11. A Gentle Reprimand

"Notify the County Magistrate to temporarily assume the position of Magistrate and handle the yamen's affairs."

"As for what comes next, await the Imperial Court's decree."

"Understood."

Having given his orders, Wei Qing mounted his horse and rode along Bluestone Road toward the inn.

The sun was setting before the inn's entrance.

"Honored guest, please watch your step."

At the inn's doorway, the waiter A'Fu supported a patron reeking of alcohol, offering a soft reminder.

"Little brat, you lookin' down on me... urp—" The patron suddenly belched, his bleary eyes squinting slyly at A'Fu: "Even if you brought another jar... I could down it all..."

"Honored guest, would you like me to call you a carriage?"

The patron raised a hand to stop him: "No need... I'll... be home in two steps."

"Then take it slow, sir."

"Go on back, no need to see me off."

The patron waved his hand and staggered into the alley across the street.

The waiter returned to the counter: "Boss..."

Zhang Zhidong raised a hand to cut A'Fu off, rose, and walked to the door: "My lord."

Wei Qing's face was ice-cold, stripped of his usual cordiality.

"Take me to the secret chamber."

"Yes."

Zhang Zhidong's heart trembled. For some reason, he sensed a chilling coldness from Wei Qing.

The moment the hidden door opened, the Bronze Lamp flickered without any wind.

Wei Qing suddenly turned, his tone harsh: "Brother Zhang, are you itching for tea at the Supervision Division?"

"Where does that come from?"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhidong looked utterly bewildered.

"The Night Watch Guard's report to the Imperial City stated the demon's strength was Eighth-rank initial stage, correct?"

Zhang Zhidong quickly reviewed the intelligence in his mind and nodded slightly: "Correct!"

Wei Qing lifted his gaze: "Then why was the demon I encountered in Dragon Cave Village actually at Eighth-rank middle stage?"

"That aside, why did the report omit any information about a Sixth-rank initial stage demon?"

"And it never mentioned that Magistrate Fang's eldest son, Fang Xiang, was colluding with demons."

"As the Heavenly Realm Division's eyes and ears, the Night Watch Guard—you lot—were completely unaware of all this."

Boom!

Zhang Zhidong stood frozen as if struck by lightning.

A bone-piercing chill shot from his tailbone up his spine to the crown of his head, cold sweat dripping from his brow down the tip of his nose.

When the words "Sixth-rank demon, Fang Xiang colluding with demons" slammed into his eardrums, his knees instinctively went weak.

It felt as if he were already kneeling before the gloomy gates of the Heavenly Realm Division's Imperial Prison.

Zhang Zhidong's Adam's apple bobbed several times before he squeezed out a fractured voice: "M-my lord, see clearly, the Night Watch Guard wouldn't dare, even with ten thousand guts..."

"Two days." Wei Qing cut him off, leaning slightly forward: "I want a list of everyone else in Qingcheng colluding with demons."

"Otherwise, I won't mind replacing the entire Night Watch Guard in Qingcheng."

"As the Heavenly Realm Division's eyes and ears, the Night Watch Guard shouldn't have made so many mistakes. Brother Zhang, it's time to wake up."

"This time, luckily a mysterious expert passed through and dealt with that Sixth-rank demon."

"Next time, whether your head stays securely on your neck is far from certain."

"Lord Wei, your lesson is well taken."

Zhang Zhidong nodded obediently, understanding in his heart.

Wei Qing was absolutely not bluffing. Though the Night Watch Guard, as an intelligence department, didn't directly participate in demon slaying, if their intelligence failed and caused heavy losses to the Heavenly Realm Division—

Then.

It wouldn't just be a matter of chopping off his head; even exterminating his entire clan wasn't out of the question.

"I've said my piece, Brother Zhang. Keep it in mind." Wei Qing didn't intend to waste more time on this issue.

"My lord, I, Zhang, will remember this favor. In the future, whenever you have need of me, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation."

Zhang Zhidong bowed solemnly to Wei Qing.

"Later, I will truthfully report the matter to Fang Xiang. Whether you can seize this chance to atone for your crimes depends entirely on you."

Wei Qing finished speaking, then rose and returned to his room.

Stepping out of the secret chamber, Zhang Zhidong suddenly felt as if he had narrowly escaped death.

Immediately after, he arranged for all the Night Watch Guards to launch a carpet search and investigation of Qingcheng.

Inside the room.

Wei Qing took out several sheets of blank paper and spread them flat before him.

He ground the ink.

He lifted the brush.

Though he had only been in Qingcheng for two days, he had encountered no small number of incidents.

First, an Eighth-rank middle stage demon, then a Sixth-Rank Primary demon, the appearance of a mysterious expert, followed by Fang Xiang colluding with demons, and the mysterious black-robed martial artist of Sixth-Rank—many pieces of information were jumbled together.

This only intensified the faint sense of unease in Wei Qing's heart.

He had no choice but to report these matters.

After all.

The Supervision Division's people were watching from the shadows.

Of course, he chose to conceal some things.

He did not mention Zhu Huan's betrayal in his report.

When he fought the Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat, the Supervision Division's people had not shown themselves.

An Eighth-rank fighting a Sixth-rank.

That had already far exceeded the scope of the assessment.

There had to be a reason he did not know.

This also gave Wei Qing the perfect excuse to withhold information about Zhu Huan.

It took him a quarter of an hour.

To finish writing everything he needed to.

Qi Force surged out, drying all the ink. He folded the letter, placed it into a bamboo tube he carried with him, then turned and went downstairs to the backyard.

A'Fu had long been waiting there. Seeing Wei Qing approach, he stepped forward and handed over a night owl: "Lord, this was prepared by Steward Zhang on his orders."

"Mm."

Wei Qing securely tied the bamboo tube to the night owl's leg. The faint clink of the metal buckle ring was especially clear in the silent courtyard.

The moment he opened his right hand, the night owl suddenly let out a long cry. Its feathers rustled without any wind, and its wings snapped open wide, turning into a streak of black that pierced the night sky, flying swiftly toward the imperial capital.

After returning to his room.

Wei Qing took the Marrow Cleansing Pill from his system space, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.

The moment the pill fell down his throat, it suddenly transformed into thousands of ice needles.

The ice needles, wrapped in lightning, surged along the Conception and Governing Vessels into his Dantian.

The ice needles gathered in his Dantian, forming a small vortex, then, as they flowed into the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, their temperature abruptly rose, turning as scorching as molten lava.

These two extreme forces, inside his body, were like runaway wild horses, galloping madly.

Wherever the heat current, carrying the ice needles, passed, strands of black impurities oozed out from the surface of his skin.

As time passed, the impurities gradually formed scabs, and a foul stench followed.

"Oh..."

"This stench is too much."

Wei Qing's figure flickered, appearing beside the pond in the backyard, and jumped straight in.

Water splashed three feet high. Inky black sewage surged from his collar, dyeing the entire pond black.

The fish that had been playing in the pond—the next second, one by one, they turned belly-up, floating on the water's surface, motionless.

The sound of him hitting the water instantly drew A'Fu over.

When he saw that the person in the pond was Wei Qing, he hurried forward to check.

"Lord..." Before he could finish speaking, seeing the fish's reaction and the color of the pond water, he recalled the records of Marrow Cleansing in the Heavenly Realm Division. His eyes lit up. "Congratulations, Lord Wei, on completing the Marrow Cleansing."