Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

"stop!"

For the first time, Feng Niang's exclamation was tinged with genuine panic.

But the dark figure that lunged out from the hidden door was faster than her voice!

The short sword was silent, leaving only a pale trail that tore through the air, heading straight for Lin Mo's unsuspecting back.

Anyone in that situation would surely die.

But Lin Mo is not human.

He's a cheater.

Just as the tip of the sword was about to touch the skin.

Lin Mo's forward-leaning body was suddenly twisted around in mid-air.

"Um?"

The shadowy figure let out a surprised sound.

The sure-kill strike missed!

In a duel between masters, victory or defeat can be decided in the blink of an eye.

It was that moment of astonishment.

Lin Mo's hand shot out with lightning speed, grabbing the other's wrist that was holding the sword.

Then, twist it gently.

"Snap!"

A sound like bones being dislocated rang out.

"what!"

The woman cried out in pain, and the short sword in her hand clattered to the ground.

Without pausing for a moment, Lin Mo grabbed the other person's arm and twisted it, while his other hand precisely pressed down on the back of her neck.

"Thump!"

The attacker's body went limp, and Lin Mo ruthlessly pressed him to the ground, his cheek pressed firmly against the soft carpet, rendering him unable to move.

Only now did Lin Mo get a clear look at the "assassin".

It was a maid dressed in a light blue dress.

Her figure wasn't as voluptuous and alluring as Feng Niang's; instead, it resembled a female leopard poised to pounce, every muscle brimming with explosive power.

With a slim waist and long legs, she's clearly a top-notch martial artist.

At this moment, her pretty face was flushed red, not from embarrassment, but from anger.

Her neat ponytail was slightly disheveled, and her beautiful eyes were filled with surprise and resentment.

"Fengniang, your way of treating guests is truly unique."

Lin Mo looked up at Feng Niang, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Do you want me, or do you want my life?"

Fengniang had already sat up from the soft couch.

The panic on her face had long since faded, replaced by an unprecedentedly complex expression.

There was admiration, amazement, and even a hint of... lingering fear.

She straightened her disheveled cheongsam, her bare, snow-white feet stepping on the carpet as she walked step by step to Lin Mo's side.

"Young Master Lin, please show mercy."

Her voice softened, tinged with apology.

"This is my personal maid. She saw that you were rude to me and was eager to protect her mistress, so she acted impulsively. I hope you won't hold it against her."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting back and forth between Feng Niang and the struggling Qing Zhu on the ground.

"Out of a desire to protect its master?"

"I have a feeling she wants to make a hole in me?"

"It's definitely a misunderstanding!"

Fengniang quickly explained, lowering her posture even further.

"This girl is so stubborn, she's acted impulsively! Please have mercy and let her go, look at her wrist... you almost broke it."

Lin Mo glanced at Feng Niang's sincere face, and finally let go of her hand.

He doesn't want to break ties with the Crimson Phoenix Hall yet.

As soon as Qingzhu was freed, she immediately jumped up from the ground, picked up the short sword, and even wanted to fight again!

Lin Mo's brows furrowed, and his eyes instantly turned cold.

"Qingzhu, step back!"

Feng Niang gave a sharp shout, her voice carrying an undeniable authority.

Qingzhu froze, glared at Lin Mo resentfully, then sheathed her short sword and silently retreated to the corner of the wall.

Lin Mo didn't care.

He slowly picked up his coat from the ground, put it back on, as if nothing had happened.

After this commotion, the deliberately created ambiguous atmosphere in the room had completely vanished.

Fengniang knelt down again beside the low table, her seductive demeanor largely gone, replaced by a genuine seriousness in her eyes.

"Young Master Lin, just now... it was Feng Niang who was being presumptuous."

She refilled Lin Mo's cup of tea and pushed it towards him with both hands.

"I admit, I was testing you."

There was no trace of frivolity in her voice anymore.

"But your reaction was far better than I expected."

Lin Mo sneered inwardly.

