Begin your practice with the crane-shaped stance.

In early summer, the heat gradually rises in Pingyang County.

Inside the back hall of the county government office, a cool breeze rose from the ice pot, but the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Magistrate Yang sat upright in the guest seat, while the person sitting in the host seat was a young man dressed in a black flying fish robe and with an embroidered spring knife at his waist.

This man was named Zhao Ting, and he was the newly appointed commander of the Eagle Wolf Guard stationed in Pingyang County by the imperial court.

The commander-in-chief was merely a seventh-rank military officer, not a very high-ranking position. But the Eagle Wolf Guard was different; it was not under the jurisdiction of the Grand Secretariat or the Six Ministries, but was a secret service agency directly under the Tongxuan Division, which was only responsible to the current emperor.

Moreover, in name only, the Eagle Wolf Guard is the emperor's personal army.

In addition, Zhao Ting is not only a military officer, but also a cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining.

He commanded fifty elite guards, divided into five squads. The captains of the five squads were all martial arts masters at the "Skin Polishing Realm" with vigorous blood and energy.

Therefore, after Zhao Ting arrived in Pingyang County, he naturally carried more weight than Magistrate Yang, who was a Marquis of Baili.

Fortunately, unless there are special demonic or supernatural events, the Eagle Wolf Guards are not allowed to interfere in local government affairs according to regulations.

However, Magistrate Yang was well-versed in the ways of officialdom, and when facing such a person, he naturally avoided offending him if possible.

"Lord Yang," Zhao Ting put down his teacup, "According to intelligence, there have been cult activities in the counties of Linyuan Prefecture in recent years. Our deployment to Pingyang County is also to prevent such incidents from happening."

Magistrate Yang's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "If there truly is evil spirit causing trouble, the safety of hundreds of thousands of people in Pingyang County will depend on Lord Zhao. On behalf of the people under my jurisdiction, I thank Lord Zhao."

"Lord Yang is a wise man. These cultists are most skilled at using sorcery to bewitch the people, and even sacrifice living people to refine their evil magic. If we let them run rampant, it will damage the very foundation of our Great You Dynasty. Therefore, we will need Lord Yang to provide us with more assistance in the future."

Magistrate Yang: "I will certainly cooperate fully. Does Lord Zhao have any other assignments?"

Zhao Ting then revealed a seemingly polite smile: "An army marches on its stomach. My Eagle Wolf Guard brothers risk their lives to protect Pingyang County from disaster, and their daily training supplies still depend on the local area. I trouble Lord Yang to step forward and call on the gentry and wealthy families of this county to generously 'donate' to contribute to the defense of the land and the safety of the people."

Magistrate Yang cursed inwardly, but his face was plastered with a smile: "That's only right, that's only right. It's only right that the gentry contribute to protecting the territory and ensuring the safety of the people. I will host a banquet tomorrow to invite the city's wealthy families to discuss this matter."

"Lord Yang is very helpful." Zhao Ting nodded in satisfaction, then continued, "Besides that, there's another matter. My brothers in the garrison often fight against demons and cults, and inevitably suffer from external weapon wounds or internal injuries caused by evil influences. Ordinary doctors can't treat these kinds of injuries. Lord Yang is the local official; could you recommend a highly skilled doctor for my Eagle Wolf Guard?"

A young figure instantly flashed into Magistrate Yang's mind.

"If we're talking about a doctor with superb medical skills who can treat martial arts injuries, there is indeed one in Pingyang County." Magistrate Yang leaned forward slightly, his tone revealing a deeper meaning. "This person is named Xia Dong. He runs a clinic called 'Changchun Medical Hall' in the city. His medical skills are extremely remarkable, and he has cured many martial artists."

"Oh? There's such a doctor in a small county?" Zhao Ting raised an eyebrow.

Magistrate Yang picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and casually added, "Not only that, this Doctor Xia is also a tribute student, and his household registration book has the words 'Taoist Register' printed on it."

"Lord Yang, you're saying this Doctor Xia is not only a tribute student, but also a Daoist priest?"

"Exactly."

"His surname is Xia?" Zhao Ting frowned, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"good."

"That's strange..." Zhao Ting was originally from a branch of a prominent family in the capital, and was naturally familiar with the genealogy of noble families in the capital. After a look of surprise flashed across his face, he continued, "Lord Yang is really not mistaken. I remember there are families in the capital with Daoist registration, but I have never heard of anyone with the surname Xia."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Yang's heart stirred slightly.

In fact, Zhao Ting was not the only one puzzled about the origin of Xia Dong's Daoist book. Old Master He, who was in charge of compiling the county annals in Pingyang County, had also privately gone to great lengths to investigate it.

