Jin Biao was dumbfounded.
Even his two lackeys were stunned. They hadn't expected their Master Biao to get beaten up.
The surrounding street vendors gaped in shock.
They had never seen anything like it.
That was Jin Biao, Master Biao—the evil, arrogant thug with powerful connections.
They weren't the only ones stunned. Even Lin Fan was taken aback. What had gotten into Wu Yong these past two days? He was like a keg of gunpowder, constantly on the verge of exploding.
Still, it was no bad thing.
As an officer of the Security Bureau, he couldn't go around announcing his own status every time he went out. When someone else volunteered to do it for him, it seemed to raise his prestige a little.
"You—you dare hit me?"
Jin Biao came to his senses and glared at Wu Yong, but his eyes remained fixed on Lin Fan. The uniform Lin Fan wore marked him as a rookie officer. Jin Biao knew that all the officers he dealt with were full-fledged officers.
At that moment, he flew into a rage.
Whoever you are, you're just a rookie officer. You dared to hit me, Jin Biao, in broad daylight? You must be tired of living!
Seeing how brazen Jin Biao still was, Lin Fan realized the man hadn't figured out his underworld connections. Looks like he'd have to use something else to put him in his place.
Clang!
In broad daylight, a gleaming blade came to rest on Jin Biao's shoulder. In an instant, the fury on his face vanished, and his eyes turned clear and foolish.
Lin Fan couldn't be bothered with Jin Biao. His brothers had investigated the man thoroughly and stripped him bare, down to his underpants. He was a street thug who ran rampant through the market.
In the eyes of ordinary folk, Jin Biao was even more frightening than an officer.
But to Lin Fan, he was just a nobody. He couldn't be bothered with him. Even if he arrested Jin Biao, it wouldn't count as a real achievement—just another notch in the Security Bureau's public-safety record. What Lin Fan wanted was to restore the officers' reputation.
He didn't care how the other officers were seen.
But he would never allow his own name to be dragged through the mud.
Anyone who tried to ruin his reputation would pay for it.
Not even the King of Heaven could stop him.
Lin Fan turned to Madam Li. "What happened? Tell me everything, from beginning to end."
Madam Li had already given up hope. But seeing an officer actually dare to lay hands on Jin Biao, she immediately recounted the whole affair, one detail after another. All the grievances she had bottled up burst out at once.
After hearing the whole story, Lin Fan thundered, "You dog, Jin Biao! In broad daylight, you dared to molest a respectable woman, extort money from her in the street, and let others beat innocent civilians. Fine! You've got some nerve!"
Jin Biao was cowed.
He looked at Lin Fan, then at the group behind him, all glaring as if they wanted to tear him apart.
Wait, who exactly was this guy?
If he was an officer, then who were these vicious-looking men around him, itching to rip Jin Biao to shreds?
"I didn't! I didn't!" Jin Biao shouted, refusing to admit a thing.
Lin Fan ignored him and said, "According to the Market Regulations in the Statutes, page five, line three: if a rogue repeatedly extorts stallholders and the stolen sum is less than one tael, the punishment is sixty strokes. The sentence increases as the sum rises."
"Madam Li, where's the money this rogue extorted?"
At Lin Fan's question, Madam Li stared blankly at the three steamed buns lying on the ground nearby.
Lin Fan picked up a bun and nodded. "Madam Li, how much are these buns worth?"
"Your Excellency, five copper coins."
"Very well. Less than one tael, so the punishment is sixty strokes. The Security Bureau has the authority to carry it out in the street, as a warning to others."
Lin Fan's voice rang out, carrying to the ears of the people around them. Every last one of them was stunned.
Huh?
He was really going to do it?
"I've been wronged! I've been wronged!" Jin Biao cried. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. "I didn't extort her repeatedly! She only set up her stall today. This is my first offense!"
Lin Fan frowned. "Madam Li, is what he says true?"
At his question, Madam Li's heart gave a lurch. She couldn't help suspecting that the officer was in league with Jin Biao and wanted to let him off. With that thought, she reluctantly nodded.
Jin Biao let out a breath of relief. Damn, he'd thought they were going to kill him. Once he was free, he'd make sure to take his revenge.
