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

The side hall of the Fufen Division of Qinghe Town.

Zheng Yuanlang placed the transfer order on the table, his fingertips tracing the bright red seal of the Thousand-Household Office.

Silent for a long time.

A steady autumn rain falls outside the window. The raindrops patter on the roof tiles, making a soft, rustling sound.

Five years.

He stayed in Qinghe City for five whole years. He worked his way up from a low-ranking officer to a probationary centurion, solving seventeen major cases and beheading twenty-three criminals. But he never took another step up.

The mining incident turned out to be a turning point. The garrison commander's evaluation of him was, "He handled the situation well and made a contribution to maintaining stability." With a single transfer order, he was promoted to the position of trial centurion in Guangling Prefecture.

"Sir, Dongfang Xiaoqi has arrived," a guard outside the door whispered.

"Let him in."

The curtain was lifted. A fifteen-year-old boy stepped in. He wore the black uniform of a junior officer from the Zhenfu Division, with a long sword at his waist. His face was fair, and his brows held a composure beyond his years.

Zheng Yuanlang sized up Dongfang Weiwo.

I have mixed feelings in my heart.

This young man had only been in office for a little over a month, and he was as docile as a stagnant pool.

But Zheng Yuanlang had spent ten years working his way up in the Zhenfu Division, and his eyesight was sharp—beneath this stagnant pool lay things he couldn't see through.

"Sit down." Zheng Yuanlang pointed to the chair opposite him.

Dongfang Weiwo bowed and sat down. His back was straight, and his hands were naturally placed on his knees. His eyes were fixed straight ahead.

"I'm leaving," Zheng Yuanlang said bluntly. "I'm taking the position of centurion in Guangling Prefecture. I'll be departing tomorrow."

"Congratulations on your promotion, sir." Dongfang Weiwo's tone was flat. There was no flattery, nor any lingering affection.

Zheng Yuanlang gave a wry smile: "You child, can't you even say a polite word?"

He took out a wooden plaque from his sleeve and pushed it in front of Dongfang Weiwo.

"This is my personal token. If you encounter any trouble in Guangling Prefecture in the future, take this to Widow Sun's Tea House in Liuxiang, east of the city, and give her my name."

Dongfang Weiwo was slightly taken aback and looked up at him.

"Don't misunderstand." Zheng Yuanlang waved his hand. "I'm not trying to take you in as a confidant. I just feel... you shouldn't be stuck in this little puddle of Qinghe City. If you ever go to Guangling Prefecture someday, at least you'll have someone to look after you."

Dongfang Wei tucked the wooden plaque into his robes, stood up, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir."

"Alright, go ahead." Zheng Yuanlang waved his hand, then suddenly called him back, "By the way, the new acting centurion is named Zhao Tieshan. He's an old man from the Zhenfu Division, short-tempered, and likes to cause trouble. Your 'don't cause trouble' attitude might be seen as inaction in his eyes. Think about it carefully."

Dongfang Weiwo nodded: "Understood."

He left the side hall, his figure disappearing into the rain.

Zheng Yuanlang sat alone for a while. He picked up the tea, which had gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp.

He turned to look at the map of Qinghe City on the wall. His gaze lingered on a certain spot—the direction of the Cangmang Mountains, the Tianlan Mine.

"The Azure Dragon Society..." he murmured, shaking his head and chuckling, "What does it have to do with me?"

At the same time, on the official road north of the city.

A group of people were heading south in the rain.

Leading the group was a burly man in his forties. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He rode a black steed, with the token of a centurion of the Zhenfu Division hanging at his waist. Behind him were six elite riders—each with a steady aura, at least at the Acquired Golden Body Realm.

"My lord, Qinghe City is just ahead." The deputy rode forward and pointed to the hazy city outline in the distance.

Zhao Tieshan reined in the horses. He squinted at the city in the rain.

A slight smile played on his lips: "A small place."

He was an old man from the Zhenfu Division.

Having served in the Guangling Prefecture's Thousand-Household Office for twelve years, he had solved countless major cases. This transfer to Qinghe City as a probationary Hundred-Household Officer was ostensibly a lateral move—but in reality, it was an "exile." Last month, he offended the Thousand-Household Officer's brother-in-law during an operation and was subsequently targeted and retaliated against.

