Chapter 181: Paying Respects to the Powerful

Chapter 181: Paying Respects to the Powerful

Bright Moon Pavilion.

A group of soldiers approached the newly opened Bright Moon Pavilion.

As they stepped into the main hall of the pavilion, one of the soldiers shouted, "Move out! Move out! This official is here to seal off the Bright Moon Pavilion. Anyone who continues to linger here will be thrown into jail later!" With the soldiers driving them out, the customers dining at the pavilion hastily put down their bowls and chopsticks and rushed out.

It was just past noon, and there weren't many people dining at the pavilion. In an instant, the spacious Bright Moon Pavilion became empty.

Thump, thumped to the allure of power, and your body followed.

A series of footsteps echoed from the second floor.

"What are you doing?" Tong Xiuyun asked.

"Tong, you're in trouble!" said a middle-aged man with a sly and cunning appearance, who had accompanied the soldiers.

Standing before him was a young man with an extraordinary aura and exceptional good looks.

The young man waved his hand and said, "Take her away!"

"Your Excellency is truly wise!" The sly middle-aged man behind him was overjoyed.

"What rules have I broken?" Tong Xiuyun asked, her face filled with anger.

"What rules have I broken? You, Tong Xiuyun, are suspected of child trafficking and murder with abandonment of the body. As a law-abiding citizen, I have every right to report your crimes!" Huang Dazheng raised his eyebrows and smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Immediately after, he watched as several soldiers stepped forward and decisively took Tong Xiuyun away. A sense of satisfaction filled his expression.

Business wars are fought with such simplicity.

It didn't matter if they couldn't compete with the Bright Moon Pavilion in business; as long as they found a powerful backer, they could simply have someone arrested and framed.

Although Tong Xiuyun also had a powerful backer, how could she compare to the young talent from Dongling City standing before him? It was well-known that this young talent was the newly appointed captain of the Inspection Office in Luoshui County.

The power of the Inspection Office was immense, as they held the authority to execute first and report later.

From officials above to common folk below, they were all under their jurisdiction.

And this backer standing before him was even more powerful, holding the position of a ninth-rank official.

Furthermore, he possessed the strength of a peak eighth-rank martial artist.

At this moment, as Tong Xiuyun was being taken away by the soldiers, passing by the young man, her heart sank.

How could she not recognize the young man before her? He was the newly appointed captain of the Inspection Office.

Holding a ninth-rank official position and possessing peak eighth-rank martial strength.

With such power, her previous backer could not compete.

Moreover, this young man was also a student of the Martial Academy in Dongling City.

In the Inspection Office of Luoshui County, the Martial Academy students held significant influence, making up seven to eight out of the ten captains.

Each of these captains possessed seventh-rank martial strength.

Not to mention the numerous other Martial Academy students of various ranks below them.

Thinking of this, Tong Xiuyun couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

However, she quickly composed herself.

Her gaze shifted to the side, where she spotted a young servant standing by the entrance.

Tong Xiuyun gave the servant a subtle signal.

She wanted the servant to go and seek help.

"I wonder if Xiao Jiu will be able to help me in this situation," Tong Xiuyun muttered to herself.

On the other side, the young man spoke to Huang Dazheng, "Show me the locations of the other taverns, and I will go and seal them off!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" Huang Dazheng was overjoyed.

At that moment, he felt that his decision to send out the family heirloom the night before was a wise choice.

This so-called family heirloom had been useless in his hands, his father's hands, and even his grandfather's hands.

Since it was of no use, he might as well send it out and gain the favor of this powerful official, just as he had done the night before.

With the support of this backer, he had initiated this business war.

It didn't matter if they couldn't compete with the Bright Moon Pavilion; as long as they arrested Tong Xiuyun, the Bright Moon Pavilion would naturally be finished.

Moreover, with the support of this official, they could seal off all the taverns today and take everyone inside into custody. After today, the tavern industry in this county will be under my control."

With the support of this powerful backer, Huang Dazheng could finally achieve true wealth and prosperity.

