Headman Chen, Don't Kill Me, We're Colleagues

Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!

The prisoners' shrill howls rang through the jail early in the morning, as beautiful as a stirring symphony.

Inside the jail.

Lin Fan held a whip and moved with light, graceful steps. His left hand traced circles as his right swung the whip, and he listened to the crack of it with evident pleasure.

"Stop beating me! I've confessed everything!"

"Help! Somebody help!"

"Master Lin, my ancestor, please stop torturing me!"

"I'll fuck your mother!!!"

That fierce curse could only have come from He Sen.

[Basic Whip Technique Proficiency +1]

The prisoners' screams blended with the proficiency notifications from the panel, creating a truly beautiful melody.

The day's work began at dawn.

If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to work harder. He came to the Security Bureau early to whip the prisoners and improve his Whip Technique proficiency, then practice his staff work and body refinement.

Making use of every spare moment—that was what it meant to work hard.

He'd been busy lately. He'd stirred things up, and there were quite a few people he needed to deal with, so naturally, he had plenty to do. But no matter what, he made sure to spend at least three shichen cultivating every day.

If he ran short on time, he'd make it up even if it meant staying up all night.

As a result, his proficiency panel was looking pretty good.

[Thousand Jin Staff Technique (Not Yet Initiated 325/1000)]

[Beginner Body Refinement (Great Accomplishment 784/1000)]

[Basic Whip Technique (Not Yet Initiated 65/100)]

After a while, Lin Fan stopped. He looked at the prisoners, who were covered in wounds, and nodded with satisfaction.

Not only could he make these prisoners suffer for the wicked things they'd done in the past, filling them with regret,

he could also improve his Whip Technique proficiency.

A win-win for both sides.

"Brother, their crimes have all been decided. When are we going to carry out their sentences?" Yang Ming leaned against the wall and watched the prisoners howl. For some reason, he found it oddly satisfying.

Weren't they so arrogant before?

How come they couldn't swagger around now?

"No rush. Good brothers should all go together. We haven't got the whole set yet."

He didn't want these guys punished too soon. He still needed to improve his Whip Technique, after all. Swinging at empty air and striking someone were two completely different experiences.

It was addictive, impossible to stop.

Lin Fan looked at the whip, soaked with blood, and planned to take it outside to dry in the sun. It had originally been black, but now it was a vivid scarlet.

Meanwhile.

Headman Chen hurried toward the Security Bureau with a dark look on his face. He was furious, his mood violent. What had happened yesterday had affected him deeply.

Was it just a punch?

It was a complete loss of face.

He felt as though every passerby was pointing at him. They had to be laughing at how Lin Fan had knocked him out with a single punch yesterday. At the thought, he clenched his fists, breathing heavily as boundless fury burned within him.

The other officers heading to the Security Bureau saw Headman Chen and, unlike usual, didn't dare approach him with obsequious greetings. Instead, they hid, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Everyone knew Headman Chen was in a foul mood.

They weren't about to volunteer to help him let off steam.

When the gatekeepers saw Headman Chen arrive, they immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.

"Has that Lin fellow arrived?"

His voice was low and furious.

"He has. He's in the jail."

Whoosh!

He hurried away.

Headman Chen didn't return to his office. He headed straight for the jail. He had only one thing in mind: making that Lin fellow pay. In all his years as a headman, who had ever dared treat him like that?

Even the registrar had never slapped him in the face.

A mere rookie officer who could fight a little dared to act so lawlessly and look down on everyone? He'd make sure the other man understood how things worked in the Security Bureau.

Without status or rank, you were nothing.

Meanwhile.

Lin Fan had just left the jail. He raised his head to look up at the sky. A bright, beautiful day was always a good time to get some work done. He had nothing urgent on his hands, so he might as well practice his staff technique.

But first, he needed to find somewhere to dry his whip properly.

Suddenly.

There was killing intent.

Of course, he couldn't actually sense killing intent. All he heard were very heavy footsteps and hurried breathing.

He glanced over and saw Headman Chen striding toward him, one hand on the hilt of his blade, a grim expression on his face. With a sharp clang, he drew it.

"Lin Fan, you've got a lot of nerve!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

His roar was brimming with boundless fury.

"Headman Chen, what are you doing? We're colleagues! How can you draw your blade on me? You're not really going to kill me, are you?"

Lin Fan looked panicked and hurried toward Headman Chen, whip in hand.

"Colleagues? You bastard, you dared assault me in the street! I'm going to—wait, what are you doing?"

When Headman Chen saw Lin Fan rushing at him with a whip, looking downright excited, his furious mind cleared in an instant. The only reason he dared act so arrogantly was his position as headman.

He'd planned to use his status to suppress the other man.

"Headman, calm down! Don't kill me!"

Lin Fan shouted, flicked his wrist, and sent the whip whistling through the air. With a sharp crack, the bloodstained whip slammed into Headman Chen. His clothes split with a rip, and his skin tore open, flesh bursting apart.

Headman Chen screamed, his mind going blank.

"Headman, don't do anything rash!"

Lin Fan shouted again and lashed out once more.

Ah!

The searing pain tore a heart-rending scream from Headman Chen. Remembering Lin Fan's terrifying strength, he decided that a wise man knew when to back down. He spun around and ran.

But Lin Fan wasn't about to let him get away.

He gripped the whip and rained blows down on him.

One lash tore open Headman Chen's back, leaving a bloody welt. He threw his head back and screamed in agony, trying to reach behind him, but he couldn't touch the wound.

"Headman Chen, calm down!"

Crack!

"Headman Chen, don't do anything rash!"

Crack!

"Headman Chen, let's talk this out!"

Crack!

"Headman Chen, you motherfucker, stop running!"

By now, Headman Chen was rolling on the ground and frantically dashing around the courtyard, like a monkey in a playhouse, springing about as he was whipped.

Not far away.

A group of officers hurried toward them. They'd already gotten word.

Their headman had arrived. He hadn't gone straight to his office, but had gone to the jail to find Lin Fan. Apparently, he'd been furious, his face full of rage, with his hand on his blade. He was clearly planning to hack Lin Fan to pieces.

To them, this was perfectly normal.

How dare a mere rookie officer humiliate their headman like that?

They soon reached the jail. They hadn't seen what was happening inside yet, but they could already hear the muffled cracks.

In an instant.

An image formed in their minds.

Lin Fan was kneeling on the ground while their headman held a whip and lashed him furiously. They'd seen this kind of punishment before, because their headman liked to discipline disobedient subordinates that way.

At the thought, they couldn't help smiling.

Lin Fan?

He truly had no idea how high the sky was or how deep the earth was.

Arrogance and swagger came at a price.

With schadenfreude in their hearts, they entered the jail courtyard. But the moment they saw what was in front of them, their smiles froze. Eyes wide, they stared at the scene as if they'd seen a ghost.

Their mighty, imposing headman had been driven into a corner. Facing the wall, he was scrambling with hands and feet, trying to climb over it and escape.

He was utterly disheveled and ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan had his back to them, swinging his whip and laughing without pause.

"Hahahaha... Run, run! I'll let you run!"

"How's my whip feel? Is it hard? Is it fierce?"

"Speak! I said speak!"

"Hahahaha..."

Lin Fan seemed to have entered some strange state. At that moment, he finally understood the pleasure of being a slave owner. He swung his little whip, cracking it wildly again and again.

The other man yelped with every blow.

It felt great.

It was even better than swinging a staff.

"Ah! Ah! Ah..."

Headman Chen screamed shrilly, his back a bloody, mangled mess.