Lin Yuan took the official dispatch in puzzlement and read it carefully. His expression immediately darkened.
It turned out that the trouble had begun with the Blood Blade Sect.
This sect had utterly lost its mind, slaughtering seven villages in neighboring Cangping County and using the blood essence of over a thousand people to ritually forge a demonic saber.
Three days earlier, the Dragon Guard in the commandery capital had mustered a large force to encircle and destroy the Blood Blade Sect's headquarters. Relying on the demonic saber's might, the sect master had unleashed the strength of an early Third Rank martial artist, broken through the blockade, and fled south.
Ping'an County lay directly south of Cangping County and would bear the brunt!
His face grim, Lin Yuan immediately gave an order.
"Go to the county office at once and notify Magistrate Wu Wei. Have him send out every constable to guard the street entrances."
"Yes!"
Wang Cheng had also read the dispatch. Knowing how urgent the situation was, he dared not delay.
In the rear courtyard of Wang's Tea House.
Lin Yuan hurried over and looked at the youths still training, then immediately shouted.
"Assemble!"
The youths swiftly formed five rows, each brimming with vigor, having undergone a complete transformation.
Lin Yuan carefully sensed their strength, and his expression eased slightly.
Good. Even the weakest among them had reached the middle stage of Body Tempering.
His gaze fell on the dark-skinned youth.
Aside from Wang Cheng, he was the only youth present who had reached the Qi and Blood Realm.
Lin Yuan stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
"What's your name?"
The youth answered excitedly.
"Sir, my name is Heigou!"
Lin Yuan paused. What kind of lousy name was that?
"Heigou, you're doing very well!"
Seeing how much attention Heigou received, the others all resolved to work even harder.
Lin Yuan turned to business, briefly explaining the situation before issuing orders.
"Five to a squad, ten squads. Comb every street in Ping'an County."
"If you encounter anyone suspicious, don't fight them head-on. Fire a whistling arrow immediately to sound the alarm."
"Understood!"
The youths answered in a low chorus, then scattered into the streets and alleys in the blink of an eye.
The entire afternoon passed without incident.
As night gradually fell, every patrol squad went on full alert.
At the residence in the north of the city.
Lin Yuan sat in a grand armchair in the main hall, his saber resting across his knees as he rested with his eyes closed.
Lin Jiu stood motionless beneath the covered walkway, holding his saber.
They waited well into the latter half of the night, yet there was not the slightest disturbance in the city.
Rather than relaxing, Lin Yuan knitted his brows even tighter.
He came to the window and gazed at the murky sky, a trace of unease rising in his heart.
"The wind fills the tower before the storm arrives!"
Dawn broke through the night.
A jumble of footsteps sounded outside the courtyard.
Lin Yuan's eyelid twitched, and he hurried to the front courtyard.
Looking somewhat nervous, Lin Jiu pulled open the main gate.
Outside, two constables in black uniforms had run until their heads were drenched in sweat, their faces deathly pale.
"Captain Lin! Something's happened!"
"The five brothers patrolling the south of the city last night-they're all dead!"
In the south of the city.
Muddy Water Alley.
This was where the poorest commoners gathered, with low adobe houses lining both sides.
More than a dozen constables had already cordoned off the alley entrance. Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu paced anxiously back and forth, their expressions extremely grim.
Lin Yuan hurried over with his men, and Wu Wei immediately came forward to meet him.
"Captain Lin, you're finally here."
Lin Yuan did not answer and walked straight into the alley.
In the middle of the alley lay the bodies of five constables, covered with white cloths.
He lifted a cloth to reveal a corpse shriveled all over, its eye sockets sunken and its mouth gaping.
Lin Yuan's eyes turned cold. It seemed that this Blood Blade Sect master had already slipped into the city.
He stood and surveyed his surroundings, then a puzzled look entered his eyes.
The entire alley was far too quiet.
There were clearly more than sixty households on either side, yet not a wisp of cooking smoke rose.
His heart lurched.
"Not good!"
Lin Yuan went to an adobe house on the left and kicked open its battered door.
As soon as they entered, Wang Cheng, who followed at his side, sucked in a breath of cold air.
A family of three lay on the earthen bed, dead in exactly the same state as the constables!
"Quick, check the other houses! See if anyone is still alive!"
Lin Yuan's eyes chilled.
A quarter of an hour later.
Wang Cheng reported back with a grim expression.
"Sir, all sixty-three households in Muddy Water Alley, two hundred and thirty-six people-not one survived!"
Something this serious could not possibly be concealed.
The news soon spread throughout Ping'an County.
For a time, panic spread relentlessly through the city.
The streets were deserted, and shops shut their doors one after another.
Between nine and eleven that morning.
In the main hall of the county office.
The atmosphere was terribly oppressive.
At the head of the hall, Lin Yuan calmly sipped his tea, while Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu fidgeted in extreme agitation.
Seated below on either side were the leaders of Ping'an County's four great Lineages.
They were Wang Chong, the old patriarch of the Wang Clan in the north of the city, and the heads of the Li Clan, Zhang Clan, and Liu Clan.
Behind each clan head stood two Attendants with formidable presences.
The two elders behind Wang Chong, in particular, had incredibly powerful presences. Both were Second Rank martial artists of the Strength Gathering Realm.
