21-27

Chapter 21: Took a Look

Only when he could no longer see that young girl's back view, no longer see her covered in wind and snow, did Chen Chao raise his eyebrows and lowered his head. Looking at his boots, he rubbed them at the doorway and took another look at the end of the alley before turning around, wanting to return to his own courtyard.

It was just that when he was turning around, the man who had been sitting opposite on the doorstep the entire time suddenly smiled and said, "Kid, in the end, you failed to keep such a beautiful wife? I said it a long time ago, a tiny household like yours can't keep her. The old saying is right, there are three treasures in the world: an ugly wife, barren land, and a tattered cotton coat. That wife was too pretty. Marrying her will be trouble."

Chen Chao frowned, "So this is the reason you married Aunt?"

Although he had never treated this man as an elder, Chen Chao still had the deepest respect for that woman who had always taken care of him.

The man tilted his head. Only after making sure that his wife was not eavesdropping, did he narrow his eyes and said with a smile, "You half-grown kid, what the hell do you know? When marrying a wife, one should look for stability. Pretty or not is secondary. As long as she's stable enough, that will do."

Chen Chao silently thought about the woman's robust body and thought to himself: indeed stable enough.

The man immediately noticed that the youth in front of him was not in good spirits. So he asked curiously, "You wouldn't have lost your chastity after just one month, right?"

Chen Chao was taken aback and then immediately cursed under his breath.

Hearing the cuss, the man did not get angry, but laughed instead. Rubbing his hands, he was about to get into an argument with the youth in front of him.

Chen Chao who had long seen through what the man was thinking plopped down on the doorstep and waved his hand.

Not interested.

Chen Chao who had always been full of energy like a young tiger was a little tired for the first time.

The man reached his hand out to dig out the vegetable residue between the crevices of his teeth. Then, he randomly wiped it on his sleeves before clicking his tongue, "Kid, spring hasn't arrived yet and you're done already?"

"Can't I have eaten too much?"

The youth retorted perfunctorily. Actually, it was not very convincing.

The man lifted his head and looked into the distance as he muttered, "You're still not going to take a look? I reckon that she has walked very far away."

Chen Chao did not talk, he just rubbed his forehead.

A little tired.

A moment later, he raised his head to look at the man. Some words were stuck in his throat and he could not ask.

For the first time, the man did not make fun of this young man that he had always been at odds. He just said meaningfully, "Do you feel that your heart is empty? Like it's not the same as before?"

Chen Chao furrowed his brows and retorted, "No."

The man gave a cold laugh and did not expose this kid's tough appearance, but fragile interior. He just reached his hand out and stroked the new year couplets that he had just glued on last year. It could only be blamed that the man did not pay much attention when he was mixing the glue, so he could not flatten this new year couplet no matter how he tried, making him a little annoyed. Thinking about how there were still another two to three hundred days to the new year, he immediately reached out and tore it down.

Crumpling it up into a ball, he casually threw it into the courtyard.

Very soon, a woman's scolding sounded out in the courtyard. It sounded a little unpleasant to hear. Either way, it was the kind that did not hold back at all.

The man felt a little embarrassed. He raised his head and cursed, "You fat sow! Give Your Father a break! Otherwise, Your Father will give you a dressing down in a bit!"

The courtyard momentarily became quiet.

When the man looked at the youth sitting opposite on the doorstep again, that kid had a gloating look.

The man gave a cold snort, "Kid, you saw that? This is f*cking masculinity!"

Chen Chao nodded his head and said sincerely, "Your mouth is really tough."

Hearing this, the man said in all seriousness, "My toughest place isn't my mouth."

"Then what is it?" Chen Chao had a curious look, somewhat confused.

The man let out a cold laugh. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he glimpsed out of the corner of his eye that the woman in the courtyard had already come out with a rolling pin. Hence, the man just left behind a smile that had a tinge with an implicit meaning and prepared to close the door.

Picking up that large bowl at the doorstep that had long already become empty, when he turned around, the man smiled to himself and said, "If you don't say your goodbyes properly when parting, who knows how many nights you'll be tossing and turning."

The man who finally managed to close the door before that woman came over let out a sigh of relief. Being beaten up was no big deal. But, if that kid saw it every time, he would become a joke!

...

...

Next to the carriage, the two people who were already covered in snow were looking over at the alley at this time.

The young man held it in for a long time, but he still failed to hold it in and said with some anger, "Sir, that country bumpkin was so rude, why didn't you teach him a lesson?"

Lin Yuan took a look at his grumpy disciple and shook his head as he said with a smile, "Since you've read so many classics, you should have the temperament of the sages, right? If you want to fight with the country bumpkin that you speak of just because of those few words, wouldn't all your reading have been for naught?"

When the young man heard this, he frowned and asked, "Doesn't that mean that as long as the other party is weaker, they can provoke a powerhouse to his face without any misgivings?"

He was asking about the situation before, but also not just about the situation before.

Lin Yuan smiled and said rather profoundly, "In your view, those books that I've read and those principles that I've read might not necessarily be right, nor must they make sense. Therefore, where the bottom line lies in your heart, determines the things that he can do. The principles in the books differ from man to man. We're not sages either, we'll always make mistakes.

The young man thought about it and asked, "Then, does Sir mean that if I go and teach him a lesson now, I'll be in the right too?

Lin Yuan could not stifle his laughter and shook his head and said, "Although your reasoning can convince you, it doesn't necessarily convince me."

The young man understood it, so he became somewhat gloomy.

Lin Yuan patted his shoulder and said softly, "Boyue, actually, if you can beat me, is it important whether or not your reasoning can convince me?"

The young man was stunned before immediately losing heart as he said, "Sir's words don't make any sense."

Lin Yuan chuckled. This scholar whose reputation in the Divine Capital's Xie Clan was not considered low was rather happy.

The young man suddenly asked, "Sir, have you seen what that person's aptitude is like? Is it the same as rumored?"

Ever since it spread that the leader of White Deer's Xie Clan's current generation was a young girl with superb character and talent, many rumors had long appeared in the Divine Capital's Xie Clan. They said that when this young girl was born, there was a phenomenon in the sky, that a white deer ran across the Xie Clan's ancestral shrine, and also that a foreign cultivator visited and wanted to bring this young girl away...

Either way, there were many rumors. It was impossible to distinguish the truth from the fake for some time.

Lin Yuan recalled that stubborn teenage girl previously and said with vicissitudes of emotion, "Her temperament is already very stable. There are few rivals among her peers. As for talent, how can it be discerned by looking with two eyes? But, presumably, she won't be a mediocre person too. Otherwise, why would both White Deer and the Divine Capital expend such a herculean effort? I presume that there's no issue over at the academy's side too."

The young man said, "The Wei Clan produced a remarkable character in this generation. They were long taken away by foreign cultivators for cultivation. After all these years, who knows whether or not they can still remember that they are surnamed Wei."

Mentioning this, the young man was actually a little sarcastic.

In the present imperial court, it had already gradually become clear that the Xie Clan and Wei Clan had divided the world into two. But, compared to the Xie Clan, the Wei Clan was on much closer terms with those foreign cultivators. Many of their descendants were cultivating in the foreign cultivation sects. The Wei Clan had also been castigated for this.

The present Divine Capital was naturally not too peaceful either.

"This Xie and Wei struggle shouldn't determine a victor within a short time."

As the Xie Clan's retainer, Lin Yuan naturally held no feelings for the Wei Clan. But if say that the struggle between these two major families would have the curtain fall in a short time, he did not believe it.

The young man nodded his head. The two families had already fought for close to a hundred years. If no third party intervened, it would probably not be so easy to determine the victor.

"It's hard to determine a victor in the current situation. So the chess pieces have to be placed faster."

Lin Yuan spoke to himself, saying something that was confusing. The young man could not understand.

