I run a casino in the immortal realm.

A curfew had been imposed on the main streets of Tanzhou County, with only the occasional echo of the night watchman's clapper reverberating through the empty streets.

The study in the back hall of the prefectural governor's mansion was brightly lit.

Zhu Zhenbang, wearing a crane-feather cloak, sat behind a large rosewood desk, holding a newly delivered urgent report in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.

When Zheng Yifei was led into the study by the butler, he still had the dew on his clothes from traveling all night.

He didn't change into his official robes; he was still wearing the same worn-out casual clothes, only the hem of his clothes had a slightly salty smell of seawater.

"Your humble servant Zheng Yifei greets Your Excellency the Prefect."

Zheng Yifei stepped forward and respectfully performed a deep bow.

Zhu Zhenbang put down the newspaper, looked him up and down, and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Sit down. You rushed back overnight, it seems there are results from Liuhua County."

"Reporting to my lord, I have successfully completed my mission."

Zheng Yifei sat on only half of the chair, leaning slightly forward, and took out three jade slips from his pocket, handing them over with both hands: "These are the detailed files, confessions, and accounts of the seized spirit salt from the anti-smuggling operation in Liuhua County. Please take a look, sir."

Zhu Zhenbang took the jade slip and probed the first one with his divine sense.

The study was so quiet that only the soft crackling of the lamp wick could be heard. As time passed, Zhu Zhenbang's expression changed, and his previously casual posture gradually became more upright.

300,000 catties of top-grade spiritual salt, Chihuo Island, the Tanzhou branch of the Canal Gang, and nine Nascent Soul stage suspects.

These words struck his heart like a heavy hammer. He knew Zheng Yifei's knife was sharp, but he didn't expect that the first cut would expose such a large tumor.

"Nine Nascent Soul cultivators..."

Zhu Zhenbang put down the first jade slip, somewhat puzzled: "Ku Nan is the manager of Crimson Fire Island, at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. The weakest of the eight leaders of the Canal Gang is at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and there are two at the middle stage. Your men, are they alright?"

Zheng Yifei shook his head: "Reporting to your Excellency, there were no casualties, and the entire force was captured intact."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhu Zhenbang's eyes, but he did not immediately ask any questions. Instead, he picked up the second jade slip.

This is a statement. It includes Kunan's memories after his soul was searched, as well as the confessions of eight other people.

The chain of evidence was airtight, and Qian Baichuan's crime of colluding with foreign forces was firmly nailed down in the face of this confession.

After reading the three jade slips, Zhu Zhenbang let out a long breath, placed the jade slips on the table, and gently tapped his fingers on the table.

"grown ups,"

Zheng Yifei stood up, took off a high-grade storage bag from his waist, and placed it on the desk. "These are the stolen goods found in the hidden compartment of the giant ship in Liuhua County. Apart from the 300,000 catties of spirit salt which my brothers escorted back to the county seat by waterway, I brought back the rest."

Zhu Zhenbang glanced at the storage bag: "How many are there?"

"Three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones, one hundred and thirty rare spirit herbs of grade six or above, and some special spirit materials from the sea."

Zheng Yifei spoke calmly, as if he were reciting a string of insignificant numbers.

Zhu Zhenbang's fingers stopped.

He looked at Zheng Yifei, a strange light appearing in his eyes.

Three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones, plus spirit herbs worth tens of millions of gold coins.

This is a huge sum of money that would make any Nascent Soul cultivator or even a Void Refinement cultivator envious.

According to the unwritten rules of officialdom, when smuggling and confiscating property, it is common for subordinates to handle it first, and forty percent to be kept by others. As long as the majority is handed over, the higher-ups usually turn a blind eye.

But Zheng Yifei didn't touch a single penny; he handed it all over intact.

"Didn't you leave any for yourself?"

Zhu Zhenbang asked with a half-smile.

"This humble official dares not."

Zheng Yifei bowed his head and replied, "This money is irrefutable evidence of the canal gang's smuggling. The less spirit stone there is, the lighter the case becomes. Besides, I am paid by the imperial court and am doing the duties of the prefect. How could I dare to enrich myself?"

Zhu Zhenbang stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "Well said, 'I dare not.' Pan Rengui said you're a shrewd man, and it seems he wasn't wrong. All these stolen goods will be put into storage, and rewards will be given after the case is closed."

"Thank you, sir."

Zhu Zhenbang picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat, and then turned the conversation back to the part that puzzled him the most.

"Zheng Yifei, I now have a question for you."

Zhu Zhenbang's gaze sharpened: "In the battle of Liuhua County, how many people did you actually use? Nine Nascent Soul cultivators. Even if they were completely unprepared, to take them down silently without alerting the magistrate of Liuhua County, you must have had at least twenty Nascent Soul cultivators under your command."

The Provincial Judicial Commission has at most a dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators. Where did you borrow these troops from?

Zheng Yifei stood still, hesitated for a moment, then raised his head and looked directly into Zhu Zhenbang's eyes: "Your Excellency, I did not borrow any troops; I used only the anti-smuggling inspectors."

"Oh? Then tell me, how many Nascent Soul cultivators are there in your inspection team?"

"Four hundred people."

"Snapped!"

