As Expected of Silver Cudgel Lin Fan

"Ah, it really is He Sen."

"Isn't he the head of Loyalty Hall? He's infamous for being vicious and ruthless. How'd he end up in a prison cart?"

"Look at him—he's covered in blood. They must've tortured him."

"That's not all. Look at the color of the pants around He Sen's butt. Isn't it dark yellow? That's definitely shit. They beat the shit right out of him."

"...?"

In the crowd, a burly man gazed proudly at his handiwork. The Wolf Fang Sky Cannon he'd forged really did live up to its name.

At that moment,

Yang Ming rode with his head held high, basking in the people's attention. He was positively beaming.

At last, he'd found the sense of fulfillment he'd been looking for ever since he'd defied his parents and become an officer.

Captain Song took in the people's gazes. He'd never seen such excitement in their eyes. He Sen and the others had been arrested, just as everyone had hoped.

He looked at Lin Fan.

He knew the kid could fight, but he hadn't realized he was this bold, too. A storm was coming, and as a captain, his only role was to shoulder the fallout.

He absolutely couldn't bow his head under pressure.

He'd been in the Security Bureau for so many years. Looking back, it seemed he'd never arrested anyone truly dangerous. The powerful figures entrenched in Yong'an City, who'd been greedily sucking the people dry, had long since joined forces.

He wanted to take them on, but he didn't have the power to do it.

Wearing a uniform and carrying a saber at your waist didn't mean you could do whatever you wanted. If it did, you might not even know how you'd died.

Suddenly,

The horses stopped.

An ordinary citizen stepped in front of the procession and dropped to his knees. "Sir, what crime has He Sen committed?"

Lin Fan was taken aback. He'd thought the man was here to cause trouble, but anger filled his eyes. Clearly, he was a victim.

"He broke into a private home at night and tried to violate an innocent young woman. We caught him in the act." Lin Fan's voice rang out, carrying in every direction. He wanted every citizen to hear.

"Sir, then... what punishment will he get?" Wang Ding asked, his voice trembling.

At those words,

The people around them pricked up their ears to listen.

They all

But one citizen muttered under his breath, "What punishment? They'll lock him up for a while, then let him go. There are plenty of powerful people who'll protect someone like He Sen."

The people nearby heard him and silently nodded. He was right.

Seeing He Sen paraded through the streets in a prison cart was already proof that these officers were different from the others—at least, they were making progress.

But when they heard Lin Fan's answer,

They were stunned.

"At the very least, hanging." Lin Fan said it as casually as could be.

Wang Ding knelt there, dumbstruck, his eyes wide.

H-hanging?

"Hahaha..." Wang Ding laughed, throwing his head back as tears spilled from his eyes. "Sir, if you really can get He Sen hanged, then from this day on, my life is yours."

"What would I want your life for? Get up. I know you've been wronged. Don't worry, I'll see that you get justice," Lin Fan said.

Wang Ding knocked his head heavily against the ground, then rose and stepped aside.

He Sen, locked in the prison cart, looked drained, but he still roared, "Lin, don't think you can have me killed! Even if I did try to violate her, I didn't succeed. You can't kill me!"

Smack!

An egg whistled through the air and burst against He Sen's head. Wang Ding had thrown one of the eggs he sold.

Lin Fan ignored He Sen and looked at Wang Ding instead. "Was that a good egg?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then why'd you waste a good egg on him? Couldn't you have kept it to eat or sell?"

"Sir, I hate him to the bone."

"There are broken stones all over the road, and plenty of free shit in the latrines. If you're shameless enough, grab a handful and feed it to him. What could I possibly say?"

Lin Fan shook his head. What a waste of perfectly good food.

To Wang Ding, Lin Fan's words were like a splash of cold water to the face. He suddenly saw the light and hurried away. When he came back, the air around him reeked. Wang Ding had really grabbed a handful of shit. He scrambled onto the prison cart, and under He Sen's murderous glare, shoved it straight into his mouth.

"Eat shit!"

He Sen gagged over and over as Wang Ding forced it down.

Everyone who saw it sucked in a sharp breath.

Damn, that was ruthless.

Even Lin Fan felt a chill run through him. This man was a real hard case—he had to have a blood feud with He Sen.

Suddenly,

Footsteps approached.

"Move aside! Move aside!"

Lin Fan looked ahead and saw a group of officers appear. At their head was Chen Xingzhi, his face cold and his anger plain. He'd only just left home that morning when he learned that Lin Fan had been brazen enough to arrest He Sen.

He'd gone to the Security Bureau, intending to reprimand Lin Fan and make him hand He Sen over.

Who could've guessed that this bastard had taken the prisoners on a parade through the streets?

That sent him into a fury.

He'd hurried over with his men.

Before Lin Fan could speak, Chen Xingzhi snapped, "Lin Fan, you've got some nerve! You're a rookie officer. Who gave you the authority to parade prisoners through the streets? Get off your horse this instant, take off your saber and uniform!"

The people around them exchanged glances.

It seemed the situation was about to change. They all knew who Chen Xingzhi was: a captain in the Security Bureau. Song Qing was a captain too, but he couldn't hold a candle to Chen Xingzhi.

Just as Song Qing was about to say something, Lin Fan raised a hand to stop him, dismounted, and walked up to Chen Xingzhi without bowing or blustering.

"Headman Chen, are you here to protect He Sen?" Lin Fan asked.

"Impudent! Didn't you hear what I said? Take off your saber and uniform, then get back to the Security Bureau and wait for punishment!" Chen Xingzhi barked. He hadn't expected a mere rookie officer to dare defy him.

This was outrageous—utterly outrageous.

He Sen, locked in the prison cart, knew someone had come to save him. He secretly swore that Lin would pay dearly for this.

He would.

Lin Fan smiled, raised his hand, and clenched it into a fist in front of Chen Xingzhi.

"Headman Chen, do you know what this is?" Lin Fan asked.

"A fist."

"Congratulations, you got it right. Here's one for you."

As soon as the words left his mouth,

Lin Fan swung, punching Chen Xingzhi square in the face. With a thud, the headman's features twisted and his face caved in. He dropped unconscious on the spot.

Two streams of blood ran from his nose as he hit the ground.

Silence. Utter silence.

Ah!

Ah!

It all happened so fast that no one could react.

The officers who'd come with Chen Xingzhi were dumbfounded. They stared at Lin Fan as if they'd seen a ghost. Chen Xingzhi's trusted aide raised a trembling hand. "Y-you dare?"

Lin Fan snorted. "Take him and get out of here! Damn it, I'm parading criminals through the streets, and you lot dare stand in my way? You think I don't dare beat you?"

The officers who'd accompanied Chen Xingzhi were terrified into silence.

Song Qing's eyelids twitched. He stared, dumbfounded, unable to recover for a long time.

Yang Ming couldn't help muttering, "Holy crap, big brother's a beast. Master, will this... be all right?"

"What do you think?"

Song Qing was at a complete loss for words.

He couldn't understand how Lin Fan had the nerve to do that.

He was a rookie officer, and Chen Xingzhi was a captain. Even with all the influence I had, I'm not sure I could've handled this.

"Keep parading them through the streets," Lin Fan ordered, sweeping his hand.

The prison cart rolled onward.

The people cheered.

"Officer Lin, you're awesome!"

"Long live Lord Lin!"

"..."

In a teahouse by the street,

Qin Si and Peng Chang stared down at the scene in astonishment. One couldn't help exclaiming,

"As expected of Silver Cudgel Lin Fan."

"He's lawless!"

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