Miss Zijing, the flying thief, had caused quite a stir in the city lately, and Shen Lin, being in the County Yamen, knew all about it.
Among the wealthy households in the county seat, which ones had she not visited?
Some had even lost lives.
Although Shen Lin knew that the hands of those wealthy families were not necessarily clean, they had occupied high positions for years. How could they tolerate a flying thief defecating on their heads?
If word got out that he had secretly helped a flying thief, the trouble would be immense.
Shen Lin could break through to the Innate Realm at any time now, so he was not worried about his own safety.
But what if the other party used some means to make Shen Lin an accomplice, or even have him wanted by the authorities?
The Demon Suppression Division would never take in a wanted criminal.
Shen Lin wore a dark expression. After remaining silent for a long while, he finally asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"
Miss Zijing gave a bitter smile. "I didn't mean to threaten you. It's just... after this is over, I'll give you a satisfactory reward!"
She seemed to want to explain something, but after seeing the cold look in Shen Lin's eyes, she abandoned the idea and said directly, "I want you to go investigate the situation tonight and see how he's doing now. Once you return, we'll discuss the rest of the plan."
Upon hearing this, Shen Lin rose and left without the slightest hesitation.
At the entrance of the County Yamen, Steward Qian looked at the sky and could not help sighing.
Because of that Demonic Cultivator case, he had not returned home for three days straight.
Today, the case had finally shown some leads, so it was time to go home and rest for one night.
Otherwise, that tigress at home might make a scene at the County Yamen.
"Hm..." Just as he was about to leave, he saw a figure emerge from the darkness.
By the light at the entrance of the County Yamen, he recognized the other person and smiled. "Brother Shen, what brings you to the County Yamen so late? Did you forget something?"
Shen Lin, who had worn a gloomy expression earlier, had once again returned to his usual roguish grin. With a wicked smile, he said, "That bottomless pit at home is almost sucking me dry. I had no choice. To save my life, I could only find an excuse to come out and spend some time at the County Yamen."
Steward Qian gave a similarly wicked smile. With a sigh, he spoke as someone who had been through it before. "Sigh, you're still doing fine. Miss Zijing is young yet. Once she gets a little older, you'll learn just how terrifying women can be."
Then he patted Shen Lin on the shoulder and strode into the darkness without looking back.
The journey home somehow carried the mournful air of "the wind sighs, the Yi River runs cold."
Shen Lin watched him leave. Once he turned around, the smile on his face instantly faded.
He entered the Criminal Affairs Office and sauntered toward its prison.
"Stop! Who are you?!"
An unfamiliar face stood at the prison entrance. Though dressed in ordinary clothes, he arrogantly shouted at Shen Lin to stop.
Shen Lin seemed somewhat curious and walked over.
"Who are you?"
"Don't concern yourself with who I am. The prison is holding important criminals! Idle bystanders are forbidden to approach!"
Shen Lin was so furious that he laughed instead. He pointed at his own clothes, then at the other man. "This is the County Yamen! Between you and me, who's the idle bystander?"
But the other man seemed not to notice Shen Lin's clothes at all. Seeing him approach step by step, he frowned and immediately drew the iron sword at his waist.
"Stop! If you take another step, don't blame my treasured sword for being blind!"
"Your treasured sword is blind?" Shen Lin's expression darkened. He suddenly stepped forward and viciously kicked the man in the chest.
"I say you're the one without eyes!!!"
Shen Lin's kick left the man completely helpless. He flew backward, smashed through the wooden door, and rolled inside.
"Who is it?!"
The next moment, several figures burst out of the prison.
Every one of them was a martial artist, but they were all dressed in ordinary clothes and were not members of the County Yamen.
Although they still shouted questions as they rushed out, their movements were utterly merciless. They drew their swords and slashed straight at Shen Lin.
"Good, good, good!"
Shen Lin gave a cold laugh and charged forward.
This time, he held nothing back.
These people had clearly come to kill him, so there was no need for him to show mercy either.
Bang!
Shen Lin threw a punch. One man's chest caved in, and he flew away vomiting blood.
A side kick struck another man directly in the head. The tremendous force instantly made blood pour from all seven orifices before his body collapsed limply to the ground.
These men were all martial artists who had grown accustomed to throwing their weight around in Qiulin County. They never would have imagined that they would run into a living Yama today.
Shen Lin had not even used his full strength. Merely revealing the cultivation of the first level of the Meridian Opening Realm, he had been like a tiger among sheep, dispatching them all in the blink of an eye.
After kicking the last man to the ground, Shen Lin snatched his longsword and pressed it against the man's neck. Just as he was about to send him to the afterlife, an angry roar came from inside the prison.
"Stop!!!"
A resolute-looking man with thick brows and large eyes walked out.
He was a martial artist of the Meridian Opening Realm.
Shen Lin sized him up and found his face completely unfamiliar. Clearly, he was not a member of the County Yamen.
Then he had to be a retainer of one of the wealthy families.
Behind that man, Qiulin County Lieutenant Hu Dongxing and another martial artist of the Meridian Opening Realm also emerged.
"Who are you? How dare you attack in the Criminal Affairs Office prison? Release my disciple at once!"
The thick-browed, large-eyed man glared at Shen Lin furiously.
When Hu Dongxing, standing behind him, saw Shen Lin, he had just raised his hand to say something when a splurt sounded.
A column of blood shot into the sky. Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Lin had slit the man's throat with one sword.
He lifted his head with a face full of smiles and looked at Hu Dongxing. "County Lieutenant Hu, these people broke into the County Yamen at night and attacked me, an officer of the County Yamen. By law, that counts as rebellion!"
"I'll rebel against your mother!!!"
Amid a furious roar, the thick-browed, large-eyed man charged straight at Shen Lin.
At the instant Shen Lin cut down the last man, he had also taken in the situation before him.
The many disciples who had followed him for seven or eight years were now all sprawled across the ground.
Moreover, they appeared to have lost all signs of life. They clearly could not be saved.
He, Cheng Shanhe, had served as a retainer of the Li Household in Qiulin County for many years and had countless disciples under him. Who would dare not show him respect?
Yet this bastard had killed his disciples right in front of him. If he could not reclaim this honor, how would he continue to make a living in Qiulin County?
Shen Lin looked at his burly opponent, who radiated the aura of the third level of the Meridian Opening Realm. He narrowed his eyes, hesitating over whether to kill this man as well, when two figures arrived after setting out later but reached the scene first, blocking Cheng Shanhe.
"Brother Cheng, calm down!!!"
The other Meridian Opening Realm retainer who had appeared with Hu Dongxing spoke politely.
Hu Dongxing, however, was completely impolite.
"Cheng! Brother Shen is right. You attacked our people here in the County Yamen. Are you trying to rebel?"
Cheng Shanhe pointed at Shen Lin and cursed, "Nonsense! That bastard struck first and killed someone! I was avenging my disciple—how did that become rebellion?"
"You fool! You're out roaming the jianghu without even carrying a copy of the criminal law?"
Shen Lin cast the other man a disdainful look, as though asking where this idiot had come from.
This was the County Yamen, and Shen Lin was wearing an officer's uniform. That meant he represented the face of the entire County Yamen.
Attacking him here gave Shen Lin every justification for killing those men.
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