Cultivator

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

Inside the rear hall of the county office, an ice basin radiated a faint chill, yet the atmosphere remained heavy.

Magistrate Yang sat in the guest seat, while the man occupying the host's seat was a young man clad in a dark flying-fish robe with an embroidered spring blade strapped to his waist.

This man was Zhao Ting, the newly stationed Eagle-Wolf Guard commander for Pingyang County.

A commander was only a Principal Seventh Rank military officer, not a particularly high position. However, the Eagle-Wolf Guard was different; it was not under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet or the Six Ministries, but was a secret service agency directly under the Bureau of Profound Mysteries, which answered only to the current Emperor.

Moreover, in name, the Eagle-Wolf Guard was the Emperor's personal army.

Furthermore, Zhao Ting was not just a military officer, but a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining.

He commanded fifty elite cavalrymen, divided into five small squads. The leaders of these five squads were all martial arts experts in the Skin Grinding Realm with vigorous blood and qi.

Thus, after Zhao Ting arrived in Pingyang County, he naturally carried more weight than Magistrate Yang, the local official.

Fortunately, without specific demonic or evil incidents, the Eagle-Wolf Guard was not permitted to interfere in local administration according to the rules.

However, Magistrate Yang was well-versed in the ways of officialdom; when facing such a person, he naturally avoided giving offense if possible.

"Lord Yang," Zhao Ting set down his teacup, "according to intelligence, there has been cult activity in the counties of Linyuan Prefecture in recent years. Our stationing in Pingyang County is to prevent such things before they happen."

Magistrate Yang felt a chill in his heart and bowed his hands, saying, "If there are indeed demons and evil spirits causing chaos, the safety of the hundreds of thousands of people in Pingyang County will depend on you, Lord Zhao. On behalf of the people under my governance, I thank you, Lord Zhao."

"Lord Yang is a sensible man. These cultists are most adept at using sorcery to bewitch the people, and even use living people to refine evil arts and demonic techniques. If they are allowed to act recklessly, it will damage the foundation of our Great You Dynasty. Therefore, I will need Lord Yang to provide more convenience in the future."

Magistrate Yang replied, "This official will certainly cooperate fully. I wonder if Lord Zhao has any other instructions?"

Only then did Zhao Ting reveal a seemingly polite smile: "Troops and horses move, but grain and fodder go first. My brothers in the Eagle-Wolf Guard are risking their lives to dispel disasters and ward off evil for Pingyang County; the supplies for our daily cultivation must rely on the locality. I must trouble Lord Yang to come forward and call upon the local gentry and wealthy families to enthusiastically 'donate' and contribute to guarding the land and protecting the people."

Magistrate Yang cursed inwardly, but his face was filled with smiles: "It should be so, it should be so. Protecting the territory and the people is a duty, and it is only right for the gentry to contribute. This official will host a banquet tomorrow and invite the wealthy families in the city to discuss this matter."

"Lord Yang is straightforward." Zhao Ting nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Besides this, there is one more thing. My brothers in the guard often fight against demons and cults, and it is inevitable that they suffer blade wounds or internal injuries from being eroded by yin evil. Ordinary doctors cannot treat such injuries. As the local parent official, could you recommend a doctor with excellent medical skills for my Eagle-Wolf Guard?"

A young figure instantly appeared in Magistrate Yang's mind.

"If we are talking about a doctor with excellent medical skills who can treat the injuries of martial artists, there is indeed one such person in Pingyang County." Magistrate Yang leaned forward slightly, his tone revealing a hint of profound meaning, "This person is named Xia Dong. He runs a 'Changchun Medical Hall' in the city. His medical skills are extremely remarkable, and he has cured many martial artists."

"Oh? A county town actually has such a doctor?" Zhao Ting raised an eyebrow.

Magistrate Yang picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and added as if casually, "Not only that, this Doctor Xia is also a tribute student, and his household registration record bears the two characters 'Dao Registry'."

"Lord Yang, are you saying this Doctor Xia is not only a tribute student but also on the Dao Registry?"

"Exactly."

"His surname is Xia?" Zhao Ting's brows locked, his eyes showing a trace of suspicion.

"Correct."

"Strange..." Zhao Ting was a branch member of a major family in the capital and was naturally familiar with the genealogies of the capital's nobility. After a flash of surprise crossed his face, he continued, "Lord Yang, you are surely not mistaken. I remember that among the families in the capital with Dao Registry status, I have never heard of any surnamed Xia."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Yang felt a slight stir in his heart.

In fact, it was not just Zhao Ting who felt puzzled about the origin of Xia Dong's Dao Registry status; Elder Lord He, who led the compilation of the Pingyang County Gazetteer, had also tried his best to investigate it privately.

