We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

Sunlight shone on the bluestone pavement of Lin'an City, reflecting a dazzling light.

And not far from Shen Bailian and the others.

On a wide, flat piece of land, a high platform, meticulously constructed from solid and sturdy wood, rises abruptly and stands majestically.

Under the clear and bright sunlight, the high platform exudes a majestic and magnificent aura, like a solemn and towering building. The shadow it casts is like a lurking beast, making the surrounding air a little colder.

This made the surroundings feel a bit colder.

"Hey ha! Hey ha! Hey ha..."

Dozens of strong men, their muscles taut and bulging, like piles of hard rocks, shouted short and powerful slogans in unison.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his clothes. His chest heaved violently, and he was panting heavily, but he dared not slacken his pace and kept busy running around.

In their strong arms, they held firmly jars of heavy liquor, each step solid and steady, the stone slabs trembling slightly where they landed, as if they were rooted to the ground.

The wine jars were carefully stacked one by one on the high platform, in neat rows and orderly fashion, just like a solemn, quiet, and mysterious ceremony.

The magistrate of Lin'an City, dressed in a brand-new and neat official robe, sat upright in the center of the high platform.

Beside him, several guards with swords stood tall and straight, their expressions cold and dignified, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Apart from that, there were no other maids or servants around, making the scene solemn and dignified, yet it also carried a faint, indescribable eeriness.

It seemed as if a storm was about to break; this was a silent sonata.

The magistrate of Lin'an City, dressed in his heavy official robes, stood exposed to the scorching sun without any regard for the weather.

It must be said that the magistrate of Lin'an was quite adept at putting on a show when he was away from home.

If it were an ordinary nobleman, at this time, he would at least bring out a few beautiful maids to serve him, like Master Shen of Fengle Tower.

As the dragon boat race drew to a close, the common people of Lin'an City turned their attention back to the high platform.

Even before today, there was a rumor circulating in the city that during this Dragon Boat Festival, the magistrate of Lin'an City would give every commoner in the city a jar of wine.

I just don't know if it's true or not.

“It seems the rumors are true.” An elderly man stroked his gray beard slowly, his eyes shining with a bright and approving light, as if his gaze had pierced through layers of mist and seen the truth of the matter.

His words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples among the crowd and evoking a strong resonance.

"As expected of the upright and honest magistrate of our Lin'an City, his generosity is truly remarkable!"

Even if it's just one bowl of wine per person, how many jars of wine would it take to meet the needs of the entire city of Lin'an!

Such magnanimity and breadth of mind are truly admirable! A young man dressed in coarse cloth blushed, his face full of uncontrollable admiration. His voice trembled slightly with excitement, carrying a hint of pride and joy, as if this generous act was his own glory.

If other mundane matters of daily life might not have been enough to stir his emotions and excite him so much, this matter concerning the welfare of the entire city ignited his yearning and enthusiasm for a better life.

Those around him nodded in agreement, their whispers filled with admiration and anticipation for the magistrate's actions. They all hoped to soon receive this favor and feel the warmth and care from the city's magistrate.

In this peaceful and hopeful atmosphere, Lin'an City seems to have been injected with new vitality. Everyone's face is filled with anticipation for the future, and a beautiful picture of a peaceful and prosperous life is slowly unfolding.

"Foolish commoners." After turning his gaze away from those people, the county magistrate looked at the "masterpiece" he had carefully planned.

A slight smirk played on his lips as he let out a cold laugh, a laugh brimming with disdain and mockery. This method of manipulating people was something he'd learned by chance from an unknown nobody.

In the eyes of the magistrate of Lin'an City, these ordinary people living in the secular world were both kind to the point of being naive and foolish to the point of being pitiful.

They are so kind that even when their own families are so poor they can't afford to eat, they will still lend a helping hand without hesitation when they encounter displaced people who are starving, even if they themselves have little left.

However, this kindness also became their weakness. They were so naive that they could be easily swayed by just a few flimsy lies.

Subsequently, those with ulterior motives exploited their blind herd mentality, leading them by the nose to achieve certain ulterior motives.

"Quiet! Quiet!"