He wanted to speak up but dispelled this notion very quickly.

"Can this person break the stalemate? Hard to say, but presumably, people have high expectations. It's just that..."

It was just that Lin Yuan felt that there was no meaning whether or not he said the words at the back, so he simply stopped talking.

Then, he ignored his disciple's look of anticipation and waved his hand, indicating that that was it.

After that, Lin Yuan remembered the man with the strange temper again and frowned, muttering to himself, "I keep feeling that I've seen you somewhere. But, I just can't remember where."

The young man still had a temperament that could not hold it in. He was about to open his mouth to ask again, but before he could open his mouth, he saw that young girl with a head full of snow as she walked out of the alley holding a sweet potato.

She even took a bite of the sweet potato while walking.

Seeing this scene, the young man was somewhat absentminded.

While Xie Nandu hastened her footsteps and arrived before the horse carriage.

She held the remaining half of the sweet potato in her hand.

Lin Yuan clasped her hand and said, "Miss, please board the carriage."

Xie Nandu nodded her head and was just about to board the carriage and enter.

The young man suddenly smiled and said, "My name is Xie Boyue, I'm a Xie Clan descendant too. In terms of seniority, we're in the same generation."

There was still half a sentence that he did not say.

Xie Nandu glanced at him and said softly, "Got it."

When she entered the carriage, Xie Nandu turned her head and looked at the alley. But it was still empty.

She furrowed her brows.

Chapter 22: Taking Precautions

Chen Chao stood up feebly and entered the courtyard. Closing the door, he slowly headed towards the stove and still subconsciously sat down on that long bench. It was just that after sitting down, he suddenly lifted his head and saw that the old chair opposite was empty.

Chen Chao pressed both hands on his face. Only after shaking for a bit, did he perk up a little. Then, he stood up and practiced a set of fist techniques in the corridor. Then, he remembered that his small courtyard was already in utter ruins. That fight previously had practically demolished half of the entire courtyard.

Putting his hand on his forehead, Chen Chao cursed under his breath, "Your Father should have hacked you a few more times."

After cursing, Chen Chao prepared to go out and buy some blue tiles from the store outside to fix his roof. As for those holes in the courtyard and in the corridor, they had to be repaired one by one too. Oh, right, he also had to buy a new water vat for the courtyard.

It was just that just as he was about to go out, knocking sounds came over from the courtyard door.

Chen Chao opened the door, the arrival was indeed that black, skinny teen, Lin Cheng.

The moment he opened the door, Lin Cheng looked inside the courtyard and did not find that petite and exquisite figure. This kid scratched his head, "Where's Sister-in-law?"

Without waiting for Chen Chao to reply, Lin Cheng yelled out strangely on his own, "I bumped into a horse carriage when I came over, the kind that needs two horses to pull it. Is it Sister-in-law's family? Big Brother Chen, did you bully Sister-in-law, then Sister-in-law asked her family to bring her away?"

The corners of Chen Chao's mouth twitched. He was just about to speak when Lin Cheng nodded his head again, "Either that, or Sister-in-law looks down on Big Brother's poverty. As I said, Big Brother, you're a warden. No matter what, you're a big shot on the same official rank as a magistrate. You should totally buy a bigger house. Yet, you insist on this lousy courtyard. See, now Sister-in-law..."

Lin Cheng suddenly stopped. Not that he did not want to say anymore, but because Chen Chao pressed one hand on his shoulder and lightly exerted strength. It made him wince in pain and he could not say anything anymore.

"Stop being ridiculous."

Chen Chao shot a glare at the dark, skinny youth in front of him and let go of his hand.

Lin Cheng gave an mhm. Reaching his hand out to press on his other shoulder to rub it, just when he wanted to say something else, Chen Chao gave him a look and he immediately became obedient. Then he started talking about that Xuanming Stone Mine matter without omitting any details.

Actually, for an ordinary civilian like Lin Cheng, the things that he came into contact with would not be some secret. But since that Warden Li asked him to wait for people, Chen Chao felt that he still had to make preparations early. The only one around him who knew some things was this youth who was mining in the quarry over there.

"Actually, there's nothing special either, we just mined like that every day. After breakfast in the morning, we'll go down into the mines, load up a cart, and ask the people upstairs to pull it out. When we leave the mines at night, the supervisors will search our bodies to see if we pocketed any stones. Actually, most of those things are very big, we can't hide them. The small ones aren't easy to hide either. Some people feel that hiding it up the butt..."

"You don't have to go into such details."

Chen Chao frowned. If he did not stop this youth in front of him, who knew what else this guy was going to say?

"You think about it, did anything special happen? Otherwise, why would there be so many mine collapses at the same time?" Chen Chao furrowed his brows. Actually, he had some preliminary judgment. But, he wanted to get the answer from Lin Cheng.

He knew that this teenager would not lie to him.

Lin Cheng had some difficulty and hesitated for a moment. But he still lowered his voice and said, "The mine forbade us to talk about this matter. Big Brother Chen, you mustn't spread it."

Chen Chao nodded and asked first, "Was the mine overexploited, causing multiple cave-ins?"

Lin Cheng was stunned, somewhat in disbelief, "Big Brother, how did you know?!"

They had always been very methodical when mining that stone mine previously. Nothing had ever happened. All the way until recently, when the official in charge over there asked them to speed up the progress. Even the mines that had already been harvested to the limit had to continue to be mined too. They heard that after the completion of this batch of ores, they would continue to mine in a new mine. Actually, his return this time was the last holiday given to him by the mine there. After they have settled their household affairs, who knew when would be the next time that they would come back?

Chen Chao did not answer his question. He was just silently thinking that if things were so simple, if the truth was just like that, then it did not seem too worthwhile for that Warden Li to personally make a trip. He could have written a letter. Even if there was anything that could not be written in the letter, then why did he not say it clearly when they met? Instead, he was so vague.

Chen Chao rapped on the stove lightly, his expression solemn.

Just this trivial matter and he even had to wait for people to go together?

Chen Chao kept feeling a little uneasy.

Who was he waiting for? Great Liang Dynasty's officials? Or was it some other people?

"When are you guys withdrawing? Are those Ministry of Works officials really gone?"

Chen Chao retracted his hand. Casually peeling off a piece of paint from the wooden pillar, he threw it into the stove. Very soon, some black smoke emerged from the stove. The smell was a little unpleasant.

Lin Cheng pinched his nose and said in a low, muffled voice, "We're going tomorrow. Originally, I'll be going over there after coming to find you today. Those officials are long gone and the ores have also long been carried away. Right now, there are just a few low-ranking supervisors left in the mine. When we leave, it should be completely empty over there!"

He reached his hand out and fanned. After discovering that it was futile, he gave Chen Chao a rather resentful look.

Chen Chao ignored these things. He just nodded and said to himself, "What are they investigating in an abandoned mine?"

Lin Cheng did not hear clearly what Chen Chao said. He just watched as no more black smoke emerged from the stove before reaching his hands out to bake it as he said with some vicissitudes of emotion, "If there wasn't Sister-in-law, how could there be a fire here."

It was not his first time coming to Chen Chao's place too. He still remembered that he came here previously in the winter too. The entire courtyard was icy-cold. How could there be any fire?

Actually, this could not be blamed on Chen Chao either. After starting cultivation, even Initial Realm immortal cultivators could remain impervious to the cold and heat, let alone Chen Chao this Divine Trove martial artist.

"Alright, you can go back."

Chen Chao waved his hand and was about to chase him away.

"You're not even inviting me for a meal?" Lin Cheng was somewhat aggrieved.

Chen Chao could not be bothered with him and sent him off to the entrance. Lin Cheng looked at him with some reluctance.

