"The lord has arrived."
"My lord, we’ve caught the murderer."
"..."
A commotion erupted from the main gate.
Soon after, Tong Yuanshan hurried in, calling out to Gu Zheng from a distance, "Gu Zheng, how is it? Did the killer confess?"
"Haha, Tong Yuanshan! Tong Huanggua! You’re here too!"
Before Gu Zheng could answer, Niu Datie excitedly shouted first, "Tong Huanggua, you should thank too! That son of a bitch Zhang Hucheng was always at odds with you, paying you lip service while secretly making things difficult. Now that I’ve killed him, you should at least reward with a few hundred taels of silver, right?"
"This..." Tong Yuanshan was taken aback. He pointed at Niu Datie and looked to Gu Zheng, asking, "This... is the murderer?"
"Of course! Who else could have stabbed Zhang Hucheng in the back but ?" Niu Datie craned his neck, yelling maniacally. "Without , Zhang Hucheng would have already escaped! He’d be off living it up sowhere else. So thank ! Sing my praises! Hahaha!"
"..." Tong Yuanshan blinked. He didn’t speak, just looked at Gu Zheng with a questioning gaze.
"He’s the murderer."
Gu Zheng stood up and said softly, "This man was pushed too far by Lord Zhang. In his rage, he ambushed him. Now, he’s gone mad."
"Mad or not, he’s still the murderer!"
Tong Yuanshan’s expression turned serious. "The penalty for assassinating a County Captain is death. Take him away. He will be executed this afternoon!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Two constables responded, dragging away the still-shouting, frenzied Niu Datie.
"You few, tend to Lord Zhang’s body."
Tong Yuanshan ordered again.
"Yes, my lord."
Wang ng and the others acknowledged, tending to Zhang Hucheng’s body and beginning to set up a morial hall.
Tong Yuanshan then went to console the wife and daughter of the Zhang Family, reassuring them that they could continue living there without worry.
Afterwards, he returned to Gu Zheng’s side and sighed, "When Old Zhang was alive, I wished him dead. But now that he’s really gone, I feel a bit wistful. We’ve been fighting in private for so long... I’m afraid I won’t be used to having no one to secretly sche against anymore."
Gu Zheng was speechless.
’They even developed an emotional attachnt from all that fighting?’
"My lord, if you truly wish to continue the rivalry, you can always find a new opponent after you’re promoted to a new post," Gu Zheng suggested.
"Promoted sowhere else? I have no plans to leave Qingshi." Tong Yuanshan pulled a cucumber from his robes, took a bite, and started munching on it. CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Gu Zheng asked in confusion, "Yan Hongxue said that with your achievents over the years, my lord, you have more than enough rit to be promoted to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office and serve as..."
"What Prefecture Magistrate’s Office? I’m not going!"
Tong Yuanshan said, shaking his head as he bit into his cucumber. "I’m not that muddle-headed. What achievents have I had over the years? It was only during this Demon Fiend invasion that I managed to ride on your coattails, Gu Zheng. In any other situation, I’d gladly take the easy ride. But what’s it like out there now? Demon Fiends are everywhere!"
"In contrast, look at our Qingshi. Great Dragon Mountain has been pacified, and you’ve cleaned up most of the Demon Fiends. I dare say that in the future, our Qingshi will be safer than the Prefecture City. Even the State City won’t compare."
"In a situation like this, wouldn’t getting promoted sowhere else be like dropping a waterlon to pick up a sesa seed? Do I look like I have water for brains?"
After speaking, Tong Yuanshan continued to crunch on his cucumber, a smug look on his face.
"..."
Gu Zheng and Han Ming glanced at each other, then bowed with sincere respect.
"My lord is wise!"
’Wise is an understatent. He’s one of the few truly clear-headed people left in the world.’
Anyone else would be desperate for a promotion, to go to the Prefecture City or the State City.
But Tong Yuanshan saw the hidden dangers that ca with a promotion.
The world had changed. The realm was no longer stable.
Qingshi County itself had been one of the sources of this disaster.
