Chapter 77: Dashing Youth In Fine Attire And Spirited Steed—who Doesn’t Know The Yong’an Silver Rod King?
“Sir, just the four of us?”
At the village entrance, the young man who had led the way pointed at his own face, bewildered and asked.
“Hmm, scared?” Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.
The young man swallowed a mouthful of saliva. “This subordinate is naturally not afraid, I just don’t want you sirs to go to your deaths.”
He had originally thought that upon reaching the village entrance, a large contingent of constables would be waiting in formation.
Who would have thought, looking around.
It was just the four of them.
Going to Stone Dragon Mountain like this was no different than walking to their deaths.
Ning Yu suggested, “Squad Leader Lin, I think what this gentleman said is correct. Why don’t we wait until everyone arrives? The mountain bandits are fierce and evil. With just the four of us, I fear it will be difficult to deal with them.”
She really wanted to suppress the bandits.
She also believed in Squad Leader Lin’s strength.
But four people going openly to suppress bandits was, after all, a bit unrealistic.
The more dangerous the situation, the calmer one must be.
Prefect Li repeatedly agreed, “Squad Leader Lin, caution is the mother of safety.”
To him, whether the bandit suppression was successful or not was unimportant; what was important was that Ning Yu must be safe. He had truly not expected this young lady to be so proactive. Not only was she unafraid upon hearing about bandit suppression, but she was also full of energy.
Indeed, the confidence to have such drive could only stem from having a powerful backing.
“Prefect Li, are you also afraid?” Lin Fan expressed his confusion.
Prefect Li was about to lose his composure.
He wanted to say, “My dear Squad Leader Lin, I know you’re formidable, but formidable or not, right now I just want stability, not thrills!”
“Everyone, we can wait, but can those women abducted by the mountain bandits wait? If their bodies are violated by the bandits, even if we manage to eliminate the bandits, what then?”
“Can they pretend nothing has happened?”
“If you are afraid, stay here and wait for the main force. I… am not afraid.”
With that, Lin Fan’s gaze fixed on the distance, and he made a move as if to leave.
The young villager and his fellow villagers did not expect the squad leader before them to care so much about them. He patted his chest, “If the sir is not afraid, how can I be afraid? I will go with the sir.”
“Let’s go.” Lin Fan reached out, lifted the young villager onto the steed, and placed him in front of him. “Show the way, let’s go.”
“Giddy up!”
The steed neighed and galloped away, kicking up dust.
Ning Yu followed without hesitation, spurring her horse on.
“This, this…” Prefect Li sighed helplessly, already cursing the mountain bandits profusely. A bunch of beasts, why rob now and not earlier? Why couldn’t they have waited until I left Yong’an?
Truly a bunch of beasts.
Thinking of Lin Fan’s terrifying strength, he comforted himself, “There shouldn’t be much of a problem, right?”
The journey was bumpy. The young villager felt as though the two arms passing under his armpits were iron arms, strong and powerful, emanating an overwhelming sense of security. His panicked heart calmed, and all he felt was the determination to rescue the villagers under the leadership of this sir.
After a long while, they arrived at Stone Dragon Mountain.
The mountain was extremely high, the roads rugged, the forests dense and the grass deep. If criminals were hiding on the mountain, finding them would be difficult.
Lin Fan dismounted and looked back at them. “Don’t rush up. Maintain your distance from me and follow behind me. The traps and dangers on this path will surely be endless. Let me clear them all away one by one, and then you can follow my footsteps.”
“Action.”
Act with meticulous care.
Work swiftly.
Lin Fan gripped his iron rod and strode forward, heading up the mountain.
The young villager stared at the receding back that moved forward without hesitation, frozen in place. He had never seen a constable so willing to risk his life for the common people. His previous rigid impression of constables gradually dissipated.
If the sir met with misfortune.
He would not flee either.
He would surely face life and death together with the sir.
Ning Yu wanted to follow, but Prefect Li stopped her. “Prefect Ning, don’t rush. Let him clear the path first. You’ve only just taken office in Yong’an, and you haven’t investigated some matters thoroughly. But after this incident, I think you’ll understand.”
He lived in the shadow of Lin Fan’s terrifying strength.
He was almost free of it.
But a malicious thought arose; he wanted Prefect Ning to live in Lin Fan’s shadow as well.