But soon, Lin Fan's next words left him utterly dumbfounded.
"Very well. According to the Theft and Robbery section of the Statutes, page fifteen, line six: if a rogue openly demands money in broad daylight without resorting to violence, but acts in a domineering manner, the offense is classified as robbery. If the stolen goods are worth less than five taels, the punishment is one hundred strokes."
What the hell? Why had he added another forty strokes?
He was clearly trying to beat Jin Biao to death.
And those weren't even all his crimes.
"According to the Sexual Offenses section of the Statutes, page twenty, line one: anyone who insults a respectable woman with obscene language shall receive eighty strokes. If he humiliates a woman in public and damages her reputation, the sentence is one hundred strokes and a month in the cangue."
"According to the section of the Statutes on brawling between freeborn and bonded people, or inciting others to fight..."
The market fell silent. The people stood with their mouths agape. The anger in their eyes had faded, replaced by bewilderment. As Lin Fan rattled on, citing the laws with crisp precision, their minds went blank.
They couldn't understand a word.
But that didn't stop them from cheering.
Lin Fan cleared his throat a few times and said, "With multiple offenses, the charges pile up. Jin Biao, you'd better hope you haven't committed any serious crimes before, or you'll be done for."
When it came to understanding the law, he could proudly say this: in all of Yong'an County, except for the teacher at Qingfang Private School, no one could recite the statutes better than he could.
That was the fruit of months of hard work.
Reciting the laws? That was his specialty.
Jin Biao stood there in a daze. Lin Fan had truly stunned him. He'd never even gone to school, so he had no idea what Lin Fan was talking about.
But he knew he was in trouble.
At that thought, Jin Biao stuck out his neck and roared, "What nonsense are you spouting? I didn't do it! You're making things up and framing me, you—"
Smack!
"Shut up." Lin Fan raised a hand and slapped him across the face, leaving Jin Biao's mouth bloody. "One look at your stupid eyes tells me you're not just illiterate, you're law-ignorant too. The statutes spell everything out, clear as day. But there's no point explaining it all to you. Men, take him back with the others and give them a thorough interrogation."
His men immediately seized Jin Biao and his two lackeys.
Struggling, Jin Biao roared, "Let me go! Let me go! I work for Master Qin Four!"
Who cared if it was Qin Si or Dog Si?
As far as Lin Fan was concerned, if he caught them, he'd deal with them.
Lin Fan turned to the people in the market. "Fellow townspeople, I'm Lin Fan of the Security Bureau. From now on, if you suffer any injustice, come straight to the Security Bureau and find me. I'll see that you get justice."
"Well said, Lord Lin!"
"A righteous official!"
"Waaah, at last, we've got a good man who'll stand up for us!"
The people in the market erupted with excitement.
They were overjoyed.
There were no words to express how they felt.
Lin Fan swept his hand through the air and led his men away in a grand procession. The townspeople watched them go.
Meanwhile, Qian Tao, who had been hiding in the crowd, called out, "Do you know who that was just now?"
The people looked at him blankly.
Qian Tao lifted his chin, looking pleased with himself. "Don't think that man was just a rookie officer. His other title carries plenty of weight. They call him Master Lin—the Master Lin of Jili Pier in Loyalty Hall."
"He took down eighteen men at Cui Jing Tower, then publicly slapped Young Master Sun Yaowei of the Fierce Tiger Gang."
Sun Yaowei: What nonsense! I was the one who kowtowed. Chen Liang was the one who got slapped.
"And in the shantytown, he beat Fierce Tiger Gang hall leader Yuan Jiang with a single stick until he was howling. You've all heard about those deeds, haven't you?"
When Qian Tao finished, the people in the market were thunderstruck. They finally came to their senses.
"What? That was the famous Master Lin?"
"Wonderful! I've heard for ages that Master Lin is an upright man. Now that he's an officer of the Security Bureau, good days are finally coming for us common folk!"
As the people excitedly discussed the matter, Qian Tao nodded with satisfaction.
Then he hurried off in the direction Brother Lin had gone.
Jin Biao, one of Master Qin Four's men?
Ha!
Next to Brother Lin, he was just a small-time punk with a little clout.
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