Chapter 57: Such Proactive Performance Is Rare

"Who dares bully my brother!" the bandit leader roared, filled with righteous indignation. He ordered his subordinate to summon their antagonists. If he, as the leader, didn't make them pay for hurting his subordinate, how would he maintain his authority in the future?

Bolstered by his leader's support, the bandit subordinate straightened his back. He kicked open the neighboring door and shouted, "My boss said that bullying me isn't something to be taken lightly! He wants to have a talk with you. Whoever doesn't come is a coward!"

The constables were startled. In their more than a decade of service, they had never encountered anyone who dared to actively provoke them.

Chief Constable Wei shook his head and chuckled. With his extensive experience, he had seen every kind of situation imaginable. This was merely a provocation from a group of ignorant fools. Such small, self-delivering cases were bound to pop up a few times in a constable's career.

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

The bandits rubbed their hands together, eager to teach their opponents a lesson. As newcomers, they couldn't just rely on their thieving skills to make a name for themselves before joining the Demonic Cult. It was time for a spectacular debut!

Then, the bandits saw a group of constables burst in, official swords in hand and identification badges hanging from their belts.

The constables, too, were astonished to see the table piled high with gold, silver, jewels, rare medicinal herbs, spirit stones, and spirit crystals.

"These things look so familiar," they thought. "Didn't someone just report these exact items stolen?"

The constables fell silent.Chief Constable Wei fell silent.The bandits fell silent.

"Would you believe me if I said I found these by the roadside?"

Chief Constable Wei had never witnessed such a scene before. It was his first time encountering criminals who had so perfectly walked into their own trap.

The bandit subordinate, still oblivious to what was happening, continued to loudly urge his leader to attack.

"Boss, teach them a lesson!"

While shouting, he also uttered threats: "See my eldest brother's thinning hair? He plucks out one hair for every person he kills! In the martial world, he's known as 'Ghost's Dread'!"

"See the one with the eye patch? That's my second brother. This blind eye is from a battle with a late-stage Foundation Establishment master, and that master didn't fare any better—both his eyes were gouged out by my second brother! In the martial world, he's known as 'Desperate Erlang'!"

"See my third brother's leg? That's from when he was stealing from the Imperial Palace, surrounded by a hundred imperial guards. He escaped at the cost of one leg! In the martial world, he's known as 'Grass Flyer'!"

The bandit leader, second brother, and third brother simultaneously kicked the subordinate, sending him sprawling. "You talk too much, kid."

"I heard you just said anyone who didn't come was a coward?" Chief Constable Wei grinned grimly, adding, "It's because of you lot that I've been on continuous night shifts."

"I'm a coward, I'm a coward," the bandit leader stammered, trembling with fear.

The bandits dared not fight. Seeing the door blocked by constables, they smashed through a wall and bolted, a noisy crowd rushing into the main hall.

This group specialized in speed, their direct combat ability being quite mediocre. Moreover, none of them had even reached the Foundation Establishment stage; their leader was only at the ninth level of Qi Refinement.

"You run through the front door, the rest of you follow me through the back!" the bandit leader commanded, instructing his group to scatter and escape.

Lu Yang noticed the commotion, quickly understood the situation, and found it somewhat amusing.

"Thieves and constables were just separated by a wall, and the thieves still dared to provoke the constables?"

"Wait, they're trying to escape through the backyard. What if the constables discover the Changgui?"

Lu Yang quickly realized the problem: if the Changgui were eliminated, who would grill the skewers? How would the barbecue restaurant continue to operate, and how would they monitor Qin Yuanhao?

The bandit leader saw Lu Yang standing blankly, blocking the back door, appearing as if he were scared stiff. He reached out to throw Lu Yang aside.

Lu Yang, carrying a bowl of Geda soup, saw the bandit leader approaching aggressively. His hand trembled, and the soup spilled out.

The bandit leader hadn't anticipated such a turn of events. He quickly raised a layer of spiritual energy to shield himself from the soup.

