The Four Great Divine Constables—Lin Jingzhu!

BOOM--

Heavy lead-colored clouds pressed down upon the sky over Heaven Capital City. A muffled rumble of thunder echoed within the clouds, swallows darted obliquely across the rooftops, and the air was thick with the raw, earthy scent of damp soil.

"It's going to rain!"

Street vendors moved with practiced agility to prop up their rain awnings.

Children crouched by the roadside watching ants relocate their colony, only to be dragged home by their ears by their parents. The streets and alleys were filled with a chaotic, bustling clamor.

Drunken Moon Pavilion.

In the center of the hall, a musician plucked at her strings, the sound of the zither flowing melodiously.

Shangguan Yunfei sat by a second-floor window, watching the woman in white martial attire drinking alone before him. He frowned and said, "Officer Lin, drinking while on duty—is that really appropriate?"

The woman drained her cup in one gulp, a flush of crimson rising to her cheeks. She replied nonchalantly, "Then go ahead and report me. My salary has already been docked until the end of next year anyway; I don't care if they take the year after that, too."

"..."

Shangguan Yunfei's expression was one of helplessness.

He truly had no way to deal with this ancestor.

Lin Jingzhu, one of the Four Great Constables of the Six Gates.

Since joining the force, she had only collected her salary for the first month. Everything thereafter had been forfeited to fines, and she had even paid out over a hundred taels of her own money in penalties, earning her the reputation as the only person in the Six Gates who paid the department to work.

Being ranked among the Four Great Constables, she was naturally no mediocrity. The case clearance rate for matters handled by Lin Jingzhu was exceptionally high, but the casualty rate was equally staggering—

Criminals who fell into her hands were often either dead or crippled before they even reached the prison. To say nothing of the distant past, just last month, she had broken the "third leg" of a notorious lecher...

The complaints piled up in the magistrate's office like a small mountain, mostly from the families of suspects accusing her of lynching and showing a reckless disregard for human life.

If not for her formidable background and undeniable capability, she would have been stripped of her rank long ago.

"The Demon Race is killing people within Heaven Capital City. This matter is of great importance. The department ordered us to cooperate on the investigation; do you intend to defy orders?" Shangguan Yunfei frowned.

Lin Jingzhu curled her lip. "Don't try to pressure me with the department. There isn't a single clue in this case, so where are we supposed to start? It's nothing more than waiting for that demon to strike again."

"Rather than running around like a headless chicken, I'd rather have a drink and listen to some music... Tsk, she plays well!"

She raised her hand and tossed down an ingot of silver.

The musician stood up, bowed gracefully, and tucked the silver into her sleeve with a smile.

Shangguan Yunfei shook his head. She was clearly a noble lady of the capital, yet she always acted like a gang leader from the pugilistic world...

"By the way, is that Chen Mo really as godly as they say?" Lin Jingzhu set down her wine cup and asked.

Shangguan Yunfei nodded. "He certainly has some real skills. Even the Mystic Jade couldn't detect the demon aura, yet he determined it was the work of the Demon Race with a single glance. His eye for detail is terrifying; it's no wonder even Qin Wuxiang fell into his hands."

Lin Jingzhu's willow-leaf brows arched slightly.

Hunting down the Ten Heavenly Demons had been her long-held ambition, yet Chen Mo had snatched the glory first.

It wasn't quite jealousy, just a touch of curiosity and a refusal to admit defeat.

Clatter, clatter, clatter--

"Ah!"

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly erupted from outside the window, accompanied by cries of alarm.

The two turned to look outside and saw a burly man galloping toward them on horseback. He brandished a whip and roared, "Get out of the way, all of you!"

Pedestrians on the street scrambled to dodge. Some were too slow and stumbled into nearby stalls, sending goods scattering everywhere. In an instant, the entire street was in an uproar.

A little girl who had just bought a sugar figurine was skipping along the street. Before she could react, the charging steed was already upon her.

"Nannan!"

A woman's heart-wrenching scream rang out from the side.

"Damn it, you're courting death!"

In full view of the public, trampling someone to death in the middle of the street was no small matter.

