The stolen magic is a bit magical

The same was true in one county, and in two counties, and in the third county as well. However, the fourth county was different. In a village in the fourth county, they witnessed a tragic scene: a valley was crowded with refugees, the tree bark had been gnawed away, and cries of anguish could be heard. Someone had starved to death the night before.

When they came down and asked, they learned the whole story: the new county magistrate was building a manor and had taken over their village, turning them into refugees.

Song Lifu suppressed his anger and learned the cause and effect.

The previous magistrate was quite good, but he suffered day and night and died three months ago. A new magistrate was sent over from above. This magistrate was single-mindedly trying to please the high-ranking officials above him and planned to build a luxurious waterside manor. So, he seized the land and drove these people away to become vagrants.

When Song Lifu and Lin Xiaosu left the small mountain village, they were filled with rage.

Lin Xiaosu said meaningfully, "Lord Song, do you know that the three decent county magistrates we saw today are only in office because that prefect neglected his duties?"

"Huh?" Song Lifu didn't understand.

"According to the laws of the Great Wilderness, the appointment and removal of county magistrates requires nomination by the prefect. The Xijiang prefectural government and its officials have repeatedly requested the removal of these county magistrates, but their prefect is lying low in Shangqiu, preferring to bear the infamy rather than attend to state affairs, which is why the appointment and removal of these people have been delayed again and again!" Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly: "Now do you understand, sir? Sometimes, not taking charge is a blessing in disguise!"

Song Lifu let out a long sigh: "But this 'Half-Moon County' is different. Their magistrate died, and regardless of whether the prefect was in charge or not, a new magistrate had to be appointed. Once this magistrate arrived, he acted recklessly, and the people suffered."

Lin Xiaosu said, "Yes, from the perspective of the people and us, this new county magistrate is acting recklessly. But what about those imperial censors and various supervisory officials? They come to Banyue County and enjoy the waterside manor and romantic gifts prepared for them by the new magistrate. How will they report to the court? They will only say that this Banyue County Magistrate is capable and efficient! Isn't that ironic?"

Song Lifu truly felt the irony.

He had previously worked in local areas.

Everywhere he went, there were the dance pavilions and singing stages he had mentioned. Officials gathered to discuss the origins of the dances, the ingenious design of the singing stages, and the unique craftsmanship of the gardens.

Officials are all scholars, and scholars are knowledgeable and have a very high level of aesthetic appreciation. Each of them can talk about a certain detail in great detail, winning applause from everyone.

But who saw the blood and tears of the people behind this ingenious arrangement?
Today, he went to the countryside, and he was moved.

He thought of his childhood, and of his fading original aspirations...

"Let's go, to Shangqiu!"

After uttering those five words, the two strode away.

We entered Shangqiu.

Shangqiu, a typical rural lifestyle.

Behind a bamboo grove is Zhang Yiran's thatched cottage.

The thatched hut is dilapidated, but the mountain breeze brings new life every day.

My daughter-in-law has grown old, but the warmth remains.

Zhang Yiran is already old; in this era, fifty years old is indeed old.

The pen in his hand gleamed in the setting sun; perhaps only at this moment did he remember the high spirits he had displayed during his scientific expeditions years ago.

A cup of tea was handed to the lady and gently placed on the desk.

Zhang Yiran took the cup of tea, his gaze falling on his wife's hand.

These hands are typical of a peasant woman.

"Husband, do you still want to submit a memorial to His Majesty?" the wife said softly.

“Madam…I want to take a gamble!” Zhang Yiran slowly raised her head.

"Has the gambling situation changed?"

Zhang Yiran said, "During the past ten years, the former Crown Prince was in charge of the country, and I dared not report Song Yuncang. But now, the overall situation of the country has changed. His Majesty has sent an imperial envoy to Jiangnan and has replaced two prefects. There are signs that His Majesty intends to pacify Jiangnan! Now is the time for me to take action against Song Yuncang. As long as the traitor Song is not eliminated, Huzhou will not be at peace!"

