Liu Chief Constable of Yueyang County

"Second Uncle, are you waiting here, or coming with us?"

"Together."

After going downstairs, the four entered a room under Xiaocui's guidance.

The madam and Qiu Mei were waiting inside.

Gao Fei did not hesitate. Under Qiu Mei's expectant gaze, he took out four banknotes and handed them over.

The madam inspected every one of them with great care. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea—

Gao Fei received Qiu Mei's contract of sale.

"How much to redeem Xiaocui? Qiu Mei is used to her service. It'll be more convenient to buy her back too."

Just as the madam turned to leave, she heard this and hurried back.

"Five hundred taels. Not a penny less!"

Gao Fei glanced at the little girl and did not haggle.

"Go get her contract of sale."

The madam pulled it straight from her bosom, as though she had prepared it long ago.

"Transaction complete."

"Thank you for helping me, Young Master. Once I have money, I will definitely repay you."

Qiu Mei covered her chest to keep herself from being exposed, then gave a slight bow in thanks.

Gao Fei understood what she meant and directly handed both contracts of sale to Qiu Mei.

Seeing this, Gao Linyue finally reacted.

"You brat, where did you get so much silver?"

Gao Fei felt awkward. Second Uncle really gave me no face at all. Couldn't he ask me after we got outside?

But there was no hiding it, so he honestly told him about robbing Lin Shaoxiong.

As for the later matter of using "montage" to kill someone, he did not mention a word.

When Gao Linyue heard about the robbery—

His formerly beaming face instantly turned grave.

"The Lin Family has three Spirit-Absorption Realm experts. Though they were transferred to the battlefield, who knows how many are still alive? Even if only one survives, he isn't someone you can provoke lightly. Why did you provoke him?"

"I didn't provoke him. He provoked me. If I didn't deal with him, wouldn't that make me look easy to bully?"

"Enough. Stop making excuses. When they come looking for you, return the silver."

Gao Fei pursed his lips.

There was no way he was returning the silver. After Skin Tempering came Tendon-and-Bone Tempering, and he did not even know whether the silver would be enough.

At that thought, he quickly raised the gourd and took a mouthful of Qi-Blood Soup.

Even a little more qi-blood power to nourish his skin and flesh was good.

"Fine, we'll talk when he comes looking. By the way, Second Uncle, whose medicinal baths are best for Skin Tempering?"

"The martial academy or the apothecary will do. What, you're at the Middle Qi-Blood Realm and already want to start Skin Tempering?"

Gao Linyue knew he was changing the subject because he did not want to discuss this, and judging by the look of things, the silver would not be returned either.

Most of it had already been spent today. How could it be returned? They could only wait until the academy master came back and think of something then.

"Yes. I want to start Skin Tempering immediately. My defense will rise by a lot, and my chances of survival will be a bit higher. You know the current situation. After some time, I might even need Tendon-and-Bone Tempering, Organ Refinement..."

Gao Linyue hurriedly cut him off before he could continue.

"Fine, fine... Don't aim too high. If the Blood-Qi Realm isn't complete, your qi-blood simply can't sustain the later stages of cultivation."

"For someone like you, at the Middle Qi-Blood Realm, your Skin Tempering, Tendon-and-Bone Tempering, and internal organs must all remain at the same level. They absolutely cannot surpass the middle stage. If they do, your qi-blood will be depleted and your foundation damaged. As for the Spirit-Absorption Realm, don't even think about it. If you truly do this—"

After hearing this, Gao Fei nodded. "I just want to live. I'll survive this period first, then worry about the rest."

In two days, he had gone from the Early Blood-Qi Realm to the Middle Skin-Tempering Realm, directly covering the path that even those blessed with extraordinary talent needed three to five years to traverse.

On top of that, he possessed two True-Return Martial Arts.

It was hard to judge the Lineages and officials of Yueyang County, but the demons would definitely target him first.

The longer he could hide, the better. There was no need to invite trouble for himself.

He would quietly level up and not become the bird that stuck its head out. If he could find enough Spirit Stones, he might just slaughter his way straight to the demons' lair.

