Daily News: You promised yourself to be a fisherman, but you've become a martial arts god?

Li Nian followed the two constables to the yamen. Since the Yi family had sent people to look for them, the matter of returning home had to be postponed.

Ultimately, he was a guest of the Yi family, and it wasn't his day off yet.

At the entrance of the yamen, Constable Yi Xiao had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Li Nian approaching, he quickly stepped forward to greet her.

"Brother Li, in such a short time, you have made remarkable progress in bone training; your talent is astonishing!"

Yi Xiao's words were full of praise.

Li Nian clasped her hands in a fist and bow, and said modestly:

"Officer Yi, you flatter me. I was just lucky."

"You're too modest!"

Yi Xiao smiled and said:

"Luck and skill go hand in hand!"

"Besides, it's not just your cultivation level that's improved; your strength has also progressed rapidly!"

"I already know what happened last night. You single-handedly killed Liu Tanqi, the tenth leader of Shenyuan Village, along with three of his Blood Refining generals and dozens of elite water ghosts. You've rid Qianhu County of a great scourge!"

Li Nian remained modest and said, "Officer Yi, you flatter me. This is my duty."

"Hahaha, an ordinary person couldn't handle this task!"

Seeing that Li Nian did not take credit for herself, Yi Xiao was very satisfied.

After a brief chat, Yi Xiao got straight to the point: "You have performed a great service, and the county magistrate is very pleased. He is already waiting for you in the main hall. Please come with me."

"Thank you for your help!"

Li Nian clasped her hands in a fist salute.

Then, following Yi Xiao into the yamen, we walked through several flower corridors and waterways. The courtyard was clear and quiet, with duckweed floating gently. Under the setting sun, we suddenly saw fish darting around, shattering the evening scene on the pond.

Upon seeing Yi Xiao, the servants all bowed and made way for him, while curiously observing the unfamiliar Li Nian.

From the eyes of these servants, Li Nian could tell that they were unaware of what he had done the previous night, and he thought to himself that the Yi family did a good job of keeping secrets.

Before long, a large courtyard came into view.

The courtyard is extremely deep, with crisscrossing bluestone paths and pavilions scattered throughout. The main hall is majestic and grand, with exquisitely carved beams and pillars, exuding solemnity and displaying the majesty of a prestigious family.

The plaque bears the two golden characters "Yi Fu".

Behind the courtyard is the main hall.

The Yi family mansion is located within the yamen (government office), but this area is not yamen territory.

Li Nian was not surprised to be brought to the Yi residence rather than the main hall of the government office, probably because he was a guest of the Yi family, not a government official.

Upon reaching the entrance of the main hall, one finds it spacious and bright, with soaring beams and an imposing ceiling. Bright windows allow ample natural light to filter through, and the tables and desks are arranged in an orderly fashion, displaying antique treasures and exuding an air of elegance and luxury.

At the head of the central table, there is a vermilion lacquered wooden tray.

On the plate was a human head with clenched teeth and a ferocious expression.

The lacerations on the neck below the head were horrifying.

These are the seven heads of Liu Tan!

Behind the head was an incense burner with three sticks of incense sticks inserted in it, as if the head was being used to worship someone.

Li Nian recalled that Liu Tanqi was involved in Yi Linchuan's death on Crescent Moon Island, and it must have been Liu Tanqi's head that was used to pay tribute to Yi Linchuan!

In the blink of an eye.

Standing in the center of the hall was a beautiful woman, about thirty-five or thirty-six years old. Her features were gentle and serene, her appearance elegant and graceful, and she possessed the composure of a matriarch of a noble family.

She wore a brocade robe, her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with a jade hairpin with tassels hanging lightly over her shoulders, her skin was as smooth as jade, and her posture was elegant and dignified.

The fabric of her dress clung tightly to her chest, her breasts seemingly bursting forth, while beneath the hem of her skirt, the outline of two shapely and slender legs was faintly visible.

She is both dignified and charming.

Li Nian was somewhat lost in thought.

This person's appearance is comparable to that of his sister-in-law Zhao Lijuan and his master Liu Qinyun.

