Before long, under the constable's guidance, Qin Hao entered the main hall. Yet there was no one inside, making it seem especially deserted.
"Please have a seat, sir. Wait a moment; the County Deputy will arrive shortly."
After arranging a seat for Qin Hao, the constable stood at his side and spoke respectfully.
Qin Hao nodded. His expression remained calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed. Sure enough, having an official position was good. Moreover, the Heavenly Dragon Guard held a special status—even ordinary members ranked above typical lower third-rank officials.
However, Jia Ye, who had come with Qin Hao, did not sit down. Instead, he stood to one side. He knew that although he was a young master of the Jia family, he was clearly not qualified to compare with these important figures of the officialdom.
Qin Hao also noticed Jia Ye beside him, but he tactfully did not invite him to sit. Jia Ye held no official post and was not a guest. Since Qin Hao was on someone else's grounds, asking him to take a seat would not have been appropriate.
Tap, tap, tap...
A burst of hurried footsteps rang out.
Several figures strode swiftly out from the inner hall.
Before they arrived, a voice carried over from afar.
"This humble official has arrived late. I hope, sir, that you will forgive me."
The newcomer was Ge Wengong, the magistrate of Qingshi County. Ge Wengong had originally been lying down in the rear quarters, preparing to rest, when one of his subordinates rushed over to report that someone from the Heavenly Dragon Guard had arrived.
Upon hearing the news, he found it extremely strange and hurriedly got up to see what was going on.
Qin Hao sensed that Ge Wengong's cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. It was not particularly high, but it was within the normal range.
"Haha, Magistrate Ge, you jest."
"I only joined the Heavenly Dragon Guard through a fortunate coincidence. Compared to Magistrate Ge passing the imperial examinations, I still fall short."
"Haha, not at all, not at all. Sir, you are young and promising. In the future, you will surely rise step by step."
After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down separately.
The moment Ge Wengong sat down, he noticed Jia Ye beside Qin Hao. The Jia family was one of Qingshi County's great families, and as the local magistrate, he naturally recognized him. Seeing this, he guessed that Jia Ye had come together with Qin Hao.
"Jia Ye, you sit as well."
"Hehe, thank you, sir."
Hearing Ge Wengong tell him to sit, Jia Ye did not stand on ceremony. He had long wanted to sit down, but since this was not his home, he still had to observe the rules.
"May I ask your name, sir?"
Ge Wengong knew the Heavenly Dragon Guard stationed locally, but he had never met the person before him. He found it somewhat strange. Had a newcomer arrived?
"Magistrate Ge may call me Qin Hao. I am also from this county, and my home is in Mangshan Village."
"Mangshan Village? The Qin surname?"
"Could you be from the Qin Clan of Mangshan Village? Is your clan chief Qin Shan?"
Upon hearing Qin Hao introduce himself, Ge Wengong immediately thought of the Qin Clan.
"Oh? Does Magistrate Ge know my clan chief?"
Qin Hao was somewhat surprised that Ge Wengong actually knew his clan chief.
"Hahaha, what a coincidence. The Qin Clan's chief, Qin Shan, and I were classmates and close friends."
"It is only that Qin Shan never passed the imperial examinations."
Upon learning that Qin Hao was the junior of his old friend, Ge Wengong was exceedingly delighted. What was more, he had even joined the Heavenly Dragon Guard.
"Hahaha, since Uncle Ge is an elder of my clan, there is no need to address me as sir. Just call me Little Hao."
Qin Hao had not expected his clan chief to know the local magistrate.
"Good, good, good. Then I shall call you Little Hao from now on."
"That would be best."
Qin Hao was also pleased. With connections, matters were easier to handle. Why not?
At this moment, Qin Hao also noticed someone who had come with Ge Wengong. He was tall and powerfully built, and his cultivation was quite high, possessing the strength of the Core Formation stage. He also had wounds that had yet to heal. He was likely this county's chief constable, Jiang Tianlong.
