Killing Without Guilt

Looking at Li Jian, who was still glaring at him, Lu Shaolin pulled out his spear with a "pfft" and let out a long breath.

The fierce battle just now had left a faint ache in his chest and abdomen.

Carrying the spear into the house, Lu Shaolin sat down on a chair, picked up the teapot from the table, and drained it in one go.

Thinking about what he would need to deal with next, Lu Shaolin summoned the system panel. With a thought, he tapped the plus sign behind Three Absolutes Spear, advancing it from Greater Mastery to Perfection! The Source Points on the panel decreased by 0.5, becoming 0.8!

A flood of memories surged into his mind, and his body underwent subtle changes as well.

Lu Shaolin ran to the kitchen and tore into the cured meat in huge bites. After finishing it and resting briefly, he got up and returned to the courtyard.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had killed three men. Even though he had once infiltrated gangs in his previous life and seen all manner of things, he still felt restless.

Just as he was considering how to deal with the aftermath, a head poked in through the courtyard gate. "Jian'er, is the matter fin—"

The voice cut off abruptly halfway through.

Lu Shaolin looked up. It was Li Jian's father, Panshan Village's village head, Li Ping.

Seeing the bloody corpses in the courtyard, Li Ping collapsed limply to the ground. Then, when he looked up and saw Lu Shaolin staring coldly at him, he let out a miserable shriek. "Ahhh!" He scrambled up and ran while shouting, "Murder! The Lu family brat has killed someone! My son..."

In an instant, a clamor erupted outside.

Lu Shaolin ignored the commotion outside. He simply moved a chair to the doorway and sat down, his spear standing at his side.

Half an hour later, the sound of hoofbeats rang out and stopped outside the Lu residence.

"Sir, the murderer is inside! My poor son! I beg you, sir, uphold justice for me!" Li Ping cried out.

Lu Shaolin remained unmoved, merely watching the courtyard gate calmly.

Once the noise died down, four constables entered the courtyard with sabers and staffs in hand, while another two sealed off the gate!

The lead constable was in his thirties and wore a black-and-red constable's uniform. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, he frowned slightly.

When he saw Lu Shaolin sitting steadily before the house without a change in expression, he was even more surprised.

What nerve!

Seeing the constables arrive, Lu Shaolin rose and cupped his hands. "Sir!"

The lead constable was very strong!

"Did you kill these three men?" the lead constable asked.

"I killed them. These three broke into my home armed with weapons and intended to kill me, so I killed them in self-defense."

"According to the law: if armed men break into a homeowner's residence, and the homeowner strikes them down, he is not guilty! I hope you will judge this fairly, sir!" Lu Shaolin replied neither servile nor overbearing.

"Hm? Investigate it!" the lead constable said, turning to those behind him.

"Yes!" Two of them cupped their hands and began examining the traces around the courtyard and gathering evidence.

After finishing their inspection, one of them leaned close to whisper in the lead constable's ear. The lead constable nodded.

"Based on the evidence, these three indeed broke into your home. However, you must still come with us so that the county magistrate can render a judgment," the lead constable said gravely to Lu Shaolin.

Lu Shaolin frowned. After thinking for a moment, he cupped his hands. "As I should."

With that, he carried his spear forward.

"There is no need to bring your weapon!" the lead constable shouted, his hand already gripping his saber hilt.

The three constables behind him also tightened their grips on their weapons.

"Heh..." Lu Shaolin grinned. With a flick of his wrist, the spear spun, its tip pointing down.

Then, power exploded from one arm. With a "pfft," the entire spearhead sank into the ground.

He released his hand, and the spear stood firmly upright!

With empty hands, he walked before the lead constable. One of the men behind him removed the chain from his waist, intending to step forward and bind Lu Shaolin.

The lead constable waved a hand. "No need. He has not yet been convicted."

"Let's go. My surname is Sun, and I serve as a constable captain. Just follow behind me," Constable Sun said to Lu Shaolin.