Chen Chao thought about it before saying calmly, "I'll help you keep the Seven Star Grass that you gave me before. Whenever you want it, come find me again. I have no use for that thing in the near future. Oh, right, when you go to the new mine, don't take the initiative to cause trouble. However... if you get bullied, don't be in a hurry to take action. Remember to write to me and tell me."

Lin Cheng acknowledged it a little distractedly.

Chen Chao patted his shoulder and said in earnest, "In this chaotic age, staying alive is the most important."

Lin Cheng saw what was in Chen Chao's eyes this time and nodded his head earnestly.

...

...

After sending Lin Cheng off, Chen Chao returned to the courtyard and lifted his head to take a look at the dilapidated roof. Currently, there was already some accumulated snow in the corridor. Those snowflakes fell down from the holes above. However, he was in no mood to buy blue tiles for now. Instead, he sat back down next to the wooden pillar. Leaning against the wooden pillar, he started circulating his qi activity. Having just stepped into Divine Trove Realm, his foundation was not consolidated yet.

Now that he was going to face the unknown, Chen Chao subconsciously wanted to make himself become a little stronger.

In this chaotic age, nothing else was important. The only important things were the saber at his waist and his cultivation.

After an incense stick of time passed, Chen Chao opened his eyes. Taking a look at the old chair over there, he then closed his eyes again and began continuing to circulate qi activity through his meridians. Each time qi activity was circulated, it was actually greatly beneficial to martial artists. Not only could it broaden the meridians, but it could also even make the flow of qi activity smoother. Although it was all trivial work, if one persevered on like this, they would achieve great things in the future too.

Over the next few days, Chen Chao cultivated all the way at home and never went out. Naturally, he did not go and mend the holes in his roof either.

During this time, the county government sent someone over in the middle of the night. Mi Ke invited him to eat supper, but was sternly rejected by Chen Chao!

Until one day in the middle of the night, when Chen Chao opened his eyes, the snow outside had already stooped. But it was still freezing. he sat next to the pillar and flipped through an old book that was about daoist magic. Although it was useless to a martial artist like him, it was good to read more too.

After a long time, he put this old book down and recalled those words that Warden Li said, and the strangeness of the Xuanming Stone Mine now.

Everything seemed all too unusual.

He watched the day break.

Thinking about it, Chen Chao stood up and headed over to the county government. It was time to make some preparations for some things.

Chapter 23: Official Documents

After the heavy blizzard stopped, the weather gradually turned warm. Before long, the accumulated snow in Tianqing County had pretty much melted.

Many civilians started clearing away the residual snow in front of their homes.

It was just that many ordinary civilians still could not let down their guard at present. After surviving the cold winter, there was still another important hurdle, which was the cold spell in early spring. Many elderly folks were like that; survived the winter but could not make it past the cold spell in spring.

But in the Great Liang Dynasty, such a thing was all too common.

...

...

At this time, Magistrate Mi Ke was currently chatting with Registrar Zhang in the county government.

Pinching a black piece, Mi Ke mused for a long time and did not place his piece.

A full 15 minutes passed.

Registrar Zhang could not hold back and said, "Your Excellency, if you still don't place your piece, it's time to eat lunch."

Mi Ke gave an oh and put the chess piece back, nodding as he said, "It's time for lunch."

Seeing as Mi Ke thickened his skin to answer him, the corners of Registrar Zhang's mouth twitched and he said with some anger, "Your Excellency, you can't always be so shameless, right?"

Mi Ke took a look at the situation on the chessboard, his side was virtually powerless to turn the tables anymore. He reckoned that in another two or three moves, he could basically only throw in the towel and concede defeat. But, Mi Ke still had the gall to say, "This official's skin is still too thin. Otherwise, I would have stopped being the county magistrate a long time ago."

Registrar Zhang was startled and said with concern, "Did news come from upstairs that they want to dismiss Your Excellency?"

Hearing this, Mi Ke rolled his eyes and said rather unhappily, "This official has been honest and upright. Having governed this Tianqing County for so many years, when has there ever been a problem that I'd have to be dismissed from my post? If even I'm removed from office, then all the county magistrates in this Great Liang Dynasty will be the same as me!"

This was not false, Mi Ke indeed did not partake in any corruption these few years. Furthermore, he was considered skilled in managing government affairs too. He was far from wholeheartedly looking out for the common people, but he was definitely a good official.

"However, my days as county magistrate are really numbered."

"Has Your Excellency contracted a serious disease? This lowly official knows a famous doctor, I'll go and invite him over on Your Excellency's behalf."

"Not really."

"Then, is Your Excellency tired of officialdom strife and set your mind on retiring?"

"That's not it either."

"Could it be that Your Excellency looks down on your low salary that can't support a family?"

Mi Ke took a look at Registrar Zhang in front of him and said with vicissitudes of emotion, "Old Zhang, you and I have worked together for many years. You're indeed still so stupid."

"This lowly official is dumb. Your Excellency pray tell." Registrar Zhang lowered his head.

"This official is getting promoted."

Hearing this, a hint of emotion welled up on Registrar Zhang's dark face as he looked at Mi Ke's expression. He involuntarily grabbed Mi Ke's hand and choked up as he asked, "Your Excellency has been conscientious and earnest these few years, have you finally gotten your reward?!"

A hint of cold sweat broke out on Mi Ke's forehead and he took his hand back without leaving a trace. As early as when he caught a cold previously, he felt that something was off about this old punk. Looking at it now, it seemed like something was really not quite right.

"A few days ago, I received the letter from County Chief, His Excellency. The imperial court has already decided to transfer me to Wanshan County to be the County Chief. The letter of authorization has already been sent out by the Ministry of Personnel. When spring starts, it will be delivered to my hands."

When he talked about this, Mi Ke was full of high spirits. Having struggled in the officialdom for many years, his heart had long already become like dead ashes. Originally, he thought that he would be a county magistrate for the rest of his life. But he did not expect that he would actually really become valued by his superiors and finally got promoted.

When he received the letter, he wanted to immediately bring his entire family and rush to Wanshan County. However, there was a set of cumbersome and necessary procedures for the officials of the Great Liang Dynasty when taking office. No matter how much of a hurry he was in, he had to wait for the process to be completed step by step.

"Then, this lowly official will congratulate Exalted Magistrate."

Registrar Zhang was somewhat listless. He was lacking in vigor when he spoke.

"Your Excellency... I say, is there a possibility..." Registrar Zhang suddenly thought of something and perked up.

"Impossible!" Mi Ke waved his hand, looking resolute.

Registrar Zhang said in surprise, "Your Excellency, I haven't said anything yet and you already know?"

Mi Ke's old face turned stiff. Stroking his beard, he slowly said, "I've worked with you for so long, can I not know what you're thinking? If you, this chief registrar, also follow me and leave, how will the new magistrate manage the local county's affairs? For the sake of the people, I'm afraid that you, Old Zhang, will still have to stay behind."

Registrar Zhang opened his mouth and said dejectedly, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. This lowly official wanted to say that Your Excellency will have to pay me back the few pieces of skygold currency that you owe me."

"That's of course, that's of course..." Mi Ke's expression looked a little unnatural.

The atmosphere became a little awkward for some time.

"Lord Mi, Warden Chen is here!"

The sound came from outside, it was a count underling speaking, which also just happened to resolve Mi Ke's dilemma.

"Hurry and invite him in." Mi Ke took a deep breath and exerted strength with both legs, standing up.

Chen Chao who was dressed in black already walked in with large strides. He was still that youth with a saber hanging at his waist, but he seemed to have grown a little taller. When Mi Ke saw Chen Chao, he came up to greet him cheerfully, "Why? Does Warden Chen also know about this official's promotion to County Chief?"

"... ..."

What County Chief? How would I know?

Chen Chao looked at Mi Ke, somewhat inert.

