Yue Lingshan waited at the door of her house.

Half an hour later, Lin Bufan returned, covered in blood.

Of course, there was no injury; the blood was all from the Songshan Sect.

"You killed them all?" Yue Lingshan asked.

"Yes, they were all killed, not one was left. Lu Bai ran the fastest and the farthest, I chased him for several miles."

Lin Bufan casually took off his blood-stained clothes and was about to walk through the door...

Suddenly, another group of people appeared from behind Xiangyang Street.

The Ming Dynasty court had about one hundred people in total, including those dressed in the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This is never going to end. They actually need a hundred people to deal with me. They think too highly of me.

Lin Bufan said self-deprecatingly to Yue Lingshan, "Am I right? These days, everyone hates me. Even the most insignificant people come looking for trouble with me. It's not convenient for you to come with me."

"I don't care, I just want to be with you."

Yue Lingshan hugged Lin Bufan without complaint or regret, "I'll face this with you."

"Oh, busy, huh?"

Clapping...

An agent from the Eastern Depot rode out from among the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guards on a tall horse.

He gave Lin Bufan a sinister smile and introduced himself: "Nice to meet you. My surname is Zheng, and everyone calls me Manager Zheng."

Is it Zheng, the head teacher at No. 2 Middle School, who plays the role of the headmaster?

Lin Bufan recalled a bit of the plot: Master Zheng was exceptionally skilled with his meteor hammer, leaving Shen Lian utterly helpless.

In this era of martial arts, he should be a master at the Innate Realm level, just like me.

It seems that the imperial court takes the matter of my annihilation of the entire Qingcheng Sect and the killing of all related martial arts figures very seriously, as they have even dispatched a master at the Innate Realm level.

Manager Zheng said to Lin Bufan, "You've heard of Wei Zhongxian, right? My family is a confidant of Eunuch Wei, and this one..."

He then introduced the accompanying junior leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, saying, "He is Eunuch Wei's nephew, surnamed Ling, and holds the rank of centurion."

The newly introduced leader of the Imperial Guard immediately straightened his back and puffed out his chest, putting on an air of superiority and majesty.

Lin Bufan sensed the other party's aura; he was only at the peak of the Acquired Realm.

Logically speaking, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard should at least be at the Innate Realm.

Otherwise, if江湖人 (jianghu people) cause trouble, what ability do they have to capture rebels?

This Commander Ling is a fraud; if it weren't for his uncle being Wei Zhongxian, he would never have become a Commander Ling.

"So, you've come here to arrest Lin? What crime has Lin committed?"

Lin Bufan was neither humble nor arrogant.

Manager Zheng laughed and said, "Young Master Lin, don't be nervous. We're here to offer you amnesty."

"Recruitment?"

"Yes, offer them amnesty."

Master Zheng asked, "Young Master Lin, you must have heard about Liu Zhengfeng's retirement from the martial arts world, right?"

"I've not only heard about it, I've experienced it myself."

Lin Bufan instantly got into character, putting himself in Lin Pingzhi's shoes.

"Around that time, Yu Canghai killed my whole family, Mu Gaofeng bullied and humiliated me, and Yue Buqun hypocritically took me to Mount Hua."

Zheng, the head of the depot, said, "Liu Zhengfeng's decision to retire from the criminal world was at the behest of our Eastern Depot. He wanted to clear his name, and we saw him as a talented person, so we planned to recruit him to work for the court. Who knew that before we could even get him to do so..."

"Sigh." Manager Zheng sighed. "You know what happened next. He died. Eunuch Wei saw that you were a talented person. You have the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual and have become an enemy of the martial arts world. Rather than being hunted down by the martial arts world, you should join our Eastern Depot and let us protect you."

Lin Bufan sneered, "The condition is that I have to hand over the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual to you?"

"Don't put it so harshly, that's called filial piety, you're being filial to us."

Manager Zheng maintained his smiling face, a true smiling tiger.

Lin Bufan shook his head. "You want me to join the Eastern Depot? Do you want me to be childless like you?"

Master Zheng didn't mind Lin Bufan's sarcasm at all. Instead, he said, "Women will only affect your sword speed. What use are they? Young Master Lin, you should learn from me. Look at me. I'm not much older than you, but I've already reached the Innate Realm. What does that mean? It means that without the entanglement of women, I can focus on my training without distraction and make faster progress, making rapid progress every day."

Ling, a commander of the Imperial Guard, laughed loudly from the side, "That's right, she's just a woman. If you can't bear to part with her, I'll kill her for you."

Having said that, he drew his embroidered spring knife, ready to attack Yue Lingshan.

Yue Lingshan screamed in fright and quickly hid behind Lin Bufan.

Ling Baihu grinned, his smile particularly ugly, and walked towards Lin Bufan with his knife in hand, saying nonchalantly, "Young Hero Lin, step aside. After I kill her, we'll be brothers."

"Who said we're brothers? Touching her is an offense against me. You're asking for death."

Lin Bufan suddenly drew his sword, aiming to kill in one move.

Ling Baihu died; he fell straight down and died.

When it died, its eyes were wide open.

He couldn't believe it; the other party would actually kill him, would dare to kill him.

He was a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Moreover, he was Wei Zhongxian's nephew.

Either of these identities could easily crush any martial arts expert.

The Imperial Guards were shocked: "He killed Commander Ling!"

“Ling Baihu is Eunuch Wei’s nephew. If Eunuch Wei blames him, who can bear the consequences?”

"We're really unlucky."

Manager Zheng was in turmoil, his mind racing with countless waves of emotion. This was the first time he had ever seen such a bold young man.

He actually dared to kill an official of the imperial court.

And in front of so many Imperial Guards and so many agents of the Eastern Depot.

"The people cannot fight against the officials." Hasn't he heard the saying? Is he stupid or just plain dumb?

I have emphasized to him repeatedly that Commander Ling is Eunuch Wei's nephew, yet he still dared to make a move.

Arrogant, ignorant brat.

"Ding, sensing that Manager Zheng is angry, shocked, and emotionally unstable, you are rewarded with ten internal energy fragments."

"Ding! Sensing the worry, fear, tension, and strong emotional fluctuations of the Imperial Guards, you are rewarded with corresponding internal energy fragments."

Crackling sounds!

Countless golden fragments of internal energy fell from the bodies of Master Zheng, the Imperial Guards, and the Eastern Depot agents, flying towards Lin Bufan.

Like ice water melting, it automatically merged into Lin Bufan's body and transformed into corresponding internal energy.

"Ding, internal energy increased by one day."

"Ding, internal energy increased by three days."

"Ding, internal energy for one month."

"Ding, internal energy increased by two and a half months."

"Ding, internal energy increased by two and a half days."

"Ding, your internal strength has increased by one year and thirteen days."

"Ding, internal strength increased by eight months."

...

Apart from Commander Ling and Chief Zheng, most of the Imperial Guards and Eastern Depot agents who came with them were just low-ranking henchmen.

So the fragments that fell out came out over a day or two, a month or two, all sorts of things, good and bad.

Lin Bufan didn't mind; even a mosquito is meat, so he accepted it all.

When a person stands still, their inner strength naturally increases; how wonderful is that!

However, he thought it was beautiful, but Zheng Zhangban did not.

My nephew, Wei Gonggong, is dead. How am I supposed to explain this to him? That damned brat, I'll make you pay with your life!

Zheng, the foreman, pointed at Lin Bufan and shouted at his men, "Grab him and kill him!"