Luoshui County.
Inspection Office.
Braving the heavy snow, Jiang Ning stepped through the gates of the Inspection Office and walked straight toward the meeting hall.
Xie Xiaojiu followed closely behind.
"Sir, we're here!" Xie Xiaojiu stopped a short distance away from the meeting hall and spoke up.
"Mm." Jiang Ning nodded.
He paused and glanced at Xie Xiaojiu before saying, "It's freezing. No need to wait for me here go inside and warm yourself by the fire."
"Yes, sir!" Xie Xiaojiu pressed her lips together and complied.
Then, she watched as Jiang Ning strode through the swirling snow toward the meeting hall.
Meeting Hall.
Under the eaves of the building, Jiang Ning shook his shoulders, sending the snowflakes and melted snow flying off his clothes.
Not a single snowflake remained on his head.
He pushed open the slightly ajar door and stepped over the threshold.
"Commander Jiang!" Ye Qiu spotted Jiang Ning and immediately stood up with a smile.
Yuan Hua and Tang Miaomiao, who had already arrived, halted their conversation and quickly rose to their feet as well.
"Greetings, Commander Jiang!"
Both of them were now well aware that Jiang Ning had been promoted to the eighth rank.
His position now outranked theirs.
All that remained was for the official transfer order from above to arrive, and Jiang Ning would no longer hold a nominal title but a position of real authority.
At the sight of Jiang Ning, the two of them wore complicated expressions.
Though they knew that, given Jiang Ning's previous performance, surpassing them was only a matter of time, they hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
The Inspection Office here had only been established for a few months, yet Jiang Ning had already surpassed them not only in strength but also in status.
After hesitating for a moment, Yuan Hua stepped forward to greet him.
The memory of Jiang Ning's punch still lingered in his mind.
Before the New Year, when he'd learned that Jiang Ning had discovered a base of the God-Worshipping Cult, he'd brought men along, hoping to claim a share of the credit.
But Jiang Ning had appeared and, with a single punch, left him with internal injuries so severe that it took nearly a month to fully recover.
He knew all too well that, at the time, he hadn't stood a chance against that one punch.
Now, the gap between them was even wider.
Seeing Jiang Ning again, he felt compelled to lower his head and make amends.
After a few steps, Yuan Hua stood before Jiang Ning.
Then, he clasped his hands together, palms over the backs, and bowed deeply.
"Commander Yuan, what are you" Jiang Ning stopped in his tracks, momentarily stunned.
Yuan Hua slowly straightened up. "I was disrespectful before. I beg your forgiveness, Commander Jiang!"
As he spoke, Yuan Hua made to bow again.
"Commander Yuan, what are you saying?" Jiang Ning stepped forward and grasped Yuan Hua's arms to stop him.
"Commander Jiang..." Yuan Hua felt Jiang Ning's arms, steady as mountains, leaving him no room to resist not that he even dared to try. He raised his head to look at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning smiled. "We're colleagues, working toward the same goal. Minor conflicts are normal! If you hadn't mentioned those trivial matters, I'd have long forgotten them!"
Yuan Hua studied Jiang Ning's expression and, seeing no hint of deception, let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Commander Jiang is magnanimous!" Yuan Hua was flattered.
Jiang Ning chuckled and released Yuan Hua's arms.
Then, he greeted the others present.
He also noticed two other commanders he hadn't seen before a man and a woman.
The man had a thick beard and appeared to be in his forties or fifties, while the woman had faint crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, looking to be in her early forties.
Jiang Ning couldn't help but take an extra glance at them.
These two commanders had been part of the Inspection Office since its establishment, yet this was the first time he'd seen them.
Noticing Jiang Ning's gaze, the two smiled at him.
Jiang Ning returned the gesture.
Then, he took a seat beside Ye Qiu.
"Commander Jiang, please wait a little longer. Commander Li will need some more time to arrive," Hong Minghu said.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning grew even more curious.
Earlier, he'd received a notice from Hong Minghu and knew that the matter Hong Minghu had discussed with him days ago was now coming to fruition. He had hurried over to the Inspection Office.
Upon entering the meeting hall, he saw that nearly everyone had already gathered only Li Changkong, the remaining commander, was absent.
In other words, he was the second-to-last to arrive, just before the missing Li Changkong.
Today was also the first time he'd seen the Inspection Office's leadership assembled so completely.
"Something major must be happening," Jiang Ning mused silently.
With that thought, he glanced at Ye Qiu beside him.
At the same time, Ye Qiu looked back at him. "Commander Jiang, curious about what's going on, aren't you?"
Jiang Ning nodded slightly.
Ye Qiu grinned. "I still can't say."
Jiang Ning: "..."
"Have some tea and snacks first," Ye Qiu said, chuckling. "The Chief will explain everything soon."
