Chapter 126: Setting His Sights on the Xuanhuang Qi Once More

After pondering for a while, Li Shun ultimately put away the slip of paper Duan Jiuzhang had given him with great care.

Although it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary note, Li Shun had a vague feeling that it concealed a deeper mystery. It was simply beyond his current ability to comprehend.

Duan Jiuzhang worked with remarkable efficiency. In less than half an hour, he had already finished writing the letter of recommendation.

Feng Guan's excitement was impossible to conceal. Before everyone present, he once again performed a deep formal salute toward Duan Jiuzhang.

"Cripple, come with me to Lingtai Commandery."

Feng Guan's expression was earnest.

Li Shun, however, declined without hesitation.

"You're going there to become the disciple of a great expert. What would I be doing tagging along?"

"My master is still in Guling Commandery."

Li Shun smiled faintly.

Disappointment flashed across Feng Guan's face before it quickly turned into determination.

"Cripple, don't worry. Once I reach Lingtai Commandery, I'll definitely master incredible abilities. If you ever run into trouble in the future, I'll finally be able to help you."

Halfway through speaking, Feng Guan suddenly realized something was wrong. He smacked himself on the forehead in annoyance.

"Bah, bah, bah! Listen to this mouth of mine. I wasn't trying to jinx you..."

Li Shun merely chuckled, unconcerned.

On the eighth day of the third month, every newly appointed official assigned to Yunguan County by the imperial court had officially assumed office.

It was also time for everyone to part ways.

Duan Jiuzhang would return to the Sacred Capital to report on his mission.

Feng Guan would depart for Lingtai Commandery.

"What are you two brothers planning to do?"

"Return to Guling Commandery? Or something else?"

Duan Jiuzhang asked.

Li Shun cupped his fists.

"We've suffered greatly from this calamity and are exhausted in both body and mind. We intend to return home as soon as possible and rest for a while."

Duan Jiuzhang looked at Li Shun with a faint smile that was not quite a smile, though he chose not to expose the lie.

Instead, he took out a palm-sized ear of wheat and handed it over.

"I need to return to the Sacred Capital as quickly as possible to deal with the aftermath of the Yunguan incident, so I cannot accompany you."

"Take this for your protection."

"I only finished creating this wheat ear over the past few days. It contains the power of one full-strength strike from me. It should be enough to ensure your journey remains uneventful."

Li Shun was overjoyed.

"Many thanks, Senior Duan."

There was no banquet that lasted forever.

That very afternoon, after the four Moonlit White steeds left the city, they split apart at the crossroads.

Duan Jiuzhang headed north toward the Sacred Capital, bringing Feng Guan with him along the way.

Meanwhile, Li Shun and Li Qing rode northeast toward Qing Province.

"Brother, are we really going back?"

After making sure no one was nearby, Li Qing finally could not hold himself back any longer.

Li Shun answered decisively.

"No."

"Yunguan County is dangerous, and Guling Commandery is no safer. Going back now would simply be asking for trouble."

Li Qing was startled.

"What do you mean? Don't tell me there's also a Celestial Phenomena expert undergoing tribulation in Guling Commandery?"

"More than likely."

"We'd better stay far away from that mess."

Feeling the current situation through Fang Xun's side, Li Shun slowly shook his head.

"Then where are we going?"

"Kuaiji Commandery."

The rhythmic pounding of hooves mixed with the roaring wind as Li Shun's voice drifted back.

"Kuaiji? What are we going there for?"

Li Qing looked completely puzzled.

Li Shun offered no explanation.

After forcibly throwing the stone statue of the Historian Sage, the core region of the Fangcun space had been occupied.

Naturally, Li Shun intended to reclaim it as quickly as possible.

At present, the most effective method he knew was absorbing the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth.

"Throughout Great Qian's more than five hundred years of history, only a handful of people have ever been honored by the common people as the Qingtian itself, with shrines erected and statues sculpted in their memory."

"Aside from Lord Ge, the closest one to Yunguan County is Qian Yuan of Kuaiji Commandery."

