Chapter 009: The City Lord

Ringtone snorted but said nothing.
Du Fan smiled faintly, picked up a long sword from the ground, and was about to swing it down.
Taylor’s lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only sighed and said nothing.
Lord Hai Xin, upon seeing Du Fan pick up the sword, couldn’t help but tremble again and stammered, “Young master… please… spare my life…”
Du Fan frowned slightly and said, “Only now do you ask for mercy? It’s too late. I’ve already killed so many of you. Even if I were to stop, I doubt you would.” “In that case, it’s better to just cut off your head—this would save everyone trouble.”
As he spoke, he shook the sword slightly, his combat energy flaring as he prepared to strike.
But at that moment, a sharp horn sound was heard, and soon a group of imperial city guards broke through the crowd and entered.
Seeing this, Hai Xin’s previously lifeless face regained its normal expression. He glared fiercely at Du Fan and said, “Kid, you’re dead this time.”
Then he turned to look at the imperial city guards and shouted, “Idiots! Hurry up and kill these people!”
The captain of the imperial city guards, seeing Hai Xin captured, waved his hand immediately. His soldiers surrounded Du Fan and his group, while he himself drew the knight’s sword from his waist and stepped toward Du Fan.
Du Fan looked at him and slowed down his sword, saying, “Sir, what instructions do you have?”
The captain saw that Du Fan’s sword was less than a few centimeters from Hai Xin’s neck. His expression darkened, and he snapped, “How dare you carry a sword in the streets of Moduo City and kill people here? I advise you to surrender now—otherwise, if caught, you’ll all be sentenced to death!”
Taylor coughed, about to step forward and say something, but Du Fan waved his hand and smiled faintly, saying, “Sir, how can you be so sure it’s us who killed people here, rather than Lord Hai Xin having lost his mind and killing his own men?”
The captain’s expression darkened further. He had already received reports before arriving and knew more or less what had happened. He waved his hand, and the imperial city guards around him immediately aimed their weapons at Du Fan.

After finishing all this, the squad leader snapped angrily, “Nonsense! Can’t I see who committed the ugly murder? If you don’t release Lord Haixin right away and surrender, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Also, better not even think about resisting—resisting means attacking the Imperial City Defense Forces, which is tantamount to treason!”
Du Fan sneered and said, “What a serious charge. It seems I have to defend myself. How about this—Lord Haixin, tell us what’s really going on!”
As he spoke, Du Fan gently twisted his wrist, lifting Haixin’s chin with the tip of his long sword. He controlled the force just right, so it didn’t cut off Haixin’s head, but some blood still spilled.
Though Haixin was tyrannical, he had never seen such a scene before. With Du Fan’s move, he felt warmth in his pants and immediately became wet. Facing Du Fan’s cold gaze, he couldn’t even nod and could only stammer urgently, “Yes, yes! What this young master says is all true!”
Du Fan glanced at him and asked, “Everything true?”
Haixin, tears and snot streaming down his face, stammered, “Y-yes… My head was kicked by a donkey. I ordered my subordinates to commit suicide. It has nothing to do with this young master…”
Du Fan laughed heartily, threw away his sword, kicked Haixin aside, and said calmly to the squad leader, “Sir officer, the person involved has already confessed. What do you suggest we do?”
Seeing Haixin kicked away, several Imperial City Defense Force soldiers tried to step forward to help him up, but Du Fan let out a grunt. Without needing him to say anything, a Templar knight stepped forward and kicked Lord Haixin back again.
The squad leader’s face turned red with anger as he shouted, “How dare you toy with me! Offending Lord Haixin is a capital crime! Come on, arrest them all!”
With that, he waved his hand sharply, and the Imperial City Defense Force soldiers slowly advanced, ready to act at any moment.
Du Fan frowned and said, “What’s wrong with you guys from the Imperial City Defense Forces? It’s one thing if you ignore the empire’s laws, but now you’re ready to arrest people for no reason. Is that how your superiors teach you?”
The squad leader snapped, “What superiors? Our superior is Lord Moduo, the city lord. Lord Haixin is his younger brother. Offending him means offending the empire’s laws. Release him now, or I won’t spare you!”

Du Fan glanced at Hai Xin and said, “You’re the city lord’s brother?”
Hai Xin, seeing Du Fan ask, thought he was scared and immediately sneered, “I am indeed the city lord’s brother. If you’re sensible, release me right away and hand over that beautiful lady. Otherwise, you won’t even know how you die!”
Though his words were fierce, Hai Xin lay on the ground, looking utterly lacking in presence and more like a clown.
Du Fan looked at him, laughed, and said, “The brother of the Lord of Moduo—what an impressive status! But I, Du Fan, can kill you if I want to. Do I really need to fear your brother?”
With that, Du Fan made a slight gesture, and a Templar knight immediately presented his sword.
Hai Xin, realizing Du Fan knew his identity and still seemed so fierce, was almost terrified and couldn’t speak.
The platoon leader of the imperial defense forces, seeing this, broke into a cold sweat. If Hai Xin was killed today, not only would he lose his position, but he might even lose his head.
Seeing Du Fan’s actions, he knew further persuasion was useless. He gritted his teeth, made a charging gesture, and prepared to attack.
But just then, chaotic horseback sounds were heard, and a voice from afar called, “Stop everyone! The city lord is here!”
Soon, hundreds of soldiers rushed in. Some immediately blocked the key routes in the square, while dozens of soldiers with long spears pushed the crowd aside. Then a group of cavalry led the way—someone dressed in fine clothes, sitting on a tall white horse, looking quite noble.
He resembled Hai Xin in many ways, except with a longer mustache and more prominent slanted eyes. Though he tried to act like a noble, he still had a strong monkey-like air about him.
Du Fan glanced at him and couldn’t help but smirk, “What a grand display. I guess this is about as impressive as the empire’s military minister can get.”
Taylor stood behind Du Fan, forcing a wry smile, not knowing what to say.
Rinne remained expressionless, but the more so she was, the clearer Du Fan realized that if Hai Xin wasn’t dead, there was no way she would give up easily!

The city lord riding on horseback was furious. He swung his whip and, seeing Hai Xin knocked to the ground from afar, couldn’t help but shout loudly, “Who dares to capture my brother! Are you all tired of living? And you lot—are you useless? Why just stand by and watch?”

Hai Xin, seeing his brother arrive, rushed over without caring about anything else, saying, “Big brother… save me…”

Before he could finish saying “big brother,” Du Fan kicked him, causing Hai Xin to scream in pain and lie on the ground again.

The city lord, seeing Du Fan’s action, became even angrier. With a fierce wave of his hand, the cavalry around him rushed forward and surrounded Du Fan and the others. The city lord himself was led to Du Fan’s side. He was about to say something harsh, but when he saw Du Fan’s face, he was momentarily stunned, sweating profusely and turning pale. He almost rolled off his horse and knelt down, trembling as he said, “So it’s Young Master Du Fan! I had no idea it was you. I deserve death! Truly, I deserve death!”

Then he turned sharply to look at the people behind him and said, “What are you still staring at? Put down your weapons quickly! How dare you treat Young Master Du Fan like this? Do you want to die?”

Du Fan was slightly surprised and frowned, asking, “You know me?”

The city lord smiled and said, “How could I not know? Young Master Du Fan is famous throughout the land. I’ve always admired him greatly. Recently, upon hearing that Young Master Du Fan was missing, I went out of my way to get his portrait and distributed it widely, sending people to search everywhere, hoping he was safe. Seeing Young Master Du Fan here today, my worries are finally relieved!”

Du Fan sneered inwardly. After thinking for a moment, he realized that it was likely the two major forces in the north who had ordered a search for him. These people must have seen his portrait, so it wasn’t surprising they recognized him. However, their claim of sending people to search was probably an exaggeration. If they had really been that thorough, his brother wouldn’t have failed to recognize him.

Seeing Du Fan remain silent with only a cold smirk, the city lord grew anxious. He clearly knew Du Fan’s status. Although Du Fan didn’t hold any title, given his influence, dealing with a mere city lord like himself should be a trivial matter.