Book 5: Chapter 24: Conclusive Proof
Book 5: Chapter 24: Conclusive Proof
Ironhead Dogfish!
Lin Xi was already sure that the two shadows in that pond were exactly this type of creature.
The Ironhead Dogfish was also called Ironghost Fish, its large head and black bones were exposed on the surface. It’s lower jaw protruded outwards, incredibly sturdy, the most vicious carnivore among river fish. Not only did it eat other fish, it would also attack wind ducks, water birds, and other creatures, eating twice its own weight in food in one day. Its strength in the water was astonishing, able to directly tear through even thin steel wire nets used to capture special fish. If fishermen were to run into it by accident, just a single mistake was enough, their stomachs would be ripped apart.
This type of fish was also recorded on Green Luan Academy ‘Dietary Supplement’ manual, its flesh fine, when sliced up and cooked, it would be great mending food. Moreover, its bones could even be used to make soup.
Only, not only were these fish extremely rare and they basically couldn’t be caught in nets, only rarely were they ever captured. In addition, the manual never recorded Breath River having this species of fish.
From these two Ironhead Dogfish’s size, he reckoned that they were at least thirty jin in weight.
If he bought these two fish, the bones used to make a stew with the Old River Lump, the meat cut and cooked, then it would definitely be extremely helpful towards his cultivation.
Moreover, towards these things he never tried before, Lin Xi was extremely curious to begin with.
One had to understand that this world was almost entirely without pollution. Even the taste of ordinary chicken and pork, for Lin Xi, was delicious and fragrant. Towards this type of unique fish meat that was known to be much more delicious than ordinary meats, he indeed really wanted to know just what they tasted like.
His attention was completely concentrated on the two Ironhead Dogfish, but he was still a cultivator in the end.
When someone got too close to him, he would automatically sense it.
Almost the instant the female beggar’s fingers reached into his sleeves, he already suddenly turned around.
The first impression anyone would have is that she wanted to steal the silvers in his sleeves, this was naturally also the first thought that flashed past Lin Xi’s mind.
However, the instant he instinctively wanted to grab this female beggar’s hand, his hand froze, instead having something shoved in his hand.
Ah!
At the same time, this female beggar whose face he didn’t even see clearly released a miserable scream. Her hand quickly retracted from Lin Xi’s sleeves, blood flying out from her hand.
Even though the entire fish market was noisy and lively, always as if there were countless flies fluttering about the thick fishy smell, this woman’s miserable scream was exceptionally sharp, almost everyone immediately stopping. Even in the store that Lin Xi was looking at, that bare upper bodied large man stopped, looking in Lin Xi and this female beggar’s direction.
This female beggar’s dried yellow hair was tangled, looking around thirty something years of age. She looked famished, her clothes covered in patches, looking extremely pitiful. Right now, her body was shaking all over, looking at Lin Xi like she was looking at a devil. The back of her hand that just reached into Lin Xi’s sleeve was badly injured, the wound deep to the bone, looking exceptionally terrifying.
Lin Xi inadvertently lowered his head to look at the hand.
In his hand was a sharp black dagger, the dagger dripping with blood, his sleeves also dripping with blood.
Ah!
Another miserable shrill scream ran through the entire fish market.
This sound came from the boss lady who was currently ordering two helpers who came to help her wrap up the Old River Lump.
When she saw Lin Xi’s sleeve that was dripping with blood and the dagger in his hand, this boss lady stepped back in horror, almost falling into one of her store’s barrels.
“If someone tries to steal from you, you should only bring her to see an official at most, yet you actually directly injured her hand to this degree, you are a bit too fierce, right?”
A middle-aged woman who carried a wicker basket pointed at Lin Xi, saying indignantly.
“Just look at her, who knows how long it’s been since she had a meal! Even if you don’t have any compassion, there is no reason to wound her hand to this degree!”
“Even after doing this, he still doesn’t seem to be fazed at all… injuring her to this degree, even though this youngster looks kind on the outside, how can his heart be this fierce?”
“Injuring someone with a weapon in public, even if it is a thief, this still goes against the laws… hurry and report this to the authorities!”
“Right! His heart is too vicious. We need to teach him a lesson, don’t let him leave!”
“…”
When that middle-aged woman spoke out, there were immediately many people who berated one after another. Many people immediately surrounded over, among them, there were quite a few who held shoulder poles, some workers even holding the knives they used to remove fish scales.
Lin Xi’s brows immediately furrowed.
Even though he didn’t understand how the other party cut the back of her own hand with a single hand, and then threw the dagger into his hand, he understood extremely clearly that this was a trap that was used purposely to deal with him.
This type of injuring another with a weapon, according to Yunqin law, was half a year of prison time.
This half year… and Zhuang Juan’s previous way of stabbing himself, this was clearly Fourth Grandpa Zhu’s way of doing things.
Using such a vicious self injury to test his reaction, and then using this self injury to frame him, Fourth Grandpa Zhu’s methods seemed a bit cliche, but they were extremely effective.
Even if Lin Xi was an Enforcer, by revealing his identity right now, even if he announced that this female beggar was someone sent by Fourth Grandpa Zhu, there might still not be anyone who believed him.
It was because just now, when the female beggar reached into his sleeves in this clamoring market, there were likely many people who saw what happened.
Towards these people, this female beggar might be someone who went crazy from hunger, which was why she dared commit this type of robbery in the fish market, but similarly, these people also clearly saw with their own eyes that it was Lin Xi who held a dagger, cutting her up to this extent.