"Absorbing the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth will undoubtedly alert the Great Siming..."

"But I can't concern myself with that now."

"I'll take it first and worry about the consequences later."

The reason Li Shun was so eager to reclaim the occupied territory was because, over the past few days, he had discovered that the stone statue of the Heavenly Being Codex had already begun subtly influencing both his actions and even his thoughts.

The most obvious symptom was that, every now and then, refined, scholarly phrases would slip from his mouth without him even realizing it.

From time to time, he also found himself overcome by an inexplicable urge to record everything he had experienced recently.

None of these strange behaviors reflected his own intentions.

"If I maintain the upper hand, then these two Sage statues can become nourishment for my own cultivation."

"But if they gain the advantage instead..."

Li Shun's heart grew heavy.

"'Fangcun is my heart.'"

"That statement is indeed correct."

"Even a Sage, or two Sages working together, cannot shake Fangcun's absolute suppression over them."

"But they can still influence me in this manner, gradually changing who I am..."

Thinking this, Li Shun cracked his whip once again.

The Moonlit White beneath him immediately accelerated.

Meanwhile, back in Guling Commandery...

Fang Xun's situation had become exceedingly troublesome.

His expression was extremely grim as he repeatedly examined an official document lying on his desk.

"Fang Xun, Commandant of Dongshan Town, once defended a lone city in Lengshan and captured rebels through unmatched wisdom and courage. Since the rebirth of Guling Commandery, he has personally overseen every administrative affair, working tirelessly day and night. As a result, Dongshan has become the finest-performing district in the entire commandery.

The burden of governing thirteen counties would ordinarily require months of effort, yet Fang Xun alone accomplished it within a single month. Having long recognized his exceptional ability, I hereby submit this memorial, recommending Dongshan as the model for the entire commandery..."

The document spared no praise, elevating Fang Xun to the status of the commandery's exemplary official.

Not only had it been circulated throughout the entire commandery, it was even said that Yin Fengshuo had already reported Fang Xun's achievements to the Sacred Capital in order to seek imperial rewards on his behalf.

On the surface, it appeared to be Yin Fengshuo lowering himself and extending an olive branch.

In reality...

It was an outright scheme.

Ever since the memorial had been issued, Dongshan had suddenly become anything but peaceful.

More than a hundred officials of every rank had poured into the region.

Under the pretense of "studying Dongshan's administrative methods" and "observing its governance firsthand," they scattered throughout the thirteen counties under Fang Xun's jurisdiction.

Nominally, they had come to learn.

In truth, they served as constant surveillance.

Even if they discovered irregularities, they would never mention them to Fang Xun.

Instead, they silently recorded every detail.

What official in the world could withstand scrutiny of this degree?

In just this short period of time, countless so-called "pieces of evidence" capable of being blown into major scandals had quietly accumulated into confidential reports.

Fang Xun was ultimately only one man.

Managing thirteen counties flawlessly by himself was simply impossible.

"'Smothering someone with praise' is only the first move."

Fang Xun lowered his gaze toward a young man standing respectfully beside him.

This youth was one of the so-called "promising talents" Yin Fengshuo had thoughtfully assigned to Dongshan under the excuse of easing its overwhelming administrative burden.

Every member of this group followed regulations to the letter.

They knew every statute and legal code by heart.

Not a single fault could be found in their conduct.

Yet because they insisted on handling everything strictly according to procedure and rigidly following every written regulation, government affairs inevitably slowed to a crawl.

They were incapable of adapting to changing circumstances.

Even more troublesome was the fact that these "talents" knew absolutely nothing about Dongshan's local customs or actual conditions.

For every task, they required local officials to guide and assist them.

Although manpower had increased, administrative efficiency had instead fallen dramatically.

Everywhere they went, they became obstacles.

The greatest headache of all was that each of these "promising talents" possessed extraordinary backing.

Behind one stood the uncle of a commandery governor.

Behind another stood the favored disciple of a great general.

So long as they committed no obvious misconduct, Fang Xun could not punish them even if he knew perfectly well they were deliberately causing trouble.

Nor could he simply send them away without cause.