A lone man and woman, late at night, with the beauty only in her undergarments, presented an indescribable spectacle. Gan Jin could face slaughter without blanching or quickening his pulse, could leap among the blades of a dozen knives without panic, acting decisively and cleanly, possessing first-rate mental fortitude.

Yet, faced with this unforeseen, peculiar situation, as a virgin, he nearly bled from the nose right then and there, a testament to how incredibly ** it was.

Gu Yue Jiaying’s exquisitely composed face flickered with a moment of astonishment; her delicate eyebrows twitched as she glanced toward the source of the commotion outside the curtains. With a swing of her hands, she quickly pulled on her nightgown.

The white silk gown settled over her, lending a greater sense of concealed ** than when she had only worn her underthings. Her beauty was in no way diminished; it had merely transformed into a different form.

“You?” Gu Yue Jiaying stepped forward, first closing the window, then turning to face Gan Jin. “What is it?”

Gan Jin shook his head vigorously, forcefully ejecting the lingering image of Gu Yue Jiaying in her undergarments from his mind. His expression was as calm as possible as he stated, “On my way back to the Academy just now, three warriors suddenly tried to kill me. I took care of them casually.”

Beneath Gu Yue Jiaying’s composed exterior, she still couldn't entirely mask the flicker of surprise in her heart. A warrior of his age killing three others in one go, yet displaying not the slightest trace of panic or nervousness, as if recounting the most mundane event. Just how many secrets did this Gan Jin hold?

“Before I struck down the last warrior, I managed to learn that the Lucas Blacksmith Shop hired them to kill me.” Gan Jin listened to the sound of someone roughly pounding on the courtyard gate and quickened his pace. “I fear there are people watching from the shadows; returning to the school would be very troublesome. Killing people can be a major incident, or a minor one. There are people at the school who dislike me; I cannot guarantee they won't seize this opportunity to move against me. Therefore…”

“I understand,” Gu Yue Jiaying nodded lightly, stepping toward the door of the room. “Here, no one can harm you. Let’s go to the wine room and have a glass of red wine.”

Gan Jin followed Gu Yue Jiaying out the door, hearing the rough roar outside the courtyard gate: “We suspect a murderer has fled in here!”

Outside the courtyard gate, the high-pitched shouting echoed in the quiet night air. The coarse voice of the military man carried a tone of brutal arrogance and unreasonableness.

The habits of the Guardians of each city differed, and these differences also shaped their reputations within their respective locales. Some City Guardians were quite high-profile; everyone in the city knew which house belonged to the Guardian, and the City Guard, the garrison force, or any other agency would steer clear of the Guardian’s residence.

Other City Guardians were extremely low-key, disliking excessive attention, often leading many city security forces—groups meant to possess all city intelligence—to be entirely unaware of which house belonged to the Guardian.

Fabredes was one such low-key City Guardian. Unless you were the commanding general of the city garrison or someone at the pinnacle of certain industries, you wouldn't stand a chance of knowing he was the City Guardian of Oakland.

Bang! A dull, heavy thud sounded outside the courtyard, immediately followed by chaotic sounds of surprise, roars, and the friction of swords being drawn, instantly becoming the main theme in this small world.

“Dare to ambush our Captain? What are you trying to do?”

“Surround him! This person must be connected to the murderer!”

Fabredes sighed inwardly as he watched the men waving swords and blades, surrounding the entrance to his home. Being a soldier was indeed tough; occasionally skimming some profit from wealthy households was common practice, but that didn't mean they could target the City Guardian.

“I will not speak with you. Immediately send for your General to meet me,” Fabredes declared proudly, lightly turning his head to glance at the lit window of the wine room. With a casual sweep of his hand in the air before him, he scratched the dusty ground, leaving a mark as if sliced by a steel sword: “Besides your General, anyone who crosses this line, prepare your coffins.”

Dou Qi! The shouting soldiers seemed struck by a petrification spell, instantly falling into a dead silence. Someone could project their Dou Qi externally to leave a line on the ground! This... was this the legendary Demon-Slaying Warrior? Heavens! In Oakland City, apart from the City Lord, there was no known Demon-Slaying Warrior. Even the garrison general, Zhang Mubai, was rumored to only be a Ninth-Level Warrior.

Demon-Slaying Warrior? City Guardian? The military men were not brainless; in an instant, they looked up at Fabredes’ retreating figure with awe, carefully catching their breath.

“It seems you guessed correctly,” Gu Yue Jiaying poured Gan Jin a glass of red wine. “There must be someone you didn’t account for.”

Gan Jin took the wine and stood by the window, frowning slightly as he gazed out at the brightly lit street outside the courtyard. These soldiers were gathered but unwilling to disperse, their target clearly focused here; evidently, someone had passed them information.

Fabredes pushed the door open and entered the wine room. Seeing Gan Jin, he showed a trace of surprise that wasn't quite astonishment: “What’s going on?”

“Murder,” Gu Yue Jiaying poured herself a glass of red wine, holding the goblet elegantly as she looked out the window. “Someone tried to kill him.”

Gan Jin nodded but did not drink. Life in Xishan had long accustomed him to death and gore; killing three warriors in quick succession at this hour didn't require red wine to maintain composure.

Outside the window, a large man clad in armor pushed through the crowd and strode into the courtyard. Gan Jin recognized this man: the Garrison General! Though he didn't know his name, this general, with his Ninth-Level Dou Jin, was a well-known figure in Oakland. He had even given lectures at the Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors several times, speaking, walking, and acting crudely and unrestrainedly. In his lectures, he constantly cursed the Demon race, cursed the Demon race—as if he couldn't speak without swearing or couldn't show his rugged nature without cursing.

“Oakland Garrison General Zhang Mubai requests an audience with the Guardian Lord late at night.”

Outside the door of the wine room, Zhang Mubai bowed slightly in a warrior’s salute. Although his voice was boisterous, it lacked the usual casual swearing.

“What is it?” Fabredes sat, holding his wine glass, raising his eyelids only slightly, showing no intention of letting Zhang Mubai enter. “Speak.”

Zhang Mubai slightly lifted his head, sneaking a glance at Gan Jin by the window, and muttered in a rough, low voice, “Guardian Lord, a very serious case of public street murder occurred in Oakland tonight. We chased the culprit here, but they suddenly vanished…”

“I know. If I see the culprit, I will personally deliver him to the City Lord,” Fabredes waved his hand lightly. “You may go now.”

“This…” Zhang Mubai’s body stiffened, his feet refusing to move an inch. His eyes were filled with unwillingness as he stared at Gan Jin. Lucas had already sent word; the murderer was Gan Jin. If he could somehow get Gan Jin thrown into the city jail, and then arrange for an 'accidental' death for this warrior trainee who seemed to have no background, he could pocket a large sum of gold coins.