Chapter 315: The Deputy Inspector

Chapter 315: The Deputy Inspector



In the eastern courtyard.

Bai Luoyu took out a palm-sized black token from his bosom, upon which intricate patterns were engraved.

At a glance, Jiang Ning recognized the patterns as a form of celestial script.

According to the records in the book, the celestial script was a manifestation of the Dao and the Law.

It represented the ultimate principles and rules of heaven and earth.

In ancient times, the Immortal Dao and the celestial script were closely related.

At this moment, Bai Luoyu noticed Jiang Ning's gaze on the black jade token and spoke, "This is the Celestial Scroll, the identity token and symbol of a prefectural inspector. I am giving this to you first, but since you, Brother Jiang, are currently only a deputy inspector and have not passed the test from above, nor have you received the celestial script, this object can only represent your identity, and it does not possess the original function of transmitting messages over a thousand li."

"Transmit messages over a thousand li?" Jiang Ning's expression was filled with astonishment.

Bai Luoyu nodded, "The Celestial Scroll has the function of transmitting messages over a thousand li. This is one of the things we deputy inspectors rely on to inspect a prefecture. If a major issue arises in Dongling Prefecture, I only need to transmit a message to the capital, and within a few days, a grandmaster will arrive in Dongling Prefecture. The might of a grandmaster is enough to quell any turmoil."

"Transmit messages over a thousand li, this method is quite miraculous!" Jiang Ning exclaimed in feigned surprise.

Bai Luoyu smiled, "It is indeed miraculous for ordinary people, but in ancient times, this method was commonplace. Once one enters the Immortal Dao and achieves a certain level of success and accumulation, they can almost have a transmission talisman of the celestial script at their fingertips."

"The method used by the Celestial Scroll also originates from the research results of ancient times."

"That's why only those with immortal roots are qualified to become a prefectural inspector."

"Without immortal roots, one cannot use the Celestial Scroll, and naturally, they are not qualified to become an inspector."

Upon hearing these words, Jiang Ning became curious.

As Bai Luoyu said, only those with immortal roots could use the Celestial Scroll and be qualified to become a prefectural inspector.

Before Bai Luoyu came to Luo Water County, he had clearly already received instructions from above, giving him the choice to become a prefectural inspector.

This clearly indicated that they already knew he possessed immortal roots before Bai Luoyu's arrival.

Suppressing this doubt in his heart, Jiang Ning finally spoke, "Thank you, Brother Bai, for clearing my confusion."

A smile appeared on Bai Luoyu's lips, and then he asked, "What are your plans, Brother Jiang?"

"In a few days, I will naturally go to Dongling City to take part in the imperial examinations and then head to the Martial Academy for further training."

"Good! Then I'll wait for you in Dongling City." Bai Luoyu raised his wine cup.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning also raised his cup.

"Thank you, Brother Bai," he said.

Bai Luoyu smiled, clinked his cup, and then drank it in one go.

Subsequently, Jiang Ning also drank the wine in his cup in one mouthful.

Glug, glug, glug—

When their empty cups were refilled with wine again, Bai Luoyu spoke once more, "Brother Jiang, do you know why Xiao Emei came to Luo Water County?"

"I have some guesses," Jiang Ning said, raising his cup.

Xiao Emei's unexpected arrival did not put too much pressure on his heart.

Especially after understanding Xiao Emei's approximate strength, he had no fear at all.

Ranked third on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

She was merely a fifth-rank warrior.

More than a month ago, he had already slain two fifth-rank warriors like Xiao Emei.

Moreover, those two were warriors from the Divine Worship Sect, possessing the ability to transform into divine descendants.

If calculated, Xiao Emei would only be qualified to compete with those two fifth-rank warriors from the Divine Worship Sect if she reached the level of condensing inner breath into essence wind.

And this was just her achievement from over a month ago.

By now, her strength had already increased several times over.

How could she fear Xiao Emei?

The one he truly feared was the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace, known as the first under the grandmaster.

However, with the position of a deputy inspector, his fear diminished a little.

The higher the status, the less daring the martial artists in the jianghu would be.

If there were truly no guarantee of safety, how could the Great Xia Dynasty have ruled for over eight hundred years?

On the other side.

Xiao Emei stood at the entrance of Jiang Ning's manor, deep in thought.

Today was her first time meeting Jiang Ning. She also discovered that the task her master had given her wasn't as simple as she had initially imagined.

Inviting Jiang Ning to visit was no easy feat. From their brief interaction, she had grasped the crucial point—Bai Luoyu held Jiang Ning in high regard.

