After learning the location of the assessment mission, Wei Qing immediately rode toward Qingcheng.
This mission required only him to go.
That was the rule of the Heavenly Realm Division.
During the assessment, if someone from the Inspection Department determined that he had cheated, his identity as a Garrison Commander would be erased on the spot.
The Heavenly Realm Division was divided into four departments: Prison Suppression, Garrison, Inspection, and Night Owl.
The Prison Suppression Department was responsible for suppressing and imprisoning demons and evil martial artists in the prisons.
The Garrison Department was responsible for exterminating and detaining all kinds of demons and evil martial artists, ensuring peace for the region.
The Night Owl Department was responsible for gathering and transmitting all kinds of intelligence.
The Inspection Department was responsible for assessments at every level, distributing resources, inspecting branches, and so on.
The Inspectors were impartial and incorruptible. Once they discovered a violation, erasing one's identity was the least of it. In serious cases, they would cripple the offender's cultivation and execute them!
When facing an Inspector, even a Garrison Commander had to show them considerable deference.
After four days of travel,
Wei Qing finally arrived at Qingcheng.
Unlike the prosperity of the capital, Qingcheng seemed much more deserted.
However, these were matters for the local magistrate. His mission here was to slay the demons committing evil. As for everything else, it was outside his consideration.
After presenting his identity token,
Wei Qing entered the government office without obstruction.
Upon learning of his arrival, the Magistrate of Qingcheng immediately hurried over to welcome him.
"Fang Youting, the local official. May I ask who you are?"
"A trainee Garrison Commander of the Heavenly Realm Division, Wei Qing."
Wei Qing clasped his hands in greeting.
As he spoke, he also sized up the magistrate before him.
Before coming, he had gathered quite a bit of information about Qingcheng.
Fang Youting had passed the imperial examination in the Third Year of Jinkang of Great Zhou and had once served as Vice Minister of Revenue. Later, after offending Emperor Jinkang, he was exiled to Qingcheng.
After taking office, he had devoted himself to governing the region, organizing the people to reclaim wasteland and develop the economy.
During his fifteen years in office, he had also encountered several demon disasters. Afterward, he twice politely declined Emperor Mingxing's promotion, choosing to remain in Qingcheng.
Wei Qing could not help admiring him for that.
If it had been an ordinary person, faced with the emperor's favor, who would not have broken their head trying to climb upward?
How many people in the world could withstand that temptation and politely decline?
While Wei Qing studied Fang Youting, Fang Youting was also studying Wei Qing.
After only a moment, Fang Youting withdrew his gaze, a warm smile appearing on his face.
"So you are Lord Wei of the Heavenly Realm Division. You must have had a hard journey, my lord. I'll have someone arrange dinner at once. Please rest for the night first."
"As for the matter concerning the demons, I'll discuss it in detail with you tomorrow."
Wei Qing raised a hand to stop him. "There's no need to trouble yourself. I ate on the way here."
"If the matter of the demons is dealt with one day earlier, Qingcheng can regain its peace one day earlier."
In his heart, completing the mission was still the most important thing.
After all, there were matters waiting for him to return to the capital and resolve.
Hearing this, the warmth on Fang Youting's face grew even stronger. "Lord Wei cares for the people, is eager to serve the public, and is truly a model for us all. Since you are anxious to deal with the demons—"
"I'll arrange for someone to explain the case to you in detail at once."
As he spoke, he turned toward the door and called out, "Someone!"
"My lord, what are your orders?"
The yamen runner stationed at the door stepped forward, clasped his hands, and asked with a bow.
"Go call Constable Zhu."
"Yes, my lord."
The yamen runner accepted the order and withdrew.
As he left, Fang Youting raised a hand. "Lord Wei, please accompany me to the inner hall and wait."
"All right."
The inner hall of the government office.
While the maidservant was serving tea,
a sturdy, middle-aged man dressed as a constable, with a long saber at his waist, entered the inner hall.
