East Courtyard.
Bai Luoyu took out a palm-sized black token from his robe. The token was engraved with intricate patterns.
At a glance, Jiang Ning recognized the patterns as a type of "lu" a form of mystical script.
According to ancient texts, "lu" represented the manifestation of the patterns of the Dao and its laws.
They symbolized the principles and truths of heaven and earth.
In ancient times, the path of immortality was closely intertwined with "lu."
At this moment, Bai Luoyu noticed Jiang Ning's gaze fixed on the black jade token and explained, "This is the 'Heavenly Secret Lu.' It serves as both the identity token and symbol of a provincial patrol envoy. I'm entrusting it to you for now. However, since Brother Jiang is currently only an alternate patrol envoy and hasn't yet passed the higher-ups' evaluation or received the formal 'lu,' this token merely signifies your status. It lacks its original function of transmitting messages across thousands of miles."
"Transmitting messages across thousands of miles?" Jiang Ning looked surprised.
Bai Luoyu nodded. "The Heavenly Secret Lu can transmit messages over vast distances. This is one of the key tools that enables us to patrol envoys to oversee an entire province. If a major crisis were to arise in Dongling Province, I could immediately send word to the prefectural capital. Within days, a grandmaster would arrive to suppress any turmoil with their overwhelming power."
"Transmitting messages across thousands of miles that's quite a miraculous ability!" Jiang Ning feigned astonishment.
Bai Luoyu smiled. "It may seem miraculous to ordinary people, but in ancient times, such methods were commonplace. Anyone who stepped onto the path of immortality and achieved some level of success could easily possess a communication talisman. The Heavenly Secret Lu's functionality is based on research derived from ancient techniques."
"Precisely because of this, only those with immortal roots are qualified to become provincial patrol envoys."
"Without immortal roots, one cannot use the Heavenly Secret Lu and thus cannot serve as a patrol envoy."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel curious.
According to Bai Luoyu, only those with immortal roots could use the Heavenly Secret Lu and qualify as provincial patrol envoys.
Yet, before Bai Luoyu even arrived in Luoshui County, he had already received instructions from above to offer Jiang Ning the opportunity to become a patrol envoy.
This indicated one thing:
Before Bai Luoyu's arrival, the higher-ups already knew that Jiang Ning possessed immortal roots.
Suppressing this doubt for the moment, Jiang Ning spoke again.
"Thank you for the explanation, Brother Bai."
Bai Luoyu grinned and asked, "What are your plans for the future, Brother Jiang?"
"In a few days, I'll head to Dongling City to take the imperial examinations, then proceed to the Martial Academy for further training."
"Excellent! Then I'll await Brother Jiang's arrival in Dongling City." Bai Luoyu raised his wine cup.
Jiang Ning did the same.
"Thank you, Brother Bai," he said.
Bai Luoyu smiled, clinked his cup against Jiang Ning's, and downed the wine in one go.
Jiang Ning followed suit, emptying his cup as well.
Glug, glug, glug
As their cups were refilled, Bai Luoyu spoke again. "Brother Jiang, do you know the purpose of Xiao Emei's visit to Luoshui County?"
"I have some guesses," Jiang Ning replied, raising his cup.
Xiao Emei's unexpected arrival hadn't put much pressure on him.
Among the younger generation, he currently feared no one.
After learning about Xiao Emei's approximate strength, he felt even less wary.
Ranked third on the Hidden Dragon List's Human Ranking.
Yet her strength was only at the fifth rank of martial arts.
Over a month ago, he had already slain two fifth-rank warriors of her caliber.
And those two were disciples of the Worship Sect, capable of divine transformation.
To put it bluntly, unless Xiao Emei had reached the level of condensing internal energy like steel, she wouldn't even compare to those two fifth-rank disciples of the Worship Sect.
And that was just his achievement over a month ago.
Now, his strength had multiplied several times over.
Why would he fear someone like Xiao Emei?
The only one who truly gave him pause was the master of the Moonwater Sword Palace renowned as the strongest below the grandmaster level.
But now that he held the status of an alternate patrol envoy, his apprehension had lessened somewhat.
The higher one's status, the less likely martial artists of the jianghu would dare act recklessly.
If there were no guarantees of safety, how could the Great Xia Dynasty have ruled the land for over 800 years?
Meanwhile, Bai Luoyu, hearing Jiang Ning's response, continued, "Since Brother Jiang has guessed Xiao Emei's intentions, what are your plans?"
"Meet soldiers with arms and water with earth!" Jiang Ning declared.
"Good!" Bai Luoyu praised. "It seems Brother Jiang is already confident. Then I won't interfere further."
Jiang Ning smiled. He wasn't entirely sure how much sincerity lay behind Bai Luoyu's words.
Though Bai Luoyu, a figure of high status, appeared friendly toward him, today was their first meeting. Jiang Ning wasn't naive enough to trust him outright.