Bai Luoyu's esteem wasn't merely a reflection of her personal opinion; it also indicated the stance of the Inspection Office. Facing the flourishing and influential Inspection Office, she dared not provoke them.

Previously, she had considered using her strength to forcefully invite Jiang Ning back to the Water Moon Sword Palace as a guest, completing the task assigned by her master. However, after witnessing Bai Luoyu's attitude towards Jiang Ning, the hesitation she had initially felt grew even stronger.

"Should I test the waters tonight?" She slightly turned her head towards the direction of Jiang Ning, whispering to herself.

At that moment, she heard footsteps approaching from behind, along with the voices of Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu in conversation.

Xiao Emei snapped back to attention and quickly adjusted her expression, revealing a faint smile.

The next moment, she turned to see Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu walking side by side, chatting and laughing as they approached.

She immediately smiled, as if welcoming their arrival.

A moment later, Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu reached the doorway.

"Brother Jiang, let's meet again tomorrow for a drink," Bai Luoyu said.

"Then it's settled!" Jiang Ning smiled.

"It's settled!" Bai Luoyu also smiled.

Then, he turned to look at Emei.

"Miss Xiao, do you have something to say to Brother Jiang?"

Xiao Emei nodded and looked at Jiang Ning, "Commander Jiang, may I have a word with you?"

Jiang Ning glanced at her and slightly nodded.

"Inspector Bai, I have a few words to say to Commander Jiang!" Xiao Emei turned to Bai Luoyu.

Bai Luoyu smiled and waved his folding fan, "Please do!"

Luoshui Riverbank.

Several dozen zhang downwind from Bai Luoyu.

"Commander Jiang!" Xiao Emei brushed her hair, which had been blown by the cold wind, and tucked it behind her ear, revealing her beautiful profile and fair neck.

Seeing Jiang Ning's gaze, Xiao Emei felt a hint of joy.

She relished the attention from men.

The next moment, the cold wind blew again, and her hair, which she had just tucked away, became messy once more.

"Commander Jiang!" Xiao Emei spoke again.

"Miss Xiao, please speak your mind," Jiang Ning said.

Xiao Emei brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen onto her red lips and said, "Commander Jiang, my master would like to invite you to the Water Moon Sword Palace as a guest for a banquet. I wonder if Commander Jiang would be willing to attend?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning smiled, "I'm not a fool. Your master's banquet isn't a simple affair!"

"Commander Jiang has misunderstood," Xiao Emei's face showed a hint of apology. "My master only wishes to invite you as a guest and treat you well. Along the way, she also wants to investigate and clarify the death of my master's disciple, He Jinyun, and whether it has anything to do with Commander Jiang."

"I have no intention!" Jiang Ning waved his hand and turned to leave.

"Commander Jiang!" Xiao Emei's tone softened, and her voice became gentler. "It's difficult to go against my master's wishes. Please help me!"

After that, she only saw Jiang Ning's departing figure without any sign of hesitation.

Witnessing this, her gaze followed Jiang Ning's back, and the thought that had just crossed her mind resurfaced.

"I'll go and test the waters tonight!" Xiao Emei muttered to herself.

A moment later, she saw Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu briefly conversing, and then Bai Luoyu started walking towards her.

"Inspector Bai!"

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"What's up?" Bai Luoyu smiled. "Did Miss Xiao's beauty strategy fail?"

Xiao Emei's initially cheerful expression froze for a moment.

"What beauty strategy?" She tucked away the stray strands of hair that had fallen onto her shoulders, revealing her fair and snowy neck.

Bai Luoyu smiled and remained silent.

On the other side.

Back at the manor.

Jiang Li appeared before Jiang Ning.

"Younger brother, what was that important figure from the county here for?"

"To promote me!" Jiang Ning replied.

"To what rank?" Jiang Li's eyes lit up instantly.

"Sixth rank."

"Sixth rank!!!" Jiang Li's eyes widened.

Then, with a dazed expression, Jiang Li walked into the house, muttering to herself.

"Sixth rank!"

"Sixth rank!!"

"My Jiang family's ancestral tomb is smoking, a high-ranking official is about to emerge!!!"

Seeing this, Jiang Ning's lips curled into a faint smile.

East Wing.

Jiang Ning looked at the contribution point tokens neatly arranged before him, feeling immense joy.

Within the Inspection Office, contribution points were the universal currency.

They could be used for promotions, wealth accumulation, and the exchange of positions for gold and silver.

The contribution points could also be exchanged for various resources, martial techniques, and even the secret martial arts of the major sects, which were not passed down outside their doors.

