Chapter 263 – Let the People Suffer—I'll Bear the Blame

Upon hearing Mu Lin say they could appeal and would be given a fair and impartial trial, their first thought was, “What a load of nonsense!”

Clearly, no one believed the Demon Suppression Division would be fair and impartial. In their previous lives, it was a society governed by the rule of law, with channels for public oversight, which barely kept the judiciary impartial. But this world was not like that.

In this world, for commoners to sue officials was like a son suing his father. Once a lawsuit was filed, regardless of the outcome, there would be severe punishment.

At the same time, the people of Ping’an Ancient Street did not believe the Demon Suppression Division would show them any leniency—they weren’t that powerful, and their backgrounds were far from clean.

…

After understanding everything, the ruthless and merciless Yin Eight Gates experienced firsthand what it meant for society to be dark and corrupt.

“Cunning villains, ruthless in their actions? No, compared to you feudal bureaucrats, we of the Yin Eight Gates don’t even deserve to be called evil!”

For the first time, the Yin Eight Gates, who were mostly seen as dark and labeled as part of the Demonic Sect or heretical factions, found themselves overwhelmed by the feeling that the world was entirely corrupt and unjust.

Just as their emotions were running high, Mu Lin, protected at the center by eight hundred black-armored imperial guards, calmly spoke: “Of course, the idea that our high-ranking officials in the Demon Suppression Division will intervene is just my claim. You don’t have to believe it.”

“Lord Seventh Bai, Third Master Hu, and Zombie King Wu—you can take a gamble.”

“Bet your lives on whether the deputy commander of our Demon Suppression Division will actually step in.”

…

His words deepened the silence in the area.

In the air, Ji Hongyu was momentarily taken aback upon hearing this, but then she shook her head in exasperation. “You little rascal, you’re really full of tricks.”

Mu Lin had acted too arrogantly, barging into Ping’an Ancient Street without consulting her and even claiming she would intervene. This act of a weaker party directing a stronger one had slightly displeased Ji Hongyu.

Because of this, she had considered playing a prank—not intervening immediately when Lord Seventh Bai and the others attacked, but giving Mu Lin a scare and teaching him that only the strong command the weak, not the other way around.

But now, with Mu Lin’s statement, she realized the boy below had never actually intended for her to step in. He was merely using her reputation to intimidate others, like a fox borrowing the tiger’s might.

And as it seemed now, Mu Lin was about to succeed.

He would naturally succeed.

Mu Lin hadn’t been idly strolling around with the monk and the Daoist earlier. He had also been observing the structure of Ping’an Ancient Street.

After his observations, Mu Lin discovered that the so-called Yin Eight Gates of Ping’an Ancient Street were not sects at all, but rather gangs occupying strategic locations and engaging in dark dealings.

Brothels, gambling dens, corpse trading, soul spirit transactions, and assassinations—it was a gathering place for all sorts of filth, much like the dark web of his previous life.

To be honest, after seeing the operations of the Yin Eight Gates in Ping’an Ancient Street, even Mu Lin himself couldn’t claim they were innocent.

This was also why he showed no mercy in cleaning up the Yin Eight Gates of Ping’an Ancient Street.

At the same time, after observing the composition of the Yin Eight Gates, Mu Lin confirmed one thing: their leaders were not good people.

—And as long as they weren’t fearless individuals driven by noble values, most were extremely afraid of death. The higher their status and the wealthier they were, the more they feared it.

After all, those in high positions have too many pleasures to enjoy.

In his previous life, those emperors who exhausted everything for immortality had already set an example for Mu Lin.

Thus, Mu Lin was certain that as long as he borrowed authority from the tiger, they would grow suspicious and dare not act.

“Those in power can sacrifice a hundred million people for their own interests, but once they discover the enemy can threaten them, they will surrender the very next day.”

“It was so in the previous life, and it is the same in this world.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin directly smiled at Lord Seventh Bai and the others.

“To be honest, I haven’t actively contacted Deputy Commander Ji. I’ve only observed her temperament and believe there’s a fifty percent chance that she would take action, using you as an example to establish her authority.”

At this point, Mu Lin shrugged and said, “So, are you going to make a move?”

This stirred restlessness among the opposing side, but in the end, no one dared to act.

Not even a fifty percent chance—even if it were just one in ten, you wouldn’t dare to gamble!

After all, if the gamble failed, their lives would be forfeit.

And without exception, these high-ranking individuals believed their lives were a hundred, even ten thousand times more precious than those of ordinary people. Thus, they would never place themselves in a precarious position.

Their silence made Mu Lin smile.

“It seems I’ve won the bet.”

With these words, Mu Lin slightly tilted his head and issued the order to the black-armored imperial guards to continue the attack.

“Kill!”

“Boom!”

At the command, the thundering hooves surged forward once more.

This time, Mu Lin’s Beiwei Army ignored the presence of Lord Seventh Bai and the others.

But just as Mu Lin had predicted, they dared not act.

Such tactics also shattered the morale of the others on Ping’an Ancient Street.

