Chapter 44: The Four Divine Captors—Lin Jingzhu!

Boom—

Leaden clouds pressed over Ducheng, thunder rumbling faintly within them; swallows skimmed low over rooftops, and the air reeked of damp earth.

"It's going to rain!"

Street vendors swiftly erected rain shelters.

Children squatted by the roadside watching ants move their nests, then were dragged home by their ears by adults; the streets and alleys erupted in chaotic noise.

……

Zuiyue Pavilion.

In the center of the hall, a musician plucked strings; the music of silk and bamboo flowed sweetly.

Shangguan Yunfei sat by the window on the second floor, frowning at the woman in white armor drinking alone before her: "Lin my lord, drinking on duty? That's hardly appropriate."

The woman drained her cup, her cheeks flushed crimson; she spoke casually: "Then report me. My salary's already been forfeited until the end of next year—I might as well give up next year's too."

"…"

Shangguan Yunfei looked helpless.

He had no way to deal with this ancestor.

Lin Jingzhu, one of the Six Gate's Four Divine Captors.

Since joining, she'd received her salary only in the first month; everything after was confiscated, even fines totaling over a hundred taels—she was known as the Six Gate's #1 Reverse Salary Recipient.

Being named one of the Four Divine Captors meant she wasn't incompetent—Lin Jingzhu solved cases at a high rate, but the casualty rate was equally staggering—

Criminals who fell into her hands rarely made it to jail; they were already dead or maimed. Not to mention last month, when she broke a flower thief's third leg…

Court petitions piled into mountains, mostly from the families of suspects accusing her of abuse of private punishment and disregard for human life.

Had she not been well-connected and capable, she'd have been dismissed long ago.

"A demon killed someone in Ducheng—this is no trivial matter. The government office ordered us to assist in the investigation. Are you defying orders?" Shangguan Yunfei frowned.

Lin Jingzhu sneered. "Don't threaten me with the government office. This case has zero leads—where do I even start? Might as well wait for the demon to strike again."

"Better to sip wine and listen to music…tsk, that was well played!"

She tossed a silver ingot down.

The musician rose, bowed gracefully, and slipped the silver into her sleeve with a smile.

Shangguan Yunfei shook his head—she was a noblewoman of the capital, yet always acted like a street gang boss…

"By the way, is Chen Mo really that good?" Lin Jingzhu set down her cup and asked.

Shangguan Yunfei nodded. "He's got real skill. The Tongxuan Jade detected no demonic aura—he glanced once and declared it was a demon's doing. His eyesight is terrifying. No wonder Qin Wuxiang fell to him."

Lin Jingzhu's eyebrows lifted slightly.

Capturing the Ten Great Heavenly Demons had been her lifelong dream—only for Chen Mo to snatch it first.

Not jealousy, just curiosity and a touch of indignation.

Clip-clop—

"Ah!"

Suddenly, hoofbeats rang from outside the window, accompanied by cries of alarm.

Both turned to see a burly man galloping toward them, whipping his horse and roaring: "Get out of my way, all of you!"

Pedestrians scrambled to dodge; some couldn't avoid him, stumbling into stalls and spilling goods everywhere—soon the whole street was chaos.

A little girl, just bought a sugar figurine, skipped happily along the road—before she could react, the charging steed was upon her.

"Nannan!"

A woman's heart-wrenching scream came from nearby.

"Damn it, you want to die?!"

Trampling someone to death in broad daylight was no small matter.

The brute didn't want trouble—he yanked the reins. The horse reared with a neigh, stopping just inches from the girl.

Seeing the frozen child, the brute scowled and swung his whip at her face!

The wind howled, the lash striking with lethal force—if it touched, flesh would split open.

"How dare you!"

Seeing this, Lin Jingzhu's brows snapped down. She rose, leapt out the window.

But it was too late—the whip was about to strike the girl's face when a dark shadow flashed in, scooped up the child in one arm, and caught the whip with the other.

"Hm?"

The brute frowned—he saw a tall man standing before him, clad in black xuan robes, hair bound by a jade headband, jade pendants hanging at his waist: elegant, refined, strikingly handsome.

Looked like a rich Young Master.

"Riding through the marketplace? Fifty lashes. Report to the government office yourself," Chen Mo said coolly.

The brute sneered. "Who the hell are you to punish me? Get out of my way—you won't live to regret it if you delay me!"

He tugged hard to pull back the whip—but it stretched taut, unmoving.

Chen Mo gave a light tug. A surge of overwhelming force slammed into the brute—he saw stars, then crashed hard to the ground.

"You son of a—"

As he tried to rise, a foot pressed down on his chest, sealing his qi channels—he couldn't even lift a finger.

The brute knew he'd met a ruthless one. He frowned. "Six Gate? Or Tianlin Guard?"

Chen Mo shook his head. "Concerned citizen."

"…"

This was beneath the Son of Heaven—throw a brick and you'd hit a dozen nobles.

This man was young, imposing, and stronger than him—he was clearly a dangerous hard case.

The big man suppressed his anger and forced a smile: "I truly had an urgent matter, that's why I acted impulsively—I accept my punishment, please, brother, show some mercy."

Chen Mo said nothing; he had merely passed by and had no interest in tangling with him.

He lifted his foot, released the big man, and handed the little girl to the pale-faced woman beside him.

The woman thanked him repeatedly, yet dared not even glance at the big man.

Common folk, with no background, could only swallow their broken teeth whole; as long as no one was hurt, it was fortune enough—who dared demand accountability?

"Remember to go to the magistrate's office for your strokes," Chen Mo reminded.

"I will."

The big man nodded, but his eyes held contempt.

This was just a verbal promise—what could they do if he didn't go?

"Damn bad luck, running into a meddlesome bastard…"

Just as he was about to mount his horse, a cold voice came: "No need for the magistrate's office—just beat him here."

"Huh?"

The big man turned to look—behind him, a fierce wind howled.

Boom!

His entire body was smashed flying!

A woman in Bai Yi strode forward, gripping a jet-black long staff, her wrist spinning—wind shrieked around it.

"Forty-nine more."

She licked her lips, swung the staff wide, and slammed it down!

"Puff!"

The big man spat blood and was flung away again.

Before his body even hit the ground, the woman flashed behind him and smashed him into the earth—the blue bricks shattered into powder!

Staff whirls danced, blow after blow rained upon him!

"Four-seven, four-six, four-five…"

The woman's staff strikes were ferocious, yet she counted aloud with calm precision.

"Stop! Do you have any idea who I am?"

Beaten by the impenetrable storm of staff strikes with no way to fight back, the big man roared through his pain.

"Three-seven, three-six… I know—you're a criminal. Don't interrupt, I'll forget the count… what was it before? Never mind, three-seven…"

Boom! Boom! Crash!

"Bitch… ah!"

The street fell deathly silent, echoing only with the sound of the black staff striking flesh and the big man's piercing screams.

Chen Mo's lips twitched.

Where did this tigress come from? She's even scarier than Li Yan.