Chapter 303 - 150: The Technique of the Guardian Dao: Art, Skill, Method, and Dao! In the Scripture Pavilion, an Advance on the Daoist Technique: Divine Talisman Fire

As the prefecture's local branch, the Northern Garrison Command was practically attached to the Prefecture Yamen. Most arrests and investigations were handled by dispatching men from the Imperial Guard Cavalry Camp.

Within the Imperial Guard Cavalry Camp, a Banner Official could command a ten-man squad and deploy armaments like the Breaking Gang Crossbows. To be promoted to this rank, one needed to have at least reached Skin Refining Attainment, served within the system for many years, and accumulated sufficient merits.

A Hundred Households, on the other hand, oversaw all investigative matters in a district. They had the authority to issue Divine Fiend Arrest Warrants and the power to patrol an entire County. One had to be at the Peak of Immortal Robe and on the verge of reaching the Qi Sea to hold such a post.

In fact, it wasn't unheard of for some who had already become Qi Cultivation Grandmasters to be stuck at the rank of Hundred Households simply for a lack of sufficient merit.

As for the Prefecture Commanders...

Excluding those patrolling the various Counties, only three or four were permanently stationed at the Northern Garrison Command. Each held immense power and authority and had their own private residence within the command's headquarters.

Inside one such residence.

Li Lin, who just the night before had been enjoying the title of Hundred Households and the flattery that came with it, had been stripped of his rank immediately after returning from a trip to the Celestial Blade School. Now, he was no better than a Scout Cavalry, and he was seething with suppressed rage.

He looked at his kinsman, Prefecture Commander Li Changsu, with an utterly wretched expression.

"Brother, my parents sponsored your martial arts training so you could join the command. We supported each other and fought hard to finally gain a foothold in the Northern Garrison Command."

"But that Gu is going too far! Even if that kid is one of his men, he's blowing this completely out of proportion..."

"He's doing this just to undermine you!"

"I've never heard of a Hundred Households being stripped of their rank for a reason like this. It's utterly outrageous!"

Li Changsu kept his back to him, pressing a hand to his temple. His voice was strained.

"Have I not told you to address me by my title when on duty?"

He snapped, his expression turning cold and hard. "You're the one who gave him an opening. A new commander has to make his mark, and there are only so many positions for a Hundred Households."

"With you out of the way, he can promote one of his own trusted confidants, can't he?"

"One post, one man!"

"If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being stupid enough to get caught. On top of that, you had young masters and ladies from a Grand Lineage testifying against you at the Prefecture Yamen. You had neither fortune, nor favor, nor support on your side. What the hell did you expect to win?"

Li Changsu waved his hand impatiently. When Li Lin opened his mouth to say more, Li Changsu cut him off with a single command:

"Go lie low and think about what you've done. Otherwise, with that arrogant temper of yours and your habit of taking bribes, you'll end up in serious trouble sooner or later."

Only after watching Li Lin depart, utterly crestfallen...

...did Li Changsu, now alone, pull a mask from within his robes. Engraved upon it were the two words "Celestial Spirit." He put it on.

Publicly.

He was the Prefecture Commander of the Northern Garrison Command, a man of immense power and authority.

In secret.

He was a Blade Catcher on the Black Market's Celestial Spirit List, codenamed 'Dark Star,' ranked thirty-first.

The two identities reinforced each other, allowing him to achieve his current standing.

Thinking of his foolish kinsman, Li Changsu rubbed the bridge of his nose.

'That brainless fool. If your mother hadn't spared me a meal back then, I never would have promoted you to this position, force-feeding you resources like a prized herb just to raise your Cultivation to this level!'

'And after all that, with me looking out for you, you couldn't even hold on to your post as a Hundred Households...'

'His mind must be clouded by greed.'

'Still, that kid really is something else.'

After a moment of contempt for his kinsman, Li Changsu's brow furrowed in thought.

'Just a Skin Refining cultivator... yet he has so many bounties stacked on him that the price on his head in the Black Market has become astronomical!'

'A price like that... even I'm tempted.'

'Good thing I accepted the bounty quickly and got a piece of the action. This way, I can also vent a little of Li Lin's frustration for him.'

A vicious glint flashed in Li Changsu's eyes.

'Including me, there are three Celestial Spirit Level Blade Catchers who've taken this bounty: Celestial Sword, Celestial Kill, and myself.'

'According to Black Market rules, fellow Assassins can't attack one another, but we can cooperate. The kid seems to have some backing, so we'll use the lives of those Earth Fiend Assassins to probe his abilities and see how deep the water is. If they don't run into any major trouble, we'll strike together and finish the job!'

'As long as that kid takes a single step outside the Beicang Marquis's Mansion...'

'...his life will no longer be his own!'

Meanwhile.

「Outside the Beicang Marquis's Mansion.」

Someone was already lying in wait.

Duan Chenzhou, wearing the mask of the Celestial Killing Star, gazed at the towering Marquis's Mansion. Wary of attracting unwanted attention, he kept his distance, observing from afar. ℯℯ𝑙.

He scratched his head.

'How does this kid manage to attract even more hatred than I do? The bounty on his head increased again?'

'If I wasn't on the Celestial Spirit List myself... forget the Mansion Courtyard, if you dared take a single step out that gate...'

'...your life would be forfeit!'

He thought about the others who had accepted the bounty, the Celestial Spirit Blade Catchers ranked above him: 'Dark Star' and 'Celestial Sword Star.'

His own Cultivation had recently surged forward, fueled by the vast resources he'd plundered during a recent, unrestrained spree of killing. A cold light glinted in Duan Chenzhou's eyes.

'Those two old bastards. They're already Qi Cultivation Grandmasters, yet they're shameless enough to bully a junior.'

'Then they can't blame me for not fighting honorably and resorting to a few dirty tricks of my own.'

'As for the Black Market's rules...'

'What a joke. We're assassins, for crying out loud. What's the point of having rules? If you let yourself get chained by regulations and forget you're here to make a killing, what's the difference between you and someone's pet dog?!'

His eyes, visible through the black iron mask, filled with disdain. His wide sleeves billowed as his Qi Sea roiled, unleashing a palpable Qi Wave. His very presence radiated a cold, absolute dominance.

"What are rules?"

"I am the rule!"

...

While dark undercurrents surged from all sides, Ji Xiu, the eye of the storm, slept soundly within the Beicang Marquis's Mansion. He woke bright and early and, unable to wait, took the token from Xiao Mingli and made his way to the Beicang Marquis's Mansion's Scripture Pavilion.