Exiting the Bright Moon Pavilion, the soldiers escorted Tong Xiuyun, heading towards the Prosperous Tower, another establishment owned by the Cheng family.

Moments later, they reached the entrance of the Prosperous Tower.

Cheng Ran and his family, who happened to be dining in the tavern, were immediately arrested.

The soldiers behind them quickly sealed the doors and windows and posted a notice of closure.

The onlookers surrounding them dared not get too close, fearing these soldiers.

"Aunt Tong!" Cheng Ran exclaimed upon seeing Tong Xiuyun.

"Shut up!" A nearby soldier immediately scolded.

Cheng Ran's father shook his head slightly at Cheng Ran.

Seeing the situation, Cheng Ran fell silent.

At this moment, Tong Xiuyun also gave Cheng Ran a comforting look, as if to say, don't worry, I'll go get someone!

"Continue?" The young man looked at Huang Dazheng.

Huang Dazheng nodded heavily, "Continue, today's trouble is big!"

"Lead the way! The sooner we finish, the sooner it's over!" The young man said indifferently.

"Yes, sir!"

Inspection Office.

"Sir!" Xie Xiaojiu, dressed in black, bowed slightly towards Jiang Ning.

At this moment, Jiang Ning sat in his own manor's inner chamber.

As a deputy leader, he had a private manor within the Inspection Office.

The manor covered an area of several hundred square meters.

After touring the vast Inspection Office, he now arrived at his own manor.

Although he currently had no manpower at his disposal, the manor was already well-maintained by the servants.

So, after arriving at his own manor, he looked through some information about the Inspection Office in his chamber.

Just like the Administrative Office, he wondered what he could exchange with his points, and how many contribution points were needed for each item.

These were details he needed to understand thoroughly.

After all, he had come to the Inspection Office to establish himself and also to facilitate his cultivation.

There was a lot of information, and he couldn't finish reading it all in the Administrative Office in a short time, he only skimmed through a few key points.

At this moment.

The manor's inner chamber.

As Jiang Ning put down the book in his hand.

【Skill】: Literacy (Second Break Limit 1911/3000) (Trait: Photographic Memory, Extraordinary Senses)



After glancing at the dozens of points of literacy experience added to his panel, Jiang Ning finally turned his gaze towards Xie Xiaojiu.

At this moment, Xie Xiaojiu had changed into the official robe of the Inspection Office.

The large black robe had red borders.

"Miss Xie, you're indeed a woman of your word," Jiang Ning said.

"Since I lost to you yesterday, it's only natural that I join your command," Xie Xiaojiu replied.

Jiang Ning nodded slightly.

He was indeed pleased with Xie Xiaojiu's arrival.

For Xie Xiaojiu's strength was impressive, and if it weren't for their encounter, she would have been fully qualified to claim a team leader's position.

Moreover, during their previous fight, Xie Xiaojiu hadn't displayed her full potential.

She was one of the two prodigies in Luoshui County that Lin Qingyi had taken a liking to.

A sword prodigy with exceptionally outstanding talent.

Having such a skilled person join his command was naturally a cause for joy.

Not to mention Xie Xiaojiu's youth, being only a few months older than him, indicated her high potential and talent.

Now powerful, and even more so in the future, where could he find such a capable subordinate? Additionally, Xie Xiaojiu had a deep connection with Lin Qingyi, and his relationship with Lin Qingyi seemed good as well.

After some time of interaction, if Xie Xiaojiu proved herself trustworthy, her assistance in the future would be immense.

The stronger Xie Xiaojiu became, the more energy Jiang Ning could devote to his cultivation.

"I've been so narrow-minded! I thought I was truly a Celestial Prodigy, but today I realized that compared to you, I'm no different from a frog at the bottom of a well."

Jiang Ning, trying to console her, said, "Miss Xie, you don't need to belittle yourself! You are the most talented person I've ever seen. At just nineteen years old, you've reached this level, and you're not far from becoming a Seventh Stage official!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Xiaojiu managed a forced smile at Jiang Ning.

"Thank you for your kind words, sir!"

"Just call me Xiaojiu," she said.

Just then, a voice came from the entrance of the manor.