Elder Lord He had once served as an Official of the Ministry of Rites in the capital, a Subordinate Fifth Rank official who had retired. This status naturally made him a big figure in a small place like Pingyang County, but in the hidden dragons and crouching tigers of the capital, he was ultimately just a peripheral official. Moreover, Elder Lord He was a civil official who had come up through the proper imperial examinations and had always kept his distance from the circles of nobility who rose through military merit or cultivation backgrounds, so he knew little about the internal secrets of the nobility.

When he first saw the Dao Registry mark on Xia Dong's household registration, Elder Lord He was shocked. For the sake of caution, he had quietly written several secret letters and entrusted them to be sent to the capital to inquire about the situation from several former colleagues who were still serving in the central government.

He had hoped to use this to uncover Xia Dong's background and pave the way for his own future, and even that of the He Family. However, the replies from his old colleagues left Elder Lord He deeply disappointed, and even increasingly incredulous.

Those well-informed old lords in the capital all stated without exception in their letters: Among the thirty-six Dao Registry families since the founding of the Great You Dynasty, there was absolutely not a single one surnamed "Xia"!

Yet, the vermilion mark on Xia Dong's household registration was absolutely authentic and could not be faked.

Elder Lord He realized that the water here was likely very deep and did not dare to investigate further, though he did mention the matter to Magistrate Yang.

"Lord Zhao, Xia Dong's background documents have already been sent to the Bureau of Profound Mysteries for inspection. The status of his Dao Registry is definitely not a mistake."

"Since that is the case, this official will not perform a separate verification." Zhao Ting knew in his heart that since the Bureau of Profound Mysteries had verified it, even if it were fake, it was effectively real.

Even if there were problems, if he were to pursue it, he might invite some disaster.

In any case, Magistrate Yang had personally said that the Bureau of Profound Mysteries had verified it; if there were any real problems later, it would have nothing to do with him.

Seeing that Zhao Ting did not dig deeper, Magistrate Yang continued, "If you are still interested, shall this official send someone to the Changchun Medical Hall to invite him over?"

Zhao Ting waved his hand and said, "No rush. Since he is 'one of our own' with a Dao Registry status and understands how to treat the internal injuries of martial artists, I will keep it in mind. It is just that the Eagle-Wolf Guard has just arrived and there are a thousand things to do. Let me first sort through the strange tales and anomalies in Pingyang County."

Having said this, he bowed his hands: "I ask Lord Yang to find the section on strange tales from the Pingyang County Gazetteer for me to look at."

Magistrate Yang smiled: "Then Lord Zhao must see Xia Dong even more. The section on strange tales in the Pingyang County Gazetteer was compiled by Xia Dong himself."

Zhao Ting was stunned for a moment, then said, "It seems this Xia Dong is truly a remarkable person. In that case, let's go see him now."

Magistrate Yang was slightly startled.

However, as an old hand in officialdom, he immediately guessed that Zhao Ting intended to see Xia Dong by surprise so that the other party would be unprepared, which would make it easier to see Xia Dong's true colors.

Naturally, he would not stop Zhao Ting, nor did he have any reason to, so he said, "Then this official will lead the way."

Zhao Ting smiled, "I will trouble Lord Yang to point the direction, and we shall go together."

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

Zhao Ting immediately grabbed Magistrate Yang.

Magistrate Yang felt his body grow light, and upon looking around, he was shocked to find himself shrouded in a mass of clouds and mist.

"A cultivator?" Xia Dong was reading in the courtyard, with Xiao Hong pouring tea by his side.

Suddenly, Xia Dong looked up at the sky.

A mass of water vapor descended.

In almost an instant, Xia Dong restrained the blood and qi throughout his body, holding a silver needle between his fingers, ready to strike. If the situation turned dire, he would pierce the opponent's fatal acupoint first.

"Are you Xia Dong?"

"Yes, and may I ask who the honored guest is?"

As soon as the water vapor dissipated, Xia Dong had already "seen" his old acquaintance, Magistrate Yang, with his divine sense. Furthermore, his divine sense could easily see through the other party's spell, which put Xia Dong slightly at ease.

He should be an ordinary cultivator.

At such close range, it was safe for him.

"Xueyi, this is Lord Zhao, a banner officer of the Eagle-Wolf Guard," Magistrate Yang hurriedly introduced.

Zhao Ting sized Xia Dong up. He was only at the third level of Qi Refining and had not yet cultivated divine sense, but based on his keen eye, he could see that Xia Dong had a sturdy build and spirited eyes; if he practiced martial arts, he would surely achieve something.

However, compared to a cultivator with spiritual roots like himself, he was still far too unremarkable.