That brief delay was all it took for Chief Constable Wei to produce an iron chain. The chain, coiling like a snake, bound the bandit leader.

"Go, bring back the rest of them. This meal was truly worth it today." Chief Constable Wei's gloomy mood vanished, replaced by a feeling of refreshment and expanded horizons.

The bandit gang that had troubled them for days was finally apprehended. What a fortunate place this was!

Chief Constable Wei patted Lu Yang on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "If you hadn't blocked him for that moment, that scoundrel would have truly gotten away!"

"For your act of bravery, wait, tomorrow I'll send you an honorary banner!"

Lu Yang quickly waved his hand, saying it wasn't necessary, but Chief Constable Wei was so delighted that he insisted on sending one.

The constables and bandits had made too much commotion, damaging the wall and leaving the entire hall messy and dusty.

The diners had no choice but to leave early, though witnessing the constables make an arrest firsthand was certainly not a loss.

"This 'Come Again Barbecue' restaurant is really a great place. Constables can even catch people while sitting here."

"It was worth coming here; you can't buy this kind of good show."

"This place must be a gathering point for good fortune. For business to be so booming in such a short time, even if the food is delicious, this level of popularity is too exaggerated. There must be some degree of luck involved."

"We saw it today; the constables being able to make arrests here proves it."

"It seems I should come here often. If I visit a few more times, I might also rub off some good luck."

"Makes sense, let's come together next time."

Listening to the fading discussions, Lu Yang developed a pessimistic outlook on the barbecue restaurant's future—it was destined to become a massive success.

"When I bring the honorary banner tomorrow, I'll also bring the money for repairing the wall!" Chief Constable Wei waved at Lu Yang, left him with that message, and then escorted the unfortunate bandits back.

Lu Yang stood at the doorway and sighed, then suddenly noticed Qin Yuanhao leaving his residence again.

"Brother Lu, Qin Yuanhao has left his residence again," Man Gu transmitted from the second floor. He was very diligent in his task, completely unconcerned about what was happening downstairs, and constantly kept an eye on Qin Yuanhao's movements.

"I saw him. You and Jingzhou can fix the damaged wall together. I'll go track Qin Yuanhao."

"Alright."

Lu Yang used the 'Shrinking Ground' technique and once again followed Qin Yuanhao.

Meng Jingzhou lamented from behind: "Lu Yang's talent for magic is truly astonishing. I've been learning from him for half a day and still haven't grasped anything at all."

"And I always feel that the incantations he taught me are related to spatial magic. Is it just my imagination?"

Meng Jingzhou didn't delve deeply into the matter. Lu Yang's talent for magic could only be described as 'outrageous.' To expect to learn magic by following him was pure wishful thinking.

Even he, a formidable single spiritual root cultivator, couldn't do it, let alone anyone else.

Lu Yang followed Qin Yuanhao for a long distance, not hearing Meng Jingzhou's words. He noticed that this time, Qin Yuanhao walked with a dignified bearing, humming a cheerful tune, as if he were about to undertake something significant.

Qin Yuanhao arrived at a large mansion. Instead of knocking, he cast a spell at the door.

Shortly after, a tall, thin man emerged and immediately asked, "Is it time?"

"It is today."

"I've been preparing for this day for a full half-month."

"You can say that again. This time, we absolutely must make a huge score. I've been itching for action these past few days! Once this job is done, you absolutely must help me promote myself well. Let's see who dares to look down on me then!" Qin Yuanhao revealed a cruel smile as he spoke.

"Absolutely, absolutely." The tall, thin man was famously known as a bigmouth at the Yanjiang Gang.

They spoke in words unintelligible to others, their laughter somewhat cold.

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

The two walked to a bustling street, where one building stood out prominently, adorned with dazzling, colorful decorations.

Qin Yuanhao and the tall, thin man entered and were greeted with warm hospitality.

Lu Yang looked up at the plaque above the entrance. It read: "Brothel."