NOVEL NEXT Chapter 183: Chapter 9: The Baili Village Tragedy
Shen Qing glanced at the first group of officers from the Guardian Martial Department gathered in the courtyard, his gaze settling on a young man.
He was surrounded by many officers as if he were the moon encircled by a host of stars.
This man was the group leader of the Guardian Martial Department's first team, a concubine-born son from the high-ranking Dong Family of Yongzhou, Dong Jing.
It was said that at the mere age of sixteen, he had already broken through to the Qi Hai Realm and, before long, was likely to condense his Yu Luo.
With such cultivation talent, even among his peers in the Dong Family, he was considered one of the front-runners.
However, due to his birth, no matter his cultivation level, he couldn't inherit the family business or hold an official position elsewhere; instead, he turned to the Guardian Martial Department to become an officer and seek a way out.
As if sensing Shen Qing's eyes on him, he glanced over indifferently, as casually as one would look at a stranger, and then looked away.
Shen Qing lowered his head and led his subordinates over the threshold into the courtyard of the Guardian Martial Department Office, maintaining a low profile.
Because of Sixth Group's lower status and relative lack of strength within the Guardian Martial Department, they weren't well-regarded by the other patrol teams; Shen Qing and his men quietly took their place at the very end of the queue according to the team order.
In this time, Shen Qing observed that within the Guardian Martial Department Office, the other five patrol teams each formed their own cliques, deliberately excluding the Sixth Group.
Having joined the Guardian Martial Department for a month, Shen Qing had almost no interaction with them and was nearly invisible in their eyes, devoid of any presence.
Fortunately, Shen Qing had a clear goal and maintained the right mindset, unaffected by the situation.
Otherwise, such a working environment could indeed feel quite oppressive.
After staying in the courtyard for a while, the other several patrol teams arrived one after another.
The previously quiet courtyard became noisy.
The courtyard of the Guardian Martial Department was not large, and these people did not seem to be avoiding him in any way.
The contents of their conversations were still clearly overheard by Shen Qing.
"Something happened at Baili Village outside the city, a lot of people died."
"Was it the work of that demon?"
"You guessed it?"
"Tch, lately the most rampant demon around here is none other than that one."
Listening to the discussions, Shen Qing frowned and asked Liu Sangui, "Baili Village sounds very familiar, is it our area to patrol?"
With a bitter face, Liu Sangui replied, "It's the area outside the city that our Sixth Group is responsible for patrolling. We normally patrol once a month, and I didn't expect such an incident to occur."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the faces of Jiang Dacong, Guan Yunjian, and Uncle Shu also turned sour.
For some reason, the demons were becoming smarter.
They had suffered quite a few defeats at the hands of these demons, usually returning without success and with little to show.
The thought of a troublesome demon appearing in their patrol area put everyone in a rather bad mood.
After a while, the Lord Chief Officer, Zheng Yuanqiu with his large belly, came out.
He glanced over at the people in front of him and said, "Has everyone arrived?"
The team leader of the first group, Dong Jing, clasped his hands in salute and said with his head bowed, "Reporting to the Lord Chief Officer, all seven members of the first group are present."
"Second group..."
...
"Sixth group, five members present."
Zheng Yuanqiu's expression softened slightly, and without a desire for a long speech, he issued his command tersely, "I've just received a report; a murder incident has occurred at Baili Village, the work of a demon. I remember this area falls under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Group. You are given three days to capture this demon, and if you fail, your official salary for this month will be halved."
Upon hearing this order, Liu Sangui and the others appeared to have grown accustomed to such expectations, revealing expressions that seemed to say, "as expected."
"The other teams will assist the Sixth Group in solving the case," Zheng Yuanqiu's gaze suddenly sharpened, sweeping over the crowd with an invisible aura of authority emanating from him. His voice suddenly raised as he said, "Have you all heard me clearly?"
"Yes, clear!" the people in the courtyard replied in a disordered chorus.
Zheng Yuanqiu barked, "If it's clear, then what are you all doing standing around here? Get moving and investigate for me!"
Shen Qing felt somewhat displeased in his heart, but he did not stick his neck out to defy Zheng Yuanqiu, following the crowd he echoed, "Yes."
