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

To be honest, before coming here, the magistrate of Lin'an was filled with fear, afraid that he might be torn to pieces by the snake demon hidden in Lin'an.

But in the corner, there was still some broken excitement.

The reason is simple: he loved dragons but was terrified of them.

Fear is a natural human reaction when faced with something extraordinary, and it is also an extremely important emotion that normal people should have.

The excitement stemmed from the protection of Master Fahai in the distance, the blessing of the imperial official's destiny, the presence of a group of armed guards, and the great general Shen Bailian.

The magistrate of Lin'an was very curious about what kind of person this snake demon had transformed into.

In legends, humans who are transformed from fairies are either handsome men or beautiful women, unless they are monsters with unique tastes.

Otherwise, after transformation, none of them would be particularly ugly.

If we were to name the first suspect in the mind of the magistrate of Lin'an, it would undoubtedly be Shen Lian, who had just arrived and whose origins were shrouded in mystery.

After all, he still hasn't completely figured out who Shen Lian really is.

The presence of treasures of unknown origin further fueled suspicion among ordinary people, let alone the cautious and prudent magistrate of Lin'an.
As for the second candidate...

Originally, there was no such person, but now there is: Bai Suzhen, Xu Xian's wife. The reason is nothing more than that Bai Suzhen's appearance is so beautiful that she doesn't seem like an ordinary person.

This is also why the magistrate of Lin'an City was able to control his lust and not be too greedy.

"Master Fahai, are you sure there are no problems?" The magistrate of Lin'an City sat in a wooden armchair, took a sip of tea, and suppressed his unease.

"Don't worry, with me here, there won't be any major problems," Fahai replied calmly, his words brimming with confidence.

He seemed to have everything under control.

Catching demons is different from sparring with people; it allows for the use of all available methods. Therefore, when forced to do so, Fahai is not hesitant to use his last and most powerful trump card.

"That's good, that's good," the magistrate of Lin'an murmured softly.

Now he was starting to regret it, regretting cooperating with Fahai on this damn demon-catching mission, because his term was about to expire.

According to what Fahai had said before, this snake demon had been entrenched in Lin'an City for a long time, but the city had been peaceful for the past six months.

Perhaps that snake demon is a monster seeking peace and stability?

What if his demon-catching mission today angers the other party? At that point, not only will he lose his official position, but he might even lose his life.

However, it's too late to regret it now. The realgar wine, which had been given a little Buddhist blessing, had already been distributed to the stomachs of all the residents of Lin'an City, and there was no way to take it back.

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, I have captured at least several hundred, if not a thousand, demons without making a single mistake. As long as Your Excellency does not act recklessly and stays safely in the mansion, you only need to wait one night."

"Alright." The magistrate of Lin'an City breathed a sigh of relief and agreed without hesitation.

Fahai's words were quite clear: in short, he wanted the magistrate of Lin'an to stay at home, wait for good news, and not go out and cause trouble.

Although it carries a hint of looking down on people.

But hey!

In the face of such a situation, being looked down upon is better than losing one's life, after all, those two snake demons are not easy to deal with.

If an ordinary person like him were to go and join the fun, he might very well be killed by the aftershocks of the battle.

The magistrate of Lin'an City was aware of this much.

But why hasn't this monk left yet? Is he planning to stay here until the snake demon reveals its true form?

"This humble monk has some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now." Fahai nodded with some satisfaction upon seeing this. Although the magistrate of Lin'an City was rather cowardly, he was still quite cooperative.

He stood up and walked straight out of the room.

"May Master Fahai achieve his goal and protect the peace of the people." Although the magistrate of Lin'an City had long anticipated this, he still outwardly appeared to be concerned about the people's hardships.

If you're going to act, you have to go all the way; don't let things fall apart at the last minute.

His series of actions had left an excellent impression on Fahai. But who was Fahai? Was he merely a monk who loved to catch demons?
No! That's not the case!

Fahai was a master, a master capable of conversing face-to-face with the emperor.

If this demon-catching attempt is successful, Fahai will be able to say a few good words to the emperor, in addition to the political achievements he has made in Lin'an City over the past ten years.

