Chapter 115: Chapter 39: What Big Talk
The main hall of Linfeng Hall was spacious and bright.
In the most central position of the hall, there was a large chair. Behind the large chair, a piece of calligraphy was displayed, with a simple "Martial" character written in powerful and lively brushstrokes, filled with a stern and efficient aura.
Beneath the large chair, swords, spears, sabers, halberds, and other weapons from the eighteen categories were lined up behind the four chairs on each side, radiating a cold light.
At this moment, all four chairs were occupied, and the one at the head was a woman.
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She was dressed in plain white casual clothes, which made her especially eye-catching.
"What wind has blown Team Leader Wang here today?" Li Linfeng's hearty laughter came from outside the door.
Soon, he entered the main hall, flanked by Ouyang Tiezhu and four other disciples.
Everyone sitting on the chairs stood up, greeted him with their hands clasped together in a fist.
Wang Yanjun, who was at the forefront, spoke, "It concerns the peace of Taiping County; I had to bother Master Li."
Li Linfeng glanced at this female team leader from the Guardian Martial Department.
Her stature was outstanding, her back straight, exuding a vigorous heroic spirit.
The exquisite id card hanging at her waist highlighted her official status, and with the Treasure Sword and ropes she was carrying, she seemed like someone not to be trifled with.
In the current times, Great Zhou did not forbid women from learning Martial Arts.
However, inherently, women have weaker physical constitutions than men, and with childbirth and monthly menstruation, they are prone to Qi-Blood deficiency.
It isn't easy for them to excel.
This Wang Yanjun was born into the Wang Family and belonged to the same main house as Boss Wang of the county town. At a young age, she had already developed impressive skills.
Somehow she managed to enter the Guardian Martial Department of the imperial court.
In just a few short years, using the court's Martial Arts resources, she had cultivated to the Qi Cultivation Realm.
In Taiping County, she was a remarkable figure.
Li Linfeng retracted his gaze and sat in the master's seat, saying, "May I know what exactly Team Leader Wang is referring to?"
Wang Yanjun, with two big principles to her name, spoke indifferently, "Has Master Li heard about the tiger demon incident in Shicheng Mountain?"
"I've heard a thing or two," Li Linfeng said as he picked up a cup of tea that the maids had brought in. "What's the situation now?"
Wang Yanjun's eyes, deep and luminous, stated matter-of-factly, "Not to keep Master Li in the dark, according to reports from below, about a dozen hunting villages near Shicheng Mountain have all fallen prey to it, with nearly a thousand dead or injured. Basically, the area around the base of Shicheng Mountain has become uninhabited."
"This..." Li Linfeng knew the ferocious tiger was not easy to deal with, but he had not expected it to be this troublesome.
Wang Yanjun looked at Li Linfeng with solemnity and said, "If we allow this demon tiger to keep growing unchecked, the entire Taiping County could be facing a great disaster. As we have suffered heavy losses in our multiple encirclements, we've come specifically to ask for Master Li's help in deploying some people to assist us in eliminating this calamity."
Li Linfeng asked, "Is this the County Magistrate's wish?"
Wang Yanjun nodded and said, "We have already notified the Shen Shou Sect, Blood Gang, and Feiying Pavilion. Everyone is well aware of the urgency and is willing to lend a hand. Now, we are only waiting for Master Li to make a statement."
Between her words, Wang Yanjun's lips slightly turned up, with a subtle, barely noticeable smile.
Li Linfeng gestured to the maids beside him and said, "Don't just stand there; go and refill the tea for the officers."
The two maids, nervous and fearful, quickly bowed their heads and cautiously went to refill the tea and pour water for Wang Yanjun and the other officials and officers of the Guardian Martial Department.
The imposing aura Wang Yanjun had managed to gather was easily disrupted by the maids' actions.
Her brows furrowed, feeling somewhat dissatisfied within.
However, this dissatisfaction quickly disappeared and wasn't shown.
Li Linfeng sincerely said, "Since the County Magistrate has spoken, we, as citizens under the rule of Great Zhou, should indeed support. But there is one thing I find quite strange, it's just a fierce tiger, why has it come to this point?"
Before Wang Yanjun could speak, an officer from the Guardian Martial Department standing beside her stood up, clasped his hands and said, "Hall Master is unaware; we're not exaggerating. This fierce tiger is not an ordinary one, but a true demon tiger."
"This tiger can speak human language, understands human nature, and can even command ghosts and demons. It's utterly inconceivable, I have never seen such a creature in all my years. It is precisely for this reason that we've been unable to defeat it and have come to seek assistance from everyone."
"There's such a thing?" Li Linfeng was quite astonished.
Wang Yanjun nodded and said, "The matter is too peculiar, the County Magistrate is concerned about causing unnecessary disturbances and has sealed off the news, only saying it's a fierce tiger. It's normal that Master Li does not know."
Li Linfeng's face still wore a look of disbelief; the concept of a beast able to speak human language turned his understanding upside down.
"If I hadn't heard it from you, I would suspect this to be a tale from a storybook."
An officer from the Guardian Martial Department sitting in a chair said solemnly, "Getting back to the point, how many people is Master Li willing to support us with this time?"
Li Linfeng, realizing the serious matter at hand, instantly became fully alert.
The Guardian Martial Department came this time with a formidable momentum, determined not to stop until they achieved their goal.
Moreover, he didn't have much of a relationship with the current County Magistrate, so there was no possibility of any reward for doing this task for the officials.
After pondering for a long time, he said, "I can offer three Disciples from the inner courtyard, ten from the Outer Court, plus one Direct Disciple to work with you, how about that?"
Although there weren't many Disciples in Linfeng Hall, years of operation had built up quite a foundation.
If given enough benefits, they could still summon quite a number of people.
It all depended on how much benefit was offered.
"Not enough, too few," said Wang Yanjun with an indifferent expression.
"Then how many does Team Leader Wang want?" Li Linfeng asked, his tone becoming much colder and quite confrontational.
"I want four of your Direct Disciples, ten from the Inner Court, and thirty from the Outer Court," she said.
Whoosh!
Li Linfeng suddenly stood up: "Team Leader Wang really has a big appetite, are you joking with me?"
Currently, he had only four Direct Disciples announced to the public, and she wanted to conscript all of them.
Not just that, but she also wanted ten Inner Court Disciples and thirty Outer Court Disciples.
These Inner and Outer Court Disciples were those who paid to learn Martial Arts, and at most had a master-disciple relation with him.
If he needed to inconvenience them, he had to offer substantial benefits.
Either waive tuition and medicine fees, or more directly, pay money.
Based on the numbers Wang Yanjun mentioned, he would need at least one to two thousand taels of Silver as a base, and that's not even the limit.
If there were any accidents, it would be his many years of accumulated resources that were depleted.
Taiping County was not a place of good will; if he appeared weak, other gangs and Martial Arts Halls would surely have designs on him.
Wang Yanjun's demands were nothing short of excessive.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.
Wang Yanjun from the Guardian Martial Department appeared to have anticipated this, she held her sword scabbard, pushing it with her thumb to reveal a section of the silver blade, smiling as she said, "I am not joking with Master Li. If Master Li prefers not to do so, then perhaps Master Li himself would be willing to take action. With Master Li joining, our chances of defeating the tiger will surely increase. What does Master Li think?"