When Li Mu arrived at the gate of the county government, he did not see the hostility he had imagined.
The new Deputy County Magistrate, Chu Shufeng, came out to greet him with a beaming smile and a group of black-armored soldiers.
"Welcome back to the county government, Your Honor."
Chu Shufeng said with a smile. His attitude was extremely respectful, fully demonstrating the humility a subordinate should have when greeting his superior.
The soldiers behind him also bowed to Li Mu.
Li Mu did not look at him but walked straight to the gate of the county government.
Behind him, Feng Yuanxing, Ma Junwu, and Zhen Meng, accompanied by the doctor and carried by the jailers, followed closely behind Li Mu without saying a word.
Chu Shufeng was also ignored by the others.
It was as if the new deputy county magistrate was a mass of air to them.
Chu Shufeng's expression changed, and he looked a little embarrassed.
Soon, when he caught sight of Ning Zhongshan and Li Bing, who were dragged to the rear of the crowd like dead dogs, a trace of ruthlessness flashed across the corner of his eyes.
But he quickly covered it up.
When Chu Shufeng raised his head, the most sincere and humble smile on his face had already been plastered on his face.
He hurried to catch up with Li Mu and said with a smile, "I heard that Your Honor has returned. I've already prepared everything in the county government. Mr. Zheng, the nobleman from the Chang 'an government, has also asked people to prepare a banquet to welcome Your Honor's return."
Li Mu did not say anything.
Chu Shufeng felt that he had been given the cold shoulder, but he did not mind it at all. He was still smiling humbly, as if he was leading the way for Li Mu.
In every corridor and corner of the county office, black-armored soldiers who were fully armored were standing there.
The entire county government was tightly guarded.
"They are the elite black-armored soldiers sent by the magistrate of Chang 'an to protect Mr. Zheng. Mr. Zheng's identity is special, so the magistrate of Chang' an attaches great importance to his safety. Every soldier is an elite selected from the Chang 'an Army, the main army of the Chang' an government," Chu Shufeng said with a smile.
What he implied was that even the magistrate of Chang 'an valued Mr. Zheng very much.
Li Mu still did not say anything.
Those elite iron-blooded soldiers couldn't even attract his attention.
This made Chu Shufeng, who was secretly observing from the side, a little angry.
Hehe, I'll let you be happy for a while. Very soon, you'll be crying. You're just a barbarian who wants to rebel against the heavens. Sooner or later, you'll obediently fall into the big net that Mr. Zheng has set for you.
Chu Shufeng cursed in his mind.
But on the surface, he still very cleverly restrained himself, not showing the slightest bit of dissatisfaction.
Soon, he passed through the winding corridor and arrived at the main hall in the front yard of the county government office.
About forty black-armored elites stood in a welcoming formation. Their swords and spears were like a forest, and their banners were fluttering in the wind. There was a kind of iron-blooded aura about them. Compared to the black-armored soldiers who fled without a fight at the entrance of the prison, they were much more valiant. Every single one of them emitted a kind of cold aura that kept strangers away.
Many of the officials in Taibai County were standing straight in the yard.
Li Mu's arrival caused a small uproar among them. One by one, they fixed their eyes on Li Mu with complicated expressions. But most of them were looking at him with pity, and some were even gloating. Only a few of them were a little worried, but they dared not say anything.
At the gate of the main hall, a slender scholar in a brocade robe with handsome features was standing there with a smile on his face.
He was dressed like a hermit. The crane feather fan in his hand was gently waving, which made him look untainted by the dust of the mortal world. Unfortunately, the scarlet birthmark on his cheek ruined the temperament of a master living in seclusion, which made him look a bit sinister.
That man was Zheng Cunjian, the Heartless Scholar.
Beside Zheng Cunjian stood a man in cyan. He was handsome, but his face was extremely pale. He was quiet and indifferent. He was Qing Feng, the little attendant.
"Haha, I heard that Your Honor has returned. I've been waiting for Your Honor."
Zheng Cunjian said with a warm smile. He walked down from the high platform at the gate step by step and bowed to Li Mu as if they were old friends who had not seen each other for a long time.
Ning Zhongshan, who was dragged here by the prison guards, was a little confused by Zheng Cunjian's behavior.
"Didn't Mr. Zheng put out a warrant for Li Mu's arrest and promised to kill this young master?
Why is Mr. Zheng treating him with such courtesy? "
Although he was shocked and angry, he did not say a word and waited for the development of the situation. Sometimes, he could not fathom Mr. Zheng's means. So, he was afraid that he might say something that might disrupt Mr. Zheng's plan.
Feng Yuanxing and Zhen Meng, who were being carried on the bed, tried their best not to pass out. When they saw the scene, they also became anxious. After all, they had seen the true colors of Zheng Cunjian and Chu Shufeng on that day. They were definitely two vipers, who obviously harbored malicious intentions against Li Mu.
But now, the two vipers did not bare their fangs and venomous tongues. Instead, they were smiling, which made them feel more sinister and dangerous.
However, on such an occasion, it was not appropriate for them to warn Li Mu.
"Haha, I heard that Your Honor has been hunting down some scum in the martial arts world, but I haven't seen any of them these days, which made me quite worried. Now that Your Honor is back, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief." Zheng Cunjian said with a sincere and earnest smile. He walked up to Li Mu and held up his hand as if he was meeting an old friend. He said, "When I was in Chang 'an, I heard that there is a great hero in Taibai County with unparalleled fighting ability. Today, I see that you are indeed worthy of your reputation.
Li Mu glanced at him.
His eyes were cold.
Then, he stared coldly at Zheng Cunjian's hand. He did not say a word, but his face grew colder.
