On the third night, Yang Xiao awaited Fu Qingzhu’s arrival. Seated in Yang Xiao’s newly moved-into mansion, Fu Qingzhu gaped in amazent, his mouth agape as he gazed at the exquisite green jade token on the table, his spirit in a daze, "Wait, brother, are you really the Pingxi Marquis?!"
"Genuine and unreplaceable." Yang Xiao picked up the jade token and casually slipped it into his coat pocket, a faint smile gracing his face, "Originally, I did not wish to take this position, as you know I have always been a man disinterested in fa and fortune."
"Nalan Shuo must have taught you well for you to grasp that." Fu Qingzhu curled his lips, but he still felt genuine happiness for his good brother.
The Deputy Director of the Patrol Defense Office, an envoy from the Action Bureau, Ming Emperor Ye Xiao, the Sect Hierarch Dongfang Bai of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, and now also the Pingxi Marquis, one of the Four Major Families of Xiang Ma Town – Yang Xiao’s list of titles had beco horrifyingly long, making even him struggle to recognize himself.
Now with the identity of Pingxi Marquis, Yang Xiao’s movents in Xiang Ma Town beca much more convenient. He had already set a ti to et with Fu Qingzhu at the hotel, scheduled for tonight at exactly 11 p.m., a suitable ti indeed.
With ti to spare, Fu Qingzhu and Yang Xiao started discussing recent developnts in Rongcheng. Fu revealed that his own boss, Qiu Huai De, was extrely dissatisfied with Yang Xiao’s appointnt as a special envoy to the Action Bureau, scolding him severely afterwards. The backlash affected many innocents, resulting in a few unlucky individuals getting dismissed from the United Federation.
"Who is this Qiu Huai De? I’ve never heard of him before," Yang Xiao had t this person only once, on the day of the special envoy election, a man in traditional attire with an imposing visage, leaving a deep impression on Yang Xiao.
On hearing this, Fu Qingzhu set down his wine glass, his expression growing solemn: "Not just you, I’ve been with the United Federation for so years now, and the chances to see him could be counted on one hand, less than five tis in total. He hardly ever shows up in the Apostles Union, except for significant events. But this man possesses great skills, even so of the deputy leaders are sowhat fearful of him."
"He gained fa early and belongs to an older generation. Both directors of your Patrol Defense Office, and even Chi Zhongheng from the Chamber of Comrce, have to pay respect to him as a senior. He is recognized as the number one master in the Rongcheng Apostles’ Union." Fu Qingzhu explained in detail in front of Yang Xiao.
"The number one master?" Yang Xiao grew interested, "A Ghost-level Apostle?"
"Pretty much, there are rumors that this person was able to slay an Evil Cultivator Venerable alone twenty years ago, and his strength is only stronger, not weaker, than Qu Muzhi, the Demon Rakshasa of your Patrol Defense Office."
Yang Xiao couldn’t help but smile bitterly as his good brother ntioned Qu Muzhi; Qu Muzhi himself probably didn’t know that he had beco a standard of combat strength. In the territory of Rongcheng, defeating Qu Muzhi ant you were undoubtedly one of the top masters.
Yang Xiao knew all too well about Qu Muzhi’s strength; ordinary Fierce Grade Apostles, even two or three combined, were no match for him. His spiritual power was so strong it was as if he was one foot into the Ghost Level, but the true battle power he could unleash in desperate situations was enough to clash with a slightly inferior Ghost-level Apostle.
During the covert competition at Ru Lin Academy, both he and Qu Muzhi were injured, with Qu Muzhi’s injuries particularly severe. Nonetheless, even in such a state, the two of them together managed to take down the Xiu Sect Master of the Yu Yuan Sect, a woman whose strength exceeded that of the Pingxi Marquis by a head.
Now that they had the rare chance to chat leisurely, Fu Qingzhu went on to tell Yang Xiao so secrets about the three major forces, offering his critique on each one: "The three major forces are the foundation for maintaining dostic stability. The overt top combat power of the three families is not too different, yet they each have their own unique aspects."
"The most distinctive feature of our Apostles Union is in numbers—as theoretically, all apostles that are not under the jurisdiction of the Patrol Defense Office, Chamber of Comrce, and a few major families belong to our federation. Of course, this does not include apostles too weak to be absorbed or the wanted Evil Cultivators that are not included."
"Just in terms of the number of apostles, the Patrol Defense Office and the Chamber of Comrce together do not match our federation. However, the overabundance of mbers has led to sowhat chaotic internal managent. The issue of forming cliques is particularly severe, divided into the headquarters faction and the local faction, with continuous power struggles and infighting within the two, which has resulted in so gangs and top experts not heeding calls."
"The Chamber of Comrce is characterized by abundant wealth and ruthless thods. They believe money can communicate with the divine, and having more money also ans having more treasures and higher-grade Magic Artifacts. It’s common knowledge that they secretly trade Evil Cultivation Artifacts. However, it’s precisely because of this that their relationship with various forces, including Evil Cultivators, is very delicate."
"The Chamber of Comrce controls the smallest number of apostles among the three, but the quality is relatively the highest; these are desperados who work purely for money, many carrying cases on their backs or high-level warrants, and their strength is very fearso."
After a pause, Fu Qingzhu looked up at Yang Xiao, "Your Patrol Defense Office is different from these two. The most terrifying aspect of your organization is not the number of people, nor wealth, but faith."
"You have high organizational discipline and execution, with mbers, regardless of official position or level, taking pride in the three words ’Patrol Defense Office,’ united in their purpose, willing to bear enormous casualties without collapsing. Even the most ordinary combat squad can endure great losses without disintegration. This is the fundantal strength of your Patrol Defense Office."
"Therefore, there’s a saying in the world of martial arts: for assassinations, seek the Chamber of Comrce; for group fights, watch the United Federation; but when it cos to a life and death struggle of extermination, only your Patrol Defense Office can fight and win the battle."
Looking deeply at Yang Xiao, Fu Qingzhu’s tone was tinged with weariness, "The three families appear to balance but have a delicate relationship. However, if one had to choose a leader among them, only your Patrol Defense Office is fit for the role."
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