Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 540 Are there really fools in this world who act on behalf of Heaven?
"Heroine, spare my life!"

Guandi Temple, a gathering place for the Beggars' Gang.

The beggar, with disheveled hair and wearing a patchwork robe, wailed and kowtowed to Lin Daiyu, begging for mercy.

Inside the temple not far away, screams and cries could be heard incessantly; Lin Dao was slaughtering a group of beggars.

The beggar, trying to escape, desperately begged Lin Daiyu, who was blocking the door, for mercy, pleading for a way to live.

'Eek~~~'

The beggar reeked so badly that Lin Daiyu felt like vomiting.

She raised her hand to cover her nose and instinctively stepped back.

The beggar who was kneeling on the ground suddenly sprang up.

Suddenly, he darted out, a cold glint flashing in his hand, and the dagger was already stabbing towards Lin Daiyu's lower abdomen.

This tactic of kowtowing, crying, and begging for mercy to gain sympathy before suddenly attacking and hurting people has been used by beggars many times and is extremely effective.

Their secret weapon in this line of work is the compassion of others.

If nothing unexpected happens, Lin Daiyu will be injured by this knife and lose her strength.

Before they die, they will be stripped naked and served to the beggars.

But in reality, Lin Daiyu, having been trained by Lin Dao, instinctively kicked out.

This is a real-life demonstration of the Mighty Vajra Leg.

With a single kick, the beggar who had lunged at him was sent flying like a cannonball.

The beggar, with his arms and legs outstretched and his body shaped like the Chinese character "区" (qu), crashed into Zhou Cang's statue with a whooshing sound.

The statue of Zhou Cang, who was said to have a health bar three miles long, was instantly smashed to pieces.

The commotion even caught Lin Dao's attention, who glanced at it amidst his busy schedule.

Lin Daiyu turned away shyly.

Under Lin Dao's training, her control over her strength gradually improved.

However, when faced with imminent danger, instinctive reactions still occur, making them difficult to control.

Lin Dao's side acted very quickly.

With a sword in one hand and a hammer in the other, he used both hands to clear out the horde of beggars.

There are no scenes like those in martial arts dramas where characters fight for several chapters at once; it's basically one-on-one combat.

Even if there's time for escape and pursuit, it would only take the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to finish.

As Lin Daiyu cautiously approached, Lin Dao was searching for survivors among the beggars scattered on the ground.

'puff! '

'Snapped! '

The brutal scene of being stabbed one by one made Lin Daiyu instinctively stop in her tracks, turning away and unable to look.

Actually, this is much better.

When Lin Dao took her to clean the scum before, Lin Meimei almost fainted when she smelled the blood.

Lin Dao is neither a madman nor a pervert.

There was a reason for slaughtering the beggars here.

After cleaning, Lin Dao lifted the lid of the underground chamber.

The stench of blood and excrement filled the air.

The beam of the flashlight swept across the room, revealing a dozen or so children of varying ages huddled together in the dark.

Lin Daiyu followed the beam of light and immediately burst into tears and exclaimed in surprise.

Some children have empty, hollow eyes; their eyes are just black holes.

Some children have no arms, while others have nothing below their knees.

The worst case was a little girl who not only lost her limbs but also her eyes.

All the children were barely clothed and covered in wounds.

Lin Daiyu squatted on the ground, covering her face with her hands and sobbing.

"These were all captured by beggars who scavenged for money."

"Most of the girls would be sold into brothels and taverns."

"Older boys would be sold to work in the mines, mining coal until they died."

"The rest of them."

Lin Dao implied that "after being tortured, they will become docile and reduced to tools for gaining sympathy and making money."

"As for those who fiercely resist..."

The beam of the flashlight fell on the pitiful little girl.

"They will be constantly humiliated and suffer the most horrific torture."

Lin Daiyu, being kind-hearted by nature, could not bear to see such a human tragedy, and she wept bitterly.

"Don't cry!"

Lin Dao scolded, "Crying is the most incompetent thing to do!"

"If you want to help them, you have to eliminate the beggars and also destroy the powerful figures behind them!"

Lin Dao had witnessed far too many such tragic scenes throughout the myriad realms.

Because he had seen so many organized beggars, he always had the same attitude towards them.

Wherever you see them, eliminate them decisively!

All this talk of trial, rehabilitation, and starting anew is utter nonsense.

Lin Dao never believed in these things either.

These are the children who are still alive; who knows how many have died.

Who will stand up for them and avenge them?

Therefore, Lin Dao never resorts to those methods; he always uses physical destruction.

"Wait here."

"Someone will come to the rescue."

When Lin Dao takes action, he never rushes in headfirst.

He conducts reconnaissance to identify the target beforehand and gathers enough information before launching an operation.

The information collected mainly focuses on who provides help and shelter to these beggars.

After all, any organized evil will inevitably have protection; otherwise, it cannot last.

Before storming in with Lin Daiyu, he had already spent money to hire someone to report the case to the Shuntian Prefecture government.

The report said they found the child that the beggar gang had kidnapped.

If you say that, no one will pay attention. Even the Beggars' Sect's backers will notify you in advance, and with some obstruction, no one will come at all.

Lin Daorang's messenger said that the murderer of General Weilie of Ningguo Prefecture was waiting for Chief Constable Qin at the Guandi Temple in the south of the city!
The commotion outside the temple grew louder and louder, with shouts from people and neighing from horses filling the air.

Lin Dao sheathed his longsword and hung the hammer back at his waist.

