Chapter 101: Lin Chen: Big Brother, Remember, You Saw Nothing

Police station!

In a dim room filled with torture instruments, several fishermen stood trembling in the corner.

Ordinary civilians naturally feared government officials.

Especially those in rural villages, who rarely interacted with officers in their entire lives.

A constable walked in and scanned the fishermen by the wall: “State your household names.”

The constable held pen and paper, glanced at the men, his expression neither cruel nor friendly.

“Officer, I’m Zhang Quan, from Liu Village.”

“I’m Cai Wu, from Cai Family Village.”

…

“Lin Liang, from Linhu Village.”

The constable recording this paused and looked up: “Linhu Village?”

The name Linhu Village had once echoed throughout Poyang County over a decade ago, but that was long past—until last month, when Linhu Village became famous again, mentioned repeatedly by townsfolk.

Of course, the Jiang Provincial Graduate need not be mentioned, but Lin Chen, the top student of the martial arts academy just a month ago, also came from Linhu Village.

Though Lin Chen’s strength paled beside that Jiang Provincial Graduate, the impact of his first and second appearances was entirely different.

Now, among the townspeople, rumors had spread that Linhu Village was a fengshui treasureland, and many were eager to relocate their ancestral graves there.

“Officer, Lin Chen is my younger brother.”

Lin Liang was simple-minded but not foolish; he didn’t know what crime he’d committed, but at this moment he had to mention his brother.

The day Lin Chen left the village, he’d seriously warned him on the boat: if anything ever happened, immediately name him—don’t fear causing him trouble.

In Lin Chen’s half-joking words, he now had some name recognition in Poyang County; stating his name might earn you some face.

Otherwise, even if you later reclaimed your dignity, the damage done couldn’t be undone.

Ordinary people without power or influence had no recourse; hiding a powerful connection instead of using it wasn’t clever—it was stupidity.

Lin Chen had spoken those words with serious intent, and Lin Liang had remembered them.

But he mostly stayed in the village, where, naturally, everyone admired Lin Chen for his success—everyone treated him warmly.

As for fishing outside the lake, the fishermen from neighboring villages were all familiar faces who treated him with deference.

Lin Liang never imagined he’d ever need to invoke his brother’s name.

But today, while fishing, he’d witnessed a shocking sight—and the appearance of government officers—made him realize this matter was serious.

If he didn’t mention his brother’s name, he’d truly be the fool Lin Chen warned him about.

“Lin Chen of Linhu Village?” The constable froze, pressing: “The one from Jingshui Martial Arts Academy?”

“Yes, that’s my younger brother.”

Hearing Lin Liang’s confirmation, the constable’s face softened into a faint smile; he recorded the names of the remaining fishermen, then left the room.

Outside.

Two men stood waiting; the constable hurried to one of them and said: “Chief Li, Chief You, I’ve verified the identities of these fishermen—all are from villages around Poyang Lake, but one has a special connection.”

“What’s so special?”

“Chief Li, one of them is from Linhu Village—he’s Lin Chen’s older brother.”

Li Shuang and You Siqi exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with unease—Lin Chen’s older brother? This complication made things difficult.

“Brother Li, since this involves Lin Chen’s brother, we can’t handle this lightly.”

You Siqi spoke; two hours ago, dozens of corpses had suddenly appeared on Poyang Lake, sending the entire government office into uproar.

But when they arrived, soldiers from the garrison had already sealed off the area, and then the county office ordered them to fully cooperate with the military personnel.

“Step back.”

Li Shuang waved his subordinate away; only he and You Siqi remained in the courtyard.

“Brother You, now that we’re alone, speak plainly.”

You Siqi’s expression darkened: “You’ve been in the office long enough—you should remember what happened on Poyang Lake seven years ago.”

“Seven years ago?”

Li Shuang’s pupils contracted sharply; seven years ago, he wasn’t yet a chief, only a constable, and back then, a strange incident had occurred on Poyang Lake—similarly, a military patrol had been dispatched, and over a dozen fishermen had been taken away afterward.

The military claimed they were conscripting laborers and compensated each family with thirty taels of silver.

“Brother Li, those fishermen sent letters home every year and occasionally sent silver back—but none ever returned.”

You Siqi’s eyes gleamed; seven years ago, Li Shuang had just joined the office and only heard rumors, but You Siqi himself, though still a constable, had been among those who assisted the military in taking the fishermen away.

Dozens dead should have been a major scandal—but the news never spread through the county, as if an invisible hand had silenced it.

Those fishermen had been terrified, as if they’d witnessed something impossible.

Back then, he’d assumed they were simply stunned by so many corpses—but the more he thought, the more suspicious it became.

Most importantly, these fishermen couldn’t have been monsters—he couldn’t understand why the military took them away.