"You're in a good mood, sir!"

The two turned towards the voice and saw Feng Jiuge in fiery red battle armor.

Xie Xiaojiu slightly bowed her head. "I've had the pleasure of meeting Captain Feng."

Feng Jiuge approached Xie Xiaojiu and lifted her hand, gently tilting her chin up.

"Miss Xie, you're truly a beauty, I feel sorry for you!"

Xie Xiaojiu looked up at Feng Jiuge, her gaze calm, seemingly unaffected by Feng Jiuge's provocative gesture.

"It's nothing!" Feng Jiuge withdrew her hand.

Then, turning to Jiang Ning, she said, "Sir, I'm here to report to you! From now on, I'll be working under your command!"

Jiang Ning nodded slightly. "Miss Feng, you're true to your word."

Feng Jiuge pouted. "You're so good-looking, sir. Working under you will at least be easier on the eyes."

Jiang Ning: "..."

He was momentarily speechless.

He felt like Feng Jiuge had stolen his words.

There was no doubt that both Feng Jiuge and Xie Xiaojiu were women with exceptional beauty and grace.

Each had their unique charm, and both could be considered stunning beauties.

Such women were naturally a sight to behold.

Having these two under his command, regardless of their capabilities, at least made for a pleasant sight, a visual delight.

At that moment, with Feng Jiuge's arrival, Xie Xiaojiu started to head outside.

"Miss Feng, I wonder if your father has given his consent?" After Xie Xiaojiu left, Jiang Ning spoke up.

"Just call me Jiuge; Miss Feng sounds so awkward!" Feng Jiuge said.

Then she continued, "As for my father's response, it might not come so soon. After all, he's busy with military affairs, so it might take a few days, or even ten days or more, before he has time to reply."

"I understand!" Jiang Ning nodded.

Then he asked, "Jiuge, would you like to come in and sit?"

"Do you have any wine?" Feng Jiuge suddenly asked.

"Not at the moment," Jiang Ning shook his head.

"Then forget it! I'll go out and find some wine! I came here today mainly to meet you, and from now on, I'll be working under your command. Just notify me directly if there's anything!"

"Alright!" Jiang Ning nodded.

As he watched Feng Jiuge leave, Jiang Ning turned and headed towards the inner chamber.

He hadn't finished reading the book about the Inspection Office yet.

"Sir!"

Just as Jiang Ning had walked a few steps through the courtyard, about to return to the inner chamber, a woman's voice called out from behind him again.

He turned around and saw a somewhat familiar figure.

It was Ruan Hongmei from Fuyuan Escort Bureau.

Seeing her, Jiang Ning immediately recalled the previous day's events.

Ruan Hongmei, as one of the captains, had fought with Qin Xuan using her whip.

Although she had lost, her martial arts skills had managed to inflict minor injuries on Qin Xuan.

Before leaving the arena, Ruan Hongmei had also exchanged a few words with him.

"So, it's Miss Ruan!" Jiang Ning approached her with a smile.

Ruan Hongmei was also wearing an official uniform, the uniform of a captain.

Around her waist was a long whip, coiled like a belt.

"Sir Jiang, may I ask if I can work under your command?" Ruan Hongmei directly expressed her intention.

On her way here, Ruan Hongmei had made up her mind.

As a captain, she needed to find a leader to follow and be under the command of one of the four deputy leaders.

As a native of Luoshui County, the first choice was naturally Jiang Ning.

Although Jiang Ning might not be the strongest among the four deputy leaders, there was no doubt that he was the best in her eyes.

Moreover, he was the most talented one.

These reasons were more than enough!

"Of course, you're most welcome!" Jiang Ning smiled.

Based on what he had seen the day before, Ruan Hongmei's strength, among the more than ten captains, was at least in the middle tier, if not the top.

Being in the middle tier meant she possessed the strength of a Peak Eighth Rank official.

"I hadn't heard that the owner of Fuyuan Escort Bureau had such an outstanding daughter," Jiang Ning thought to himself.

Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Ruan Hongmei also smiled slightly.

"Since Sir Jiang has agreed, I'll be under your care from now on!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end