Chapter 61: Such Proactive Performance is Rarely Seen

"Who dares bully my brother!" The bandit chief roared with a soaring, heroic arrogance, gesturing for his lackey to summon the culprit; if he, the leader, failed to reclaim their honor after a subordinate was mistreated, how could he ever maintain his prestige in the future?

Seeing his chief backing him, the bandit lackey instantly straightened his spine, kicked open the adjacent door, and blustered, "My boss says the matter of you bullying me can't just be let go. He wants a word with you, and whoever doesn't show up is a coward!"

The constables stared in astonishment; in over a decade of service, they had never seen anyone initiate a provocation against them so boldly.

Head Constable Wei shook his head with a smirk; as the most seasoned veteran among them, there was no scene he hadn't witnessed, and this was nothing more than a band of blind fools picking a fight—an easy case delivered right to their doorstep, the sort a lifetime in the constabulary was bound to encounter a few times.

"Who's afraid of whom? Let's go!"

The bandits were rubbing their hands in anticipation, eager to teach the other side a lesson; as newcomers who had not yet entered the Demonic Sect, they couldn't rely solely on petty theft to make a name for themselves, so it was high time for a spectacular grand entrance!

Then, the bandits watched as a crowd of constables, clutching official sabers and bearing identity tokens at their waists, swarmed into the room.

The constables were equally stunned to see the table piled high with gold, silver, jewelry, rare medicinal herbs, and spirit stones and crystals.

Why did these items look so familiar? Didn't someone just report a theft of exactly these belongings moments ago?

The constables: "..."

Head Constable Wei: "..."

The bandits: "..."

"If I said we found these by the roadside, would you believe me?"

Even Head Constable Wei had never witnessed such a spectacle; it was his very first time seeing criminals deliver themselves straight into the net.

The bandit lackey, still oblivious to what was happening, was still clamoring for his chief to strike.

"Chief, give them a taste of our mettle!"

Between his shouts, he continued to hurl fierce threats: "Do you see my eldest brother's thinning hair? Every time he kills a man, he plucks a single hair! In the martial world, he is known as the Sorrow of Ghosts!"

"See the one wearing the eyepatch? That is my second brother; this blind eye was lost in a fierce battle against a master at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and that master fared no better, having both of his eyes blinded by my second brother! In the martial world, he is known as the Desperate Vanguard!"

"See my third brother's leg? He was surrounded by over a hundred imperial guards while stealing from the palace, and he escaped at the cost of breaking that leg! In the martial world, he is known as the Flyer Upon Grass!"

The first, second, and third bandit chiefs kicked out simultaneously, knocking the lackey flat on his back; the boy simply talked too much.

"I heard you say earlier that whoever didn't show up was a coward?" Head Constable Wei smiled ferociously; it was this very gang that had caused him to work consecutive night shifts.

"I am the coward, I am the coward," the bandit chief stammered, trembling with terror.

The bandits no longer dared to lift a finger; seeing the door blocked by the constables, they smashed through the wall and took off at a frantic run, a chaotic swarm pouring into the main hall.

Their band excelled in speed, while their frontal combat capability was utterly mediocre, not to mention that none of them had even reached the Foundation Establishment stage, their chief being merely at the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

"You guys run through the front door, the rest follow me through the back!" the bandit chief commanded, directing everyone to scatter and flee.

Lu Yang noticed the commotion over here and quickly grasped the situation, finding it somewhat amusing.

"The thieves and the constables were separated by only a single wall, and the thieves actually provoked the constables?"

"Wait, if they escape through the backyard, what if the ghost servant is discovered by the constables?"

Lu Yang soon realized the crux of the problem: if the ghost servant was destroyed, who would roast the skewers? How could this barbecue shop continue to operate, and how could they keep monitoring Qin Yuanhao?

Seeing Lu Yang standing dazed and blocking the back door as if paralyzed by fear, the bandit chief reached out, intending to fling him aside.

Lu Yang was holding a bowl of dough drop soup, and seeing the bandit chief charging fiercely, his hands shook, sending the soup splashing outward.

Unprepared for such a turn of events, the bandit chief conjured a layer of spiritual energy to shield himself from the soup.

