The sky stretched clear and boundless. Faint golden sunlight spilled across the city, as if reflecting off a lake, its rippling surface glittering with countless flecks of gold.
"Progress is so slow. Compared to my last visit, there's been no improvement at all. How can the Dongshan Prefecture magistrate be so muddleheaded? If people like him stay in office, won't they ruin Zhongshan Prefecture's great plans?"
Niu Wudao reined in his horse atop Fengle City's wall and stared up at the Wish Clouds above the city for the time it took half an incense stick to burn. He scolded the magistrate with righteous indignation, though he could hardly hide the delight on his face.
Behind him stood a company of more than thirty men. The two squad officers chimed in, cursing the Dongshan Prefecture magistrate for his poor governance.
"Prefectural Guard Captain Long, have you finished making the copies? I want you to co-sign this report. That won't be a problem, will it?"
Niu Wudao's gaze swept over the two squad officers and settled on the young man in fitted clothes standing silently nearby. He was none other than Long Yu, the newly appointed Prefectural Guard Captain of Dongshan Prefecture.
Long Yu sighed. "The facts are all here. For the people of Dongshan Prefecture, and for the prosperity of Zhongshan Prefecture, what does it matter if a low-ranking official like me disobeys his superior and earns a reputation for disloyalty?"
His words sounded solemn, but his eyes glittered brightly.
Of course he didn't mind. He had played a part in bringing Niu Wudao here.
The mysterious man who had entered Gong Chao's residence yesterday had been Long Yu.
Xu Yi's move to wipe out the Black Lotus Cult in Dongshan had not been exactly secret. But afterward, he had set