Of course, Prefect Ning here was good-looking and had everything she could want. If she wanted to ride roughshod over Lin Fan in broad daylight, she would certainly have to endure what ordinary people could not bear at night.
Heh… as if picturing the scene.
Prefect Li couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Prefect Li, what are you laughing at?”
“Nothing, I just thought of the scene where those mountain bandits beg for mercy later and found it amusing.”
At this moment.
Lin Fan’s gaze, like lightning, swept across the surroundings. The trees here were too lush, and there was much undergrowth. The path up the mountain was clearly this one, but no one knew if the mountain bandits had secret passages or shortcuts to ascend.
He hadn’t gone far.
With a rustle.
He stepped on a trap.
A large net instantly contracted from beneath his feet, wrapping around Lin Fan and hoisting him up.
*Riiip!*
Lin Fan tore the net apart with his bare hands and landed steadily.
“These mountain bandits have some skill. It seems they have someone who is very proficient with traps.”
He continued forward.
*Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!*
Traps were triggered.
The sound of piercing air came.
Arrows shot out from the darkness.
Lin Fan brandished his club, and with clanging sounds, all the arrows were knocked down, scattering around. He picked up an arrow to examine it. The arrow tip had barbs. If someone were shot, they would be dead or disabled.
It also appeared the arrowheads were poisoned.
This was a deadly intent.
Being shot meant severe injury and poisoning. Even if a divine doctor accompanied the group, they would be powerless.
He moved forward again.
He hadn’t gone much further before encountering two rounds of traps.
If ordinary constables had come, before even seeing the mountain bandits, they would have suffered casualties. The constables of Yong’an were ordinary people. Faced with these changes, even if they were full of confidence and high spirits, their morale would be greatly diminished, and they would flee in disarray.
Forward, forward, and forward again.
At this moment, Lin Fan was like a bulldozer, advancing unimpeded, not even looking at the path, precisely stepping on every trap.
His foot met empty air, and a strong sense of falling struck him.
He looked down.
The ground had been dug out, covered with soft strips, then with mud. When a person stepped on it, they would fall.
In the deep pit, densely packed, sharpened bamboo spikes were inserted.
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
His feet landed, and the tightly stretched bamboo spikes snapped under his weight. He swept his leg, breaking all the surrounding bamboo spikes. Just then, wooden stakes descended from above.
Lin Fan raised one hand, steadily caught the wooden stake, and casually threw it aside.
With a leap, he jumped directly out of the three-meter-deep pit.
“Hmph, mountain bandits are just mountain bandits, using these low-class tricks.”
“Damn it, my shoes.”
Lin Fan became furious, his anger burning. When he fell into the pit earlier, he had stepped on a bamboo spike, which had cut a slit in the sole of his shoe.
“Damn it, those who damage my shoes deserve to die.”
He hadn’t even seen the mountain bandits yet, but his anger had been completely provoked by them.
He continued forward.
He triggered another mechanism.
A fixed giant stone loosened and rolled down from above with a tremendous roar and movement.
Lin Fan looked up at the rolling stone. Just as it was about to approach, he clenched his fist and punched out. With a bang, the stone was pulverized and scattered on the ground.
“Phew!”
He blew away the residue from the back of his fist.
If any mountain bandits saw this scene now, they would definitely be scared out of their wits. Is this person human?
Is this even human?
How could anyone achieve such a level?
At this moment.
Ning Yu and the others, who were following behind, had also reached the mountain. They were extremely worried when they saw the triggered traps, but when they saw the ruined traps and no sign of Lin Fan, they were utterly confused.
How did he destroy these traps?
Prefect Li, however, was very calm. On the way up the mountain, he recalled all the feats of strength Lin Fan had displayed before him.
His worry had vanished entirely, replaced by composure.
He alone had killed over a dozen assassins dressed in full armor.
Was this something a human could do?
Clearly not.
“Prefect Ning, you might not know, but Squad Leader Lin’s personal strength is terrifying. These are just minor matters to him,” Prefect Li said.
“Ah!?” Ning Yu asked, “Then what would be considered a major event?”
Prefect Li smiled, “In Prefect Ning’s impression, if one person were fully armored, how many people could they deal with?”
Ning Yu thought for a moment and said, “Until they are exhausted from fighting.”
