"One person??"
Magistrate Li swayed unsteadily, stumbling several steps and nearly falling to the ground.
He had spent his whole life in Blackwater County and knew how things worked at the Demon Suppressing Division.
Anyone with a badge was a powerhouse of Fifth Rank Martial Artist or higher. They walked the streets and alleys of Blackwater County, specially tasked with handling troublesome Demons. They were the Demon Suppressing Division's true fighting strength.
A few years ago, a Fox Demon had caused trouble in Big Fish Town. A highly ranked member of the Demon Suppressing Division had personally come, fought the Fox Demon for three days, and finally slain the monster, restoring several years of peace to Big Fish Town.
Today, the Demon Suppressing Division hadn't sent any fighting force. They'd just casually dispatched an Ordinary Servant.
Clearly, they didn't care about what was happening to Li Family Fort. They were leaving them to fend for themselves!
"It's over, it's over..."
In an instant, Magistrate Li seemed to have aged many years. He shook his head again and again, utterly despairing. "Those lords at the Demon Suppressing Division don't care whether we live or die... They've just sent someone to humor us."
"My lord, why don't we just run away?" He Er, a servant standing nearby, suddenly suggested.
Magistrate Li shook his head helplessly. "Run? How? How can people with two legs outrun Yellow-Skinned Weasels with four?"
Meanwhile, in front of Li Family Fort,
Lin Guanhuo dismounted and tied his horse to a nearby wooden post.
Wisps of fog drifted across the street.
Lin Guanhuo frowned slightly. Through the fog, he could make out a series of short figures. Together, they formed a grand wedding procession, beating gongs and drums as they came.
Yellow-Skinned Weasels here to fetch a bride? Interesting. Lin Guanhuo gave a cold laugh, paid them no mind, and walked straight into the courtyard with his saber.
The main event was in there.
Li Family Fort was made up of a dozen or so large and small brick houses, tall encircling walls, a theater, and a teahouse.
"My lord! My lord! Over here!"
As soon as Lin Guanhuo entered the courtyard, a servant farther in waved him over.
Lin Guanhuo stepped into a side room. At that moment, dozens of people from every corner of Li Family Fort were huddled inside, trembling with fear. They had clearly been scared witless.
Lin Guanhuo slapped his long saber down on the table, making everyone in the room jump.
Then he sat down and said, "Tea."
Lin Guanhuo wore a black shirt and cloth shoes, looking utterly ordinary. He was nothing like the armored, gilded warriors of the Demon Suppressing Division.
The room fell quiet. Many of the servants looked at Lin Guanhuo and wondered to themselves: Why wasn't this lord from the Demon Suppressing Division anything like they'd imagined?
Could they have made a mistake?
After a moment, Magistrate Li finally came to his senses. He quickly waved to his daughter. "Xinyao, what are you waiting for? Get the lord some tea!"
A graceful young woman in a pale pink dress wiped away her tears. Her eyes were still red as she picked up the teapot. Her delicate hands trembled slightly as she poured Lin Guanhuo a cup.
"M-My lord, please... have some tea," she said softly.
She was Magistrate Li's eldest daughter, Li Xinyao. She was only twenty, and remarkably lovely. Now that she'd suffered such a terrible ordeal, she looked so pitiful and vulnerable that countless men would have struggled to restrain themselves from taking her in their arms and showering her with affection.
No wonder several Yellow-Skinned Weasels had taken a liking to her and wanted to bring her up the mountain to bear their young.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
After galloping all the way here, Lin Guanhuo was parched. He drank three cups in a row before turning his gaze to the old man sitting respectfully before him. "You're Magistrate Li?"
"Yes, my lord. This old man is," Magistrate Li replied respectfully.
Lin Guanhuo nodded. "My name is Lin Guanhuo. I'm with the Demon Suppressing Division. Tell me what happened."
At those words,
thump!
Magistrate Li dropped straight to his knees, his voice shaking violently. "Lord Lin! My life is worthless. If I die, so be it. But my three daughters are all under twenty! Please, save them!"
Magistrate Li pointed toward the main house, his voice full of terror. "There are three Yellow-Skinned Weasels in there who've taken human form. They're drinking and carousing as we speak. They said they'd take my three daughters away as their wives before sunset tonight!"
"My lord!" Tears streamed down Magistrate Li's face, and the more he spoke, the more agitated he became. "Those three are beasts! For half a month, they've eaten our food and used our things! And now they want my daughters too. Just now, my chief steward went to reason with them, and they butchered him on the spot, then hauled him to the table and ate him!"
"My three daughters are so young. How could they withstand those beasts' abuse?"
At this, his three daughters also fell to their knees beside him, wailing piteously, their faces streaked with tears. "Waaah... my lord... my lord!"
"Please save us! Please save us!"
Magistrate Li pleaded desperately. "Please, my lord, remember that over the years I've opened my granaries and given food to many people in need. Go back to the Demon Suppressing Division and put in a good word for us. Send more experts to drive this pack of beasts away!"
"Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I'm sure good fortune will come to you!"
When he'd finished, Magistrate Li and his three daughters all gazed at Lin Guanhuo with imploring faces, praying that the lord who dispensed justice would show them mercy and help them.
After a long pause,
"I understand," Lin Guanhuo said with a nod.
