Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

It was quite deserted. In fact, being a postman at the imperial post station was a leisurely job. Unless there was a war or an incident of evil spirits harming people, the postmen were not too busy for most of the year.

“My father has only just stepped down from his position as county magistrate, and you’re already saying I can’t use the imperial post stations to send goods anymore? That’s outrageous! They say people forget you when they’re gone, but my father hasn’t even left yet.”

"My young master has something really important to do today, so please be lenient with him. He is still a county magistrate, after all."

"No, Young Master Huang, this is the rule of the imperial post station. People who are not officials are not allowed to use the imperial post station. Even if you had been removed from office this morning, you still wouldn't be able to use the post station this afternoon, let alone if you had only been removed from office a few days ago."

As soon as Ning Xiu entered the post station, he saw the two young men talking to the postman. One of them looked like a young master from a wealthy family, and the other was a servant.

Seeing that these people were getting more and more agitated as they talked, it seemed that if this continued, they would be arguing for several hours without reaching a conclusion.

Ning Xiu then asked, "What kind of goods are you sending?"

The jailer and the two boys turned around at the sound, and when they saw Ning Xiu, all three of them showed a puzzled expression.

They practically had "Who are you?" written all over their faces.

Ning Xiu took out his token, and the jailer immediately recognized him and said respectfully, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Upon seeing this, the two men were speechless. The man in front of them looked younger than them, yet he was an official.

"Sir, this young master Huang is Huang You, the eldest son of the former county magistrate. He wishes to send a box of books to Lin'an Prefecture," the jailer replied.

"Bring the goods here so I can see them." Ning Xiu waved his hand, and the jailer immediately ran over with a wooden box.

As Ning Xiu opened the box, a box full of books with apricot-yellow covers immediately came into his view.

The familiar yellow cover, the familiar picture of a man and two women in a room, the familiar four large characters "Jin Ping Mei" (The Beauty in the Golden Vase), the only difference between these books and the one Ning Xiu saw at Dong Fu's place was that this time the titles had a suffix.

The voluptuous and juicy Jin Ping Mei Nu.

The silver tongue of the beautiful woman in the Golden Vase.

The Golden Lotus: A Tale of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya.

The Golden Lotus: A Woman of Kindness and Integrity.

Jin Ping Mei's associates were all of the common people.

……

Upon closer inspection, this box contained as many as fifteen books from the "Golden Lotus" series.

"Your... collection is quite comprehensive." Ning Xiu was momentarily speechless. If the higher-ups knew that someone was planning to use the imperial post station to send pornographic books, he wondered what they would think.

"My lord, these are not collections; they are all my own works, firsthand manuscripts."

Huang You patted his chest: "It's not that I'm being arrogant and want to show off to you, but I've always made money by writing these kinds of highbrow books. As long as I send the manuscript to the bookstore in Lin'an Prefecture, they will help me publish it. Then, a large sum of money from book sales will go into my bank account every month."

"Good heavens, the author is right in front of me." Ning Xiu was even more speechless. What incredible fate this must be.

The lackey beside him immediately chimed in, "Sir, could you please have this courier help my young master send out these manuscripts to avoid delaying the publication date? My young master will surely repay you."

Huang You, reminded by his follower, quickly replied, "Yes, I hope you can help me, sir. I will certainly be grateful."

Ning Xiu used his spiritual eye observation technique to examine the entire box of books. After confirming that there was no evil energy in them, he nodded to the jailer and said, "Let him send them one last time, just this once."

"Okay." Having received permission from the Demon-Subduing Commandant, and knowing that the dead are alive, the courier naturally agreed immediately.

"I also need to send something. Send this to Chaotiandu immediately. You should know where I work. Just give it to someone named Su Qianqian there. It's urgent, so don't delay." Ning Xiu handed the courier a diagram of the incantation he had copied from Liu Fu's corpse.

"Yes!" Upon hearing Ning Xiu say that the matter was urgent, the courier's expression immediately turned serious.

The orders of the Demon Subduer were always the highest priority at any imperial post station, so the postman did not delay. He handed over Huang You's box of yellow books to other postmen to handle, and then went directly to the stables, mounted a fine horse, and quickly left Wendeng County with the incantation diagram.

In this way, Ning Xiu only needs to wait for Su Qianqian to look at the spell diagram, write down its meaning on paper, and send it back.

