"You think you're something special?"

Lin Yi’s tone was calm, his gaze faint as he looked at Zhu Changyu.

The old Lin Yi would have bowed and expressed his gratitude for Zhu Changyu’s intervention. After all, Zhu had helped him pull strings and even lent money to Su Huaizhi so he could secure a job at the county office.

But now?

Lin Yi saw through Zhu Changyu’s schemes at a glance.

He suspected Zhu had orchestrated everything—from pulling strings to lending money—just to set him up. It wasn’t a coincidence that Lin Yi had been arrested to take the fall.

"What did you say?" Zhu Changyu snapped his folding fan shut, his face darkening as he glared at Lin Yi. "Say that again if you dare! Believe me, I’ll have your head delivered to the county office with a single letter."

Lin Yi chuckled softly.

"I don’t believe you."

"You…"

Zhu Changyu’s face twisted in rage, disbelief flashing in his eyes at Lin Yi’s sudden defiance. “Good, very good! You’ve successfully infuriated me.” He signaled to the men blocking Lin Yi’s path.

The burly henchmen nodded and stepped forward. Their heavily muscled frames suggested they practiced crude martial arts—mere physical techniques for strength and stamina, scorned by scholars of the literary path.

But Lin Yi remained untroubled.

As a ninth-rank scholar of the literary path, he was far beyond the realm of ordinary mortals. These men weren’t even in the same league. No matter how many came, they’d be no match for him.

Lin Yi was about to make his move when Su Huaizhi panicked and pleaded, "Young Master Zhu, Lin Yi is just a child! Please, don’t take offense. He didn’t steal anything—the magistrate must have made a mistake!"

"A mistake?" Zhu Changyu sneered. "There’s no mistake in this case!"

He strode toward Lin Yi, tapping his folded fan against his palm with a mocking, cat-and-mouse demeanor.

Lin Yi stared back at him; his expression as serene as still water.

Leaning close to Lin Yi’s ear, Zhu Changyu whispered, "Did you know? You and your father are nothing more than pawns in my game."

Lin Yi frowned. "What do you mean?"

So, his suspicions were correct—his job at the county office had been orchestrated by the Zhu family. But what was their goal?

Zhu Changyu smirked, his voice dripping with disdain. "Oh, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. But surely, you’ve realized by now? Even driving your father away was my idea. Ha ha ha!"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Seeing Zhu laugh, his lackeys followed suit, their laughter ringing out in chorus.

Lin Yi couldn’t help but laugh too.

Then—his palm, charged with his literary qi, struck Zhu Changyu’s face with a resounding slap.

Smack!

The crisp sound echoed through the air. Zhu Changyu’s head snapped to the side, a tooth flying out along with a spurt of blood. His entire body was sent sprawling to the ground.

Thud!

Silence.

The crowd froze, their laughter stuck on their faces as they stared at the scene in stunned disbelief.

What just happened?

"You’re dead!"

"How dare you strike Young Master Zhu? Break him!"

"Get him!"

The hulking brutes snapped out of their shock, their anger erupting as they charged at Lin Yi.

Su Huaizhi was paralyzed with fear at the sight.

But Lin Yi remained composed. His reflexes, enhanced by his awakened literary heart, were leagues ahead of his opponents. Their moves were laughably slow, full of openings. Even without fully harnessing his literary arts, his literary qi alone was more than enough.

Bang!

Bang!

Sidestepping effortlessly, Lin Yi countered with two swift punches. Two of the brutes staggered back, their eyes bulging in pain.

An elbow strike.

A low kick.

Four men flew backward, collapsing to the ground with agonized groans.

"Is that all?"

Lin Yi dusted off his hands, his face full of disdain.

In his previous life, he’d dabbled in amateur kickboxing. With the augmentation of literary qi, which felt akin to the inner energy of martial arts fiction, he was unstoppable.

These gym-bro types? All brawn, no bite.

"Under the literary path, all are ants."

It wasn’t just a saying.

Su Huaizhi stared at Lin Yi in awe, unable to believe what he’d just witnessed. He knew Lin Yi had awakened his literary heart, but this… this was another level! Could he have reached the ninth rank already?

Buzz!

Su Huaizhi’s face turned red with excitement, his body trembling.

The merchants and onlookers, equally stunned, began to tremble as well. They recalled how they’d treated Su Huaizhi earlier and feared retribution.

From afar, Chen Jinbei observed the scene but chose not to intervene. This was a trivial matter, unworthy of his involvement. Still, he found himself surprised.

Hadn’t Lin Yi said these people treated his family well? Looks like he was finally seeing their true colors.

As the saying goes: “You may know a man’s face, but not his heart.”

This incident would surely teach Lin Yi a valuable lesson.

Zhu Changyu, regaining his senses, glared at Lin Yi. "You’re dead! Do you know who my brother is? Zhu Liren of Junji Academy, an eighth-rank scholar of the literary path! He’s in town right now. Ten of you wouldn’t be enough to save yourself!"

Lin Yi looked down at him, smiling faintly. "Eighth rank? Impressive. You’ve scared me."

Then he stepped forward and pressed his foot against Zhu Changyu’s chest.

"Last person who threatened me like this? That would be the county office’s secretary, Zhang Shengcai. His corpse isn’t even cold yet."

"You… what?" Zhu Changyu’s eyes widened in shock. "He’s dead? But… that Dao technique…!"

Realizing he’d said too much, Zhu clamped his mouth shut, his face turning pale.

A fragrant aroma emanated from Lin Yi’s body, causing Zhu Changyu’s expression to shift. "You… you’ve awakened the literary heart?"

Jealousy and fear flickered across Zhu’s face.

Lin Yi didn’t answer. Instead, he stared coldly into Zhu’s eyes. "Dao technique? So, you did conspire to frame me at the county office."

Zhu Changyu’s face contorted in panic. He dared not admit it. Involvement in forbidden Dao techniques was an unforgivable crime, defying the will of the Sage Academy.

Even his brother Zhu Liren couldn’t protect their family from annihilation if this came to light.

"You won’t admit it? Fine. Your Zhu family… is finished."

Lin Yi hoisted Zhu Changyu off the ground effortlessly.

"Let me go! My brother will be here any second! Even with your literary heart, he’s an eighth rank! Killing you is as easy as crushing an ant!"

"Oh, really?" Lin Yi smiled, his eyes narrowing.

It seemed Zhu Liren, too, was tied to the county office’s forbidden Dao techniques.

And if he was coming…

Then Lin Yi would simply catch them all in one fell swoop.