"Very well. Thank you, Constable Sun!" Lu Shaolin cupped his hands in thanks.

Constable Sun then turned and walked toward the courtyard gate, with Lu Shaolin following behind him.

The other three constables surrounded him in the middle.

Once they left the courtyard, the villagers had all gathered there.

Seeing Lu Shaolin among the constables, quite a few villagers showed looks of pity.

The people the Lu family brat had killed deserved to die, especially those two hooligans and scoundrels!

Only Li Zheng and the tear-streaked woman beside him wore venomous expressions, as though they wished they could feast on his flesh and drink his blood.

Lu Shaolin smiled faintly and remained as calm as Mount Tai, merely following Constable Sun onward.

Constable Sun sent one man on horseback ahead to report back, then left another to guard the courtyard gate. The four of them walked with Lu Shaolin toward the county seat.

An hour later, the five arrived at the county yamen. After reporting their arrival, Constable Sun led Lu Shaolin into the hall.

Lu Shaolin looked up, but the county magistrate was nowhere to be seen. Only an adviser with a mustache shaped like the character eight stood to one side.

"Are you Lu Shaolin of the Lu family from Panshan Village?" the adviser asked.

"Yes, sir!" Lu Shaolin replied with cupped hands.

"Don't call me sir. Just call me Adviser Qian," the adviser said, waving a hand.

"Adviser Qian." Lu Shaolin cupped his hands again.

"Your case is simple, and the evidence is conclusive. There is nothing much to try. The county magistrate is also occupied with important matters. Sign and seal this document, and you may leave." Adviser Qian walked down with a written statement and handed it to Lu Shaolin.

Lu Shaolin accepted the statement and looked it over. It was merely a confirmation of the events. Seeing no problems whatsoever, he promptly signed it and pressed his fingerprint.

"Kid, you remained so calm after killing people. You have quite the courage!" Adviser Qian said with a smile, taking back the statement.

"You flatter me, Adviser Qian. I was merely defending myself! May I ask, does the yamen still need manpower?" Lu Shaolin asked, shaking his head.

"Hahaha, you brat! The yamen is not so easy to enter! Go on, go on!" Adviser Qian said with a laugh, waving him away.

"Uh... farewell!" Lu Shaolin said somewhat awkwardly, cupping his hands before leaving.

As he walked out of the county yamen, Lu Shaolin still felt dazed. It all seemed unbelievable.

He had thought that no matter what, he would be locked up for a couple of days. At worst, he expected to be tortured into a confession. He had even prepared to fight for his life.

Yet it was over just like that. It seemed the yamen of Great Xia was quite upright and efficient! It was just a pity that he had failed to use this chance to enter the yamen!

An iron rice bowl really was not so easy to get!

With the matter resolved, Lu Shaolin felt incomparably relaxed, but his stomach suddenly growled.

After upgrading Three Absolutes Spear to Perfection, the food he had eaten earlier had already been completely consumed. It was time to replenish his nutrients again.

Lu Shaolin quickly headed toward a roadside stall selling mutton paomo.

At the stall, he ordered three bowls of mutton paomo from the owner and devoured them all in one breath.

Afterward, he ordered another two bowls. This time, he slowed down and ate them bit by bit.

After sitting for a while, Lu Shaolin got up, paid the bill, and headed home.

He was in no hurry along the way, and it took Lu Shaolin an hour and a half to return home.

By then, the villagers who had been watching had already dispersed, and the constable left behind had gone as well. Perhaps the constables had announced that Lu Shaolin was innocent.

Pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate, he found that the corpses in the yard had disappeared, leaving only bloodstains behind.

The spear still stood firmly embedded in the ground, not having shifted in the slightest!

Lu Shaolin stepped forward, reached out with his right hand, and pulled out the spear in one motion. He twirled it into a spear flourish, then leaned it against the wall.

He then walked to the well, drew seven or eight buckets of water, and washed the bloodstains from the courtyard completely clean.