Max Level: Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang Great Sadness Chant

Having crossed Lingyun Lake, Ding Province wasn't far off.

It took less than a day to arrive outside Ding Province.

Ding Province was quite bustling, with vendors hawking their wares on both sides of the street and restaurants filled with patrons.

In the willow lanes, there were brothels and other pleasure quarters.

Without lingering, Lin Xiao arrived at the Ding Province Garrison of the Jinyiwei.

Although the Jinyiwei Garrison wasn't as grand as the one in the capital, it was still decent, with two Jinyiwei guards standing watch at the entrance.

"Halt, who are you?"

The two Jinyiwei guards glanced at Lin Xiao and frowned.

"I am Lin Xiao, here from the capital to take up a post in Ding Province."

"From the capital?"

The two Jinyiwei guards sized Lin Xiao up and down, then sneered, "You wait here, I'll go in and report to the superior."

After saying that, the Jinyiwei guard turned and ran into the Garrison. The other Jinyiwei guard ignored Lin Xiao and continued his post.

A quarter of an hour, two quarters of an hour passed.

Unknowingly, it was almost dark, but there was still no word from inside telling him to enter.

Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes and glanced at the Garrison gate, about to turn and leave.

Trying to give me a hard time, huh? If you don't want to see me, then I'll just leave. Anyway, if he doesn't sign me in, someone will be held accountable when the higher-ups find out.

Just as he was about to leave, a hearty laugh came from inside the Garrison.

"Oh dear, we've kept Xiaoqi Lin waiting. The Garrison Commander has been busy with official duties today, and in the midst of it, he forgot about Xiaoqi Lin's matter. He just remembered and immediately ordered me to invite Xiaoqi Lin in."

Lin Xiao didn't show any dissatisfaction, smiling, "The Garrison Commander is dealing with a myriad of affairs every day. It's only natural that a small character like me would be forgotten. Official business is important, official business is important."

"Xiaoqi Lin is no small character. You are someone valued by the Emperor. Although you are only a Xiaoqi now, you might become a big shot that even I will have to seek favors from in the future."

"The imperial gift of the Flying Fish Uniform and Embroidered Spring Blade is a distinction that no one else in our entire Ding Province Jinyiwei has."

The speaker was a middle-aged man, wearing a Jinyiwei chiliarch uniform, chatting amiably with Lin Xiao.

"Chiliarch, you flatter me. No one can say for sure what will happen in the future. At least for now, I am just a Xiaoqi and don't deserve such courtesy from you."

"Well, Xiaoqi Lin, let's go quickly. The Garrison Commander is still waiting inside."

"Let's go."

The two stepped into the Garrison.

Along the way, many Jinyiwei looked at Lin Xiao with curiosity.

Hearing that Lin Xiao was from the capital, their eyes were full of curiosity.

Of course, some were curious, and others were jealous.

"How can a greenhorn like that be worthy of the Emperor's reward? I think he just stumbled upon some merit and was seen by the Emperor."

"I bet once he stays in Ding Province for a while, he'll realize he has no ability. By then, the Emperor definitely won't reuse him."

"Exactly, let's wait and see."

Facing the whispers around him, Lin Xiao remained calm.

On the way, the chiliarch kept observing Lin Xiao. Seeing that Lin Xiao's expression didn't change at all in the face of the surrounding comments, he couldn't help but lessen his contempt for him.

Just this level of scheming and composure was beyond ordinary people.

Inside the Garrison's main hall.

A majestic middle-aged man sat in a high position.

Seeing Lin Xiao being brought in, he said indifferently, "You are Lin Xiao?"

"Reporting to the Garrison Commander, this subordinate is indeed Lin Xiao."

"Yes, I received the news from the capital before you arrived. Although you are from the capital, you must still follow the rules. The system in my Ding Province Garrison is that one chiliarch governs two centurions."

"One centurion governs four squad leaders, one squad leader governs four Xiaoqi, and one Xiaoqi governs ten guards."

"You will serve under Chiliarch Wang Chuang."

"Remember, you must not be absent from work without reason. You must report every day and not break the rules, otherwise, even if you are from the capital, I will have to punish you."