If he hadn't already tasted the exquisite beauty of his family's food, he might not have been able to resist this enchantress's advances today.

But Lin Mo still wore that calm and composed smile.

"So, the probing is over, can we get down to business?"

"certainly."

Fengniang dared not continue to play tricks.

She took out a letter with the wax seal removed from a drawer under the low table and solemnly handed it to Lin Mo.

"This is the real gift I'm giving to Young Master Lin as our first meeting present."

Lin Mo took the envelope.

The envelope was eerily clean, with no recipient or signature.

He pulled out the letter, glanced at it, and his ever-present faint smile darkened.

A cold, suffocating aura emanated from him.

The contents of the letter made him feel as if a venomous snake was slowly crawling up his spine.

The document details everything that has happened to the Lin family recently.

The news of his father's and nine older brothers' deaths, the provocation and destruction of the Batian Gang, his purchase of Dingbei Prefecture, and even the Black Tiger Gang that was pacified last night...

Each and every incident was written down clearly.

Someone is monitoring the Lin family.

Lin Mo flipped to the end of the letter, but there was still no signature.

"Where did this letter come from?"

Lin Mo looked up, his tone turning somewhat cold.

Fengniang took an elegant puff of her water pipe, exhaled a lazy smoke ring, her red lips slightly upturned, and her eyes held a hint of smugness.

"My men were 'borrowed' from the prefect's residence last night."

Prefect?

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze became scrutinizing.

"Feng Niang has quite the audacity, daring to even break into the residence of a high-ranking official?"

Feng Niang seemed to have heard a joke and chuckled, the waves of her chest making one dizzy.

"Young Master Lin, you underestimate Feng Niang."

She extended her jade-like finger, painted with bright red nail polish, and gently waved it in the air.

"At the same time, you overestimate the prefect of Black Wind City."

"With what I have, I could easily make him lose his head, or even make him die a different way every day for a month without repeating himself."

Feng Niang spoke casually, but the content of her words sent chills down one's spine.

Seeing that Lin Mo still looked doubtful, Feng Niang clapped her hands gently.

"Click".

The hidden door on the side slid open silently once again.

Two maids dragged in a fat man dressed in the robes of a fourth-rank official, as if he were a dead dog.

"Thump!"

They tossed it casually, and the fat man fell heavily onto the carpet.

"Master...Master, spare me! Lady Feng, spare me!"

As soon as the fat man landed, he scrambled to Feng Niang's feet, grabbed her legs, and began to kowtow, tears streaming down his face.

Feng Niang kicked him away with a look of disgust, then looked at Lin Mo with seductive eyes and introduced him:

"Young Master Lin, let me introduce you."

"This is our Black Wind City's magistrate, Prefect Jia Ren, Lord Jia."

Lin Mo: "..."

Lin Mo fell silent.

He knew that the government of Black Wind City had long been sidelined and was practically a mere formality.

Even seeing a high-ranking official of the fourth rank in the imperial court kneeling at a woman's feet like a dog, wagging his tail and begging for mercy, still felt absurd to him.

This is not a case of being sidelined.

This is clearly being kept as a pet.

Previous prefects who came here to make some political achievements either died mysteriously or were so frightened that they resigned and fled overnight.

It seems the rumors were true.

The only ones who could survive in this godforsaken place are spineless cowards like Jia Ren.

Lin Mo walked up to Jia Ren and looked down at him.

"Lord Jia, did you write this letter?"

Jia Ren looked up and met Lin Mo's expressionless face. Remembering the fate of the more than three hundred members of the Black Tiger Gang, he shuddered and felt a warm current in his crotch.

He peed.

"Yes...it was written by me...Young Master Lin, please spare me! I was only following orders!"

Lin Mo frowned, took a step back, and avoided the smell of urine.

"As ordered."

"On whose orders? To whom is this letter addressed?"

"I...I don't know!"

Jia Ren, with a mournful face, kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead banging loudly on the carpet.