With a massive amount of money paving the way, the future looks incredibly bright.

The future is expected!

……

Lin'an City, East District.

As the sun slowly sank below the horizon, the sky was tinged with a gentle orange-red, as if nature had draped a soft veil over the ancient city.

A gentle evening breeze, carrying a touch of coolness and comfort, meanders through the narrow yet bustling alleyways, softly swaying the mugwort and calamus hanging in front of every household.

Along the streets, all sorts of lanterns gradually lit up, decorating the dark night with a warm and romantic touch.

Under the lanterns, the cries of vendors rose and fell, creating a lively atmosphere. These vendors were either pushing carts loaded with festive specialties such as zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), sachets, and colorful silk threads.

Or there are all sorts of toys and ornaments on display, attracting the curious eyes of children and the adults who stop to pick them out, making it quite lively.

The people of Lin'an were still immersed in the festive atmosphere of the Dragon Boat Festival.

For ordinary people in this era, the festive atmosphere of traditional festivals allows them to temporarily forget the troubles of life.

For children, it means new clothes, new toys, and all sorts of delicious food.

Shen Bailian, Li Gongfu, Xu Xian, Bai Suzhen, and Xiaoqing walked almost side by side on the bluestone road, spanning most of the road.

Such rude and disrespectful behavior of blocking the road should have been quickly reprimanded, but at this moment, few passersby showed any dissatisfaction, and some even bowed respectfully to the five people.

The reason is simple: three of the five are not ordinary people; each of them alone is someone that ordinary wealthy and powerful people would not dare to offend.

Li Gongfu, the head constable of Lin'an County, is a master of martial arts; Xu Xian, the second father of the people of Lin'an, has saved countless broken families with his skillful hands.

As for Shen Lian, the great official?
That was something that commanded the utmost respect from ordinary people. He was not only a favorite of the magistrate of Lin'an City, but also a person from the capital. His background was unclear, but his wealth was comparable to that of all the wealthy merchants in Lin'an City.

As for the other two, they are also rare beauties in this world.

It can be said that within Lin'an City, no one would want to clashed with any of these five people without a reason, unless absolutely necessary.

"Alright, that's enough for now." Shen Bailian glanced at the fork in the road beside him, waved to the other four, and then left without waiting for them to react.

Next, the main event has arrived, and of course he needs to go back and prepare properly.

"Eh..." Li Gongfu was only stunned for a moment when he saw this situation. When he wanted to stop Shen Bailian, he found that the latter had already gone far away. He originally planned to take advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival to have a good get-together with Shen Bailian at Fenglelou and discuss Shen Bailian's experience in breaking through to the Grandmaster realm.

Before today, Li Gongfu had been in a state of resignation regarding his life, but after seeing the attitude of the magistrate of Lin'an City towards Shen Bailian, he suddenly had a change of heart.

We can't keep going like this.

Whether it's to make the most of his martial arts talent or to seek a better life, he wants to follow in Shen Bailian's footsteps and reach the Grandmaster realm.

At that time, we won't have to worry about what those people think or do anymore.

Unfortunately, Shen Bailian left too quickly, and by the time he wanted to stop him, it was already too late, so he had to give up for the time being.

Talk about it later.

"I'm going to Fengle Tower." Li Gongfu glanced at Xu Xian and said indifferently, "Today is a good opportunity to get together with some brothers from the yamen. I probably won't be going back tonight. When you go back, just lock the door."

"Okay." Xu Xian nodded, though he was a little curious.

"Don't drink too much, or you know what will happen." When Xiaoqing heard the words "Fenglelou," her almond-shaped eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her fair fist clenched loosely, striking a threatening pose.

"Okay, okay, I'll definitely control it."

As Li Gongfu watched Xiaoqing's actions, beads of sweat involuntarily appeared on his broad forehead—cold sweat from being frightened.

If he had been interested in Bai Suzhen's younger sister, Xiaoqing, just a few months ago...

But now, after experiencing a one-sided and complete defeat, he has lost all interest in this woman and wishes he could avoid seeing her for even a day.

Violence! It's absolutely too violent!

