The Struggle Between the World and the Imperial Clan

That dossier also expounded on someone's opinion.

Behind all these rebellions were traces of Sects and Aristocratic Families. Besides the rebellions, churches worshiping Evil Gods had also sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and most of those churches likewise had certain forces lurking behind them like shadows.

The root of it all was that the Martial Saint who stood invincible beneath heaven had not shown himself for thirty years.

Some suspected that the Martial Saint had reached his Life Limit and passed into meditation, causing all of Great Xia to drift into troubled waters, while Various Factions quietly began to harbor rebellious ambitions.

That person had even put forward a viewpoint: once it was confirmed that the Martial Saint had passed into meditation, the world might return to an age when heroes rose together. Thus, the root of these rebellions was a struggle for military authority.

It forced the Imperial Court's current forces to run themselves ragged, leaving them unable to suppress rebellions in time. It also triggered regulations loosening military authority, allowing garrisons and local armies everywhere to act as they pleased and freely expand their forces, while likewise granting Aristocratic Families and Sects permission to recruit more disciples and retainers.

Once the restrictions on military authority were lifted, every force could possess enough strength to suppress rebellions and Evil God Shrines throughout the land.

When Jiang Ning read this part, he understood everything.

Why had Great Xia seen so many rebellions in that single year last year?

This was clearly a confrontation between the entire world and the Imperial Clan, not one between the world and the Imperial Court.

The Imperial Court was a regime formed by numerous forces.

The loosening of military authority represented a community of interests shared by everyone except the Imperial Clan.

Whether they harbored ambitions or not, every force wished to grow stronger. Once they grew stronger, they could advance and scheme for greater things, or retreat and choose a powerful ally, waiting to sell their allegiance to the highest bidder.

Jiang Ning also understood why the Patrol Office had been established with such lightning speed, and why a Martial Saint had been stationed there.

It was an open scheme forcing the Imperial Clan to loosen its grip on military authority.

A scheme that left the Imperial Clan no choice but to release that authority. If military authority remained restricted, rebellions would continue without end, as would Evil God Shrines. The Imperial Court would lack the strength to suppress them, inevitably shaking Great Xia's foundations and sending it into an age of chaos.

To struggle against the general tide of the world, the Patrol Office could not have been established without a Martial Saint personally taking charge.

And once the Patrol Office was truly established, it would also be swept into the general tide of the world.

At that moment, Jiang Ning thought of many, many things.

He pondered for several dozen breaths.

Whoosh—

Only then did Jiang Ning resume breathing.

"Do I still have a choice?"

"The troubled times I predicted clearly aren't about to arrive—they're already here! If I don't enter the Patrol Office, what other force can I join?"

"The Patrol Office is at least a place to shelter for the short term. As long as you give me some time, I can establish myself in Luoshui County through the Martial Path."

"Right now, only by joining the Patrol Office can I gain that time."

"And only the Patrol Office can give me the fundamental method for advancing along the Martial Path."

"Even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. The Patrol Office is still the largest tree in the world as far as the present is concerned. It won't fall anytime soon, and Great Xia, founded more than eight hundred years ago, won't collapse anytime soon either!"

As he weighed it all, Jiang Ning finally made up his mind.

He set down this dossier and picked up another one containing intelligence on Luoshui County.

Since he was in Luoshui County and had come across intelligence concerning the county, he could not ignore it.

After picking up the dossier and giving it only a cursory glance, Jiang Ning already understood.

These two dossiers had probably both been sent by Wang Dutou, who commanded the garrison outside the city.

The intelligence recorded in the two dossiers was so abundant and detailed. Other than Wang Dutou of the garrison outside the city, who else could have sent such detailed intelligence to Wang Jin?

In Luoshui County, Wang Jin and Wang Dutou were blood relatives. This was no secret; many people knew it.

Wang Dutou was very likely Wang Jin's biological younger brother.

The reason Wang Dutou could stand apart and watch the dragons and snakes contend in Luoshui County

was not merely that he commanded the hundred elite soldiers stationed outside the city. The entire City Guard of Luoshui County was also under his orders.

