Chapter 302: Lin Fan: I'll Just Smile and Say Nothing

In the fields.

"Qing Lian keeps urging me to get married, but I already have a wife."

Lin Fan skillfully tilled the soil. After years of hard work, his farming skills had become quite proficient. He was now a capable hand, comparable to experienced farmers.

Soon, some villagers came to call him. It was a serious matter, and everyone was panicked. It was a matter that could implicate nine generations of family, affecting many people. Faced with such a situation where no one could make a decision, they could only ask the town mayor for help.

Although Lin Fan seemed young, in the hearts of the Qingyang Town villagers, he was the most reliable person, even more respected than their own elders.

At the town gate.

The general escorting Huang Zheng was called Dong Wu. He possessed profound strength, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to safely escort Huang Zheng here. If they had encountered demons along the way, they would have been annihilated.

"The mayor is here."

Some villagers shouted.

Dong Wu looked at the approaching Lin Fan, his expression still indifferent and aloof. He didn't care why the town mayor was so young. He was here on a mission.

"Are you the mayor here?" Dong Wu asked.

Lin Fan smiled gently. "Yes."

Dong Wu's angry gaze contained a murderous aura. Anyone who met his eyes couldn't bear it. But now… Dong Wu's heart trembled abruptly. This smile was unsettling, chilling. He couldn't describe the specific feeling, but…

He endured it. As a general of the imperial court, how could he be intimidated by such a look?

Forget it.

Dong Wu averted his gaze, refusing to meet Lin Fan's eyes.

"Good. Since you are the mayor, let me explain. Huang Zheng committed a crime of insubordination, an unforgivable offense. The Emperor has decreed the extermination of his nine generations: four from his paternal side, three from his maternal side, and two from his wife's side. Those implicated are to be executed on the spot. Hand them over. If there is any act of harboring them, all those involved will be beheaded."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding villagers trembled again.

The situation was dangerous. It wasn't a demonic disturbance, but an imperial decree to exterminate nine generations. To be honest, the position of town mayor was the smallest official position in the imperial court. Mayor Lin's father, the former mayor, also held an official title and likely wouldn't defy the imperial decree.

Many people were implicated by Huang Zheng.

"Why do you want to kill people without reason?" Lin Fan asked.

What the other party said was a bit much, and the meaning was somewhat complicated. He didn't understand it completely, but he could grasp the general idea.

Dong Wu shouted angrily, "Do you intend to defy the imperial decree?"

Lin Fan walked past Dong Wu to the prison cart and pulled it open. "Qingyang Town is a peaceful place. As the mayor here, I need to protect them. You cannot harm anyone in my town at will, or I will be very angry."

Huang Zheng looked at Lin Fan in astonishment.

This was defying the imperial decree!

He had left Qingyang Town for decades, not wanting any contact with the villagers here, precisely for fear of being implicated. The current world was chaotic, with demons running rampant. As someone who came from Qingyang Town, he held onto his righteous spirit. However, he always felt out of place in the imperial court. For the past twenty years, he had been safe and sound, partly due to someone protecting him, and partly due to his own extreme caution.

But sometimes, even the utmost caution was useless.

One misstep could lead to eternal regret.

If the Emperor wants you dead, you have to die.

"Insolent! You dare to break a prisoner free!"

Dong Wu was furious. He wielded his long saber and slashed towards Lin Fan. He didn't know if this Mayor Lin was a master, but he already had a plan in mind. When the saber made contact, he would use the back of the blade to push him back.

Lin Fan remained motionless, not panicking at all in the face of the approaching saber. Then he raised his hand and pointed his finger at the blade. It seemed like a gentle touch, but for Dong Wu, his expression changed drastically. An irresistible, terrifying force transmitted through the blade.

Boom!

Dong Wu was forced back, leaving deep footprints in the ground. He looked up at Lin Fan in shock, clearly not expecting the mayor of Qingyang Town to possess such strength.

The difference in strength between him and Lin Fan was immeasurable, like two extremes.

The surrounding soldiers, witnessing this scene, were astonished. They wanted to rush forward and subdue Lin Fan, but Dong Wu raised his hand to stop them.

"Do you dare to defy the imperial decree?" Dong Wu roared.

Lin Fan said, "I don't know what you mean by defying the imperial decree, but don't even think about harming the people of Qingyang Town, or I will be unkind to you."

"Your strength is weak. You are no match for me. I just showed you mercy. Otherwise, you would be in a sorry state."

He didn't know what these guys were here for.