"Congratulations, Lord Mi. Your Excellency has worked diligently and honestly for the common people. Even if it's governing a commandery, it's not over the top either."

Although he had not figured out the current situation yet, as the saying went: everything will have somebody who dislikes it, but only flattery is loved by all. No matter what it was, there was no mistake in flattering him first.

Sure enough, Mi Ke quite enjoyed it and nodded his head repeatedly.

Years of hardship, bitterness, forbearance, and diligence, had finally yielded results. There was nothing better than this.

After flattering, Chen Chao took the initiative to make his intentions known, "Lord Mi, I came this time to take a look at the files concerning the Xuanming Stone Mine."

Although the Xuanming Stone Mine was not under Tianqing County's jurisdiction, it recruited civilians in Tianqing County all year round. Therefore, Tianqing County would have recorded many things about the stone mine over the years.

Mi Ke looked at Chen Chao with some surprise and asked, "Why did Younger Brother Chen become concerned with this?"

Mi Ke was still not aware of what happened over at the Xuanming Stone Mine. At present, it was still just a secret known to only a few people.

"Demons have appeared there recently. Previously, Warden Li came to have me assist in the investigations and deal with the demons as soon as possible." Chen Chao casually made up a lie. He was betting that Mi Ke had not been informed by someone about what happened over there.

Mi Ke gave an oh, thinking to himself: turns out that Warden Li came to see you for this matter.

"There's no rush. Does Younger Brother Chen know how to play chess? Let us two brothers play a game today!"

Mi Ke dragged Chen Chao over there, "Not that I'm boasting, but back then, my teacher has praised my chess ability before too."

Registrar Zhang already got up so that they had a place to sit.

Chen Chao was not willing to waste time here. He frowned and asked, "Lord Mi's promotion this time, which restaurant will you be hosting the banquet?"

"What were you asking earlier, Younger Brother Chen?"

Hearing Chen Chao's question, Mi Ke let go of Chen Chao naturally. Furrowing his brows, it seemed like his old habit had relapsed.

Chen Chao could only repeat what he came here for.

"I nearly delayed Younger Brother's important matter!"

Mi Ke smacked his thigh, his face a little ashamed.

Chen Chao was silent. He really wanted to give this Lord Magistrate a big thumbs up to express his praise.

"That person, come and bring Warden Chen to the Official Documents Archives, don't delay Warden Chen's important matter!" Mi Ke shouted. When he turned his head, Chen Chao already arrived at the doorway.

He stood there and waved his hand as he said with a loud laugh, "Congratulations, Lord Mi, on your promotion to County Chief! When will the celebration banquet be? I'll definitely be there!"

As soon as this sentence came out, there were immediately countless pairs of eyes in the county government that turned to Mi Ke.

Full with desire.

Mi Ke stood transfixed on the spot. In an extremely short time, he cursed Chen Chao's 18 generations of ancestors.

...

...

Tianqing County's Official Documents Archives was not big. Rows of bookshelves were arranged here and the case files that Tianqing County had handled over the years were stacked inside. Apart from Tianqing County saving a copy of the case files for themselves, a copy would also be sent over to Commandery Qingshan.

After the count underling opened the door for Chen Chao, he left on his own. There were no classified files here, they were not too worried about the theft of files. Let alone that the youth in front of him was Tianqing County's warden. With him around, who would dare act rashly?

Chen Chao shut the doors and found the files about Xuanming Stone Mine very easily on these bookshelves.

The topmost volume already accumulated a thick layer of dust. It seemed like no one had come to browse for a long time.

Lifting his robes, Chen Chao slowly sat down and began reading the file.

Ten years ago, the Xuanming Stone Mine was opened up for mining. At that time, the Ministry of Works officials came in person to scout out the geomantic omens and found this mining site. Later, the imperial court set up the mine here and the Ministry of Works officials recruited civilians. The cultivators who were stationed at the mine came from Heavenly Imperial Institution.

That was an institution that the Great Liang Dynasty used to gather cultivators. It was established all over the country and the main duty was to station some of the important places related to the establishment of the Great Liang Dynasty and related to cultivation.

Compared to wardens, the composition of cultivators in the Heavenly Imperial Institution was complicated. Apart from martial artists, there were all kinds of cultivators.

Putting the book in his hand down, Chen Chao picked up the volume below.

Ten years' time and a stone mine's harvesting dried up. It just so happened to fall within the time frame too.

There was no problem here.

What Chen Chao was looking for, were things that Warden Li did not tell him, which was the truth of this matter.

He continued reading the volume in his hands. After reading little by little, he finally discovered some problems through minute clues.

"Here it is!"

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes, looking at a record in front of his eyes.

"TianJian Year 11, early spring. A mining hole in Xuanming Stone Mine collapsed. Fortunately, there were no civilian casualties. This mining hole had been mined for two months and there were no abnormalities..."

There was originally nothing wrong with this record. The problem was the time.

Two months.

A mining hole was mined for two months, it meant that this mining hole had only just started to be mined. The excavating depth definitely did not surpass several dozen feet. This was a depth that was absolutely impossible to collapse.

Even if it was the Ministry of Works official's dereliction of duty that caused this mining hole to collapse...

The biggest problem did not lie here.

But that there were no civilian casualties recorded.

Everyone knew that once a mining hole started to be mined, there would be day and night rotation of civilian miners, ensuring that someone would always be in the mining pit.

With people in the mining pit, there was absolutely no chance of survival once the mining hole collapsed.

But it was recorded here that there were no civilian casualties.

What did this mean?

Did the mine give false information?

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brows slightly.

There were a fixed number of recruited civilians. Everyone had to be registered. Even if they wanted to make a false report, it could not be easy to conceal it either. Chen Chao felt that they likely would not make a fuss over this.

Since there was no false report, then what was recorded here was true.

Then the problem arose: why did the mining hole collapse without civilian casualties?

Because there were no recruited civilians mining Xuanming Stones in the mining hole at all.

Why would a mining hole collapse if Xuanming Stones were not being mined?

Chen Chao closed the file and was absorbed in thought.

Chapter 24: Qi Refiner

Ever since Warden Li came to find him, Chen Chao never viewed this matter as a trivial matter. Whether was it finding Lin Cheng previously, or coming to the county government himself to read the files, it was all for his own sake to excavate the truth of this matter.

It was definitely impossible for that old fogey to tell him the truth. Everything could only rely on himself now that he was swept into this matter.

Sitting on the ground, he read finish the remaining files. There were still many fishy areas. Chen Chao looked over those fishy areas repeatedly before slowly standing up and returning the files to the bookshelves.

When he returned to the county government's main hall, he did not see Mi Ke. There was only Registrar Zhang who was secretly sad all by himself.

It seemed like Magistrate Mi getting promoted and leaving was very difficult for him to accept.

Chen Chao quickly walked out of the county government's main hall. When he saw that familiar court underling, Chen Chao nodded his head and asked, "Lord Mi has been promoted to County Chief. When is the new magistrate taking office?"

Over these past few years, his relationship with Mi Ke had been very good. Now that he was going to be changed to someone else, he was still a little not used to it.

The court underlying scratched his head and asked probingly, "It should be after early spring? His Excellency's letter of appointment hasn't arrived yet. Besides, according to Great Liang's law, His Excellency can only leave after that new magistrate arrives."

Talking up to here, the court underlying let out a sigh and said with vicissitudes of emotion, "A good official like His Excellency may come by with luck, but not by searching for it. Who knows whether or not the newly appointed Lord Magistrate can compare."

Court underlings like them were all local natives. There was virtually no possibility of promotion for life. Therefore, whoever came to be the magistrate was destined to be someone that they could not afford to provoke. If they encountered a good magistrate, such as someone like Mi Ke, they would live a more comfortable life. But if the new magistrate was trouble, their days would become harder.

