The final trick to turn the tables failed, which meant that Zhao Shuanghe had no chance of winning this battle.

His face was pale, and he tried hard to get up from the ground. However, just as he stood up, a foot stepped on his head and exerted sudden force, nailing his head to the ground.

"Times have changed, Lao Deng. Now it's not popular to charge and attack, but to start with zero frame."

The owner of the foot continued mocking him. Even though Zhao Shuanghe didn't understand what he was saying, he felt an unprecedented humiliation in his heart.

Zhao Shuanghe's eyes suddenly turned red. Tears poured out uncontrollably, and sobbing sounds grew louder and louder.

Zhao Shuanghe cried. This man in his forties cried like a little child being bullied by adults.

Even at his son's funeral, he had never cried so bitterly.

Shame, so shameful!

Zhao Shuanghe realized his own disgraceful behavior. He wanted to stop himself from crying, but he couldn't.

I feel so depressed!

Why, why was he being abused and beaten so wantonly by a little devil?

"He's actually crying?" In the sky, Lin Yujing looked down at the scene with a slightly stunned expression.

Zhao Shuanghe's crying was so loud that she could hear it clearly, even from high above.

In Lin Yujing's opinion, Zhao Shuanghe was a ruthless and cunning man, an enemy she had thought would take years of planning to defeat.

And yet, such an enemy was actually beaten to tears by Chen Zhou?!

No, perhaps he was crying because Chen Zhou's words were too venomous.

It was like honey, launching psychological attacks on Zhao Shuanghe in waves...

If she were in Zhao Shuanghe's shoes, she might have lost her mind completely after hearing what Chen Zhou said.

Through Chen Zhou, Lin Yujing realized for the first time that language is also a kind of power.

It can affect an opponent's mentality in battle, making it impossible for them to fight at full strength, thus laying the foundation for victory.

In the future, she would have to learn the art of speaking from Chen Zhou. After all, it was a science in itself.

"Tsk, a grown man crying so hard—you've really opened my eyes..."

Chen Zhou frowned. What he hated most was hearing people cry.

Even the crying of a woman or a child was enough to upset him, let alone an old man crying there.

Even the cowardly Zhao Jing hadn't cried when his leg was broken.

I thought my son was useless enough, but I didn't expect his father to be even more useless!

Chen Zhou pinched his brows and looked up at Lin Yujing in the air again.

"Master Lin, this is your last chance. Do you have anything else to say to our county magistrate?"

Lin Yujing shook her head indifferently.

"Very well, I really can't listen to this anymore."

Chen Zhou raised his right hand, electric arcs lingering on his fingertips.

The electronic hum of death rang in Zhao Shuanghe's ears, and a suffocating despair surged into his heart.

He held back his tears, stretched out his hand, tried to grab Chen Zhou's foot that was pressing his head, and begged for mercy:

"Young man, please spare my life. I know I was wrong..."

At this moment, he became like his son, begging for mercy in the last moments of his life.

"No, you just know you're going to die."

Chen Zhou recited this classic line and pointed a finger at Zhao Shuanghe's forehead.

He would deliver the same punishment Zhao Shuanghe had ordered before.

However, Zhao Shuanghe obviously did not have as strong a defense as Chen Zhou. In just a moment, the electric arc pierced through his head.

[Kill the evil magistrate of the third realm, good deeds +1000]

The reminder of "Record of Merits" appeared in Chen Zhou's mind. The local emperor of Changqing County had truly given him a massive reward in one go.

One thousand!

Just from the value of this good deed, it was clear how many sins Zhao Shuanghe had committed!

You know, the cat demon with the highest good deeds value in the past only had over 200!

That cat demon must have eaten countless people, yet its good deeds value was five times lower than Zhao Shuanghe's!

Chen Zhou let out a breath and calmed himself. This act of kindness truly shocked him.

At this time, Lin Yujing descended from the sky. She approached Chen Zhou, glancing down at Zhao Shuanghe's lifeless body, and whispered, "Thank you, Chen Zhou."