Gangs are not armies, nor are they sects.

Most of them lack conviction and have extremely poor cohesion.

Originally, Lord Seventh Bai and the others had gathered everyone together through prestige and shared interests. But now, Mu Lin’s threat had rendered Lord Seventh Bai powerless to act, directly exposing their facade. As a result, the cohesion among these people collapsed.

Under such circumstances, not only was Mu Lin’s Beiwei Army overwhelmingly powerful, but even the original soldiers of the Demon Suppression Division could easily overpower them.

In the era of cold weapons, morale had such a profound impact on battle.

“Boom…”

“Slash!”

“No!”

“Save me…”

With ghostly masks and fully armed, the Beiwei Army, once charging, resembled tanks, crushing and shattering everything in their path.

Such a terrifying sight caused the clerks and managers of Ping’an Ancient Street to break down even faster.

And as their livelihoods were slowly crushed and destroyed by ‘Lin Qiu,’ Lord Seventh Bai and the others turned livid with rage.

Their gazes toward ‘Lin Qiu’ were filled with intense hatred.

Yet, no matter how furious they were, none of them dared to act.

Just as Mu Lin had thought, they valued their own lives above all else, to an extreme degree.

However, though fearful of death, these people had still made efforts to stop Mu Lin.

Not through direct action, but through rhetoric.

“Bastard, Lin Qiu! How dare you act so recklessly? Aren’t you afraid we’ll plunge Ping’an Ancient Town into utter chaos?”

This was their ultimate weapon, the greatest advantage they had used to keep the Demon Suppression Division in check for so long. They hoped to use this to make ‘Lin Qiu’ halt his actions.

But Mu Lin’s response left them utterly deflated.

“None of my damn business!”

“???”

“How is it not your business? If Ping’an Ancient Town falls into chaos, countless deaths are inevitable. Their deaths will be on your hands—you, who killed them, leaving countless families displaced and destitute…”

This was moral blackmail, but unfortunately, Mu Lin’s moral compass was rather flexible.

“This is indeed a tragic affair, but rest assured, I will slaughter every last evildoer in the city to avenge those who died.”

“You bastard, do you have no heart?”

“Don’t say that. What I’m doing is for the greater good, for justice in the Mortal Realm. If the people must suffer a little, I believe they won’t mind.”

“…”

Such shameless words made Lord Seventh Bai and the others so furious they felt their lungs might explode.

For the first time, they experienced how troublesome a person with no morals could be.

Some were so enraged they even lodged complaints against the Demon Suppression Division.

“Bastards! What is the Demon Suppression Division doing? How could such a villain be recruited into the division?”

“The world is unjust! How can someone like you enter the Demon Suppression Division and even rise to a high position? Azure Heaven is blind!”

“With vermin like you in charge, this Demon Suppression Division, this Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, is doomed to fall!”

Some cursed in grief and indignation, while others clung to a sliver of hope, refusing to give up.

Lord Seventh Bai: “A villain like you certainly doesn’t care about the lives of others, but what about accountability from above? With such a massive disturbance causing so many civilian deaths, the Demon Suppression Division won’t let you off…”

They were trying to use the rules against Mu Lin, but before they could finish, Mu Lin’s laughter cut them off.

“Pfft…”

“Accountability from my superiors? Are you trying to make me die laughing?”

After his laughter subsided, Mu Lin said dismissively, “If too many civilians die, I might indeed face some punishment.”

“But leaving aside whether I can withstand that punishment, let me ask you this: who told you there would be civilian deaths?”

These words made Lord Seventh Bai’s eyes light up: “If I take action, you won’t be able to stop me. Ping’an Ancient Town will inevitably see countless deaths…”

He thought ‘Lin Qiu’ had made preparations, which was why he was unafraid of the threat.

But what ‘Lin Qiu’ said next made Lord Seventh Bai understand the true depths of human depravity.

“You’re right, but you misunderstand my meaning. For me, with a little maneuvering, I can ensure all the dead are classified as evildoers… Saying no one died might be an exaggeration, so let’s report three hundred civilian deaths. The rest can all be treated as cultists or villains… Wait, if they’re cultists, their deaths could count as military merit.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin turned to Lord Seventh Bai with a friendly smile and asked:

“By the way, how many heads does your Ping’an Ancient Town have? How much military merit can they earn me?”

“…”

These words chilled Lord Seventh Bai to the bone. Even knowing ‘Lin Qiu’ was heartless, the sheer depth of his darkness exceeded all imagination.

At that moment, Lord Seventh Bai fully understood that trying to morally blackmail ‘Lin Qiu’ with the lives of an entire town was utterly impossible.

He even suspected ‘Lin Qiu’ might be hoping they would kill more people.

‘That bastard is a Malevolent Ghost born of pure evil!’

This gaze, as if staring at a Malevolent Ghost, displeased Mu Lin somewhat.

“Hey, old man, don’t look at me like I’m some villain. I’m already being plenty kind—at least I didn’t come here and slaughter the city, then kill innocent people to claim credit for it.”

“…”

(End of Chapter)