After sending off Wang De and Qi Junxiang, the county government office was left with only Su Yuan.

However, he did not rush to lock the doors and windows to find Captain Zhang for reimbursement of the large red envelopes distributed to the soldiers and constables, but waited quietly instead.

Because he knew that tonight, someone would surely be unable to sit still and would visit him under the cover of night.

As Su Yuan had expected, in less than a quarter of an hour, a graceful figure exuding a gentle fragrance appeared at the main entrance of the county government office’s hall.

It was none other than Lin Yanluo, whom he had seen at the welcoming banquet yesterday among the representatives of the four great families.

However, unlike their last meeting, Fairy Lin was dressed in extremely light clothing this time.

A nearly transparent light cyan thin gauze under the moonlight and lamplight accentuated her shapely figure to perfection.

Her delicate and beautifully sculpted features, with a blend of shyness and timidity, would soften the heart of any man who laid eyes on her.

Yet Su Yuan remained seated at the hall, unmoved, and said calmly,

"Fairy Lin, it’s so late, what brings you to the county government office?"

"This official is already off duty for the day. If you have any grievances, please come back and beat the drum to lodge your complaint early tomorrow morning."

Lin Yanluo was unfazed and spoke in a gentle tone,

"Yesterday at the welcoming banquet, when County Magistrate Su mentioned the twenty thousand Spirit Coins for supplementing the constables, I didn’t believe it."

"But upon seeing it today, I realize I have judged you with the heart of a small-minded person. You not only distributed the full twenty thousand Spirit Coins but also took an additional twenty thousand Spirit Coins from your own pocket to win over all the soldiers and officials of Dragon City County."

"Such a grand gesture truly embodies the spirit of an ancient hero."

"I couldn’t help but be moved by such grandeur and came to meet you tonight."

As she spoke, Lin Yanluo raised her doe-like innocent yet captivating eyes, filled with admiration, an expression that could have devastating effects.

Su Yuan remained unaffected and sternly said,

"If you have something to say, say it!"

Lin Yanluo bowed her slender waist, speaking with respect and apology,

"County Magistrate Su, the young members of my Lin Family and the other three great families acted recklessly today, offending you and the county government of Dragon City. They indeed deserve to be punished accordingly."

"However, they are the foundational roots of our four great families. Keeping them detained is no small matter, and causing them to miss out on their studies is even more significant."

"To quell your anger, our four families have prepared three gifts, and we hope that County Magistrate considers our sincere intentions and shows leniency."

In the end, Lin Yanluo bowed even lower.

Su Yuan displayed a hint of curiosity and asked,

"Oh? Three gifts? What exactly are they?"

Lin Yanluo’s face showed slight joy as she hurriedly retrieved two items from her Storage Jade Bracelet.

The first was a pile of glistening Spirit Coins, spilling out from the Storage Bracelet, forming a small mountain on the ground.

"County Magistrate, this first gift is one hundred thousand Spirit Coins gathered by the four great families!"

"This one hundred thousand Spirit Coins is not for the county government office, but solely for you, the County Magistrate, and I am willing to swear by my life that this will never be disclosed to anyone other than our family patriarchs."

"If anyone else learns of this, you can arrest me directly."

Su Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed, turning his gaze towards the second gift.

It was an exquisitely crafted wooden box, from which an inextinguishable fragrance of tea emanated, despite its tightly sealed lid.

Lin Yanluo introduced with a smile,

"County Magistrate, please look. This is the highest quality Spirit Tea from the ancestral fields of my Lin Family, with an extremely low annual yield of only about fifty jin."

"Consistent consumption of this tea can wash away various latent injuries in a cultivator’s meridians and spiritual power, impurities, organ damage, and other bodily hazards."

"Thus, the tea is named Mocha Tea Eight Non, symbolizing that upon drinking this tea, all eight injuries are negated."

"Moreover, because of its ink-like color, it is also called Mocha Tea Eight Non."

"This tea has a very high market price, with just one jin selling for an entire ten thousand Spirit Coins, and is quite scarce."

"Within this box is a full five jin of Mocha Tea Eight Non, which is excellent whether you drink it yourself or gift it to the upper echelons of the prefecture."

Su Yuan nodded slightly, saying with satisfaction,

"This gift is nice, unlike Spirit Coins which are so common, it is elegant." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Seeing this, Lin Yanluo’s tense heart relaxed a little.

This County Magistrate Su clearly showed signs of relenting. To think someone who seemed so materialistic would favor something as refined as Spirit Tea.

She knew now how to present gifts in the future.

"Right, you’ve only presented two gifts; where is the third?"

Su Yuan asked with a cheerful smile.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yanluo also smiled sweetly, with a hint of bashfulness, and said,

"I understand that a little material compensation alone cannot reassure you to release the heirs of the four great families."

"Which is understandable since you have just assumed office and don’t yet know the strict family traditions of our four great families. You might think our family juniors are all good-for-nothing."

"To change your impression, from today onward, I am willing to serve by your side at all times, letting you experience the decorum and dignity of a true lady of the Lin Family. Would County Magistrate Su be willing to accept me as a humble maid?"