"Alright." Jiang Ning nodded again.
He wasn't in a hurry, so he sipped tea and nibbled on melon seeds while making small talk with Ye Qiu.
Before long, footsteps approached from outside.
A figure appeared at the doorway and stepped inside.
"Everyone, my apologies for being late!" The man clasped his hands and bowed to those present.
The newcomer was none other than Li Changkong, the last of the four commanders.
Hong Minghu smiled. "Not late at all!"
With that, he stood up and glanced around.
"Now that everyone is here, I'll close the doors."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hong Minghu flicked his sleeve, and a sudden gust of wind arose out of nowhere in the room.
The wind swept through, slamming the doors shut, followed by the sharp crack of the wooden latch falling into place.
From this moment, the inside and outside were completely sealed off.
Hong Minghu said, "I'm sure you're all very curious about why I've called you here today."
"Extremely curious!" Li Changkong, the last to arrive, spoke first. "Chief, just tell us directly!"
"See for yourselves." Hong Minghu took out several sheets of white paper from his person and flicked them toward Jiang Ning and the others. The pages scattered in the air.
Each sheet floated precisely in front of every individual.
Jiang Ning raised his hand and caught the corner of the paper drifting toward him. He couldn't help but marvel at Hong Minghu's control over his internal energy.
From what he knew, Hong Minghu had reached the fifth rank and achieved the solidification of internal energy into tangible form but with the aid of external means.
Yet, the precision of Hong Minghu's manipulation of internal energy was exquisite, showing no signs of having relied on external assistance to reach this level.
"Not simple at all," Jiang Ning mused inwardly before turning his attention to the paper in his hand, scanning its contents swiftly.
A short while later, he understood the purpose behind Hong Minghu summoning them.
Just as he had guessed, Hong Minghu had indeed caught a big fish one big enough to secure him a promotion and immense wealth.
Li Hong, the County Magistrate of Luoshui County, was a member of the God-Worshipping Cult. And not just any member he was the cult's deputy leader.
Now, everything made sense to Jiang Ning.
No wonder Magistrate Li Hong had remained silent and inactive since the Inspection Office's arrival.
No wonder the cult's idol had been placed in the City God Temple to collect incense offerings.
The root cause was that Magistrate Li Hong was not just a member of the God-Worshipping Cult but held an extremely high position as its deputy leader.
After another brief pause, Hong Minghu saw that everyone had finished reading and spoke again.
"Colleagues, this operation is simple. In a moment, you will provide support and accompany me to arrest Magistrate Li Hong."
"If we can capture him alive, it will be a great achievement. The credit for apprehending Li Hong, the deputy leader of the God-Worshipping Cult, will be enough to earn every one of us a promotion."
The next moment, Li Changkong slapped the table and stood up.
"Now that's a big fish!"
"I'm not too interested in promotions, but I'm very interested in merit!"
"The Martial Saint's Mansion has no shortage of valuable resources!"
"Whether I can master Force still depends on the resources allocated by the Martial Saint's Mansion!"
The others nodded slowly in agreement.
At this point, Ye Qiu turned to Jiang Ning.
"Brother Li's words remind me of Brother Jiang here."
"Brother Jiang grasped blade Force during his entrance assessment truly enviable!"
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Li Changkong suddenly remembered that despite being a direct descendant of the Li Clan, excelling in both internal and external cultivation, he was still struggling to grasp Force a prerequisite for stepping into the fourth rank of martial arts.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning, who had grown up in this remote county, had already mastered one form of Force.
The thought left him somewhat deflated.
At this moment, Hong Minghu spoke again.
"I'm sure some of you still have doubts. Here, Commanders Shangguan and Fan have summarized the evidence they've gathered over the past few months. Take a look."
As he finished speaking, the male and female commanders who had been absent for so long stood up, preparing to distribute the summarized evidence they had prepared.
But just then, Li Changkong cut in.
"No need for that!"
"Let's just take action!"
"If we're wrong, we'll just apologize later!"
"As the saying goes, speed is the essence of warfare. If we dawdle now and Magistrate Li Hong catches wind of it and escapes, our losses will be immeasurable!"
Seeing this, Ye Qiu also rose slowly.
"Chief, Brother Li has a point. To avoid complications, we should act now."
Beside them, Jiang Ning remained silent, but his mind was alight with interest.
Deputy leader of the God-Worshipping Cult.
If Magistrate Li Hong truly held this position, then this was a case of searching far and wide only to find what was right under their noses.
He had previously wanted to locate other cult hideouts to absorb divine essence and the authority of the Flesh and Blood God.
Now, right here in Luoshui County, there lurked such a big fish.
If Hong Minghu's information was accurate, then this could mean a major windfall for him.
At the same time,
Seeing Li Changkong and Ye Qiu's stance, Hong Minghu could only nod.