The lady sighed, “But my husband’s move is a risky gamble. If it succeeds, Huzhou will be saved; if it fails, my entire Zhang family will be executed. My husband is fearless in the face of death and still has the integrity he once had. But have you ever thought that you also have sons and daughters, and that your Zhang family is still a prominent family in Haizhou?”

Zhang Yiran sighed deeply: "It is precisely because I have many concerns that I have hesitated to put pen to paper."

"Husband, wait a little longer! Let's wait a little longer!" His wife gently hugged his shoulders.

Zhang Yiran looked up at the sky, the tip of her pen trembling slightly in the setting sun...

"I also want to wait, but... but I am nearly fifty years old. I want to seek benefits for the people, but my ambitions are ultimately unfulfilled. If I were to die tomorrow, wouldn't I be letting down my father's high hopes and the high hopes of the people?"

The lady shed tears: "My husband, you could have entered the hall of fame and enjoyed a smooth official career back then. But you gave up such a golden path for me, wasting more than twenty years of your life. Now you are nearly fifty years old, and with the talent of a top scholar, you have accomplished nothing. It is all my fault! If my husband wants to take a gamble today, I will accompany you! If the whole clan suffers disaster, it is the fate of my Zhang family... My husband, put down your pen!"

They didn't notice that today's sunset carried a ray of golden light that didn't belong to the sunset.

They had no idea that a second-rank official seal would light up on the mountain peak ahead, reflecting their every move.

Beneath the official seal, Song Lifu gently closed his eyes: "Lord Su, you have convinced me! He is worth employing!"

Lin Xiaosu smiled: "Then this humble official will not disturb Lord Song's official inspection any longer. This humble official will take his leave!"

With a single movement, it pierced through the sky.

Together, we fly with the setting sun.

As the sun set, so did his figure, which landed on the flagship outside Ningcheng.

"My lord!" Zhang Tao was the first to bow.

His position as captain of the guard was rather unconventional.

Other guard captains followed their commanders everywhere, never leaving their side, but his main role was to deliver packages between the capital and Jiangnan, so he basically didn't need to stay by his commander's side.

Because the commander's combat strength is becoming more and more obvious. His great handprint during the day directly crushed that prison break expert who emphasized both sub-divine techniques and cultivation, demonstrating that the Enlightenment Realm poses no threat to him whatsoever.

Zhang Tao could at most exchange a few blows with Wu Gui.

What's the point of staying by his side?

Fufu was very happy and brought over the food.

Gu Suixin was very excited because today he had once again proven his tracking skills, and his ultimate wish to find the "Xuanjia" was becoming more and more hopeful.

One thing that went unnoticed by everyone was that Mad Wolf really did seem a bit different today.

Her face was pockmarked and flushed.

It can be described as the setting sun filling the pockmarks on one's face.

But now, the sun has set, and the blush on her face seems to be growing stronger.

After Lin Xiaosu finished dinner, Fufu prepared to go into the cabin with him.

Suddenly, a voice entered Lin Xiaosu's ears: "My lord, something seems a bit off over at the Pearl River. Would you be interested in going over there to take a look?"

Lin Xiaosu raised her eyes and saw half of the wolf's chin, where a noticeable red tinge appeared in the darkness.

"Mad Wolf!"

"exist!"

"Follow me on an inspection tour of the Pearl River to make advance arrangements for the next phase of the battle."

"Yes!"

The two of them rose into the air.

Zhang Tao's eyes flashed: "Inspecting the Pearl River... Is my lord planning something big?"

Gu Suixin's eyes widened, and she almost dropped a grape from her hand.

Isn't it?

Did the captain of the guard discover something fishy?
How did he know that this "senior brother" was going to play "big" tonight?
Moreover, it is expressed so bluntly.

A deputy captain of the guards standing nearby frowned: "What does Captain Zhang mean?"

"My lord has already pacified the four major forces, but these four forces are all ordinary sects. Even if they are powerful, they are ultimately sects without a fixed affiliation. And tonight, he suddenly inspected the Pearl River. Could his target be the Falling Flower Nunnery?"

cut!
Gu Suixin gave him a silent look of contempt with her nostrils.