Moreover, Xiao Emei arrived today alongside Bai Luoyu.
To say the two had no connection whatsoever he didn't believe that for a second.
Elsewhere.
Xiao Emei stood at the entrance of Jiang Ning's residence, lost in thought.
Today was her first time meeting Jiang Ning.
She realized that the task her master had assigned her wasn't as simple as she'd initially imagined.
Inviting Jiang Ning as a guest now seemed far more complicated than she'd anticipated.
From their earlier interaction, one critical point stood out: Bai Luoyu held Jiang Ning in high regard.
Bai Luoyu's regard didn't just reflect his attitude it represented the stance of the entire Patrol Envoy Office.
Faced with the currently flourishing and influential Patrol Envoy Office, she didn't dare provoke its wrath.
Previously, Xiao Emei had considered relying on her strength to forcibly "invite" Jiang Ning back to the Moonwater Sword Palace as a guest, thereby completing the task assigned by her master.
However, after witnessing Bai Luoyu's attitude toward Jiang Ning today, the hesitation she had already felt grew even stronger.
"Should I test him tonight?" She glanced slightly toward Jiang Ning's direction, murmuring to herself.
Just then
She suddenly heard two sets of footsteps approaching from behind, along with the sound of Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu conversing.
Xiao Emei immediately snapped back to attention and quickly adjusted her expression, forcing a faint smile.
The next moment
She turned and saw Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu walking side by side, chatting and laughing as they approached.
She immediately put on a smile, as if welcoming their arrival.
A short while later
Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu reached the gate.
"Brother Jiang, let's meet again another day. I'll treat you to drinks," Bai Luoyu said.
"Then it's settled!" Jiang Ning smiled.
"Settled!" Bai Luoyu also gave a faint smile.
Then, he turned to Xiao Emei beside him.
"Miss Xiao, do you have anything you'd like to say to Brother Jiang?"
Xiao Emei immediately nodded and looked at Jiang Ning. "Commander Jiang, may we speak in private?"
Jiang Ning glanced at her and gave a slight nod.
"Patrol Envoy Bai, I'd like to speak with Commander Jiang for a moment!" Xiao Emei said to Bai Luoyu.
Bai Luoyu chuckled, flicking his folding fan lightly. "By all means!"
By the Luoshui River.
Downwind, several dozen zhang away from Bai Luoyu.
"Commander Jiang!" Xiao Emei tucked a strand of hair that had been tousled by the cold wind behind her ear, revealing a delicate profile and a fair, slender neck.
Noticing Jiang Ning's gaze, a flicker of satisfaction passed through Xiao Emei's heart.
She greatly enjoyed the attention of men.
The next moment
The cold wind blew again, disheveling the strands she had just tucked away.
"Commander Jiang!" Xiao Emei spoke again.
"Miss Xiao, speak your mind," Jiang Ning said.
Xiao Emei brushed away the hair clinging to her red lips and said, "Commander Jiang, my master wishes to invite you to the Moonwater Sword Palace as a guest for a banquet. Would you honor us with your presence?"
Jiang Ning couldn't help but laugh. "I'm no fool. Your master's banquet is hardly a friendly one!"
"Commander Jiang, you misunderstand." Xiao Emei's face showed a trace of apology. "My master only wishes to host you properly and, incidentally, clarify whether your involvement is related to the death of her nephew, He Jinyun."
"No interest." Jiang Ning waved his hand and turned to leave.
"Commander Jiang!" Xiao Emei's tone softened, her voice gentler. "A disciple cannot disobey their master. Please, help me!"
All she saw, however, was Jiang Ning's retreating and his unwavering footsteps.
Watching this, her gaze lingered on Jiang Ning's figure, and the thought from earlier resurfaced in her mind.
"Tonight… I'll test him."
A short while later
She saw Jiang Ning exchange a few brief words with Bai Luoyu before Bai Luoyu walked toward her.
"Patrol Envoy Bai!"
"What is it?" Bai Luoyu smiled. "Miss Xiao, did your beauty stratagem fail?"
Xiao Emei's previously smiling expression stiffened slightly.
"What beauty stratagem?" She tucked another loose strand behind her ear, exposing her snow-white neck.
Bai Luoyu chuckled but said nothing more.
Meanwhile, back inside the residence.
Jiang Li appeared before Jiang Ning.
"Little brother, what did that important figure from the prefectural city come for?"
"To promote me," Jiang Ning said.
"What rank?" Jiang Li's eyes instantly lit up.
"Deputy Sixth Rank."
"Deputy Sixth Rank?!" Jiang Li's eyes widened.
Then, as if in a daze, Jiang Li wandered back into the house, muttering to himself.
"Deputy Sixth Rank…"
"Deputy Sixth Rank…"
"The ancestral graves of the Jiang family must be smoking with good fortune! We're going to have a high-ranking official!"
Watching this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile faintly.
