Cultivators

In early summer, the heat had begun to rise in Pingyang County.

In the rear hall of the county yamen, an ice basin sent up wisps of cool air, yet the atmosphere felt rather heavy.

Magistrate Yang sat upright in the guest seat. In the seat of honor sat a young man dressed in a black Flying Fish Robe, an Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist.

The man was named Zhao Ting, the newly appointed Flag-Bearer of the Eagle-Wolf Guard stationed in Pingyang County.

A Flag-Bearer was merely a Principal Seventh Rank military officer, nothing especially important. But the Eagle-Wolf Guard was different. It was not under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet or the Six Ministries, but a secret service organization directly subordinate to the Bureau of Profound Mysteries. The Bureau of Profound Mysteries answered only to His Majesty.

What was more, the Eagle-Wolf Guard was, in name, the emperor's personal guard.

Besides, Zhao Ting was not only a military officer, but also a Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator.

He commanded fifty elite Ti Cavalry, divided into five small squads. The leader of each squad was a martial arts expert with vigorous qi and blood, in the Skin Grinding Realm.

So after Zhao Ting arrived in Pingyang County, he naturally carried more weight than Magistrate Yang, the local lord of a hundred li.

Fortunately, unless there was some unusual demonic or supernatural incident, the Eagle-Wolf Guard was not allowed to interfere in local government affairs.

But Magistrate Yang was well versed in the ways of officialdom. When dealing with someone like this, naturally, he would avoid offending him if at all possible.

"Magistrate Yang," Zhao Ting said, setting down his teacup. "According to our reports, heretical cults have been active in the counties of Linyuan Prefecture in recent years. Our deployment to Pingyang County is also meant to prevent trouble before it arises."

Magistrate Yang's heart tightened. He clasped his hands and said, "If demons and evil forces truly run amok, then the safety of Pingyang County's hundreds of thousands of people will depend on you, Lord Zhao. On behalf of the people under my governance, I thank you."

"Magistrate Yang is a sensible man. These heretical cultists are most adept at casting demonic spells and ensnaring the common people. They even use the living to refine evil arts and demonic techniques. If we let them run rampant, it will undermine the very foundations of our Great You Dynasty. So, going forward, I'll need you to make things convenient for us."

Magistrate Yang replied, "I will do everything in my power to cooperate. Is there anything else you require, Lord Zhao?"

Only then did Zhao Ting show a faint, seemingly polite smile. "Before the troops move, provisions must be sent ahead. My brothers in the Eagle-Wolf Guard risk their lives to ward off evil for Pingyang County. We'll have to rely on the local authorities for the supplies we need to cultivate. I'll trouble you, Magistrate Yang, to call on the county's gentry and wealthy households to 'donate' generously, and do their part to protect the land and keep its people safe."

Magistrate Yang cursed inwardly, but his face was wreathed in smiles. "Quite right, quite right. It's only proper that the gentry do their part to protect the land and keep its people safe. Tomorrow, I'll host a banquet and invite the city's wealthy households to discuss this matter."

"Magistrate Yang is very forthright." Zhao Ting nodded with satisfaction, then continued, "There's one more thing. My brothers at the guard station often fight demons and heretical cultists, so it's inevitable they suffer weapon wounds or internal injuries from evil forces. Ordinary doctors can't treat such injuries. As the local magistrate, could you recommend a skilled physician for the Eagle-Wolf Guard?"

A young man's figure immediately came to mind.

"If we're talking about a skilled physician who can treat martial artists' injuries, there is indeed one in Pingyang County." Magistrate Yang leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a deeper meaning. "His name is Xia Dong. He runs a Changchun Medical Hall in the city. His medical skills are exceptional, and he's treated quite a few martial artists."

"Oh? Such a doctor in a county town?" Zhao Ting raised an eyebrow.

Magistrate Yang lifted his teacup and gently blew away the foam, adding as if casually, "What's more, Doctor Xia is a tribute graduate, and the household register bears the words 'Dao Registry' beside his name."

"Magistrate Yang, you're saying this Doctor Xia is not only a tribute graduate, but also has a Dao Registry?"

"Exactly."

"His surname is Xia?" Zhao Ting's brow furrowed, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"That's right."

"How strange..." Zhao Ting was a member of a branch family from one of the great houses in the Capital City, and was naturally well versed in the pedigrees of the capital's noble families. A trace of surprise crossed his face before he continued, "Magistrate Yang, are you sure there's no mistake? I remember that among the households in the capital with Dao Registry status, I've never heard of one surnamed Xia."

At that, Magistrate Yang's heart stirred slightly.

In truth, Zhao Ting wasn't the only one puzzled by the origins of Xia Dong's Dao Registry. Elder Lord He, who had taken the lead in compiling the county gazetteer, had also privately gone to great lengths to investigate it.

