Adjustments, Major Overhaul

"Curb certain forces..."

Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Fang Xing quickly understood.

These "certain" forces were undoubtedly the five major forces.

The evil cults had infiltrated extensively.

Some powerful local clans had even been infiltrated.

This was not an isolated case.

It existed on a massive scale.

At certain moments, it could trigger tremendous upheaval.

"Sir, I understand." Fang Xing nodded.

Zhang Chen smiled faintly. "You'll be responsible for the yamen runners. There was quite a commotion last month, but it also made Qingshan more stable."

"You can start from that angle and further clean up public security."

Fang Xing nodded at this. "Yes, sir. I'll handle it."

After chatting for a while longer, Fang Xing left the inner hall.

After having several yamen runners notify the others, Fang Xing went to wait in the Central Ward Office.

Upon receiving Fang Xing's orders, the four constables and four deputy constables all arrived at the Central Ward Office.

"Sir Fang!"

The group saluted in unison. Fang Xing sat in his chair and nodded lightly. "Sit."

The eight of them took their seats.

Pairs of eyes watched him, filled with curiosity.

"Sir, why have you summoned us?" Chen Shan was the first to ask.

Normally, Fang Xing scarcely involved himself in such matters. This was the first time he had suddenly gathered them all.

Fang Xing took a sip of tea, swept his gaze over the crowd, then said, "I summoned you today to announce something concerning adjustments to the various ward offices."

"Ward office adjustments?"

The constables were taken aback by Fang Xing's words.

Yang Bo, seated on the left, felt his heart skip a beat. Although Fang Xing had not targeted him since becoming Chief Constable, and he himself had treated him to meals and given him gifts, there had been a rift between them before. Could these ward office adjustments mean he was about to be stripped of his position?

As Chief Constable, Fang Xing naturally had that authority.

If he wanted to make a move, Yang Bo was highly likely to be the first one under the knife.

Resistance was not even a thought in his mind.

Setting aside Fang Xing's status, his strength alone was enough to crush them all.

At the peak of Dark Force, his cultivation was sufficient to match his position.

Thinking this, Yang Bo could not help looking toward Fang Xing at the head seat. "Sir Fang, how will these adjustments be made?"

Fang Xing glanced at him. From the subtle changes in his expression, he understood what Yang Bo was worried about.

He had indeed considered removing Yang Bo before.

But there was no need now. Yang Bo's strength was decent, and he was obedient in his work.

There was no reason for Fang Xing to act against him now.

His status and strength had both completely changed.

After entering Transformation Force, he had even less need to do such a thing.

As long as Yang Bo was obedient, continuing to sit in his post would not be a problem.

If he was disobedient, Fang Xing could destroy him with a turn of his hand.

Withdrawing his gaze, Fang Xing spoke calmly. "Report this: how many Bright Force martial artists are there now?"

The constables were startled, but they still honestly gave their numbers.

Across the four ward offices, including the constables and deputy constables, there were twenty-two Bright Force martial artists in total.

The North Ward Office was still at the bottom.

Aside from Xu Zhengxiong and Deputy Constable Ji Bochang, only Xu Le remained.

After hearing the report, Fang Xing nodded lightly. "Not bad."

"Sir, how exactly will these adjustments be made?" Chen Shan could not help asking.

Fang Xing glanced at him and said flatly, "Starting tomorrow, each ward office will add two deputy constables. At the same time, every ward office will issue a public notice to recruit newcomers, with a maximum of one hundred people per ward office."

What?!

Hearing Fang Xing's words, everyone was shocked.

Adding two deputy constables and raising the personnel cap to one hundred.

Good heavens, this was not an adjustment. This was a sweeping overhaul with a broad axe!

The eight stared at Chen Yu in shock. So many people were being added at once.

Although the Chief Constable had the authority to oversee the four ward offices, for such a major adjustment, aside from the County Magistrate, probably no one else had that authority.

