Lin Xiao's display had made the entire courtyard so quiet that a needle dropping could be heard.
Xue Shan was still staring at his own palm, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
Chang Le, watching from afar, gulped hard and trembled all over.
Too strong—far too strong.
Was this their new superior?
He had to be an Innate expert, didn't he?
"My lord, what is your current realm?"
Chang Le had been expected to ask that question, yet it was Xue Shan, having recovered his senses, who asked it instead.
"Innate Seventh Stage. I can battle Grandmasters."
"Battle Grandmasters?"
Whoosh!!!
The Innate Seventh Stage was still something the two of them could accept.
But the claim that he could battle Grandmasters truly frightened them.
"My lord, you are not joking, are you? You are only at the Innate Seventh Stage, yet you can fight a Grandmaster?"
Chang Le hurriedly asked.
Lin Xiao smiled faintly. "Grandmasters are nothing remarkable. If it is merely an ordinary Grandmaster without any particularly strong trump cards, I could even kill him."
"Now then, are the two of you willing to serve me wholeheartedly?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Chang Le promptly said, "Rest assured, my lord. Even if you tell me to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a cauldron of boiling oil, I will not shrink back."
Xue Shan directly dropped to one knee.
"My lord, from this day forth, Xue Shan shall follow wherever you point."
"Enough with that nonsense. I only look at results."
"As long as you two serve me with all your hearts, there will be no shortage of benefits for you in the future."
"Glory and wealth are merely ordinary matters. Soaring to greatness and rising to high office are not impossible either."
"My lord, this Old Chang is following you for life."
With a boss whose combat strength rivaled a Grandmaster's, if he did not declare his loyalty now, then when would he?
Those Grandmasters were all incomparably proud. With the status of the two of them, there could never be another Grandmaster in their lives who would think highly of them.
"Alright, Chang Le, tell me about the current situation in Stability Prefecture."
"Tell me everything you know, so I can figure out where to begin."
Chang Le promptly began explaining things to Lin Xiao.
"My lord, to be honest, the situation in Stability Prefecture is extremely complicated right now."
"Let us start with our Pacification Office."
"Lord Pacification Envoy may appear to hold the greatest authority, but each of the four Thousand-Household Officers beneath him has backing."
"They are all waiting for the Pacification Envoy to leave so that they can take over his position."
"I have heard that all four Thousand-Household Officers are connected to Stability Prefecture's four great aristocratic families."
"Moreover, the imperial court's influence in Stability Prefecture is not very strong. Its prestige among the common people may not even compare to that of One Sect, Four Gates."
"Many industries are controlled by One Sect, Four Gates, such as certain mines and docks."
"Each year, One Sect, Four Gates merely handed over a token amount in taxes to brush off the imperial court."
"Stability Prefecture's tax revenue was squeezed dry by One Sect, Four Gates, then skimmed again by those official lords. The people below got to drink a little soup, and only what remained was sent to the capital."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao understood that the corruption in Stability Prefecture had rotted to the bone.
"Then what is the Ding Province Martial Meet?"
Lin Xiao continued asking.
At the mention of the Ding Province Martial Meet, Chang Le grew excited.
"My lord, speaking of the Ding Province Martial Meet, it is unquestionably Stability Prefecture's greatest event of the past ten years."
"To put it plainly, the Ding Province Martial Meet is a contest where the major martial forces of Stability Prefecture divide up their interests."
"The higher a force ranked, the greater the share of benefits it received. It was also a way for the major forces to display their foundations."
"Every ten years, Stability Prefecture redistributed its benefits."
"In past years, the top experts of the various martial forces simply sat together and negotiated. This year, however, the major forces decided to let their disciples' geniuses determine victory or defeat."
"Does the imperial court not participate?"
Lin Xiao asked doubtfully.
At this point, Chang Le sighed.
"The imperial court naturally has the right to participate, but the court in Stability Prefecture has been thoroughly infiltrated by people from the major forces. Even if it obtains a ranking by participating, the benefits will secretly be divided up by those forces."