A wisp of killing intent quietly burst out.
Zheng Cunjian's body stiffened, and a chill rose from his tailbone.
He had an illusion that at this time, Li Mu was like a raging ancient tyrannosaurus. As long as he unknowingly put his hand down and touched Li Mu, he would be doomed in an instant.
Therefore, his hand froze awkwardly in the air.
Li Mu's mouth curled into a contemptuous sneer.
He walked straight past Zheng Cunjian, walked up the stairs, and came to Qing Feng's side.
Qing Feng was wearing a neat cyan uniform. His long and thick black hair was combed neatly. His handsome face and slender and fair hands were also washed clean. Besides, there was a faint fragrance of orchid on him. Except for his tightly closed lips, which were a little red and swollen, and his face was a little pale, the little attendant stood ramrod straight. He did not look like he had been tortured at all.
Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
The lines on his face finally softened a little. He gently rubbed Qing Feng's hair.
After all, Qing Feng was just a little boy with no status. It seemed that those people from Chang 'an did not make things difficult for him.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
The little attendant smiled, pursed his lips, and nodded.
"Where is little Ming Yue? Why don't I see her? She hasn't returned to the county government, has she? "Li Mu asked again.
The little attendant was still smiling and nodding.
Li Mu frowned.
"Ming Yue hasn't returned to the county government?"
"Did that damn old beggar go back on his word and kidnap this adorkable little girl?"
While Li Mu was thinking about this, he noticed that Qing Feng's lips were red and swollen, and there was a faint smell of medicine. Apparently, Qing Feng had applied some ointment to his wounds. Li Mu asked, "What happened to your mouth?"
"Oh, the little guy accidentally tripped a few days ago and hit his head on the stone steps. He broke his mouth and even knocked out a few of his front teeth …" Chu Shufeng, the new Deputy county magistrate, hurried over and answered. Then, he put on a flattering smile and said, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Qingfeng."
Qing Feng nodded with a smile.
But Li Mu was already suspicious.
He squatted down, looked at the little attendant, and raised his hand to pinch the little fellow's mouth.
The little attendant retreated with a panicked look on his face.
"Don't move." Li Mu reached out and pulled up the little attendant's sleeves. On the crook of his arm, there was a shocking strangulation mark, which went deep into the flesh. The skin was completely festered, and the white bone was almost exposed. Li Mu was shocked. "What … what's going on?"
The little attendant lowered his head and did not know what to say.
His body began to tremble slightly.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
His face became paler and paler like a piece of white paper.
Li Mu knew it was because of the pain.
With a ripping sound, Li Mu directly tore off the sleeves of the little attendant's arms.
He sucked in a breath of cold air at what he saw.
Strangulation marks like those of a viper were all over the little attendant's arms. The rotten flesh gave off a foul smell, which was not obvious because it was covered by the faint orchid fragrance. Li Mu was furious. He tore off the little attendant's collar and saw that his body was also covered with complicated strangulation marks. His skin was dry and cracked like a dry riverbed, which was shocking to see.
This kind of injury was too terrifying.
It was hard to believe that Qing Feng could still stand there with a smile after suffering such serious injuries.
"What's going on? Who hurt you? "Li Mu asked in a deep voice.
Chu Shufeng, who was standing beside Li Mu, saw that the situation was not good. He hurriedly said with a smile, "Your Honor Li, there's a misunderstanding. He had a little conflict with a soldier …"
"Shut up!"
Li Mu was furious. He looked back and shouted.
His voice was as loud as thunder, as if a hurricane had burst out from his mouth and bombarded Chu Shufeng's chest. Along with the clear sound of bones breaking, Chu Shufeng let out a miserable shriek and was sent flying five or six meters away from the stairs.
Everyone in the yard felt as if a thunder had exploded in their ears, and their ears were buzzing.
Zheng Cunjian's expression changed again and again.
Chu Shufeng climbed to his feet, no longer pretending to be in pain, and stared at Li Mu viciously.
Clang! Clang!
The black-armored soldiers pointed their spears and broadswords at Li Mu.
Li Mu ignored them.
"Say it." Li Mu turned around and stared at Qing Feng.
Qing Feng shook his head, reached out a hand, and wrote something in the air —
"I'm fine. Don't pursue it."
What he wrote was this sentence.
"They forced you to tell the truth, didn't they?" Li Mu didn't know whether he should be angry or touched. He said, "If I'm not mistaken, someone must have told you that you can only protect me by keeping silent. If you tell the truth, you are likely to get me into trouble. For example, I might be removed from office, put in jail, or beheaded. Am I right?"
Qing Feng raised his hand, trying to write something in the air.
But when he met Li Mu's eyes, he suddenly stopped writing.
"I don't need your protection, especially in this way. Remember, remember it. Do you understand? " Li Mu ruffled Qing Feng's hair, rose to his feet, turned around, and said, "Doctor, come and treat him."
The doctor answered and hurriedly ran over.
Li Mu looked at Zheng Cunjian and the others.
"Your Honor, there may be some misunderstanding between us. I …" Zheng Cunjian wanted to say something, but the news from the prison made him realize that he might have underestimated Li Mu's strength. That was why he put on such a posture and tried to avoid confronting Li Mu head-on.
He was waiting for the arrival of a man.
As long as that man came, he would not be afraid of Li Mu.
However, Li Mu directly interrupted him.
"Kneel," said Li Mu.
Zheng Cunjian was stunned. "What?"
"Kneel and talk." Li Mu stared at him and said, "What did you do to Qing Feng? Who gave the order? Who did it? Get on your knees and tell me everything … I'm in a bad mood now. Only by kneeling can I control myself from chopping you into pieces."
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