You've already caught the embroidered ball, and you still say it's not my husband?

Zhao Guang arrived.

I saw a dozen or so thugs lying haphazardly in the middle of the street, all with bruises and blood all over their faces, broken teeth and blood splattered all over the ground, all howling in pain...

So miserable!

Even Zhao Guang couldn't help but gasp.

Li Du was also among the accompanying constables, and he was completely dumbfounded.

My wife's noodle shop just opened today, how come she's caused such a commotion?

Looking at the group of thugs lying on the ground, many of them were familiar faces. The scarred man was a regular at jail; he'd been in jail three times this year and was only released last month…

It's obvious without even thinking that it was this group of thugs causing trouble in the store!

"And then... he was kicked out by Xiao Xuanzi!"

Li Du subconsciously thought...

Because Lu Xuan is powerful.

Not only is he skilled in medicine, he cured Zhao Guang's mentally challenged sister yesterday, and he can also draw talismans for protection. He must also have some knowledge of martial arts...

So it must have been Lu Xuan who beat up the group of troublemakers and threw them out!

However, the next moment, he saw a woman in white, still angry, walk out of the noodle shop.

The woman slightly raised her chin, her eyebrows were still raised sharply, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were sharp and piercing, with a cold light gleaming at the corners...

"Miss Shen?"

Li Du was instantly stunned.

Is the person in front of him still the same pitiful, "delicate" Miss Shen he saw at his brother-in-law's house yesterday?

Why does she seem to have a completely different aura?

And there's more! When the thugs on the ground saw Shen Jinglian come out, they were instantly terrified, like birds startled by a bow. Ignoring their injuries, they hurriedly begged Zhao Guang for help.

"Lord Zhao, save me! This violent woman is terrifying! She knocked out my teeth with one slap... I'll die if she hits me again!"

"This woman is scarier than a tiger, and her fists are harder than planks!"

"This noodle shop is bullying its customers and assaulting them without cause! Lord Zhao, you must do us justice!"

Li Du: "..."

So, Xiao Xuanzi wasn't in the noodle shop because Miss Shen beat those thugs so badly and then threw them out?

Is this something a "weak woman" could do?

Even his brother-in-law, a constable, couldn't do that!

hiss~

Cold sweat was already beading on Li Du's forehead...

Zhao Guang remained completely unmoved by the pleas and cries of the scarred man and others.

Doesn't he, as the head constable, know what kind of people these are?

However, we still need to find out what happened first.

He bowed slightly and clasped his hands in greeting to the woman in white standing in front of the noodle shop, "Miss Shen, may I ask what happened...?"

Shen Jinglian glanced at the group of thugs out of the corner of her eye and said expressionlessly, "These scumbags came to cause trouble. They came into the store, ordered a bowl of noodles, and started making a lot of noise without even eating, disrupting normal business operations."

"After that, they deliberately made things difficult for Sister Lu, making her pay them ten taels of silver every month. I couldn't stand it, so I kicked them out."

Shen Jinglian's tone was cold, and she concluded by saying, "How to handle this is up to you, Officer Zhao!"

No matter what, she was a regular Demon Suppression Guard, and her cultivation was even higher than Zhao Guang's. Lu Xuan was even a Demon Suppression Captain in the Demon Suppression Division. These blind thugs had offended Lu Xuan's sister...

Zhao Guang, what do you think we should do?

"Thank you for informing me, Miss Shen. I will certainly handle this matter impartially."

Zhao Guang responded politely and with a touch of respect.

This happened pretty much as he had expected.

When the noodle shop opened, this gang of thugs came to cause trouble and extort money, but they ran into a brick wall and got slapped hard across the face, leaving them toothless on the ground...

"Your Honor, I'm innocent!"

The scarred man and his companions hurriedly protested their innocence, saying, "We only ordered one bowl of noodles because we didn't have any money! Is there some written rule that being broke is a crime, and that we're not allowed to order just one bowl of noodles?"

"We didn't extort any money, I swear absolutely not! It was this woman who attacked us without even asking what happened, beating us up badly! Lord Zhao, you can't be biased..."

The scarred man actually swore an oath using a dead piece of driftwood, turning the tables on the man.

Shen Jinglian's eyes widened in anger, and the anger she had finally managed to suppress instantly surged—

"Shut up!!"

Zhao Guang hurriedly and sternly rebuked the scarred man and his gang. His rebuke carried the power of a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, silencing the thugs so much that they dared not even breathe.

"Miss Shen, please don't be impulsive. I'll handle this."

He then politely chuckled and busied himself trying to calm Shen Jinglian down, fearing that this young lady might kill everyone in a fit of anger.

"Lord Zhao, you've finally arrived." At this moment, Lu Qingqing also came out of the noodle shop. Her eyes were slightly red, obviously she had just been crying.

"Sister Lu, why are you out here?"

Shen Jinglian immediately changed her tone, taking Lu Qingqing's hand and gently comforting her, "Sister Lu, don't worry. I've already spoken to Lord Zhao about this, and he promised to handle it impartially. We need to think positively; it's not worth getting angry at these scoundrels. Getting angry is bad for your health... It's a pity Lu Xuan went out, otherwise, we two weak women wouldn't have needed to get involved in this..."

