Lin Li turned at the sound of the voice and saw a long-bearded man dressed in a constable's uniform, with a long blade at his waist, leading four officers behind him. His face was filled with grief as he looked at the corpse on the ground.
"Who are you?" Lin Li asked, though he had already guessed: Could this man be Zhao De Zhu's older brother?
Hmph!
Harboring such a younger brother who ran rampant and acted without restraint, Lin Li assumed that this constable was likely no better.
Cultivators stood above the mortal world.
Ordinary worldly affairs were insignificant to a cultivator. Even gold and silver were considered mere external objects, not worth mentioning. Only rogue cultivators or those who saw no hope in their cultivation would involve themselves in worldly matters.
Even so, a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refinement could be treated as an immortal by kings and nobles, receiving offerings and great respect.
So, to Lin Li, this constable—who allowed his brother to bully the people—was nothing more than a small fry who could be easily killed with one sword strike.
If he were to kill him, and the authorities questioned it later, Lin Li could simply reveal his identity token as a disciple of Xuantian Sect and explain the situation. There would be no consequences.
However...
"Ordinary rat demons definitely don't have the power to transform people into half-demons!" Lin Li began to ponder.
This task, which seemed simple on the surface, was not so straightforward upon closer thought.
First, even if rats consumed some rare spiritual herbs and became demons, it was highly unlikely that they could reach the fifth, sixth, or seventh stage in such a short time. For a human to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refinement within half a year was already incredible, let alone a demon beast, whose natural progression was much slower, often taking hundreds or thousands of years. This defied common sense.
Second, even if the Rat King somehow obtained some treasure and ascended to the fifth or sixth stage, that would be the rat's good fortune. Its sudden surge in power could be explained by the treasure. But what about the other four demon rats? Had they also consumed rare treasures? Something strange was definitely going on.
Third, turning humans into half-demons using demon energy wasn't a new concept, but for a Rat King that had reached the fifth or sixth stage within half a year to master such a complex method was absurd. Not even the Golden Leopard King, who was at the peak of Qi Refinement, had this ability. It was even more implausible for a Rat King at such a low level to develop it on its own.
The more Lin Li thought, the more confident he became: There was definitely more to this situation than met the eye.
There had to be a hidden conspiracy and an unknown mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes. Otherwise, a mere rat that had eaten some treasure couldn't possibly have orchestrated such a situation!
However, to Zhao De Zhu's older brother, Lin Li's contemplative silence appeared as hesitation and fear.
"Hmph!" The constable sneered, "What? Are you so scared you can't even speak?"
Lin Li shot him a cold glance, disinclined to respond to such a clown. He continued pondering the deeper mystery behind the incident.
"Since you're so scared..."
The constable raised his hand and shouted, "Arrest them all! Throw them in the dungeon! After I report to the magistrate and seek justice for my dead brother, we'll have them executed by slow slicing!"
"Bah! Shameless!"
The girl, who had earlier witnessed Lin Li slay the "monster" with a single sword strike, now viewed him as her protector. Hearing Zhao Dama suggest that she become Lin Li's concubine, and recalling that he had seen almost all of her body, she already considered herself his. Confident that Lin Li would not be defeated by this group of constables, she fearlessly spat on the ground and retorted, "Your brother was a beast, a monster who tried to assault me! My husband stood up for justice and killed him with one sword! And now, you have the nerve to talk about justice for your brother? How ridiculous!"
"You insolent girl!" The constable's face twisted in rage. "How dare you insult my deceased brother by calling him a monster? Men! Arrest them and beat them thoroughly!"
Hmm...
The mastermind behind this situation was either an evil cultivator or a powerful demon.
However, a true demon wouldn't waste time causing minor chaos in such a small region. If it had been a real threat, there would have been far more devastation over these six months.
This meant the mastermind was likely an evil cultivator with a hidden agenda.
With this thought, Lin Li shouted, "I'd like to see who dares!"
"Hahaha!" The constable, infuriated, laughed coldly. "Why wouldn't we dare?"
"I am the constable of this county! My word is law! You killed my brother, and yet you still act so arrogantly?"
With that, he drew the long blade at his waist and shouted, "It seems you need to be taught a lesson!"
At the same time, the four constables behind him drew their swords, forming a circle around Lin Li.
"Ah! Be careful, sir!" Zhao Dama cried out in panic.
The young girl, however, had full confidence in Lin Li. "Mother! Don't be afraid! My husband is very powerful! Even demons aren't his match! These five clumsy constables don't stand a chance!"
"???"
Lin Li was utterly confused. "Husband?"
He turned to the girl in surprise, "Since when did I become your husband?"
"You... My mother already said... Hmph! You're so annoying!" the girl huffed, her face turning red as she buried her head in the blanket.
"Pfft!" Lin Li exclaimed, "That was your mother's idea, not mine!"
"How dare you flirt at a time like this, when you're about to die?" the constable roared, slashing his blade at Lin Li.
However, what seemed like a fast strike to ordinary people felt incredibly slow to Lin Li, like watching an old man play chess.
By this point, with his cultivation at the late stage of Qi Refinement, Lin Li could easily overpower ordinary mortals without even trying.
He casually sidestepped the attack and, with a light movement, reached into his robe to pull out his identification token.
"Stop!" Lin Li commanded loudly. "I am a disciple of Xuantian Sect, sent here by my master to assist Danyang County in exterminating the rat demons! How dare you disrespect me?"