Chapter 65: This Official, the New County Magistrate

"Who is playing the zither here!"

Amidst this murderous atmosphere, a melody suddenly emerged. For some reason, the middle-aged man felt a surge of irritation in his heart. He looked up and immediately saw Shen Yu, who was quietly playing the zither behind Constable Lu.

In an instant, the middle-aged man's anger surged, and he could no longer suppress it. In his life, he hated such pretty boys the most, especially those who knew a trick or two of talent; they were the most grating to his teeth.

In places like the Dream Flower Pavilion, as long as such a pretty boy appeared, the top courtesan would have no time for anyone else. Now, on his own turf, this pretty boy still dared to play the zither recklessly—he was courting death!

"Kill him for me! Kill him along with the others! I want to chop them all up and feed them to the dogs!"

"Kill!" Hearing their gang leader's words, everyone except for a few trusted experts let out a loud shout and charged forward frantically.

Opposite them, Constable Lu held his blade in one hand. He had already prepared himself for a fight to the death, but facing so many skilled fighters, he was powerless to do anything. Today, he was truly done for!

Yet at this very moment, those disciples who had charged forward suddenly exploded on the spot. Flesh and blood splattered, filling the courtyard, and the red blood mist took a long time to settle. Such a bizarre situation left the remaining people trembling in fear, silent as cicadas in winter.

What exactly had just happened? Those were over a hundred elite experts; how could they have vanished in an instant?

"You've been struck by my Eight Tones Piercing the Heart, yet you still dare to run around. Tell me, aren't they just courting death themselves?" Behind Constable Lu, Shen Yu had stopped playing the zither and was looking at the scene before him with indifference.

"Who are you? Who exactly are you?" Looking at the seemingly unfathomable Shen Yu, the middle-aged man felt nothing but terror, and his legs could not stop trembling.

Anyone who saw over a hundred people slaughtered in an instant, and in a way he could not comprehend, would subconsciously feel fear. Especially that rain of blood filling the sky, which struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

Although he had killed people before, this was the first time he had seen such a terrifying method. The middle-aged man felt that being able to stand without collapsing to the ground, or even wetting his pants, already showed considerable courage.

Taking a deep breath to steady the fear in his heart, the middle-aged man said tremblingly, "Th-this hero, we have no grudges in the past, and today we have no..."

"Your people just captured me today. Judging by the tone, your Fen Shui Gang intended to sell me off. You're telling me we have no past grudges?"

"I..." Rudely interrupted by Shen Yu, the middle-aged man dared not make a sound. Which bastard had captured such a big shot? Let him die! If he wanted to die, he shouldn't drag the entire Fen Shui Gang down with him.

The Fen Shui Gang was not a large gang. Although they claimed to have thousands of disciples, the true elite experts were only those who had just been killed; they were all ones he had carefully cultivated. Now that they were all gone in an instant, such a figure was not someone he could afford to provoke.

"Hero, I wonder what the hero wants? As long as my Fen Shui Gang has it, the hero can take it!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then if I were to borrow your head, I wonder if that would be acceptable?"

"H-hero, you are joking!" Although the middle-aged man accompanied this with a smile, his current expression was uglier than crying. He hadn't enjoyed enough of his good times yet and didn't want to leave just like that.

"I generally don't joke. Fen Shui Gang leader Jiang Buming, if I remember correctly, right?" Looking coldly at the other party, Shen Yu's calm voice was filled with icy killing intent. In the information provided by Mr. Chen, this person could only be considered a third-rate small fry.

Looking at this manor, then looking at the hundreds of young girls and children imprisoned within—those were just the ones not yet sold off during this period; who knew how many people had been harmed in the past. The evil a small fry could commit was no less than that of those big shots.

"As a local tyrant, you should have quite a bit of leverage on the various forces in Sanshui County, as well as the parasites in the County Government Office, who your Fen Shui Gang is colluding with, and so on. I am interested in all these pieces of information!"

"You, who exactly are you?" The other party asked for these things right away. Although he didn't collect many of them usually, they were all lethal items. If he handed them over and nothing happened, that would be fine, but if something went wrong, he would be dead for sure, and he would definitely be attacked by everyone.

