National Division

Chapter 133 Shen Xian: I still need to break through to the Grandmaster level of martial arts as soon as possible!
Anzhou, the prefectural government office

After inquiring about the situation at the Vermilion Bird Division in Anzhou, Shen Xian instructed the official from the Vermilion Bird Division to return to his post.

Although the corpse demon is a serious matter, it doesn't mean that there aren't other demons causing trouble in Anzhou. The Vermilion Bird Division still needs to allocate manpower to deal with it.

Shen Xian looked at Zhang Rong and said, "Anzhou needs to recruit at least 30,000 able-bodied men."

Zhang Rong nodded in agreement.

Shen Xian asked, "Where was Magistrate Wan'an County just now?"

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the officials of Zhuanzhou below.

The registrar Ji Lin cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, Magistrate Fu went to the countryside today to investigate the people's conditions."

Shen Xian thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "The magistrate of Wan'an County is familiar with the situation in Wan'an County. I need to inquire about the specific number of rural people in each town so that they can be relocated to the city and leave no opportunity for the Corpse Yin Sect demons to cause harm."

Upon hearing this, Ji Lin's expression turned solemn, and he bowed in agreement.

After Shen Xian finished explaining the matters concerning weapons, provisions, and other supplies to the various officials in Anzhou, he left the back office and went to the inner hall.

The eldest princess then revealed her graceful figure and said, "I'm going to see the Prefectural School Chancellor, Daoist Dongyang. Are you coming?"

Just now, this beautiful woman secretly concealed herself and took in Shen Xian's handling of the officials of Anzhou, seeing that he had arranged everything in an orderly manner, and nodded in approval.

Shen Xian said, "It wouldn't hurt to go see them together."

To be honest, apart from the eldest princess, he hasn't had any real contact with anyone from the Yuqing Sect. Well, not counting Cui You and Lu Ziling.

If his father had followed his original plan—to have him thoroughly study the Taoist scriptures, obtain a place in the Taoist examination, then enter the state school to study, and finally participate in the imperial examination—he would probably still be busy with the Taoist examination right now.

Instead of getting involved in such important world affairs.

Xue Zhihua said, "There should be some experts in Anzhou State School. If they can be used by the imperial court, it will be much more effective in dealing with the Corpse Yin Sect."

Without further ado, Shen Xian and Xue Zhihua accompanied the Princess to see Daoist Dongyang.

The Anzhou Prefectural School was located near a lake called Xianghu in the south of Anzhou City.

Nestled amidst mountains and water, surrounded by lush forests and picturesque scenery, stand numerous pavilions.

On a vast, clear lake, several stone paths meander through lush meadows, while a young man and several young Taoist disciples bustle about in an octagonal pavilion with upturned eaves and vermilion pillars.

At this moment, Dongyang Daoren, the chief priest of Anzhou State School, was wearing a gray Taoist robe, his hair tied up with a pine-patterned wooden hairpin, and he was fishing on the lake with a bamboo pole in his hand, looking relaxed.

Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I turned my head to see a face with white hair and a youthful appearance. The cheeks were rosy, almost like those of a baby, and beneath the white eyebrows, the eyes were kind and peaceful.

"Teacher, what's wrong?" Second Senior Brother Yin Ping asked, his heart skipping a beat.

Not far away, Liu Jin, who was brewing fragrant tea for Daoist Dongyang, also cast a curious glance when he heard the conversation between the two. He was dressed in a blue robe and wore a scholar's square cap. He had a handsome face and seemed completely unaffected by the situation in Guhe County.

Liu Jin was unaware that his father-in-law, Qiu Ying, had also suffered imprisonment.

"A distinguished guest has arrived." Daoist Dongyang smiled kindly.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He raised the emerald green bamboo pole in his hand, which looked like glass, and saw a white silver carp, about seven or eight inches long, thrashing about, shaking its head and wagging its tail.

On the shimmering lake surface, the scales gleamed, their silvery white gleaming.

"Teacher," Yin Ping said with a delighted smile, "this fish looks quite big, it must weigh several dozen kilograms."