"Fellow villagers, please keep quiet!"

Just as the area below the high platform was engulfed in a noisy uproar.

Just then, the magistrate of Lin'an City, dressed in official robes and with a dignified face, slowly stood on one side of the high platform. His gaze was sharp and deep, as if he could see into people's hearts.

Despite the commotion below the stage, the magistrate of Lin'an simply raised his hand and gestured for one of his guards to step forward.

This guard with a sword was exceptionally burly, with a square face and an air of formidable heroism. He wore a long, gleaming sword at his waist.

Clearly, this is a highly skilled warrior.

He is definitely not an ordinary person.

As the square-faced guard with a knife walked slowly, the metal accessories on his body gently collided with something under his coat, producing a crisp and powerful metallic clang.

It was obvious that beneath the outer garment of this guard with a sword, he was wearing a full suit of iron armor.

"I won't say much else, today is the Dragon Boat Festival, so..."

A square-faced bodyguard with a sword stood on the high platform, speaking eloquently, but his words were somewhat weak, clearly indicating that he had been hastily pushed up to speak rather than a professional host.

"This guy is pretty afraid of dying." Shen Bailian concealed himself in the crowd, his Divine Eye quietly activated, revealing all secrets to him, a faint light flickering in his eyes.

With the help of the Eye of God, Shen Bailian saw the scene before him in perfect detail.

The square-faced guard carrying a sword was completely encased in a layer of cold, hard iron armor beneath his official robes.

As for the long sword hanging at his waist, it gleamed coldly in the sunlight. He gripped the scabbard tightly in his hand, his muscles taut, like a cheetah poised to pounce, constantly alert to any movement around him. The guards surrounding the magistrate of Lin'an were the same; each of them was clad in heavy armor, their sharp and vigilant eyes scanning the entire area, appearing fully armed and ready for battle.

The reason for this heightened state of alert is quite simple and clear.

Shen Bailian was naturally very clear about this, and he also quite understood the behavior of the magistrate of Lin'an City.

Today, the two people that the magistrate of Lin'an City is trying to deal with are not easy to deal with, and he himself is well aware of this.

One of them is a green snake spirit who has cultivated for hundreds of years. The accumulation of long years has given her extraordinary wisdom and powerful demonic energy. With a simple gesture, she can turn the world upside down and cause the heavens and earth to change color.

The other one is an even more awe-inspiring being—the White Snake, who has cultivated for nearly a thousand years.

At this moment, the two snake demons were lurking beneath the hustle and bustle of Lin'an City, hidden among the vast sea of ​​people.

These two snake demons had cultivated for a long time and were well-versed in the art of concealment. Even for the highly skilled monk Fahai, who had subdued countless demons, it would not be easy for him to easily see through their disguise and discover their forms.

As for the magistrate of Lin'an City, although he was the local official in charge of the people's livelihood, he held the power of life and death in Lin'an City and was considered a supreme figure in the eyes of the people.

however.

Faced with this mysterious and unpredictable evil, he was ultimately just an ordinary mortal, with a mortal body and no supernatural powers or magic to rely on. Faced with the fear of the unknown, he could only hope to rely on external forces to eliminate this hidden danger that could threaten his status and life at any time.

In fact, in this impending crisis, the magistrate of Lin'an City originally held two extremely powerful trump cards—

One is a martial artist who has reached the Innate Realm, and the other is an even more powerful martial artist who has reached the Grandmaster Realm.

A martial artist with innate talent has already glimpsed the true essence of martial arts. They can control their strength with their qi and sense danger in an instant. They are agile and nimble, and their moves are fierce and powerful. They are renowned figures in the martial arts world.
Grandmaster-level martial artists are even more unfathomable. Every move they make contains powerful force, and their understanding of martial arts has reached a state of perfection. They can injure people from a distance and intimidate all sides.

These two most powerful warriors in Lin'an City should have been a solid force that the county magistrate could rely on, allowing him to feel somewhat at ease when facing the threat of the snake demon.

However, fate is fickle, and life is unpredictable.

The situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse because of the magistrate's previous actions, which crossed the line for Li Gongfu and Shen Bailian.

