Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

On my first night in Fufensi, Qinghe Town, Dongfang Weiwo did not sleep soundly.

It's not because the bed is hard.

He couldn't sleep because he was thinking about things.

I overheard the servants mention Zhou Tie's death yesterday when I reported for duty. A commander at the Acquired Divine Strength Realm led five men into the mountains to hunt down bandits, but only two returned alive, both crippled. Such a case would be a major incident in any city's garrison command.

But Zheng Yuanlang's attitude was strange—this acting centurion clearly didn't want to talk much.

There's probably something hidden in those vast mountains.

But that's not something to worry about right now. He's just a newly arrived junior officer; managing his own little territory is the most important thing right now.

He woke up early the next morning, before it was fully light.

The living quarters in the backyard of the branch office were not large. There was a separate side room, simply furnished with only a bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe.

He put on the black official uniform he had received yesterday, with his waist tag hanging at his waist and his sword at his side.

Push the door open and go out.

The city of Qinghe was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning.

The air was filled with the chill of early winter and the scent of pine trees drifting from the distant, desolate mountains. Early risers were already sweeping the courtyard, and upon seeing Dongfang Weiwo emerge, they all bowed in greeting.

"grown ups."

He nodded and walked straight to the front hall.

In the side hall of the front hall, three people were already waiting.

Upon seeing him enter, the three of them stood up and clasped their hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

His gaze swept over the three of them.

On the far left was a lean man in his early twenties. He wasn't tall, had dark skin, and his hands were covered in calluses with large knuckles—clearly someone who practiced martial arts. His cultivation was at the Bone Refining Realm; his bones were quite solid, though he was still a bit short of perfection.

"My subordinate, Liu Tie, is at the Bone Refining Realm." The voice was short and powerful. "He excels in pursuit and close combat. He previously worked in the South City District Division for three years."

In the middle was a middle-aged man in his thirties. He was stocky with broad shoulders, and had an old scar running diagonally from his eyebrow to his jaw, giving him a rather fierce appearance. His cultivation was slightly weaker than Liu Tie's, at the Tendon Refining Realm. However, his blood and qi were abundant, and his foundation was quite solid.

"Your subordinate is Zhang Dashan, at the Tendon Refining Realm." The voice was deep and resonant. "I served in the army for a few years before transferring to the Zhenfu Division, where I've been stationed at the Qinghe City branch. I don't have any special skills, just thick skin and a tough body, so I can take a beating."

Dongfang Weiwo nodded slightly. Those with a military background generally don't have a bad foundation.

The last person stood on the far right. He was the youngest, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. He was slender, with a fair complexion, looking more like a scholar's son than a military officer. His cultivation level was the weakest of the three, only at the Body Refining Realm. Judging from the stability of his aura, he had probably just recently broken through.

The young man seemed to know that his cultivation level was the lowest, so he looked reserved and his fist-clasping movements were a bit stiffer than the other two.

"This subordinate is Su Wen, at the Flesh Refining Realm." His voice wasn't loud, and it carried a hint of lack of confidence. "I was just transferred here from the Six Doors last month. Before that, I was doing document processing and file organization. I'm still practicing martial arts."

Dongfang Wei did not show any disdain, but simply nodded calmly.

"sit."

The three sat down as instructed, their backs ramrod straight.

He got straight to the point: "My name is Dongfang Weiwo, and I just took office yesterday. From today onwards, I am your junior officer. I don't have many rules, only three."

The three of them pricked up their ears.

"First, do what I tell you to do. If you can't do something, say so in advance, don't try to do it and cause trouble."

"Secondly, infighting among our own people is not allowed. If there are any conflicts, come to me, and I will make the judgment."

"Thirdly—following me, you'll have plenty of opportunities to make merit. But I won't take the fall for you; you'll have to take care of your own lives."

After the three rules were explained, the side hall fell silent for a moment.

Liu Tie was the first to react, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "Don't worry, sir, I understand."