So that's what you meant by "going big"? I thought you had figured out his real intentions.

In Zhang Tao's language system, playing big doesn't mean playing the "big" game of Mad Wolf, but rather upgrading what you're doing!

From fighting against ordinary sects to drawing swords against the sect leaders.

Please, don't you guys have any self-awareness about what kind of lowlife you are?
A team of three thousand people like this dares to challenge Zhizong? Who do you think you are?
That cheap senior brother may seem a bit reckless, but he's not stupid!
The greatest tragedy of an egg is that it thinks it can win by colliding with a stone...

Doesn't he look like an egg that has no self-awareness?

"Luohua Nunnery doesn't belong to the Huzhou faction, but rather to the Dingzhou faction on the other side of the Pearl River." The deputy captain pondered, "Back in the capital, your lord's Heart Sutra suddenly appeared, overwhelming the three major Buddhist sects, including Abbess Miaoyu of Luohua Nunnery. Although Luohua Nunnery is a Buddhist sect, its female abbess might not be so magnanimous. If you intend to pacify Luohua Nunnery, the conflict between the two sides will probably be irreconcilable. Lord Zhang, you must advise your lord not to act rashly. It's best to avoid touching the sect if possible."

“I will certainly try to persuade the lord, but who can change his mind?” Zhang Tao said. “The only thing we can do is to follow the lord’s instructions, refine the goals, and do our best to complete them!”

"Yes!"

A seemingly extravagant start has been interpreted in a different way with the flagship model…

Leaving that aside for now, let's mention another extremely rare remote exchange.

This exchange is top secret.

The exchange between Song Lifu and His Majesty.

Song Lifu repackaged the persuasive arguments he had received from Lin Xiaosu and delivered them to His Majesty's ears.

His Majesty fell silent, sitting in his study, lost in thought for a long time…

Song Lifu stood bowing on the other side. Although the scene was silent, he was confident.

He knew he had hit the jackpot.

His Majesty indeed has the idea of ​​injecting fresh blood into the ranks of second-rank officials in order to break the stagnation in officialdom.

Otherwise, His Majesty would have already dismissed the bizarre promotion of a fourth-rank prefect to a second-rank prefect as absurd and rejected it.

If it wasn't rejected, then there's hope!
After a long while, His Majesty slowly raised his head, his eyes carrying a mysterious light: "Minister Song, I know you quite well. You prefer to judge people by their results. If it were according to your usual style of personnel selection, you would never have set your sights on Zhang Yiran, who has accomplished almost nothing since entering officialdom. Tell me, why did you make this change?"

“Your Majesty has a discerning eye, and this old minister dares not conceal anything,” Song Lifu said. “This old minister originally had no liking for Zhang Yiran, but Lord Su changed his perspective and presented this old minister with an unconventional Zhang Yiran. This old minister may have been bewitched by him. Therefore, whether or not to give this person an important position is still up to Your Majesty’s wise decision.”

"Minister Song is indeed frank!" His Majesty laughed. "Very well, since both of you ministers are of the same mind, I may give him a try! But we cannot act rashly. Let's first transfer him to the prefectural governor's office. You can find an opportunity to reward him, so that I can also rightfully claim the title..."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Song Lifu bowed deeply.

His Majesty gently waved his hand: "Rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

His Majesty bowed slightly: "Minister Song, it seems you and Minister Su got along well during your trip to Jiangnan. What do you think of this rising star in the officialdom?" Song Lifu replied solemnly: "Your Majesty! In this old minister's opinion, Minister Su is absolutely an invaluable pillar of the court. His martial arts are superb, and his way of governing people is also superb. He dares to take the path that no one dares to take before, and he can break the seemingly unbreakable situation."

His Majesty smiled: "So, it's not inappropriate for me to promote him beyond the usual ranks?"

"In the Jiangnan region, hundreds of millions of people praise Your Majesty's wisdom. How can Your Majesty's use of people be considered inappropriate?"