Delayed by that briefest of moments, Head Constable Wei produced an iron chain that slithered like a serpent, binding the bandit chief fast.

"Go, capture the rest of them. Today's meal was well worth it." The gloom vanished from Head Constable Wei's face, leaving him feeling thoroughly refreshed, as if the whole world had opened up.

The bandit gang that had plagued him for days was finally brought to justice—what a blessed place this was.

Slapping Lu Yang on the shoulder, Head Constable Wei laughed heartily, "If you hadn't blocked him like that, this fellow really might have slipped away!"

"For acting bravely in a just cause, just wait; tomorrow I shall present you with a commendation banner!"

Lu Yang hurriedly waved his hands in refusal, but he could not dissuade the overjoyed Head Constable Wei, who insisted on delivering one.

Just now, the clash between the constables and bandits had been too destructive, shattering the wall and leaving the entire main hall in disarray, filled with smoke and dust.

The diners had no choice but to disperse early, though getting to witness the constables apprehending criminals firsthand meant they hadn't lost out.

"This Come Again Barbecue Shop is truly a remarkable place; the constables can catch criminals just by sitting down."

"It was well worth coming; you couldn't buy a show this good with money."

"This place must be a nexus of gathered luck. To have business explode so furiously in such a short time, even if the food is delicious, this level of popularity is simply too exaggerated; there must be a certain degree of fortune at play."

"We all saw it today; the constables catching criminals proves exactly that."

"It seems I must come frequently in the future; if I visit more often, I might rub off some of that luck."

"Reasonable, quite reasonable. Let's come together next time."

Listening to the discussions of the people fading into the distance, Lu Yang felt a sense of pessimism regarding the future of the barbecue shop—it was destined to grow bigger and stronger.

"When I deliver the banner tomorrow, I'll bring the money to repair the wall!" Head Constable Wei waved at Lu Yang, leaving behind those words as he escorted the wretched bandits away.

Standing at the doorway, Lu Yang heaved a sigh, only to suddenly notice Qin Yuanhao leaving his residence once again.

"Brother Lu, Qin Yuanhao has left the manor again," Man Gu's voice transmitted from the second floor; he worked with utmost diligence, completely indifferent to the chaos downstairs, keeping his eyes locked on Qin Yuanhao's movements.

"I see him. You and Jingzhou fix the broken wall together, I will go tail Qin Yuanhao."

"Understood."

Lu Yang executed the Earth-Shrinking technique, keeping pace with Qin Yuanhao once more.

Behind him, Meng Jingzhou lamented with emotion, "Lu Yang's talent for spells is truly formidable; I watched him teach it for half the day, yet I couldn't learn a single bit of it."

"Moreover, I always feel that the mnemonics he taught me are related to space spells. Is it just an illusion?"

Meng Jingzhou did not delve too deeply into the matter; Lu Yang's magical aptitude could only be described as absurd, and expecting to learn spells just by following him was pure daydreaming.

Even he, with his singular spiritual root, could not manage it, so it was even more impossible for anyone else.

...

Lu Yang followed Qin Yuanhao for a long distance without hearing Meng Jingzhou's words; he discovered that this time, Qin Yuanhao walked with a grand, spirited stride, even humming a cheerful tune as if he were about to accomplish something momentous.

Qin Yuanhao arrived before a grand manor, but instead of knocking, he cast a spell against the door.

Before long, a tall, thin man stepped out, asking upon their meeting, "Is it time?"

"It is today."

"I have prepared for a full half-month for this day."

"Who hasn't? This time we must strike hard and make a killing; having no action these past days has left me stifled to death! Once this deed is done, you must help me publicize it well. Let's see who dares look down on me again!" At this point, Qin Yuanhao revealed a cruel smile.

"Certainly, certainly." The tall, thin man was a notoriously loud mouth of the Yanjiang Branch.

The words the two spoke were incomprehensible to outsiders, and their laughter carried a certain chilling edge.

Lu Yang grew alert, uncertain of what these two intended to do.

The duo walked into a bustling district, where one particular building stood out most prominently, adorned in a dazzling array of vibrant colors.

Qin Yuanhao and the tall, thin man stepped inside, receiving a warm and hospitable welcome.

Lu Yang raised his gaze to look at the plaque above: The Brothel.