The lid of the teacup in Zhu Zhenbang's hand fell onto the table with a crisp sound.

The prefect, who had been running the Tanzhou Prefecture for six years and remained unfazed even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, was completely stunned at this moment.

He wondered if he had misheard, or if Zheng Yifei was talking nonsense.

"How much did you say?"

Zhu Zhenbang leaned forward abruptly, his eyes fixed on Zheng Yifei.

"Four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators."

Zheng Yifei repeated himself, his tone still calm: "Four of the captains are at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and the rest are all at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. They are all on the official payroll and are ready to be dispatched by you at any time."

A deathly silence fell over the study.

Zhu Zhenbang stared blankly at Zheng Yifei, his mind buzzing.

Four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators? What does that even mean?

As the top official of Tanzhou County, he commanded the most elite armed forces in the entire county.

His personal guard was built with countless resources from his family, and at most, it only had thirty Nascent Soul cultivators.

The Commander's Office, responsible for the defense and suppression of the entire Tanzhou Prefecture, only had a little over 120 experts at the Nascent Soul stage.

Now, a newly established anti-smuggling inspection team of the Criminal Investigation Department, less than a year old, and a deputy envoy of the sixth rank, actually have four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators under their control.

If this force were placed in Tanzhou County, it would be enough to wipe out all the existing powerful clans and local forces, and could even directly threaten his position as the county governor.

"Zheng Yifei, do you know what you're saying?"

Zhu Zhenbang's voice deepened, carrying the pressure of a Void Refinement stage expert, and the air in the entire study instantly became thick and viscous.

"Reporting false military intelligence is a capital offense. Four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators? Do you think Nascent Soul cultivators are as common as cabbages? There are only about five hundred Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire Tanzhou prefecture. Where did you conjure up four hundred Nascent Soul cultivators in half a year?"

Faced with the pressure of a Void Refinement expert, Zheng Yifei did not back down. He withstood the pressure, clasped his hands and said, "My lord, if I have uttered even the slightest lie, I am willing to die. These four hundred people have an upright background, and none of them are from aristocratic families."

Zhu Zhenbang withdrew his imposing aura, took a deep breath, and leaned back in his chair: "Fine, explain to me clearly what's going on with these four hundred people."

Zheng Yifei sorted out his thoughts and slowly said, "My lord, you should know that I was teleported from the Southern Wilderness Region."

The Southern Wilderness is sparsely populated with spiritual energy and has incomplete Heavenly Dao rules. Anyone who can cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage in such a place is an exceptionally talented individual.

Some of them were elders of major sects, while others were direct disciples or core disciples of their sects. Their aptitude, temperament, comprehension, and experience in life-or-death battles far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators raised in the greenhouses of the Eastern Divine Continent.

Zhu Zhenbang nodded slightly, acknowledging this point.

Of all the continents, only the Eastern Divine Continent has the most abundant spiritual energy and the most complete Heavenly Dao rules. Cultivators from other places flock to it, and as long as they can adapt to the rules of the Eastern Divine Continent, they can often unleash amazing potential.

"Of these four hundred people, two hundred and fifty are my former subordinates and comrades from the Southern Wilderness."

Zheng Yifei continued, "In their pursuit of the Great Dao of Nascent Soul, they squandered their wealth, bringing with them the most valuable resources, spirit stones, and spiritual materials from the Southern Wilderness, and followed me to the Eastern Divine Continent."

What they lack is not talent, but the abundant spiritual energy and complete rules of the Heavenly Dao in the Eastern Divine Continent.

Upon arriving in Tanzhou, I incorporated them all into the anti-smuggling team. Utilizing their own resources, along with the secluded training caves provided by the Provincial Judicial Commissioner, they experienced an explosive breakthrough within the first two months. All 250 men reached the Nascent Soul Realm.

Zhu Zhenbang was horrified. Two hundred and fifty Nascent Soul cultivators breaking through at once—the sheer cohesion was terrifying.

"What about the remaining 150 people?"

"The remaining 150 people were selected by my subordinates, who traveled to dozens of counties under the jurisdiction of Tanzhou Prefecture, and picked out one by one from the lowest-level rogue cultivators and poor scholars."

These cultivators have no powerful family backgrounds or criminal records. They have the talent, but due to a lack of resources, they have been stuck at the Nascent Soul stage for many years.

"I promised them that as long as they swore an oath of allegiance to the Heavenly Dao, I would provide them with the means to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

"Where did you get so many Nascent Soul Pills and resources?"

Zhu Zhenbang pinpointed the problem incisively.

Zheng Yifei had already prepared his explanation: "My lord, my junior sister Zhao Ling is a registered sixth-level alchemist at the Heavenly Crafts Academy, and she is now able to refine seventh-level pills."

In the past six months, I have led a few subordinates to scour the underground gambling dens of eight prefectures. Relying on the arithmetic skills I learned in the Southern Wilderness, I have won a considerable amount of gold coins, which I used to purchase high-grade spiritual herbs and send to the Heavenly Craft Academy.

The junior sister secretly sent out the top-grade Divine Transformation Pill she had refined.

With the aid of top-grade Nascent Soul Pills, coupled with the inherent strength of the 150 rogue cultivators, all of them successfully broke through to the next level within three months.