"It seems you have them!" The other party's expression fell into his eyes without missing a beat. Shen Yu gave a light huff, and his figure arrived in front of Jiang Buming in the blink of an eye, nearly causing his already fragile mental state to collapse directly; the man panicked and retreated several steps in succession.

"You, what do you want to do?"

"Look into my eyes!" Raising his head, Shen Yu stared straight at the other party, though there was an indescribable luster in his gaze.

After meeting Shen Yu's eyes, Jiang Buming immediately felt a sense of disorientation, and his whole person became muddled. It was as if his will, mental defenses, and the like were all shattered in an instant.

"Speak, where did you put the information?"

"Right here in this manor!" In his daze, Jiang Buming said slowly, "Under the rockery in this manor, there is a hidden compartment. I put all the information I usually collect there!"

"Here? You are quite cunning, not putting it in the gang headquarters!"

"Most of this information was collected inadvertently. It's fine to keep it in my own hands, but if it were to spread, it would definitely invite trouble. We who mix in the underworld inevitably attract hatred. Over these years, our Fen Shui Gang has been raided by bandits several times, so of course I couldn't put it in the gang headquarters!"

"Heh, you even know how to avoid harm, but it's a pity this intelligence wasn't used for the right path!" Shaking his head, Shen Yu picked up a blade and walked forward without hesitation to strike. This group of bastards all deserved to atone for their sins.

"Ah! Run, run quickly!" The remaining few also saw that the other party had no intention of letting them go. Taking advantage of the time he was killing Jiang Buming, they immediately turned and ran. Running now might offer a glimmer of survival; staying here would only lead to death.

"Bang, bang!" Several muffled sounds followed in succession. At the entrance, flesh and blood filled the air, and the few who had just fled were instantly pulverized, just like the others before them.

"I told you not to run around after being struck by the Eight Tones Piercing the Heart. You didn't listen, so I have no choice!"

Shen Yu just watched this scene coldly. Having killed so many people, it seemed not to stir a single ripple in his heart.

"System, sign in!"

"Sign-in successful, obtained Clear Heart Art!"

"Clear Heart Art? What is that?" Before Shen Yu could delve into it, he felt a surge of Mental Power, like a clear spring pouring into the depths of his heart. In this instant, Shen Yu felt his spirit jolt, and in the dark, he felt as if a shackle in his heart had been broken.

He had previously been surrounded by killing intent, and unknowingly, he had actually been affected by it; his actions were inevitably more impulsive than before. If this continued for long, he feared he would be influenced more and more deeply.

The appearance of the Clear Heart Art washed away the killing heart for Shen Yu, preventing him from being influenced and controlled by killing intent.

His former self was as if his inner heart had been covered in dust by killing intent. Now, with the power of the Clear Heart Art injected, the dust was swept away completely, and there was an indescribable feeling of refreshment.

Now he felt his heart was clear as water, calm and unruffled, and his entire aura seemed to have undergone some indescribable change.

The Clear Heart Art has the miraculous effect of clearing the heart and purifying the mind; it can wash away distracting thoughts, concentrate the will, and purify the body and mind. Most importantly, it can also nourish and increase Mental Power, and solidify one's mental state.

With the Clear Heart Art, he would never have to worry about being influenced by killing intent in the future. Moreover, if he encountered mental-type secret techniques, their effect on him could be said to be negligible.

The gains this time were more significant to Shen Yu than everything he had added up along this journey.

Feeling refreshed, Shen Yu turned his head, looked at the completely stunned Constable Lu, and smiled lightly, "Constable Lu, we meet again!"

"You, you!" Looking at the familiar figure before him, Constable Lu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to begin.

Today, he had actually made a move against this big shot. Looking at the fate of Jiang Buming and the others, he knew this big shot was not someone easy to talk to. He had never seen such a decisive person who killed so many people just like that.

Who knew if the other party would hold a grudge against him, or if the blade in his hand would fall upon him. Wait, why was he still holding the blade? He wouldn't really make a move on him, would he?

"You, who exactly are you?"

"I am the new County Magistrate of Sanshui County, Shen Yu!"