Xu Jin, Do You Really Think I'm Afraid of You?

The moment the black needle formed from incense ash landed between Old Wu's brows, searing pain spread through his entire body along his meridians.

Old Wu clenched his teeth hard, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his dark constable's uniform, yet he did not let out even a muffled groan.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon watched him sideways, a sinister smile curling at his lips.

"Endure it. Keep enduring. I want to see just how long these old bones of yours can hold out."

He flicked the black qi at his fingertips, speaking in an unhurried tone. "And don't even think about going out to get your injuries examined and settle the score. This water Sha Qi tears at the soul; it erodes only the spirit and leaves the flesh untouched. No matter how seasoned the coroner or how meticulous the medical officer, they won't find the slightest abnormality."

"If you obediently write a confession, admit to provoking trouble and trespassing on private land, then sign and seal it, today's matter will be considered settled. Otherwise..."

Before he could finish.

With a thunderous boom, the waves at the entrance to Backwater Bay were split apart by sheer force.

Xu Jin rode a rainbow down, his black robes snapping in the wind. He landed before the incense altar in a single step and smoothly took up where River-Crossing Flood Dragon had left off.

"Otherwise what?"

He turned his head to glance at Old Wu, drenched in cold sweat, then swept a gust of vital wind out with a raised hand.

Warmth wrapped in golden light flowed over the two men, and the bone-piercing baleful pain vanished in an instant.

Old Wu's body relaxed. Bracing himself against a wooden post, he gasped for breath. The wrenching pain in his soul had receded completely, leaving only the lingering tremor of surviving a calamity.

When he looked up and saw Xu Jin's profile, surprise and joy struck him at once, tightening his throat. "Patrol Inspector Xu..."

Xu Jin gave a slight nod, his gaze returning to River-Crossing Flood Dragon.

He felt little stir in his heart, merely thinking that it was fortunate he had arrived in time. Had he been half a step later, their souls would have been damaged, and he would have needed to find a way to mend them afterward. Cleaning up was far more troublesome than fighting.

"Xu Jin! You dare trespass on my Rocky Shoal!"

River-Crossing Flood Dragon was both shocked and enraged. He abruptly stepped back and shouted sharply, "Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

He raised a hand and let out a piercing whistle. Dozens of water bandits rushed out from behind the reefs, each wielding a steel blade and looking as ferocious as demons.

More than a dozen phantom water ghosts on the surface turned their heads in unison, surrounding them with low, mournful howls as yin qi churned the waves without end.

"In this lawless patch of land, even if you're from the Demon Suppression Bureau, don't think you'll leave standing!"

Expressionless, Xu Jin raised his hand and displayed the bronze patrol inspector's seal at his waist.

In the dim crimson lantern light, the eight characters on its face stood out, cold and clear: "Demon Suppression Bureau, Green-Mud Ferry Patrol Inspector Xu."

"The Demon Suppression Bureau is conducting an investigation. Those who resist will be punished as accomplices."

His voice was not loud, yet it overwhelmed the roar of the waves.

"River-Crossing Flood Dragon, you unlawfully detained a government officer, smuggled yin objects and baleful materials, colluded with the evil cultivators of Profound Yin Hall, enslaved water ghosts to murder people, and privately erected a monstrous idol for a wild cult."

"For all five crimes combined, under the Great Yin Demon-Suppression Code, you are sentenced to death. Execution shall be carried out immediately."

The instant his words fell, he raised his right hand slightly, and Molten-Gold Sword Aura spread out in a fan.

Where the golden light swept, steel blades melted into molten iron. The water bandits collapsed before they could even scream.

The water ghost phantoms struck the golden radiance like lingering snow meeting boiling soup, dissolving in an instant.

In no more than a breath, every minor thug on the scene had been wiped out.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon's pupils contracted sharply. Half his soul seemed to flee in terror.

He ground his teeth to pieces. Knowing there was no way back, he decided to make one final desperate gamble.

He slammed both palms against his chest, spraying a mouthful of black blood onto the Water Manor deity statue.

"Flood Dragon Baleful Intent, reveal yourself!"

The tattoo of a vicious river-crossing flood dragon on his back came alive, crawling out through his flesh. It merged with the statue's black qi and transformed into a black watery flood dragon shadow several zhang long.

