After all the disciples in the main hall had left, Shen Mo deliberately stayed behind.
"Elder Huang, I have doubts in my heart and hope you can enlighten ," Shen Mo said respectfully, offering a salute to Huang Changqing.
Huang Changqing nodded to another elder. Only after that elder had departed did he begin to speak with a smile.
"That man is Elder Shi Fangyang from the Shi Family. With him around, many things cannot be said freely."
A chill ran through Shen Mo’s heart. It seed Elder Huang had anticipated his doubts long ago.
Consequently, he asked directly, "I am only at the middle-stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. Why am I on the list for the garrison assignnt? And the garrison area is Hongye City."
As an elder of Stars Peak, Huang Changqing naturally knew about the recent conflict between Shen Mo, Tian Kang, and Shi Xiaoqian, and the subsequent punishnt from the Enforcent Hall.
A knowing expression appeared on his face. "I knew you would ask this," he said.
"The garrison list is drafted by the Peak Master and submitted to the Law Master for review and final approval. During this process, the list also passes through the Affairs Hall, which is responsible for assigning various duties within the sect. Initially, your na was not on the list. However, when the list returned from the Affairs Hall, several nas had been added, including yours."
The Riverside Sect had one hundred thousand disciples, resulting in a vast number of tasks and responsibilities. Even with the Law Master and the three Peak Masters overseeing them, their Divine Senses, however swiftly they operated, couldn’t manage everything. Therefore, nurous departnts and positions were established within the sect to assist the Law Master and others in managing the diverse affairs of the Riverside Sect. For example, the Enforcent Hall upheld sect law. The Deacon Hall managed the daily cultivation, training, and experiential learning of outer and inner disciples, as well as issuing private tasks. The Affairs Hall, anwhile, was akin to the human resources departnt from Shen Mo’s previous life.
Whether it involved Spirit Sea Realm disciples assuming elder positions in various peaks and halls, or Qi Gathering Realm disciples transitioning to beco outer or inner deacons, all such appointnts had to be reviewed and approved by the Affairs Hall, which then issued the official appointnt docunts.
When the elites of the Three Peaks were assigned to garrison duties in the mortal realm, they naturally fell under the jurisdiction of the Defense Division to legitimize their roles. Even though these were temporary positions, they still required verification by the Affairs Hall.
After a mont’s thought, Shen Mo understood. The Spirit Sea Realm patriarch of the Tian Clan, one of the sect’s core disciples many years ago, was now the Hall Master of the Affairs Hall. To call it a coincidence? He wasn’t that naive!
"Initially, the Peak Master could have removed your na," Huang Changqing sized Shen Mo up with a playful smile, his tone teasing. "But after discussing it with the Peak Master, we both agreed you could handle this position. Even though your cultivation is only at the Fifth Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, your strength is certainly not weak. Weren’t you the one who thoroughly thrashed Tian Kang and Shi Xiaoqian a few days ago? Such Skill is already comparable to the peak’s elites. As it happens, the Defense Division branch in Hongye City hasn’t shown much improvent. Sending you there... who knows, you might just be able to create a new dynamic!"
Hearing Elder Huang’s words, Shen Mo felt a twinge of exasperation.
Why had the Defense Division branch made no progress? Wasn’t it because the Tian Clan in the city was too dominant? And because it also had to contend with the various complex and formidable surrounding Cultivating Families, minor immortal sects, rogue cultivator factions, and more! Setting aside other factors, just consider the Tian Clan. Their family’s patriarch served as the Hall Master of the Riverside Sect’s Affairs Hall. That alone was enough to make the cultivators in the Defense Division feel constrained! One had to understand that the cultivators in Qing State’s Defense Division were mostly Qi Gathering Realm disciples from the Riverside Sect, with a portion also being cultivators dispatched by various local powers. If cultivators from the Riverside Sect offended the Tian Family, they could forget about returning to the sect to hold any significant positions in the future. Even within the Defense Division system, they couldn’t dream of being transferred to a core position in the Capital of the Red Fla Country! As for cultivators from local powers, it went without saying. Who, unless they were utterly bored and looking for trouble, would dare to oppose the wealthy sects of Hongye City?
That was why the Defense Division’s branch in the city had been reduced to a re symbolic outpost, almost like the governnt offices of the Red Fla Country. It was perhaps even less effective than those governnt offices. After all, mundane affairs among mortals in the city were still managed by the governnt offices. Only matters involving cultivators were supposed to be handed over to the Defense Division, but in Hongye City, such affairs were likely controlled by the Tian Family and other local powers.
The fact that the Peak Master and Elder Huang hadn’t rejected the Affairs Hall’s decision to assign him here... Clearly, they valued his conflict with the Tian Family. They wanted to seize this opportunity to strengthen the Riverside Sect’s control and influence in this area!
Shen Mo was frowning in deep thought.
Huang Changqing patted his shoulder and laughed loudly, "Heaven lays a heavy burden on those it has big plans for... Do well, and don’t let us down."
"Elder Huang, you and the Peak Master think too highly of ," Shen Mo gave a bitter smile and said helplessly. "The Tian Family clearly harbors ill intentions. If they don’t cause trouble for , I’ll be thanking the ancestral masters for their protection. For this garrison duty, I can only do my utmost! Should I stir up any trouble in the future, I hope you and the Peak Master will be lenient."
Seeing Shen Mo showing weakness and offering apologies even before setting out, Huang Changqing involuntarily let out a wry laugh.
「...」
Upon returning to his Inner Door cave mansion, Shen Mo quickly refined the Bone Viewing Mirror. This was a standard magic artifact in the cultivation world of the Red Fla Country, similar to the Universe Bag. This mirror was likely a middle-grade Profound-level magic artifact, powerful enough to reveal mutated Heavenly Demons below Class III. As for demon heads above Class III, they were not sothing a Qi Gathering Realm disciple like him could handle.
However, he had to be especially careful about one thing: Once traces of demons were found, even a Class I Heavenly Demon, he had to do his utmost to eliminate it. He absolutely could not allow it to devour creatures and grow stronger! Otherwise, if a Class III Heavenly Demon was nurtured within his garrisoned territory, not even Zhou Shili could protect him.
Ten middle-grade Spirit Stones were better than nothing. They would only support ten days of cultivation deduction in [Martial Performance]. Fortunately, taking on garrison duty down the mountain also provided opportunities to earn demon-slaying rit. He wouldn’t necessarily have to go to the Tianshan Mountain battlefield to earn enough battle rit to exchange for extremity treasures.
My Tianxuan, Tianquan, Yuheng, and Kaiyang Dao swords are still so way from advancing to high-grade Profound-level. The extre of light needed for Kaiyang is not easy to acquire. For the other three Dao swords, which require the extres of wood, fire, and earth, the Demon Slaying Hall should still have the respective elental Thunder Killing Pearls. The demon-slaying rit obtained from eliminating demon heads lurking in the mortal realm far exceeded what could be earned on the Tianshan Mountain battlefield... If I can expose a few more Demon-corrupted cultivators, the demon-slaying rit should be enough!
However, this garrison assignnt will definitely not be smooth sailing.
Shen Mo took out the Command Jade Slip and examined it in his hand for a mont. Apart from recording his na, age, and his origin as a disciple from Stars Peak, it also detailed his position: Commander of the Hongye City branch of the Defense Division. His responsibilities included slaying demons, eliminating evil, pacifying unrest, surveillance, and partial duties of overseeing military requisitions and grain levies. The garrison duration was also specified: one year.
This ant that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would have to stay in Hongye City for an entire year.
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