Chen Chao did not follow up. He did not have any dissatisfaction with Mi Ke. It was just that this old fellow had been staying in the county government these few years for too long. The common practices of this county government seemed a little improper...

"When that new magistrate takes office, please let me know so that I can come and pay my respects too."

After Chen Chao gave a heads-up, he left the county government and went straight out of the city.

Calculating it carefully, he already had not left the city for more than a month after bringing Xie Nandu back to Tianqing County previously. Who knew whether or not those demons were missing him greatly?

Chen Chao raised his eyebrows, he did not look forward to going out of the city as much as before but became much more careful instead. His state of mind was like the first time he left the county city to hunt; cautious to the extreme. That trip out of the city was actually incredibly dangerous. He who was merely Initial Realm encountered two demons in the mountains. After finally managing to kill them, he sustained considerable injuries too. What was even more damnable was that after getting injured, he immediately ran into a third demon.

At that time, even Chen Chao himself practically felt that he would die in the mountains.

Luckily, he still killed that demon in the end. After bringing three demon beads and a body full of injuries back to the county town, he lay in bed for over half a month.

After that, Chen Chao was considered to have truly taken his first step, gradually becoming an existence that demons within a radius of dozens of miles feared immensely.

After leaving the city, the direction was still that mountain god temple where he encountered Xie Nandu before. That mine was another two mountains away in the northeast.

Actually, just this one path, few ordinary people could safely travel back and forth before Chen Chao.

Tianqing County's peaceful world did not reflect the Great Liang Dynasty's current situation.

...

...

At dusk, Chen Chao arrived outside that dilapidated mountain god temple.

At present, more than half of the accumulated snow in the mountain had already melted. This mountain god temple had finally revealed its true appearance too.

Leaping lighting, Chen Chao arrived on top of the incense burner in the courtyard and surveyed the surroundings. Apart from the wild grass that started budding in the courtyard, this mountain god temple did not change much compared to a month ago.

Demonic qi could not be seen. It may be assumed that there were no demons.

Looking at the sky, Chen Chao was currently hesitating on whether to spend the night in the mountain god temple when he suddenly heard some footsteps outside.

There were also some conversation sounds that approached from afar.

Chen Chao furrowed his brows. Tiptoeing, he flew up from the incense burner onto the beam of the main hall.

Although this mountain god temple was built by the previous dynasty, it was still considered sturdy now. There was no need to worry about it collapsing.

Finding a place on the beam where he definitely could not be seen from the ground, but he could see the blind spot on the ground, Chen Chao held his breath and converged his breathing. Even his heartbeat became extremely weak at this moment.

Before long, four people walked into the main hall.

Two men and two women. All of them were good-looking and dressed elegantly.

Each of them had some ethereal aura.

After the tallest man walked into the main hall, he surveyed the surroundings. He only smiled slightly after seeing that there were no abnormalities and said, "Two fellow daoists, it's getting late. Let's rest here for a while tonight?"

"This place is good. Although this mountain god temple was built by the previous dynasty and has already experienced hundreds of centuries and loss of joss fire, there's still some left. Just nice, we can borrow it to cultivate."

The other man who looked even younger sat down impatiently. Before long, Chen Chao saw that strands of earthy-yellow aura slowly seeped out of that mountain god statue which had long already turned into an unrefined clay idol turn into a thin thread, connecting with that young man.

Seeing this scene, a hint of displeasure flashed across the faces of the other three people. The young man who spoke in the beginning said with vicissitudes of emotion, "This mountain god has eaten god knows how much joss fire in the previous dynasty. But sadly, we didn't encounter it earlier. Now that several centuries have gone by, less than 10% of it remains. But it's better than nothing too. Fellow Daoist Yan, Junior Apprentice Sister, just nice we can borrow it to cultivate."

Hearing the man speak, that Fellow Daoist Yan said softly, "Join in, Brother Daoist."

The three people sat down cross-legged very quickly and started activating their own sect's daoist magics. Very soon, another three earthly-yellow silk threads emerged from that clay idol, connecting these three people present.

Chen Chao who was hiding on the beam had already started speculating that they were those foreign land cultivators long when he was listening to them address each other fellow daoist. When he saw them cultivating like this, he had already given his verdict. These four were definitely of the rumored qi refiner lineage.

This made him involuntarily recall that young qi refiner who died at his hands previously.

Although these few people were destined to be of a different lineage than that young qi refiner, they had a common ancestry. There was no doubt about this.

But the problem was, why did these few people who were rarely seen qi refiners among cultivators, show up here now?

Chen Chao could not get much information from their conversation for the time being. But he vaguely felt that things would not be so simple.

Chapter 25: Argument

Qi refiners were a rarely seen lineage among cultivators to begin with. The techniques that they cultivated were close to Great Dao. It was adept in observing fate, making it extremely mysterious and abstruse.

Presently, there were a group of qi refiners among the Great Liang Dynasty's imperial astronomers who specialized in deducing the Great Liang Dynasty's national fate, seeing advantages and avoiding disadvantage. However, Great Liang Dynasty's own qi refiners could only be said to pale in comparison with those foreign land qi refiners. There was no comparison at all.

However, there was no way of knowing whether the four people in the main hall currently were imperial astronomers or foreign cultivators.

Chen Chao was not in a hurry either, he just lay on the beam, waiting for these few people to cultivate. He did not believe that he could not get any useful information.

Sure enough, after more than two hours, those few earthly-yellow silk threads that connected the few people began to fade. The mountain god statue also started swaying at this moment. It was just that the magnitude was not great. If one did not observe carefully, it could not be seen clearly.

Sneaking a glance outside, the sky had already turned completely dark.

By the time Chen Chao turned his head, the few individuals here had already gotten up.

Then, Chen Chao saw them each take out three sticks of thin incense from their personal belongings. The thin incenses were entirely golden. There should also be some gold dust on it. The thin incense in the four people's hands was roughly divided into two categories. The thin incenses in the hands of that young man who started talking right at the beginning and another girl were exactly the same. The two of them should be from the same sect. While the thin incenses in the other two people's hands were largely identical with only minor differences. Who knew whether they were from the same sect or not?

The four people each lit their incense. Then, they bowed deeply in front of that mountain god statue, as if to thank it.

Regarding this strange rule of qi refiners, probably only qi refiners knew about it. Even if others were to read a few more books about qi refiners, they would not be able to fully understand it too.

Only after inserting the thin incense in front of that mountain god statue, did the four people nod their heads.

The young man who was previously the first to sit down and cultivate said with some regret, "These joss fire has eroded too much. Otherwise, we'd have been able to cultivate for the whole night."

Although he was talking about the joss fire, in reality, he was complaining about these three people. There was just this one previous dynasty's mountain god and you guys really had the cheek to snatch it from me.

The remaining three people could naturally discern the implicit meaning in the young man's words. That female Fellow Daoist Yan frowned slightly but did not say anything from start to end. As for the other woman, her face revealed unhappiness and she wanted to say something, but the corner of her clothes was tugged by her senior apprentice brother. So she could not drop it.

As for that young man who spoke first, he said, "Fellow Daoist Guo, don't mind it."

His voice was lukewarm like a spring breeze.

But that young man who was surnamed Guo just forced a fake smile with the corners of his mouth.

The young man did not care either. He just quickly found some dry firewood and started a fire.

The four people sat in front of the fire, each with different thoughts.

The girl who was surnamed Yan suddenly said, "There was something strange on this journey. I wonder if fellow daoists noticed it?"

The man who was surnamed Guo frowned and said, "Fairy Yan, this isn't the Luo Tian Conference. There's no need to mystify things."

The expression of the woman surnamed Yan changed slightly, but she did not really shed all pretenses of cordiality with the young man in front of her. Instead, she turned to look at the pair of apprentice brother and sister who were from the same sect.

The woman subconsciously looked toward her senior apprentice brother.