Prefect Li smiled, “But for Squad Leader Lin, two days ago, he single-handedly killed over a dozen fully armored assassins, and he still had strength left, unharmed.”
Ning Yu stopped walking and stared blankly at Prefect Li, her eyes flickering, clearly stunned by what he had said.
Prefect Li said nothing, just nodded.
Everything he said was true.
It was common knowledge.
One could find out with a casual inquiry.
The young strong man beside them had also picked up a club from somewhere. He bent low like a ferocious beast, warily looking around. Even though he didn’t see any mountain bandits, his heart couldn’t help but pound wildly.
He turned to look at the two adults from the Public Security Bureau standing nonchalantly.
He was utterly bewildered.
“Are you two professional constables? Coming to Stone Dragon Mountain, can you be more reliable and vigilant about your surroundings?”
He shook his head dejectedly, feeling that the three constables who had come seemed unreliable.
The one who went ahead was impulsive and reckless, rushing up the mountain with an iron rod.
And these two were even more brazen, standing here chatting. If any mountain bandits were hiding nearby, shooting arrows, they would likely be caught.
“Two sirs, this place is dangerous, please pay attention to your safety,” the young strong man warned.
He finally understood.
Why the mountain bandits could act with impunity and survive to this day.
It was because the constables were unprofessional.
…
At this moment.
On the mountain, in the bandit stronghold.
“Hahaha…”
The mountain bandit leader sat on a tiger-skin throne with a stable posture. The symbol of righteousness behind him was very conspicuous. He looked down.
“Good, very good. With this operation, you have truly made our Stone Dragon Mountain’s name known. The spoils were also quite good: twenty women, grain, poultry, countless amounts. This will be enough for our brothers to enjoy for a while.”
The mountain bandits present had green light in their eyes and were all laughing heartily.
“Leader, these are the women our subordinates carefully selected for you. When we arrived at Qingtian Village, this woman was about to get married, but our brothers saw her at a glance and directly abducted her to present to you,” said the leader responsible for this operation.
The leader looked at the woman dressed in a bright red wedding gown with a smile, laughed heartily, and said, “Good, good, good. It seems I too must be a groom tonight and have a good time.”
“Hahaha…”
The mountain bandits cheered.
Lecherous words filled the air.
The abducted woman’s face was pale, and she trembled. She was about to marry her childhood sweetheart from the same village, and before they could even perform the wedding ceremony, she was abducted by mountain bandits.
She knew her fate would be tragic.
At this moment, a subordinate said, “Leader, I heard something.”
“Oh?” The leader suppressed his smile and looked at him. “What is it?”
The subordinate respectfully said, “Recently, I heard that the Yong’an Public Security Bureau has produced a ruthless person who completely destroyed the Loyalty Hall. They acted with extreme ruthlessness and are collaborating with the County Office to organize something called the Hundred Day Operation, aiming to sweep away black and eliminate evil. Will someone report us if we raid Qingtian Village?”
Everyone heard this.
They looked at the subordinate as if he were an idiot.
“Haha…” The leader couldn’t help but laugh. “Report us? The Public Security Bureau? The County Office? Ridiculous, how many constables have we killed?”
“Exactly, the leader is right. What Public Security Bureau? We have been entrenched on Stone Dragon Mountain for so long, who dares to provoke us? Not to mention anything else, even when Yong’an gathered people to suppress us long ago, halfway up the mountain, we dealt with them using traps, making them flee in utter disarray like stray dogs.”
“Yes, that’s right. One constable got separated, I captured him, imprisoned him, and toyed with him daily until he died. To this day, who has come to collect his body?”
His comrades looked at the speaker.
Their eyes held contempt and fear.
Damn it, they’d rather play with women than men. This guy is truly messed up.
A leader said, “Speaking of our Stone Dragon Mountain being impregnable, we must rely on our Second-in-Command, don’t you agree?”
In the first seat below the leader sat a middle-aged man, dressed like a scholar, holding a paper fan, calm and composed. When this leader spoke,
He stood up and cupped his fists towards the leader. “Brothers, Stone Dragon Mountain is impregnable, but it’s not because of me. It’s because of the Great Leader’s wisdom and might. If the Great Leader hadn’t spared my life back then, even with my expertise in traps, I would have had no place to apply it.”