But as long as he was in Qingyang Town, he would absolutely not allow anyone to cause trouble.

"Fine. In that case, we shall take our leave." Dong Wu waved his hand and led his men away, giving Lin Fan a deep look. As he passed Huang Zheng, he said softly, "Take care, Master Huang."

Huang Zheng was a little surprised, but he still cupped his hands and said, "Take care, General Dong."

Soon, the soldiers who had escorted Huang Zheng back left Qingyang Town without any hesitation.

The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding what had just happened.

They had just been talking about the extermination of nine generations, but how could they just leave after being slightly pushed back by the mayor? It all felt a bit baffling. They couldn't quite grasp the meaning of it.

The villagers asked, "Huang Zheng, what exactly did you do in the imperial court to offend the Emperor and warrant the extermination of nine generations?"

Some elders who had watched Huang Zheng grow up asked, truly frightened. Qingyang Town had been peaceful until now. It couldn't be that one person would cause such chaos and implicate so many people.

"Sigh!"

Huang Zheng sighed helplessly.

Some things were simply too complicated, not as simple as they seemed.

An elder said, "Huang Zheng, it's good that you're back. Judging by those people just now, they seemed willing to let you go. Quickly go and see Mayor Lin. All these years, if it weren't for our mayor, Qingyang Town would be long gone."

"Yes, I didn't expect there to be such understanding people in the imperial court." Huang Zheng muttered to himself, then reacted and came to Lin Fan, cupping his hands. "Mayor Lin, I am Huang Zheng, now a condemned criminal."

Lin Fan blinked, not understanding what he was saying. "Just stay here when you come back. It's very safe."

"Qing Lian, I'm going to farm."

Then he picked up his tools and walked towards the fields.

If there was anything that attracted him the most, it was farming, getting close to nature. However, he always felt that this nature was somewhat murky and impure, except for his own plot of land, which was much cleaner.

Huang Zheng was stunned.

It was different from what he had imagined.

Someone patted Huang Zheng on the shoulder and said, "Our mayor is like this. He's a good person, and he usually likes to farm. Don't think he's being cold to you. He actually cares a lot about the people of Qingyang Town. Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved you. Hurry up and wash up. You're covered in dirt. Don't think too much about it in the future. Just settle down here peacefully. Qingyang Town isn't as good as the outside world, but it's safe."

Huang Zheng felt the same way.

It was just that he had overthought it.

Lin Fan didn't save him, he protected Qingyang Town.

Dong Wu, who had already left Qingyang Town, had a blank expression. His lieutenant rode up beside him and said, "General, won't our actions be discovered?"

Dong Wu said, "No. You are all personally chosen by me. You are all my confidants. You all know the reason why Master Huang was sentenced to the extermination of nine generations. Under this imperial court, you and I are just pitiful insects who can be crushed at any time. The only thing we can do is this: tell the brothers to keep their mouths shut and say that the nine generations have been exterminated."

"Yes, General," the lieutenant replied.

They were military officers. They had no say in the affairs of the imperial court and could only follow orders.

Dong Wu looked at the sky. It seemed bright, but in reality, it was extremely dark, with no future in sight.

Qingyang Town.

After washing and changing his clothes, Huang Zheng still exuded a compelling aura. Years of being an official had blended the air of officialdom into his very being.

At the blacksmith shop.

"Uncle Wang."

With nothing to do, Huang Zheng liked to wander around the familiar yet unfamiliar Qingyang Town, looking at the places where he once lived, many places filled with memories.

Blacksmith Wang was still strong in his old age. Although he was almost eighty, when he struck iron, he was incredibly adept. His wrists were powerful, and even young people couldn't compare to him.

"Come on in. You look different after washing up. When you were a child, you loved to be clean." Blacksmith Wang said with a smile.

Huang Zheng said, "Uncle Wang, have you been well all these years?"

Blacksmith Wang laughed. "Good, of course, I'm good. Look at our Qingyang Town, it's so safe now."

"Uncle Wang, I hope you can understand. I haven't been back for a long time, not because I don't miss Qingyang Town, but because I don't want to bring trouble to Qingyang Town." He was telling the truth. Who didn't want to bring honor to their ancestors? But as he went deeper into the world, he discovered that everything was much darker than he had imagined.

Blacksmith Wang said, "I understand. How could I not understand what you mean? But you've seen the result. Even if you don't come back, you will still be implicated, right? So, why bother thinking so much about it in the first place?"