Lord He had once served as an Assistant Minister of Rites in the capital, retiring as a fifth-rank official. This position would naturally make him a prominent figure in a small place like Pingyang County, but in the capital, a place teeming with powerful and influential individuals, he was ultimately just a minor, marginal official. Furthermore, Lord He was a genuine civil official who had risen through the imperial examinations, and he had always kept to himself the same circle of nobles who had risen through military merit or had connections to immortality, thus knowing very little about the secrets within their inner circle.

When Lord He first discovered Xia Dong's Daoist registration mark in the household register, he was shocked. To be on the safe side, he secretly wrote several confidential letters and had them sent to the capital to inquire about the situation from several former colleagues who were still serving in the central government.

He had hoped to use this opportunity to find out Xia Dong's background and pave the way for his own and the He family's future plans. However, the replies from his old colleagues greatly disappointed Lord He, and he found them increasingly unbelievable.

Those well-informed elders in the capital all stated in their letters without exception that among the thirty-six Daoist families since the founding of the Great You Dynasty, absolutely not a single one has the surname "Xia"!

But the vermilion mark on Xia Dong's household registration record is absolutely genuine and cannot be faked.

Lord He realized that this matter was probably very complicated and did not dare to investigate further, but he still told Magistrate Yang about it.

"Lord Zhao, Xia Dong's background records have already been sent to the Tongxuan Division for verification, and there is absolutely no mistake in his Daoist identity."

"In that case, I will not conduct any further verification." Zhao Ting knew in his heart that since the Tongxuan Division had verified it, even if it was false, it was still true.

Even if there are problems, if he really investigates, he might cause some trouble.

Anyway, Magistrate Yang himself said that the Tongxuan Division had checked it, so if there were any problems later, it wouldn't be his responsibility.

Seeing that Zhao Ting did not press the matter further, Magistrate Yang continued, "If Your Excellency is still interested, I will send someone to Changchun Medical Clinic to invite him here."

Zhao Ting waved his hand and said, "No rush. Since they are 'one of our own' with Daoist credentials and know how to treat internal injuries of martial artists, I will make a note of them. However, the Eagle Wolf Guard is new here and there are many things to deal with. Let me sort out the strange and unusual things in Pingyang County first."

He then cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I would be grateful if Lord Yang could fetch the section on strange tales from the county gazetteer and let me have a look."

Magistrate Yang laughed and said, "Then Lord Zhao will have to meet Xia Dong. The section on strange tales in the Pingyang County Gazetteer was compiled by Xia Dong."

Zhao Ting was taken aback at first, then said, "It seems that Xia Dong is indeed an extraordinary person. In that case, let's go and meet him now."

Magistrate Yang was slightly startled.

However, as a seasoned veteran of the officialdom, he immediately guessed that Zhao Ting planned to meet Xia Dong unexpectedly so that she would be caught off guard and thus more likely to see Xia Dong's true colors.

He naturally wouldn't stop Zhao Ting, nor did he have any reason to, so he said, "Then I will lead the way."

Zhao Ting smiled and said, "Please trouble Lord Yang to point me in the right direction, and we'll go there together."

Magistrate Yang then pointed in the direction of Xia Dong's house.

Zhao Ting immediately grabbed Magistrate Yang.

Magistrate Yang felt a sudden lightness in his body, and when he looked around, he was suddenly enveloped by a cloud of mist.

...

...

"Cultivators?" Xia Dong was reading a book in the courtyard, while Xiao Hong was making tea beside him.

Suddenly, Xia Dong looked up at the sky.

A cloud of water vapor fell.

Almost instantly, Xia Dong suppressed his internal energy, holding a silver needle in his hand, ready to strike the opponent's vital point if things went wrong.

"You're Xia Dong?"

"Hmm, may I ask who your distinguished guest is?"

Even before the moisture dissipated, Xia Dong had already "seen" Magistrate Yang, an old acquaintance, with his divine sense. Moreover, the fact that his divine sense could easily see through the other party's magic made Xia Dong feel a little relieved.

He should be an ordinary cultivator.

At such a close distance, it's very safe for him.

"Xueyi, this is Lord Zhao, the chief officer of the Eagle Wolf Guard," Magistrate Yang hurriedly introduced.

Zhao Ting sized up Xia Dong. He was only at the third level of Qi Refining and had not yet cultivated divine sense. However, with his keen eyesight, he could still tell that Xia Dong had a very good figure and bright eyes. If he practiced martial arts, he would definitely achieve something.

However, compared to cultivators with spiritual roots like him, he was still too ordinary.