The King of Urban Mercenaries

Lin Fei arrived at the City Lord Mansion; despite its modest surroundings, the Mansion itself exuded grandeur. Inside, it was resplendent in gold—the place was clearly gilded!

This was not just the effect of sunlight, but genuine gold plating. Lin Fei could see it immediately, which left him astonished.

"It seems this City Lord has amassed quite a bit of wealth at the expense of the people!" Lin Fei remarked.

For someone like Lin Fei, with a background as a mercenary, such opulent palaces were utterly useless—they served no purpose here. If dynasties changed, wouldn’t it all crumble?

Although Lin Fei didn’t quite understand, he wouldn’t stop others from appreciating such splendor; it was a matter of differing perspectives. Just like how some believe apples should be eaten fresh, while others think they should be stored to make wine—the difference in outlook is evident.

Wine and raisins are different indeed, but each has its own appeal.

Soon, the City Lord didn’t keep Lin Fei waiting for long and arrived at the grand hall.

Lin Fei gazed at this burly and imposing figure, whose hair emanated a domineering aura. A City Lord with such presence was certainly no ordinary person!

"Who is down below? State your name!" The City Lord, sitting on his golden chair, asked Lin Fei for his name.

Showing great respect, Lin Fei clasped his hands toward the City Lord and said, "My name is Lin Fei, City Lord. I wonder why you summoned me here?"

Upon hearing Lin Fei’s words and noticing the mark on his forehead, the City Lord raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you from the Lower Realm?"

Lin Fei was momentarily stunned but quickly responded, "Exactly!"

"Hehe, people from the Lower Realm are rare, like phoenix feathers and dragon scales. Moreover, you’ve come to the Upper Realm and even stolen my son’s knife! What crime does that warrant?" The City Lord suddenly said coldly, his tone filled with murderous intent!

Lin Fei was taken aback, confused by the City Lord’s words. Why would he accuse him of stealing his son’s knife? The knife on his back seemed to be something he picked up!

"City Lord, I think you might be mistaken. I haven’t stolen anyone’s knife. If you’re referring to the knife on my back, I found it in the Demon Beast Forest. I really don’t know anything else!" Lin Fei explained.

"Are you telling the truth? What about He Zhengming?!" The City Lord queried.

Lin Fei furrowed his brow, "I picked this up in the Demon Beast Forest. As for proof, no one saw me at the time, so I truly have nothing to offer as evidence."

"You have no proof... How can you prove you’re telling the truth? And someone from the Lower Realm, your words are really not so credible." The City Lord said.

"City Lord, if you doubt me, you can follow me to the place where I found the knife, and then you’ll understand I’m not lying!" Lin Fei offered, though he felt his explanation was quite weak.

Sure enough, the City Lord shook his head, "Young man, killing my son demands a price—you must have considered this, right?"

Upon hearing these words, Lin Fei was quite speechless, "City Lord, what I’m saying is true. Please don’t randomly accuse me of a crime, or I might accuse you of slander."

"What? Accuse me of what? Slander?" The City Lord found it ridiculous that a mere commoner dared to accuse him; he truly doubted whether he had heard wrong.

"Indeed, according to the law, accusing someone without evidence is a punishable offense!" Lin Fei stated.

"Hehe, young man, this is your Lower Realm law, isn’t it? Unfortunately, in the Upper Realm, the strong are revered, and there are no laws, so what you say doesn’t exist here." The City Lord explained, though his eyes were already brimming with murderous intent.

Lin Fei smiled, "Does the City Lord intend to kill me?"

"Why not? Can’t I kill you?" The City Lord found it amusing that a mere commoner spoke with such confidence, leaving him quite speechless.

"You can’t, because if you kill me, would you still have other clues to find your child?"

Upon hearing Lin Fei’s remark, the City Lord furrowed his brow, "Will you reveal them?"

"Certainly, but on the condition that you let me go. Otherwise, how can I be sure you’re being truthful?" Lin Fei replied.

"Hehe, you Lower Realm people, you’re utterly despicable! Father, don’t trust him; this youngster is surely the murderer of my brother, you absolutely cannot let him go!"

A youthful voice sounded, and Lin Fei looked over to find a teenager, appearing about fifteen or sixteen years old. As he approached Lin Fei, he spoke, "Father, can you really trust someone from the Lower Realm?"

Upon hearing the child’s words, the City Lord nodded, "I understand, but Wang Mang, you should leave now and not delay my official duties in the hall."

"Father, please let me finish. Don’t be deceived by this Lower Realm worm!" The City Lord’s son urged.

"Alright, alright, you should go now!" The City Lord instructed.

In the end, Wang Mang left as he knew that if his father became angry, the consequences would be dire.

Standing in the grand hall, Lin Fei watched Wang Mang depart and then spoke, "City Lord, if you don’t believe me, I have nothing more to say. But if your son died, would you really drag me down with him? That’d be truly pitiful."

"Pitiful? Pitiful how? What do you mean by that?" The City Lord asked.

Lin Fei smiled, "Don’t you think killing an innocent person instead of avenging your son—leaving the real criminals free—would be more pitiful? Letting someone innocent be buried while the real culprits remain at large is truly pitiful for your son."

Upon hearing Lin Fei’s words, the City Lord’s brows furrowed, "You claim I’m accusing you falsely, but do you have anything to prove your innocence? Otherwise, what you say is just useless talk."

The City Lord’s words weren’t entirely unreasonable, but he was too quick to judge Lin Fei, who though held no regard for the City Lord, knew he had to clear up the misunderstanding to avoid leaving a blemish on his record.

Besides, Lin Fei certainly didn’t want to wear the label of a murderer.

"Fine, I’ll provide proof, but not here. It has to be in a place where no aura can leak—because I want to show you something," Lin Fei offered.

Upon hearing Lin Fei, the City Lord was visibly surprised and, after some consideration, nodded, "Follow me; I’ll take you to a place where the aura shouldn’t leak."

Lin Fei followed the City Lord, walked into the distance, and soon arrived at an inner chamber.