Chapter 254: True and False Martial Saint

Inner World.

As evening fell, Bianliu County was brightly lit.

The duration of the Prohibited Item had ended. Bianliu County had changed hands, and the surrounding Domains had changed owners as well, but life still had to go on.

Most importantly, County Magistrate Luo had announced a two-month tax exemption to allow the populace to recover from their recent losses.

Furthermore, unlike the anticlimactic end to the previous battle, County Magistrate Luo specifically summoned a horde of eerie creatures to scrub the battlefield clean, and he promised post-disaster reconstruction.

Now, everyone praised County Magistrate Luo as a good magistrate.

As for whether he would remain a good magistrate in the future—that was a matter for the future.

Lin Estate.

A group gathered around the main hall, eating dinner.

Yan Jing occupied the head seat. Bi Jie and Liu Ye took the secondary seats, followed by the West Street Artisan and the Old Man, then Fei Yu and Tiger.

The group originally offered the Old Man a secondary seat, but Old Master Liu insisted on following the rules.

The meal Fei Yu had meticulously prepared was perfect in color, aroma, and taste. Neither the flavor nor the presentation left any room for complaint; it was barely a step below the work of the best chef cultivators in the East Street restaurants. The tea was decent, too.

The group enjoyed their meal immensely.

After dinner, Yan Jing gave the West Street Artisan a few instructions and let him leave first.

This last surviving West Street Artisan was a carving cultivator named Fei Kezhi. He was the sort of man who could live out his entire life in peace as long as nobody disturbed his carving.

The reason he had previously supported Lin Changgui for county magistrate was because the Big Landlord Lin had promised that he wouldn't need to worry about West Street's affairs anymore, yet the revenue would still flow into his pockets.

At this dinner, he was probably the happiest person present.

After all, he was the last surviving Fourth Tier cultivator in all of Bianliu County and its surrounding regions. Bai Qiu had known about his rigid personality and chose to instigate a rebellion with another West Street Artisan instead. In a way, his persistent woodenness had saved his life.

After he left, the remaining six sat in the courtyard, chatting idly.

Yan Jing was the first to steer the conversation. "I wonder when you two lords plan to depart?"

"I already reported to Director Mo this afternoon. They will soon send people to finish the railway repairs. In seven days at most, the railway leading to the Lake will be fixed," Bi Jie said. "I should be departing then."

"I'll report back to the Inspection Bureau later. They should send people over as well, which should shorten the timeframe even further," Liu Ye said slowly from his chair.

"Now that this Ancient Relic case has been cracked, we will follow your instructions, County Magistrate Luo, and hand over half of the Ancient Relics."

"I just didn't expect you to be willing to pay such a heavy price."

Hearing this, Bi Jie nodded in deep agreement.

He already felt that Yan Jing had been generous enough in giving him several hundred Ancient Relics to take back to the Inspectorate Department to grease the wheels, but he never expected him to actually agree to surrender half of all the Ancient Relics to the Inspection Bureau for 'confiscation.'

These were piles of shining gui yuan. Letting go of half of so many Ancient Relics could easily buy out the entirety of Bianliu County without issue.

This Young Master of the Luo Family was truly magnanimous.

But for Yan Jing, his reasoning was very simple.

Ancient Relics simply couldn't be exchanged for money through conventional channels. If he used unconventional channels, the inspection envoys would intercept this many anyway. As for developing a living human supply chain to evade capture, he had absolutely no desire to do such a thing.

Besides, Liu Ye already knew about it.

Bribe Liu Ye?

He might as well just kill Liu Ye instead.

Since they couldn't be converted into money, these items ultimately held little value.

The best pieces had long since been looted by them, and each person could only carry one item at most anyway. He was better off giving them away as an easy favor.

He wanted to ensure that Bianliu County wouldn't be constantly harassed by Across the Lake in the future. To achieve that, some things simply had to be sacrificed.

This way, Bianliu County and the surrounding Domains would truly become his base camp.

These items were money well spent.

Yan Jing clasped his fists. "Then when you return this time, I hope you two lords will put in a good word for me. I wish you both swift promotions and a smooth political career."