"Does Fellow Daoist Yan want to talk about how we didn't encounter demons on this trip?"

The young man glanced opposite and said softly, "I've been thinking about this thing too."

Under the Great Liang Dynasty's rule, apart from the vicinity of the Divine Capital, where else would dare say that there were no demons plundering?

Let alone this remote land. There should be demons running rampant.

The woman surnamed Yan said with a nod, "There's something amiss when things don't make sense. We should be careful."

This time, without waiting for the young man to speak, the man surnamed Guo interrupted with a sneer, "Fairy Yan is probably overthinking it. How can there be so many troublesome matters?"

Being repeatedly provoked like this, the woman surnamed Yan finally could not hold herself back. She said in a solemn voice, "Guo Xi, you and I are not representing ourselves this time. This is a serious matter, shouldn't we be more careful?!"

Guo Xi's expression was dark and he said with a cold smile, "Yan Ruoshui, you really dare to talk to me in this manner?"

Yan Ruoshui snorted coldly. Her sect was called South Heaven Sect. It was not considered first-rate among qi refiner sects and could not compare to Guo Xi's Three Streams Manor. So before she left, her sect had already instructed her not to clash with Guo Xi as much as possible.

Except, facing Guo Xi's repeated provocation under pretext, Yan Ruoshui could not restrain herself anymore.

"Fellow Daoist Guo, I hope you understand that our journey this time is representing our respective sects. Furthermore, the matter isn't trivial, so we should be cautious!"

Yan Ruoshui forcefully endured her anger and gritted her teeth as she spoke.

Guo Xi did not care in the slightest as he said, "This is the reason why you mystified things?"

Yan Ruoshui stared at Guo Xi and said coldly, "Guo Xi, don't bully people too far!"

"Oh yeah? Even if I'm bullying you, what can you do?!"

Guo Xi had an indifferent look. The sect behind him was much stronger than the girl in front of him.

Seeing the two people quarreling, the young man hurriedly came out to smooth things over, "Two fellow daoists, both of you please stop talking. This trip isn't for ourselves, it's to conduct business for our sects. Don't let it affect the harmony."

"Chi Ganquan, when is it your turn to speak?"

Facing Chi Ganquan, Guo Xi did not feel grateful in the least bit. He sneered coldly and said, "To tell you the truth, Your Father looks down on people like you most of all! Pretending to be some goody-two-shoes. Who can't discern that you're interested in Yan Ruoshui?!"

Yan Ruoshui's expression changed slightly, but she did not speak.

Hearing the other party humiliate her senior apprentice brother like this, the woman was just about to open her mouth, but Chi Ganquan tugged the corner of her clothes.

Chi Ganquan clasped his hands with a bitter smile and stopped talking.

Her own sect was far inferior to these two people in front of her. So naturally, she could only exercise forbearance in all aspects.

Guo Xi's words successfully made the atmosphere turn heavy. Yan Ruoshui also lost interest in talking.

Because of Guo Xi's deliberate incitement, it somewhat disappointed Chen Chao who wanted to find out some things from them. Presently, he only gleaned that tiny bit of information. He knew that these few people were definitely not imperial astronomer qi refiners, but were from foreign lands. Guo Xi's sect had a higher status, followed by Yan Ruoshui.

The ones with the lowest status were that pair of apprentice brother and sister.

And the few people came here under certain orders from their respective sects.

Chen Chao also silently ranked these four people.

That junior apprentice sister whose name was not yet known, her realm should be the lowest judging by her aura. Next would be Chi Ganquan, followed by Guo Xi and Yan Ruoshui.

It was not that Chen Chao felt that Guo Xi could not beat Yan Ruoshui. It was just that he thought that this person was a little dimwitted.

It was a big problem.

People who had problems with their heads, no matter how powerful they were, were not considered formidable too.

It was just that very soon, Chen Chao changed the order again.

He put Guo Xi back in the first place.

He felt that this person was very dangerous.

Chapter 26: That Young Girl

After Guo Xi completely ruined their relationship, none of the four spoke again during this entire night. In the early morning, the few people walked out of the main hall and left this rundown mountain god temple. Chen Chao who had been hiding on the beam this whole time silently watched the few people's departing figures. But he did not immediately jump down from the beam. Instead, he held his breath and converged his breathing again, looking down.

Sure enough, just a moment later, that qi refiner Guo Xi who did not balk at losing all decorum with the other three people yesterday night, instantly dashed into the main hall. He surveyed the surroundings, seemingly looking for something.

This young man with fluttering white clothes muttered, "There's really no one?"

After saying this, Guo Xi cursed under his breath, "Your Father was overthinking it!"

He walked out of the main hall again.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes. He just reached his hand out and gripped the saber hilt without any other action.

Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Guo Xi returned after leaving. But this time, he merely took a look at the entrance of the main hall before leaving.

Another half an hour passed before Chen Chao slowly descended from the beam. Arriving at the entrance of the main hall, he looked in the direction that the few people departed in, absorbed in thought.

The direction that they went was none other than precisely in the direction of Tianqing County's county town.

Retracting his gaze, Chen Chao walked out of the mountain god temple and continued up the mountain. He was right, that Guo Xi who looked like he had brain problems was actually completely fine. Not only was he fine, but he was also even an extremely cunning person.

Previously, when Guo Xi was arguing with the other three, Chen Chao just treated him as a mad dog. If he did not suddenly startle awake after that, there was a good chance that he would have fallen for the other party's trap.

At present, the situation was still unclear. So Chen Chao was not willing to be discovered by them. At least, it could not be inside this mountain god temple.

It was hard to distinguish friend from foe.

Chen Chao shook his head and reined in his thoughts for the time being. When he climbed to the top of the mountain, he surveyed the surroundings and did not find anything unusual. Then, he sped down the mountain from the mountain path on the other side. Hence, he only used less than half a day to reach the foot of the mountain before he started climbing another mountain.

This was even under the circumstances where he did not employ qi activity. If he was hellbent on pushing on with his journey, he could probably appear at the foot of the mountain in less than 15 minutes.

But, many years of hunting demons in the mountains made Chen Chao clear about one thing, which was that not a strand of qi in his entire body should be wasted.

Using it to hurry on with his journey? Too extravagant.

When he started climbing the second mountain, Chen Chao hasten his pace. Without spending much time, he climbed to the top before lunchtime. After slightly catching his breath, he continued on his journey. When he went down the mountain this time, what he saw was a scenery that he did not see before.

Previously, when the mine was still being mined, it would roughly be equivalent to a forbidden land starting from the top of this mountain. Other than those civilian miners who had access, even if it was Tianqing County's magistrate, Mi Ke, other people had to apply in advance if they wanted to make a trip over here. Even if Chen Chao was the local warden, it was likewise impossible to appear here.

If one barged in rashly, they could be killed without questioning according to Great Liang's law.

Chen Chao was famous for being cautious. Hence, even when hunting demons before and they escaped here, he did not break the rules by chasing after them too.

Now, the mine had already been abandoned. Those stationed cultivators had all left too. But when Chen Chao descended the mountain, he was still very careful and did not rush much.

Hence, the time it took to descend the mountain this time was not short.

After arriving at the foot of the mountain, what entered his sight was an official path that was as wide as two horse carriages side-by-side leading into a valley. There were carriage marks of varying depths on the wide road that led even further without any breaks.

Presumably, this was the path to transport the Xuanming Stones out of the mountain.

Chen Chao followed the path and continued moving forward. After passing through the valley, the mining site ahead could be seen in the distance.

That was an extremely wide circular put that was hundreds of feet deep. The circumference was likely over a thousand feet too. It looked extremely huge, giving a deep sense of terror.

Arriving before the huge pit, Chen Chao looked down and he could see that there were dozens of mining holes of different sizes all around the bottom of the pit. They lined along the side of the pit, leading into the mountain. This was the Xuanming Stone Mine's mining pit.