Master Dongyang handed the bamboo pole to Yin Ping and said, "Make a pot of fish soup with this white silver carp. I will be hosting a banquet for our distinguished guests later."

As Dongyang Daoist spoke, he took a step forward, causing ripples to spread in the void before his figure vanished without a trace.

This is the spatial teleportation ability of the sixth realm of immortality, the Void Realm. Daoists at this realm have begun to comprehend the power of the void, which is reflected in their escape techniques, having transcended the medium level of the Five Elements Escape Technique.

Seeing this, Yin Ping thought to himself, "After my teacher broke through to the sixth realm, he has become even more elusive."

Yin Ping reached out and took the silver carp off the water bucket with a splash, then said to Liu Jin, who was brewing tea not far away, "Junior Brother Liu, let's pack up and go back."

"Then, Second Senior Brother, what about this tea?" Liu Jin asked.

Yin Ping smiled憨厚ly on his fair and slightly chubby face and said, "No need, Junior Brother, you can drink it yourself. This tea is spiritual tea, and drinking it will improve your cultivation."

Yin Ping also cherishes his teacher's recently accepted disciple.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he happily collected the tea.

Meanwhile, Shen Xian and the Eldest Princess also arrived at the state academy.

Looking at the distant pavilions and the blue sky and white clouds reflected on the lake, Shen Xian felt as if he had stepped into a university campus in a later era.

The environment is beautiful, like a poem or a painting.

The eldest princess introduced, "The chief priest of Anzhou State School was at the peak of the Divine Illumination Realm ten years ago. I heard from my fellow disciples that he has already broken through to the Void Realm. If we can get his help, we can have a lot more manpower on our side."

"Anzhou is just one prefecture in the world, yet the chief priest of a prefecture possesses such combat power? There must be many powerful cultivators in the world who can reach the Void Realm." Shen Xian's heart stirred slightly as he sighed. How many prefectures are there in the entire Great Jing Dynasty? There are probably more than four hundred prefectures. Of course, it's impossible for every chief priest of a prefecture's academy to possess such combat power. If it were a remote prefecture, it would probably be around the third realm.

Even so, this glimpse reveals the immense power of the immortals in this realm.

"Actually, among all the state schools in the world, there are not many instructors at the Void Realm. In remote states, the instructors may only be at the Crimson Cloud Realm." The Princess smiled and said, "I heard from my fellow disciples that Daoist Dongyang will soon be promoted to the Imperial Academy."

“Even if most of them are at the Divine Illumination Realm, that’s still quite a lot. There are quite a few disciples in the Jade Purity Sect,” Shen Xian said.

The princess's face showed a complex expression, and she said softly, "If my Jade Purity Sect were to go all out, the Corpse Yin Sect would never dare to act so rashly."

Shen Xian remained silent for a moment, then said, "To be able to do something but not do it, and to sit idly by and watch the court fail, is even more despicable!"

The eldest princess sighed and said, "Yes."

Those people were determined to force their mother to return power to the Li Jing clan, yet they chose to stand idly by while the demonic forces were rampant.

Xue Zhihua lagged half a step behind, listening to the two talking, her clear eyes lowered, lost in thought.

"Besides Daoist Dongyang, who is at the Dongxu realm, are there any other experts in the state academy?" Shen Xian asked.

He still feels an urgent urge to improve his cultivation level.

His high starting point in officialdom meant that the circles he came into contact with could reach as high as the seventh or eighth realm, and the opponents he dealt with were mostly at the fifth or sixth realm.

In other words, if he hadn't met the Heavenly Empress, he would probably be in the county town right now fighting fiercely with some gang leader or Taoist from the first, second, or third realm for a few Great Rejuvenation Pills and Nourishing Essence Pills.

Starting at too high a level will inevitably lead to these kinds of problems.

I still need to break through to the fourth realm of martial arts, the Grandmaster, as soon as possible!
The eldest princess said softly, "Of course there are, but most of these experts are from the Yuqing lineage."

