New County Magistrate Takes Office

"Duty is duty, and personal feelings are personal feelings."

Feng Wuya waved his hand gently, interrupting Wei Qing before he could speak, his tone filled with an undeniable firmness.

"Brother Feng, you speak the truth," Liu Xinghe chimed in from the side, his eyes gleaming with approval. "Brother Wei, you must not refuse this matter any longer."

Standing behind his father, Liu Yulong's mouth twitched violently, and two splinters snapped off the jade-bone fan in his hand with a crack.

-Dad, what are you doing?

-You call him Brother Feng, and I call him Brother Wei?

-This seniority is so messed up, you could weave a fishing net with it!

"Ahem..."

Nangong Ruyan suddenly covered her mouth and coughed lightly, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.

The other disciples from various sects suppressed the corners of their mouths, trying not to laugh.

"Yes, Brother Liu is right. Brother Wei, this matter is settled then."

"That's right, Brother Wei."

Unexpectedly.

The next moment, their seniority took a nosedive as their own sect leaders and elders repeatedly called out, "Brother Wei."

Instantly, their faces changed drastically, turning as red as if they were constipated.

"Hahaha."

Seeing this, Liu Yulong could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

He thought, you guys wanted to laugh at me, didn't you? Now you're getting what you deserve.

"This... I, Wei, thank you all for your kindness."

Seeing that he could not refuse, Wei Qing could only nod in acceptance.

Liu Xinghe shot the others a fierce glare, thinking, Shameless, stealing my idea.

The others pretended not to see it.

Feng Wuya changed the subject, "Everyone, regarding the Blood Robe Sect, we shouldn't delay any longer. Once they escape, it will be incredibly difficult to track them down later."

Liu Xinghe nodded slightly upon hearing this, "If that's the case, let's depart now."

"Yulong, you and Brother Wei will return to Qingcheng first. We will go flatten the Blood Robe Sect and pick you up in Qingcheng later."

"Ruyan, you go too."

"Yuan Ming, take your junior sister and wait for me in Qingcheng."

"Yes."

Those who were given instructions responded in unison. They weren't fools and naturally understood the intentions of their sect leaders and elders.

They wanted them to get closer to Wei Qing.

Afterward, the group split into two.

The sect leaders and elders headed to the Blood Robe Sect.

Qin Shuang and the others accompanied Wei Qing back to Qingcheng.

The sun began to set.

A carriage slowly stopped about a hundred meters away from the gates of Qingcheng.

"My Lord, Qingcheng is just ahead," the coachman said softly to the curtain behind him as he looked at the city in front.

With that said.

The curtain was lifted, and a refined-looking man poked his head out, gazing at the distant city.

"Finally arrived. Let's go, head straight to the yamen!"

Du Ziteng instructed and then sat back down.

The journey had not been peaceful.

Bandits were rampant.

If not for the coachman and the escorting soldiers desperately saving him, he might have died on the way to his post.

As it was, only two of the more than ten men who had accompanied him, who had fought desperately, remained.

He was also quite apprehensive about the place he was about to take office.

After all, Qingcheng had just experienced a demon disaster.

"Hmph, when I get the chance, I will definitely hunt down and kill all those bandits."

But this was something he could only think about for now.

Currently, his most important task was to take over as the County Magistrate of Qingcheng, appease the citizens, and stabilize the city's order.

Afterward, the carriage slowly entered Qingcheng.

"Steamed buns, Wu-style steamed buns, fragrant and delicious, three coins and you won't be cheated, you won't be fooled."

"Candied hawthorn, sweet and sour candied hawthorn."

"Freshly baked roast duck, taste before you buy, no money if it's not good."

"Tofu..."

"I heard there's a treasure appearing in the Black Mist Wasteland, many martial artists have gone there."

"Who told you that?"

"My third uncle's wife's son's eldest cousin's brother-in-law's younger brother works for the yamen. Unfortunately, we ordinary folks can only listen to it for fun."

"That's true. Come on, let's go to Star Cloud Tower for a couple of drinks. Maybe we'll run into Lord Wei?"

"Hehe, let's go!"

Listening to the hawkers and conversations outside the carriage, Du Ziteng couldn't help but lift the curtain to observe the surroundings.

The faces of the citizens showed no fear or panic from the demon chaos.

Instead, everyone looked as usual, chatting and laughing.

This was a stark contrast to the desolation and ruin he had witnessed due to demon rampages on his journey.

"Strange?"

"Sir, what's wrong?" a personal guard by the carriage asked.

"According to my teacher's intelligence, Qingcheng was significantly affected by the demon chaos this time, not to mention the collusion between local officials' families and demons."

"But why does Qingcheng look like it hasn't experienced any demon chaos at all?"

"When we get to the yamen later, I'll ask the County Lieutenant to find out the reason."

"Okay, let's go."

After speaking, Du Ziteng lowered the curtain and sat back down.

As the carriage drove along, the citizens along the way stopped to watch with curiosity.

"Who is this noble lord from?"

"Hey, who knows."

"Listening to the guards nearby, it seems they're going to the yamen."

Some citizens couldn't help but whisper amongst themselves.

In a place like Qingcheng, those who could afford a carriage were either officials or wealthy families and merchants.

For ordinary citizens, let alone ride in one, just touching it would be satisfying.

While they were discussing, the carriage had already stopped at the yamen entrance.

The coachman lifted the curtain.

"Sir, we've arrived at the yamen."

"Mm."

Du Ziteng got off the carriage, lowered his head, and looked up at the plaque of the yamen before him, his expression calm.

The runner on duty at the yamen saw them arrive. "May I ask what business you have at the yamen?"

Du Ziteng's personal guard stepped forward. "The new County Magistrate is taking office."

"C-County Magistrate." The runner was slightly stunned. Recovering himself, he rushed forward, taking two steps at a time, to stand before Du Ziteng. "Your subordinate greets the County Magistrate."

"Sir, please come inside."

As he spoke, another runner had already dashed into the yamen to inform the County Lieutenant.

Star Cloud Tower.

Tonight, it was booked by disciples from various sects and factions.

After the battle in the Black Mist Wasteland, everyone had become comrades who had faced life and death together.

"Come, Brother Wei, I'll toast you. If I go to the Imperial City in the future, I'll have someone I know there."

Liu Yulong was the first to raise his glass.

His previous disdain for Wei Qing had completely changed after the trip to the Black Mist Wasteland.

He even felt that he was now looking up to Wei Qing.

After all, given his terrifying talent, his future achievements would surely be something he could only admire.

"You're welcome. No matter when, Brother Liu, if you go to the Imperial City, I will definitely host you well."

Wei Qing chuckled.

His impression of Liu Yulong wasn't too bad; he was a bit arrogant, sure.

But what prodigy wasn't proud?

The two clinked glasses and drained them in one gulp.

"Brother Wei, I'll toast you too. If you hadn't stepped in, we wouldn't have obtained this opportunity today," Qin Shuang added, raising his cup.

"Right, and me too," Nangong Ruyan chimed in.

"Me as well."

The disciples from the other sects also raised their cups one after another.