If the Domain on Great Dragon Mountain had evolved into a channel connecting two worlds, it would have only been a matter of ti before the entire county fell.
Now that the Domain was gone and the threat was eliminated, the disaster zone had instantly beco a safe haven.
Even if Demon Fiends were to spread from other places, Qingshi County would be the last place in Nanyun Prefecture to fall.
Geographically, Qingshi County was protected by natural barriers to the west, north, and south.
Only the east was connected to the Prefecture City.
But even there, a large river served as a buffer zone.
And if all the land in Qingshi County were cultivated, half of its area could be used for farming.
In the past, this geographical location had hindered developnt. Transportation was limited, and it was difficult to invigorate the economy.
Now, however, it was a perfect sanctuary!
Gu Zheng had inadvertently created this safe harbor.
If Tong Yuanshan were an ordinary official, he would have to leave whether he wanted to or not.
But he had backing—a benefactor who was a high-ranking official in the imperial court.
As long as Tong Yuanshan was unwilling to leave, he could hold onto his position as the County Magistrate of Qingshi County without fear of it being snatched away.
...
...
Gu Zheng didn’t investigate who had really killed Zhang Hucheng.
Whether it was Chen Zhizhen or Wu Kun, it had nothing to do with him.
Even though Gu Zheng was very curious as to why they would kill Zhang Hucheng.
But in a way, they had certainly done him a favor.
Gu Zheng had wanted to deal with Zhang Hucheng himself before he left Qingshi County.
Just not so crudely. Killing Zhang Hucheng directly would not only cast great suspicion on him, but it would also be unseemly.
Now that Zhang Hucheng was dead, it saved him a lot of trouble.
...
The aptitude tests for the constables, governnt constables, and Soldiers were over.
Out of more than a thousand people, only five t the minimum standard.
Of these five, three were Soldiers, one was a governnt constable, and the only constable was Tao Qi.
Tao Qi, the youngest of them all, who had taken over his late father’s post as a constable less than a year ago, had—in Wu Kun’s words—excellent aptitude, even better than his own or Chen Zhizhen’s.
Tao Qi was naturally thrilled to hear the results. Already alone in the world, he was eager to head to the State City with Gu Zheng.
As for the other four, the governnt constable and one of the soldiers gave up.
Having witnessed the terror of the Demon Fiends, they lacked the courage and confidence to fight them.
Gu Zheng wouldn’t try to persuade them in such matters.
Everyone had to make their own choices.
...
「Three days after the aptitude tests ended.」
The Gu Family, from the eldest to the youngest, along with the families of Han Ming and Wang ng, returned from the Prefecture City to the county seat.
That night, Gu Zheng gave the second Strengthening Source Fruit to Gu Sihai.
It went smoothly. Gu Sihai, who had previously been barely a Third-class Master, beca a Grandmaster overnight, just like Han Ming!
Apparently, a single Strengthening Source Fruit could enhance a person’s strength and Constitution to their absolute limit.
Which was, the Grandmaster Realm!
Compared to Han Ming, Gu Sihai was more composed. After becoming a Grandmaster with the help of the Source Fruit, he told no one.
The next day, Yan Hongxue returned to the city with the Demon Slayer Bureau’s Riding Patrol after searching the entire county.
After getting their affairs in order, they set off for the State City the following day.
Gu Zheng said goodbye to his family and left with Yan Hongxue, taking Tao Qi and two other soldiers nad Gao Da and Gao Er with him.
As he rode his horse onto the county seat’s main street, he found that both sides of the road were packed with people.
And every single one of them was staring at him with wide, silent eyes.
Just as Gu Zheng was feeling confused, a series of sincere and fervent shouts suddenly erupted.
"Chief Gu, have a safe journey!"
"Lord Gu, you must co back to visit often!"
"Brother Ping’an, we’ll wait for you to co back and tell us more stories~"
"You little rascals, Chief Gu doesn’t have ti to tell you stories! Go on, shoo! Chief Gu, take care of yourself!"
...
The shouts rose and fell, echoing down the long street.
"Gu, the hearts of the people are with you!"
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