Chapter 123: Not a Single One Left

"How bold!"

Sensing the sudden hidden weapon, Shen Yu merely extended his right hand and lightly pinched, catching several steel needles in his grip. The immense force carried by the hidden weapon did not even make his hand tremble in the slightest.

At this moment, Old Master Lin was also startled in his heart; he had not sensed any hidden weapon attacking just a moment ago, yet he had not expected this Prefect to notice it and neutralize it with such ease.

"This is... Bone-Piercing Nails?" His pupils constricted slightly; this was a top-tier, troublesome hidden weapon. Yet the Prefect before him had pinched all the silver needles on it with just two fingers. He had not expected this Prefect to be so young, yet possess such brilliant martial arts!

"Yinshan, go after him for me. I want him alive!"

"Rest assured, My Lord, he cannot escape!" He Yinshan, standing to the side, replied and immediately flew off in pursuit. He had noticed the hidden weapon from earlier and, following the direction of the projectile, had quickly locked onto the target.

"A, a Grandmaster expert!" Although that aura belonging to the Grandmaster Realm had only flashed for an instant, it left Old Master Lin so shocked he could barely speak. Such a realm was already beyond what he could imagine.

However, having lived for so many years, he quickly composed his expression, though he looked at Shen Yu with a bit more respect. With a Grandmaster Realm expert as a guard, and his own internal energy appearing not weak either, this Prefect seemed quite extraordinary.

"Many thanks to you, My Lord, for saving my life!"

"You are too polite, old man." While supporting Old Master Lin, Shen Yu's gaze shifted to the middle-aged man in tight-fitting attire nearby.

It was he who had saved Lin Xiaowu's wife and child and brought them to the Prefecture Office. If nothing went wrong, this Old Master Lin beside him must have been brought by him as well. It could be said that if he hadn't helped resolve the siege, he would likely still be under attack by people throwing rotten eggs.

Seeming to notice Shen Yu's gaze, the other party smiled at him lightly, then cupped his hands and said, "Gao Cheng of the Governor's Office Shadow Guard greets Prefect Shen!"

"Shadow Guard of the Governor's Office? You actually exist?" Shen Yu had only heard rumors about the Shadow Guard. It was rumored that the Governor's Office had a very mysterious intelligence agency, known as shadowless and formless, penetrating everywhere.

The power of the Shadow Guard in this small territory of the Nanhua Domain might be second only to the imperial court's Black-Clad Guard. But in some respects, they were even more secretive than the Black-Clad Guard. It was just that their numbers were few, unlike the numerous and powerful Black-Clad Guard.

"Prefect Shen, by the order of the Governor, the Songnan Prefecture Shadow Guard is at your command!"

"At my command?" Shen Yu was somewhat surprised by this. He had never expected that the Governor's Office would actually be willing to go all out with this support. This was the Shadow Guard; they were actually at ease with this.

"Wait, that's not right. I took office yesterday, so why have you only arrived now?"

"This..." Casting a cautious glance at Shen Yu, Gao Cheng said in a low voice, "The Governor said that we could only appear after you had suffered a setback, to let you learn a lesson."

"The Governor wanted to tell Prefect Shen that sometimes, it is not just about meeting force with force. Conspiracies, schemes, and rumors can all kill without a trace!"

"The Governor truly has good intentions; I thank him!" Wiping the rotten egg from his hair, Shen Yu nearly cursed out loud. Damn it, so you were all watching the show from the sidelines the whole time? Did you find it very satisfying?

"By the way, as for you Shadow Guards, did only you come?"

"If Prefect Shen has any matters, you can just order me. The Shadow Guards are lurking throughout Songnan Prefecture and it is not appropriate for them to be exposed, so..."

"In other words, although I can command the Shadow Guard in name, in reality, you are the only one I can see, and I can only pass orders down through you?"

"Uh, if you want to understand it that way, that is also fine!"

"My Lord, My Lord, are you alright! Quickly, protect the Lord!" Just at this moment, the Constable of Songnan Prefecture, Sun Yifeng, arrived in a hurry with a large group of Constables. Dozens of Constables held gleaming long blades, all with murderous expressions.

Moreover, as soon as these people arrived, they surrounded the people from Lin Family Town. Their fierce and menacing appearance was like that of murderous bandits, making one feel flustered.

"Audacious! Lin Feng, you dare to approach the Lord, are you harboring evil intentions?" The lead Constable, Sun Yifeng, shouted, ran directly to Shen Yu's side, and before anyone could react, the blade in his hand slashed toward Old Master Lin nearby, a ferocious smile appearing on his face.

"Was it you old geezer who led the Lin Family Town in attacking the government office? Good, you even dare to strike the Prefect; you are courting death! Brothers, kill all these rioters for me!"

"Bang!" However, before Sun Yifeng's blade could touch Old Master Lin, it had already been knocked away by Shen Yu, and Shen Yu's palm simultaneously landed fiercely on the other's face.

"Slap!" The heavy slap landed, directly knocking out several of Sun Yifeng's teeth, and a mouthful of fresh blood flowed down the corner of his mouth.

"My Lord, please forgive me, this subordinate was worried about your safety!" Dizzied by the slap, Sun Yifeng lowered his head, a trace of ruthlessness appearing in his eyes, though it quickly vanished. When he raised his head again, he wore a look of grievance.

"All of you stop! Without my order, anyone who dares to draw a blade will be executed without mercy!"

Sweeping his cold eyes over everyone, the terrifying aura on Shen Yu suddenly erupted, and the icy murderous intent caused the temperature in the entire Public Hall to plummet, as if it had instantly entered the depths of winter.

In that instant, all the Constables felt a fatal danger, which forced them to stop their actions. At this moment, they were absolutely certain that if they dared to insist on attacking, they would truly be killed!

"This Prefect is actually this terrifying!" No one knew the horror of that aura better than Old Master Lin, who was standing nearby. In that instant, he felt as if a giant boulder was pressing on his heart, making him almost feel as if he were suffocating.

So, the truly terrifying one was not the guard who had just chased after the target, but this young Prefect before his eyes.

"M-My Lord!"

"Constable Sun, just a moment ago not a single one of you was here, but now you arrive quite quickly. And as soon as you appear, you want to draw blades on the commoners, and right in front of me. Constable Sun, are you not taking me seriously at all?"

"My Lord, we were patrolling the streets earlier. After hearing what happened at the Prefecture Office, we rushed over immediately. The people of Lin Family Town are fierce and have always been unruly. This time, they even dared to attack the government office; this is a capital offense!"

"My Lord, this subordinate was worried about your safety, that is why I had my brothers draw their blades!"

"Worried about my safety?" Looking down at Sun Yifeng and the trembling Constables around him, this excuse was rotten to the core. It seemed that not a single one of these Prefecture Office Constables could be kept.

"When I needed you, you were nowhere to be found. Now that the matter is resolved, you arrive instead. I really have to admire your sense of timing! And these Yamen Runners, actually telling lies to my face—what use do I have for you?"

With a cold snort, Shen Yu said directly, "Sun Yifeng, from now on you are no longer a Constable. Not just you, all the Prefecture Office Constables, as well as these Yamen Runners, are dismissed. My Prefecture Office cannot afford talents like you!"

"My Lord, what did you say?" He raised his head, somewhat uncertain. Had he misheard just now? This new Prefect wanted to dismiss all the Constables and Yamen Runners? Are you crazy!

"I said that from now on, all of you original Constables and Yamen Runners of the Prefecture Office are dismissed, not a single one left. Is that clear enough?"