Elder Lord He had once served as an Official of the Ministry of Rites in the Capital City, retiring from office at Subordinate Fifth Rank. In a small place like Pingyang County, that made him a major figure. But in the Capital City, a place teeming with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, he was ultimately just a minor official on the fringes. Besides, Lord He was a proper civil official who had risen through the imperial examinations. He had always kept his distance from the circle of nobles who had risen through military achievements or their cultivation backgrounds, so he knew little of their private affairs.

When he first spotted the Dao Registry seal beside Xia Dong's name in the household register, Lord He was shocked. To be safe, he quietly wrote several confidential letters and had them sent to the Capital City, asking some old colleagues still serving at the heart of the court for information.

He had thought he could use this to uncover Xia Dong's background and pave the way for future plans for himself and the He Family. But the replies from his old colleagues left Lord He deeply disappointed—and made the matter seem all the more inconceivable.

In their letters, those well-informed old lords in the Capital City had all stated without exception that among the thirty-six Dao Registry Clans since the founding of the Great You Dynasty, not one bore the surname Xia!

And yet the vermilion seal in Xia Dong's household register was indisputably real.

Elder Lord He realized that this matter ran deep and didn't dare investigate further. Still, he told Magistrate Yang about it.

"Lord Zhao, the documents on Xia Dong's background were sent to the Bureau of Profound Mysteries for examination long ago. There can be no mistake about his Dao Registry status."

"In that case, I won't make any further inquiries." Zhao Ting knew that if the Bureau of Profound Mysteries had verified it, then even if it was false, it was true now.

Even if there was something amiss, if he truly pursued the matter, he might bring disaster upon himself.

In any case, Magistrate Yang had personally said that the Bureau of Profound Mysteries had checked. If there were really a problem later, it couldn't be pinned on him.

Seeing that Zhao Ting wasn't pressing the matter, Magistrate Yang continued, "If you're still interested, I can send someone to Changchun Medical Hall and invite him over."

Zhao Ting waved a hand. "No need to rush. Since he's one of 'our own,' with Dao Registry status, and knows how to treat martial artists' internal injuries, I'll keep him in mind for now. The Eagle-Wolf Guard has only just arrived, and there are countless things to sort out. Let me first go through the strange tales and unusual happenings in Pingyang County."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands. "Please fetch the strange-tales section of the county gazetteer for me to look at, Magistrate Yang."

Magistrate Yang smiled. "Then you'll have even more reason to meet Xia Dong. He compiled the strange-tales section of the Pingyang County Gazetteer himself."

Zhao Ting was first taken aback, then said, "It seems Xia Dong really is an unusual man. In that case, let's go meet him now."

Magistrate Yang was slightly taken aback.

But as a seasoned old hand in officialdom, he immediately guessed that Zhao Ting meant to call on Xia Dong without warning, leaving him unprepared so it would be easier to see what kind of man he really was.

Naturally, he wouldn't stop Zhao Ting, and had no reason to. So he said, "Then allow me to show you the way."

Zhao Ting smiled. "I'll trouble you to point the way, Magistrate Yang. We can go together."

Magistrate Yang then pointed out the direction of Xia Dong's home.

Zhao Ting immediately grabbed Magistrate Yang.

Magistrate Yang felt his body grow light. When he looked around, he found himself enveloped in a cloud of vapor.

"A cultivator?" Xia Dong was reading in the courtyard while Xiao Hong brewed tea nearby.

Suddenly, Xia Dong looked up at the sky.

A mass of vapor descended.

In almost the same instant, Xia Dong reined in the qi and blood throughout his body. He held a silver needle between his fingers, ready but not yet striking. If things went badly, he would first jab it into the opponent's death acupoint.

"Are you Xia Dong?"

"Yes. May I ask who you are, honored guest?"

As soon as the vapor dispersed, Xia Dong had already "seen" his old acquaintance, Magistrate Yang, with his divine sense. And since his divine sense could easily see through the other man's spell, Xia Dong felt a little more at ease.

He was probably an ordinary cultivator.

At this close range, Xia Dong was perfectly safe.

"Xueyi, this is Lord Zhao, the Flag-Bearer of the Eagle-Wolf Guard," Magistrate Yang hurriedly introduced.

Zhao Ting gave Xia Dong a once-over. He was only at Qi Refining Third Layer and hadn't yet cultivated divine sense, but from his sharp eyes, Zhao Ting could still tell that Xia Dong had a fine build and bright eyes. If he practiced martial arts, he would surely achieve something.

Still, compared with a cultivator like Zhao Ting, who had a Spirit Root, Xia Dong seemed rather ordinary.