These words made Huang Zheng feel a little embarrassed, slightly awkward. Uncle Wang was right.

He thought that this way he could avoid implicating Qingyang Town.

In fact, the implication would still come.

Afterwards, Huang Zheng asked Blacksmith Wang many questions, mostly about Lin Fan. For him, in this place where demons ran rampant, it was incredible that the small Qingyang Town could maintain its peace.

The more he knew, the more Huang Zheng felt that the young Mayor Lin was truly capable.

In the days that followed, Huang Zheng seemed to have forgotten everything from the past. He often appeared by Lin Fan's side, working in the fields with him, gradually becoming familiar with this life.

Several months later.

By the edge of the field, the two were resting. Qing Lian poured tea and served them. As Lin Fan's maid, she had to do everything for her master except farming.

Huang Zheng had recovered well. Months of life here had given him a touch of a farmer's air, unlike when he first arrived in Qingyang Town, when he carried the aura of an official.

"Mayor Lin, do you have any plans for the future?" Huang Zheng asked as he sipped his tea.

Lin Fan said, "Plans? No. I'm waiting for the Demon Lord."

Huang Zheng had no idea who the Demon Lord Lin Fan was talking about. It was an unfamiliar title. But that wasn't the point. His idea was to let Lin Fan use his talents where they were needed.

"Mayor Lin, with your abilities, staying in Qingyang Town is like hiding a precious gem in dust. It's such a pity. Haven't you thought about serving the imperial court and upholding its authority?"

Huang Zheng realized that Lin Fan was the person he was looking for.

If he was willing, he could definitely achieve great things.

"I haven't thought about it," Lin Fan shook his head.

He didn't even understand what Huang Zheng was talking about. He felt it was completely unnecessary. He was living well in Qingyang Town and had no intention of going anywhere else.

Qing Lian, standing at the side, said angrily, "You yourself were sentenced to the extermination of nine generations by the imperial court, and you're still trying to trick my master into going to the imperial court? You can't have this tea anymore."

With that, she took away the teacup in front of Huang Zheng and put it in her basket.

"Be polite," Lin Fan said.

Qing Lian said, "Master, he's trying to harm you."

Huang Zheng said, "Little girl, you're still young and don't understand righteousness. You can't think about things so simply."

"Yes, I don't understand righteousness. My responsibility is to take care of Master, and the people of Qingyang Town also need Master. If Master leaves here, will you be responsible for the safety of Qingyang Town?" Qing Lian had felt that this man had ulterior motives from the moment he first approached her master.

Sure enough… after only a few months, he started trying to trick her master into going to his death.

Huang Zheng was rendered speechless by Qing Lian's retort. If he still held his official position, he would definitely slam the table and scold her. How could she be so unruly? But now he had long seen his own situation clearly. He was useless, a scholar with no practical skills. He could only shake his head dejectedly and didn't say anything more.

Lin Fan smiled gently. "I will not leave Qingyang Town. This place needs my protection. If I leave, they will be in danger. Do you understand?"

"But you can save more people," Huang Zheng said.

Lin Fan smiled and didn't say much, just blinked. He had a strange thought in his mind, that this guy in front of him seemed to have a problem with his head.

After finishing his tea, he picked up his hoe and continued to farm. He liked this kind of life. A peaceful environment was what he longed for the most.

And there were many good people here.

Huang Zheng looked at Lin Fan's smile, puzzled. But for some reason, it felt like a kind of mockery to him. No, it shouldn't be mockery, but rather helplessness. This was what he thought.

As for the actual situation, he didn't know.

Night.

A city, a mansion.

The dark night sky pressed down, making everyone feel a little breathless.

Whoosh!

Several figures descended from the sky.

Then they hurried to a room.

"General, the matter of you releasing Huang Zheng without authorization has been discovered. We are here to escort you away. Let's go quickly." The people who burst into the room all wore veils, concealing their faces.

Dong Wu asked, "Who gave the order?"

"We don't know. The order came from the imperial court."

"General, as long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood. The imperial court cannot do without you now."

Everyone tried to persuade him.

They were afraid that the general would be stubborn, refuse to listen to anyone, and refuse to leave. Then the outcome would be truly dire.

Dong Wu said, "You're right. Let's go."

Faced with this situation, Dong Wu knew that staying here would mean certain death. Only by staying alive was there hope.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Before they came, their biggest fear was that the general would refuse to leave.

Now it seemed that they had worried for nothing.

But just as they left the room and were about to flee, a figure stood in the courtyard.

"General Dong, where are you going?"