His Majesty nodded slowly: "What will he do next?"

"Lord Su has not yet discussed the next steps with this old minister, but this old minister suspects that he may continue with the usual methods?"

"Alright, but there may be changes. Report back to me immediately."

"As you command!" Song Lifu straightened up, but the Emperor's projection had already been cut off.

The night was dark and all-encompassing.

The Pearl River flows eastward in a tranquil manner.

On the Pearl River, two people walked on the waves. One of them was over ten meters tall, which made him appear even taller and more unique on the vast expanse of the Pearl River.

However, today's Mad Wolf lacks the overwhelming aura it displays on the battlefield; instead, it appears quite panicked.

"What did you want to talk about when you asked me out?" Lin Xiaosu broke the silence first.

Mad Wolf stopped, standing atop the crest of the wave, her gaze slowly shifting: "What you said yesterday, my lord, I... I've thought about it all night..."

"And the result? Just tell me the result!"

Mad Wolf Fang bit down lightly: "If my lord desires it, this humble general can... give it to you."

Lin Xiaosu's heart skipped a beat. This matter had finally reached a point where both parties were willing. My God, this was no easy feat.

He took a deep breath: "Why has there been a change?"

"My lord..." Mad Wolf stamped his foot.

With a stomp of his foot, the water surface churned wildly, even the mad wolf himself was stunned.

Lin Xiaosu also sighed inwardly.

No matter what kind of woman she is, when faced with this kind of situation, she will unconsciously show her girlish side, for example, when faced with a difficult question, she will stomp her feet.

However, it must be admitted that she is truly not suited to being a woman with a childlike demeanor.

Other women stomp their feet, displaying their charming naiveté.

When she stamped her foot, the wind and clouds surged, and the great river churned.

"I'm going to take a shower!" As soon as Mad Wolf finished speaking, he sank into the Pearl River.

Lin Xiaosu's body sank, and she sank into the Pearl River...

A whirlpool formed on the water's surface.

The Pearl River rippled with countless waves emanating from them, seemingly trembling as well…

The riverboat thought it had encountered a water monster and kept its distance.

The starlight hid behind the clouds, and the rain that hadn't fallen yesterday finally came.

The entire river surface was shrouded in mist.

At some point, the wolf slowly opened its eyes.

He was beneath her.

Below him were the riverside rocks.

Mad Wolf suddenly let out a soft cry, filled with disbelief.

"what happened?"

"I... my body... seems to have shrunk! Master, really, I've shrunk!" Mad Wolf pointed at a tree on the shore, his fingers trembling.

The tree, with her armor hanging from its top almost to its roots, showed that the tree was roughly the same size as her, but now she suddenly realized that the tree seemed very tall.

It wasn't that the tree grew taller, but that she herself grew smaller.

Lin Xiaosu also realized it.

His heart was pounding.

This was his true purpose in seducing Mad Wolf: to break the curse of Heaven and the spell of her fate.

I can't tell her about this, and I can't even do it with any ulterior motive.

Because the way of Heaven cannot be reversed.

Only naturally occurring results align with the will of Heaven.

He disguised a serious rescue operation as a veneer of romance, and now, the results are finally in.

Her body was no longer abnormal.

Upon closer inspection, the earth fire that had begun to ignite within her body was no longer showing signs of rage. If nothing unexpected happened, what Gu Suixin had said had come true.

The life-giving spring he left within her broke the curse of heaven, and her spell was lifted.

"How could this happen?" Mad Wolf's heart pounded.

Lin Xiaosu looked up at the sky and licked her lips: "I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Maybe it's fate... another chance?"

"Hmm... there are a lot of rocks along the riverbank, I'll stay down here!" Mad Wolf gently rolled over and lay down.

The riverbank is full of sharp rocks, but because of her special body, she is not afraid of being harmed by external objects.

Although Lin's physical condition was no weaker than hers, it was the first time in his life that he had experienced being taken care of by a woman.