The leader nodded with satisfaction. “Second Brother, you are too humble. Your talents are evident to all.”
“Elder Brother flatters me,” the Second-in-Command replied modestly.
He was originally a scholar on his way to take the imperial examinations. While traveling, he was abducted by the mountain bandits of Stone Dragon Mountain. Just as he was about to be violated by a bandit who enjoyed toying with men, he immediately shouted loudly, “I have the ability to set traps and can ensure this place is impregnable and cannot be breached.”
Only then did he narrowly save his backside.
As for the small leader who had just praised him, he harbored anger in his heart. “You damn dog, are you so desperate to become the Second-in-Command?”
He wished the Great Leader would perceive him as a threat to his position, thus killing him, and making way for you to take over, is that right?
If it were someone else, they might indeed be puffed up with pride.
But he had studied. Could he be incited by you?
At this moment, the Second-in-Command changed the subject. “Great Leader, my informant told me about the situation in Yong’an. The current Public Security Bureau is indeed somewhat unusual. Chen Xingzhi was brought down by that ruthless person. I believe this person is extremely ambitious and might have intentions towards our Stone Dragon Mountain using the Qingtian Village incident.”
The leader chuckled. “Second Brother, you worry too much. What does it matter if Chen Xingzhi was defeated? Chen Xingzhi would have to kowtow and beg for mercy if he encountered us. Moreover, what’s the use of being ruthless? Are we less ruthless than him?”
This was indeed true.
Stone Dragon Mountain lacked many things, but it did not lack various weapons.
Swords, spears, bows, arrows – they had everything.
They also organized training for everyone on a regular basis.
Swinging swords at straw men.
Holding spears to stab straw men.
Drawing bows to shoot straw men.
Even when compared to well-trained elite soldiers, he didn’t feel there was much difference.
More importantly, everyone on Stone Dragon Mountain was brave, willing to fight, and full of ferocity.
Even more crucially.
They had leather armor. Although this leather armor was not made of cowhide, pigskin, sheepskin, etc., obtained from past raids and plunder, it was layered together using special craftsmanship.
It could also defend against swords and blades.
Even if the Public Security Bureau’s men made great sacrifices to cross the trap zone and reach the stronghold, with the height and hardness of the stronghold, it was a dream to breach it without siege weapons.
And could siege weapons even make it up here?
They certainly couldn’t.
It could be stated very directly that their stronghold was a perfectly defensible yet difficult-to-attack location. Having more people was of no use at all.
The Second-in-Command said, “Great Leader is right.”
The mountain bandits shouted in unison, “Great Leader speaks with reason.”
The Great Leader, being praised so highly by everyone, was naturally very pleased. His gaze fell upon the bride, his lust surging, and his desire to quench his thirst unbearable. “Forget it, I won’t wait for tonight. I’m going to be a groom right now. Don’t be impatient, after I’ve had my fill, I’ll let you all line up, one by one.”
“Thank you, Great Leader.” The mountain bandits were ecstatic.
The bride, who was being lecherously eyed, collapsed onto the ground, trembling all over, her face as pale as paper, devoid of any color.
Suddenly.
With a bang.
The earth shook.
“What’s going on?” the Great Leader exclaimed, quickly inquiring.
…
Outside.
Lin Fan looked at the bandit stronghold before him, surprised that these mountain bandits were so professional. The fortress walls were very high, at least seven or eight meters, and the surface was also covered with mud.
As for the fortress gate, it was even made of sturdy timbers joined together, like the gate of a county town.
No wonder it had existed for so long.
With such defenses, even if all the constables of the Public Security Bureau came, it would be useless. Not to mention that most constables came from decent families and wouldn’t risk their lives for this.
As for stationed troops?
Not every county town had stationed troops.
Of course, even if stationed troops came, it would likely come at a great cost to breach it, with severe casualties.
Thinking of this.
He looked around. A large tree attracted his attention. He planted his iron rod in the ground, approached the tree, hugged it with both arms, the roots snapped, and mud churned as the tree was uprooted.
It truly resembled the scene of Lin Daiyu uprooting the willow.
Lin Fan held the tree high, took a few steps back, let out a low roar, and threw the tree forward like a javelin.
*Boom!*
The fortress gate shattered into pieces, wood chips flying everywhere. The tree continued its trajectory, smashing heavily into the open space within the fortress.