Gao Linyue understood Yueyang County's current situation as well. He was silent for a while.

"Fine. You're eighteen now and can make your own judgments. Let's go home first."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qiu Mei, who had finished packing and returned with a bundle on her back.

They walked out together, followed by Qiu Mei and Xiaocui, who had not even changed their clothes.

Before he could speak, Qiu Mei said softly.

"I'll have to trouble you to protect us for a while longer, Young Master."

This time, Gao Fei truly experienced what it meant to be the focus of all eyes.

Many people nearby were still asking questions.

"Brother Gao, did you redeem her to make her your wife, or your concubine?"

"Brother Gao, tell us! Then we can come drink a cup of wedding wine!"

Gao Fei looked at them. Was this about drinking wine?

These people simply wanted to plant radishes in the same pit as him.

"Scram!"

With Gao Linyue clearing the way, the people around them automatically moved aside. His intimidating presence was overwhelming.

But in Gao Fei's eyes, it felt a little like when there was no tiger in the mountains, the monkey ruled as king.

Just then, two fat middle-aged men entered through the main doors. The fat man in front was a full size larger than Constable Liu.

More than ten white-uniformed runners followed behind them.

Constable Liu stood behind one of the fat men and gave Gao Fei a thumbs-up.

Among the runners following him was the man Gao Fei had kicked. He was looking at Gao Fei with mockery, but the instant he saw Qiu Mei, his eyes lit up.

Like a man who had squatted in prison for three years without ever seeing a woman, he swept his gaze across every corner of Spring Revival Pavilion.

"Oh? What wind blew our Chief Constable Liu's illness away?"

When Gao Linyue saw the newcomer, the corner of his mouth twitched. In an instant, he switched to an accusatory tone. "Outside the city, people are disappearing village by village. Your illness wasn't cured then, but now it suddenly is? Do you have no shame?"

A lazy voice, as if someone had just woken up, sounded from nearby.

"I do!..."

Looking at the two fat men and their similar faces, Gao Fei quietly cursed Lu Xiaoliu. He could not even explain the person he was introducing properly.

Spring Revival Pavilion was crowded at the moment, yet utterly silent.

These lecherous devils who loved taking advantage had stopped what they were doing and found something more interesting.

Everyone present knew the situation. They had basically already given up, living one carefree day at a time.

Liu Chief Constable swept his gaze around. Seeing the mocking looks around him, a trace of embarrassment appeared on his fat face.

"Your nephew Gao Fei killed the Lin Family's third young master, Lin Shaoxiong. Let him come with me."

Gao Linyue was somewhat surprised, but he still snapped back.

"My nephew Gao Fei has been with me the entire time, redeeming people here. Everyone present can testify to that."

"Even the county magistrate would have to interrogate him before confirming anything. You say he's a murderer, so he's a murderer? If your illness isn't cured, go back and keep recovering. Don't come out here and make a spectacle of yourself."

Liu Chief Constable merely looked around. From the crowd's nods and responses, he understood that Gao Fei truly had been here all along.

"What about your nephew robbing someone to redeem Qiu Mei? Shall we discuss that?"

"How can that be called robbery? It was a loan. Lin Shaoxiong handed it over to him with both hands. It was to be repaid. You can bring the person involved here to confront us."

Gao Linyue began acting shamelessly. The man was already gone, so they could wait until the county magistrate returned to discuss it.

Liu Chief Constable pondered for a while without replying, then turned and headed toward where the incident had occurred.

He had only just received news from the Lin Family guards and had not yet gone to the scene.

"Liu Chief Constable, as you can see, my nephew has a happy occasion. He'll need to take a few days off soon. Please approve it."

Seeing Liu Chief Constable about to lead everyone away, Gao Linyue hurriedly called after him and pointed at Qiu Mei.

Gao Fei needed to practice Skin Tempering, so he had to be admitted as soon as possible. If trouble came later, he would at least have someone to help him, greatly increasing his chances of survival.

And they could lie low for a while too. How had this brat become so bold that he even dared kill a member of the Lin Family?