Situation

Amid the crowd, Xu Le looked at Fang Xing ahead of him and was momentarily dazed.

A few months ago, Fang Xing had still been a colleague. Then he broke through to Bright Force and leaped into the position of Deputy Constable. Now, he had crossed several more thresholds in succession and become Qingshan County's Chief Constable.

It all felt like a dream, like an illusion!

He had completed a fundamental leap in just a few months. Such a promotion was simply unheard of.

"From now on, he'll be the real boss."

Xu Le sighed.

Still, he was sincerely happy for Fang Xing.

When Fang Xing had taken up the post of Deputy Constable, he had shown Xu Le considerable care. Unfortunately, Xu Le's strength had been lacking, and he had been unable to help much.

After several months, he had finally nursed his body back to health.

If he could step into Bright Force, then given Fang Xing's current standing, he should at least be able to secure a Deputy Constable's position.

But alas, his strength was insufficient.

Without the strength of Bright Force, no matter how good their relationship was, he could not possibly take the seat of Deputy Constable.

After a wave of applause, Zhang Chen and Lin Zheng said a few more words.

They designated the location of the Central Ward Office.

After giving a few instructions, they left.

Once Zhang Chen and Lin Zheng had departed, everyone looked at Fang Xing.

Xu Zhengxiong and the other three stepped forward, their faces full of respect. "Greetings, Lord Fang."

Fang Xing gave a slight nod and swept his gaze over Xu Zhengxiong and the others.

Yang Bo was especially nervous. One hand clenched the corner of his clothes, sweat beaded across his forehead, and his face had turned somewhat pale.

Seeing Yang Bo's awkward state, Fang Xing's expression remained calm, revealing nothing.

"From now on, Fang will need the cooperation of several of you to maintain Qingshan County's public order. I hope we can remain harmonious and avoid any discord."

Fang Xing's voice rang out.

"With your command, my lord, we will certainly obey." Chen Shan spoke first, making his stance clear.

Xu Zhengxiong and the others nodded as well.

Fang Xing smiled faintly. "Very good. With your cooperation, I believe we will certainly make Qingshan County a place of clean air and upright ways."

The others smiled along and nodded.

After speaking, Fang Xing looked toward the yamen runners. "The Deputy Constables of each Ward Office will remain. Everyone else, return to your usual duties."

"Yes!"

A chorus of voices answered. Then, the yamen runners quickly left the main hall.

Before long, only four Constables and three Deputy Constables remained in the hall.

They looked at Fang Xing, unsure what he intended to do, but they had no choice but to obey his words.

He commanded all the yamen runners; even dismissing someone was merely a matter of a single word from Fang Xing.

The status of a yamen runner was an excellent protective talisman.

"Gentlemen, come with me and take a look at the Central Ward Office first," Fang Xing said.

They nodded and left the hall.

Soon, Fang Xing and the others arrived at a courtyard on the eastern side of the County Yamen.

Compared with the four Ward Offices, the Central Ward Office was far more spacious.

It was an entire courtyard, with a large main hall, two rooms, and an old locust tree in the yard.

The courtyard had been cleaned very thoroughly.

After looking around, Fang Xing entered the main hall of the Central Ward Office and, without the slightest hesitation, took the seat of honor.

He glanced at Xu Zhengxiong and the others. "Please, sit."

They nodded and sat down.

"Constable Chen, how many Bright Force martial artists are there in the South Ward Office?"

Fang Xing looked at Chen Shan.

Chen Shan froze slightly, then immediately replied, "Reporting to you, my lord, there are three Bright Force martial artists in the South Ward Office, myself included."

"Three..." Fang Xing nodded lightly, then looked at Li Qing.

"Constable Li, what about West City?"

Li Qing promptly replied, "My lord, there are four in the West Ward Office."

"Excluding the Deputy Constable, the other two only stepped into Bright Force last month."

"Four..." Fang Xing nodded, then shifted his gaze to Yang Bo.

Before Fang Xing could ask, Yang Bo immediately said, "My lord, six men in East City have entered Bright Force. Three of them only did so within the past two months, myself included."

