Xu Qing bade farewell to King Lin, settling one concern in his heart.
King Lin had already agreed, before Lantern Festival, to descend the mountain and stay near Su Lianqing’s Fragrant Plum Cottage, awaiting only the Great Elder of the Lotus Sect to make a move, before finishing off the old fellow.
Prior to Refining Internal, King Lin could not achieve Spirit and Body Integration, thus his Martial Arts Qi-Blood, in the eyes of a newly erged Divine Soul, would be as conspicuous as a lamp in the night.
But now that King Lin has achieved Spirit and Body Integration, his Qi-Blood is subdued, to the point where even the temples on his head no longer bulge. He purposefully conceals himself; unless a Martial Arts Grandmaster cos close, it would be hard to discern his profound skill.
At best, from his physique, one could tell that he is a stronger man than the average person.
Xu Qing knew well, with a master like King Lin focusing on assassination, it’s unknown how many officials and nobles would sleep in unrest.
After all, deep residences and large courtyards cannot keep out a master like King Lin from infiltrating.
As for the prominent families, they are not afraid of assassination by a Divine Soul Expert. Firstly, because they have the protection of the Dynasty Destiny, and secondly, such families tend to keep spiritually aware Tibetan Mastiffs and the like on patrol. These animals are extrely sensitive to the aura of Divine Souls, and once one attempts to infiltrate, they beco instantly alert.
Take Marquis Wuding, for instance; his branch just replaced the main family and rose to prominence too recently, lacking the heritage of the original main family, so they have yet to raise purebred Tibetan Mastiffs. Nonetheless, given a few more years, Marquis Wuding would definitely be able to cultivate a batch of spiritually aware animals to guard and protect his estate.
As for Xu Qing, he was also thinking of ways to obtain such animals for his household.
It was a pity for him that if he could subdue a Three-tailed Black Fox, not to ntion guarding and protecting, even facing the assassination attempt by the Great Elder of the Lotus Sect wouldn’t be a concern.
A mighty Great Elder, whose Cultivation was suspected to be on par with a re animal!
Xu Qing conveniently disregarded the fact that to kill this beast, they had to use mob tactics, Poison Needles, Poison Smoke, and a plethora of resources.
Humans, after all, should look forward.
If the Three-tailed Black Fox were to co back to life, he and King Lin, joining forces, would be more than enough to settle it. He might not even need to make a move.
Upon returning, Xu Qing started writing letters to his old ntor and officials like Assistant General Liu of the Divine Martial Camp in Yingtian Prefecture...
After dealing with the matter for the horse-keeping soldier Zhang to stay in Jiangning Prefecture, Xu Qing and Assistant General Liu had also beco acquainted.
The key was that Assistant General Liu, as the military representative for this bandit suppression, had been sowhat reluctant to chew on a hard bone like Black Wind Village and had written to Xu Qing, the "Tily Rain" of Jiangning, not long ago, inquiring about his opinion.
Assistant General Liu was a clearheaded man; his suggestion was to avoid fighting if possible.
Furthermore, old Liu, with great conviction, said that most bandits are just poor souls who can’t survive. To solve the bandit problem, one must rely on competent officials, not the military.
If every citizen could live and work in peace and contentnt, who would wish to beco a bandit?
It has to be said, while old Liu may not be good at warfare, he surely has a set of sound principles.
No wonder they say Yingtian is a place of thriving scholarly culture. Even a Military Officer can speak such fundantal truths of governance.
In the letter, of course, he couldn’t blatantly ntion the transaction but simply spoke about Xu Qing’s view on the bandit suppression and his plans to visit Yingtian Prefecture after Lantern Festival.
This was not difficult to manage, but it required his personal involvent.
Now, with less than twenty days left to Lantern Festival and New Year’s Eve just around the corner, Xu Qing certainly couldn’t travel far.
Even Inspector Li of the Inspection Office had returned to the Li Mansion today.
There was no other way; Auntie fed the Inspector a dose of Fertility Soup, and recently he acquired a new concubine capable of bearing children. In addition, with Mada Zhou taking to the field, Inspector Li, despite being a low-ranked Martial Artist, had even lost weight from these affairs.
Returning ho was to deal with Mada Zhou, and staying at the governnt residence ant dealing with both Mada Zhou and the concubine. Inspector Li weighed which was more important.
It was also tough for him to find an excuse to leave the new concubine at the Inspection Office!
Upon seeing old Li return, Xu Qing wasn’t in a hurry to practice or study, and at the Inspector’s request, stayed in the west courtyard to discuss serious matters.
Mada Zhou, understanding, did not disturb them.
Once Mada Zhou left, Inspector Li first discussed so other matters, then lowered his voice, "Qing, I heard news that a powerful old fiend of the Lotus Sect has erged from seclusion. The now fragnted Lotus Sect seems to be reconsolidating. Could they co looking for trouble with you?"
Inspector Li was sowhat privy to Xu Qing’s affairs, hence his concern for his nephew.
Xu Qing was slightly surprised: "Uncle knows about this too?"
"The Jiangning River is bustling with rchant ships, and the personnel is complex. Having worked this for so ti, I’ve got to know quite a few people," Inspector Li said with so pride.
Back in his days as a Governnt Official, he would never mingle with people of various backgrounds.
Now as an Inspector, making friends naturally ca easily.
Because it’s simple.
Even if he couldn’t speak a word, others would go out of their way to engage with him to curry favor.
Previously, as a Governnt Official, Li wanted to interact with others, and to say one sentence, he had to think for a long ti, but by the ti he decided what to say, people were already gone, and he hadn’t spoken a single word.
Now others take the initiative, and he no longer has to exert himself.
This is known as winning with no moves.
Xu Qing chuckled: "It seems Uncle is comfortably settled in this position; I was thinking of helping you climb a little higher. It seems there is no need after all."
"Ah..." Inspector Li coughed and said, "Qing, you said that with great power cos great responsibility. I feel my capability has improved from before, so perhaps I should take on more responsibility."
Xu Qing smiled and said, "Rest assured, Uncle. You can sit comfortably in the office; I can take care of things outside, and you don’t have to worry."
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