Chapter 93: The Tide Gang No More

At last, he had donned the guise of a ghostly cultist and gone on a rampage through the prefectural capital, stirring upheaval in every direction.

But he had never cared much for the aftermath. Once the killing was done, he ran, leaving the floodwaters to the heavens.

Outside the town of Jiqing, he found a deserted place and changed back into the black-and-white uniform of the Peace and Security Office. With his saber at his side, he entered the town and headed straight for the office.

He had been there twice before: once to deliver a gift to He Quan, and once to take He Quan's life.

Yet the pitiful Lord He's bones were still scarcely cold, and the killer who had butchered him had already taken his place.

The more Ling Chi thought about it, the more he felt that he was the real villain.

"Is that you? What do you want here?"

The guard on duty today was a minor flag bearer named A Zheng. Seeing the savage youth who had beaten them last time come knocking again, he asked uneasily.

With a flick of his hand, Ling Chi sent a warrant flying straight into A Zheng's arms.

A Zheng thought it was a hidden weapon, but the strike was too fast to dodge.

He had already prepared himself to die, only to see that the incoming weapon was merely a warrant. He felt rather awkward.

After opening it, he hurriedly dropped to one knee and said, "Your subordinate welcomes Deputy Commander Ling."

This was disastrous. The savage youth had become their superior.

"Cut the act. Welcome my ass. Gather everyone in the Peace and Security Office, right here, right now. I have something to say."

Ling Chi's attention was still fixed on the thunder bead. He intended to start by selecting a few of He Quan's trusted men and killing them, and the mid-stage aura sea cultivation within him unconsciously radiated outward.

A Zheng let out a breath of relief, accepted the order, and left. When he turned around, his back was already soaked through.

This young master had such terrifying cultivation that it crushed the breath from his lungs.

Ling Chi sat down on the millstone in the office courtyard and quietly circulated his technique, closing his eyes to rest.

Soon, pairs of flag bearers began to enter the courtyard. They had been noisy enough on the way in, but once inside, they suddenly fell silent.

A handsome and heroic youth sat cross-legged atop the stone mill, his presence overwhelming. The aura of an aura sea cultivator spread outward, and the flag bearers unconsciously lined themselves up in orderly rows, waiting in silence.

When all thirteen flag bearers had assembled, Ling Chi slowly opened his eyes. A flash of lightning swept through his gaze.

Even with their heads lowered, the flag bearers felt a surge of energy pass over them, leaving them inexplicably shaken.

The thunder bead's resonance had never ceased. Having selected his targets, Ling Chi silently studied the crowd.

Only after a long while did he speak.

"I have been to Jiqing before. I'm sure many of you still remember that."

"Your deputy commander, He Quan, has suddenly vanished. I am deeply saddened as well. But work cannot be neglected, so the higher-ups sent me here to stand in for a few days."

There was not the slightest trace of grief in Ling Chi's eyes or expression.

He did not even bother pretending. He was almost at the point of applauding and saying good riddance in front of everyone.

"Anyone here who was one of He Quan's trusted men, step forward on your own."

"Or wait until a colleague reports you. By then, you'll really be in for it." Ling Chi turned his back to the crowd and spoke slowly, his hands clasped behind him.

His divine sense had already enveloped the courtyard, and the few men identified by the thunder bead had been under his watch the entire time.

Several men glanced at a burly bearded fellow, but the bearded man did not move. Their dealings were extremely secretive; even their colleagues knew nothing of them.

With a new superior coming in and immediately taking a knife to the former superior's trusted men, they were caught off guard.

"If I were you, I'd have slipped away long ago. You wait until someone from above arrives, and still you don't know how to behave."

Seeing that none of them moved, Ling Chi acted at once.

A burst of arcing force exploded outward, and the flag bearers opposite him fell like harvested wheat.

The few specially targeted men seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer. Foam spilled from their mouths as their bodies convulsed.

The others felt dizzy, but not severely so.

"Speak. What crimes have you committed?" Ling Chi's voice rang like thunder, assaulting their souls.

"We followed Lord He in robbing and murdering merchants and travelers crossing the river a few times. We killed the men, used the women, and then sold them to the Tide Gang."

The bearded leader gave his account in a daze.