"Garrison Commander, rest assured, this subordinate understands."

"Alright, you may leave."

Lin Xiao nodded and turned to leave.

After Lin Xiao left, the Garrison Commander asked the chiliarch, "What do you think of this person?"

The chiliarch pondered for a moment, "He has both scheming and composure. As for his strength, I can't see through it."

"Innate Seventh Stage. You may go about your business," the Garrison Commander said casually.

"Innate Seventh Stage?"

The chiliarch was taken aback.

To be so young, yet possess such strength... no wonder the Emperor holds him in high regard.

He was simply a peerless genius.

Even compared to those monstrous talents in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings, he wouldn't be inferior, right?

"Yes, Vice Commander."

After the chiliarch left, he was still in shock.

This Lin Xiao didn't seem as simple as he appeared on the surface.

If he could grow, becoming a Great Grandmaster Realm expert in the future was a real possibility.

However, after the initial shock, he didn't dwell on it too much.

Although Lin Xiao was currently displaying the talents of a peerless genius, in a place like Ding Province, where dragons and snakes mingled, there was always the possibility of premature death. It all depended on his luck.

A genius only counted as a genius if they grew up; if they didn't, it was all empty talk.

Following the directions, Lin Xiao arrived at the chiliarch's office he was assigned to, to report for duty.

As soon as he arrived, he saw a burly man sitting on the grand master's chair inside, devouring a watermelon.

Watermelon juice splattered everywhere, with two centurions standing beside him.

After Lin Xiao walked in, no one in the entire chiliarch's office paid him any attention.

It wasn't until Wang Chuang finished the watermelon and wiped his mouth with his sleeve that he said, "Who's there?"

Lin Xiao cupped his fist and said, "Lin Xiao."

"Oh, you're the Xiaoqi who just arrived from the capital today."

"The Vice Commander should have already told you the rules."

"Since you're new, you should familiarize yourself with the work of the Jinyiwei first. However, there are no vacant rooms in the Jinyiwei, so you'll have to trouble yourself to rent a house outside for the time being."

"By the way, you were originally supposed to have ten strongmen under your command, but there's a shortage of manpower in the office right now, so we'll allocate two strongmen to you for now. I've already chosen the men for you."

"Xue Shan, Chang Le."

Inside the chiliarch's office, upon hearing the two Jinyiwei strongmen Wang Chuang had assigned to Lin Xiao, everyone's expressions turned strange.

These two were quite interesting.

One was a slippery old fox, and the other was a loner. Both were headaches.

With these two subordinates, Lin Xiao wouldn't need to do anything else; he could just spend all day dealing with them.

Everyone knew that this was a blatant act of suppression.

Who told this Lin Xiao to come from the capital? He couldn't possibly be welcomed here.

"Thank you, Chiliarch. I can take care of the housing issue myself."

Lin Xiao was happy to do so; he wasn't used to living with others anyway.

Moreover, he had the secret of the system on him. If someone were to discover it one day, he would have to silence them.

He arrived at the Xiaoqi office he was assigned to and began to review the information.

The affairs of the Jinyiwei were numerous. The intelligence gathered every day needed to be summarized and submitted, and there were also many temporary tasks that needed to be carried out.

He now needed to gain some understanding of the matters of the martial world in Ding Province before he could begin his work.

After all, if he wanted to pacify Ding Province, how could he not know himself and his enemy first?

An hour later, it had already grown dark.

A case piqued Lin Xiao's interest.

A Flower Plucking Bandit had been running rampant in Ding Province for ten years, but the Jinyiwei had been unable to catch him.

According to the records, this Flower Plucking Bandit had extremely high-level lightness skill and acted arrogantly.

He specifically targeted the daughters of wealthy families.

Moreover, before each crime, he would send a flower and inform the family when he would strike.

Even though those wealthy gentry made preparations, they were never able to catch the Flower Plucking Bandit, and he always succeeded.

Ding, system mission issued: Capture the Flower Plucking Bandit. Mission reward: Heaven and Earth Intertwining Yin Yang Great Compassion Art (max level), mission points: five.