The Vacant Inspector's Post

The main hall fell silent for a moment.

Luo Zheng did not answer immediately.

He bent down and spread out the stack of old documents on the table one by one, as if unfolding a history of Qingzhou's plea for help.

Some of the creases have turned white, some edges are worn and frayed, the dates on the papers span decades, and the earliest one crumbles at the slightest touch.

He picked up the top document, first looked at the signature, then flipped to the records at the back.

Some of the signatures are from over a decade ago.

His brows furrowed little by little, and his expression gradually became serious.

The main hall remained quiet for a long time.

Yang Xiao had almost given up on Pacification Commissioner when Luo Zheng suddenly spoke up, but he was talking about something else entirely.

"Above the Governor-General of each prefecture in the Cuiyun Circuit, two Inspector patrol each prefecture and handle troublesome Demon Plague on behalf of the local authorities."

"Above that is a Pacification Commissioner, which is me."

He raised his hand and pointed to the map of Cuiyun Circuit on the wall.

"I am responsible for guarding Cuiyun Circuit." His finger traced a long line across the borders of the various prefectures. "If any prefecture is Demon Plague, it should deal with it itself first. If it cannot be handled, report to the General Headquarters, and the Inspector then provide assistance."

"These are the rules established when the Demon Suppression Division."

At this point, Luo Zheng's face was full of helplessness, as if he were a skilled cook who couldn't make a meal without rice.

"Actually, the position of Inspector has been vacant for many years."

"Since the deaths of the Inspector, no new Dao-Infant Realm experts have filled their positions in various states over the years, so the positions have remained vacant."

Yang Xiao frowned slightly.

The Dao-Infant Realm was a threshold that Pei Xuance had risked his life to reach in Qingzhou, and he was practically invincible in the entire continent. How could he have died so easily?

He couldn't help but ask, "Inspector Dao-Infant Realm can die in the line of duty?"

Luo Zheng glanced at him, a hint of frustration flashing across his face.

"Of course they would!" he said angrily. "They almost all lost contact at the Hundred-Thousand Demon Mountains. The Hundred-Thousand Demon Mountains is incredibly dangerous; losing contact there is tantamount to death."

I've been away from home for many years.

"The letters requesting assistance at the headquarters have long been piling up; not only in Qingzhou, but also in many other prefectures, many are asking for help."

Luo Zheng's tone carried a hint of inexplicable weariness.

"It's not that we don't want to manage it, it's that there's no one to send."

"You can go check out the archives now," Luo Zheng said, shrugging. "Those shelves against the wall are full of requests for help from various states; there's just too much to look at."

Li Hanguang stood there, silent for a long time.

He understood.

The Cuiyun Circuit General Office did not intentionally ignore Qingzhou.

However, with the Inspector vacant, the various prefectures lost a crucial link in the central government's communication channels, leaving Qingzhou isolated.

The fire that had been burning inside me for decades suddenly had nowhere to go.

It's not that anyone is deliberately targeting Qingzhou.

Ultimately, it's the entire Cuiyun Circuit region that's struggling to stay afloat.

Li Hanguang opened his mouth, but in the end it only turned into a barely audible sigh.

Have no choice.

Things have come to this point, and blaming anyone is useless.

He composed himself and then brought up the second matter.

"Lord Luo, Qingzhou and the General Headquarters have lost contact for many years. There's another matter: the route for the Core-Condensation Realm martial artists to collect Pill Pattern in this Treasure Ground has been cut off."

"Now that the Demon Plague has been temporarily quelled, Qingzhou must regain its quota of Treasure Ground in order to restore its talent cultivation."

He paused, "Several Mysterious Core Realm artists in the division are stuck at the Core Pill Pattern stage. If they don't start gathering Qi soon, their path to the Mystic Core will truly be cut off."

Luo Zheng listened intently.

"This matter needs to be handled promptly."

He tapped his fingers on the table, agreeing readily, "Go find the person in charge of the state rosters and the allocation of Treasure Ground, and ask him."

"Cuiyun Circuit has several Treasure Ground under its name. Report the candidates from Qingzhou and arrange them according to the rules."

Li Hanguang's face lit up with joy, and he cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you, Lord Luo."

A trip to the General Headquarters resolved a matter that had weighed on his mind for over a decade and also provided a breakthrough for the warriors of Qingzhou.

This Pacification Commissioner may look rough and unrefined, but he's incredibly efficient in his work.

Thus, the purpose of Li Hanguang's trip was fully explained.

Qin Lie received medical treatment, Qingzhou and the General Administration resumed contact, and the reason why they had not received a response for many years was also clarified, and the application for Treasure Ground was reopened.

The anxiety he had been carrying all along finally subsided, one thing at a time.

"If there's nothing else, I'll proceed with the handover."

Li Hanguang stood up, exchanged a glance with Yang Xiao, and prepared to take his leave.

"Wait, Yang Xiao, stay here!" Luo Zheng suddenly spoke, his voice booming so loudly that it made the main hall buzz.

Li Hanguang paused, turning back to look at Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao nodded slightly to him, indicating that there was no need to worry.

The door closed, leaving only Luo Zheng and Yang Xiao.

Luo Zheng's attitude was completely different from before; he had completely dropped the airs of a Pacification Commissioner.

He rubbed his hands together as he approached Yang Xiao, his tone much gentler.

"General Yang, you seem quite young. What are your plans for the future?"

Yang Xiao looked up at him.

It's not hard to see that this Pacification Commissioner has already taken a liking to his Dao-Infant Realm cultivation level.

Cuiyun Circuit has been missing the Dao-Infant Realm for far too many years.

Luo Zheng didn't rush to speak, but instead asked him what his plans were.

Yang Xiao thought it over and realized there was nothing to hide.

Once you reach the Dao Infant stage, it would be a lie to say you don't want to progress further.

"Searching for the Spiritual Root."

Luo Zheng was taken aback.

Then, he followed his gaze to the book on the table, which listed almost all the credit for Qingzhou under one person's name.

The merit of slaying demons is the capital to exchange for Spiritual Root.

He suddenly understood everything and laughed out loud, "Pei Xuance is indeed thoughtful; no wonder he wrote this booklet like this."

"Snap."

He closed the book and put it back on the desk.

Luo Zheng suddenly turned his head, "Pei Xuance didn't simply send you to deliver the escort documents; he wanted to push you out of Qingzhou and pave a faster path for your cultivation."

Yang Xiao's heart stirred slightly.

He had vaguely guessed what was going on.

The official documents attributing credit, entrusting the task to Qin Lie, and personally instructing Dao Infant on the path of cultivation—each and every one of these things was originally thought to be merely a matter of settling things behind the scenes.

Now it sounds like a road paved from beginning to end.

"Only one Governor-General can be stationed in each prefecture." Luo Zheng said with certainty, "Pei Xuance has already broken through to the Dao-Infant Realm, Qingzhou temporarily has someone capable of guarding it."

"Do you think I don't understand Pei Xuance's thoughts?"

After speaking, Luo Zheng stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth behind the desk for a couple of steps.

"As I just mentioned, the Inspector vacant for many years."

Luo Zheng did not shy away from his purpose in wanting to keep Yang Xiao; anyone with eyes wouldn't let someone like that get away.

Since both sides have their own needs, let's put our words on the table.

He said directly:

"If you can slay the Yellow Wind, you will have the ability to handle Demon Plague on your own."

"The position of Inspector has been vacant for many years. Would you be willing to take it?"

"..."