Chapter 1220: Valued by an Ineffably Distinguished Official
Lu Baqian held a peachwood sword, while numerous magical treasures shrouded in dense mist hovered around him. They were all specifically designed for dealing with jiangshi.
The magical treasures were floating around him for ease of activation, while the dense mist concealed them so that the Hanba couldn’t identify what magical treasures he was using.
On the way, Lu Baqian had formulated many strategies, determined to contain the Hanba here and prevent it from slaughtering the masses.
Following the compass, he arrived at the cemetery on the outskirts of Quyi County, only to find an empty coffin before him.
“Crap, I’m a step too late. It has escaped!” Lu Baqian’s face was grim. A Hanba on the loose bodes endless trouble.
After a round of careful inspection, Lu Baqian grew puzzled. “But when a Hanba emerges, it scorches the earth for a thousand li. Why is there still life here?”
Logically speaking, once a Hanba emerges, it will subconsciously release a field that strips away all vitality, turning the area into a dead zone.
“And isn’t this a mass grave? Why is there not the slightest bit of yin energy? Did the Hanba absorb it all?”
~~~
“Keep your energy field in check. You’d better not release even a wisp of deathly energy,”
“Yes, yes, I’ll keep it under control,” the female Hanba said with an obsequious smile. Her deathly energy field was released automatically; suppressing it required immense effort.
One has to lower one’s head when under someone else’s roof. If I dare release deathly energy, these two Transcendent Tribulation experts would probably release their yang energy and sword qi.
“Is this the direction?”
“Yes. We’re already very close to the Mountain-Suppressing Seal.”
~~~
“Congratulations, Lord Zhang. You’ll soon be promoted to the Commandery Governor of Zhongshan Commandery.”
Lord Zhang casually blew the steam off his teacup and asked nonchalantly, “Wangzhi, surely you didn’t come to see me this late just to tell me all this, right?”
“There’s nothing in particular. I simply happened to obtain a treasure and was so delighted that I wanted to invite you to appraise it with me, Lord Zhang.”
“What treasure is it?”
Wangzhi produced a large seal wrapped in red cloth from the front of his robes and slid it across the table to Lord Zhang.
Lord Zhang picked up the seal and read the characters on its base. “Mountain-Suppressing?”
“This seal is extraordinary. Look at the craftsmanship and the patterns. It must have been forged using the long-lost Ninety-Nine Stage Tempering Method.
“There’s no doubt about it! The characters ‘Wang An’ are hidden within the patterns. A divine craftsman always leaves their mark; it can’t be forged. This is definitely the work of the Divine Craftsman Wang Family!
“However, in the past thousand years, the Divine Craftsman Wang Family hasn’t produced any remarkable figures and has declined considerably. While the treasures that have emerged from the clan are still decent, they are nowhere near their masterpieces.
“Your Excellency, based on my research, this Mountain-Suppressing Seal is Divine Craftsman Wang Family’s masterpiece.”
Hearing the name, Lord Zhang grew even more fond of the seal. “As I thought, this is the Mountain-Suppressing Seal, capable of suppressing mountains and evil.”
Seeing Lord Zhang’s reaction, Wangzhi knew his plan had succeeded.
Lord Zhang cared little for spirit stones or magical treasures; he was only interested in feng shui. He had specially invited those from the Heavenly Strategy Sect to arrange the layout of his residence.
It faced south with mountains at the back, drawing upon the spirit qi of mountains and waters while absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon. The front of the house was broad and open, with a view of the pond in the courtyard, designed to conceal wind and gather qi.
Setting aside the connections he had to call upon and the spirit stones he had to spend to invite the Heavenly Strategy Sect, though the mountain rocks and pond water looked unassuming, the former were actually brought from the Demon Region’s mountains, and the latter were melted ice from the Extreme North.
He had heard from the Heavenly Strategy Sect that to achieve the best feng shui layout, it was best to suppress it with a magical treasure capable of suppressing mountains and evil.
Ordinary magical treasures were beneath Lord Zhang’s notice; he insisted on using only the best.
Coincidentally, he had found a record in an ancient text. Five hundred years ago, a tomb raider had discovered a hidden tomb beneath a cemetery in a neighboring county, and a Mountain-Suppressing Seal lay atop the coffin. But just as he reached for it, dark clouds appeared above the coffin, and lightning struck the coffin out of nowhere, causing the tomb raider to flee in terror.
Lord Zhang laughed heartily. “The people from the Heavenly Strategy Sect truly have incredible foresight. They said I would be valued by an ineffably distinguished official and never worry about my career in officialdom again!”
I’d thought it would take ten or twenty years to become a commandery governor, but I’m now being promoted early. That ineffably distinguished official must have already taken notice of me.
“I was still debating whether to recommend you or Dinghai as my successor. Now that I think about it, though Dinghai is capable, he’s too honest and inflexible. Promoting him further would harm him instead. Wangzhi, you’re quick-witted and perceptive. You can rise higher.”
“Thank you for recognizing my worth, Lord Zhang!”
Just as Wangzhi was about to take his leave, three figures suddenly appeared in the room—two men and a woman.
Lu Yang drew his sword and pointed it at the two. “Hands on the table! Nobody moves! We are constables from Quyi County. We’ve been monitoring you for a long time. The entire bribery process has been captured on a recording orb. You’re under arrest!”
Initially, Lord Zhang paid them no heed, dismissing them as mere constables. But when he heard they had a recording orb, his expression changed drastically. That’s evidence that can be used against me!
“I dare you!”
Lord Zhang’s shadow transformed into two shadow wolves that lunged at the constables’ shadows. This was an extremely rare shadow ability, nearly impossible to defend against.
“Don’t even think about hurting them!”
The female Hanba immediately stepped in front of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, stomping on one shadow wolf each with her foot. Since Lord Zhang and the shadow wolves were linked, he felt a crushing weight on his chest that nearly suffocated him.
She turned excitedly to the two. “Your Excellencies, does this count as rendering meritorious service?”
“Who are you people? How dare you arrest me?!” Lord Zhang bellowed.
Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes and slapped Lord Zhang’s face irritably. “Why are you a commandery governor when your ears don’t work? Didn’t we just say that we’re constables from Quyi County?”
“Let me tell you. I have already caught the eye of an ineffably distinguished official. I no longer have to worry about my career in officialdom. My promotion to commandery governor is all thanks to that official. If you dare provoke me, you’re messing with them!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
~~~
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had planned to wake Man Gu at dawn, but hearing his peaceful snores, they figured it was inhumane to do so. They left a paper face-down at his door with a note.
Soon after, the registrar also placed an official notice outside Man Gu’s door.
Man Gu rubbed his eyes and opened the door, only to see two papers on the chair. He picked them up as he yawned.
“The official notice says that the commandery governor position has been decided—it’s County Magistrate Zhang Tongheng of Guyuan County.
“Let me see Senior Brother’s note. They caught a tomb raider last night and witnessed the fencing of the stolen goods. Due to the urgency of the situation, they’ve gone ahead to make the arrest. They’re asking me to issue an arrest warrant now. All the details are already filled out. It’s just missing my signature?”
Man Gu opened the arrest warrant left by Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.
“Strange. Why is this person also called Zhang Tongheng?”