It was because no one would believe that the instant this female beggar’s hand reached into Lin Xi’s sleeves, she would cut herself.
If it was another Enforcer, even if they were someone who consciously went against the rules and even if they had a great mountain behind them, able to calm down this matter, they still might not be able to convince the masses. Continuing to serve as an Enforcer here was extremely difficult.
The people who surrounded over suddenly scattered.
A dark faced youngster who wasn’t that much older than Lin Xi, dressed in a gambiered gauze short gown with some fish scales on it, entire body releasing a strong fishy smell walked over with a gloomy face.
There was a black carp tattoo on this youngster’s left shoulder, while on his right shoulder, there was an old sea turtle. Even though he was young, there wasn’t half a bit of tenderness to be seen from his face, only a type of toughness seen from river workers.
“Help her wrap her injuries.”
After saying this to the robust man behind him who carried a scale removing knife, this gloomy faced youngster looked at Lin Xi and said, “Are you going to lower the dagger yourself and follow us to the Enforcer Office, or do you want us to capture you and bring you to the Enforcer Office?”
“You are?” Lin Xi didn’t move, calmly asking while looking at this youngster.
“He doesn’t even recognize Young Boss Xu…” The surrounding people immediately began to release cold laughter.
Lin Xi immediately understood this dark faced youngster’s identity. “Turns out it’s Fatty Xu’s son.”
The dark faced youngster’s face frowned slightly.
Lin Xi lowered his head. He looked at the dagger in his hands and the blood on his sleeves, and then at that female beggar. With a shake of his head, he said, “Why bother?”
Without waiting for several people’s shoulder poles to smash down on him, he quietly said, “Return!”
Normal people, even if they were cultivators, might not be able to get out of this type of predicament easily.
However, Lin Xi wasn’t an ordinary cultivator. The instant Fatty Xu’s son appeared, he already thought through how he was going to have Fourth Grandpa Zhu swallow this bitter fruit instead.
…
Under a familiar change in scenery, Lin Xi returned to several minutes ago.
The boss lady who was turning the two silvers in her hands was currently ordering two workers to wrap up the Old River Lump.
He turned around, looking towards the bare upper bodied large man chopping up fish in a skillful manner, making sure that there were two Ironhead Dogfish in the pond not far behind him.
The tangled dry yellow-haired, famished looking female beggar was currently walking towards him.
Right at this time, Lin Xi suddenly took a step forward, turning around.
This female beggar’s hand had just reached out, but she discovered that because Lin Xi suddenly took a step out, there was no way she could reach Lin Xi, her body momentarily becoming rigid.
Right at this time, Lin Xi already hung his Enforcer medal at his waist. He stared directly at this female beggar, coldly shouting, “You really are brazen, actually daring to publically attack me, a Yunqin officer!”
Lin Xi’s cold shout wasn’t especially loud and clear, but everyone in the surroundings clearly stopped.
Attacking a Yunqin officer!
These words were just too shocking!
In that instant, the surroundings immediately became dead silent, only some water stirring noises echoed about.
Everyone’s eyes stopped on the cold faced Lin Xi and the slightly rigid female beggar’s body.
“Great one… this woman doesn’t know what you are saying.” The female beggar began to speak.
This youngster was a Yunqin official? The female beggar was trying to assassinate him?
Immediately, everyone felt that this was extremely absurd.
However, right at this time, Lin Xi calmly looked at this woman’s right hand. “Fourth Grandpa Zhu gave you many benefits, enough for you to dare hold a dagger and assassinate me?”
The female beggar’s entire body went rigid, her face suddenly going snow-white.
The atmosphere of the entire fish market even more so suddenly became tense.
“Reach out your two hands.”
Lin Xi looked at her hands without moving at all, slowly saying.
Everyone’s eyes concentrated on her hands.
The female beggar’s body began to tremble slightly.
The dagger in her right hand seemed to have become scalding hot, right now, she even wanted to use her dagger to cut the artery on her wrist. However, when she thought about Lin Xi’s previous words, she knew that if she did this, it would only further prove that she was sent by Fourth Grandpa Zhu.
She just couldn’t figure it out. The other party was clearly looking somewhere else, while the dagger had always been covered by her sleeves, so how did he know that she held this type of dagger?!
Knowing that if she stalled for time without saying anything, it would only make Fourth Grandpa Zhu look even worse, this woman whose back was filled with chills clenched her teeth, raised her head, and then looked at Lin Xi, saying, “Sir, your respected self is mistaken, this woman only carries this dagger to protect myself, not to stab sir. I do not know who this Fourth Grandpa Zhu is either.”
With a hong sound, the surroundings immediately rose into an uproar.
When these words sounded, even though this female beggar didn’t reach out her hand, she already proved Lin Xi’s words, stating that she had a dagger in her hands.
“In this type of broad daylight, holding a weapon while approaching me, saying that this is for self defense, I can believe you. However, this type of testimony, do you think that others will believe you?” Lin Xi pointed at many people in the surroundings. “Also, there are so many people watching here, you are treating all of them as fools, as if they are blind.”
The female beggar’s face completely paled, her body also starting to tremble again.
She was now in the same type of situation Lin Xi was just in. There were so many people watching… Just now, quite a few people already saw that she and Lin Xi were only a step apart, the scene of Lin Xi taking a step to avoid her still in their eyes. If these people alone testified that she held a dagger, then that was already conclusive proof.