Appointment Decree

Appointment Decree

Early the next morning, Xia Fan was jolted awake by a knock at the door.

Don't tell me someone got sweet-talked by Master again and came looking for me to solve some supernatural problem?

After the long journey and working until the middle of the night yesterday, all he wanted was to sleep in properly.

"Who is it?"

Rubbing his eyes, Xia Fan called through the door.

"Is this Young Master Xia? I serve at the county yamen. I've come to deliver a verbal message to you."

A Fenghua County yamen runner?

His heart gave a small leap, and he instinctively glanced toward the inner room. Could the Fox Demon have been exposed? But he quickly dismissed the thought. If it truly involved Yao, the ones knocking on his door would certainly be Bureau of Military Affairs sorcerers. The county yamen would never wade into such muddy waters.

Even so, Xia Fan opened the door only halfway, blocking the entrance with his body. "What message?"

The visitor wore a black headscarf, a dark indigo split-hem robe, and a red sash around his waist. Judging by his attire, he was indeed an official runner. He cupped his hands in salute. "Congratulations, Young Master Xia, on passing the Scholar Examination. Your appointment document has arrived at the county yamen. Please come with me, so that the magistrate may personally hand it over to you."

So soon? Hadn't they said it would take at least half a month?

Xia Fan could not help being surprised. Since when had Qi State's logistics system become so efficient? The Scholar Examination results should first have been sent to the Capital Bureau of Military Affairs, then, after assignments were made according to rank, the Appointment Decrees would be issued down through the various local Bureaus of Military Affairs. For it to arrive in Fenghua County at virtually the same time as he did—calling that lightning speed would not have been an exaggeration.

"Wait a moment."

After returning to his room and giving the Fox Demon a few instructions, Xia Fan followed the man to the county yamen.

"By the way, what should I call you?"

"Li Xing will do."

"How did you know I was staying at this inn?" Xia Fan asked, putting on an offhand manner.

"Hahaha, Young Master Xia, you may not know this, but the lord who delivered the Appointment Decree stressed that the document had to reach the successful examinee at the first possible moment. We knew little about you at the time, only two things." Li Xing raised two fingers. "First, you had not yet arrived in Fenghua County. Second, you were not listed in the household registry and had no fixed residence. So I came up with a method: I notified every inn in the county beforehand. If anyone calling himself Xia Fan checked in, the innkeeper was to report it to the county yamen immediately."

"I see. But what if I hadn't stayed at an inn and had chosen private lodging instead..."

"Then there would have been nothing we could do." Li Xing smiled. "That is how official business works. When orders come from above, we do our best to carry them out. As for whether we succeed, that depends on luck. Fortunately, my luck was fairly good this time. Of course, even if we hadn't found you, you would have reported to the county yamen sooner or later. At most, it would only have been a few days later. And who could say that a few days later wasn't still the 'first possible moment'?"

Xia Fan could not help giving him a second look.

This man was genuinely interesting. He was probably no ordinary yamen runner.

At the very least, clear speech and orderly conversation were not things an ordinary low-ranking yamen clerk could manage.

Once they reached the county yamen, Li Xing directly opened the main gates and led him inside.

It was Xia Fan's first time setting foot in an official territory of Da Qi. Just as he was considering what manner of etiquette he ought to use before the magistrate, a middle-aged man in a green robe and black gauze cap came forward to greet him.

This man was undoubtedly Fenghua County's local father and mother official.

Before Xia Fan could cup his hands in salute, the man had already seized his arm. "I am Yang Guangrong, magistrate of Fenghua County. At long last, I've been waiting for you, Young Master Xia. No need for formalities. This is not an official occasion, so there is no need to follow every rule of the bureaucratic game."

"Magistrate Yang—"

"Ah, Magistrate Yang will do." He waved a hand. "I am an official, and so are you, Young Master Xia. Why address me with such distance?"

A county magistrate was actually this approachable? Xia Fan was greatly astonished. Though sorcerers held official ranks, a newly promoted one was roughly equivalent to the eighth rank, while a county magistrate was at least seventh rank. The difference of one rank was not great, yet there was still a distinction between high and low. If the man did not put on airs, that could be attributed to upright character. But this level of familiarity was clearly unusual.

"This is Young Master Xia's appointment document. Please keep it safe." Magistrate Yang beckoned, and someone at his side immediately brought forward a pouch.

"May I open it?" Xia Fan asked.

"Of course." He smiled. "There are scissors in the main hall. It would be better to look at it inside."

Xia Fan naturally agreed. The pouch felt as if it were made from cowhide, and its opening had been tightly sewn shut with thread. It truly would not be easy to open by hand. Using water-resistant, moisture-proof leather as a document pouch rather than the usual wrapping paper or cloth also showed, from another angle, the strength of the Bureau of Military Affairs.

After snipping through the sealing thread and opening the pouch, the seal inside tore apart with a crisp rip—proof that no second person had opened it. He drew out a sheet of snow-white paper, skipped the opening formalities, and went straight to the final section concerning his assignment.

"Upon receiving this decree, proceed immediately to Jinxia City in Shenzhou to assume office..." he murmured aloud. At the same time, a familiar feeling surfaced in his mind. Why did the name of this place sound so familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before?

"May I ask where Jinxia City is?" He simply asked the magistrate.

"Ahahaha... it seems Young Master Xia is not very familiar with our Shenzhou." Magistrate Yang chuckled. "Jinxia lies east of this county. It is not far—one day on a fast horse will get you there. It is also Shenzhou's capital."

East... of this county?

Shenzhou's... capital?

The scattered fragments of geographic knowledge in Xia Fan's mind instantly linked together—Fenghua County seemed to fall within Shenzhou, and the Bureau of Military Affairs where he was to serve was no obscure "township office," but the authority overseeing an entire prefecture!

No wonder the place name had given him such a sense of déjà vu.

Before he had even settled down in Fenghua County, he and his bargain-bin master had already wandered through Shenzhou's territory for quite some time.

Wait, could this also be why the magistrate was treating him so politely?

Jinxia was not merely a city; it was Shenzhou's core. Its administrative level was far higher than a county's. Official rank could only indicate the height of one's title, not inner attributes such as position and authority. Added to the special nature of the Bureau of Military Affairs itself, it was not hard to understand why the magistrate treated him this way.

"Xia Fan?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Xia Fan turned around, and Wei Wushuang's expression of startled delight came into view.

"Isn't this Young Master Wei from Dawan Grain Shop?" Magistrate Yang cupped his hands toward him. "At last, we've invited you here as well."

Wei Wushuang was so flattered that he repeatedly bowed. "G-greetings, Magistrate Yang. I never expected you to remember me. My father asked me to convey his regards..."

Yet the magistrate was not as familiar with him as he had been with Xia Fan. After receiving the salute, he merely gave a slight nod. "Shopkeeper Wei is thoughtful."

"His Appointment Decree has arrived too?"

"That's right, just like yours. Both of you will become members of the Shenzhou Bureau of Military Affairs."

"Shenzhou?" Wei Wushuang said in delighted surprise. "That's wonderful! It's actually somewhere so close, and I'll be with Brother Xia too!"

Xia Fan, however, looked at Magistrate Yang in some surprise. They were both sorcerers heading to Jinxia City to assume office, yet his attitude toward them was completely different. Could it be that his earlier guess had missed the mark?

As though he had not noticed this at all, the latter happily clapped his hands. "Should this county encounter any Evil Spirits in the future, I'll be relying on you two for much care and support."