"Fine! Then let's move!"
"I'll take full responsibility for any consequences."
A short while later,
After a brief discussion and task allocation, everyone followed Hong Minghu out of the meeting hall in complete silence.
Hong Minghu took the lead, with the others close behind.
Outside, the heavy snow quickly erased their footprints.
Jiang Ning's assigned task was simple: to station himself atop a high building and use his archery skills to block Magistrate Li Hong's escape routes.
The others would provide support, while Hong Minghu would be the one to make the decisive move.
As a fifth-rank expert, Hong Minghu stood in a league of his own in Luoshui County.
Of course, this was because he didn't know Jiang Ning had also officially stepped into the fifth rank.
Jiang Ning had no intention of competing for this credit.
The higher-ups still owed him recognition for single-handedly defending the city and quelling the Black Mountain Army's rebellion.
On top of that, a million contribution points had yet to be awarded.
For now, he wasn't lacking in merits.
So there was no need for him to fight for what was originally Hong Minghu's achievement getting a share of the credit was enough.
Sometimes, cooperation leads to mutual benefit, and hogging all the glory isn't sustainable.
Moreover, attracting too much attention wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The group moved silently through the snow, their movements muffled by the falling flakes.
Along the way,
Ye Qiu flashed to Jiang Ning's side.
"Brother Jiang, congratulations!"
"Brother Ye, what's there to congratulate me for?" Jiang Ning asked.
Ye Qiu smiled. "Brother Jiang, you've been promoted to the official eighth rank. The appointment document from above will likely arrive soon, and then you'll truly rise in rank. Isn't that worth celebrating?"
Jiang Ning moved gracefully, keeping pace with Hong Mingho ahead while replying,
"What's so celebratory about that? Once the appointment comes down, I might be transferred elsewhere. A new place means unfamiliar faces nowhere near as comfortable as staying in Luoshui County. If I had a choice, I'd rather stay here for now."
Hearing this, Ye Qiu understood Jiang Ning's thoughts and said, "There might still be a way."
"What way?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Generally, promotions prioritize local appointments over transfers. If any one of us four commanders me, Li Changkong, or the others gets transferred, a vacancy for an eighth-rank position will open up, and you can naturally fill it."
At this point, Ye Qiu noticed Jiang Ning's gaze and chuckled.
"Brother Jiang, if this operation goes smoothly, I'll be promoted and transferred. How about you take my place?"
"Then I'll have to thank you, Brother Ye!" Jiang Ning's eyes lit up.
Staying in Luoshui County would be ideal.
Luoshui was a remote small county in Dongling Prefecture, and in such places, Inspection Office personnel usually had lighter workloads.
Especially now the God-Worshipping Cult's influence here had been almost completely eradicated.
Two of the three major local families had been purged due to their ties to the cult, and the remaining Xie family had turned over a new leaf, focusing on charitable deeds.
In short, Luoshui County was unlikely to face major upheavals in the coming year.
This made it the perfect environment for him to train and cultivate without distractions.
Other places might not be as peaceful.
A transfer could mean endless troubles.
Right now, he didn't lack merits he just wanted a stable environment to focus on improving his strength.
So staying in Luoshui County was the best option.
At this moment, he felt genuine gratitude toward Ye Qiu.
If Ye Qiu were transferred, as he'd said, Jiang Ning could seamlessly take his position.
This way, he wouldn't have to worry about being reassigned by a bureaucratic order.
He could stay in Luoshui County, train in peace, and grow stronger.
A short while later,
The group stopped about three li from the county government office.
At this distance, it would take them no more than a dozen breaths to reach the target.
Close enough to act quickly, yet far enough to avoid alerting Magistrate Li Hong.
For Jiang Ning, this distance was nothing.
At full speed, he could cover it in just two breaths.
"I'll be relying on everyone's support later!" Hong Minghu clasped his hands.
"Don't worry, Chief!" Li Changkong grinned. "Capturing Magistrate Li Hong benefits us all we'll give it our all."
Ye Qiu and the others also voiced their agreement.
Pleased, Hong Minghu nodded.
Then, he turned to Jiang Ning.
"Commander Jiang, I won't direct you later just act freely."
"Understood," Jiang Ning nodded.
"One more thing," Hong Minghu added, scanning the group. "If things go south, show no mercy. Execute Li Hong on the spot rather than let him escape."
"Don't underestimate Li Hong. In his youth, he earned the Martial Scholar title. Any Martial Scholar is at least a seventh-rank Tendon-Forging expert, and most are sixth-rank Bone-Tempering warriors."
"Over a decade has passed since Li Hong earned that title he's likely already reached the sixth rank."
"Understood!" Li Changkong waved dismissively. "What can a mere sixth-rank do? Every commander here has long since surpassed that level."
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader