Chapter 236: Dejected and Defeated, Surrender and Disbandment
An indescribable sense of dread crushed his soul.
Bi Junheng stared blankly, his desire to survive overriding any restraint or hesitation. He spread his arms, and a dozen beautiful skins flew out from the surrounding mist, transforming into human forms as Yin energy filled them, shrieking as they launched a fierce attack on Lin Tianlu.
At the same time, faint shadows flickered among these women, making it difficult to discern where Bi Junheng’s true soul was hiding.
But Lin Tianlu simply pointed again with his other hand.
The next moment, these furious women froze in place, their movements ceasing mid-attack.
One woman with short hair had a look of terror in her eyes, her body trembling as if struggling desperately.
“A very interesting technique, but it’s disgusting that you use it for such evil purposes.”
Lin Tianlu flicked his finger expressionlessly. “These women are not toys for you to play with.”
“Arghhhhh!”
Bi Junheng screamed again as he was sent flying, crashing pathetically into the shattered wall of the hall.
Yang Chanzhen simultaneously cast a spell, creating layers of barriers around the building, cutting off any possibility of escape.
Seeing his escape route blocked, Bi Junheng roared hoarsely,
“You… The Zhaoxiao Courtyard will never forgive you!”
Poof!
With a flash of spiritual light, he was completely annihilated before he could utter another word. The chilling mist that had filled the hall also dissipated.
“…”
Yang Chanzhen blinked her beautiful eyes and lowered her hands.
His aura had vanished, so there was no need for further concern.
“No matter how many times I see it, Mr. Lin’s cultivation is still so astonishing.” She couldn’t help but sigh. “To annihilate a Crimson Demon Realm demon or ghost with a wave of your hand is truly unimaginable.”
“My methods are somewhat effective against demons and ghosts. Since he appeared before me without any disguise, it was naturally easy to deal with him.”
Lin Tianlu turned to look at the female skins scattered on the ground, his brow furrowing.
Yang Chanzhen flicked her fingers, sending streams of Yin energy into the skins.
With a flicker of ghostly light, the deflated skins quickly regained their shape. The dozen or so women sat up in a daze, touching their bodies in disbelief.
“That Bi Junheng…”
“He… is dead?”
“The devil… is gone…”
…
Watching the women murmur in a daze, Yang Chanzhen thought for a moment and stepped forward, calling softly, “That wicked Bi Junheng has been eliminated by Mr. Lin. You ladies no longer need to be afraid. No one will harm you again.”
“…”
The women gradually fell silent, their heads bowed in a trance.
There was no joy or sadness on their faces, only emptiness, as if their thoughts had completely vanished.
But one woman, clutching a still-unhealed wound on her abdomen, staggered to her feet.
She gritted her teeth and bowed shakily to Lin Tianlu and Yang Chanzhen. “Thank you, benefactors, for saving us and eliminating our enemy. We are eternally grateful for your kindness.”
Lin Tianlu returned the bow solemnly. “There’s no need for thanks. It was only right to help you. You are now… Hmm?”
Seeing the woman stumble and about to fall, he instinctively reached out to support her, but she quickly recoiled, her face changing drastically. “Don’t touch me!”
Lin Tianlu froze.
The woman’s expression also changed as she stammered hesitantly, “I-I just…”
“It’s alright. I didn’t consider your feelings.” Lin Tianlu quickly understood and regained his calm demeanor. “I only hope that you can gradually adjust your mindset and emerge from the shadows of the past.”
“…Can we… really escape from it?”
The woman smiled self-deprecatingly. “Mr. Lin, you saved our lives, and we are grateful. But you don’t know what Bi Junheng did to us, so how can you understand our feelings? Besides, what future do we have? We’re just living corpses… no, not even corpses, just empty shells of flesh.”
As if recalling the horrific experiences, tears welled up in her eyes, and she bit her lip to suppress her sobs.
From her words and actions, it was clear that she was a strong and resilient woman.
But even so, she still showed fear and trauma… It was evident how horrific their experiences had been.
Lin Tianlu pondered, about to speak, when Yang Chanzhen suddenly murmured, “Since you ladies have nowhere to go, I can temporarily provide you with a place to stay. What do you think?”
The women looked at her blankly.
“A place to stay…”
“A nearby mountain village where no one will discover your existence or know your identities. You can simply live as ordinary people, farming and weaving, supporting yourselves.”
Yang Chanzhen spoke calmly. “When you are ready to emerge from the shadows, you can go to other nearby villages, or even return to your hometowns and reunite with your families.”
“…”
After a long silence, the women stood up. “We will follow your arrangements.”
“Good.”
Yang Chanzhen nodded slightly, her eyes flickering. “There’s no time to lose. I will now temporarily restore you to your original forms and take you away from here. Do you have any objections?”
“There’s no need to ask for our opinions. We can only move freely now because of your technique. Our lives are in your hands.” The beautiful woman at the front took a deep breath and forced a weary smile. “We are truly grateful for your kindness. Please don’t be so polite.”
“I understand.”
Yang Chanzhen waved her sleeve.
The next moment, the women were enveloped in Yin energy, transforming into skins and disappearing into her sleeve.
Only then did Lin Tianlu say thoughtfully, “Miss Yang, this is truly troubling you.”
“I pity their tragic fate and naturally want to help if I can. It’s no trouble at all. Besides, it’s just finding a quiet place for them to recuperate. There are many uninhabited mountains and forests around Changling, enough for them to live peacefully.”
“No.” Lin Tianlu sighed slightly. “I’m just deeply moved that Miss Yang, as a demon or ghost, would condescend to help these mortal women. You truly have a kind heart, and I admire you greatly.”
Among the demons, ghosts, and ghost practitioners he had encountered so far, very few possessed such generosity and magnanimity.