"Many thanks, County Magistrate Luo!"

Bi Jie and Liu Ye both clasped their fists in high spirits.

Both of them knew full well that their promotions upon returning this time were practically guaranteed.

Not only had they cracked the case, but they were also bringing back so many 'stolen goods.' Most importantly, they had forged a relationship with the new master of Bianliu County.

One couldn't underestimate Bianliu County. If it were just the position of county magistrate, it indeed wouldn't carry much weight.

But combined with the several surrounding Domains, its significance was entirely different!

From its source, Minhu split into twelve large rivers. Each of those twelve large rivers divided into twelve smaller rivers, which in turn split into twelve streams.

In one fell swoop, Yan Jing had claimed six streams—which was equivalent to half a smaller river!

That was equivalent to one 288th of the entirety of Minhu.

Could this still be considered a small place?

Bi Jie made a rough estimate. Even if Yan Jing didn't run any gray-market businesses, these six Domains plus Bianliu County would bring in at least 200,000 Eerie Broken Silver annually from taxes alone, after deducting Minhu's cut.

(One Eerie Coin equaled five surface coins, one gui yuan equaled five Eerie Coins, and one Eerie Broken Silver equaled ten gui yuan.)

He would never have to worry about food or clothing again!

More importantly, Yan Jing had autonomous rule over all these Domains. Didn't that mean he could do whatever he pleased?

For a figure like this, both the Inspectorate Department and the Patrol Office were always willing to pull strings and build bridges.

They considered it forming a good connection.

"Only now, we'll have to see the attitude of Across the Lake."

A hint of worry appeared on Bi Jie's face as he spoke.

"Director Mo told me that with the Prohibited Item activated this time, the deputy governor of East Lake Prefecture paid close attention to our performance here. He even saw a few scenes through the Prohibited Item."

"Furthermore—" He lowered his voice. "It seems that as a bettor, he didn't put his stakes on our side, so he lost to that human player. As for what exactly the two of them were betting on,"

"it remains unknown for now. But for over a dozen Third Trade (Seventh Rank) cultivators to turn out in full force and still fail to beat that human player, he must be furious."

"For the time being, County Magistrate Luo, please try to avoid causing any trouble."

Hearing this, Yan Jing's eyes flickered.

That Seventh Rank King Grade expert had won.

The deputy governor had lost.

Put that way, his performance as a player must have been seen by that human player. As for the deputy governor—since Yan Jing hadn't really shown himself much in the game while in the role of Luo Sheng, he would just have to take things one step at a time.

If a Seventh Rank expert really wanted to make a move against him, he wouldn't have any good counter-strategies anyway.

At this thought, he clasped his fists.

"Many thanks for the warning, Inspector Bi. But I, Luo Sheng, have never been one to stir up trouble. Please rest assured, you two lords!"

"..."

As soon as those words fell, the other five pairs of eyes in the courtyard swiveled over to stare at him.

What kind of nonsense was he spouting?

Without batting an eye or skipping a beat, Yan Jing continued to smile.

"To be honest with you two lords, the reason I asked when you were departing is because our entire family is planning to go on a trip together to take in the sights."

"Oh? Where does County Magistrate Luo intend to take his family?" Bi Jie asked.

Yan Jing reached over, took a handful of melon seeds from Xiao Yu's hand, and began to crack them open.

"Over by the large river, a place called Luohe County. We'll also drop by the neighboring Paima County for a look while we're at it."

As soon as this was said, the expressions of the other five people in the courtyard changed.

Tiger looked hesitant, falling into deep thought.

The Old Man blinked, looking somewhat puzzled.

Fei Yu kept her head down, quietly cracking melon seeds, and said nothing.

Bi Jie had the most drastic reaction. His expression warped as if he had been struck by lightning. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Ye beside him laughed first.

"County Magistrate Luo certainly knows how to pick a spot! This year's martial assembly is about to begin, and it's being held right in Luohe County! Why don't we go toge— Mmph! Mmmph!"

Bi Jie slapped a hand over Liu Ye's mouth and forced a smile.

"Ah, my apologies. Please excuse us for a moment."

