slightest ripple of emotion.
It seemed he had not been trapped at all by Shen Lin's flattery.
He gave Shen Lin a deep look, then suddenly smiled. "Since that's the case, I'll trouble you, Brother Shen!"
"It is my duty!"
After saying this, Shen Lin turned around, grabbed the man, and headed straight for the Criminal Affairs Office.
Watching him gradually disappear, Advisor Li stood beside Lin Youwei and said in a low voice, "My lord, this fellow is far too arrogant about his talents. Not only did he refuse to join your command, but now he won't even give you the face of sharing a meal!"
Unlike Advisor Li's indignation, Lin Youwei showed little anger. Instead, he smiled and said, "That's normal! With a talent like his, using him as a dog would be a waste. It will be more useful to me once he enters the Demon Suppression Division."
Those words were highly inappropriate. He might as well have pointed at Du Yuanshan and said, "You're a dog I raised."
Yet the Golden Brush Guest's expression remained unchanged, as though he did not care in the slightest about Lin Youwei's insult.
"Forget it. Subduing a genius like this requires patience!"
Lin Youwei shook his head, turned around, and continued walking.
"My lord, are we still going to Yanbin Tower?"
"One still has to eat."
Lin Youwei seemed not to have cared at all about Shen Lin's earlier behavior, and cheerfully arrived at Yanbin Tower.
The proprietor of Yanbin Tower had received word and had been waiting outside for some time.
The moment he saw Lin Youwei arrive, he hurried over.
"County Magistrate, your presence at my establishment is truly our honor. This humble Yanbin Tower is basking in glory today. It is simply..."
"All right, all right!"
Lin Youwei patted him on the shoulder, interrupting his flattery. With a smile, he said, "As a county magistrate, I bustle about every day, yet my annual salary amounts to only a few hundred taels. How could I possibly live as comfortably as Shopkeeper Zhao?"
As he spoke, he rubbed the man's clothes and joked, "Just this Shu brocade you're wearing would be enough to cover ten years of my salary..."
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly froze and subconsciously rubbed the man's clothes again.
"Does Lord Lin like this Shu brocade? I have some at home..."
Shopkeeper Zhao did not understand what was happening. He was just about to continue when he noticed that the county magistrate's expression had suddenly darkened.
Then, without saying a word, Lin Youwei turned and walked away, leaving a bewildered Shopkeeper Zhao behind.
Completely baffled, Advisor Li hurried after Lin Youwei and asked, "My lord, aren't we eating?"
Lin Youwei slowly shook his head and said solemnly, "That man just now called himself a humble citizen. But did you notice the clothes he was wearing?"
"His clothes?"
Advisor Li froze for a moment and carefully thought back. Suddenly, his expression changed as he murmured, "That was... Qingzhou satin???"
"He didn't say where he was from, nor did he give the name of the landlord who bullied him..."
Lin Youwei quickened his pace and returned to the County Yamen before long.
He casually grabbed a constable and asked, "Where is the man Shen Lin brought back just now?"
The constable had no idea what was happening after being seized by the county magistrate. Nervously, he said, "R-Reporting to the County Magistrate, Master Shen came back just now and met Miss Zijing, then left directly with her. I didn't see him bring anyone back..."
Night gradually descended, but Lin Youwei's expression was even grayer than the sky.
Not long before, Shen Lin had been in a fine mood after avoiding a tedious social engagement. Thus, he said to the young man, "While we have the time, sort everything out carefully. Once we reach the Criminal Affairs Office, explain the whole matter clearly. Understood?"
The other man, however, seemed distracted. After hesitating for a while, he suddenly said, "Constable, I just remembered that I have something to take care of at home. I won't report the case today."
"You won't report it?"
Shen Lin looked at him in confusion, unable to figure out what the man was thinking.
You stopped the county magistrate in the street and cried out for justice, and now you're suddenly unwilling to report the case?
Before he could ask anything further, he saw a graceful figure standing at the County Yamen's entrance.
Miss Zijing was dressed in purple and stood there quietly.
Yet from the way she kept kneading the back of her hand, it was clear that her emotions were not nearly as calm as she appeared.
What had happened?
"Wait here for me. I have something to take care of."
After instructing the young man, Shen Lin walked toward Miss Zijing.
"What happened? Why did you come here looking for me?"
The moment Miss Zijing saw Shen Lin, her entire body relaxed. She took a deep breath, glanced around, and revealed a radiant smile. "Nothing. I just missed you. Let's go home first."
Shen Lin understood that whatever had happened to her was certainly not something they could discuss at the County Yamen. He was just about to hand the young man over to the people in the Criminal Affairs Office when he turned around and found nothing behind him.
The young man seemed to have truly abandoned the idea and left without reporting the case.
Shen Lin shook his head helplessly and said to Miss Zijing, "Let's go."
The two returned to Shen Lin's Household. The moment he closed the door, Miss Zijing spoke impatiently. "Five Meridian-Opening Pills. Do me a favor!"
Faced with such an enormous temptation, Shen Lin did not agree right away. Instead, he asked, "Tell me what it is first."
At that moment, Shen Lin possessed more than seven hundred years of Demon Lifespan, so he was no longer as short of Meridian-Opening Pills as before.
If necessary, he could even use Demon Lifespan to forcefully batter open his meridians.
But Miss Zijing was so flustered this time that the situation was probably extremely serious. He had to be careful for his own sake.
After a moment of silence, Miss Zijing said, "I have a subordinate who, when we went to Baoshan Village, stayed in the city and continued stealing in my place. Unfortunately, he was arrested. I want you to help me break him out!"
"Arrested?"
Shen Lin raised his eyebrows, catching the key point in her words.
Miss Zijing's expression was awful as she said, "Hu Dongxing joined forces with the Meridian Opening Realm guest warriors of the wealthy families in the county and ambushed us at the Li Household. My man was caught red-handed. He is now being held in the prison beneath the Criminal Affairs Office..."
Before she could finish, Shen Lin immediately shook his head and pointed at the door.
See yourself out!
Goodbye!
This woman has gone mad. She actually wants me to help her break someone out of prison!
But Miss Zijing's next words made his expression change.
"If you don't help me, then once he can't withstand the torture and confesses everything, neither of us will be able to escape!"
Before you continue