"Violating the law is already a crime; violating it as an official adds three more counts. You are all sentenced to death. Execute immediately."

Ling Chi's blade flashed faster than his words. Before he had even finished speaking, the heads of those men had already flown into the air.

Dozens of wisps of thunderous spiritual energy drilled into the sea of lightning and merged with it.

"Any others willing to confess on their own?" Ling Chi asked faintly.

The thunder bead had stopped trembling, but he wanted to test the remaining nine.

A Zheng looked left and right. He did not know whether he counted as one of He Quan's trusted men, nor whether what he had done was enough to warrant a death sentence.

After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward on his own.

His colleagues beside him were astonished. They had never realized this fellow was also one of He Quan's men.

"What crimes have you committed, to have colluded with He Quan?" Ling Chi looked at this minor flag bearer, whom he had now met three times, and said coldly.

"This humble one is not sure whether he counts as Lord He's trusted man, and so I hesitated," A Zheng said nervously.

"Say it plainly. What dirty work did you do for him?"

"This humble one helped Lord He take women from a secret brothel."

A Zheng shut his eyes and hardened his heart, finally telling the truth.

The corner of Ling Chi's eye twitched. You are just someone who ferries women around. What are you trying to prove by standing out?

"You are punished with three months of cleaning the latrines. From now on, you are forbidden to help anyone else ferry women."

If the thunder bead had reacted, A Zheng would already have lost his head by now.

Only then did A Zheng let his heart settle back into his belly. Cleaning latrines was still better than losing his life, and this Lord Ling did not seem unreasonable after all.

The remaining flag bearers were also exchanging glances.

People below always liked comparing the present master with the previous one, whether the subject was a lover or a superior.

"What is your name? Among those present, your seventh layer of channel opening cultivation is the highest. From now on, you will be the chief flag bearer." Ling Chi said, looking at A Zheng.

"Yes, sir. This humble one is named A Zheng. Thank you, sir, for your guidance."

A Zheng had not expected fortune and misfortune to arrive together today.

"Your surname. Who asked for your given name?" Ling Chi frowned. He suspected the man was an idiot.

"In reply to your lordship, this humble one bears the surname A and the given name Zheng."

Ling Chi's eye twitched again. This was the first time he had ever heard of such a surname.

"From now on, whichever one of you surpasses him in cultivation will be the chief flag bearer."

Ling Chi cut through the tangle in a single stroke and directly announced the outcome.

"Now take your weapons and come with me to raid the Tide Gang's headquarters."

Having said that, Ling Chi turned and left, not caring whether they followed or not.

The assembled flag bearers froze for a moment, then hurried after him.

This Lord Ling was truly domineering. On his first day in office, he was already going to raid a house, and not just any house, but the Tide Gang's. Did he not know the Tide Gang had powerful backing?

The group of ten, weapons in hand, headed straight for the Tide Gang.

This branch of the Tide Gang was based along the Si River, and of the four docks in town, they controlled three.

The core gang members numbered only three or four dozen; the rest were fishermen and boatmen.

"Men from the Peace and Security Office? Our Tide Gang has never crossed paths with you. What are you here for?" a Tide Gang thug shouted from afar.

His answer was Ling Chi's gleaming saber light and blinding thunder.

A human head soared skyward.

"The Tide Gang has committed countless evils, indulging in murder, plunder, and rape without restraint. Today, I, on behalf of the Peace and Security Office, will enforce the law and sentence you to beheading. The sentence is to be carried out on the spot."

Ling Chi's voice, like thunder, rang out above the town.

The townspeople, startled by the clap of thunder, turned toward the docks.

Had the Tide Gang finally offended a great figure? The townspeople and merchants seemed to glimpse hope once more.

Following the thunder bead's guidance, Ling Chi cut straight through them. The rest were then identified one by one by A Zheng and the other local toughs. The core gang members were beheaded on the spot, while the remaining fishermen and laborers were screened and then dispersed.

"Go back to honest fishing and live your lives properly. What are you doing mixing with a black gang for? All of you, get out of here and go home."

Sensing the thunderous spiritual energy fed back by the thunder bead, Ling Chi issued the command, and the gathered fishermen and boatmen scattered in all directions.