If They Can Kill Me, Let Them Come

Chapter 43: If They Can Kill Me, Let Them Try

"You..."

Huiyuan's face was full of disbelief.

If not for his senior brother making it clear they should give the Demon Suppression Bureau face, why would they waste their breath here?

But the other party, not only ungrateful, dared to lay hands on his senior brother!

"Do you know who he is?! Do you know who we are?!"

"You're finished! You're truly finished!"

Huiyuan pointed at Jiang Yuechu, shrieking: "Today's matter, my Jeweled Temple will never let it go! Just wait! Above the heavens and below the earth, no one can save you!"

Jiang Yuechu paid no heed to his shrieks. She merely swept her gaze slowly across her own team, each member wearing a different expression.

"Interfering with the Demon Suppression Bureau's operations without authorization, obstructing official duties—according to the Great Tang's laws and the Bureau's regulations, what is the penalty?"

"..."

Everyone exchanged glances, none knowing what this newly appointed Team Leader was really up to.

Especially Liu Ke.

His heart was already churning like a stormy sea.

Earlier, this Jiang person had ignored the commoners' tearful pleas, and he had taken her for a heart of stone, cold and bloodless.

But in the blink of an eye, she was trading blows with the Jeweled Temple monks?

Why was that?

Could it be...

the negotiations fell through?

Seeing no one answer, Jiang Yuechu's brow furrowed slightly.

"Hm?"

A man standing by the wall was startled by that look, trembling as he instinctively spoke.

"R...report, sir, according to the Bureau's rules, for severe cases... execution on the spot!"

"Good."

Jiang Yuechu nodded, her gaze falling back on the two monks.

"Then why haven't you seized them?"

Her words fell.

The courtyard remained dead silent.

No one moved.

Compared to Jiang Yuechu's matter-of-fact indifference, Liu Ke felt his scalp crawl.

Seize them?

These were people from Jeweled Temple!

The Jeweled Temple that had deep roots in Longyou Circuit, that even the former Commander had to show some deference!

His earlier clash with Huiyuan, the sharp words—that was just youthful bravado, relying on the badge he wore to talk big.

But now, this Team Leader Jiang was actually going to get serious?!

His heart pounded in terror. He quickly stepped forward, trying to dissuade her.

"This... this matter needs careful consideration! Jeweled Temple's foundation in Longyou is deep. If we offend them rashly, it could bring enormous trouble! Perhaps we should..."

Before he could finish.

A crisp, resounding slap exploded across the courtyard.

Everyone froze.

The stout monk Bujie had somehow already walked up to Huiyuan. A heavy backhand landed squarely on the young monk's face.

Huiyuan was stunned senseless, clutching his cheek, staring at Bujie in disbelief.

"You... you dare hit me?!"

"Amitabha."

Bujie withdrew his palm, reciting the Buddha's name, his face full of pity for the world's suffering.

"This humble monk saw you were possessed by a demon and helped wake you up. No need to thank me."

That slap left everyone dumbfounded.

Chen Tong, seeing this, his eyes lit up as if he'd suddenly found his backbone. He roared and charged forward first.

"Fuck your mother, bald donkey! Think you can throw your weight around with us?!"

He kicked Huiyuan to the ground, fists raining down like hail.

The other men in the courtyard, snapping out of their daze, howled and piled on.

"Hit him!"

"Let him act tough with us!"

For a moment, the courtyard erupted in a flurry of fists and feet, screams following one after another.

Though Huiyuan had some cultivation, how could he withstand the beating from this pack of wolf-like men?

In the blink of an eye, he was battered black and blue, utterly unable to fight back.

Magistrate Qian lay sprawled on the ground, completely at a loss for how to salvage the situation.

Only Liu Ke remained frozen in place, staring blankly at the chaotic scene before him, utterly bewildered.

Jiang Yuechu walked slowly up to him.

"Just now, weren't you the one shouting the loudest?"

She looked at Liu Ke's flushed face, a hint of mockery in her eyes.

"Now that it's time for you to act, why are you standing here babbling at me?"

"I..."

Liu Ke opened his mouth, a single word stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

Jiang Yuechu couldn't be bothered to hear his explanation. She turned around without a word.

She said nothing, but this silence was more unbearable than any sharp-tongued insult.

Soon, the two monks were bound and escorted before Jiang Yuechu.

Chen Tong and his men had struck ruthlessly. The two monks, once solemn and dignified, were now bruised and swollen, their robes covered in footprints, utterly disheveled.

"Let me go! You bunch of lackeys lording over others! Do you know who I am?!"

Huiyuan still roared relentlessly, his eyes filled with venom. "My master is the head of the Jeweled Temple's Discipline Hall! You've touched me today—I swear, not one of you will live!"

"Junior brother, shut up!"

On the ground, Huiming struggled to lift his head and barked sharply to stop him.

He had finally understood.

The woman before him was nothing like the Demon Suppression Bureau officers he had dealt with before.

She didn't follow rules, didn't care about face, and certainly didn't bow to threats.

He had only just shown a hint of menace in the room, and she had kicked him straight out, without even giving him a chance to react.

The suppressed rage in his heart nearly burst through his chest.

But for now, they were the fish on the chopping block.

Forcing down the sharp pain in his face, he squeezed out a smile at Jiang Yuechu—one uglier than crying.

"Your Excellency... Your Excellency, please calm down. My junior brother is young and reckless, speaking without thought, offending Your Excellency. This humble monk... this humble monk apologizes to you on his behalf."

"What happened today is the Jeweled Temple's fault. We will not interfere. Please, for the sake of the Buddha's grace, show mercy and let us two brothers leave. The entire Jeweled Temple will remember your kindness and will surely repay you handsomely in the future!"

As long as he could return alive and report today's humiliation to his sect.

Hmph...

A mere eighth-rank Team Leader, even if she had some skill, was nothing but a slightly larger ant before a behemoth like the Jeweled Temple.

But.

Jiang Yuechu only looked at him coldly, slowly drawing the Horizontal Blade from her waist, inch by inch.

Clang—

Huiming's face stiffened as he instantly understood.

This...

This woman truly intended to execute them on the spot?!

"You... are you really set on a fight to the death with the Jeweled Temple?!"

Huiming could no longer keep up the pretense. "My Jeweled Temple has stood in Longyou for centuries, with no fewer than dozens of Bone Resonance Realm experts and Core Formation Realm elders overseeing it! If we two brothers die here today, within three days, our temple's experts will come in person to demand your life!"

"This badge of yours may protect you for a time, but not forever! If you have the guts, hide in the Demon Suppression Bureau for the rest of your life and never come out!"

Jiang Yuechu said nothing.

She only lifted her eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

No anger. No killing intent.

There wasn't even the slightest ripple of emotion.

Sunlight fell across her cold, pale face, like a winter snowstorm.

Her thin lips parted slightly, her voice flat.

"If they can kill me, let them come."

The moment her words fell.

A blade flashed.

Thud.

Two fine heads soared into the air.