Chapter 89 The astonishing truth
"Our county government doesn't have a rule that prohibits carrying weapons into the hall."
Lin Rui, hand on the hilt of his waist blade, walked up the county government steps from behind the crowd, instantly attracting the attention of everyone around.
Tie Ji Ying Yuan, Zhang Tianchang, and Cao Jun among others, all fixed their gaze on him.
Lin Rui walked steadily, exuding an air of composure and confidence, "What exactly does the County Magistrate intend to do? If he wants to discuss matters, let us in. If not, forget it. What's with this nonsense? I don't have time to serve him."
Tie Ji Ying Yuan's eyes bulged instantly, looking at Lin Rui with a cannibalistic stare, "How dare you show such disrespect to the County Magistrate?"
Lin Rui laughed lightly, his gaze falling on the pair of iron halberds in Ying Yuan's hands, as well as his bulging, veiny hands.
"What? You want to take me on?"
Lin Rui slightly drew his battle blade at his waist, lips curling into a cold smirk, his aura sharp, "Believe it or not, I'll quit being arrest officer today and slaughter you first?"
Clang!
Standing behind Lin Rui, Ji Xueying also abruptly drew her sword, raising the six-foot-long narrow battle sword 'Surprise Snow' at an angle in her hand.
She looked steadfastly at Tie Ji Ying Yuan, her eyes like icy rocks revealing a tinge of blood, her intent to kill chilling and grim.
With just one word from Lin Rui, she would behead this man.
Ying Yuan couldn't help but stiffen in the face, the corners of his mouth twitching madly, cursing in his heart about this pretty-faced, good-for-nothing bum, how dare he strut around with the Blood Blade Ji in front of him!
Had he the guts, he should leave Blood Blade Ji behind and fight him one on one!
Just a mere Third Realm, I could slaughter this lad single-handedly!
Just then, the voice of the County Magistrate came from within the hall, "That's enough, Ying Capital Commandant, let them in."
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Tie Ji Ying Yuan's face turned extremely ugly, his cold gaze flickering across the faces of Lin Rui and Ji Xueying like a venomous snake's tongue.
A moment later, Tie Ji Ying Yuan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and thought to himself, let this disgusting couple live a little longer. There'll be time to settle accounts with them later.
He let out a cold snort and walked into the hall, carrying his iron halberd.
Seeing this, the county soldiers standing on the platform could only step aside.
Zhang Tianchang smiled faintly, giving Lin Rui a thumbs-up as a sign of admiration.
Lin Rui responded with a sneer.
If one is too rule-bound, one risks being manipulated. Facing people like the County Magistrate and Ying Yuan, one must not act the gentleman.
He was the trusted confidant of the County Magistrate; it was appropriate for him to be a bit arrogant.
He also gestured to Zhang Tianchang and pointed inside.
Zhang Tianchang nodded slightly, also sensing that today's County Magistrate was up to no good.
Lin Rui then handed a large stack of Flash Thunder Talismans and Blazing Fire Talismans from his pocket to Blood Blade Ji, "Xue Ying, stick these talismans around everywhere, don't miss inside or outside, and those places out of sight like beams, corners, and behind walls—stick a few there as well."
He had been drawing talismans these past few days, and with plenty of silver coins at hand, he had stockpiled over 800 Flash Thunder Talismans alone.
Blood Blade Ji's art of concealment was rare in the world; if she didn't want to be seen, not even the County Magistrate could sense her presence.
Ji Xueying nodded and immediately vanished from sight.
Her movements were swift, flickering from place to place, first sticking over a hundred talismans outside the main hall, then moving inside to stick, stick, stick, even sticking one or two on the backs of the constables and county soldiers standing at the corners of the hall.
County Magistrate Zhu Lingshi was seated in the hall at this moment, watching this scene unfold, and he couldn't help but feel speechless.
His gaze followed Ji Xueying as she moved around the hall, sticking talismans everywhere, and thought, I can see you! Do you take me for a blind man?
While others couldn't see Ji Xueying, he could see her form for some reason.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
However, Zhu Lingshi thought about it and decided not to stop her. The young man named Lin was quite cautious, but his efforts to stick these talismans were futile.
Lin Rui waited until Ji Xueying had finished placing the talismans, then entered the main hall with Wang Sen.
As soon as he stepped inside, he frowned because the registrar, Jiang Hanzhang, was also seated in the hall, at the seat below the County Magistrate's.
