48: Chapter 48 What kind of operation is this? Huang Fugui's CPU burned out.

Meanwhile, at the City Lord's Manor.

Unlike the bustling atmosphere of the outside world, the air here was oppressively heavy.

Inside the study, Ling Xiaotian, the City Lord of Nanyan Prefecture, was pacing back and forth with a livid expression. The pressure emanating from him, belonging to a fifth-level Danyuan Realm expert, caused the air in the entire room to solidify.

"Vile daughter! Get down on your knees!"

Following his angry roar, a fiery red figure stumbled into the room.

It was Miss Ling Yueer.

However, at this moment, she had long lost her usual bossiness and liveliness.

Her face was pale, her eyes were red and swollen, and she was dressed in plain white clothes. She looked fragile and pitiful, as if a gust of wind could knock her over.

"Father..."

"Don't call me father! I don't have a daughter who causes so much trouble!"

Ling Xiaotian was trembling with rage, pointing at her nose as he cursed.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?! The Li family father and son are dead! The balance of the entire Nanyan Prefecture has been shattered by your own hands! Now those old foxes from the Wang, Zhang, and Zhao families are all restless, itching to pounce and devour the Li family's remaining assets! The entire prefecture city is about to descend into chaos!"

"I... I didn't..."

Miss Ling Yueer's tears fell like broken strings of pearls. "I just... I just wanted to avenge Sister Wan'er... I didn't expect things to turn out like this..."

"You didn't expect it?!"

Ling Xiaotian's anger flared even more. "For a so-called sister, you've pushed the entire City Lord's Manor, our entire Ling family, into a pit of fire! What are people saying outside now? They say you, Miss Ling Yueer, for the sake of that Lin Feng from the Demon Suppression Division, didn't hesitate to frame your own fiancé! They say I, Ling Xiaotian, failed to teach my daughter properly, allowing her to collude with outsiders to eliminate dissent!"

"I didn't! That's not true!"

Miss Ling Yueer shook her head desperately, crying pitifully. "I admit, I like Big Brother Lin! But I... I definitely didn't harm Li Tianyu! It was that Painted Skin Demon..."

"Enough!"

Ling Xiaotian slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump.

"Things have come to this, and you still dare to make excuses?! You're still thinking about that Lin Feng?!"

He roared in exasperation, "Don't you know that guy is a double-edged sword? If he can help you cut down Li Batian today, he can put a blade to my throat tomorrow! You're still involved with him now—do you want everyone to think that our City Lord's Manor and his Demon Suppression Division are already in league together?!"

"I don't care!"

Miss Ling Yueer stubbornly raised her head, her tear-stained face filled with defiance and resolve.

"I never cared for a hypocrite like Li Tianyu! If I, Miss Ling Yueer, am to marry, I will only marry a real man like Big Brother Lin! Upright, decisive, and formidable! Except for him, I won't marry anyone!"

"You... you wretched child!"

Ling Xiaotian was so infuriated by her 'lovestruck' outburst that his vision went dark, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

He raised his hand, looked at his daughter's stubborn face, and finally couldn't hold back.

Slap!

A crisp slap echoed throughout the study.

Miss Ling Yueer clutched her instantly swollen cheek, looking at her father in disbelief. The tears in her eyes could no longer be suppressed and overflowed.

"You... you hit me?"

"I'm hitting you for being such an ungrateful thing!"

Ling Xiaotian pointed toward the door and roared, "Get back to your room! From this day forward, without my permission, you are not allowed to step a single foot out of your door! Come out only when you've come to your senses!"

Miss Ling Yueer gave him a deep look, her eyes filled with disappointment and sorrow. Without another word, she covered her face and ran out crying.

Watching his daughter's stumbling departure, the rage on Ling Xiaotian's face slowly faded, replaced by endless exhaustion and worry.

He slumped back into his chair and rubbed his aching temples.

"Sigh..."

A long sigh, filled with helplessness.

"My Lord."

A ghost-like figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the study; it was the chief advisor of the City Lord's Manor, Advisor Xu.

"The Young Miss... is still too young, after all," Advisor Xu said softly.

"Young? Hmph, if she were truly young and ignorant, it would be better!"

Ling Xiaotian snorted coldly, a flicker of complexity in his eyes. "Her behavior may seem like a young girl's infatuation, but in reality, she's forcing me! Forcing me to pick a side! Forcing me to lean completely toward the Demon Suppression Division!"

"Then what is your intention, My Lord?"

"What else can I do?"

Ling Xiaotian waved his hand irritably. "The Li family has fallen, and those old fogies of the Wang family have been jumping around too much lately. Without the fierce tiger of the Li family at the front, they'll eventually reach their claws toward my City Lord's Manor."

"Now that the Demon Suppression Division has produced a god of slaughter like Lin Feng, their prestige is at its peak. Allying with them is indeed the best choice for now. That girl Yueer, though her methods were a bit crude, didn't go in the wrong direction overall."

He paused, his gaze turning cold.

"Pass down my word: say that... Yueer refuses to marry anyone but Lin Feng. As her father, I cannot sway her. Once the storm passes, prepare for the marriage proposal arrangements."

"My Lord is wise."

Advisor Xu bowed slightly. "In this way, we are tied to the same boat as the Demon Suppression Division. If those in the Wang family want to try any crooked schemes, they'll have to weigh whether they can withstand Lord Lin's thunderous blade."

