After Lu Feng had gravely wounded Li An and news of his arrest spread through the County Yamen, many constables and Yamen Runners found it hard to believe.
In their eyes, Lu Feng was just an ordinary constable with mediocre skills.
Aside from gambling and drinking in brothels, what ability did he have to deal with an expert like Li An?
But the facts were right in front of them, and many found them hard to accept.
When Lu Feng returned to the Yamen Room, the Yamen Runners and constables actually took the initiative to greet him.
Their faces were full of surprise and ingratiating smiles.
Seeing this, Lu Feng gave them a simple response and remained as calm as ever.
After signing in, he left the County Yamen and continued patrolling West Street.
But when he reached the West Street wharf, the Caobang Disciples all began to avoid his gaze.
Lu Feng merely gave a cold laugh. On the surface, the so-called Caobang Gang was a respectable organization that managed the wharf and river transport.
In reality, they were nothing but a gang of bloodsuckers.
They charged passing boats fees, and they also took the hard-earned wages of the dockworkers.
For every ten coins a dockworker earned, they pocketed four.
None of this had concerned him before, but now that the Caobang Gang had picked a fight with him, once his strength and status rose, he would sooner or later wipe out the whole gang root and branch.
Soon, the afternoon patrol ended. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and when Lu Feng returned home, he saw Captain Fang waiting outside.
Lu Feng didn't know much about this constable. The two of them had never had much to do with each other.
He only knew that Captain Fang was also an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, and Lu Yan had said he was one of the County Lieutenant's men.
The moment Captain Fang saw him, he came forward with a smile. "Lu Feng, I've been waiting here for you for quite some time."
Lu Feng clasped his hands in greeting. "So it's Captain Fang. May I ask what you need me for?"
"Heh, it's not me who wants to see you. Lord County Lieutenant would like to meet you!"
"Lord County Lieutenant?" Lu Feng raised an eyebrow, thoughts turning over in his mind.
"That's right! Lord County Lieutenant has already arranged a banquet at Hongman Tower. Would Constable Lu do us the honor?"
After a brief moment's thought, Lu Feng nodded. "Since Lord County Lieutenant has invited me, I naturally won't refuse."
"Heh, then please come with me, Constable Lu."
With that, Lu Feng followed Captain Fang to a private room at Hongman Tower.
As soon as he entered, he saw a sturdy man around thirty years old seated at the head of the table, drinking tea.
There was no mistaking him: he was Li Muyuan, County Lieutenant of Qinglu County.
Lu Feng stepped forward and clasped his hands. "Your subordinate Lu Feng pays his respects to Lord County Lieutenant!"
Li Muyuan set down his teacup, looked him over carefully, then smiled.
"Lu Feng, there's no need for such formalities. Sit down and let's talk."
Once Lu Feng had taken his seat, Li Muyuan spoke again. "I heard you gravely wounded Li An on West Street today and brought him back to the Yamen. Is that true?"
Hearing him bring it up, Lu Feng couldn't tell what the County Lieutenant wanted with him.
He had never had any dealings with the man, and they had never even spoken.
Of all the people in the County Yamen, the County Lieutenant was the one he knew least about.
Lu Feng nodded. "Yes, my lord. This morning, I was patrolling West Street when Li An attacked me, so I had no choice but to defend myself. Then the rest followed."
"I see. Still, I didn't expect you to be able to gravely wound Li An. The County Yamen is now selecting a new constable captain. Do you have any interest in the position?"
Lu Feng furrowed his brow slightly. Li Muyuan kept testing him, yet still hadn't explained why he'd called him here. He couldn't quite figure out what the man was after.
"Replying to your lordship, I am interested in becoming the new constable captain, and I've already put my name forward."
A faint smile appeared on Li Muyuan's face. "Mm. It's good for a young man to be ambitious. But do you know whose man Li An is?"
Lu Feng pretended not to know and shook his head. "I do not."
"Heh. Li An and the Caobang Gang are backed by County Assistant Zhou Yongsi. By arresting Li An, you've offended him. Do you understand?"
Li Muyuan watched Lu Feng's expression closely, but Lu Feng remained calm, seemingly unconcerned about offending the County Assistant.
"Lord Li, I was only enforcing the law impartially. Someone tried to kill me, and I wasn't about to surrender without a fight! As for whom this might offend, I don't care," Lu Feng replied.
At this, Li Muyuan raised an eyebrow. "You're not wrong, but Zhou Yongsi is not only the County Assistant; the Zhou Family behind him is also a prestigious clan. Aren't you worried they'll retaliate against you in secret?"
By this point, Lu Feng had guessed what Li Muyuan was up to. He was obviously trying to recruit him into his faction.
So Lu Feng spoke plainly. "Lord Li, just say what you want to say. There's no need to keep testing me."
Li Muyuan wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled. "Heh, very well. I'll be frank. I called you here to invite you to join my side. If you agree, I can guarantee that no one will dare lay a hand on you—not even the County Assistant."
Lu Feng gave it a moment's thought. "Thank you for thinking highly of me, my lord. But I'll need to consider it carefully."
Li Muyuan gave a slight nod. "Of course. Once you've made up your mind, you can speak with Captain Fang at any time."
"Understood. I'll keep that in mind!"
With that, Lu Feng rose to leave the private room, but Li Muyuan spoke again. "Lu Feng, I have one more gift for you."
Lu Feng stopped. He saw Captain Fang holding out a parcel.
"Lu Feng, Lord County Lieutenant obtained this parcel a year ago while suppressing bandits in the nearby mountains."
Lu Feng took the parcel and opened it. Inside were a book and a Jade pendant.
The book seemed to be a Martial arts secret manual he had never seen before, but the Jade pendant was very familiar.
Looking at the tiny chip in it, he was one hundred percent certain that it had belonged to the original owner's father.
"Lord Li, where did you get this?" Lu Feng asked, looking at Li Muyuan.
Although the original owner was dead, the memories of his father remained in this body.
Now that the Jade pendant had appeared before him, as the inheritor of this body, he naturally had to ask where it came from.
Li Muyuan didn't answer directly. Instead, he smiled. "Heh, I'll tell you where it came from the next time we meet."
With that, he stood and left the private room, while Lu Feng stared at the parcel in his hands, lost in thought.
The meaning behind his words was simple: he would only reveal the pendant's origins after Lu Feng joined his faction.
Once the two men had left, Lu Feng didn't linger. He tucked the parcel into his robe and hurried home.
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