Because Lin Yuan had previously seized Wang Chong's Swimming Dragon Steps, the old man had worn a sour expression toward him from the moment he entered the hall.
After a long while.
"Clan heads, that is the situation."
Wu Wei let out a long sigh.
"The Blood Blade Sect master is vicious beyond measure. The county office's constables and the Dragon Guard alone simply cannot watch over a county town this large."
Lin Yuan tapped his fingers lightly against the table and took over directly.
"I called you all here today for one thing."
"Each of the four great Lineages will provide one hundred strong household guards. The Dragon Guard will coordinate their deployment to seal off every alley."
As soon as he finished, a flurry of discussion broke out in the hall.
The other three clan heads exchanged glances, then turned their eyes toward Wang Chong in the foremost seat.
Wang Chong set his teacup down heavily. He had not wanted to provoke this harbinger of calamity, Lin Yuan, but the man had come knocking of his own accord today.
Did he really think their established clans were soft persimmons he could squeeze at will?
He sneered.
"Captain Lin certainly knows how to throw his official weight around."
"My Wang Clan's household guards are private property. Does the Dragon Guard intend to seize private property by force?"
"Besides, apprehending criminals is your office's responsibility. What does it have to do with commoners like us?"
At these words, the other three clan heads all nodded in agreement.
Wang Ruogu had not wanted to speak, but he could not withstand Wu Wei's threatening gaze. Helplessly, he offered a reminder.
"Old Patriarch Wang, when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Wang Chong glared viciously at Wang Ruogu. He had never let go of his grudge over the earlier incident at the Treasure Pavilion.
Lin Yuan looked coldly at Wang Chong.
"So? You're refusing the requisition?"
Wang Chong cast Lin Yuan a sidelong glance, his expression arrogant.
"Lin Yuan, don't think becoming a Dragon Guard captain means you can cover the sky over Ping'an County with one hand!"
"I advise you to act carefully. My Wang Clan has built its influence over generations, and we have connections at court!"
"If you dare force this requisition today, I will petition the commandery governor and impeach you for oppressing the local gentry!"
The two Second Rank Attendants behind him immediately stepped half a pace forward, their Qi and blood surging as they eyed Lin Yuan like tigers watching prey.
Standing at the entrance, Wang Cheng and Lin Jiu turned livid with anger at these words. Both pressed their hands to their saber hilts and glared.
"Impeach me? Who the hell do you think you are?"
Lin Yuan rolled his neck and slowly stood.
An elder with a hooked nose behind Wang Chong snorted coldly and barked a rebuke.
"Impudent! You yellow-mouthed brat, how dare you disrespect our clan head! Hurry up and-"
Before he could finish, Lin Yuan's figure shifted slightly. His afterimage had yet to fade when he appeared like a phantom right in front of the hook-nosed elder.
So fast!
The elder's breath caught, and he hurriedly reached for the saber at his waist.
But Lin Yuan moved even faster!
Swinging his arm in a full arc, he unleashed the full strength of the Second Rank Strength Gathering Realm and delivered a vicious backhand slap!
Smack!
A sharp crack shook the hall.
Half the hook-nosed elder's face caved in. He spat out more than a dozen bloodied, broken teeth and spun several times on the spot before falling backward, unconscious on impact.
The hall instantly fell silent as a flock of crows struck dumb.
The other three clan heads shuddered, dropping their teacups to the floor in shock.
Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads and lowered their heads, pretending they had seen nothing.
Wang Chong sprang from his chair, his face instantly turning as white as paper.
The other Wang Clan Attendant reacted, his expression darkening as he prepared to strike in fury.
Clang!
With a flick of Lin Yuan's finger, his saber slid half an inch from its sheath.
A terrifying pressure of saber Qi bore down upon the man.
The Wang Clan Attendant felt as though a mountain had descended upon him. His shoulders abruptly sank. He struggled to hold out for three breaths, then spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed heavily to his knees.
Lin Yuan flashed in front of Wang Chong and kicked him several meters away.
Wang Chong slammed into the floor, stars bursting before his eyes and agony shooting through his organs. For a long while, he could not get up.
Lin Yuan strode coldly forward and planted a foot on his chest.
"You fucking thought I was asking? Have you forgotten the Dragon Guard's guiding principle?"
"Anyone who refuses requisition will be punished for treason, with all nine familial branches exterminated!"
"Old Patriarch Wang, do you dare repeat what you just said?"
Wang Chong's lips trembled violently. He shook his head desperately, tears streaming down his aged face.
"N-no! I wouldn't dare! The Wang Clan will send men immediately!"
"We'll send men too! We would never dare delay your important work, Lord Lin!"
Terrified, the other three clan heads scrambled onto their knees, swearing solemn oaths.
"What a pack of spineless wretches."
Still cursing, Lin Yuan returned to his seat at the head of the hall.
In less than an incense stick's time, the four great Lineages obediently handed over four hundred tough, capable household guards.
Lin Yuan deployed everyone, leaving not a single blind spot in all of Ping'an County.
Night fell.
In an alley in the east of the city.
Heigou led a group of five, carrying torches as they patrolled the alley.
Just as they rounded a corner, a dark figure slowly poked its head from the shadows beneath the eaves above, a bloodthirsty gleam in its eyes.