"Hmph, one blade..."

Recalling the scene from that day, a deep sense of wariness flashed in Ling Xiaotian's eyes.

"Go, make the act convincing. At least on the surface, let everyone believe that our City Lord's Manor and that Lin Feng are already in-laws."

"Yes."

...

The 'official certification' from the City Lord's Manor acted like a potent catalyst, causing the rumor of 'King of Hell Lin and the City Lord's Daughter' to spread through every street and alley of Nanyan Prefecture like a plague.

Storytellers worked through the night to churn out a dozen versions of 'The Overbearing King of Hell and the Pretty Young Miss' scripts.

Idle people in tea houses gossiped about the pair, from the creation of the world by Pangu to the end of days.

"Have you heard? The City Lord himself spoke! He said his daughter will marry no one but Lord Lin! The dowry is already prepared—three streets in the east of the city!"

"Three streets? Your news is too outdated! I heard from my seventh great-aunt's grand-nephew's neighbor that the dowry is half of Nanyan Prefecture! And the City Lord even said that after he passes away, the position of City Lord will be handed to Lord Lin!"

"My god! This isn't just marrying off a daughter; this is practically giving away the realm!"

"Isn't it? But then again, only an unparalleled powerhouse like Lord Lin is worthy of the City Lord's daughter! What do they call it? A union of the strong! From now on, our Nanyan Prefecture will be peaceful!"

The rumors grew more and more intense.

Some people even began to discuss whether Lin Feng and Miss Ling Yueer's future children should take the surname Lin or Ling.

Within the Demon Suppression Division, the way everyone looked at Lin Feng had also completely changed.

If it was awe before,

then now, within that awe was a hint of... fawning, as if looking at the 'Prefecture's Consort'.

Even the two Bronze Medal Envoys, Chu Mengxi and Meng Kuo, would subconsciously tease Lin Feng upon seeing him.

"Lord Lin, when will you treat us to wedding wine?"

To this, Lin Feng's response was always a single word.

"Beat it."

He was currently annoyed to death.

Having nothing to do every day and earning zero critical hit points, he was so anxious he was about to burst into flames.

"Master, please calm down, calm down."

Huang Fugui obsequiously massaged Lin Feng's shoulders, his face full of schadenfreude.

"I think this is a great thing! Look at you now—you have status, you have a backer, and soon you'll get a beautiful wife and half a prefecture city for free. This is practically the ultimate dream of every man!"

Lin Feng glanced at him and said coldly, "Have you been too idle lately? Are you itching for a beating?"

"Not idle, not idle at all! I'm busy!"

Huang Fugui shuddered in fear and quickly pulled out a small notebook from his robes to begin reporting on his work.

"Master, ever since that girl was put in solitary confinement by the City Lord that day, she really hasn't stepped out of her door. Every day she just Cultivates, Cultivates, and Cultivates some more! That madness is even more intense than your monster grinding! I saw it with my own eyes—last night, she had a Breakthrough! First level of the True Qi Realm!"

"Oh?"

Lin Feng became slightly interested.

This Miss Ling Yueer actually had some perseverance.

"Besides cultivating? Have you seen any suspicious people?"

"None!"

Huang Fugui shook his head like a rattle. "Forget suspicious people, even the City Lord was driven away by her several times! She won't see anyone now, it's like she's possessed. I think she's not cultivating; she's 'going crazy for love'!"

After listening, Lin Feng fell into deep thought again.

No abnormalities at all.

That, in itself, was the greatest abnormality.

This game of chess seemed to have reached a stalemate here.

Miss Ling Yueer had locked herself away, cutting off all contact with the outside world, leaving Huang Fugui unable to find any flaws.

As for himself, he was pushed into an extremely awkward position by these rumors and the City Lord's Manor's attitude, with countless eyes watching his every move.

In Lin Feng's mind, countless clues flashed by like fragments.

Painted Skin Demon... Li Tianyu... Li Batian... City Lord's Manor... Miss Ling Yueer...

Wait!

A sharp light suddenly flashed in Lin Feng's eyes!

He seemed to have...

overlooked one person.

The second Young Master of the Li family, Li Tianhe!

His brother is dead, and his father is dead too.

He is now the rightful and sole heir of the Li family!

What is he doing now?

"Huang Fugui!"

Lin Feng's voice suddenly became solemn.

"Master, I'm at your service!"

"Right now, immediately! Go and keep an eye on Li Tianhe!"

"Huh?"

Huang Fugui was confused again. "Keep... keep an eye on him for what? That guy is just a poor wretch who just lost his father and brother. I heard he washes his face with tears all day, never leaves his house, and is almost crying himself into an idiot. What's there to watch?"

"When I tell you to go, go!"

Lin Feng's gaze became sharper than ever, as if it could pierce through all falsehoods.

"Remember, this time, it's not surveillance—it's protection!"

"Protection?!"

Huang Fugui felt like his CPU was about to fry.

His master killed the guy's father and brother, and now he wants to protect him?

What kind of maneuver is this?

Smashing someone's head and then giving them a sweet date?

No matter how you look at it, it's ridiculous!

"Listen clearly."

Lin Feng's voice carried an unquestionable command.

"If you find anyone trying to harm him, whether it's assassination, poisoning, or any other means..."

He paused, a cold, hunter-like smile flashing in his eyes.

"Don't kill them. Leave them with half a life and bring them to me."