Its scales were grim and cold, poison dripped from its fangs, and it churned the waters of the entire bay into towering waves.

This was the natal Sha Qi he had nurtured for more than a decade, his trump card fed by incense offerings along the riverbanks. He could even contend with an ordinary grandmaster using it.

Xu Jin stood before the waves, golden light kindling in his eyes as the phantom of a three-legged Golden Crow spread its wings behind him.

Crimson-gold flames streamed along those wings.

"A mere evil idol of a wild cult dares call itself a river god?"

The Golden Crow gave a clear cry and beat its wings, shooting straight upward.

With a sweep of its wings, the waves filling the sky were instantly evaporated into mist.

The flood dragon shadow slammed into the Golden Crow's wing and could not hold out for even half a breath before shattering inch by inch and scattering across the sky.

The Golden Crow's momentum did not slow. It crashed directly into the blue-faced, fanged Water Manor deity statue.

Boom—

The statue and its stone base melted together, and the Sha Qi of incense offerings accumulated over years dispersed completely.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon gave a muffled groan. His natal Sha Qi had been destroyed, his soul wounded, and he spat out another mouthful of black blood before crashing heavily into the muddy water by the shore.

More than half the Sha Qi around him had dispersed. The flood dragon tattoo on his back was dim and lifeless. He could not even crawl, and when he looked up at Xu Jin, nothing remained in his eyes but terror.

Xu Jin slowly walked up to him and looked down.

"The location of the downstream hidden harbor."

"The overseas supply routes for yin objects."

"The remaining contact points of Profound Yin Hall."

"Speak."

Seeing this, how could River-Crossing Flood Dragon dare keep resisting? He spilled out every scrap of information he knew.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"

"The hidden harbor is deep in Reed-Blossom Marsh downstream! The goods come by sea, then transfer to the inland rivers! There's another Profound Yin Hall contact point at an abandoned temple in the western outskirts of the prefectural city!"

"Patrol Inspector Xu, spare my life! I don't want the crystal core anymore, and I'll write off the Blackstone Slope debt entirely! Please show mercy and spare my life!"

Only then did Wang Lei arrive in a hurry with his men. The moment he entered the bay and saw debris scattered everywhere, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Great. Late again.

He hurried forward, took out a record book and seal paste, recorded the confession point by point according to Xu Jin's questions, then dragged River-Crossing Flood Dragon's hand over to press a fingerprint.

After finishing the record, he lowered his head and swept his gaze over the devastation, silently sighing to himself.

Tallying the spoils, verifying the contraband, placating the boatmen, raiding and confiscating the den—there was no way they could finish all that in three to five days.

Once the confession had been secured, Xu Jin condensed a strand of sword aura.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon went pale. He still wanted to beg again, but the words had only reached his lips when—

"The sentence has been passed. There will be no revision."

A flash of sword light.

His head rolled away, filthy blood mixing into the mud.

Old Wu and the young constable stood to one side, their hearts shaken to the core, their Adam's apples bobbing again and again.

They had served in the Demon Suppression Bureau for many years and seen plenty of demon suppressors handle cases, but they had never seen anyone so decisive.

Seal displayed, crimes listed, sentence pronounced, execution carried out—done in one smooth stroke, without the slightest hesitation.

As he looked at Xu Jin's back standing amid the firelight, only one thought remained in Old Wu's heart:

Molten-Gold Yama truly lived up to his name.

Wang Lei closed the record book, stepped forward, and lowered his voice. "Brother Xu, the confession has all been recorded, and the hidden harbor and contact point are clearly noted. Should we notify the prefectural government to send men and raid the remaining water bandit dens and the brokers on shore?"

Xu Jin nodded, his gaze sweeping over the dark riverway.

"Raid them."

"All yin objects, account books, and smuggled goods are to be inventoried, catalogued, and escorted to the prefectural government."

"The river-protection money extorted from boatmen along the banks is to be checked in full and returned according to the amounts taken."

"Understood."

Wang Lei answered and went to make the arrangements.

Only then did Old Wu come fully back to his senses. He stepped forward and gave Xu Jin a deep bow.

"Thank you, Patrol Inspector Xu, for saving our lives! If you had not arrived in time, the two of us brothers would have died here today."

Xu Jin raised a hand in a token gesture of support.

"It was my duty."