"I've asked Fang Ping to have Dong Fu send someone to check on the other dead. I wonder if all those who drowned this time have turned into corpse demons," Ning Xiu thought to himself. He then decided to go back to the yamen first so he could get firsthand information if any news came back.

However, just as he stepped out of the post station, he heard a call from behind.

"My lord! My lord, stay here."

Looking back, it was Huang You and his henchmen.

Ning Xiu asked, "Is there anything else?"

"I am truly grateful for your help today, sir. I hope you will do me the honor of hosting me at Lan Yue Lou tonight."

With his father already out of office, Huang You's influence in Wendeng County was bound to diminish day by day. Having met such an easy-going young official, Huang You felt a desire to befriend him.

If I could establish a relationship with Ning Xiu, it would definitely be beneficial to me.

Ning Xiu came to Wendeng County to investigate the truth behind the bizarre drowning of more than ten people. He didn't know how long he would stay in Wendeng County, but getting to know someone who was well-connected in the area would be beneficial for him.

Since he had nothing to do in Wendeng County that night anyway, he agreed.

Before parting, Ning Xiu couldn't help but ask his question: "Young Master Huang, your manuscript doesn't seem to be anything valuable. Since the imperial post station refuses to accept it, why not switch to a private post station? Apart from the name, there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two."

Huang You shook his head and smiled helplessly: "My lord, you don't know, I once chose to send my manuscript through a private post station, but their people took out my work to read it halfway and eventually lost it, which wasted a lot of my time. It's only because the imperial post station is reliable that the postmen are professional."

After bidding farewell to Huang You, Ning Xiu returned to the county government office.

At this moment, Dong Fu had no interest in reading his "good book" anymore. Instead, he paced back and forth in the study, his face showing slight anxiety.

Upon seeing Ning Xiu walk in from outside, Dong Fu hurriedly went up to him and said, "Lord Ning, you're finally back."

Ning Xiu asked, "How's the matter I asked you to send someone to investigate?"

“This is very bad. The room where the coffins of the deceased are placed is extremely damp and dripping wet. As you instructed, I did not touch any of the coffins, but instead transported them all back to the yamen.”

Even a ninth-grade corpse demon is not something ordinary people can handle. If it is not handled properly and it escapes, it will inevitably cause a massacre in Wendeng County.

By transporting all the corpses that had turned into zombies back to the government office, Ning Xiu could perform physical exorcisms on them one by one to prevent future troubles.

"Don't worry, as long as we can control the potential problems for now, take me to where the coffin is stored."

Accompanied by Dong Fu, Ning Xiu arrived at the backyard of the county government office. At this time, there were more than ten coffins placed on the open ground in the backyard, each of which was leaking water droplets, making the yard wet and muddy.

Ning Xiu used his Spiritual Eye Observation Technique to look around and found that the evil energy in the backyard was already extremely strong.

After dismissing Dong Fu and the accompanying constables, Ning Xiu began exhuming the coffin and disposing of the corpse alone. Before long, he easily obtained 8000 points of general proficiency.

If it's a coincidence that one corpse becomes a corpse demon, then the fact that all seventeen corpses have turned into corpses is a very serious situation.

On all seventeen corpses, Ning Xiu found the same incantation pattern as on Liu Fu's body. This must mean that something was secretly causing trouble, trying to disrupt the peace of Wendeng County.

The mastermind behind this must be hiding somewhere in Wendeng County. Only by finding this mastermind can Wendeng County be restored to its former peace.

As soon as Ning Xiu stepped out of the backyard, Dong Fu and the others who were waiting outside immediately approached and asked, "Sir, how is the situation?"

“These people have all become corpses. Go and negotiate with the deceased’s family. Compensation is not a problem. It would be best to get them to agree to cremate the bodies,” Ning Xiu said.

"Alright, I'll have someone take care of it right away."

……

Before we knew it, night had fallen in Wendeng County.

Because of the three unique features of Wendeng, Wendeng County is much more lively at night than during the day, with the entire county brightly lit as if it were daytime.

Everyone knows that this is just the beginning of Wendeng County's nightlife.

Ning Xiu arrived at Lanyue Tower, the most bustling place in Wendeng County, on time to keep his appointment with Huang You. The place was already packed with people and teeming with visitors.

All the tables inside were occupied; people were serving food and drinking, creating a lively atmosphere.

