If They Can Kill Me, Let Them Come

"You..."

Hui Yuan's face was filled with disbelief.

If his senior brother had not expressly said they should give the Demon Suppression Office some face, why would they have wasted words here?

Yet not only did the other party fail to appreciate it, she even dared 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!"

Hui Yuan pointed at Jiang Yuechu and roared, "Baosha Temple will never let today's matter rest! Just wait! Neither heaven nor earth will be able to save you!"

Jiang Yuechu paid no heed to his roaring. She merely slowly swept her gaze across the subordinates behind her, each wearing a different expression.

"Under the Great Tang Code and the office's regulations, what is the punishment for interfering with a Demon Suppression Office investigation and obstructing official business?"

"..."

The group exchanged glances, none of them knowing what medicine this newly appointed squad commander was selling in her gourd.

Liu Ke especially.

By now, his heart was already churning like seas and rivers.

Earlier, when this Jiang had ignored the townspeople's tearful pleas, he had assumed she was cold-blooded and hard-hearted as iron and stone.

But in the blink of an eye, she had started fighting Baosha's monks?

Why?

Could it be...

The negotiations had fallen through?

When no one answered, Jiang Yuechu's brows furrowed slightly.

"Hmm?"

A burly man standing in the corner caught her glance and shuddered. Before he knew it, he had spoken.

"R-Reporting to you, ma'am, according to office regulations, if the circumstances are serious... they may be executed on the spot!"

"Very good."

Jiang Yuechu nodded, her gaze settling on the two monks once more.

"Then why haven't you seized them?"

The words fell.

The courtyard remained deathly silent.

No one moved.

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

Seize them?

These were people from Baosha Temple!

Baosha Temple, whose roots ran deep through Longyou Circuit, the very temple that even the former commander had to show some respect to!

Earlier, when he had traded barbs with Hui Yuan and spoken provocatively, it had only been the hotheadedness of youth. He had merely relied on the uniform he wore to say some bold words.

But now, Squad Commander Jiang actually intended to make good on it?!

Alarmed, he hurriedly stepped forward, intending to dissuade her.

"This matter... this matter requires careful consideration! Baosha Temple has deep foundations in Longyou. If we offend them rashly, it may bring down a calamity of immense proportions! How about..."

Before he could finish.

Slap!

A crisp, resounding slap exploded through the courtyard.

Everyone froze.

The plump Bujie had somehow arrived before Hui Yuan. With one enormous slap, he struck the young monk squarely across the face.

Hui Yuan was slapped senseless. Clutching his cheek, he stared at Bujie in disbelief.

"Y-You dared hit me?!"

"Amitabha."

Bujie withdrew his hand and intoned a Buddhist invocation, his face full of compassionate sorrow for all living things.

"This poor monk saw that you were possessed by inner demons, so I helped clear your head. No need to thank me."

That slap left everyone utterly stunned.

Chen Tong's eyes lit up. It was as though he had instantly found his backbone. With an angry roar, he charged forward first.

"Fuck you, bald donkey! You dare throw your weight around in front of us!"

He kicked Hui Yuan to the ground and rained down punches like a storm.

The other men in the courtyard seemed to wake from a dream. Howling, they pounced on him as well.

"Beat him!"

"Teach him not to act tough in front of us!"

For a time, fists and feet flew through the courtyard, accompanied by endless screams.

Hui Yuan had some cultivation, but how could he withstand a pack of men as fierce as wolves and tigers beating him together?

In the span of a few breaths, he had been beaten black and blue, without the slightest ability to fight back.

Magistrate Qian lay sprawled on the ground, completely at a loss over how to bring this to an end.

Only Liu Ke remained rooted where he stood, blankly watching the chaotic scene before him, utterly at a loss.

Jiang Yuechu slowly walked over to him.

"Weren't you the one shouting the loudest just now?"

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

"So when it's really time for you to act, why are you standing here babbling at me instead?"

"I..."

Liu Ke opened his mouth, but a word stuck in his throat, and he could not say anything more.

Jiang Yuechu could not be bothered to hear his explanation. She turned away without another word.

She said nothing, yet that silence hurt more than any cutting remark could have.

Before long, the two monks were trussed up like dumplings and escorted before Jiang Yuechu.

Chen Tong and the others had shown no mercy. The two monks, who had looked so dignified and solemn moments earlier, were now bruised and swollen, their robes covered in footprints, utterly bedraggled.

"Let me go! You pack of dogs who bully others by relying on power! Do you know who I am?!"

Hui Yuan continued to roar stubbornly, his eyes full of venom. "My master is the chief of Baosha Temple's Discipline Hall! You laid hands on me today, and I guarantee none of you will survive!"

"Junior brother, shut up!"

Hui Ming struggled to raise his head from the ground and sharply stopped him.

He had finally understood.

This woman before him was completely unlike the Demon Suppression Office officials they had dealt with in the past.

She observed no rules, gave no face, and feared no threats.

He had merely let a hint of threat show inside the room, and she had kicked him straight out without even giving him a chance to react.

The resentment he had forced down nearly burst through his chest.

But now, others held the knife and chopping board, while he was the fish upon it.

Enduring the searing pain in his cheek, he forced out a smile uglier than a cry at Jiang Yuechu.

"My lady... please calm your anger. My junior brother is young and hot-blooded. He spoke without thinking and offended you. This poor monk... this poor monk apologizes on his behalf."

"Today's matter was Baosha Temple's fault. We will no longer interfere. Please, for the Buddha's sake, show mercy and let my junior brother and me leave. Everyone at Baosha Temple will surely remember your kindness, and there will certainly be a generous reward in the future!"

As long as they could return alive and report today's humiliation to their sect...

Hmph...

A mere Eighth-Rank Squad Commander, even if she possessed some ability, was nothing more than a slightly larger ant before a colossal force like Baosha Temple.

However.

Jiang Yuechu merely looked at him impassively and slowly drew the saber at her waist, inch by inch.

Clang—

Hui Ming's expression stiffened. In an instant, he understood.

This...

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

"Y-You truly mean to fight Baosha Temple until both fish and net are destroyed?!"

Hui Ming could no longer keep up the pretense. "Baosha Temple has stood in Longyou for centuries! There are no fewer than dozens of Bone-Chiming Realm experts in the temple, and Core Formation Realm elders stand guard! If my junior brother and I die here today, within three days, experts from our temple will come in person to demand your life!"

"Your uniform may protect you for a time, but it cannot protect you for a lifetime! If you have the ability, then hide in the Demon Suppression Office for the rest of your life and never come out!"

Jiang Yuechu said nothing.

She merely raised her eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

There was no anger, no killing intent.

There was not even the slightest ripple of emotion.

Sunlight fell upon her cold, pale face, like winter wind and snow.

Her thin lips parted, and her voice was calm.

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

The instant her words fell.

A flash of saber light erupted.

Splurt.

Two fine heads flew into the sky.