As they talked, the two walked along the tree-lined stone path toward a towering pavilion.

Not far along, they saw Daoist Dongyang approaching quickly. His kind face was full of smiles as he greeted them, saying, "Your Highness's arrival truly brings honor to our humble academy."

The princess, with her beautiful and radiant eyes and a radiant smile, said softly, "Fellow Daoist Dongyang, it's been a long time."

After exchanging pleasantries, Daoist Dongyang turned his gaze to Shen Xian, who was standing to the side, and asked, "And who is this?"

"This is Shen Xian, a scholar of the Zhaowen Academy and the Hebei Circuit Intendant," the Princess introduced.

"So it's Scholar Shen. My apologies for my rudeness." Upon hearing this, Daoist Dongyang's heart stirred, and he looked at him directly.

Being a scholar of the Zhaowen Pavilion is nothing special, but adding the title of "Promoter of Promotion and Demotion" makes it quite extraordinary.

The eldest princess smiled and said, "It seems that Fellow Daoist Dongyang is enjoying himself in Anzhou and has not paid attention to the recent news from the capital."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Dongyang showed a look of surprise on his face and said, "I haven't been paying much attention to news from the capital city while I was in Anzhou."

The eldest princess asked, "A major incident has recently occurred in Anzhou. Are you aware of it, Fellow Daoist Dongyang?"

"Is Your Highness referring to the matter of Ningyang County?" asked Daoist Dongyang.

The eldest princess nodded and asked in surprise, "The Corpse Yin Sect's evil people are wreaking havoc in Ningyang County, committing heinous crimes and poisoning tens of thousands of people. How could you not know about this, fellow Daoist?"

"Your Highness, I only recently learned of this matter," Daoist Dongyang sighed softly, "Someone from the Vermilion Bird Division has already gone there."

"The Vermilion Bird Division is short-handed," the eldest princess said.

Daoist Dongyang paused for a moment, having already guessed the meaning, and said, "Yesterday, the sect leader used the Jade Tablet to instruct the Yuqing disciples of Anzhou not to participate in the calamity of the corpse demon in Anzhou."

Shen Xian frowned and asked, "Even if the Corpse Demon sweeps across the entire Anzhou, your sect will not participate?"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Dongyang paused for a moment, unsure how to respond.

The eldest princess said, "I also cannot understand the decision made by the sect leader."

Instead of answering directly, Daoist Dongyang changed the subject, saying, "Your Highness, I just caught some fish. Please join me in eating them."

The eldest princess hummed in agreement and temporarily set the matter aside.

Just as Shen Xian and the Princess were heading to the state school, Cui Mei and Zheng Nianxi, who had just settled in at the back of the state government office, also heard the commotion at the front of the office.

"Just now, I heard from the servants in the front courtyard that Shen Xian, the Hebei Circuit Intendant, has taken down Prefect Feng Chong and Commander Huo Shu." Zheng Nianxi raised her delicate eyebrows, and her clear, bright eyes seemed to be filled with complex emotions.

Just now, she released her divine sense and heard this shocking news.

Cui Mei had just finished bathing, and a few strands of her hair at her temples were mixed with a few glistening water droplets, which made her face, as delicate as a rose, even more radiant. Upon hearing this, she looked quite surprised and said angrily, "Why is he everywhere?"

Zheng Nianxi looked at her strangely and said, "It seems that your ninth uncle has also been dismissed from his post. Prefect Feng Chong and Sima Huo Shu have both been arrested."

"I think he's determined to go against the Cui family!" Upon hearing this, Cui Mei was startled and clenched her fist.

Zheng Nianxi thought for a moment and asked, "Should we still stay in the governor's mansion? Anzhou seems to be dealing with the calamity of the corpse demon. Should we go into hiding?"

"Why should I hide from him? Do you think I'm afraid of him? I want to see how he deals with the Corpse Yin Sect's demons." Cui Mei, her mind in turmoil, thought Zheng Nianxi was saying she was hiding from Shen Xian. Her pretty face turned fierce as she spoke coldly.

(End of this chapter)