She doesn't resemble Bai Suzhen at all; she doesn't have the demeanor of a proper lady.

Of course, besides her beauty...

"Alright, Xiaoqing." Bai Suzhen scolded Xiaoqing in a low voice, then looked at Li Gongfu apologetically and took out a few taels of silver from her bosom: "Brother-in-law, Xiaoqing is still young and mischievous, please don't take offense."

Xiaoqing scoffed at this, crossed her arms, and turned her head away, refusing to look at Bai Suzhen.

She's young? Are you kidding me?

Given her age, she was old enough to be Li Gongfu's great-great ...

After Bai Suzhen integrated into the lives of ordinary people, she became completely different from before. She was dyed in all sorts of colors by the big dye vat of society, and lies came out of her mouth without hesitation.

Her face didn't even turn red!

"No problem, no problem." Li Gongfu's eyes lit up when he saw the few taels of silver. He wasn't the type to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. As long as someone was willing to give him a way out, he would accept it.

Besides, why not take advantage of money?

"Brother-in-law, drink in moderation," Xu Xian said, offering only his usual advice.

Innate martial artists, unless they are confused, generally cannot get drunk by ordinary wines. As for those precious wines, such as the Nine-Layered Tower, they are even less likely to get drunk.

That was beyond what Li Gongfu and his constable brothers could afford.

"Alright, you should go back now. Just let me know if anything happens." Li Gongfu took the money from Bai Suzhen's hand, then turned around and walked towards Fengle Tower without further hesitation.

"Since they've all left," Xiaoqing said, crossing her arms behind her head, "I'll go for a stroll too."

"Where are you going to wander around so late?" Bai Suzhen quickly stopped Xiaoqing, as if the events of the past few months were still fresh in her mind.

Last time, due to her momentary carelessness, Xiaoqing encountered the old bald monk Fahai alone. Fortunately, Shen Lian came to her aid; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Now, Fahai is hiding in Lin'an City, perhaps in some corner, searching for the two of them.

If Xiaoqing were to go out at this time and encounter Fahai again, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Go to the market."

"No."

"Then why shouldn't I go for a walk? Am I supposed to listen to you two singing in the middle of the night...?"

Before Xiaoqing could finish speaking, Bai Suzhen immediately realized something, and a surge of blood flowed to her cheeks, adding a touch of rosy blush to her fair and tender face, which was as white as mutton fat jade.

She was absolutely stunningly beautiful.

"Alright, stop talking." Bai Suzhen interrupted Xiaoqing directly, otherwise who knows what the other party would say in front of everyone. She glanced at Xu Xian without leaving a trace, her face turning even redder: "Since you want to go out and play, then let's make a three-point agreement between us."

First, you must not injure anyone indiscriminately; second, you must not engage in conflicts with others; third, you must tell me immediately if anything happens.

"Okay, it's settled then." Xiaoqing agreed without hesitation and disappeared into the crowd in a few steps.

"Sigh..." Bai Suzhen sighed helplessly when she saw this situation. After knowing and accompanying each other for so many years, how could she not know what kind of personality Xiaoqing had?

Since Xiaoqing agreed so readily, it means she didn't take this matter to heart at all.

However, Bai Suzhen had another way of finding out Xiaoqing's whereabouts.

"Wife, what did Xiaoqing mean just now? We haven't sung opera together late at night, have we?" Xu Xian's dark eyes blinked, clear and bright, his face full of innocence.

"Pfft~" Bai Suzhen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing, revealing her clean and neat teeth. At this moment, Xu Xian's personality was exactly the same as that person's.

"Madam, why are you laughing?"

"nothing."

"Then you still haven't told me why Xiaoqing said we'd be singing opera tonight?"

She wasn't talking about opera.

"What did Xiaoqing say...?"

……

The Shen residence, Shen Bailian's underground secret chamber.

"Xiao Wu."

"Master, I'm here!"

A crisp sound rang out in the pristine underground space, and in front of Shen Bailian, a three-dimensional projection of Lin'an City appeared in the air.

The area was bustling with people and vehicles, and even Xiaoqing's whereabouts were clearly visible.

"Initiating Plan A" (End of Chapter)