Letting go of the shackles of fate and ulterior motives, Lin Xiaosu savored the long-lost beauty and finally felt an extremely comfortable and pleasant sensation.

Mad Wolf still hadn't learned to close his eyes during sex; he stared at him with wide-open eyes, filled with excitement, joy, novelty, and pleasure...

At this point, although she wasn't pretty, she certainly wasn't ugly either.

The pockmarks on her face were simply due to the large pores caused by her large body size. As her body shrank, the pores shrank proportionally. Although her skin was weathered and not so fair, the rosy blush on her face at this moment effectively transformed this ordinary face into an aphrodisiac for lovemaking.

Mosaic tiles tumbled and rolled along the Pearl River...

It was finally quiet.

The wolf's voice came softly: "My lord, you have been working hard these past few days, so get a good night's sleep."

Although she still used the same address as yesterday, her voice had become exceptionally gentle.

"Sleep like this?"

"Yeah! Go to sleep!"

Lin Xiaosu fell asleep, and Kuanglang gently stroked his hair. The gentleness of the touch and the overflowing love made even the wind on the Pearl River seem to soften.

Dawn.

Lin Xiaosu finally woke up. The rising sun was shining on the mountain peaks, and the emerald green river water made her feel relaxed and, more importantly, physically relaxed.

Return to flagship...

Mad Wolf remained a gigantic ten-meter-tall creature, its face still mostly covered by a half-armor. At this moment, what it concealed was probably the spring-like aura emanating from its face, as well as the newly formed pits and bumps that appeared as its body grew larger.

Lin Xiaosu still maintained the demeanor of an official dressed in court attire.

From their expressions, it was absolutely impossible to tell what had happened.

Only Gu Suixin's voice reached Lin Xiaosu's ears: "Brother Su, congratulations!"

Lin Xiaosu glared at him fiercely, too lazy to answer, mainly because it was difficult to bring it up.

Gu Suixin got excited: "I gave you this idea, which relieved your worries about going to Jiangnan. I've done a good job. Brother Su, how about you invite me to Xianlefang to listen to some music?"

Lin Xiaosu was speechless: "Brother Gu, what time is it? You still have the leisure to visit the Immortal Music Hall?"

Gu Suixin smiled: "Brother Su, your most pressing matter right now should be dealing with the sect leader. Do you think Xianlefang is just a place to relax and listen to music?"

Lin Xiaosu was stunned.

He really didn't have any information about Xianlefang.

They truly only regarded this music hall as a place of pleasure in Ningcheng.

Gu Suixin said, "Xianlefang was established by Hanyue Valley, which is one of the eight major sects."

One of the eight major sects.

Cold Moon Valley.

Lin Xiaosu picked up the teacup...

Gu Suixin leaned forward slightly: "Brother Su, if you intend to establish your dominance in Jiangnan, you will inevitably have to go through Zhizong. My personal suggestion is that you choose Hanyue Valley as your breakthrough point."

"Why?"

"Because Hanyue Valley is, after all, a sect dominated by women. We brothers are all quite adept at dealing with women. If we can conquer Hanyue Valley with our masculine charm and get them to stand behind us, then perhaps the great cause in Jiangnan will truly open a gap."

"If we're going to use gender as the criterion, why wouldn't I choose another women's sect that's right next door?"

"Luohua Nunnery?" Gu Suixin's eyes widened.

"Yes!"

"Brother Su, please understand one thing first: Abbess Miaoyu of Luohua Nunnery hates you to the bone. You still want to conquer her?"

“Conquest is still conquest, but it might not be the kind of conquest you're thinking of!” Lin Xiaosu stood up: “I'm going to go into seclusion for a while!”

He got up and went into the cabin at the back of the ship.

Mad Wolf was deeply agitated.

What were his junior brother and he talking about?
Why did he seem surprised? And why did he glance at him several times?
Sir, you didn't tell anyone about what happened last night, did you?

No way! I'm the commander-in-chief. For over thirty years, no one has ever treated me like a woman. If my soldiers found out I'd been with you, I'd be too ashamed to show my face. (End of Chapter)