Magistrate Li and his daughters brightened, thinking Lin Guanhuo had agreed to go back and summon help. They were just about to kowtow in gratitude—
But Lin Guanhuo slowly stood up, picked up his saber, and said, "I'll go in and talk to them."
"What??"
Magistrate Li froze, then hurried to his feet. "Lord Lin, those beasts are vicious. They kill people at the slightest disagreement... Why not go back to the Demon Suppressing Division and bring some more men?"
"My lord..."
Lin Guanhuo waved his hand, cutting Magistrate Li off.
Then he carried his saber out of the side room and walked alone toward the main house.
The dozens of people from all over Li Family Fort were left behind in the side room, watching Lin Guanhuo's retreating figure.
Magistrate Li was stunned.
Lord Lin had said it all so casually.
Was that really going to work??
Meanwhile,
inside the main hall, three Yellow-Skinned Weasels in human form and a crowd of others who hadn't yet taken human form were drinking merrily.
They drank wine and ate meat—chicken, fish, pork, and even human flesh.
The chief steward's corpse on the table had already been gnawed down to almost nothing.
"Burp... This wine's good..." Boss Huang gulped down another bowl, feeling a little tipsy. He rubbed his eyes.
Then he spotted someone at the doorway.
The man wore black, his expression calm, a long saber in hand as he walked slowly toward them.
"Burp... The hell are you? Can't you see we're drinking here?" Second Brother Huang frowned at the newcomer and snapped.
Although he'd cultivated a human form, his sharp, ratlike features and the cruel, sinister light in his eyes made it clear he wasn't human.
"Hey, Lord Huang, Magistrate Li sent me over."
Lin Guanhuo stepped into the room and, without any ceremony, sat down at the banquet table.
The table reeked of blood. Any ordinary person who saw it would probably have fainted in terror.
At that moment, the dozen or so Yellow-Skinned Weasels around the table stopped eating and stared coldly at Lin Guanhuo.
Smiling broadly, Lin Guanhuo poured himself a cup of wine and said cheerfully, "You fellows, eat and drink to your hearts' content. Don't mind me. I just came to have a few words with the three Lords Huang."
The three Yellow-Skinned Weasels in human form exchanged glances, unsure what Lin Guanhuo, who'd suddenly appeared, was up to.
"Why waste your breath? Even if the Emperor of Heaven himself showed up today, it wouldn't make a difference. Those three girls are coming with us tonight!"
Third Brother Huang pointed at the severed limbs on the table and said to Lin Guanhuo, "See this? Guess what happened."
He bared a grin, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Some fool just tried to talk us into leaving. Hahahaha! Lord Huang shows up—how could we leave empty-handed? So we hauled him right onto the table and let the boys chew on him!"
"Get your ass back there and tell Magistrate Li to prepare good wine, good meat, grain, and women. If he's even a little late, not a single soul in Li Family Fort will be left alive!"
"Too bloody, too bloody. This won't do!"
At his words, Lin Guanhuo quickly waved his hand and pinched his nose at the severed limbs on the table. "I can't stand the sight of this."
The three Yellow-Skinned Weasels grinned, thinking Lin Guanhuo was frightened.
Then Lin Guanhuo looked earnestly at the three Yellow-Skinned Weasels beside him. "Lords Huang, you've had your fill of eating and drinking these past few days."
"How about this? We each give a little. Take the wine and meat back up the mountain, and leave Magistrate Li's three daughters alone. How's that?"
The moment his words fell,
the three Yellow-Skinned Weasels' faces changed dramatically!
Smack!
Boss Huang slammed his hand on the table. "You're asking to die! What right do you have to bargain with Lord Huang?"
Then Boss Huang gave the order. "Boys, drag him onto the table too and chew him up!"
At those words,
whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The dozen or so Yellow-Skinned Weasels at the banquet sprang straight onto the table. One by one, they bared their fangs and lunged at Lin Guanhuo, clearly treating him as food.
"Gak, gak, gak, gak, gak, gak, gak, gak!" The dozen or so Yellow-Skinned Weasels cackled, their voices unnerving.
Yet Lin Guanhuo remained calm, a wine cup in one hand.
His other hand rested lightly on the saber's hilt.
The next instant, the dozen or so Yellow-Skinned Weasels on the table
suddenly went rigid, frozen in place without moving an inch.
As if time itself had stopped.
"Hm??"
Seeing this, Boss Huang frowned.
He couldn't help shouting, "Are you deaf? I told you to—"
But!
Before Boss Huang could finish speaking, he heard a sound...
Clang!
Second Brother Huang and Third Brother Huang turned at the noise, evidently sensing that something was wrong too.
Then they saw it!
A Yellow-Skinned Weasel right in front of Boss Huang had been frozen in place, motionless.
The next moment, its head tipped to one side and rolled straight off, landing on the table.
And that was only the beginning!!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
With each clanging sound, another head hit the ground, clattering like ripe fruit dropping from a tree and rolling everywhere across the table and floor.
In no time at all, only the three Yellow-Skinned Weasels in human form remained.
"Sigh..."
Only then did Lin Guanhuo set down his wine cup, looking utterly helpless as he said, "Lord Huang, your underlings have such terrible tempers. They need to change."
"Otherwise, they're going to suffer a big loss someday!"
Before you continue