"What?!"
The moment Historian Xu Heng said those words, the entire room erupted in an uproar.
Everyone was immensely astonished, even more so than when Cai Xun had handed out the Blood Nourishing Pills a moment ago.
Zheng Jun was equally stunned. He wondered, "Was he out of his mind to spout such nonsense?"
The strongest person in the Qingshui Gang was only Zhang Qingyu, who was in the Qi Storage Realm. Even if one included the few Blood Refining Martial Artists in the gang, they couldn't even defeat the County Government Office. Yet, he was accusing them of colluding with the Black Mountain Thieves and Jianghu forces within the commandery to plot a rebellion?
Cai Xun stood straight up, looking at Historian Xu Heng with a bizarre expression.
"County Captain, there is correspondence to prove it!" Historian Xu Heng gritted his teeth and pulled out another stack of letters. "Please take a look, County Captain!"
Seeing this, Cai Liu glanced at Cai Xun. When Cai Xun gave a slight nod, Cai Liu immediately stepped forward, took the letters, and handed them over.
After taking a single look, Cai Xun's brows furrowed deeply. "I will discuss this with the County Magistrate. We will set this matter aside for now.
"However, this must be kept strictly confidential. Do not let word of this spread. If I find out someone leaked this, they will be punished for treason!"
"Yes, sir!" Zheng Jun quickly stood up and agreed along with the other officials.
Afterward, Cai Xun didn't say anything more and dismissed everyone.
Although Zheng Jun had no idea what this whole spectacle was about, he pocketed the Blood Nourishing Pills and decisively took his leave. There were three more pills inside the bottle. They had only known each other for a single night, yet County Captain Cai had already given him six Blood Nourishing Pills in total.
Zheng Jun marveled inwardly, "He is practically a walking god of wealth!"
He also knew there had to be an ulterior motive behind County Captain Cai's generous spending. However, since everyone present had received a share, the most it would mean was putting in a little extra effort when the County Captain directed future operations. If it involved doing anything out of line, he would simply pass. Six Blood Nourishing Pills weren't enough to tempt him into a business that could get him beheaded.
However, Zheng Jun's expression subtly shifted as he felt a gaze fixed on his back. Although he paused for a fraction of a second, he pretended not to notice and continued stepping out the door, ready to head home and rest.
Just as he stepped outside, Squad Leader Sun Wang from the Fast Shift approached him with an odd look on his face. "Squad Leader Zheng, you killed Lou Wei last night? The Lou Wei who had already reached Qi Storage?"
"I happened to run into County Captain Cai. The County Captain severely injured him with one strike, so I only managed to kill him by a stroke of luck," Zheng Jun replied.
"Sigh, at the end of the day, you're still the one who killed him." Squad Leader Sun lowered his voice. "You'd better be careful these next few days. Watch out for retaliation from Lou Wei's friends."
"Retaliation?" Zheng Jun didn't seem to care much. "You mean Lou Wei's disciples?"
"When Lou Wei was wanted in the commandery, he was only at the Blood Refining stage. Why do you think he was never caught? Because he had connections backing him up, of course!" Sun Wang glanced around before continuing, "Lou Wei hailed from the Vast Sea Sect and was the disciple of their Transmission Elder! He simply had a penchant for romance and women, which was why he came down the mountain to roam the world. He had quite a few good friends back in the Vast Sea Sect! Out of respect for the Vast Sea Sect, Lou Wei was repeatedly arrested but always released shortly after.
"And now, he actually ended up dead by your hands! Sigh, just be careful of those Vast Sea Sect disciples coming to seek revenge."
Hearing Sun Wang's explanation, Zheng Jun's expression turned serious. "So there was this underlying connection after all."
Zheng Jun's thoughts raced. The Vast Sea Sect had indeed been prosperous in the past, but it had now declined to the point of hiding away on a hill in Haiyu County, with the Sect Leader being their sole Outer Gang Martial Artist. Aside from him, the rest were merely Qi Storage and Blood Refining Martial Artists. If someone at Qi Storage came looking for revenge, it would certainly be a bit troublesome.
Even so, Zheng Jun didn't feel any regret. He had already killed the man; what use was regret? Besides, Lou Wei had been out to kill him! If he hadn't killed the man, he would have been the one to die!
If the Vast Sea Sect came seeking revenge, Zheng Jun would just have to fight them to the death using the very Wave-Treading Saber they were so proud of! Life-and-death battles on the same path provided a significantly higher boost to his repayment progress anyway!
Having said his piece, Squad Leader Sun turned to leave.