After all, the inner treasury of the Inspection Office was connected to the treasury of the Martial Sage Mansion.

The accumulated wealth of the Martial Sage Mansion over hundreds of years was entirely open to the qualified personnel of the Inspection Office across the land.

During the founding of the Great Xia, that Martial Sage had traveled to all the major sects in the world, subjugating them and collecting countless martial arts techniques. The wealth accumulated by the Martial Sage Mansion over the centuries was astonishing.

Jiang Ning was well aware that the contribution points he currently possessed were a wealth that he would be unable to obtain for a long time in the future.

Therefore, he had to carefully plan how to use the 1.4 million contribution points he had acquired today, along with the 30,000 contribution points he had previously saved, totaling 1.43 million contribution points.

Thinking of the contribution points he had on hand, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in his heart.

A few days ago, he had spent 100,0000 contribution points at the Interior Affairs Bureau to promote himself to an eighth-rank official, thereby increasing his authority.

Looking back now, that choice seemed like a huge waste.

The position of candidate inspector was equivalent to a sixth-rank official.

With this identity, the previous expenditure of 100,000 contribution points was as good as throwing money down the drain.

Thinking of the 100,000 contribution points, worth at least 100,000 taels of silver, he couldn't help but feel the pain.

"Forget it!"

He shook his head inwardly, dispelling the negative emotions in his heart, and put away the pile of spirit stones and jade discs in front of him.

Then, he continued to practice his martial arts.

Although Xiao Emei's arrival didn't pose a threat, Jiang Ning was also aware that it represented the Water Moon Sword Palace's true attention to him, and they had already taken action.

Even if Xiao Emei didn't succeed, the Palace Master of the Water Moon Sword Palace wouldn't give up.

And even if the Palace Master gave up, her younger sister, He Jinyun's mother, wouldn't.

A mother who had lost her child was capable of doing anything.

This was a hidden threat.

Ultimately, it was a troublesome matter.

However, his current strength was insufficient to resolve this trouble, and he didn't have the ability to eliminate it in advance.

He could only do as he had told Bai Luoyun—to face the situation as it came and remain unchanging in the face of a thousand changes.

To solve this troublesome matter, he could only rely on strength, and sufficient strength at that.

Meanwhile, after returning to the inn, Xiao Emei went back to her room and closed the door.

She stood by the window, looking in the direction of Jiang Ning, her brows furrowed.

Arriving in Luo Water County, she realized that this matter was more complicated than she had imagined.

In her eyes, Jiang Ning was merely a seventh-rank or sixth-rank martial artist.

His official rank was only an eighth-rank deputy commander.

Neither his strength nor his status was enough to make her feel apprehensive.

However, today's events had overturned her perception.

The fact that Bai Luoyu was so polite and addressed him as 'brother' indicated the importance the Inspection Office placed on him.

She was well aware that Bai Luoyu was on an assignment from the Dongling Inspection Office, and he must have a lot more information about Jiang Ning than she did.

Bai Luoyu's actions meant that she had undoubtedly underestimated Jiang Ning.

"It seems he's not as simple as I thought."

"Tonight, I'll test the waters and probe his background before making a decision."

After making up her mind, Xiao Emei called for the inn's attendant and prepared to take a hot bath, waiting for the night to fall.

At midnight, the bright moonlight was sometimes obscured by thick clouds and sometimes seemed veiled, making the moonlight hazy.

Xiao Emei stood in front of a large bronze mirror, naked.

Then, she tightly wrapped her chest with black cloth and tied her bare feet with black cloth strips before putting on her tight-fitting night travel clothes.

Soon, only her black eyes were visible.

She picked up the long sword on the table, thought for a moment, and put it down. Then, she picked up the dagger next to it.

After inserting it into her waist, she nodded in satisfaction.

Creak!

A window of the Cloud Arrival Inn facing the street opened.

Then, a slender figure squeezed through the window's gap.

She glanced around and, seeing no movement, moved as lightly as a cat on the roof without making a sound, disappearing into the night.

Until this figure was far away, the window of the room where Bai Luoyu was staying opened.

"Xiao Emei has indeed taken action!"

He watched the direction where Xiao Emei had disappeared, pondered for a moment, and then shook his head.

"Forget it! I won't interfere tonight!"

"If the person chosen by the higher-ups can't even handle a small trouble like Xiao Emei, that's too weak!"

"Moreover, it's not appropriate to sell favors tonight, as Xiao Emei doesn't dare to kill him."

After thinking it through, Bai Luoyu closed the window again.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end