Enraged

The night at Crouching Dragon Ravine is beautiful. The stars are scattered across the sky, and the crescent moon peeks out, both casting a silvery glow. Compared to the world once shrouded in smog, this place possesses a more ethereal quality.

The streets are brightly lit. While there are no electric lights, there are magic lamps. The quality of these lamps varies; the lower-tier bronze ones provide light the size of a torch, while the high-tier silver ones shine as brightly as incandescent bulbs.

These are small gadgets inadvertently invented by mages, featuring circulating magic arrays inscribed by them. The mana absorbed from the surroundings during the day is enough to keep them running for an entire night.

Lin Lei walks along the cobblestone road. Now, it is not just the barracks that are paved with stone; the main streets of Crouching Dragon Ravine and even some narrow paths have been paved as well.

This large-scale use of stone has caused a severe shortage of materials, to the point that even the remains left behind by dead Granite Golem are used for road construction. The road being built happens to be Construction Road in front of the Lord's Mansion, which runs through the entire territory from north to south.

Since Crouching Dragon Ravine paved its stone roads, both cleanliness and public satisfaction have increased. Most importantly, the efficiency of travel and work for all residents has improved significantly.

Otherwise, whenever it rained, all the dirt roads would become muddy messes. People would walk with uneven steps, sometimes sinking deep, and occasionally slipping and falling without any warning.

"It's quite nice. Although it lacks the bustle of a modern city, it has a unique charm."

Lin Lei is in high spirits, rubbing his chin as he speaks.

Seeing a barbecue shop still open on the street, Lin Lei decides to step inside with long strides. Although he has already eaten, his digestion is fast, and he feels a bit hungry again.

The owner of the barbecue shop is a man in his forties or fifties, with the faint mark of a slave brand remaining on his face. He doesn't have much of a beard, and his temples are graying.

His hands move frantically by the grill, the red-hot charcoal roasting the red and white meat to an orange-yellow hue. It is only when he reaches for the seasonings that one notices his legs are crippled, making his movements quite laborious.

"Boss, give me a hundred skewers of meat, and make it extra spicy."

Lin Lei shouts loudly.

"Coming right up! What kind of meat would you like? We have goat, snow rabbit, and magic boar."

"Whatever, just give me a bit of everything."

"Alright, have a seat and wait a moment."

The shop owner says without looking back.

Only then does Lin Lei look around the shop.

Sitting near him are three young men in their twenties or thirties. They look quite young and wear the armbands of the Engineering Department. From their attitude and behavior, Lin Lei can tell at a glance that they are junior workers engaged in construction.

They must have come to Crouching Dragon Ravine later; otherwise, following the development of the territory, they would at least be senior workers by now. However, looking at the smiles on their faces, they seem very happy here.

At the table closest to the window sit eight other people. Each of them is exceptionally robust, with various scars on their faces, hands, legs, and other parts of their bodies. Their skewers have already been served, and comparing the quantity to the prices on the wall, Lin Lei estimates those skewers are worth about five gold coins.

On the table sits rice wine, a type of low-alcohol, slightly bitter farm liquor not sold at the shop, so they must have brought it themselves. With wine and meat, these men are getting louder and louder, causing Lin Lei to frown.

"Your skewers, please enjoy."

Just as Lin Lei is thinking, the shop owner limps over with the skewers and places them in front of him.

"Thank you."

Lin Lei smiles and thanks him, and the shop owner responds with a smile as well.

After the owner leaves, he starts using his fingers, focusing on his skewers.

Crackling!

Suddenly, loud arguing erupts in the barbecue shop—or more accurately, arrogant reprimands.

"So what if I don't pay you? I'm from the cavalry, and the meat you get is provided by us anyway. Don't be ungrateful."

The speaker is a man from the group by the window. His face is flushed red; he is clearly drunk and starting to cause a scene.

"Sir, this is a small business, it's not easy for me."

The limping owner looks helpless. Faced with such bullies, all he can do is pray for a sudden spark of kindness so they will pay him.

"Exactly, the boss has it hard enough. You're actually eating for free? Aren't you afraid of the territory's laws?"

One of the young men from the Engineering Department can't stand it anymore and stands up to support the owner.

"Law? I am the law! Not only am I eating for free, but I'm also going to beat you for being a busybody."

Before many words are exchanged, the drunken soldiers move to surround the engineering workers. The shop owner watches in anxiety and shouts.

"Sir, I don't want the money anymore! I don't want it! Please leave, don't hit them..."

Lin Lei loses his appetite the moment the conflict starts, his eyes cold as he stares at the soldiers.

He knows that where there is light, there is darkness, and where there are people, there is filth. But he never expected it to happen so quickly, appearing right before his eyes.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three figures fly backward as Lin Lei appears before the crowd.