Although Miss Yang always wore a veil and spoke coldly, as if she were indifferent, she was actually warm-hearted, which was truly surprising.
“I just… don’t like seeing these poor people suffer.”
Yang Chanzhen lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, “Besides, since Mr. Lin is so charitable, I naturally can’t be too indifferent.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared with the female skins, leaving a gentle voice lingering in the air.
“I’ll go and take care of these ladies’ matters first and see you again in a few days. If you need any help, just activate this ring.”
“Eh?”
Lin Tianlu was slightly taken aback, quickly raising his hand to catch the jade ring that floated towards him.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a delicate ring worn by women, engraved with intricate and mysterious runes, clearly not an ordinary object.
“This Miss Yang is truly… elusive.”
Lin Tianlu shook his head and chuckled, putting the ring away.
Then, he walked out of the Pei residence’s main hall, leaving Yang Chanzhen’s barrier.
Glancing to the side, he saw several guards standing not far away, weapons in hand.
“…”
The guards, upon seeing him, stared wide-eyed in shock, clearly not understanding why a strange scholar had appeared in the residence.
The next moment, the guards shouted, “Someone! There’s an assassin!”
As soon as their voices rang out, several elders appeared.
Upon seeing Lin Tianlu’s face, their expressions changed drastically, their faces filled with shock. “I-It’s you!”
“It’s been a while. You elders seem to be in good spirits.”
Lin Tianlu greeted them with a smile. “You’re still as robust as ever. Your steps are as swift as the wind, truly a testament to your vigor.”
“Y-You, why are you in our Pei residence—”
One elder exclaimed in astonishment, but his pupils quickly constricted as he looked towards the main hall in terror.
As the barrier that had concealed the aura and fluctuations began to dissipate, they quickly saw…
The lifeless bodies of Pei Yan and Li Jinghe.
“Your Highness!!”
The elders immediately rushed over and checked their bodies.
After sensing that their souls had completely dissipated, they staggered back in a daze, almost losing their balance.
“H-How could this be—”
“Your Prince Pei has been committing evil deeds since childhood, and after growing up, he has become even more reckless, engaging in shady activities in secret. Even if he were judged solely on his crimes, it would be enough to have him beheaded in public.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled softly and casually tossed the documents from his sleeve.
One elder instinctively caught them, his face pale. “What is this?”
“Naturally, it’s evidence of all the crimes committed by Prince Pei over the years. Whether it’s true or false, you can investigate later.” Lin Tianlu narrowed his eyes slightly, a gentle smile on his face. “Of course, if you’re thinking of destroying the evidence, I can only tell you… we’ve already made backups. Even if you destroy all of this, we still have several copies.”
“Y-You, aren’t you afraid that the Pei royal family will hold you accountable—”
“Do you… want to hold me accountable?”
Lin Tianlu smiled and took a step forward. “Li Jinghe and that Bi Junheng have already gone to the underworld ahead of you. If you want to join them, I wouldn’t mind.”
The elders recoiled in terror, as if afraid of being affected.
Clatter
At the same time, a large number of armed guards poured out from both sides of the courtyard, drawing their swords.
But the expressions on their faces were also uncertain, unsure of what to do in this situation.
After all, their master was dead, so what would become of them, the servants?
“I don’t know what tricks you were planning in Changling County or what conspiracies you were brewing in secret. But now that your leader is dead, why not take this opportunity to leave this place?”
Lin Tianlu’s smile disappeared, and he said in a deep voice, “Serving such a beast in human form, you should ask yourselves, can your consciences bear it? Can you accept rewards for aiding a tyrant with peace of mind?”
“Or do you need me to read out the tragic cases in these documents, one by one, and let you meet those whose families were torn apart and clans massacred by Pei Yan?”
“If you still have any conscience left, you should abandon such a wicked master and find another path, instead of working for such a heartless person, even sacrificing your own lives, leaving your wives, children, and elderly parents to grieve.”
“…”
The courtyard fell silent.
The hesitant guards were speechless, falling into conflicted silence.
They looked at Pei Yan’s lifeless body lying on the ground, then at the swords in their hands.
After a moment…
Clang!
A middle-aged guard tossed his sword aside, sighing as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. “I quit.”
The elder at the front pointed at him, his face filled with shock and anger. “Y-You, how dare you—”
“Even if His Highness were still alive, we would still be thrown into the black prison upon returning to the Pei residence and subjected to unimaginable torture.”
The middle-aged guard looked at them calmly. “It’s better to take this opportunity to leave the Pei residence, change our names, find a place to start anew, marry, have children, and live a peaceful life. After all, His Highness is dead now. If we return to the Pei residence safe and sound, you elders should know what awaits us.”
Clang, clang, clang
As soon as he finished speaking, several more guards threw down their swords.
“I quit too.”
“His Highness… deserved to die!”
“He died a good death! Such a vile person should have died long ago!”
“I once saw Pei Yan engaging in indecent acts with three married women in the courtyard. Truly shameless!”
…
Similar words poured out, and more and more guards discarded their weapons.
In just a few moments, almost all the guards had laid down their arms, stepping back to clear a path.
The middle-aged guard stepped forward and cupped his hands. “This… unknown sir, please leave this place. We won’t trouble you any further. As for Pei Yan’s death, these elders will handle it.”
Lin Tianlu turned his gaze, and saw that the elders had fallen silent, no longer saying a word.
Clearly, these elders were not fools and knew what was best.
With this in mind, he smiled gently, cupping his hands in return. “Everyone, take care. Remember to find a better master in the future and don’t waste your efforts on such a treacherous villain.”
“Rest assured, sir!”
Seeing the guards nod in agreement, Lin Tianlu smiled with satisfaction, no longer lingering, and turned to leave.
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