In a frantic rush, he dragged Liu Ye off to the side and hissed in a low voice, "We can't let them go to Luohe!"

"What's wrong with Luohe?" Liu Ye asked in confusion. "The local culture and customs there are great, and the commoners are kindhearted. The Domain's special traits are excellent, too; anyone who goes must abide by local laws, which is exactly why it's the top choice for large-scale events."

"Luohe is fine!" Bi Jie whispered fiercely. "But Old Liu can't go attend the martial assembly! Just listen to me on this! I'm right!"

After saying this, Bi Jie dragged the bewildered Liu Ye back to their seats and laughed.

"Inspector Liu remembered incorrectly. Hehe, the martial assembly isn't in Luohe this year, and there really isn't much to do there for fun. Tell you what, let me recommend a few other places to you, County Magistrate Luo—"

"No can do. We're going to Luohe!" the Old Man suddenly spoke up.

Bi Jie froze. He saw that the Old Man had, at some unknown point, pulled out his Smoking Pipe and draped his military overcoat over his shoulders. Then, pointing a finger with a gaze that seemed to pierce right through to the truth, the Old Man chuckled.

"You brat! You're lying!!!"

"I am not!" Bi Jie reflexively denied.

But the Old Man countered, "Your eyes are darting about, your tone is unnatural, and your nose is twitching slightly. Judging from psychological and physiognomic analysis, you're lying, you brat!"

"Where did you even learn such crooked theories?!"

Furious, Bi Jie flicked his sleeve, then grabbed Yan Jing.

"I'm not talking to a brute like you, Old Liu. Come on, County Magistrate Luo, let's have a chat."

The two of them walked off to the side again, and Yan Jing smiled.

"I wonder what Inspector Bi's intentions are in preventing us from going to Luohe?"

Bi Jie's gaze was heavily conflicted. Finally, he sighed and said, "I'll just tell you the truth, County Magistrate Luo. I heard Old Liu speaking with you this afternoon, and he told you all about what happened in the past."

"He did." Yan Jing nodded.

"But within all that—there are some things even he doesn't know." Bi Jie's expression grew very complicated. "Did he tell you that because he failed, his master's sect couldn't open their martial arts gym?"

"That's correct." Taken aback, Yan Jing nodded.

"But actually..." Bi Jie pulled Yan Jing even further away. He glanced back at Old Master Liu; only after seeing that the elder wasn't paying attention to them did he whisper quietly into Yan Jing's ear. "But actually, not long after he left, the thirty-seventh martial arts gym of Third Lake Prefecture opened its doors!"

???

Yan Jing's pupils constricted. His mind raced as he seemed to guess something, and he looked at Bi Jie in disbelief.

"You're saying that the thirty-seventh gym..."

"Yes." Bi Jie nodded. "That is the gym belonging to his sect."

"How is this possible?"

"It's..." Bi Jie heaved a long sigh. "I only figured it out much later myself."

"On the surface, to open a gym in the martial assembly, one indeed has to solo challenge eighteen martial arts gyms. But there's another method, and that is to donate to the martial assembly—a very large sum of money!"

"That makes no sense." Yan Jing shook his head. "Master Liu said his sect had absolutely no money!"

"That is true." Bi Jie sighed again. "But someone else put up the money."

"After I was promoted, I went out of my way to look into it."

"I told you before that the martial assembly of Third Lake Prefecture has been in decline for several decades. The current thirty-six martial arts gyms are all hoarding their secrets, refusing to teach the real stuff. But aside from those old fogeys hoarding secrets, there's another group of people who hope to return the culture of martial arts to what it once was."

"In the end, it boils down to personal interest versus collective interest."

"To open a martial arts gym in Third Lake Prefecture, the rules dictate one must solo challenge eighteen martial arts gyms. But ever since the martial assembly declined and both the business and political sectors got involved, a new rule was added: donate to the martial assembly, get the approval of the assembly president, and it can be done."

"This martial assembly president happens to belong to the faction that wants to restore the martial arts culture of the past."

"He took a liking to Old Liu's master's skills. Hearing that Old Liu's master wanted to open a gym, he discussed it with him, asking him to teach a disciple who would then go challenge the gyms."