This commotion instantly drew the attention of the mountain bandits.
“Enemy attack, enemy attack.”
Turmoil in the stronghold.
Lin Fan clapped his hands, his expression calm. He walked to his iron rod, pulled it out, and soon saw a group of mountain bandits, armed with sabers and spears, appearing before the breached gate.
Lin Fan took a step forward, extending his hand gripping the rod backward, twisting his waist, and exerting force. He threw the iron rod.
The iron rod tore through the air, emitting a roaring sound.
The sixty-jin iron rod, like an arrow, pierced through several people’s bodies in the blink of an eye. With a bang, the tip of the rod stuck diagonally into the ground.
And the bandits who were pierced were stacked one on top of another.
They couldn’t comprehend until their death.
How they died.
More mountain bandits appeared. They looked at the impaled, stacked bodies, their minds somewhat blank. But this was not the time to dwell on such things.
Seeing that the target was only one person, they roared ferociously.
“Kill him.”
The mountain bandits charged towards Lin Fan.
Lin Fan walked step by step towards the fortress entrance. A fierce-looking mountain bandit raised his saber and swung it at him.
*Squelch!*
Lin Fan punched out, piercing the opponent’s chest.
The mountain bandit still held his saber high, eyes wide, and slowly looked down at his chest, which was pierced by a punch, as if he were dreaming.
“Weak as a chicken, what are you playing with a saber for?”
Lin Fan shook his head, slowly withdrew his arm. The exquisite and beautiful constable uniform was stained with blood, but it unintentionally added a touch of killing intent.
He bent down, grabbed the bandit’s ankle, lifted him, and swung him with appropriate force.
Hmm… felt good.
As the mountain bandits rushed forward, he suddenly swung, and the corpse in his hand was flung straight, like a human cudgel, with a bang. The charging mountain bandits were sent flying, their bodies twisted and indented, bones even visible.
This scene scared the mountain bandits who were about to charge into a stupor.
They stared blankly.
They had never seen such a situation.
However, just because they didn’t move didn’t mean Lin Fan would stop.
He swung the human cudgel and smashed it towards them.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
By the time he had smashed his way to the fortress entrance, only one mountain bandit, who had wet his pants, stood trembling, his saber shaking violently in his hand.
Lin Fan smiled and swung the human cudgel in his hand towards the bandit.
“In your next life, be a good person.”
He missed.
The mountain bandit was still standing.
But his face was covered in blood.
Lin Fan was stunned. He looked at the human cudgel in his hand, feeling a little embarrassed. At some point, the upper half of the human cudgel’s body had been flung away.
“Didn’t notice.”
Lin Fan shook his head, then discarded it. He then walked to his iron rod, grasped it with one hand, lifted it up, and a few corpses were still hanging from the iron rod. In front of the mountain bandit, he lightly swung it, and the corpses fell to the ground.
The iron rod, soaked in blood, was a bit sticky but not slippery. The ends of the iron rod were black, with convex points, which provided friction, preventing it from slipping out of his hand when swung.
This mountain bandit was completely stunned. He stumbled back a few steps and yelled loudly, “Ahhh!”
“You’re not human, you’re not human…”
After saying that.
As if mentally contaminated by an indescribable creature, he picked up his saber and slashed his own throat.
At the moment of death.
In his eyes, there seemed to be a hint of relief.
“I’m not human? And you are?”
Lin Fan hated it the most when people said he wasn’t human.
After glancing at the other’s corpse, he strode inside. Following the previous commotion, the mountain bandits all rushed out from the hall.
When they saw the large tree lying on the open ground.
They were utterly confused.
Where did this tree come from?
But soon, they were drawn to the sight of Lin Fan, holding a blood-stained rod.
The Great Leader and the Second-in-Command didn’t know how he got in.
But none of that mattered now.
“Who are you?” the Great Leader asked angrily.
Lin Fan replied, “Deputy Squad Leader of the Yong’an County Public Security Bureau, Lin Fan.”
Revealing his identity.
When out and about, one must be honest. Although others called him Squad Leader, he had to clearly state that he was still only a Deputy Squad Leader, not yet a full Squad Leader.
Everyone exchanged glances.
They had just been discussing the situation of the Public Security Bureau, and unexpectedly, the person had appeared.
“Kill him for me,” the Great Leader roared.
Many mountain bandits charged forward with their sabers. Although they didn’t know how he got in, that didn’t matter. Now that he was alone, what was there to fear?
The Second-in-Command immediately pulled several mountain bandits aside, instructing them to fetch bows and arrows and to bring their leather armor to wear.
For some reason.
He had a very uneasy feeling.
This feeling had never occurred before.
Lin Fan gripped his iron rod and swung it directly. With a bang, a charging mountain bandit was blown apart at the waist. The impact of this blow was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
In an instant, flesh and blood scattered on the ground.
He didn’t smash the heads of these mountain bandits. Bandit suppression was a great merit, but heads were needed as evidence. Without heads, who would know if he had killed mountain bandits?
And with just this one blow, he had terrified everyone present.
The mountain bandits looked at the gruesome state of their comrade who had been blown apart, their eyes wide, staring at each other. They were not blind, nor were they stupid. Could a person who could inflict such damage really be someone they could deal with?
“This…”
The Great Leader trembled all over, feeling a chill down his spine.
The Second-in-Command’s heart skipped a beat.
He had a premonition of disaster.
Something big was really about to happen.
Lin Fan didn’t waste any more words. The mountain bandits stood stunned, not daring to move, but that didn’t mean he would wait for them to attack.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Dull, muffled roars echoed one after another.
At this moment, Lin Fan was like a merciless killing machine, sweeping through everyone. Each blow caused a terrifying commotion. No one could withstand a single blow and remain intact.
Soon, the arrows arrived.
“Shoot, shoot…”
The Second-in-Command shouted, his face ashen.
The mountain bandits shakily drew their bows and shot.
When the arrows covered Lin Fan, the Second-in-Command’s expression slightly improved, and he waited with anticipation, shouting in his heart.
He must die.
He must die!
*Ding ding dong dong!*
The arrows hit Lin Fan, only piercing his clothes, and then fell to the ground.
Lin Fan looked down and brushed off his clothes. He didn’t dodge, mainly because there was no need. This uniform was heavily stained with blood and couldn’t be cleaned; he would have to change into a new one when he got back.
This scene terrified all the mountain bandits present.
“Is he a monster?”
The second-in-command retreated in fear, his steps unsteady, tripping and falling to the ground. He tried to get up but couldn’t.
Anyone who has seen monsters knows that when people are extremely afraid, it’s hard to get up. Even if they do, they’ll run around like headless chickens.
The mind had long stopped thinking at that moment.
A moment later.
The scene was filled with a thick smell of blood, and bodies littered the ground.
Lin Fan walked expressionlessly towards the leader and the second-in-command, his eyes calm and cold as he looked at the two men before him.
*Thump!*
The leader knelt down.
In front of the other man, Lin Fan raised his iron rod and brought it down forcefully on the leader’s shoulder. With one strike, the leader’s shoulder caved in, and flesh and blood splattered.
“Ah…”
The leader screamed in agony.
Lin Fan raised the iron rod again and smashed it into the leader’s waist, breaking it in half with a *splat*.
The second-in-command beside him watched the leader’s gruesome state in terror and let out a shrill scream, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me…”
*Splat!*
The second-in-command looked down at his chest.
The iron rod had pierced his chest, passed through, and impaled him to the ground.
Lin Fan stepped into the hall and saw a woman in a red dress with her hands covering her ears, slumped on the ground and trembling.
*Cough cough!*
Lin Fan cleared his throat, adjusted his clothes, and calmly walked to the woman’s side, asking gently, “Miss, are you alright?”
“Ah… don’t touch me, don’t touch me.”
The girl cried out in fear.
“Miss, I am Lin Fan, the Deputy Squad Leader of the Yong’an Public Security Bureau. The mountain bandits outside have all been eliminated. Don’t be afraid, you are safe now,” Lin Fan said.
The girl slowly raised her head and looked at Lin Fan.
Blood.
All blood.
As the girl looked at Lin Fan, who was smiling, her pupils contracted, her body went limp, and she fainted.
“Alas, you have suffered. Being among mountain bandits, your nerves were taut. With my arrival, hope appeared, and the collision of despair and hope overwhelmed her for a moment.”
“Fainting is perfectly normal.”