Zhang Dashan and Su Wen quickly followed suit, clasping their hands in greeting.

Dongfang Weiwo leaned back in his chair, his tone softening slightly: "Alright, now that we've finished talking about business, tell me about the situation in Qinghe City."

The three exchanged a glance.

Liu Tie spoke first: "Sir, Qinghe City is neither too big nor too small. On the surface, there are only two entities in charge—our Zhenfu Division and the Prefectural Government."

"Over there at the prefectural government office, the prefect's surname is Sun, and his name is Sun Liangyu. He is a civil official with the cultivation level of the early stage of the Qi Sea Realm, but he basically doesn't do anything in Qinghe City. There are only about twenty or thirty constables and yamen runners under his command. They are okay at handling petty theft cases, but when it comes to cases involving martial artists, they all push them to our Zhenfu Division."

Dongfang Weiwo nodded. Not surprising.

"What about the forces in the city?"

This time, it was Zhang Dashan who spoke.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the most influential forces in Qinghe City are mainly three families and two gangs."

"Three families—the He family in the south of the city, the Liu family in the west, and the Ma family in the north. Each of these families has a master at the Innate Realm, but they are all at the early stage of the Innate Qi Sea Realm. They have been rooted in Qinghe City for at least three generations. On the surface, they do legitimate business, but secretly they also deal in some demon beast materials and spiritual herbs. They keep to themselves and do not interfere with our Zhenfu Division, which can be considered as doing their duty."

"Two gangs—the Fish and Dragon Gang at the docks, and the Iron Fist Society in the city. The Fish and Dragon Gang manages the transportation and storage around Qinghe Dock. Its leader is Huang Sanshui, a cultivator at the Acquired Blood Exchange Realm, with about two hundred men under his command, mostly ordinary members at the Body Refinement Realm. The Iron Fist Society's leader is Lei Meng, a peak Acquired Blood Exchange Realm cultivator, slightly stronger than Huang Sanshui. Their territory is the market and gambling dens in the north of the city."

Zhang Dashan hesitated for a moment, then added, "These two companies are usually quite honest, but they've always had friction behind the scenes. Last month, they got into a fight at the dock over a few truckloads of goods, injuring seven or eight people. In the end, it was our branch's Chief Officer Zhou who led a team to quell the fight."

Zhou Tie.

Upon hearing this name, Dongfang Weiwo remained expressionless, only asking, "How much do you know about Commander Zhou's matter?"

The atmosphere in the side hall suddenly turned somber.

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Liu Tie lowered his voice and said, "Sir, regarding Commander Zhou's matter... the branch office doesn't allow much discussion. All I know is that Commander Zhou led his men into the mountains that day to pursue a group of ruthless bandits who had robbed three shipments of goods on the outskirts of the Cangmang Mountains. But what happened after they entered the mountains, the two brothers who returned alive couldn't say for sure. One lost an arm, and the other suffered internal injuries, both dying that very night. Commander Zhou's body has still not been found."

Dongfang Weiwo remained silent for a moment, without pressing further.

"Okay. That's all for today. Liu Tie, show me around the city and help me get familiar with the area. Zhang Dashan, Su Wen, you two go back to your respective districts and do what you're supposed to do."

"Yes."

The three rose, bowed, and dispersed.

For the rest of the day, Dongfang Weiwo, accompanied by Liu Tie, explored Qinghe City from beginning to end.

Qinghe City was more dilapidated than he had imagined. The city walls were made of bluestone, and in some places they were cracked, with withered weeds growing in the cracks. The streets in the city were fairly wide, paved with stone slabs of varying sizes, worn smooth and shiny by the years. The shops along the streets were sparse—selling materials for demon beasts, weapons, elixirs, and general merchandise, they had everything, but none of them were very large.

Nearly half of the pedestrians on the street were dressed as martial artists. Most of them wore coarse cloth outfits, carried weapons at their waists, and looked hurried.