And there were two former arrest officers who had resigned along with Jiang Hanzhang; they were there today, standing to the left side of the hall.
Only that arrest officer Li had been killed by Blood Blade Ji a few days earlier.
What particularly concerned Lin Rui was that not only were forty county soldiers standing on the left and right sides of the hall, there were also forty large wooden boxes placed against the walls. Inside the boxes were Array structures, similar to the screen he had seen before in the County Magistrate's study, which could block the sensing of Spiritual Sense.
And why was the County Adviser absent?
This caused Lin Rui's eyes to narrow, thinking to himself that this was indeed a trap.
Zhang Tianchang's face was ashen as he bowed to the County Magistrate on the platform, "County Magistrate, several days ago, Jiang Hanzhang along with Wang and Jin, the two former arrest officers, resigned in front of the County Magistrate, and now they are no longer officials. Then why are they sitting in the hall today?"
County Magistrate Zhu Lingshi, holding a teacup, laughed carelessly, his eyes filled with disdain.
Now that these people had entered the county government, they were like tigers in a cage, their lives and deaths in his hands.
The registrar Jiang Hanzhang narrowed his eyes, looking down on everyone in the hall, "County Magistrate, who is that? What's his name? Is it a man or a woman? In recent months, the position of our county's County Magistrate has been usurped by a demon. You did not investigate and have become accomplices to the tiger, allowing the demon to wreak havoc freely in the city, poisoning the people.
Are you not yet awake?"
Lin Rui and Wang Sen shivered upon hearing this and exchanged incredulous glances.
Indeed, they did not know the name of the County Magistrate; they only knew he was their County Magistrate.
Wang Sen immediately opened the database of his auxiliary microchip and checked the identity information given by the Mutant Management Bureau.
His face turned pale.
This report clearly recorded that the County Magistrate of our county died two months ago, but the problem is that he had seen this material before and yet did not remember it.
Lin Rui also furrowed his brows deeply. Just several days ago at Mingde University's Martial Arts Society, he had checked the County Magistrate's information. He felt something was wrong then and even discussed it with Wang Sen, so why did he forget after coming down here? What kind of bizarre situation was this?
"The County Magistrate, Li Honglin, died two months ago while pursuing demons in Fire Ruins Town. Currently, the imperial Ministry of Personnel still has not dispatched a new County Magistrate. Unexpectedly, a month later, a demon infiltrated our county and took the County Magistrate's position. The historiographer and I were unaware of this until today when we confirmed his demonic identity.
Zhang Tianchang, Lin the Twelfth, in recent months, although you and others have assisted the demon and done evil deeds, I take into account that you did not know the true nature of the County Magistrate and were deceived by him. Your situation is understandable. Today, I will first have you detained in prison.
After carefully ascertaining whether you have colluded with the demon, I will then determine your punishment!"
County Magistrate Zhu Lingshi smiled slightly and set down his teacup, "Take them!"
Upon his order, the numerous county soldiers standing by surged forward with thick chains to shackle Zhang Tianchang and Lin Rui.
Outside, several dozen more county soldiers rushed in, forming a spear formation to securely block the gate.
However, at the next instant, the inside of the hall suddenly 'boomed' with a blast of awe-inspiring air pressure.
Blood Blade Ji Xueying appeared out of nowhere, holding her six-foot-long war blade and pointing it towards the platform. At the same time, a sharp and tyrannical blade intent emanated from her, as a vast spiritual power swept across the entire hall.
The many county soldiers in the hall were overwhelmed by her blade intent and fell unconscious without exception.
Wang Sen touched his head as he saw this scene and came to an epiphany. He guessed that the reason for his fainting that day must have been due to being overwhelmed by Blood Blade Ji.
Jiang Hanzhang's pupils contracted slightly, "Lin the Twelfth, you dare resist arrest?"
At this moment, the eyes of County Magistrate Zhu Lingshi and the arrest officer Tian Chang became incredibly sharp, and Zhang Tianchang and the others turned back in surprise as well.
"What do you mean by resist or not resist arrest?"
Lin Rui, hand on his blade and with a lofty expression, confronted Zhu Lingshi, "Regarding the matter of a demon impersonating the County Magistrate, right now we only have your side of the story. Lin will not be so quick to believe! It would be better to wait for the County Magistrate's return, and then we will carefully verify the authenticity of this gentleman.