Though her words were very proper, any adult could easily hear the other layer of meaning in Lin Yanluo’s words.

One must say, the gifts prepared by the four families were quite thoughtful: there was material wealth, refined items, and an extraordinary beauty.

Not to mention, Lin Yanluo was one of the most influential people in Dragon City County.

It was truly face, substance, and the sense of conquest all fully achieved.

Ask yourself, which official could withstand such temptation?

Lin Yanluo believed that with this combo of moves, the young Su Youlin could absolutely not handle it.

Not to mention County Magistrate Su, even the higher-ups in the prefecture would lose their composure and eagerly agree in the face of such temptation.

Everyone has desires; if some Immortal Official is not interested in any of these three gifts, are they even human?

They must be a saint!

With absolute confidence in her beauty, Lin Yanluo raised her eyes to observe the expression of the young man before her.

She saw his originally serious and arrogant gaze was now unabashedly scanning her up and down.

Just looking wasn’t enough; he walked out from behind the desk and approached her directly.

Feeling a thrill, Lin Yanluo hurriedly called out in a coquettish voice:

"Magistrate~"

As she spoke, she was about to fall towards Su Yuan, and in the next second, would land on Su Yuan’s green Seventh Grade official uniform.

But just then, Su Yuan swiftly sidestepped, moving to the side, causing Lin Yanluo to stumble and nearly fall to the ground.

She turned her head with a resentful expression, only to see Su Yuan casually grabbing a handful of Spirit Coins and throwing them at her, pelting her indiscriminately.

"Trying to bribe this official with filthy money? No way!"

"You think money can make me yield? Hmph, what I, Su Youlin, love most is seeing you rich and powerful types getting anxious!"

As he spoke, Su Yuan grabbed handful after handful of Spirit Coins and hurled them at Lin Yanluo:

"I’m not letting anyone go! Do you know how satisfying it is to refuse others? Do you know that not pocketing money and instead throwing it in someone’s face is also a kind of enjoyment?"

Lin Yanluo stood there, stunned, receiving the barrage of Spirit Coins, looking at Su Yuan as if he were a monster.

After he had showered Lin Yanluo with Spirit Coins, Su Yuan felt thoroughly pleased.

He adjusted his Copper Waistband, thinking to himself:

"This time with such selflessness, I am practically a model honest official; now the damned system shouldn’t have any issues with me."

Just as he thought this, he heard a ’ding’ from the damned system.

[As the parent official of Dragon City County, you actually use stones containing Spiritual Energy to assault and insult the citizens, such vicious means are simply shocking!]

[Rule-breaking count +1]

Su Yuan: "..."

What a damned system, it’s not even pretending anymore.

To slander me, it’s finding any excuse; looks like it wants to eat some seaweed egg drop soup!

As he was mentally complaining, Lin Yanluo spoke with a somewhat dry tone:

"County Magistrate Su, what exactly do you want?"

"Citizens have never stood against officials since ancient times, and our Lin Family truly has no intention of becoming hostile with you. Please make your demands clear."

"As long as it’s something our Four Great Families or even Dragon City County’s Cultivation Sect can fulfill, we will definitely do our utmost to meet them!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuan replied without hesitation, firmly stating:

"This official’s demand has always been just one: attack the pirates!"

"One million Spirit Coins, this official will take it, but the over three hundred detained members of the Four Great Families must serve in the military and build merits to mitigate their crimes."

"Once the pirates are defeated, they’ll naturally be released."

As he spoke, Su Yuan pointed to the Spirit Coins scattered on the ground:

"These hundred thousand Spirit Coins will remain, as the first installment for attacking the pirates. This official will notify Chief Clerk Liu to record these hundred thousand Spirit Coins in the treasury later."

Lin Yanluo opened her mouth, ended up saying nothing, just gave Su Yuan a deep look, then moved to pick up the wooden box containing Mocha Tea Eight Non, preparing to leave.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing! I never said I didn’t want this box of Spirit Tea."

Under Lin Yanluo’s look of astonishment, Su Yuan said with a smile:

"This box of Spirit Tea is a genuine local specialty of our Dragon City County. Since you represent the Lin Family in actively presenting this local specialty, how could this official refuse it?"

"This is precisely a symbol of the close relationship between officials and citizens. This official will brew a pot tonight and have a taste."

Lin Yanluo: "..."

At this moment, she almost lost all her elegance and composure that a top socialite should have, feeling an urge to punch Su Yuan to death!

Too greedy!

This damned County Magistrate is too greedy!

Openly accepting the gift, without letting anyone find any fault, and at the same time, doesn’t have to do anything, yet continues shamelessly demanding money from the rich and powerful of Dragon City County.

Is it money he’s after?

Clearly, he doesn’t care about face at all!

But reason told her she might not be able to defeat this seemingly only Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer young man in front of her.

Thus, Lin Yanluo could only silently put down the wooden box and quietly left the county government office.

Su Youlin’s difficulty had already surpassed her expectations; this was no longer an opponent she could handle.

It seems I must request the intervention of Family Patriarch Lin, Sect Leader Liuyang, and other Golden Core Ancestors!