"Sir, wouldn't such a drastic change be a little too much?" Li Qing looked at Fang Xing and asked tentatively.

"I have already discussed this matter with Lord Zhang. Just carry it out."

Fang Xing spoke.

Those words immediately silenced everyone.

Still, the addition of two deputy constable positions was certainly a good thing.

"Sir, regarding the deputy constables..."

"They may be nominated internally. The constables of each ward office will be responsible. As long as they have crossed the threshold into Bright Force, bring them here tomorrow to report." Fang Xing said.

At those words, the eyes of several constables immediately lit up.

That was a generous delegation of power!

A single word from them could settle it.

"That decides it. Bring them here tomorrow."

"Yes!"

Their replies rang out in unison. The others departed one after another, while Xu Zhengxiong remained behind and looked at Fang Xing. "Over at the North Ward Office, Xu Le can take the position, but one slot is still vacant."

"Uncle Xu, you decide. Just communicate with the other constables." Fang Xing said.

Xu Zhengxiong's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "All right."

Being one of their own did mean receiving a little extra consideration.

"I'll head back first. If anything comes up, you can contact me at my home." Fang Xing rose to his feet.

Xu Zhengxiong nodded, then also left the Central Ward Office.

--

The news spread without wings and was quickly passed along.

It soon reached the ears of certain forces as well.

Fang Xing paid no attention to any of this.

The next day, after meeting the nominated candidates, Fang Xing directly finalized the appointments.

Each ward office now had three deputy constables, and the various ward offices underwent some adjustments as well.

However, Fang Xing did not need to worry about such matters.

With power delegated, each ward office was responsible for recruitment and everything else.

The County Yamen's recruitment notice also caused a stir throughout the county town.

Any young person between sixteen and thirty years old could apply.

Those who had practiced martial arts would receive priority.

This quickly stirred up the martial arts schools across the county town, and some disciples from those schools signed up.

Although the County Yamen's recruitment held little appeal for official martial artists of the schools, it was highly attractive to those who were not official martial artists.

Becoming a yamen runner would not delay their martial arts training!

Moreover, they would gain an official status as members of the imperial court. Even if they achieved nothing in martial arts later on, that status would ensure they did not starve.

In these troubled times, having the imperial court's status also greatly increased one's safety.

For a time, countless people crowded through the County Yamen's gates.

With the limit set at one hundred, recruitment for the four ward offices proceeded quickly.

Within a few days, they had completely filled their quotas.

Fang Xing also made an appearance to meet the newcomers, leaving an impression on them.

At least they would not fail to recognize their superior.

After that, Fang Xing no longer interfered. The four constables and the deputy constables of each ward office could handle everything.

The benefit of delegating power was ease and freedom.

Every day, aside from cultivation, Fang Xing only needed to visit the County Yamen occasionally.

Time passed in tranquility.

In the blink of an eye, two months went by.

As the year's end approached, Qingshan County was greeted by a rare heavy snowfall.

Clad in silver!

Tong District, within Linxi Courtyard.

An afterimage flickered through the courtyard, so swift that his features were nearly impossible to make out. Invisible currents of air swept outward, violently shredding even the falling snowflakes.

"Whoosh—!"

Stopping, Fang Xing slowly exhaled.

Over the past two months, he had not neglected his cultivation.

The Wind God Step had also reached the pinnacle of perfection.

He could now wield both superior martial arts with effortless ease.

Beyond his improvement in martial arts, his cultivation had also risen considerably.

However, after entering the Transformation Force stage, his progress had slowed considerably compared with before.

Of course, that was only compared to his own previous rate of advancement. Compared to other Transformation Force martial artists of the same level, his progress was still astonishingly fast.

In two months, he had reached the middle stage of Transformation Force.

Cultivating the Longevity Art had made his inner force dense and pure, far surpassing those of the same level.

Not only was his inner force abundant, but his physique and sensory abilities had also improved tremendously.