In the holding cells of the Guard Headquarters, Yan Lintong stood before the iron bars, looking down on the members of the Lifeless Lotus Sect on the floor. They were beaten half to death, their faces black and blue.
He then glanced at the patrol squad’s cute girl with a proud expression and the burly captain standing before her.
After a moment of silence, he clasped his hands behind his back, turned away from the pair, and spoke in a grave and earnest tone. "Su Hao, Su Yu, how could the two of you abuse your authority to beat people without cause?"
"We must always remember Lord Lu’s instructions. We cannot let personal feelings interfere with our cases. We are law enforcement, not thugs. We must follow the rules, the procedures, and the evidence."
"If word of this beating gets out, what will people think of our Guard Headquarters? What will they think of Lord Lu?"
His words were righteous and stern, every word reasonable and to the point, but Yan Lintong had his own calculations.
’Everyone knows that before joining the Yun Port City patrol squad, this brother and sister were famous members of the Yellow Heaven Corps, right?’
And as it happened, the Yellow Heaven Corps and the Lifeless Lotus Sect were like fire and water in the south, having clashed ceaselessly for centuries.
One day you’d be trashing my territory, the next I’d be burning down your Incense Hall. The feud had been passed down for generations, and it was long past the point of telling who was right and who was wrong.
The men groaning on the floor were followers of the Lifeless Lotus Sect.
Therefore, Yan Lintong strongly suspected that the brother-sister duo and the other patrol members from the Yellow Heaven Corps were acting out of revenge.
This wasn’t an investigation; it was an opportunity to vent their anger.
Hearing Yan Lintong’s questioning, Su Hao showed no fear. He knew he had done nothing wrong. "Reporting to General Manager Yan, I would never use my position to settle a private grudge."
"These bastards just confessed. They were actually planning to protest outside the Lu Family residence tonight, intending to move against Lord Lu."
Upon hearing the words "move against Lord Lu," Yan Lintong’s stern expression instantly turned sinister.
He spun around and stared coldly at Su Hao. "Su Hao, did they say that themselves? You’d better not be dragging Lord Lu’s name into this. The consequences will be severe."
Before Su Hao could answer, the groaning Lifeless Lotus Sect followers on the floor foolishly started spouting threats.
"You lackeys of the demon Lu Yun! How dare you disrespect us, the faithful of the Holy Sect! Elder Fakong will not let you get away with this!"
In their minds, anyone who used foreign guns and cannons or established a Consulate was a demon helping a tyrant.
The peace of Yun Port City, the people living and working contentedly, the benevolence of Lord Lu—in their eyes, it was all the devil’s trickery.
To them, there were only two kinds of people in this world: believers in the Lifeless Mother, and heretical demons who did not believe.
Yan Lintong looked at their expressions, as if they were martyrs ready to die for their cause, and suddenly smiled. ’It seems that fellow Su Hao wasn’t wrong after all.’
"Elder Fakong?"
After slowly repeating the name, he stared at Su Hao and said in a level voice, "Su Hao, do you know who he is?"
Su Hao shook his head. "I don’t. But when they mention an Elder, they’re usually a master at the level of a Grandmaster of Huajin."
"These guys entered the city a few days ago. There are about three hundred of them, and they’re all gathered at the estate of a prominent family named Tong in the northern part of the city."
"We’ve had our eyes on them for days. They don’t leave their courtyard during the day, and we haven’t seen any movement at night either."
"But today, these few snuck out, wandered the streets for half the day, and even went to Lord Lu’s stone statue and mumbled in front of it for a long time."
"The Tong Family in North City?"
Yan Lintong repeated the name, then fell silent for a moment. Of course he knew about the Tong Family.
The largest estate in North City belonged to them. The family used to be in the casino and brothel business, with several hundred thugs under their command. They were raking in money and swaggered around North City as they pleased.
Later, after his master launched a major campaign to reform Yun Port City, all the casinos and brothels were wiped out in one fell swoop. The Tong Family, however, was sharp enough to see which way the wind was blowing. They immediately washed their hands of their shady businesses and dropped them all.
They were probably the smartest of the underworld factions. Faced with the unstoppable tide of his master’s reforms in Yun Port City, they simply turtled up in their home, content to live lavishly on their past fortune.
Other underworld families similar to the Tong Family had met different fates. They had actually tried to ignore or even resist the Lu Family. As a result, they were dealt with one by one, and all their wealth was confiscated.
Yan Lintong snorted. "Hmph, these people dare to disrespect Lord Lu. They’re no longer ordinary citizens. We must strike hard."
When it came to his beloved master, Yan Lintong had no intention of adhering to principles like peaceful coexistence or friendly law enforcement.
Procedure and evidence were bullshit when his master was involved. Anyone who dared to threaten his master would have to answer to Yan Lintong with their life.
"These men are unrepentant and intend to harm Lord Lu. This is a grave threat to the stability of Yun Port City."
"Since that’s the case, send them all to the Qingliang Mountain Mining Camp outside the city."
"Yes, General Manager Yan!" Su Hao replied without hesitation.
Although these men were severely brainwashed, their crimes didn’t warrant death. The only option was to send them there to mine and contribute to the construction of Yun Port City. In a way, it would be a virtuous contribution.
The Qingliang Mountain Mining Camp was quite the place—a desolate, wild mountain range surrounded by cliffs on all sides. Not even a bird could fly out.
Once there, it was mining, hauling rocks, and building roads from dawn till dusk. They’d be too exhausted to even dream, let alone have the energy to think about some "Lifeless Mother" or shout about their "Land of Non-Birth."

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