latelenovela Chapter 101 How could I have made a mistake?
Chapter 101 How could I have made a mistake?
Lin Fan cupped his hands in greeting to the wealthy Lin and said, "We misunderstood you earlier, Master Lin. It seems this matter truly has nothing to do with you. Why don't we shake hands and make peace, and have a few more drinks? Surely you won't be stingy with a few cups of wine, Master Lin?"
Upon hearing Lin Fan's words, the atmosphere between the two sides immediately eased.
Lin the wealthy man smiled slightly, "Of course, I must thank you all for ridding this old man of a scourge."
Lin Fan extended his hand to Lin the wealthy man, shaking hands to make peace. Naturally, a handshake was required. "What? Does Master Lin look down on us poor Taoists and refuse to shake hands with us?"
Lin, the wealthy man, sized up the group of people. He recognized several of them: the doctor who had prescribed medicine for him, his concubine, a hunter, and two men who looked somewhat familiar but whose names he couldn't recall. Such an odd combination couldn't possibly be a Taoist priest exorcising evil spirits.
However, Lin the Rich didn't dwell on these things. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out and grasped Lin Fan's hand.
Lin the Rich did not arrive unprepared; the men he brought were all first or second-level martial artists, and together they formed a formidable fighting force even in Baishi County.
The reason he arrived so late was that once those mechanical beings were activated, they would attack any living person. When he brought his men over, it was unclear who was attacking whom.
Moreover, although these people were his subordinates, they were not very clear about the affairs of the mechanical beings. The fewer people who knew the details of these matters, the better.
Lin the Rich also had a life-saving treasure. Unlike others, he didn't carry any amulets or consecrated Buddha statues. Those things could ward off some dangers, but they all had drawbacks.
He possesses a black relic that allows him to sense other people's emotions towards him. For example, if these people were previously resentful towards him, their anger has now subsided considerably, proving that they truly now believe in him.
This treasure is more useful than any life-saving magic weapon. It can sense other people's malicious emotions in advance, allowing Lin the rich man to escape danger countless times.
Especially this middle-aged man in front of her, although he occasionally showed a hint of malice, was mostly calm. To be honest, an ordinary poor person would be more hostile towards her than him.
He was currently the least angry with himself among the group. Therefore, Lin the Rich believed him and thought that he truly did not harbor much ill will towards him.
So he reached out and took Lin Fan's hand.
The moment Lin the wealthy man grasped Lin Fan's hand, he felt a sharp pain in his palm.
He quickly withdrew his hand.
Lin Fan looked at him with concern, "Sir, what's wrong?"
Looking at the small red dot on his palm, Lin the rich man felt a little uneasy. He was about to question Lin Fan when he suddenly found himself speechless and stared at Lin Fan with wide eyes.
Lin Fan himself didn't expect it to go so smoothly. How could he trust himself? How could he not have any means of protecting himself?
Doctor Lei's poison was truly deadly upon contact with blood; within moments, Lin the Rich was rendered speechless and collapsed.
Lin Fan reached out to help him up, and said with concern, "Sir, there's no need to go to any government office. We can settle our matter here. You gave my mother Buddhist scriptures and prayer beads before, and you also gave her a spinning machine, didn't you?"
Only then did Lin the rich man realize that the middle-aged man in front of him was actually Lin Fan. How could it be him?
With a sliver of hope for life, he subconsciously nodded in agreement.
Lin Fan laughed and said, "Then I didn't choose the wrong person. There's no way I could have chosen the wrong person from the beginning. The weaving factory works day and night, and the fine cloth from Bailin Village is of good quality and low price. You are the one who ultimately benefits from all of this. How could you not know that? What are you pretending for?"
Lin Fan might have wronged Lin Caizhu by killing him, but letting him go would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.
"Go to the yamen to turn yourself in? You make it sound so nice, but aren't you even a little bit afraid of the yamen investigating you? Is the county magistrate your sworn brother or the county lieutenant your cousin?"
Lin Fan didn't need to figure it out so clearly. He wasn't a constable handling a case, so why would he need to talk about evidence? As long as he didn't kill the wrong person, that was enough.
At this moment, the bodyguards behind Mr. Lin finally reacted and pulled out their weapons to surround Lin Fan and his group.
Lin Fan gently pushed Lin Caizhu's obese body, causing him to fall backward, his body half-stiff, a trickle of blood flowing from his mouth, his angry eyes unfocused.
Lin Fan looked disdainfully at the crowd surrounding him, not even taking out his weapon. "Are you all planning to make a move? Think it over first. Are you all capable of taking us down? Your patron is dead. If you fight so desperately, who will pay you the bounty?"
The thugs looked at each other, hesitant. They were already having second thoughts, but they didn't loosen their encirclement at all.
A voice rang out from among the guards, "Brothers, Lin Laocai is dead, aren't we free now?"
Some of these people had sold themselves to the wealthy Lin, while others had family members controlled within the Lin mansion. These words suddenly jolted them awake. If they didn't seize this opportunity to regain their freedom and escape, were they going to wait for another Master Lin to control them?
The guards exchanged glances and retreated in unison towards their respective destinations.
Lin Fan spotted a familiar figure among the guards and grabbed his shoulder. "Uncle Luo, it's so nice to see you again. By the way, have you seen Third Madam?"
Lin Luozi was startled, never expecting that he had been spotted by this guy even though he was hiding behind the guards. Wait a minute, how did he know his name was Luozi? He shouldn't have seen him before.
Lin Luozi felt the hand gripping his shoulder like an iron clamp and knew he couldn't escape. He looked at the wreckage of the mechanism on the ground and replied with a miserable smile, "Sir, isn't that Third Concubine lying on the ground?"
Lin Fan shook his head. "It wasn't him, or rather, there might be more than one person. I've touched another Ze Zhishan's hand, and it was made of flesh."
"Why did you touch her hand? Aren't you afraid her husband will be angry?" Lin Luozi glanced at the wealthy Lin on the ground. "Hmm, the aggrieved party shouldn't have any objections."
Hearing this, Lin Luozi did recall something and answered truthfully, "Before dawn, the Third Concubine did come to see the Master. Ah, now that you mention it, it is indeed a bit strange, after all, she had just left, and then we..."
Lin Fan interrupted anxiously, "Get to the point, where did she go?"
Lin Luozi shook her head. "They didn't mention that."
Lin Fan took out some silver and stuffed it into Lin Luozi's hand, "Go and ask if anyone has seen it."
Lin Luozi dared not say no, and quickly grabbed the guard who had not gone far and asked.
"Two of the brothers who were guarding the gate that morning saw the third concubine leave and head west."
Lin Fan took out a powerful pill and swallowed it, then immediately prepared to give chase.
Chen Ergou popped his head out and said, "Brother, why are you chasing her? Do you really want to take her back to be your wife? Then you and Niu Dadan will be brothers-in-law."
Doctor Lei also stepped in to stop him, saying, "Brother, your body is still not suitable for strenuous exercise. Why don't we reconsider?"
Lin Fan shook his head, his eyes resolute. "If we let her get away, none of us will ever get a good night's sleep again. We have to clean this up."
Dr. Lei wanted to persuade him further, but seeing that Lin Fan's face, which had been weak and bloodless, had suddenly become rosy, though with a few more wrinkles, he swallowed his words.
Lin Fan, carrying the mechanical beast Xiao Yi, dashed out the door like a whirlwind. He looked at the empty road; there was no one there. This wouldn't do. If she wanted to run, she couldn't possibly be on foot alone. How was he supposed to catch her?