He adjusted the stab-proof armor under his cloak, put on his special helmet, and fixed the cloak. "When the fight breaks out, you should hide first."

He took the MG machine gun out of his travel bag, adjusted it, and wrapped the long ammunition belt around his body.

Busy Lin Dao instructed, "Wait until I finish my business before we leave."

Lin Daiyu nodded vigorously, as if pounding garlic.

Outside the Guandi Temple, a large number of yamen runners, constables, and troops from the Five Cities Garrison had completely surrounded the area.

The case of Jia Zhen's murder reached the Emperor's ears, who was furious.

This is right under the emperor's nose. If the case of the murdered nobles and officials is not solved, even the high-ranking officials will not be able to sleep at night.

Chief Constable Qin An, burdened with immense pressure, faces the deadline set by the Prefectural Governor tomorrow.

He'll be going to jail tomorrow.

Upon learning that the murderer had revealed his location, Chief Constable Qin An, who was desperate and had nowhere else to turn, disregarded whether it was true or not and summoned everyone he could, who then frantically surrounded the killer.

Looking at the several beggar corpses lying outside the dilapidated courtyard of the Guandi Temple, Qin An could not hide his excitement.

This time, they might have really caught a big fish!
Footsteps sounded, and everyone turned to look.

From the kicked-open door, a Gundam-like figure wearing a long cape slowly walked out.

In an instant, Qin An's heart rate soared to 180.

The killer's attire was almost identical to what was learned during questioning!
"it's him!"

Unable to hide his excitement, Qin An stepped forward and shouted, "Who are you?"

The five city garrison brought crossbows, and there were dozens or even hundreds of them in total.

However, Qiu Liang, who was in charge, did not order the arrows to be fired.

This isn't about worrying about accidentally injuring someone; it's about capturing them alive.

A porcupine-like corpse can't close the case.

Everyone would assume that they just found a scapegoat to close the case.

Such a thing might be acceptable in other cases, but doing it in such a high-profile case ordered by imperial decree is tantamount to courting death.

Wearing a menacing mask, Lin Dao asked in a muffled voice, "Who are you?"

"I am Qin An, the chief constable of Shuntian Prefecture."

"Friend," Qin An said, clasping his hands in a fist salute, "A true hero takes responsibility for his actions. May I ask, was it you who harmed General Wei Lie?"

"What a load of bull! General Wei Lie! He's just a piece of trash."

Lin Dao frankly admitted, "I killed him."

Qin An let out a heavy sigh of relief.

The terrible pressure that had been building up for days finally found an outlet.

He took a breath and clasped his hands in a fist salute again, saying, "In that case, please come with us, my friend."

Such criminals should naturally be captured alive.

Lin Dao glanced at him, but then reached out and took out a piece of paper.

The crowd gathered around were all curious. What use was the paper at this time, unless it was an imperial edict of pardon!

"Zhao Jiayu~"

"Fang Cheng~"

"Cypress~"

"Han De~"

"Li Dayou~"

Lin Dao read out each person's name.

After finishing reading, his gaze swept over everyone. "Are you there?"

The constables and soldiers all looked at the familiar faces; they were indeed there.

Some were constables and yamen runners from Chang'an County and Wannian County of Shuntian Prefecture, while others were commanders, deputy commanders, and clerks from the Five Cities Military Command.

Qin An asked, puzzled, "Friend, what do you mean by this?"

Lin Dao waved his hand impatiently, "Are you there or not!"

"Hahahaha~"

Amidst the laughter, a strong and burly fat man strode out. "I am Bai Song, the commander of the Southern City Military Command. What business do you have with me?"

With someone taking the lead, those who were called out stepped forward and revealed their identities.

In their view, this was actually a good opportunity to stand out and make a name for themselves.

Anyway, the Guandi Temple was surrounded, and not even a fly could get out.

No matter what these thieves say or do, they can't escape credit for it.

Most of the people on the list have arrived.

Some didn't come, but that's okay, Lin Dao can go and look for them one by one after dark.

Lin Dao nodded. "The beggars in this Guandi Temple are not only peddlers and traffickers, but also cruel and wicked people who beg for money."

“I’ve already killed all the beggars who were doing favors for them. Now, kill all of you who are backing them up and taking the lion’s share of the profits.”

Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell silent.

Very few people would doubt what Lin Dao said; these yamen runners and soldiers knew best what their superiors had done.

What truly surprised them was that this thief was actually acting as a chivalrous hero, upholding justice on behalf of Heaven.

Are there really such fools in this world?

"correct."

Lin Dao folded the list in his hand and put it away, as he would need it later.

“There are children locked up in the dark room of the temple. Remember to send them home afterward.”

"Tell them that people have to live."

"As for their grudges, I will settle them for them."

Bai Song, the commander of the South City Military Command, whose shameful deeds had been exposed in public, had his fat face turn a deep liver color.

He drew his sword and pointed it at Lin Dao. "Grab him!"

"This commander will make this traitor who slandered me suffer all eighteen kinds of torture!"

The yamen runners and soldiers knew that their superiors were not good people.

But that's what they do for a living.

Besides, they themselves have done plenty of bad things like extortion and blackmail on a regular basis.

With great success within reach, they roared and charged forward.

Lin Dao was too lazy to bother with such a rabble.

He took out an MG machine gun, leveled it, and pointed the muzzle at the crossbowmen not far away.

'Sizzle sizzle sizzle~~~'

(End of this chapter)