There was a burst of chaos in the vast courtyard of the Guardian Martial Department, everyone pushing towards the main gate, scattering in all directions. Continue your saga on M-V-L
Many officers dashed out of the entrance of the county government of the Guardian Martial Department, and upon looking back and seeing that the Chief Officer Zheng Yuanqiu had already departed, they relaxed and left, hooking arms and chuckling amongst themselves.
They did not take Zheng Yuanqiu's orders to heart at all.
In their view, since the demon appeared in the Sixth Group's territory, it was only natural for the lowly skins of the Sixth Group to deal with it; it was their emergency.
After all, it was not their defense area, nor was it their official salary at risk, so it had nothing to do with them.
Walking behind them, Shen Qing watched their departing figures without any surprise in his heart.
Since ancient times, everyone has only swept the snow from their own doorstep, never bothering about the frost on others' roofs.
He had no kinship or reason to associate with these high-ranking disciples; therefore, they naturally would not kindly help him out.
After a moment of silence, Shen Qing said to Liu Sangui, "Has our chief officer always worked like this? Docking our salary at the drop of a hat?"
Liu Sangui replied with a bitter smile, "Officer Shen is unaware, our Chief Officer has a well-known problem."
"What problem?"
"Greedy for wealth and lustful for beauty," said Liu Sangui, lowering his voice, "Now that the Chief Officer is older, his interest in women has waned quite a bit, leaving only his greed for wealth. If we do not perform well, the deducted official salaries go right into his pocket. This is an unwritten rule within the Guardian Martial Department—everyone is long accustomed to it."
"Sir, if you stay longer, you will naturally understand."
After hearing this, Shen Qing formed a more concrete impression of the Chief Officer Zheng Yuanqiu.
"Let's go; let's see what exactly is happening in Baili Village," he said.
Having said that, he entered the stable, leading out his prized steed, while Liu Sangui and his subordinates went to the stable to complete some procedures.
Liu Sangui and the others did not have their own horses, and when they went out on official business, they generally used the horses of the Military Department.
The horses they were given were aged and slow, but they sufficed.
Once everyone was ready, Shen Qing, mounted on his steed, discerned the direction and led his subordinates to gallop towards Baili Village.
Dong Jing from the First Group was the last to leave the Guardian Martial Department, instructing his subordinates: "Notify the brothers to prepare; we're heading to Baili Village shortly."
His accompanying officers, confused, asked, "Officer Dong, are we going to help that new lowlife?"
"Hmm? Just prepare when I tell you to. Why all the pointless chatter!" Dong Jing's expression chilled as he spoke, "Are you waiting to take orders from me?"
The officer he reprimanded quickly shrank his neck, not daring to say more and hurried with the other officers to prepare.
Others may not be aware, but Dong Jing was very clear about the situation.
He had already found out that this newly arrived Commander was not like the drunkards in the county government; he was a man of swift action and clear rewards and punishments, and especially abhorred demons intensely.
If he knew the Chief Officer had failed to eliminate the demon, he would without a doubt fly into a rage, and the Chief Officer would not be able to walk away unscathed.
This was his opportunity.
If he could gain some achievements, he would be able to turn the tide in front of the Chief Officer and earn favor with both supervisors, which would greatly benefit his career advancement.
He knew that as a child born to a concubine, despite the outward glamor, he could not expect a penny of the Dong Family's wealth due to his mother's lowly status.
If he wanted to avoid a miserable end in his old age, he needed to seek multiple ways forward and aspirations for progress.
As a Martial Artist in the Innate Realm, if the Commander was willing to take him under his wing, it was undoubtedly a strong support.
Shortly after Shen Qing, Dong Jing also led his group of officers toward Baili Village at a breakneck pace.
Outside Yongzhou City.
A team of five riders galloped past.
The leader, with a dark Heavy Bow and an Arrow Quiver on his horse, led boldly at the front.
"Officer Shen, up ahead is Baili Village—we're almost there!"
Far away, Shen Qing seemed to smell a strong scent of blood and became stern. He whipped his horse fiercely: "Go!"