The past two days felt like a dream to Lin Yujing. She had been prepared to dedicate her entire life to seeking revenge. Yet, in the blink of an eye, her enemy had been defeated.

Beyond the elation of achieving vengeance, Lin Yujing felt a peculiar emptiness—a sense of disorientation.

“It was just mutual benefit and assistance,” Chen Zhou replied, waving off her gratitude nonchalantly. For him, this was merely part of an agreement. He had nothing to lose.

Lin Yujing shook her head, trying to dismiss the void in her heart. A faint smile appeared on her face as she said, "I expected you to reduce Zhao Shuanghe to a pile of charcoal with your electricity, but you left his body surprisingly intact."

Zhao Shuanghe's body, except for the small hole in his head caused by Chen Zhou's attack and the arm he had severed himself, was mostly unharmed.

Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow. "Am I such a cruel person in your eyes?" he countered. With a sigh, he added, "It’s not that I didn’t want to; I just thought I’d leave that opportunity for others."

"Others?" Lin Yujing asked, puzzled.

"Yes, others. Like you," Chen Zhou said plainly.

"Me? I'm not interested in desecrating corpses," Lin Yujing retorted, shaking her head.

"You may not be, but others might," Chen Zhou replied with a slight smirk.

"Others?" Lin Yujing still seemed unsure of what Chen Zhou meant. Before she could press further, Chen Zhou's gaze shifted to a flowerbed at the corner of the courtyard.

Behind the flowerbed, a trembling figure cowered—a middle-aged man, the county magistrate of Changqing County, Shang Wenshu.

"Stop hiding. Come out," Chen Zhou said firmly. "It must be exhausting sticking your butt out like that."

Reluctantly, Shang Wenshu emerged, trembling all over. He had concealed himself before Zhao Shuanghe's attack began, which allowed him to survive amidst the chaos.

Chen Zhou stared at him and asked, "You’re an official, aren’t you?"

The experience of eliminating Zhao Shuanghe had shown Chen Zhou that killing officials tended to bring higher rewards in terms of good deeds. The greater their sins, the greater the merit gained from ending them.

Feeling like prey under the gaze of a tiger, Shang Wenshu collapsed to his knees and sobbed. "Young Master Chen, please spare my life! Although I am the county magistrate, I’m not like Zhao Shuanghe! Master Lin, surely you wouldn't kill me—heroes don’t act this way!"

Lin Yujing internally disagreed with being called a hero, but she chose to speak up. "Chen Zhou, spare him. He’s been a spy for me within the government office."

So that explained it. It was thanks to Shang Wenshu's undercover work that Lin Yujing had access to such detailed intelligence. Becoming the second-in-command of the office required significant skill, after all.

Chen Zhou looked away, no longer focused on Shang Wenshu.

Feeling the pressure lift, Shang Wenshu exhaled deeply, his courage slightly restored. "You two should leave immediately," he advised nervously. "Killing the county magistrate is a grave crime—treason! The entire clan will be executed!"

Chen Zhou, unfazed, replied calmly, "Then let them execute me. I’m the only one in my household registry. If one person is full, the whole family won’t go hungry."

Lin Yujing couldn’t fully understand his modern phrasing but grasped the meaning and nodded in agreement. "Yes, just execute him. My family won’t have any objections either."

After all, her family had been gone for over a decade.

Shang Wenshu was speechless. They were both orphans? How could they both be so indifferent to the consequences?

Without addressing Shang Wenshu’s internal despair, Chen Zhou bent down to pick up Zhao Shuanghe's body. Then he walked over to the overturned coffin and retrieved Zhao Jing’s corpse.

Carrying a body in each hand, Chen Zhou strode out of the county magistrate's office.

"Where are you going?" Lin Yujing asked in confusion.

"Caishikou," Chen Zhou replied. He had promised Zhao Shuanghe that he would display the bodies of the father and son on the streets, and he intended to keep his word.