"Lord Fang."
"Constable Zhu, sit."
Fang Youting raised a hand toward Wei Qing and introduced him.
"This is Lord Wei Qing from the Heavenly Realm Division. Zhu Huan is the head constable of Qingcheng. He has served as a constable for seven years and is, apart from me, the person who has served in this office the longest."
"Lord Wei, if you encounter any problems during your time in Qingcheng, you may ask Constable Zhu about them."
As Fang Youting introduced them, Wei Qing was already observing Zhu Huan.
Or rather, the moment the man entered the inner hall, Wei Qing had sensed the vigorous qi and blood within him.
He was a peak Ninth-grade Martial Artist, a trace stronger than Chen Dong. It seemed that breaking through was only two or three months away.
Wei Qing clasped his hands. "Greetings, Constable Zhu. I'll be troubling you frequently during the time ahead."
"Lord Wei, you're too polite." Zhu Huan was somewhat overwhelmed by the honor and hurriedly raised his hands in return. "As long as it's something I know and can do, I'll tell you everything I know and cooperate with you to the best of my ability."
No matter where they were,
people from the Heavenly Realm Division possessed immense status.
Even the magistrate had to treat them courteously, let alone a minor constable like him.
More importantly,
he could not sense the slightest fluctuation of martial cultivation from Wei Qing.
As someone from the Heavenly Realm Division, the first assessment was cultivation. A person who was not a martial artist had no qualifications to participate in the assessment at all.
The only explanation was that Wei Qing's cultivation was far above his own.
Thinking of this,
Zhu Huan became even more careful not to be discourteous.
Wei Qing said, "I received intelligence from the Demon Suppression Division that demons have recently appeared in Qingcheng. I'd ask you to explain the specific circumstances in detail, Constable Zhu."
Zhu Huan nodded, organized his thoughts briefly, and began. "Ten days ago, someone from Longdong Village in Fuyun Town reported a case, saying that her husband had suddenly died. His death looked peaceful, and there was even a smile on his face."
"At the same time, people from seven or eight villages, including Linxi Village, Yang Village, and Zhou Family Village, also came to report cases one after another. The dead likewise had smiles on their faces."
"After receiving the reports, we immediately sent constables to investigate. After the coroner examined them, there were no fatal injuries on any of the corpses, nor were there any signs of poisoning."
"Our first reaction was that demons were at work."
"After that, the number of deaths rose every day, and the area affected continued to expand."
Inside the inner hall,
Wei Qing sat there and listened to Zhu Huan's account. After comparing it with the information in the black scroll, he found almost no discrepancy.
"After those people died, did any other abnormalities occur?"
"There were." As Zhu Huan spoke, he nervously swallowed. "Eighteen of the corpses disappeared."
"At the time, we arranged for four shifts of yamen runners to take turns guarding the Mourning Hall, yet not one of them saw a corpse thief, nor did they hear any unusual noise."
"Because of this, three yamen runners could not endure it any longer and quit."
"Oh." Wei Qing's eyes shifted as he thought of a possibility. He turned his gaze toward Fang Youting. "Lord Fang, I'm sorry for the trouble, but please send someone to retrieve the household registration records of all the deceased."
"All right."
A moment later,
a yamen runner brought out the compiled household registration records.
[Li Da Niu, resident of Longdong Village, birth time: First Year of Jinkang—the fifth day of the fifth month—the fourth quarter of the Horse hour, male]
[Chen Feng, resident of Yang Village, birth time: Nineteenth Year of Kaiyuan—Summer Solstice—the third quarter of the Snake hour, male]
[Chen Fan, resident of Yanjia Village, birth time: Second Year of Jinkang—the fifteenth day of the seventh month—the seventh quarter of the Horse hour, male]
[Zhao Dabao...]
Wei Qing's brows knitted tightly, and he thought to himself, Just as I thought. This is going to be troublesome.