County Magistrate, you could also invite a superior official from the provincial city to lead the investigation into this case. Once everything is conclusively proven, then it will not be too late to convict us! However, for now, Lin has been slaying demons and vanquishing evil without breaking any of the king's laws or regulations. I consider myself innocent before the officials and the people.
Now whoever dares to take me—"
His eyes widened, the light within fierce and piercing, "Lin will chop them down! I don't care what County Magistrate or historiographer you are!"
Zhang Tianchang secretly marveled inwardly, thinking this youngster indeed had guts!
Of course, Lin the Twelfth's backbone was also quite stiff. Having Blood Blade Ji Xueying alone was enough to oppose the County Magistrate and historiographer. Lin the Twelfth himself was also quite strong, capable of killing fourth-stage demons. If he wished to flip the table and tackle this head-on, the County Magistrate and others would definitely not be able to suppress him.
At this moment, Zhang Tianchang felt a heavy weight on his mind, pondering what exactly was the matter with that County Magistrate?
County Magistrate Zhu Lingshi squinted, eyeing Lin Rui and after a moment, let out a rueful laugh.
When Lin Rui came in, he knew that official means would probably be ineffective in restraining the young man.
Zhu Lingshi's gaze then shifted to Blood Blade Ji Xueying, his eyes deep, "You brat, relying on a Blood Blade Ji so recklessly, but do you really think she belongs to you?"
Ji Xueying immediately furrowed her brows, feeling a sudden change within her blood marrow, reminiscent of that night in Zuihua House about a dozen days ago.
Her entire body's blood boiled, her mind spawning countless violent and chaotic thoughts, and she also remembered the image of her killing Yuan Yi.
At the same time, a powerful intention seeped into her mind, attempting to control her and make her limbs move involuntarily.
She resisted mightily but instantly triggered a backlash from the depths of her soul and bloodline, causing her whole body to suffer excruciating pain. She even let out an involuntary groan.
Having experienced this once before, Ji Xueying immediately transferred her pain to Lin Rui through the As-You-Will Unity Knot without hesitation.
This was something her master had instructed beforehand, so she did not hesitate.
Seeing the expression on Ji Xueying's face gradually calming down, the record keeper Jiang Hanzhang and the halberd-bearer Yuan Yi felt an unsettling emptiness within.
If the County Magistrate couldn't subdue the Blood Blade Ji, today could turn into a bloodbath, and it was uncertain who would purge whom.
Yet, County Magistrate Zhu Lingshi casually pulled out a fist-sized golden seal and a porcelain vial from his sleeve.
As Zhu Lingshi opened the vial and poured the blood onto the seal, the golden seal suddenly flared with a blood-colored flame.
Lin Rui's brows furrowed deeply; he had first felt a surge of intense pain, which then abruptly vanished without a trace.
Lin Rui instantly realized that the Blood Covenant he shared with Ji Xueying had been temporarily severed by someone.
Ji Xueying's face contorted, her pupils gradually reddening as green veins crawled over her delicate white skin.
In her heart, she thought no, it cannot be this way! She absolutely could not lose control again.
However, her consciousness and reason were still gradually slipping away beyond her control.
Seeing this, County Magistrate Zhu Lingshi barely concealed a smile, as his prediction was accurate—Ji Xueying still couldn't withstand her father's blood.
He pointed distantly towards Lin Rui and commanded, "Kill him, immediately!"
Hope shone in Zhu Lingshi's eyes; this would be the second instance of the Blood Blade Ji slaying her master.
Although he was slightly disappointed by the absence of the Mingde University official, Lin Rui's martial arts talent might even surpass that official! This might bring him even greater surprises.
In the hall, Zhang Tianchang, Cao Jun, and the others could not help but their expressions drastically change as they stared in the direction of Ji Xueying.
The Blood Blade Ji was clearly beginning to lose control, and this County Magistrate actually possessed a method to bypass the Blood Covenant and control the Blood Blade Ji.
This reminded them of the massacre at Zuihua House from ten days before.
Zhang Tianchang had personally witnessed that bloodbath; he remembered Ji Xueying in that very state, killing her former master Yuan Yi! Afterwards, she went on a rampage near Zuihua House, slaying more than twenty people, including his deputy and several of his fellow officers.
Could it be that today would replay the events of that day?
At this moment, Ji Xueying also turned around, her blood-red eyes locking onto Lin Rui behind her.
In her hand, she held the battle blade 'Jing Xue,' which burned with blood flames.
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