"There were once experts sent down by the imperial court, but they either met with accidents or were forced out by exclusion and pressure. As time passed, the imperial court's prestige in Stability Prefecture grew weaker and weaker."
"Furthermore, the resources here in Stability Prefecture are far too meager. The imperial court does not value this place much at all, so it cannot be bothered to manage it."
"So that was it."
Lin Xiao nodded, finally understanding why the imperial court had not sent a Great Grandmaster Realm expert to sit in command of Stability Prefecture. The gains simply did not outweigh the costs.
A Great Grandmaster Realm expert had many matters to attend to. The regions they guarded were all major provinces rich in resources.
"Has Northern Qi made any moves recently?"
Lin Xiao's sudden question left Chang Le blank for a moment.
"I have not heard anything about that, my lord. Do you believe Northern Qi is about to make a move?"
Lin Xiao nodded. "I suspect it is possible. His Majesty suddenly sent me to Stability Prefecture; perhaps he has noticed something."
"However, His Majesty did not reveal anything before I left, so for now I can only speculate."
"Enough. No matter what His Majesty intends—whether Northern Qi is making a move or he intends to act against Stability Prefecture—I must first proceed according to my own plan."
"You know about that Flower Plucking Bandit, correct?"
"My lord, do you wish to capture that Flower Plucking Bandit?"
Chang Le asked with a solemn expression.
"Correct. That Flower Plucking Bandit has committed more than a hundred crimes in Stability Prefecture and defiled over a hundred innocent girls. If I capture him, it will be a great merit."
"How much do you know about this Flower Plucking Bandit?"
Lin Xiao looked at Chang Le as he asked.
Chang Le thought for a moment. "My lord, no one has ever truly come face-to-face with this Flower Plucking Bandit. It is said that his lightness skill is extraordinarily high, and he wears makeup every time he commits a crime. The girls he defiled only know that he has lecherous eyes, a shrill voice, and a thin build. They cannot describe anything else in detail."
"Both the yamen and the Jinyiwei once joined forces to surround and suppress him, but that Flower Plucking Thief's lightness skill was too great. Even with a net spread across heaven and earth, he could still escape with ease. He is truly a troublesome opponent."
"Many Jinyiwei who took on the task of capturing the Flower Plucking Bandit ended up covered in dust and disgrace, becoming laughingstocks."
"If you wish to capture this Flower Plucking Bandit, my lord, I hope you will proceed cautiously. Do not let the mission fail and give those people in the Pacification Office a chance to laugh at you."
Lin Xiao smiled faintly. "Since I wish to establish my prestige, this Flower Plucking Bandit is naturally the most suitable target. All I can say is that he is unlucky. I shall use him as the first sacrifice to my blade."
Lin Xiao was determined to capture the Flower Plucking Bandit, because it was also tied to the system's mission.
Once the mission was completed, the max-level Heaven and Earth Converging Yin-Yang Great Compassion Ode would be enough to help him break through into the Grandmaster Realm.
Furthermore, every one of the seven martial arts within the Heaven and Earth Converging Yin-Yang Great Compassion Ode was exceptionally powerful.
They would give him more means to deal with enemies in battle.
"Chang Le, go investigate now. See whether you can gather information on who the Flower Plucking Bandit's next target is. Return and report to me the moment you receive word."
"Yes, my lord."
Though Chang Le was an old hand at muddling through, he deeply yearned for glory and wealth. Now that he had seen hope after following Lin Xiao, he was full of drive.
Sure enough, before long, Chang Le brought back news. The Flower Plucking Bandit was actually planning to target the Su Family's young lady.
"The Su Family's young lady?"
Lin Xiao recalled the Su Family merchant ship he had encountered on Lingyun Lake during the day, as well as that peerless beauty.
"My lord, the Su Family just sent word to the Pacification Office. They wish to hire the Pacification Office's Jinyiwei to protect his daughter. If we can keep his daughter safe from being defiled by the Flower Plucking Bandit, he is willing to offer ten thousand taels of gold."
"Good. Heaven is helping me. Come back to the Pacification Office with me at once to claim the mission."
Before you continue