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

"Don't miss it if you pass by."

"Come on in, take a look. In this sweltering summer, a cup of iced tea is all you need..."

"..."

Just across the street from the back of Fenglelou, at a herbal tea stall, dozens of guests were chatting animatedly, while the waiter, with a white towel around his neck, enthusiastically greeted customers.

For such a small shop, this person is more like the owner than a waiter, since the ancients believed that a small shop should have all the necessary functions.

Although this is a place where ordinary people gather, it is precisely because of this that its liveliness is in no way inferior to that inside Fenglelou.

It might even be slightly better.

Among all the guests, only one table seemed a bit deserted, and only one person sat at the tea table, sipping the bittersweet taste of the tea.

However, many of the boisterous and outgoing guests immediately quieted down when they saw the clothes the man was wearing and the steel knife casually placed on the bench.

Even those martial arts heroes who didn't often reside in Lin'an City were no exception.

Nothing else matters. For any dynasty, when the court is at its peak, its henchmen are naturally at their strongest.

Moreover, the constable sitting at the herbal tea stall looked far too young, with a pale face.

Such a young constable, acting alone, could only be Shen Lian, the "Jade-Faced Yama" from the Lin'an County government office.

Shen Bailian had naturally noticed the increasingly cold atmosphere inside the herbal tea stall, but he didn't take it to heart.

As the saying goes, only those with a guilty conscience will feel guilty.

Among the dozens of people drinking herbal tea were several wanted criminals, but they were all of the lowest rank, and there were also two chivalrous people who liked to rob the rich to help the poor.

Even if you kill it, you won't gain much merit.

Therefore, Shen Bailian did not take action. Of course, this was also because his main task today was not to apprehend these wanted criminals, but to wait for an old friend to appear.

Otherwise, even a small mosquito is still meat.

Sudden.

"Oh!"

As the sound of a wooden window shattering rang out, all the pedestrians on the street were startled and turned their attention to Fengle Tower.

But apart from a handsome young man who rushed over and leaned against the window, there was no one else.

"Wow~ Whose young man is this? He's so handsome and refined..."

"I wonder if there's already a marriage in the family, otherwise... I'd like to find out when I have time."

"..."

Fahai anxiously looked around and listened intently, carefully searching for Xiaoqing's whereabouts in the crowd, but to no avail.

Xiaoqing ran incredibly fast.

He naturally heard the sounds coming from below and saw the admiring glances from the women below, something he was already used to.

Although Fahai became a monk, it doesn't mean he lost his good looks. During his many encounters with the world, he was confessed to by many young ladies from prominent families.

After all, the pursuit of beauty is the same for all living beings.

Otherwise, before Xiaoqing escaped, Li Gongfu wouldn't have taken a liking to Fahai, who had come to him at first sight. If Fahai were an old man and ugly, Li Gongfu would never have included him in the group.

Fahai looked down at the noisy crowd and the clamor of voices. His usually flat, wrinkle-free brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of regret flashed in his eyes.

He originally had a chance to catch Xiaoqing, but he missed it.

Next time, Xiao Qing will probably be even more vigilant and won't give him a chance to get close. Once he escapes back into the mountains, he'll be like a dragon entering the sea, free to roam.

Within those mountains dwell countless demons; encountering one again is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Even Fahai, with his Golden-Haired Hou by his side, dared not venture alone into that "Cave of Ten Thousand Demons."

Not to mention successfully capturing the snake demon.

Having missed this opportunity, I don't know when I'll be able to meet again.

Sudden.

Just as Fahai was about to turn his gaze away, he suddenly saw a graceful figure in green rushing towards him from afar, and the purple-gold alms bowl at his waist also began to stir.

That graceful figure in green was none other than Xiaoqing, who had returned after leaving.

Although Fahai didn't understand why the green snake demon had returned, and he didn't want to understand, he only had one thought in his mind: to bring the green snake demon to justice.

His expression shifted, and he was about to get up and jump out of the window when a familiar, deep voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Since we are so destined, why should Master Fahai make such a fuss?" Fahai was startled by the sudden voice in his mind and immediately looked in the direction from which it came from the purple-gold alms bowl. Sure enough, he saw the familiar figure offering him a cup of tea, and the voice continued:

"Besides, there are many innocent civilians here. Master Fahai, you don't want..."