"Six... It seems East City has the strongest forces." Fang Xing murmured inwardly.

In comparison, North City was in the worst state, with only Xu Zhengxiong and himself.

The yamen runners who had entered Bright Force were the backbone of their strength!

A martial artist could fight ten alone.

When such strength was brought together, it could not be underestimated.

Seeing Fang Xing lost in thought, Xu Zhengxiong and the others exchanged glances.

It was perfectly normal for him to investigate the martial artists' circumstances.

But whether Fang Xing had other intentions, they could not tell.

"Lord Fang, what do you think about the matter we discussed before?" Chen Shan blinked as he looked at Fang Xing, breaking the silence.

Fang Xing came back to himself. He looked at Chen Shan, then at Xu Zhengxiong. "What does Boss Xu think?"

"I have no objections. I'll follow your decision, my lord," Xu Zhengxiong said indifferently.

There truly was no one in the North Ward Office, nor could they find anyone suitable.

Apart from Fang Xing, not a single person had entered Bright Force.

Even if they wanted to promote one of their own, there was no candidate.

Hearing Xu Zhengxiong's answer, Fang Xing glanced at Chen Shan. "If the circumstances meet the requirements, then naturally there is no problem."

Chen Shan's face immediately lit up with delight.

"Many thanks, Lord Fang."

Fang Xing looked at him, then let his gaze fall on the others. "Today is my first day in office. I need a detailed list of the information from the other districts, including everyone's strength. Do any of you have a problem with that?"

At this, they all nodded, indicating that there was no problem.

Fang Xing smiled. "Good. Deliver the detailed information on the various districts to me before work ends this afternoon."

They nodded. Fang Xing then gave a few more simple instructions, and they left the Central Ward Office one after another.

Before long, Xu Zhengxiong was the only one left in the hall.

Looking at Fang Xing, Xu Zhengxiong could not help sighing. "I never expected it. You took one step and soared straight into the sky. Chief Constable—Qingshan County has never had one before."

Hearing Xu Zhengxiong's sigh, Fang Xing smiled. "Uncle Xu, perhaps you'll have a chance to sit in this position someday as well."

"I don't have that kind of strength. I'm only at the peak of Bright Force. Whether I can break through the gate in the future is hard to say. My last Gate Knocking attempt failed and left my vitality badly damaged."

Xu Zhengxiong shook his head and sighed.

Fang Xing was not too surprised to hear that.

For most people, entering Bright Force was both a starting point and an endpoint.

In martial cultivation, aside from talent and innate physique, the most important thing was resources.

It could be said that ninety-eight percent of Fang Xing's current strength came from having sufficient resources.

Without his enhancement ability, let alone breaking through to Dark Force, even entering Bright Force would have been a long shot.

Even a transmigrator was no exception. Without a cheat, there was no way to make it in this world.

"Fang Xing, what are your plans from here on? Will you consolidate them?" Xu Zhengxiong asked as he looked at Fang Xing.

Fang Xing shook his head. "There's no need to consolidate anything. The current arrangement, with four positions overseeing four districts, is quite good. It's more convenient this way."

"Then you don't intend to make a move against East City?" Xu Zhengxiong asked.

"What does Uncle Xu think would be the best way to handle it?" Fang Xing asked in return.

Xu Zhengxiong lowered his head and fell silent. After pondering for a while, he finally said, "To be honest, it is indeed difficult. Yang Bo may be nothing much to you, but the forces behind him are not simple. He has also been in East City for many years, and his connections are tangled as roots and vines. I'm afraid it will be difficult to clean things up in a short time."

"My method would be to proceed gradually. News of your appointment will certainly draw the attention of every force in the city. You can wait and see first, then use the hands of certain forces to take action."

"What kind of person is Yang Bo?" Fang Xing asked after some thought.

Xu Zhengxiong considered it, then said, "He is the sort who repays every grievance, like Yazi. But now that you hold the position of Chief Constable, he will certainly find a way to curry favor with you."

"Still, if there's an opportunity, accept him if you can. It will be beneficial to you as well."