Chen Chao tapped his feet and fell rapidly to the ground surface of the deep pit. Only after standing firm, did he look at all the mining holes around with a grave expression.

Earlier, when Chen Chao specifically asked Xie Nandu about the mining process, there was a problem that gave him a huge headache too, which was a mine collapse. It often collapsed deep in the mountain, but nothing unusual could be seen from outside. Presently, these dozens of mining holes were virtually identical on the outside. How could he find the collapsed mining hole?

The current Chen Chao was standing in front of these mining holes, somewhat like a headless fly; seeming a little constrained.

What troubled him even more was that he was actually a little afraid to walk into one of the mines.

Not that he was scared of the dark.

It was just that he was afraid that if a cave-in occurred after he walked into some mining hole, he would not be able to get out.

If he was a different cultivator, he would probably have other means. Unfortunately, he was just a martial artist, just a martial artist who had no other means and was only good at fighting.

Carefully walking around these mining holes, Chen Chao squatted in front of a mining hole and began to determine the mining time based on how dry the soil was.

According to the dossier of the county government, that mining hole collapsed in Tianjian Year 11. Chen Chao came here this time to investigate which mining hole was it, while the other that only collapsed recently were those few mining holes.

But after circling one round, Chen Chao only roughly eliminated some mining holes that obviously did not meet his requirements. But the remaining range was still huge.

In the end, he chose one out of the remaining mining holes that he found the most pleasing to the eyes and walked in.

Less than an hour later, he walked out of the mining hole, looking unnatural.

This mining hole was very normal and not the one that he was looking for.

After placing a secret mark that was neither too big nor small on that mining hole, he entered another mining hole and continued exploring.

...

...

After that horse carriage left Tianqing County, it headed all the way north without any delays on the road. Therefore, it soon left Tianqing County's area and approached Wei Prefecture's capital. But it did not plan on wasting time there either. After stopping for a bit, they continued northward.

The horse carriage galloped on the official road without any bumpy feeling.

As for demons, they actually encountered more than one. It was just that Lin Yuan already killed them before they got close to the horse carriage.

As a true-blue Bitter Sea cultivator, Lin Yuan virtually would not encounter any troublesome matter within the borders of the Great Liang Dynasty.

These demons were not his match at all.

Except, everything had an except. When the horse carriage rode out of Wei Prefecture's borders and reached Liu Prefecture, the horse carriage suffered a demon attack.

The horse carriage was parked overnight in the fields at that time. There was clear weather with a bright moon. It was rare to see such weather before entering early spring.

Hence, Lin Yuan who was in the mood borrowed the moonlight and started teaching on a large rock that was by the side. However, this place was not the Divine Capital's Xie Clan's private school. There were not that many Xie Clan descendants respectfully listening to him teach here. There was just one Xie Boyue who was tired until he could not open his eyes. Both hands supported his head which was still swaying.

Lin Yuan was in the mood to enjoy himself at that time, so he did not care about whether or not this disciple of his was paying attention to the lesson. He just casually talked about some principles in the sages' books.

But halfway through, Lin Yuan suddenly remembered a certain fellow back then. On the first day he entered the academy, he questioned that academy dean whose status was god knows how high at the top of his voice: can one really do something for the common people under the heavens after reading finish these sages' books?

At that time, all of the students thought that the guy had lost his mind. He might even have been directly expelled from the academy because of this rash action. But in the end, the dean just glanced at him and did not say anything. That question was naturally unanswered as well.

Just as Lin Yuan who thought of this was about to sigh with vicissitudes of emotion, a gust of demonic wind suddenly howled between heaven and earth!

Lin Yuan suddenly stood up. His blue long robes were already fluttering heavily in the wind at this moment.

Seeing this scene, Xie Boyue who was no longer drowsy gave a look at Lin Yuan. Then, he looked over to the horse carriage with worry. Xie Nandu was still in the carriage.

"Get over there, don't let anything happen to Miss."

Lin Yuan's expression was solemn. Immediately after, he started laughing, "A fourth realm demon dares to show yourself so brazenly within the borders of the Great Liang Dynasty. Do you really want to die?"

A voice sounded out in the dark rather hoarsely, "Leave behind what's in the carriage and I'll let you go!"

Hearing this, Xie Boyue who had just arrived next to the carriage furrowed his brows. He already held immense hatred towards that demon who did not show its face. But he still quickly lowered his voice and said as calmly as possible, "Younger Sister Nandu, don't be scared."

There was just an 'mhm' that came from inside the carriage.

There was no panic.

Xie Boyue felt a little downcast for no reason.

But very soon, he could not care about this anymore. Because a moment later, he saw his teacher who was usually even-tempered leap up and hovered in the air, and said something extremely domineering.

"Trifling demon! Since you came, leave your head behind!"

Of course, what was even more domineering was that after that, Xie Boyue saw his teacher display his skills here. It was an extremely exciting battle.

After that, the dust settled. Although he failed to kill that demon, he successfully repelled it.

At that moment, Xie Boyue already held 120% admiration for his teacher.

He specially ran in front of his teacher and told him his feelings to his face.

In the end, Lin Yuan looked at him and exposed it without the slightest courtesy, "Are you this happy because you feel that I protected Miss?"

Xie Boyue who was still considered steadfast previously turned slightly red. He could only smile after his thoughts were exposed.

Lin Yuan let out a sigh. Some things actually did not need to be said, but everyone knew. Xie Boyue was just a concubine's descendant. Furthermore, he was a bastard with slightly above-average aptitude. Barring no accidents, it would be impossible for him to become a great cultivator in his lifetime. While that young girl in the carriage had long already proven that her future was bright.

Was there any possibility between the two?

None.

If love was an impossibility, it would be better to nip it in the bud.

But, Lin Yuan who had thought a lot just let out a sigh in the end. He patted his disciple's shoulder and did not lay it bare.

When he arrived at the carriage, Xie Nandu already lifted the curtains and walked out without waiting for Lin Yuan to speak.

Xie Nandu took the initiative to say, "It's a shame that I didn't get to see Mr. Lin's grandeur."

Lin Yuan was taken aback. Then he smiled slightly and shook his head, "There's no grandeur. I believe that in a few years' time, Miss' splendor would far surpass me."

Xie Nandu smiled slightly and did not harp on this. She just arrived at the large rock with Lin Yuan where Xie Boyue already started a fire.

After sitting down, Xie Nandu asked, "I heard that Mr. Lin was once an academy student too. Can you tell me about the academy?"

Lin Yuan glanced at Xie Boyue and heaved a sigh. Having a disciple who easily sold his teacher was not necessarily a good thing.

He nodded his head. After Xie Nandu went to the Divine Capital, she was destined to not remain in the Xie Clan to cultivate. It was very likely that she would be entering the academy to study. It was also reasonable that this young girl who was born in White Deer's Xie Clan wanted to take precautions.

It was just that when he really wanted to speak, Lin Yuan seemed to have discovered that he did not know where to start talking about that academy.

The holy land in the hearts of all intellectuals under the heavens?

Only after musing for a long time, did Lin Yuan slowly say, "A hundred-year dynasty, a thousand-year family. Also, the foreign cultivator sects and cultivators who had always been around. The great Liang Dynasty only established its kingdom for 200 over years, but cultivators who are headed by the three sects already existed generation after generation, year after year. As one of the three sects, confucianism is the only lineage of cultivators out of the three sects that peeled away and really landed in the secular world. And the academy was established by that sage at that time."

Chapter 27: Provocation

Cultivation realms in the world were divided into six levels. Cultivators standing at the top of cultivation were sufficient to be called a great hero of their generation. But, wanting to add the word sage was far from what having a powerful cultivation realm could accomplish.