Whether it stems from deep concern for their own safety or from secret reasons that cannot be shared with outsiders.

At this moment, even the magistrate of Lin'an City dared not entrust his life and fortune to those two former capable assistants.

After all, you can't see into someone's heart. The past rift made him deeply doubt their loyalty. Even when faced with the huge threat posed by the snake demon, he dared not rashly tie his safety to theirs.

Otherwise, if those two martial artists silently took a step back and pushed him in front of them, what could a weak scholar like him do?
However, the magistrate of Lin'an City was able to remain in office for more than ten years, which shows that he was not someone who would sit idly by and wait for his death.

He would never risk his own life to capture a demon.

At this moment, it seemed he still held a trump card hidden in his sleeve, a card that could change the course of the game—

That was a demon-taming talisman specially made by Master Fahai.

This demon-repelling talisman is no ordinary item; it was crafted by Master Fahai using profound Buddhist teachings and numerous rare materials.

The demon-controlling talisman is covered with mysterious runes, each rune containing powerful Buddhist energy, and each rune has a great deterrent and restraining effect on demons and evil spirits.

Of course, this was also one of Lin'an City's backup plans.

Another backup plan was that Fahai was recuperating from his injuries inside the Lin'an County Government Office, which was only a kilometer away from the office.

As soon as there is any movement here, the county government in Lin'an will be able to detect it.

The warm sun hung high in the sky, its soft light spilling onto the bustling venue, the air filled with the aroma of dust and wine.

As time slowly passed, the distribution of drinks proceeded in an orderly manner, with people queuing up, their eyes filled with anticipation for this special treat.

After all, this was wine personally distributed by the magistrate of Lin'an City, who spent a lot of money on it!
This is a great source of pride. If people from other cities knew that Lin'an had such a virtuous and benevolent official, they would be incredibly envious!
Soon, it was Li Gongfu's turn. He was tall and strong, with a steady and powerful gait. As he stepped forward, his eyes revealed a hint of determination and curiosity.

Next was Shen Bailian, tall and straight, with a cold expression and deep eyes silently observing everything around him.

But when he looked at the guards with swords who were distributing the wine, a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes. He took the wine from the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

He then respectfully cupped his hands in greeting to the magistrate of Lin'an City on the high platform. After the magistrate nodded, he straightened up and leaped down from the five- or six-meter-high platform.

This immediately caused a series of exclamations.

"Could it be that I..." The magistrate of Lin'an City stared intently at Shen Bailian's face and the changes in his eyes, but he did not detect a trace of "rebellion".

When it comes to Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing, the two are like a pair of fairies descended to earth, their clothes fluttering, exuding an otherworldly temperament in every gesture.

Bai Suzhen moved with light, graceful steps, her face gentle, but her eyes concealed a barely perceptible wariness.
Xiaoqing, on the other hand, was lively and agile, her eyes darting around with a clever look, her lips slightly upturned, carrying a hint of stubbornness and playfulness.

The moment they accepted the drinks, it was as if the noise of the entire venue came to a standstill, and everyone was unconsciously drawn to their beauty.

"Beautiful! Absolutely stunning!" A young man, his face slightly flushed, stared intently ahead and exclaimed involuntarily.

“How come I never noticed before? Xu Xian’s wife is so beautiful, she’s like a fairy descended from heaven.” A slightly older man next to him chimed in, scratching his head with a look of regret and surprise in his eyes, as if he was annoyed that he hadn’t noticed such a beauty before.

At this moment, he felt that Bai Suzhen's beauty was like a strong light, shining straight into his heart, making him unable to open his eyes, yet unwilling to look away.

Even the magistrate of Lin'an City had to pick up the tea on the table and savor it carefully, using his wide sleeves to cover the strange look on his face.

And on the high platform.

"Sister, just as I expected, the magistrate of Lin'an City has ill intentions." Xiao Qing sniffed lightly and immediately smelled the pungent realgar aroma in the wine. A cunning smile, like that of a fox, appeared on her face.

"Sister, there's realgar in the wine."

(End of this chapter)