Right then, Zheng Jun called out to him, "Squad Leader Sun, I have a presumptuous request. I hope you can agree to it."
Sun Wang stopped in his tracks, and Zheng Jun continued, "I'm a bit short-handed over in the Strong Shift. I wonder if Squad Leader Sun could transfer Zhou Pu over to help me out?"
"That's it? I'll have Old Zhou report to the Strong Shift tomorrow." Sun Wang waved his hand casually, indicating it was no big deal.
Seeing this, Zheng Jun immediately cupped his hands in thanks.
The two then parted ways on the street. Sun Wang had to go clock in for his shift, while Zheng Jun was heading home to rest.
The reason was simple: he had been granted ten days of sick leave for the injuries he sustained while killing Lou Wei! Even though the Blood Nourishing Pill had stimulated his Blood Qi and mostly healed his wounds, Zheng Jun wasn't crazy enough to volunteer for overtime.
Meanwhile, in a private study.
"Zheng Jun, native of Black Mountain County, sixteen years of age. His father, Zheng Shun, and mother, Liu Fang, are both deceased. He is one of three siblings. His elder sister, Zheng Ping, is married to Zhou Pu, a constable in the County Government Office's Fast Shift. His elder brother, Zheng Xing, went missing while gathering herbs in the mountains..."
Listening to Cai Liu's report on Zheng Jun, Cai Xun gave a slight nod and sighed in admiration. "Sixteen years old. He stepped into the Blood Refining Realm after merely two months of practicing martial arts, and his Saber Technique is quite impressive. He truly is remarkably gifted! If he had been born into one of the Noble Families, he would likely reach the Outer Gang Realm before twenty and achieve Acupoint Opening before thirty!
"Condensing a Primordial Pill within a hundred years wouldn't be impossible either."
Hearing Cai Xun's praise for Zheng Jun, Cai Liu added from the side, "Young Master, when this old servant went to summon Zheng San today, I saw him practicing his saber in his courtyard. He had just gone through a brutal slaughter the night before, yet he still didn't forget to practice his saber even with the webbing of his hands split open. Such diligence is truly extraordinary."
"He is indeed quite exceptional. Let's observe him a little longer... As for what's mentioned in these letters, TSK TSK, the implications are incredibly vast."
Gripping the letters, Cai Xun couldn't help but recall the words his grandfather had spoken to him when he was dispatched to a post outside the capital.
"Chaos is coming!
"After the Grand Ancestor Emperor of the Yu Dynasty passed away in the past, the world fell into chaos, and various factions gathered in arms. That was how the current Divine Martial Emperor seized the empire. And that Great Yu only lasted for four generations across nine hundred and ninety-three years! Grand Ancestor Yu himself reigned for eight hundred and twelve of those years!
"For the remaining hundred-plus years, heroes fought for supremacy, and the flames of war never ceased!
"Looking even further back, after Grand Ancestor Wei passed away, the world was similarly plunged into chaos!
"The current Emperor is much older than Grand Ancestor Yu and Grand Ancestor Wei were when they died. Although his cultivation is higher than theirs, he is still far from taking that final step! Now that he is old and frail, I'm afraid his inevitable demise will come in a matter of years, or decades at most!
"The remnants of Southern Chu are getting restless, Demon Fiends are active across various states and commanderies, and Jianghu Sects are secretly establishing connections everywhere!
"Although our family is second to none in Bozhou, if turbulent times arrive, who knows how many Noble Families will be trampled into the dust! Even though our family established itself through martial arts, aside from our old ancestor, we have all entered government service as Civil Servants. We hold no military power in our hands. If chaos descends, how will we keep ourselves safe?
"Now, we are gradually sending your generation down to various commanderies and counties within the state to serve as County Magistrates and County Captains. You must seize military power as early as possible. Ensure that all three hundred County Soldiers and five hundred local militiamen in your county are firmly within your grasp! If the world undergoes a drastic change, our Cai family will be able to rally the entire state and ensure the clan's safety!
"If the opportunity is right, our family might just take that final step, for the sake of the clan! If the time is not ripe, with the soldiers and armor in our estate, we can choose a Bright Lord to serve!
"If there are fierce and courageous talents under your jurisdiction, you naturally must win them over. If they prove to be unparalleled prodigies, the estate will naturally arrange for legitimate daughters to marry them.
"Wealth is merely worldly possessions. Our Cai family has been operating for over three hundred years and possesses countless riches. Do not be stingy with monetary rewards!
"Everything is for the sake of the clan!"