The confucianism lineage merely only had three scholars who had the qualifications to be called a sage appear in the countless years of history.

As for exactly which sage set up the academy, it had been too long and no one knew anymore.

"After countless years, the academy naturally became the holy land of our confucianism lineage. From ancient times to the present, the relationship between the dynasty and foreign cultivators had always been unequal. More than 200 years have passed since our Great Liang Dynasty has been established. Our relationship has changed, but we're still weaker. Even so, our Great Liang Dynasty can also be called times of peace and prosperity that have been unprecedented for a thousand years."

Lin Yuan looked at Xie Nandu and said softly, "Different from other foreign cultivators, our confucianism lineage scholars have always been connected to the secular world from start to end; inseparable. The academy is the ironclad evidence."

"In the past countless years, our academy has produced many great cultivators and also produced many intellectuals. They have done a lot in this world. Among the present Great Liang Dynasty's civil servants, there are around 10% from the academy too."

Lin Yuan frowned slightly when he saw that the young girl in front of him did not seem very interested after he had said so much. Not that he was dissatisfied with the young girl, he was just pondering what on earth this young girl who was born in the White Deer's Xie Clan wanted to hear from him.

A moment later, Xie Nandu took the initiative to open her mouth and ask, "I heard that in these countless years, the academy has only moved once?"

The academy's location had never changed. Because wherever the academy was, that place would definitely be the capital of a dynasty without exception.

For so many years, the academy had only taken the initiative to relocate once.

That relocation was a great humiliation to the scholars of the entire confucianism lineage.

Lin Yuan took a look at the young girl in front of him and smiled bitterly. Only then, did he understand that it turns out she was thinking about this.

"Does Miss just want to ask? Or do you have other ideas?" Lin Yuan who was silent for a moment still could not resist opening his mouth to ask.

However, Xie Nandu just smiled slightly and did not answer. She looked at the fire in front of her and started thinking about the young man whom she had not seen for a few days already.

...

...

Ever since he learned that he was getting promoted to commandery, Mi Ke had been in a great mood recently. Although he still knew that he could only hand over his seal and leave after the new official came to take office in spring, he had already instructed his men to start packing up these few days.

He was just waiting to leave right away when the time came.

It was not that he had no feelings for this county town. It was truly because he, Mi Ke, had been trapped in this position of the magistrate for far too long.

However, when someone was rejoicing, others would be worried. These few days, everyone in the county government could see with their naked eye that Registrar Zhang was depressed. The court underlings did not understand, they just treated it as that he could not bear to part with Mi Ke, this lord magistrate whom he had been together from morning to night for many years. For some time, Registrar Zhang's loyalty had already spread in the county government.

But the more that was the case, the more Mi Ke felt that leaving early was the best strategy.

Today was a rest day, Mi Ke who was idle with nothing to do went out of the county government by himself early in the morning. Taking off his official robes, he was going to take a good look at Tianqing County. But before that, he was going to make a trip to Peach Blossom Alley.

He wanted to go and see Chen Chao.

Except, when he passed through that narrow alley and arrived in front of that house in the deepest part, he was greatly disappointed again.

Because the door was tightly locked at this time.

Mi Ke knew that this young warden frequently went out these few years, his footprints spanning across the surrounding mountains and forests. Every time he went out, the duration would be different, but he would not have any dissatisfaction. Because if it were not for this young man who spared no effort to kill demons, how could Tianqing County have such peaceful times?

Turning around in disappointment, Mi Ke just happened to see the door of the opposite house being opened by someone. A man walked out by himself and sat down on the doorstep.

It was precisely Zhou Gouqi.

Zhou Gouqi looked at this local government official and was in no rush to speak.

He naturally knew this lord magistrate.

Mi Ke was not wearing official robes today and did not regard himself as the lord magistrate either. When he saw this man opposite, he just opened his mouth to ask, "Do you know when Warden Chen will be back?"

The man currently had his hand reached out to dig out the vegetable residue between the crevices of his teeth. Hearing this lord magistrate open his mouth to ask, he waved his hand impatiently and said, "How would Your Father know? That punk is often not home, who knows where he went!"

Mi Ke smiled helplessly and paid no heed to the attitude of the man in front of him.

After turning around and walking out of Peach Blossom Alley, Mi Ke slowly walked along the long street, sizing up this county town that he had not observed seriously for many years.

Actually, he had been in this county town for many years. In the first two years, Mi Ke still had ardent expectations for this place, thinking that as long as he worked hard for several years, he would definitely get an opportunity to transfer out of this place. Not that he would immediately get the authority to take charge of a commandery, but at least, he could take a small step up the ladder. But some things turned out contrary to expectations. He quickly discovered that he had no allies in court. No matter how hard he worked in office, it would be hard to get a chance for promotion. Once he figured this out, he became less hardworking with each subsequent year.

Mi Ke was somewhat rueful as he recalled how he would walk around the city virtually once a month in the beginning, hearing if any household had any grievances. All the way until once every three months, half a year, and until he stopped doing it. Walking aimlessly, he arrived in front of a shop that bought and sold antiques.

Taking a look at the shop called Treasure House, Mi Ke did not plan to go in. He was somewhat absentminded. He likely remembered stories of the past and felt somewhat emotional about how it was difficult for people to follow their own hearts in this life.

All of a sudden, he felt himself being bumped by someone and could not help returning to his senses. He heard a voice, "Get lost! Foolish thing!"

Mi Ke subconsciously furrowed his brows. So many years in Tianqing County, who dared to speak to him in this manner?

Could it be because he was not wearing official robes?

When he turned around, Mi Ke saw that four people appeared out of the blue in front of that Treasure House. They were all young men and women who were dressed elegantly, with an extraordinary temperament.

Among the four people, a pair of men and women at the side of the shop entrance took a look at Mi Ke with indifferent expressions. While the woman with an otherworldly temperament standing on the other side did not look at him at all. Only that young man who was walking by himself at the forefront and had already arrived at the shop entrance looked at Mi Ke with some amusement in his eyes.

Mi Ke had hustled in the officialdom for many years and had naturally long already cultivated a pair of keen eyes. He could tell just from these few people's attires that they were no ordinary civilians. Plus, those few people had an aura that ordinary people absolutely did not possess. He quickly judged that these few people were not locals. Without thinking for a long time, he took the initiative to apologize, "I'm the local county magistrate, Mi Ke. I accidentally bumped into you. Hope that young masters and ladies are magnanimous enough to forgive."

In this Tianqing County, there probably had never been anyone who could make this lord magistrate lower his head so readily.

However, Mi Ke's words met a certain standard too. He reported his identity to see whether or not the other party had an extraordinary background.

In the end, the young man who spoke out before just sneered as he said, "Is the lord of a county trying to overawe people by force?"

Just by listening to the natural arrogance and conceit from the other party's words, Mi Ke knew that this young man in front of him was no ordinary person.

Hence, he quickly weighed the pros and cons and apologized again. His attitude this time seemed most sincere.

But even so, the young man still asked him rather relentlessly, "Is it enough to just apologize?"

Hearing this, the other three people virtually furrowed their brows. They were naturally not worried about the life and death of Mi Ke, this ordinary magistrate. It was just that they did not quite understand why this person insisted on causing unnecessary problems here.

However, with the prior events in the mountain god temple, these three people did not speak at this time but maintained silence very tacitly.

Mi Ke also became somewhat unhappy, but he did not show it. He actually did not move at all before. If talking about bumping into people, it was also them who took the initiative to bump into him. He already made a concession by humbling himself. Even if the other party had an extraordinary background, they could not be so unrelenting either, right?

Suppressing the anger in his heart, Mi Ke looked at that young man and asked, "I wonder how Sir will be satisfied?"

The young man narrowed his eyes. There was already some killing intent in his eyes.