Zhao Guang and Li Du were both taken aback.

This Miss Shen's expression changed so quickly, it caught me completely off guard...

Of course, more importantly—this gang of thugs who caused the trouble must be severely punished!

Zhao Guang's expression was serious, and his eyes became sharper as he raised his hand.

"Take them back!"

Li Du and his men immediately stepped forward, arrested the scarred man and his gang, and prepared to take them back to the yamen.

The local people, who had often been disgusted by this gang of thugs, clapped and cheered upon seeing this.

"Lord Zhao is mighty!"

"They're the ones who caused trouble in the shop, making me only eat half a bowl of noodles. Good job, Lord Zhao, arresting them!"

"My shop has also been extorted by this group... Lord Zhao, please keep them locked up for a while longer, lest they come out and harm others again!"

……

The scarred man and his gang panicked and started making wild excuses.

"Your Honor, we're innocent! We're innocent..."

Zhao Guang didn't want to waste any more words with this gang of thugs.

Once they're back in jail, we'll give them the "Great Memory Restoration Technique" and see if they still cry foul!

Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, someone suddenly shouted, "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, the one who did the hitting isn't arrested, but the one who was hit is!"

"Officer Zhao, you're bending the law for personal gain!"

A middle-aged man wearing a brown blouse and sporting a small mustache emerged from the crowd.

It's Manager Pei of the Fugui Restaurant on this street!

He accused Zhao Guang of bending the law for personal gain, failing to arrest Shen Jinglian, who had assaulted someone, but instead arresting an "innocent guest."

Whether in ancient or modern times, is it always wrong for the one who strikes first? And is it always right and deserving of sympathy for the one who is beaten, no matter how despicable or vile they are?

That's ridiculous!

Zhao Guang and the constables paused and stopped.

When the scarred man and the others saw Manager Pei, they all looked overjoyed as if they had seen a savior.

Shopkeeper Pei approached Zhao Guang with a smile. "Officer Zhao, tell me, isn't this a case of bending the law for personal gain?"

"Oh, right," he quickly answered his own question, "this noodle shop is owned by Madam Li, and Constable Li works under Constable Zhao. No wonder, no wonder!"

Zhao Guang frowned slightly.

At the same time, they immediately noticed something amiss.

The fact that this gang of thugs with the scar dared to cause trouble and extort money from the noodle shop suggests that they are likely being backed and instructed by someone!

And who is most likely to be involved?

Let's go together!

The current manager, Pei, runs a restaurant. Although restaurants and noodle shops are very different, he still has some influence.

Even if there's no direct impact, some people will still resort to underhanded tactics and bullying practices...

"Manager Pei." Zhao Guang turned around, staring at the smiling middle-aged man with a small mustache. "Are these thugs acting on your orders?"

Manager Pei was taken aback. Why was Zhao Guang asking such a direct question?

"Of course not!"

He quickly denied it, then accused Zhao Guangdao, "Officer Zhao, don't try to make false accusations. I'm upright and honest, and I'm not afraid of you!"

These words drew disdain from many people around them.

Fu Gui Restaurant doesn't have a very good reputation.

Things are ridiculously expensive. A braised tilapia with a strong earthy taste is being sold for 199!

The service was also poor; some customers complained that the food was expensive and unpalatable, and some were even kicked out of the restaurant.

Manager Pei looks like a cunning and treacherous person, and many people know that he secretly suppresses his competitors.

There's no real evidence, and even if there were, most people wouldn't dare to sue...

Clang——

Zhao Guang suddenly drew his broadsword from his waist.

The broadsword gleamed sharply in the sunlight, startling Manager Pei and the others.

"Zhao Guang, what... what are you trying to do? Are you so angry because I hit a nerve that you're trying to kill someone in public to silence them? There are so many people watching, don't you dare do anything rash!"

Zhao Guang didn't argue with Manager Pei. He originally wanted to go back and interrogate the group of thugs properly, but since that's the case... let's interrogate them on the spot!

He stood in front of the scarred man, the tip of his broadsword aimed at the scarred man's... crotch!

"Who sent you to cause trouble?"

The scarred man collapsed to the ground in terror, shaking his head frantically. "No, no one ordered us to come. My brothers and I came on our own. We were short on cash and wanted to find some money to spend..."

"You have one last chance." Zhao Guang said expressionlessly, his broadsword only an inch from the scarred man's crotch!

By simply moving down a little bit, the scarred man can be granted the qualification to practice the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual!

The scarred man was so scared that he wet himself, leaving a wet patch under his buttocks.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!!"

He broke down and confessed everything.

A trembling hand pointed to the middle-aged man with a small mustache. "It's... Manager Pei! He's the one who ordered us to cause trouble. It was all him. We were just following orders."

Zhao Guang retrieved his broadsword.

"Take it down!"

Two constables immediately stepped forward and firmly pinned Manager Pei down...