"That's fine," Zhao Tieshan muttered to himself. "Small places have their advantages. They're peaceful."

He urged his horse forward.

But in his heart, he was calculating: the biggest issues in Qinghe City recently were the Tianlan Mine and the Qinglong Society that had suddenly appeared. The mine had been taken over by the Zhenfu Division, but the Qinglong Society was like a thorn in the side of Pingyang County.

He came to Qinghe City not just to be a trial centurion.

The commander's secret order to him was only one sentence: Keep an eye on the Green Dragon Society and report any unusual activity immediately.

The following morning, in the council hall of the Zhenfu branch.

Twelve banners of the Zhenfu Division were arranged on both sides. Six junior flag officers stood in the hall—Zheng Yuanlang had taken six people with him, leaving behind only the elderly.

Zhao Tieshan sat at the head of the table, with six personal guards standing behind him, each with a sword at his waist and an expressionless face.

Shen Lian sat to the side, holding a cup of tea in his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone indifferently.

Zhao Tieshan opened the roster, read out a few names, asked a couple of simple questions, and then moved on.

When he read "Eastern Only I", his fingers paused for a moment.

"I am the only one in the East, step forward."

Dongfang Weiwo stepped forward: "Your subordinate is here."

Zhao Tieshan looked him up and down: a fifteen-year-old boy, not very tall, but with a pine-like posture and unwavering gaze.

He had seen many scions of prominent families in Guangling Prefecture—most of them arrogant and domineering or timid and hesitant. It was rare to see someone as neither humble nor arrogant as him.

"Zheng Yuanlang's assessment of you is 'well-behaved and doesn't cause trouble,'" Zhao Tieshan read aloud, his tone clearly dismissive. "To me, being well-behaved isn't enough. People from the Zhenfu Division must be capable and dare to get things done. Understand?"

"Understood."

Zhao Tieshan waited for him to say more. But all he said were those four words.

He narrowed his eyes, somewhat displeased, but didn't react.

How many men do you have under your command?

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Liu Tie, Zhang Dashan, and Su Wen, three people."

"Cultivation level?"

"Liu Tie is at the Bone Refining Realm, Zhang Dashan at the Tendon Refining Realm, and Su Wen at the Flesh Refining Realm," Dongfang Weiwo answered truthfully.

Zhao Tieshan grunted in agreement. He silently did some mental calculations: a junior officer leading three soldiers, a mid-stage Blood Exchange Realm cultivator leading bone, tendon, and muscle training—this setup was bottom-tier in the Zhenfu Division. He had initially planned to send the four rookies to the toughest and most tiring patrol posts to toughen them up. But then he thought—Shen Lian was sitting right next to him; he had to give him face.

"Alright, back to the ranks." Zhao Tieshan waved his hand and continued to read the next name.

After the meeting, Zhao Tieshan invited Shen Lian to his duty room and closed the door.

"Old Shen, what exactly does the Thousand Household Office mean?" Zhao Tieshan plopped down in a chair, unbuttoned his collar to reveal his muscular chest. "It's just the Green Dragon Society, is it really necessary for them to have you personally oversee Qinghe City?"

Shen Lian sat opposite him and slowly took a sip of tea.

"Brother Zhao, the Azure Dragon Society is not just 'nothing'."

"What do you mean?"

"That 'Ten Thousand Bones' from the Blood Nether Sect, a mere early-stage Innate Profound Aura Realm cultivator, was killed by the Azure Dragon Society with a single sword strike." Shen Lian put down his teacup, his tone indifferent. "That's not all. The Azure Dragon Society seized the Tianlan Mine first, then sold it to us. Do you know how much they made in that time? Three hundred thousand taels of gold."

Zhao Tieshan frowned: "Three hundred thousand taels?"

"The buyer is our Zhenfu Division," Shen Lian said with a wry smile. "The commander of the thousand made the decision to buy it, saying it was to reserve strategic materials for the imperial court. But this move is equivalent to giving away 300,000 taels of gold as start-up capital for the Qinglong Society."

Zhao Tieshan was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Interesting. This leader of the Azure Dragon Society is a smart man."

"So the garrison commander told me to keep a close eye on him." Shen Lian stood up and walked to the window. "We don't necessarily have to take action against him, but we need to know who he is and what he wants."

Zhao Tieshan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.