Plan, Turmoil

With the Longevity Art's mental cultivation method, Fang Xing quickly entered the right state.

Inside his body, the qi and blood throughout him surged as though boiling, flowing through his meridians.

Qi and blood transformed into force!

The Demon Subduing Force within him also began to transform.

Sitting cross-legged and maintaining his posture, he was like an old monk in meditation.

Invisible force enveloped his entire body.

In the blink of an eye, most of the day had passed.

"Hah—!"

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Fang Xing slowly opened his eyes.

It had taken him most of the day just to touch the threshold and complete the first step of entry.

To transform his force and truly step through that threshold would still take quite some time.

But once he had entered, everything would proceed smoothly.

Cultivation could not be rushed.

Having just broken through to Transformation Force, he also needed time to consolidate his realm.

Getting out of bed, Fang Xing went to prepare something to eat.

After eating and drinking his fill, he continued cultivating.

The next morning, Fang Xing woke early.

After cultivating the Longevity Art yesterday, he had sensed changes in his own force after just one day.

Though it had not all transformed into the Longevity Art's force yet, even the portion that had transformed made him feel that he had improved considerably.

With my Transformation Force cultivation, I wonder how many Enhancement Points I can gain each day...

Fang Xing summoned the panel and inspected it.

Name: Fang Xing

Cultivation: Transformation Force

Enhancement Level: Two Stars (11%)

Enhancement Points: 3,966.

"Eight points..."

"It doubled."

"Not bad."

Looking at the Enhancement Points on the panel, Fang Xing had a clear grasp of it.

Now that he had reached the Transformation Force level, he gained eight points a day.

In one month, he could obtain around two hundred and forty points.

That was twice as fast as the accumulation at Dark Force.

However, advancing through the Transformation Force stage required vastly greater resources.

The Enhancement Points it consumed would also be greater.

The daily accumulation was not much of an increase.

Only the methods of evil cultivators could bring rapid growth.

I still have nearly four thousand points. That is enough to support my cultivation for a while, so there is no need to act rashly for now.

After thinking it over, Fang Xing suppressed the thoughts in his heart.

With his current reserves, his Enhancement Points could still sustain him, and cultivating the Longevity Art would also take some time.

By the time he had nearly used them up, his strength would have risen to another level as well.

Moreover, all the major forces in Qingshan County were extremely vigilant now, making the risks high.

He would not act for the time being.

That was the safer course.

After lying low for a while, he would deal with the remaining forces.

Eliminating these underworld forces would also make Qingshan County more stable.

As for the five great forces, his current strength was not enough.

And moving against the five great forces was no trifling matter.

Especially the three great families.

Their foundations ran far deeper than ordinary.

Several days passed quickly.

The unrest in Qingshan County gradually subsided as well.

Yet for some small and medium-sized forces, they still lived in constant fear.

No one could be sure whether they would be the next to be wiped out.

They remained highly alert and exceptionally cautious.

For ordinary people, however, it was good news. Without gang battles, those who usually strutted about arrogantly had become much more restrained. For a time, public order in Qingshan County improved by quite a bit.

Early morning, Tong District, Linxi Courtyard.

Inside the room, Fang Xing slowly opened his eyes.

Over the past few days, he had completely transformed his force and also completed his initial entry into the Longevity Art.

He had also consolidated his own realm.

After cultivating the Longevity Art, his force had increased by at least several times compared to when he had first entered Transformation Force.

His force was far more abundant than that of an ordinary martial artist in the early Transformation Force stage.

Entering the Longevity Art also made his body somewhat better.

At the same time, Fang Xing had experienced the Longevity Art's enhancement of other martial arts.

With his force transformed, the Demon Subduing Technique could unleash even greater power in his hands.

Its enhancement of the Wind God Step was even greater.

His lightness skill had improved by a huge margin.

The changes of just a few days were even more astonishing than the changes other Transformation Force martial artists saw in several months.

After getting out of bed, Fang Xing ate breakfast, washed up, and went to the County Yamen.

Although his current position did not require him to report there every day, he still had to show his face from time to time.