"Another busybody? Brothers, get him!"

"Bah! Are you blind? Look at who I am!"

Lin Lei says hatefully. He detests those who use power to bully others, especially when they are his own subordinates.

"Ah, Lord... Lord, we were wrong."

These soldiers aren't so drunk that they've lost their minds; they aren't bold enough to attack Lin Lei.

Faced with the sudden appearance of Lin Lei, the soldiers' drunkenness vanishes, and they all kneel on the ground with pale faces.

"Hmph, you two, tie them up."

Lin Lei let out a cold snort.

"Yes, my Lord."

Two workers from the engineering department happily took the rope from Lin Lei's hands and tied up the people kneeling on the ground one by one.

"Shopkeeper, do soldiers often come here to eat without paying?"

"Yes, my Lord."

The shopkeeper was a man who dared to speak his mind in front of Lin Lei, and he spilled everything about these soldiers.

"Since last month, soldiers have frequently come to our shop to eat, always claiming it on credit. Even the wine they drink is paid for out of our own pockets. They are soldiers, and we commoners dare not stop them from eating here."

"It's not just me; the Peter Tailor Shop across the street and Luoxia's Fruit Shop are also frequently patronized by them. They never pay, just eating, drinking, and taking things for free."

"I will certainly handle these matters. Here is the money for the meal."

The more Lin Lei heard, the more shocked he became. This was not just a case of drunken rowdiness; it was a severe incident with signs that had been ignored for a long time. He could hardly believe such things were happening.

After handing over half a gold coin, he escorted the soldiers directly toward the barracks.

"My Lord, has something happened?"

Lin Yu stood respectfully beside Lin Lei, glancing at the drunks nearby as he spoke.

"Has something happened? Tell me, have all of you attended the military ideological education classes I established? They teach that one should not take even a needle or a thread from the masses, so why are there these scumbags who bully men and women and rob people of their wealth?"

"I've heard from others that it's not just these few idiots I caught; there are other scumbags in this army who need to be purged and educated."

Lin Lei said furiously, his every word making Lin Yu tremble.

"My Lord, the soldiers find the ideological education classes too boring. Except for the first one, only a handful of soldiers have attended the subsequent sessions. I have failed in my duty regarding this matter, and I ask for your punishment, my Lord."

"But I only just found out that they were going out to drink and eat without paying, and I was planning to report it to you tomorrow. Most of these soldiers are veterans you brought from the Flower Territory, my Lord. We newly promoted soldiers were trained under them, so we have no authority over them at all; no one listens to us."

"When Centurion Allen and Centurion Luo Ji were here, they could keep them in check, but ever since they went out on missions, these veterans haven't been returning to the barracks at night."

Lin Yu explained with a troubled expression.

"Then what is the point of me promoting you to adjutant? Are you just here to collect a paycheck? You can't even manage a few veterans who are lower in rank than you."

"Now, I order you to thoroughly investigate this matter. No matter who is involved, arrest them all first. If they resist, you have the authority to decide their fate. Can you do it?"

Lin Lei said in a chilling voice.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Lock these people up and wait until the rest are caught to deal with them all at once."

"Yes."

Lin Lei left the rest of the work to Lin Yu. Despite scolding him harshly, he still recognized Lin Yu's ability to execute orders.

"Phew."

Lin Lei returned to the Lord's Mansion and let out a deep sigh. Even after all this time, he was still feeling indignant.

"My dear, what's wrong? Is there something troubling you?"

Aierlan was brewing tea for Lin Lei, holding a tea set adorned with bird patterns.

Lin Lei explained the ins and outs of the matter to Aierlan in detail, and she listened and thought about it very carefully.

"My dear, I think you should punish them severely."

"Why? They were the first subordinates to follow me, and almost everyone is familiar with Allen and Luo Ji. If I handle them this way, will others hold a grudge?"

"No, precisely because they are your veterans, you need to punish them even more severely. If you punish them heavily, others will follow the territory's laws. This is the only way to achieve the effect of 'paying a thousand gold for a horse's bones'."

"Think about it: when someone breaks the rules and stands above the law, do you think the law is still effective?"

"I know you are currently pushing for the implementation of territorial laws, and this is a good opportunity."

Aierlan said calmly, her usually gentle and elegant demeanor revealing a cold, sharp edge.

Lin Lei calmed his heart, his mood settling under Aierlan's persuasion.

"You think the same as I do. I also believe they must be punished severely. By killing the chicken to scare the monkey, we must let people know that even if the emperor breaks the law, he is punished the same as a commoner."

"This rectification of the territorial atmosphere must be carried out. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; even these small mistakes must be guarded against."