Lin Fan was very good at analyzing.
And his analyses were always spot on.
He did not touch her, but instead looked at her clothes to see if they were disheveled. After carefully examining them, he nodded with satisfaction.
She was very safe.
She had not been defiled.
Wearing wedding clothes, if they had been sullied by the mountain bandits, given the woman’s chastity, she might have taken her own life.
He walked outside the hall, pulled out the iron rod, and looked towards the entrance. Ning Yu and the others hadn’t arrived yet, so he walked to the water vat to wash the iron rod. Soon, the water in the vat turned red.
The iron rod also returned to its original appearance.
In the sunlight, it gleamed.
It looked incredibly handsome.
“Haven’t they arrived yet?”
Lin Fan was helpless. Since he was idle, he picked up a saber and went to each corpse, decapitating them all and stacking the heads neatly.
Building a mound of heads.
…
At this time.
Ning Yu and her group arrived, followed by constables.
They did not know the situation inside yet.
But as they walked, they saw many damaged traps.
Now, they appeared at the entrance of the stronghold. There was no movement from within, and no one knew what had happened. However, the smell of blood permeating the air and the damaged corpses at the entrance.
indicated that a fierce battle had taken place here earlier.
“Squad Leader Lin…”
Ning Yu called out.
The moment they walked in, everyone’s eyes widened, staring blankly at the scene.
It was a scene of carnage.
Limbs, arms, legs, intestines twisted together, organs, and viscera were all present.
*Ugh~*
Ning Yu had never seen such a scene before, and she bent over and vomited.
Even the other constables did the same.
Their faces were paler than one another.
Completely devoid of color.
The two followers who had been taught a lesson by Lin Fan now had grave expressions and were trembling with fear. They had endured the pain to follow, naturally not wishing for their young lady to encounter danger.
However, the current situation was completely beyond their expectations.
Soon, they composed themselves and looked inside. The first thing they saw was the mound of heads, piled high, all staring at them with wide, unseeing eyes.
As if they had seen something terrifying in life.
*Ugh~*
Another sound of vomiting was heard.
“Why are you only arriving now?” a lazy voice called out.
Everyone turned towards the direction of the voice.
They saw Lin Fan leaning against the doorframe, one leg bent, his arm casually resting on his knee, while the other leg was stretched out long, almost blocking the path.
His dark constable uniform was soaked in scarlet blood, and blood dripped from the hem from time to time.
The iron rod, under the sunlight, shone with a silver light, planted firmly in the ground tiles next to him, as stable as Mount Tai, not moving an inch.
Lin Fan’s eyes held a smile, a half-smile, as he looked at them, as if he had been waiting for a long time and was getting impatient.
At this moment.
Everyone felt their breathing become difficult. Every breath they took was scorching hot. They had not witnessed the scene firsthand, but they seemed to be able to picture it in their minds.
He… alone, had killed all the mountain bandits present.
And his methods were extremely overbearing and cruel.
Prefect Li’s heart pounded. The constables beside him could seemingly hear it.
For Prefect Li, he was grateful for his past self. If he had truly displeased Lin Fan back then, he probably wouldn’t be breathing the air today.
If they had only feared him before, now it was terror.
Lin Fan slowly stood up, picked up the iron rod, and slung it over his back. He walked to the side of the mound of heads, leaning on his hip, and said with a smile, “Look, didn’t I arrange them nicely? The heads of the Stone Dragon Mountain bandits are all here. Later, find two carts and take these heads back. These are all merit points.”
Then, his gaze fell on a young man. “Go, the villagers are all safe. Go find where they are being held and bring them out. Their mental state won’t be good, so you’ll need to counsel them well, counsel them.”
As Lin Fan approached.
A strong smell of blood assailed their nostrils.
“Yes, yes,” the young man quickly nodded.
“Yang Ming, Xu Ming, take your men and thoroughly search every part of the Stone Dragon Mountain bandit stronghold. Don’t miss any clues. Once you’re done, we’ll head back.”
“Yes, Squad Leader.”
The two shouted loudly.
At this moment, Lin Fan had not yet realized the immense, earth-shattering, and unimaginable impact his actions had on everyone present.
Lin Fan looked at Ning Yu. “Prefect Ning, I’m going to teach you a lesson now: if I say everything is fine, then everything is indeed fine. Understand?”