So long as nothing major happened, he, the Chief Constable, did not need to worry too much.

Upon arriving at the County Yamen, Fang Xing inspected each of the duty rooms.

Along the way, every Yamen Runner he encountered saluted him.

Fang Xing gave a slight nod.

After making a round of the four duty rooms,

Fang Xing stopped a Yamen Runner. "Is Lord Zhang here?"

The young Yamen Runner nodded at once. "Lord Fang, Lord Zhang is in the inner hall."

Fang Xing nodded and headed for the inner hall.

He had not come today on a whim. There were certain matters concerning the Yamen Runners that he needed to discuss with the County Magistrate.

In the County Yamen's inner hall, Fang Xing soon met County Magistrate Zhang Chen.

"My lord." Upon seeing Zhang Chen, Fang Xing cupped his hands.

Zhang Chen was somewhat surprised to see Fang Xing. Smiling, he said, "What brings you here today? Is something the matter?"

Fang Xing nodded and stepped forward. "My lord, I do indeed have something I wish to discuss with you."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Zhang Chen raised his brows slightly. He looked at him and gestured with a hand. "Do not stand there. Sit and speak."

"My lord, I want to reform several duty rooms."

"Reform?"

Zhang Chen froze slightly and looked at Fang Xing. "How do you intend to reform them?"

Fang Xing looked at him and said, "My lord, things outside are not peaceful now, and the situation is becoming increasingly chaotic. I want to increase the number of Yamen Runners, so we can manage things better. Should any unrest arise in the future, we can also prepare in advance."

Hearing this, Zhang Chen looked at him. "You heard the news?"

"?"

Fang Xing was taken aback by Zhang Chen's question.

Zhang Chen took a sip of tea, his expression solemn. "The recent situation has indeed been unstable. Several surrounding counties have run into trouble, and quite a few evil cults are causing chaos. Qingshan County was even attacked by a rebel army. Although the garrison forces managed to hold them back, they paid a heavy price."

"You are right to prepare before the rain comes. What exactly do you intend to do?"

Fang Xing was astonished by Zhang Chen's words.

He did not know much about the situation outside. Increasing the number of Yamen Runners was merely to support his future cleanup plans.

Having entered Transformation Force, he had emerged from the shadows into the light. With the various intelligence he held on the underworld forces, he had legitimate grounds to act.

Yet he had not expected to hear such news from Zhang Chen.

Rebel armies and evil cults attacking cities.

If he remembered correctly, Qingchuan County seemed to be the neighboring county.

Beyond Qingchuan lay the territory of Cang Prefecture.

He knew some things about Cang Prefecture, but he had not expected the flames of war to spread to Jiang Province so quickly, and so close by.

This could very well spread into Qingshan territory!

His thoughts turned, and Fang Xing quickly came back to himself. Looking at Zhang Chen, he said, "My lord, I plan to use the four duty rooms as a foundation and add two Deputy Constables. Each duty room will be staffed with one chief and three deputies, while the number of men in each room will also be increased."

"One chief and three deputies..."

"Yes, that is not a problem. What about the specific numbers? How many do you plan to add?"

Zhang Chen pondered for a moment and looked at Fang Xing.

"I have calculated it. The total number would need to increase by roughly one to two hundred people."

Fang Xing said.

"One or two hundred. Based on the original scale, that would bring the total to around three hundred. Mm, you handle it. I approve it. Just report it afterward. You can add more people if necessary—four hundred is fine too."

Zhang Chen nodded.

"My lord, if we add so many at once, will those above... agree?" Fang Xing asked after a moment of hesitation.

Zhang Chen looked at him and smiled faintly. "There may have been obstacles before, but the situation is different now. Strengthening the forces in various places is also a good thing for those above."

Fang Xing nodded upon hearing this.

He more or less understood.

But if he could add more Yamen Runners, his future cleanup plans would also be more perfect.

The more, the better!

"There is another point. It can restrain the growth of certain forces. The unrest in Qingchuan erupted from both within and without."

Zhang Chen looked at him and added meaningfully.