The burly man didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble. He pulled hard on the reins, and the horse let out a shrill neigh, its front hooves lifting into the air as it stopped perilously close to the girl.

Seeing the girl frozen in terror, the man's expression darkened with annoyance. He raised his hand and lashed out with his whip!

The wind whistled with the force of the strike; if the tip of the whip connected, it would surely tear skin and shatter bone!

"How dare you!"

Seeing this, Lin Jingzhu's brows stood on end. She rose, vaulted over the window, and leaped down.

But it was already too late. Just as the whip was about to strike the little girl's face, a black shadow flashed into place. One hand scooped up the girl, while the other hand caught the whip firmly.

"Hm?"

The burly man frowned and looked over. Standing before him was a tall, well-built man dressed in black profound robes. A jade-beaded headband bound his hair, and a jade pendant hung at his waist. He looked dashing, elegant, and extraordinarily handsome.

He looked just like a young master from a wealthy family.

"Galloping in a crowded market—fifty lashes. Go to the magistrate's office and accept your punishment," Chen Mo said indifferently.

The burly man sneered, "Who do you think you are, daring to punish me? Get lost, or you won't be able to bear the consequences if you delay my business!"

As he spoke, he tried to yank his horsewhip back, but no matter how much force he exerted, the whip remained taut and motionless.

Chen Mo gave a light tug, and a surging, immense force traveled through the whip; the burly man's vision blurred, and he was sent crashing solidly to the ground.

"You motherf—"

Just as he was about to get up, a foot stepped onto his chest, instantly sealing his qi channels and rendering him unable to even lift a finger.

The burly man realized he had encountered a ruthless character and frowned, saying, "Six Gates? Or the Heavenly Qilin Guard?"

Chen Mo shook his head. "A concerned citizen."

"..."

This was under the feet of the Son of Heaven; a single brick thrown could easily hit a crowd of nobles and high officials.

This man was young, possessed an extraordinary bearing, and his strength was clearly above his own—he was obviously a tough nut not to be trifled with.

Suppressing his anger, the burly man forced a smile and said, "I truly have urgent business, which is why I acted on impulse. I accept the punishment for this; I hope you can show some mercy, brother."

Chen Mo didn't say much; he was just passing by and couldn't be bothered to entangle himself with the man.

He lifted his foot, released the burly man, and handed the little girl in his arms to the pale-faced woman standing nearby.

The woman thanked him repeatedly, yet she didn't even dare to glance at the burly man.

Commoners without backing could only swallow their broken teeth along with their blood; as long as the person was safe, it was a blessing, so how could they dare to hold the other party accountable?

"Remember to go to the yamen to receive your caning," Chen Mo reminded him.

"Certainly."

The burly man nodded, though his eyes were filled with disdain.

It was just a verbal agreement anyway; what could they do if he didn't go?

"What damn bad luck, running into a meddlesome busybody..."

Just as he prepared to mount his horse, a cold voice drifted over: "No need to go to the yamen; let's just do it here."

"Hm?"

The burly man was about to turn around when a fierce wind whistled behind him.

Bang!

His entire body was sent flying!

A woman dressed in white strode forward, carrying a pitch-black staff in her hand, her wrist rotating to make the weapon whistle with the wind.

"Forty-nine more to go."

She licked her lips, swung the staff in a full arc, and smashed it down violently!

"Pfft!"

The burly man spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying once again.

Before his body could even land, the woman flashed behind him and slammed him into the ground with a single strike, shattering the blue bricks into powder!

The staff danced, striking him blow after blow!

"Thirty-seven, thirty-six, thirty-five..."

The woman's strikes were fierce, and she counted methodically as she worked.

"Stop! Do you have any idea who I am?"

The burly man, trapped in a relentless rain of blows with no room to fight back, endured the agonizing pain and roared.

"Twenty-seven, twenty-six... I know, you're a criminal. Don't interrupt, or I'll lose count... what was the number just now? Forget it, twenty-seven..."

Bang! Bang! Thud!

"You bitch... ah!"

The street fell into dead silence, echoing only with the sound of the black staff striking flesh and the burly man's piercing wails.

Chen Mo's mouth twitched.

Where did this tigress come from? How is she even more terrifying than Li Yuan?