Looking at the graceful figure in green above West Lake, and then at Shen Bailian below, Fahai froze in place, his brows furrowing even more, just like the undulating loess plateau.

He can beat the former, but he can't beat the latter.

However, Fahai could never figure out the relationship between the two. If they joined forces to deal with him, wouldn't he be trapped like a turtle in a jar?

And as Shen Bailian said, although he was keen on catching demons, he never intentionally harmed any innocent civilians in order to catch demons.

This is neither in accordance with Buddhist teachings nor with his moral principles.

"Of course, Master Fahai, you can rest assured, I am not on Xiaoqing's side." Shen Bailian looked at Fahai, who had stopped, with satisfaction, and continued to transmit his voice with a smile: "If Master Fahai trusts me, after you have settled your affairs, you can come to Qingcheng Mountain outside Lin'an City to find me."

Having said that, without waiting for Fahai's response, Shen Bailian casually tossed a few taels of silver from his sleeve, accurately placing them into the waiter's hand.

"Those who should turn themselves in at the county government should do so, otherwise, you know my temper."

When the guests looked in the direction of the sound, they only saw Shen Bailian's tall and slender back, which disappeared completely in the blink of an eye.

The guests at the herbal tea stall were completely baffled by what Shen Bailian had said.

The waiter was the same, but upon seeing the loose silver in his hand, he immediately beamed with joy, stammering and laughing loudly, "Thank...sir, thank you for the generous gift, Master Shen..."

It should be noted that, generally speaking, a bowl of herbal tea is worth at most one coin, not to mention that although Shen Bailian drinks a lot of tea, he drinks it from a small cup, so the amount is small.

The few minutes of drinking it would only cost a few coins at most.

But now, Officer Shen gave him several taels of silver, which was equivalent to a month's income. In the past, when others said that Officer Shen was generous, he always hoped that such good things would happen to him.

As it turns out, this good thing really did happen to him today.

Is this what they mean by "what you keep in mind will eventually come to pass"?
However, the four people sitting at the very back of the herbal tea stall broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this voice. They couldn't wipe it away, and completely lost their appetite for tea. They looked like they had kidney deficiency; to an ordinary person, they would have looked like they were suffering from some serious illness.

Others may not know who this was said to, but the four of them knew perfectly well. As the saying goes, if you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear.

For these wanted criminals who make it onto the wanted list, even if they've done something wrong, they have nothing to fear.

After all, once you've done too many bad things, you get used to it.

However, today is different. This isn't a ghost knocking on the door; it's the King of Hell himself coming to knock. How many of these lowly minions wouldn't be flustered?
As for escaping, forget about it.

It is said that any wanted criminal who dares to try to escape from "Jade-Faced Yama," even those notorious Class A fugitives, will ultimately meet only one fate:

dead!
The four henchmen naturally didn't dare to provoke the Jade-Faced Yama.

Spending a few months in prison is much better than going straight to the underworld; anyone can tell the difference between the two outcomes.

Moreover, these four people are sober?
"Hey guys, before we go in, how about we grab a bite to eat... otherwise, we probably won't have a chance to enjoy good food for the next few months."

"Okay! Let's go to Fenglelou."

"..."

Just a quarter of an hour ago, these four people were complete strangers, but now, because of Shen Bailian's words, they have become brothers as close as family.

Brothers who share joys and sorrows.

And at this moment, upstairs in Fengle Building.

"Officer Li, Officer Li, Master Fahai has come down!"

Li Gongfu was rubbing his hands together, anxiously waiting on the first floor of Fenglelou, pacing back and forth like an ant on a fire.

Upon hearing the message from his subordinates, he immediately raised his head and looked up at the top of the stairs, only to see Fahai all alone.

His face immediately turned cold.

"Master Fahai." Li Gongfu stepped forward and stood before Fahai, who had already changed his clothes. He glanced behind Fahai and asked in confusion, "Where's Xiaoqing? Didn't she come down with you?"