East Courtyard.
Jiang Ning looked at the neatly arranged contribution point tokens before him, feeling immense satisfaction.
Within the Patrol Envoy Office, contribution points were a universal currency.
They could be used for promotions, wealth, and position advancements, and even exchanged for gold and silver.
They could also be exchanged for various martial arts resources, secret manuals, and even closely guarded techniques from major sects.
This was because the Patrol Envoy Office's internal treasury was directly connected to the Martial Saint Mansion's reserves.
Centuries of accumulated resources from the Martial Saint Mansion were made available to qualified personnel across the empire.
Back when the Martial Saint first established the Great Xia Dynasty, he had traveled across the land, subduing all major sects and collecting their martial techniques. As a result, the Martial Saint Mansion's centuries of accumulation were staggeringly vast.
Jiang Ning was well aware that the contribution points he now possessed were a fortune he wouldn't be able to obtain again for a long time.
Therefore, he had to carefully plan how to use the 1.4 million contribution points he had just received, plus the 30,000 he had saved earlier totaling 1.43 million.
Thinking of the contribution points he had spent earlier, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
A few days ago, he had spent 100,000 contribution points at the Internal Affairs Office with Granny Bai to be promoted to Rank 8B, thereby increasing his authority.
Looking back now, that decision had been an enormous waste.
As an Alternate Patrol Envoy, his rank was equivalent to Deputy Rank 6.
With this status, the 100,000 contribution points he had spent earlier were essentially thrown away.
Considering that 100,000 contribution points were worth at least 100,000 taels of silver, how could he not feel the sting?
"Forget it."
He shook his head slightly, dispelling his frustration, and carefully stored the pile of spirit stone tokens in front of him.
Then, he resumed his martial training.
Though Xiao Emei's arrival didn't pose a direct threat to him, he understood that it signaled the Moonwater Sword Palace had truly set its sights on him and had already begun taking action.
Even if Xiao Emei returned empty-handed, that didn't mean the Sword Palace's master would give up.
And even if the master did, there was still He Jinyun's mother, the master's younger sister, to consider.
A mother who had lost her child there was no telling what she might do.
This was a hidden threat, trouble lurking in the shadows.
But his current strength wasn't enough to eliminate this problem, nor did he have the means to preemptively crush it.
All he could do was follow the approach he had mentioned to Bai Luoyu earlier:
"Meet soldiers with arms and water with earth."
To remain steady and adapt as circumstances change.
To resolve this issue, strength was the only answer overwhelming strength.
Meanwhile…
After returning to the inn, Bai Luoyu and Xiao Emei went their separate ways.
Xiao Emei retreated to her room, shutting the door behind her.
Standing by the window, she gazed in the direction of Jiang Ning's residence, her brow furrowed.
Her trip to Luoshui County had proven more complicated than she had anticipated.
Originally, she had assumed Jiang Ning was merely a Rank 7 or Rank 6 martial artist, holding only a Deputy Rank 8B military position.
Neither his strength nor his status had seemed worthy of caution.
But today's encounter had shattered that assumption.
The fact that Bai Luoyu treated him with such respect even addressing him as "Brother Jiang" spoke volumes about how highly the Patrol Envoy Office valued him.
She knew very well that Bai Luoyu was acting on orders from the Dongling Patrol Envoy Office, meaning he had far more information on Jiang Ning than she did.
His behavior today was proof that she had grossly underestimated Jiang Ning.
"It seems he's not as simple as I thought."
"Tonight, I'll test him first and probe his limits before deciding my next move."
Having made up her mind, she called for the inn's attendant to prepare a hot bath, biding her time until nightfall.
Hour of the Boar (9–11 PM).
The bright moonlight flickered as thick clouds drifted across the sky, veiling it like a sheer curtain, casting a hazy glow over the land.
Xiao Emei stood before a tall bronze mirror, completely unclothed.
She tightly wrapped black cloth around her chest and then bound her bare feet with the same material before slipping into a form-fitting black stealth suit.
Soon, only her dark eyes remained visible.
She picked up the sword on the table, hesitated, then set it back down. Instead, she grabbed a dagger and tucked it into her waistband.
Satisfied, she gave a slight nod.
Creak
A window on the street-facing side of Yunlai Inn opened quietly.
A slender figure slipped through the gap, scanning the surroundings for any movement.
Detecting nothing, she moved with the lightness of a cat, her steps silent as she vanished into the night.
Far from the scene…
Only after the figure had disappeared did Bai Luoyu's window finally open.
"Xiao Emei made her move."
He stared in the direction she had gone, lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"Never mind. I won't interfere tonight."
"If the person the higher-ups favor can't even handle a minor nuisance like Xiao Emei, then he's not worth much anyway."
"Besides, selling a favor isn't appropriate tonight. Xiao Emei wouldn't dare kill him."
Having made his decision, he closed the window again.
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