Building a garrison didn’t require conscripting laborers from Poyang County.

Thirty taels per recruit was far too high!

“Brother You’s meaning is… these fishermen will be taken away too?”

“Very likely.”

You Siqi nodded: “We brought these fishermen in—if the military takes them away, they’ll never return. Lin Chen won’t go to the garrison, so this debt will fall squarely on us.”

Thirty taels was a fortune to ordinary folk, but to a prodigy like Lin Chen, it meant nothing.

Li Shuang hesitated: “So you suggest we secretly release Lin Liang?”

“Releasing only Lin Liang won’t suffice—the others might talk. If we release anyone, we release them all.”

You Siqi’s tone was decisive; as long as they warned their men, the military wouldn’t notice a few missing fishermen.

“Brother You, do as you say—it’s just a few fishermen, not murderers.”

Li Shuang was decisive too; he nodded firmly. The military wouldn’t stay long in Poyang County, but Lin Chen was a native, a prodigy—he didn’t want to make an enemy of him.

Just as Li Shuang and You Siqi reached their decision, a constable rushed into the courtyard.

“Chief You, Lin Young Master from Jingshui Martial Arts Academy is here to see you.”

You Siqi and Li Shuang exchanged glances—Lin Chen clearly had a close bond with his brother, arriving so quickly.

“Brother Li, handle the aftermath—tell those fishermen to keep their mouths shut and not speak out after leaving.”

“I know what to do.”

“Then I’ll take Lin Liang to meet Lin Chen.”

…

…

Lin Liang waited inside the room, uneasy; when the door opened and the figure entered, he finally exhaled in relief.

He recognized him—the chief constable, You.

“Lin Liang, come with me.”

You Siqi spotted Lin Liang at once, spoke those words, then turned and walked away.

Lin Liang followed without hesitation; the other fishermen watched him with envy—this was the advantage of having a powerful martial artist as a younger brother.

Outside the courtyard, Lin Liang opened his mouth—but You Siqi cut him off: “Your brother is waiting in the main hall—someone will guide you there.”

Under normal circumstances, You Siqi would have met Lin Chen himself.

But the situation was unusual—he didn’t want to offend Lin Chen, yet he didn’t want to get too deeply entangled.

In the police station’s reception hall, several constables smiled warmly, flattering Lin Chen; their cultivation levels ranged from Qi Refining’s third to sixth orifice.

To them, Lin Chen wasn’t just immensely promising—he’d already surpassed them all in strength.

Lin Chen didn’t act superior; he chatted casually with them, then immediately turned his gaze to the hall’s entrance as footsteps approached.

“Big brother!”

Seeing his brother enter behind the constable, Lin Chen rose from his chair.

“Lin Young Master, Chief You said a murder occurred on Poyang Lake, and we were ordered to investigate all suspicious individuals—but your brother is innocent, it was a misunderstanding.”

The escorting constable explained with a smile, then added: “Chief You is busy solving the case and can’t come himself—please forgive him.”

“Chief You is occupied with official duties—I wouldn’t dream of disturbing him. Please convey my thanks to him.”

Hearing You Siqi wouldn’t appear, Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly; logically, even if busy, You Siqi should have found time to meet him.

From one perspective, the police station had wronged his brother—had You Siqi wished to avoid enmity, he should have personally explained.

Lin Chen looked at his brother; Lin Liang seemed unharmed, but as brothers who’d grown up together, Lin Chen saw fear in his eyes.

“I won’t disturb you further—goodbye.”

Lin Chen led his brother out of the police station; once outside, Lin Liang blurted: “Chen, I… I saw a giant fish carcass while fishing—its head was bigger than…”

“Big brother, you saw things.”

Lin Chen cut him off; his brother’s words struck like lightning, unraveling his doubts.

A murder on Poyang Lake shouldn’t have led to arresting fishermen.

So it must be because of the giant fish his brother mentioned…

Lin Liang froze—he hadn’t imagined his brother would say that; he’d clearly seen the corpse, as large as a fishing boat.

He’d panicked and rowed back—but before reaching shore, officers had seized him without explanation.

“Big brother, you didn’t see any giant fish corpse. You went out fishing as usual, then were arrested for no reason—you know nothing else.”

Lin Chen stopped walking, his expression serious. Lin Liang didn’t understand why his brother insisted on this lie—but he knew Lin Chen had his reasons, and nodded firmly.

“Right. When the village chief arrives, tell him the same thing.”

Seeing his brother agree, Lin Chen’s face regained its smile, but a thread of gloom lingered in his heart.

Poyanghu has giant fish; his brother has fished there long enough to have seen fish of extraordinary size, yet if even he felt fear, how enormous must this fish be?

So, this world still held secrets unknown to him.

Demon… or monster?

(End of Chapter)