With a hundred elite soldiers and more than five hundred City Guard soldiers, his strength in Luoshui County was in no way weaker than that of the County Magistrate or the Local Snake forces headed by the Three Great Families.

The County Magistrate controlled the County Captain and Record Keeper. Within Luoshui County, military and civil authority were united under him, and he commanded more than seven hundred Constables, Captains, Yamen Runners, and the like.

Among these, as far as Jiang Ning knew, the decisive factor was the County Magistrate himself. His own Eldest Brother had vaguely learned this earlier.

Aside from these two forces, there were the Local Snake forces headed by the Cao, Liu, and Xie Three Great Families.

This force was tangled and complex, and he did not know much about it. He only knew that no one in Luoshui County could escape the influence of these Three Great Families.

Afterward, Jiang Ning carefully read through this dossier concerning Luoshui County.

The dossier was very thick and had considerable weight in his hands.

In the blink of an eye.

The crescent moon hanging high in the night sky gradually sank toward the east.

[After reading books this time, Literacy Experience Points increased by 48.]

[Skills]: Literacy (First Breakthrough 196/2000) (Trait: Photographic Memory)

Jiang Ning turned to the dossier's final page and slowly withdrew his gaze. That was when he saw the notification before him.

"About three shichen, and it gave me 48 Experience Points. The efficiency of gaining Experience Points from what I read tonight has increased. There must be a pattern to it, but that pattern won't be easy to figure out."

That thought flashed through Jiang Ning's mind. He immediately shook his head.

Then he closed the dossier and returned it to its original place.

"This dossier records the major forces and experts of Luoshui County in such detail. It seems that Wang Dutou really did send someone to deliver it. Without his position, how many people would have the ability to secretly investigate Luoshui County from top to bottom?"

"It even contains records on Xu Yunfeng! He is actually only one step away from Martial Dao Entry Rank. That was rather unexpected!"

Jiang Ning's gaze drifted as he sank into thought.

"According to the dossier, all the Various Factions knew about the Patrol Office long ago."

"But that makes sense. Even Wang Jin knew about it. How could those deeply rooted forces not have learned of it early?"

"The end of the dossier also urged Wang Jin to actively cooperate with the establishment of the Patrol Office. Although the Patrol Office was dangerous, it also offered opportunities."

"It said that the Patrol Office most likely represented the will of the Martial Saint. That Martial Saint had not shown himself for thirty years, but was probably still alive and might appear before long."

At this thought, Jiang Ning muttered inwardly.

If that was truly the case, then joining the Patrol Office really was a good choice.

For me, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

Then he thought of the two people mentioned in the dossier.

Jiang Ning rubbed his forehead and pondered in silence.

"Cao Bin... Xu Yunfeng..."

"Why was Xu Yunfeng targeting my Eldest Brother so relentlessly? There must be some interest tying them together! But what exactly was it? My Eldest Brother was such an insignificant figure, merely an ungraded Constable. Could he really have such a huge impact on the County Magistrate?"

"Could Cao Bin have chosen my Eldest Brother simply to satisfy his own selfish desires?"

"And Xu Yunfeng had worked so tirelessly to accomplish this. Could it be because the Patrol Office would establish its headquarters soon?"

"If that was truly the case, then this matter should be fairly easy to resolve. I would only need to face pressure from Cao Bin and Xu Yunfeng."

After thinking for a long while, Jiang Ning returned to his senses and shook his head.

Forget it!

There were too few clues. He would stop thinking about it!

My most important task right now is still to achieve Martial Dao Entry Rank within three months. Only then can I join the Patrol Office.

The Patrol Office was commanded by Great Xia's sole Martial Saint. If he was still alive, then he was the largest tree beneath heaven.

Since a Martial Saint was personally stationed there, that alone was enough to prove the Patrol Office's importance.

Joining the Patrol Office would be like a fish leaping through the Dragon Gate for me. I had to seize this opportunity!

Not only would my status rise, but there would certainly be no shortage of cultivation methods, secret arts, and precious medicines.

Speaking of Sects, what Sect could possess a foundation as powerful as Great Xia's Imperial Court?

By then, with the Patrol Office's status, every crisis would resolve itself.

With the Patrol Office's resources, I could also continue to grow stronger.

This would accomplish several things at once.