Chapter 93: Chapter 86: Keep Your Head Down

His penchant for men was Lin Shou’s deepest, most shameful secret—a vulnerability he desperately tried to hide from the world, a line that must never be crossed.

Now, Madam Yang had torn it open for all to see, a bloody, public spectacle. It was as if he’d been stripped of every last shred of decency. The dam of his reason, battered by a flood of fury, shame, and panic, finally burst.

"I’ll kill you, you bitch!"

Lin Shou’s face twisted. With a beast-like roar, he leaped into the air, his right palm cutting through the air with a vicious whistle as he struck at Madam Yang, who was nestled in Chen Sheng’s arms.

He was consumed by rage, his only thought to strike down the wretched woman who had exposed his greatest secret.

Madam Yang felt a vicious gust of wind and her heart tightened. She instinctively clutched Chen Sheng’s clothes.

But faced with Lin Shou’s full-powered, rage-fueled strike, Chen Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t even shift in his seat.

Though he had not yet recovered the vital blood he’d spent to activate the Blood Evil Demon Talisman and wasn’t at his peak, the chasm between the Marrow Transformation Realm and the Bone Forging Realm was not something mere fury could bridge.

Seemingly at his leisure, he raised his left palm. Though he moved second, his hand arrived first, floating up to meet the attack.

But in the instant before their palms met, power erupted from his own. A majestic, condensed Force far superior to Lin Shou’s burst forth like a long-dormant, furious dragon!

BAM—!!!

A deep, muffled explosion rocked the study.

The moment their palms connected, Lin Shou’s expression changed drastically. He felt as if he had just struck an unmovable wall of bronze. His opponent’s pure, domineering Force surged back at him, utterly irresistible.

CRACK! A faint sound of bone splintering was heard.

"Urk... AARGH!"

Lin Shou shrieked in pain. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, smashing heavily into the massive mahogany desk behind him.

With a thunderous CRASH, the desk splintered. Wood chips and papers scattered as Lin Shou tumbled wretchedly to the floor. A sweet taste filled his throat, and he spat a mouthful of blood.

The very air in the study seemed to freeze in that moment.

Chen Sheng slowly withdrew his hand, his cold gaze looking down on Lin Shou, who was struggling and groaning on the floor.

"Pathetic."

Lin Shou clutched his chest, which had clearly caved in. It felt as if his organs had been rearranged, and a searing pain burned through him.

He struggled to raise his head, a trickle of blood snaking from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were filled with shock, rage, and a sliver of incredulous fear. He hissed, trying to sound imposing but failing miserably:

"Chen... Chen Sheng, you... you dare to strike a court official so viciously? Are you trying to rebel?!"

Hearing this, a cruel smirk touched Chen Sheng’s lips. He gently pushed Madam Yang away, rose slowly to his feet, and walked step by step toward Lin Shou. In the now-silent study, his steady footsteps sounded like the drums of death, pounding on Lin Shou’s heart.

He slowly bent down, and his large hand clamped around Lin Shou’s throat like an iron pincer. He effortlessly lifted him from the floor. Lin Shou’s feet dangled, kicking futilely as his face, starved for air, quickly turned from red to a deep purple.

Chen Sheng’s frigid eyes, filled with unconcealed contempt, bored into Lin Shou’s, which were wide with terror. His voice was low and dangerous.

"You think... I wouldn’t dare?"

"I... I am a court-appointed... seventh-rank official... If you... if you kill me... the Prefecture Government Office... will never... let you go..." Lin Shou managed to squeeze out a warning, his eyes filled with the terror of death.

"There are many ways to kill you."

"As long as I don’t do it with my own hands, who can do anything to me? Do you think you’re the only one with backing, Lin Shou? Did you really think County Captain Wu and I could stir up such a storm in Changshan County with no one watching our backs?"

He tightened his grip slightly, watching the whites of Lin Shou’s eyes show as he choked, and said, word by word:

"Usually, I show you some respect, call you Lord County Magistrate. But if I choose not to give you that respect, I can make you a dead man... anytime I please!"

The potent, undisguised killing intent in his words was like a tangible ice pick, stabbing viciously into Lin Shou’s heart.

He could feel Chen Sheng’s resolve. A chill originating from the depths of his soul instantly spread through his entire body, making him feel as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss.

BAM!

The next moment, Chen Sheng tossed Lin Shou toward a nearby bookshelf as if he were discarding a piece of trash.

Lin Shou’s body slammed into the bookshelf and then tumbled to the floor, creating a loud CLATTER as books scattered everywhere.

"COUGH, COUGH... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

Lin Shou curled up on the ground, coughing violently. Each cough sent a sharp pang of pain through his chest, bringing with it a fresh wave of fear.

He no longer dared to look up at Chen Sheng, let alone utter another word of reprimand. In the face of such absolute disparity in power and such ruthless methods, his meager official authority seemed laughably fragile.

Chen Sheng nonchalantly sat back in his chair, pulling the pale, shaken Madam Yang into his arms once more. His hand rested on her body through her clothes, his fingers then casually pinching a sensitive point. Then, his gaze fell back upon Lin Shou, who lay on the floor like a half-dead dog. His tone was calm again, but it carried an even deeper sense of oppression:

"County Magistrate Lin, I imagine... you’ve received the dispatch from the Prefecture City by now, haven’t you? What did you think of it?"

Lin Shou opened his mouth, but his throat was too dry to speak. Not a single word came out.

At the same time, an even deeper shock seized him. ’How could Chen Sheng know all this in such detail? How could he even have timed the arrival of the dispatch so perfectly?’

’Could it be... that this man’s connections and spies have already reached the highest levels of the Prefecture Government Office?’

Seeing the speechless Lin Shou, Chen Sheng continued in a placid tone:

"I don’t need to elaborate on what the Prefecture City means by this. I’m sure you understand it perfectly well. From now on, you’d better learn your place here in Changshan County. Otherwise..."