New and dark light years

Chapter 288 A bad start
Huo Huowang was indeed a member of the Zhuxian Society.

They were low-level, the kind with a tough life, like undercover agents.

No matter how prestigious an organization or power may be, there will always be people working at the bottom, or at the grassroots level.

Even the imperial court was no exception.

Before Li Lin became the county constable, the yamen runners in Yulin County were all paid to work.

Not much better than Huo Huowang.

Huo Huowang looked at Li Lin, then at the constables on either side, and cried out with a mournful face, "Sir, I really don't understand what I've done wrong... I'm usually well-behaved and never dare to do anything reckless."

Li Lin ignored him and said to the constable, "Search them."

Several constables rushed up, pinned him to the ground, and after a thorough search, found some silver and a bronze token on his person.

Upon seeing this item being found, Huo Huowang's expression clearly became tense.

The bailiff handed the token to Li Lin.

Li Lin examined it for a while. The front of the bronze token also had the character "合" (he), and the back still had the engraving of "The bright moon rises over the sea".

Li Lin threw the token back at Huo Huowang and said, "Tell me, what is your status in the Zhuxian Society, and has the Zhuxian Society expanded here?"

Huo Huowang's face turned ugly, and he remained silent.

Li Lin laughed and said, "You should know that the Immortal Execution Society has a grudge against me."

Huo Huowang knew, of course, that before they joined the Zhuxian Society and were sent here, their superiors had warned them to be careful of Li Lin.

This person harbors hatred towards the Immortal Execution Society.

"If you reveal everything about the Zhuxian Society and its members, I can let you go quietly. As for how you will live afterward, I don't care."

Huo Huowang suddenly looked up at Li Lin.

Li Lin continued, "But if you don't tell me, I believe it won't be difficult to find your entire family."

"You can't do that! The county magistrate doesn't have the authority to execute nine generations of a family!" Huo Huowang shouted anxiously.

“The county constable certainly doesn’t have that authority, but I can do it secretly.”

Actually, Li Lin was just trying to scare him; he wasn't cruel enough to execute nine generations of a person's family.

But when it comes to scaring people, the scariest the better.

Huo Huowang was drenched in sweat. He looked around and realized that he was trapped inside and had no way to escape.

Moreover, Lieutenant Li himself is a spirit hunter, a fact known throughout the entire county.

He might not be a very skilled martial arts master, but dealing with one of my personal agents would be quite easy for him.

Cold sweat dripped onto the stone slab.

Li Lin did not press the matter further.

Sometimes, a silent and oppressive environment is more unbearable than torture.

After a long pause, Huo Huowang said with difficulty, "I'll say..."

Li Lin smiled.

About half an hour later, Huo Huowang was thrown into prison.

He wasn't mistreated; instead, he received a large bowl of rice.

On top of the rice, there was a large chicken leg.

"Is this going to be my last meal before I'm executed?" Huo Huowang felt like crying.

"Don't worry, our county magistrate is always true to his word. If he says he won't kill you, he won't. He'll probably release you in a while."

The jailer who threw Huo Huowang in said with a smile.

The two knew each other, since Yulin County isn't very big, and it's normal for some people to have met before.

Huo Huowang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With Huo Huowang's intelligence, all the yamen runners sprang into action.

They deliberately gathered in certain places and entrusted their 'informants' to investigate those places. In just three days, a large amount of intelligence was gathered in Li Lin's hands.

Jiang Jili tucked his hands into his sleeves as he looked at the intelligence reports and sneered, "Does the Zhuxian Society really think there's no one left in Yulin County? We've managed this place like an iron barrel, and they still dare to come here."

“The people of the Immortal Execution Society cannot be judged by ordinary standards.” Li Lin laughed: “They even dared to assassinate the current emperor, let alone a nobody like me.”

“That makes sense.” Jiang Jili then snorted: “But you’re not some nobody. You’re an eighth-rank military officer with real power, the military commander… you’re already a big shot. If one day you become a military governor or a provincial governor, then you’ll be a real big shot.”

"We'll talk about the future later," Li Lin said with a smile. "Let's take down this branch of the Immortal Execution Society first."

Jiang Jili nodded: "Yes, the matter at hand is more important."

After chatting for a while, Li Lin picked up his spear and left the county government office.

He was followed by several constables and a large group of yamen runners.

The two then arrived at a courtyard in the east of the city.

There are several pharmacies here, connected together.

When they arrived, the surrounding people sensed something was wrong and tried to run away, only to find that all the roads had been blocked off by the local militia.

A large number of archers climbed onto the rooftops, aiming at the several pharmacies.

Li Lin led the constables to the door.

Several pharmacy boys rushed out and shouted, "Officers, why have you brought so many people? What have we done wrong?"

Even standing at the entrance of the pharmacy, Li Lin could smell the strong aroma of medicinal herbs.

He laughed and said, "I'm looking for Chu Rengong."

"Are you looking for Doctor Chu?" a boy asked with a strange expression. "She never sees anyone."

Li Lin laughed and said, "The government doesn't have a say in how things are done."

Because of his perspective, the boy didn't see the archers on the rooftops outside. He only saw Li Lin with several constables. He said, "Sir, why don't you wait a moment while I go in and report?"

"No need!" Li Lin said coldly.

A constable came up, grabbed the boy by the collar, and was about to drag the little fellow away.

But the opponent jumped back, creating distance between them.

He roared, "What do you want to do!"

Lightness of body technique.

The constables' expressions turned serious.

They began to draw their waist knives.

At that moment, a woman's voice came from inside.

"Gentlemen, if you have any problems, just come to me. What kind of skill is it to bully a child?"

As they were talking, a woman came out from around the corner.

The other person was wearing a scholar's blue robe, which was clearly men's clothing, but the way he wore it gave off a strange and alluring feeling.

Two of the constables swallowed hard, their voices particularly noticeable in the quiet environment.

The two of them felt embarrassed and retreated to the back in front of everyone.

Li Lin looked at the woman and smiled, "The Chu Palace, the Chu Physician?"

"it's me."

Li Lin laughed and said, "Still the leader of a branch of the Immortal Execution Society?"

“Officer… or rather, County Commandant Li, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Chu Rengong’s long hair was styled into a woman’s bun. She brushed a strand of hair from the right side of her cheek and said, “I’m just a doctor at a pharmacy. Although it’s certainly inappropriate for a woman to show her face in public, it’s not to the point of breaking the law, is it?”

Li Lin laughed and said, "I don't want to hear your excuses. You only have two choices now: either surrender or I will have everyone in this pharmacy killed. Even those members of the Zhuxian Society with whom we have evidence will die."

The Chu Palace is quite beautiful. She sighed deeply, "It's an inauspicious start. I should have known better than to come here."

(End of this chapter)