“Mmm-hmm…” Ning Yu nodded frantically.
Lin Fan casually glanced at the two followers beside her. The two followers immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet Lin Fan’s gaze. Their previous arrogance and pride had long since vanished.
Damn it!
If they had known this person was so terrifying before.
Even with a hundred times the courage, they wouldn’t have dared to be so presumptuous.
As for their master’s instruction to establish prestige for the young lady, they would definitely drag their master over in person and ask him to try and establish prestige against such a terrifying fellow.
Not long after.
The heads of these bandits were placed on carts. These heads needed to be sent up and would be preserved with lime to prevent decay, as they needed to be recorded one by one.
Merit points would then be distributed.
Under Yang Ming and his men’s search, large boxes and small boxes, as well as many weapons and leather armor, were all brought out. What he didn’t expect was that there were even several sets of armor.
The style of the armor was exactly the same as that worn by the group who had assassinated him.
Seeing these armors, Prefect Li’s heart suddenly trembled.
How could armor appear among mountain bandits?
And where did they get so many weapons from?
Fortunately, he was about to leave Yong’an.
These matters had nothing to do with him anymore.
Meanwhile, the two followers beside Ning Yu, upon seeing these armors, furrowed their brows and exchanged glances, seemingly pondering something.
“Prefect Li, after we return, you must thoroughly investigate the Tie Ye Office,” Lin Fan said suggestively.
Prefect Li nodded, looking very awkward and unsure of what to say.
Yong’an had iron ore mountains in its vicinity.
Now that armor had appeared, and the mountain bandits possessed so many high-quality weapons, no one knew where they had come from. However, the nearest Tie Ye Office was certainly involved.
The iron ore was strictly guarded.
Ordinary citizens were not allowed to forge weapons.
The blacksmith shops in the city were all registered with the government, and the number of weapons forged daily, as well as the information of the buyers, needed to be meticulously recorded.
The security measures were by no means ordinary.
If this matter were to be escalated, let alone Prefect Li or County Magistrate Zhou, even those in the prefectural government would not be able to handle it.
…
Yong’an.
Many common people brought small stools and waited at the city gate.
They knew that Master Lin had led his team to Stone Dragon Mountain for bandit suppression, and they all wanted to know the outcome. To avoid missing the first-hand news, the common people had gathered voluntarily, just to witness it themselves.
Suddenly.
A figure approached from afar and ran into the city, shouting at the top of his lungs.
“The Public Security Bureau has returned from bandit suppression! The Public Security Bureau has returned from bandit suppression! Young children, please leave quickly, do not watch.”
The constable ran while shouting.
Such advance notification only occurred when a terrifying scene was expected.
In a teahouse closest to the city gate.
Qin Si was no longer booking the entire place. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but he wanted to save money. The cost of two top courtesans at the brothel had drained him severely.
At this moment, upon hearing the shouts, he immediately walked to the railing and looked into the distance.
The other teahouse patrons also crowded around.
If it were in the past, they would have been afraid of Qin Si. But now, they truly weren’t. If you have the guts, bully me, and after you’re done, I’ll report you to the Public Security Bureau.
Besides, Qin Si was also very friendly to them now, greeting them with nods and smiles.
After all, Qin Si’s survival instinct was also very strong.
Soon, a figure on horseback appeared.
It was none other than Lin Fan.
Although he was the Deputy Squad Leader, and the Squad Leader and Prefect were present, he still rode at the front, as he was truly deserving of it.
Qin Si looked at the figure, which gleamed, tall and mighty. The common people cheered, their shouts of acclaim unending.
The calls of “Master Lin” washed over the heavens like a tidal wave.
What is the will of the people?
This is the will of the people.
Seeing this scene, he was moved.
Qin Si couldn’t help but say:
“A young man in splendid attire and on a magnificent horse, who doesn’t know Yong’an’s Silver Rod King?”
The teahouse patrons nearby heard him clearly and were stunned for a moment. After pondering it, they found it quite agreeable.
They all looked at Qin Si and gave him a thumbs up.
“Fourth Master, what you said is excellent!”
“Yes, who doesn’t know our Yong’an’s Silver Rod King, Master Lin?”
Seeking monthly votes, one more chapter, it will be until dawn, see you tomorrow when you wake up.