"But they couldn't actually let eighteen gyms get beaten, otherwise the martial assembly would completely lose face! If they lost face, the chambers of commerce wouldn't sponsor them, the political circles wouldn't support them, and the martial assembly would die even faster!"

Hearing this, Yan Jing took a deep breath. "So he could only challenge up to seventeen gyms."

"It's more than that." Bi Jie's expression grew ugly. "Since the disciple lost, logically speaking, they wouldn't have the qualifications to open a gym. At this point, another method comes into play—having two disciples."

"One disciple from out of town, and one local disciple."

"The out-of-town disciple goes to challenge the gyms, beating seventeen of them to slap those old fogeys in the face. It tells them that if they don't start teaching the real stuff, even an outsider can come up and trample all over them."

"Then, this out-of-town disciple has to lose. Once he loses, the sect behind him can claim that since he's an out-of-town disciple, firstly, he didn't learn their true skills, and secondly, they didn't teach him the real kung fu because he wasn't from Third Lake Prefecture."

"At this point, they send out the second, local disciple to challenge the remaining two gyms just to go through the motions. Afterward, they announce that this successful disciple has actually studied at all thirty-six martial arts gyms before. Then they donate to the martial assembly, telling everyone that he is actually already half a member of the martial assembly."

"This way, they clear the stigma of the thirty-six gyms hoarding their secrets while preserving the superficial face of Third Lake Prefecture. It also serves as a warning to those thirty-six gyms, and the sect gets to open their martial arts gym."

"That is the long and short of it."

Yan Jing nodded upon hearing this. "Understood. That martial assembly is utter garbage!"

"Exactly!"

Excited, Bi Jie patted Yan Jing on the shoulder; he had finally found a kindred spirit.

"But if that's the case, then something is very strange—" Yan Jing frowned as he spoke. "Since this martial arts gym opened long ago, why did Master Liu's junior martial brother come looking for him three years ago?"

"His junior martial brother came looking for him?" Bi Jie paused blankly. The Old Man had never mentioned this to him.

He only knew that the Old Man had gone out on a trip that lasted three years.

"Right. Master Liu's junior martial brother said that the gym challenges succeeded, and the sect could finally establish its footing, but that Master Liu had to die."

Yan Jing's eyes flickered, a cold light glinting in his gaze.

Lake.

Returning from outside, Li Qinghe saw a black-haired elder with slicked-back hair sitting in a chair inside his home, resting with his eyes closed. He immediately smiled and clasped his fists.

"Master Xu! You've arrived!"

"Mhm."

Facing Li Qinghe, a man of astonishingly high status, the elder merely gave a faint grunt. He neither stood up nor offered a greeting.

A sinister glint flashed through Li Qinghe's eyes, but he still smiled.

"What does Master Xu wish to ask about by coming this time?"

Only then did Xu Chengyi stand up and clasp his fists toward Li Qinghe.

"I came to ask you if what you said before is true."

"Which words?"

"The part about my senior martial brother still being alive," Xu Chengyi said.

Li Qinghe's eyes flickered. He sat down in a wooden chair and chuckled.

"Master Xu is still agonizing over this matter? I am not clear on the details; it was my subordinates who informed me."

Back when Bai Qiu and Tang Lian contacted him to call Xu Chengyi to Bianliu County for help, he had just mentioned it in passing.

But in truth, he hadn't taken it to heart.

"Is what your subordinates said true, then?" Xu Chengyi asked flatly.

"Hehe." Li Qinghe smiled. He picked up a peeled grape from the bowl on the table, popped it into his mouth, and laughed. "It seems Master Xu is very deeply conflicted over this senior martial brother of yours. Years ago, after I told you the phrase 'a sage emerges, a martial saint guards the Dao,' I recall you also specifically sought me out to ask for your senior martial brother's whereabouts and made a trip to Bianliu County."

"Now, hearing that this senior martial brother of yours is alive, you're acting like this again."

"Could it be that you, Master Xu, are worried that your senior martial brother is the true Martial Saint?"

As these words fell, Xu Chengyi's face turned dark.

A frigid aura instantly filled the entire room.