Unlike the conservative Zhao Lijuan and the unrestrained Liu Qinyun, the woman in front of him was dignified and charming, like a ripe peach on a branch, tempting one to pick it.

"Brother Li, please wait here for a moment while I go in and inform them."

Yi Xiao gestured for Li Nian to stay outside the door, and then went into the hall alone.

"Master, Li Nian has arrived."

"Bring him in."

The beautiful woman nodded.

Yi Xiao turned and walked towards Li Nian, gently reminding him, "Brother Li, this is Yi Shurao, the head of my Yi family and the county magistrate."

The head of the Yi family, who also serves as the county magistrate, is a beautiful woman!

A deep look of surprise flashed in Li Nian's eyes.

He did not have a detailed understanding of the head of the Yi family or the county magistrate.

I've only heard that these two identities belong to the same person.

I thought it would be a man, but it turned out to be such a beautiful woman!

Not daring to think too much, he followed Yi Xiao into the hall.

Yi Shurao slightly raised her beautiful eyes, gazing at him with an elegant and leisurely air. A smile curved her bright red lips, and she said with a gentle curve of her eyebrows:

"You're Li Nian, the patrol officer of Team C on Crescent Moon Island?"

"My name is Li Nian, and I greet the family head."

Li Nian clasped his hands and bowed respectfully, not daring to be negligent.

"No need for such formalities."

Yi Shurao gently raised her slender arm and walked around Li Nian.

During this time, she used her slender, white index finger, like a scallion root, to lift his clothes while speaking in a seductive tone:

"Indeed, he is handsome and talented, and at such a young age he has already entered the Bone Refining stage. How many young girls and women must fall for him."

"You flatter me, Master."

Li Nianxin was as still as water.

A hint of surprise flashed in Yi Shurao's beautiful eyes. Few men could resist such teasing. She nodded secretly, admiring the young man's composure in the face of temptation.

Can it withstand it?

Putting aside her past life, after transmigrating here, she's been facing her stunningly beautiful sister-in-law every day, so she's developed a strong resistance to such things.

Seeing that Li Nian was not tempted by her beauty, Yi Shurao stopped teasing her, strolled back to the chair and sat down, saying:

"Don't be shy. Your master and I are very close, like sisters. She was with me last night."

"You're ranked sixth in the martial arts school, so I'll call you Little Six."

"If you wish, you may call me... Yi Niang."

Li Nian hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said:

"Little Six greets Lady Yi!"

The Blood Pill that his master Liu Qinyun gave him that day was obtained from refining pills for the Yi family, which shows that his master and Yi Shurao had a good relationship.

The saying goes, "A teacher for a day is a father for life." Liu Qinyun is a woman and considers herself a mother. It is reasonable for her mother's closest friend to be called "Niang" (娘, meaning mother).

Since Yi Shurao had already put it that way, she went along with it.

"Good boy."

Yi Shurao nodded in satisfaction.

For some reason, a charming blush appeared on her delicate face.

After a short while, Yi Shurao regained her composure and dignified demeanor and said:

"Xiao Liu, during this escort mission to Zening Prefecture, we encountered bandits from Shenyuan Village. Not only did you protect Jieyi and Mingxi, but you also killed Liu Tanqi, the vicious bandit who stained the blood of my people and colleagues in the yamen. Furthermore, you killed three of his blood-training bandits and dozens of elite water ghosts. Your merits are as bright as the sun and moon!"

"I will reward the Yi family and the government with double the amount!"

After speaking, Yi Shurao looked at Yi Xiao and said, "Yi Xiao!"

"Understood!"

Yi Xiao clasped his hands in a solemn gesture.

Immediately afterwards, two maids carrying red cloth trays were brought into the main hall from a side room.

The red cloth was lifted, revealing a tray overflowing with gleaming silver.

Ten taels per ingot, fifty ingots in total, five hundred taels of silver!

Yi Shurao picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said:

"The wanted poster for Liu Tanqi in the yamen costs 150 taels of silver, so two posters would cost 300 taels of silver."

"Lu Chong, Wei Suo, and Hu Sanniang each received thirty taels, totaling one hundred and eighty taels."

"The remaining twenty taels are the spoils of war that you asked Yui to sell."