"No." Fahai calmly shook his head and continued, "She jumped out of the window and escaped."

"Huh?!" Li Gongfu was shocked to hear this. What was Master Fahai up to? How could he have escaped by jumping out of the window?

Before Master Fahai came to arrange the blind date, Xiaoqing was quick to reject those men, but she wouldn't have jumped out of the window and run away.

But now they've done something so absurd.

This matter is definitely related to Fahai!

A man with such a handsome face would surely win favor in relationships, but the reality is the opposite of what is theoretically true.

Therefore, Fahai must have done something despicable or said something that hurt Xiaoqing.

"Alright, then Master Fahai, take care. I won't see you off for now." Li Gongfu looked at the innocent-looking Fahai, his face turning completely cold. He then gave the order to leave: "Xiao Wuzi, see Master Fahai off."

Given his connections, he couldn't continue to make things difficult for Fahai. After all, Fahai was a distinguished guest of the magistrate of Lin'an City, and he had invited Fahai to the matchmaking event. He had no reason to make things difficult for Fahai, neither morally nor logically.

This act of asking guests to leave is already somewhat impolite.

Upon hearing this, Fahai nodded. Not being very worldly-wise, he didn't understand the implied dismissal in Li Gongfu's words, and naturally didn't notice the change in Li Gongfu's expression.

His mind was now entirely focused on the upcoming treacherous banquet.

Yes, just as Shen Bailian had predicted, Fahai did not refuse the invitation.

In Fahai's view, this mission was quite important, as Shen Bailian was superior to him in both combat strength and martial arts talent.

Therefore, Shen Bailian's position is very important.

This could greatly influence the current situation. If Shen Bailian can be persuaded, then his future demon-catching operations will no longer be solo missions.

After all, humans are social creatures, and Fahai doesn't like to act alone.

Unfortunately, over the years, no one has been able to catch Fahai's eye. In fact, Shen Bailian was not his ideal partner either.

After all, the relationship between Shen Bailian and that green snake was far too ambiguous.

However, Shen Bailian also has advantages that Fahai finds hard to refuse. One of them is that Shen Bailian is not a thousand-year-old demon in human form, but a pure human without any demon blood.

This has been verified by the Golden Retriever.

Secondly, there is his extremely powerful strength and soaring blood energy, both of which are the nemesis of demons and monsters. Once they join forces with him, all the demons in the world will be refined.

And his and Shen Bailian's ascension is just around the corner.

"Where is the Master Shen I asked you to find?" Li Gongfu watched Fahai leave, his anger barely extinguished before it was reignited in the blink of an eye.

Because he saw the rather thin constable who arrived late, covered in sweat.

"No... it's gone."

"Ok?"

"I will follow your instructions, sir. I found Master Shen in Shapi Alley and he led the way at first. But when we got to the front of Fengle Restaurant, Master Shen disappeared in the blink of an eye."

Have you looked around the neighborhood?

"I searched, but I couldn't find it. Officer Li, you must believe me, I swear to God..."

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. You can go now." Seeing the other person's mournful face, Li Gongfu didn't know what else to say. He waved his hand and dismissed him.

"However, Xiao Shen disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Xiao Qing even jumped out of the window and escaped. Isn't this a bit too coincidental?" A thought flashed through Li Gongfu's mind, and he suddenly realized that this coincidence seemed a bit too far-fetched.

The more he thought about it, the more likely it was to be true.

However, due to his professional habits, Li Gongfu felt that having ideas was not enough. He immediately ran out of Fenglelou and went around to the street behind the building.

After a while.

"Officer Li, that's how it is. I don't know the specifics of what happened..." The waiter at the herbal tea stall wiped the sweat from his brow and asked cautiously, "Would you like a cup of herbal tea? It'll only cost one coin."

"What? You dare to charge a penny for a cup of tea?!"

"No, no, no, I misspoke. It was a bowl, a bowl of tea."

“That’s more like it. Don’t let me find out about your unscrupulous business practices again, or else…” Li Gongfu glared at the waiter, then slung his steel knife over his shoulder and walked out.

"Just as I predicted, hehe, this unexpected turn of events has led to a marriage." (End of Chapter)