Lanyue Tower is neither a brothel nor a restaurant, but a music hall that combines drinking, listening to music, and appreciating beautiful women.

Every night, all sorts of people from Wendeng County come to this place. You can see the old man who sells pancakes in the morning, as well as some merchants.

"Sir, is there a seat available?" As soon as Ning Xiu entered Lan Yue Lou, a servant came over to inquire.

Ning Xiu said, "I've come to find Huang You."

"It's Mr. Huang's distinguished guest! Please come in, Mr. Huang has been here for quite some time."

Led by this man, Ning Xiu arrived at a private room in a corner on the first floor, where Huang You and his follower were sitting.

Upon seeing Ning Xiu arrive, Huang You immediately stood up and greeted him, "Lord Ning, please have a seat. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

There were a few small dishes and a wine pot on the table. It wasn't extravagant, but rather had a down-to-earth feel, which made Ning Xiu feel very comfortable.

"Tonight, Lan Yue Lou has invited the renowned Wanbao Merchant Caravan to hold a treasure auction here. This is much more interesting than the usual singing and dancing performances. Lord Ning will be in for a treat."

【019】Bidding for Treasure: Drumming and Golden Hammer

The Wanbao Caravan was a well-known name, and even though Ning Xiu had never left Chaotiandu before, he had heard of it.

This caravan was composed entirely of all sorts of extraordinary individuals and was incredibly powerful, which allowed them to travel far and wide in search of treasures.

Every time the Wanbao caravan returned from afar, it would attract the attention of wealthy merchants and high-ranking officials, who wanted to see what treasures they had brought back this time.

Before this, Ning Xiu had only heard of the name but never met the person. He never expected that the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce would hold a treasure auction at Lanyue Tower in Wendeng County tonight. He was really lucky to be able to watch the excitement.

The so-called "treasure bidding" is actually an auction, where some of the treasures brought back by the Wanbao caravan will be put up for auction.

If you like something, you can place an offer and compete with others; the highest bidder wins.

As an author of erotic novels, this kind of vulgar yet sophisticated stuff is bound to be popular after publication, and the sales will naturally be quite good. Ning Xiu estimated that this kid must have a lot of money on hand.

Judging from Huang You's enthusiastic expression, he seems to be planning to spend lavishly tonight.

"Thump, thump, thump~ The soldier's actions are so illogical..."

After several rounds of drinks, the martial arts actor who was performing on the stage was suddenly stopped and taken off the stage.

Upon seeing this, everyone inside Lanyue Tower immediately perked up, presumably this was a sign that the bidding for treasure was about to begin.

Sure enough, after clearing everyone off the stage, a middle-aged man in a long robe led three burly men in tight-fitting clothes onto the stage. The entire audience fell silent and stared intently at the stage.

"This is Manager Ye of Lanyue Tower. I don't recognize those three, but if I'm not mistaken, they should be the people sent by Wanbao Merchant Caravan to oversee the bidding for the treasure." Huang You explained to Ning Xiu.

Meanwhile, Manager Ye on the stage also spoke up: "I apologize for keeping you all waiting. These three are the officers of the Wanbao Merchant Caravan. Tonight, they will be in charge of the bidding for the treasure. I hope you will all participate enthusiastically. If you see a treasure that catches your eye, make your move decisively, lest you regret it later."

The Great Shang Dynasty originally had thirty-six prefectures, but after the world was thrown into chaos by evil spirits, the prefectures that were farther away from the capital became increasingly difficult to access. Along the way, mountains and rivers were often occupied by demons and evil spirits, which blocked pipelines and post stations, causing harm to the local area.

Today, the Shang Dynasty can only fully control sixteen prefectures, four of which were only reclaimed in the last few decades. The remaining twenty prefectures are still fighting independently and are under lockdown to defend themselves.

The mountains are high and the roads are long. Even though the Demon Subduing Division sometimes sends out dozens of teams of Demon Subduing Officers on expeditions to try to reclaim the prefectures besieged by evil spirits and monsters, sometimes they are willing but unable to do so.

While some of the Demon Subduing Officers are indeed powerful, the strength of some great demon kings, evil spirits, and fierce gods is also extremely terrifying, making it difficult for the Demon Subduing Division to gain the upper hand.

They could only gaze at the lost territory from afar, unable to reclaim it.