Ge Wengong also noticed Qin Hao's gaze and stood to introduce him.
"Hahaha, come, come, Little Hao. Let me introduce you. This is the chief constable of our county, Jiang Tianlong."
"Hello."
Jiang Tianlong had a cold temperament and made no excessive movements. He merely sat in his chair and sized up Qin Hao, because the youth before him had developed to an outrageous degree.
Qin Hao merely nodded at him in acknowledgment.
Seeing that the two had no further exchange, Ge Wengong spoke up to break the silence.
"Haha, Little Hao, don't take it to heart. He is simply like that."
"By the way, Little Hao, what did you come to see me about?"
"This nephew merely saw the state Qingshi County is in and wished to ask what exactly happened."
"Uncle Ge, ghostly beings are running rampant in Qingshi County now, leaving everyone in a state of panic. Why has the government not acted to sweep away the ghostly beings in the county seat, allowing them to harm people as they please?" Qin Hao looked at Ge Wengong in confusion.
Hearing Qin Hao's question, Ge Wengong merely let out a long sigh.
"Sigh! It is not that we do not wish to act, but that our hearts are willing while our strength falls short."
"This is happening throughout the Dragon Mountain Empire now, and in many places it is even more severe than in Qingshi County."
"Some places have even fallen, becoming complete hells on earth."
Qin Hao's expression darkened further upon hearing this. He had not expected the situation to have truly become so grave.
Seeing that Qin Hao remained silent, Ge Wengong continued.
"Furthermore, I already took action against the ghostly beings in the county some time ago. But that ghostly being was too formidable. Even Chief Constable Jiang suffered grievous injuries because of it."
As he spoke, Ge Wengong sat down weakly in his chair.
"That ghostly being is that strong, Uncle Ge?"
Qin Hao was somewhat shocked that it could injure Jiang Tianlong, who was in the Core Formation realm. Were there really so many Fourth-tier ghostly beings now?
"It was also fourth tier, but we were ambushed by a Ghost cultivator."
"That was why we returned in crushing defeat. We no longer have the ability to act again."
"What about the Heavenly Dragon Guard? I remember there were Heavenly Dragon Guard members stationed here. I heard Jia Ye say that they never acted."
Qin Hao continued asking.
"Hm? Little Hao, as a member of the Heavenly Dragon Guard, do you not know?"
Now it was Ge Wengong's turn to find this strange. Even he knew where the Heavenly Dragon Guard had gone, so how could Qin Hao, as one of the Heavenly Dragon Guard, possibly not know?
Even Jiang Tianlong beside them found it strange.
When Ge Wengong questioned him, Qin Hao told him that Zhong Li Dao had only recently recruited him into the Heavenly Dragon Guard, and that he had not yet officially joined.
"So that is how it is. Little Hao truly is extraordinarily gifted."
"I wonder what kind of luck Qin Shan has stumbled upon."
His eyes revealed envy.
Only then did he notice that although Qin Hao was not very old, his body was abnormally tall and robust. After learning that Qin Hao was a body-tempering martial artist, his surprise lessened somewhat. Yet for someone in his teens to have achieved such accomplishments in body tempering still left him deeply astonished.
After quite a while, he finally spoke slowly.
"All the Heavenly Dragon Guard in this county have been recalled."
"There are no Heavenly Dragon Guard left in Qingshi County now. Otherwise, how could ghostly beings be allowed to run rampant!"
"What is most hateful are those rats who cultivate ghost arts!"
"As humans, they actually cultivate ghost arts, slaughter humans, and feed ghostly beings!"
"They truly deserve to die!"
As he spoke of what stirred his emotions, Ge Wengong's face also filled with fury, and he slammed his palm heavily onto the table.
Qin Hao did not speak after hearing this. Instead, he considered what to do next. The Empire was now beginning to descend into chaos; it could not even maintain the most basic stability.
Yet it had recalled a great number of people to the Imperial Capital. Could something major have happened there? Did it require so much manpower?
Before you continue