Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

Appointment documents issued by Suining Prefecture would be transmitted level by level along the post road.

The candidate chief inspector has entered the senior ranks of the prefectural city. According to regulations, in addition to sending the official document of the candidate chief inspector’s promotion to his post, several copies must also be made to inform the county-level inspector bureaus under his jurisdiction for record-keeping.

At the same time, the official documents will be stamped with the sealing wax of the Judgment Hall, and the post stations along the way must not unseal them or delay them; those who violate this rule will be punished for dereliction of duty.

The day the Yunlin County Astronomical Bureau received the official document was an ordinary afternoon, nothing out of the ordinary.

The clerk in charge of receiving and sending documents was surnamed Fang. He had been doing this job for three years, and he opened more envelopes every day than he ate meals.

He pried open the copper cylinder, pulled out the official document, and glanced at the sealing wax on it.

But when he saw the sealing wax representing the candidate chief inspector, he was so frightened that his hands trembled.

The paper slipped through his fingers, floated half a foot, and he quickly bent down to catch it.

After catching it, I looked at it again.

You read that right, it really is an official document representing the candidate chief inspector.

The minor official Fang Xi held the official document in his hands, jogged through two long corridors, bypassed the screen wall, and headed straight for the chief supervisor's office.

He was running so fast that he almost bumped into the servant who was serving tea at the corner. Tea spilled on half of the servant's sleeve. Fang Xi didn't even have time to finish his apology before continuing to run.

The servant, holding a half-full bowl of leftover tea, stood frozen in place, watching Fang Xi's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, and muttered, "In a hurry to be reincarnated."

The Director's Residence.

Qi Shujian sat behind his desk, reviewing a document concerning the quarterly tax payments of martial arts schools in his jurisdiction.

These kinds of trivial matters should have been handled by subordinates, but he was used to reviewing them personally.

Just then, there was a knock on his door three times.

"Enter."

Fang Xi pushed open the door and came in, put the official documents on the desk, took two steps back, and stood there without moving.

Qi Shujian glanced at him and unfolded the official document.

His gaze swept from the first line to the third line.

Upon seeing the above content, he unconsciously put down the brush he was using to review documents, placing it beside the inkstone.

The ink on the tip of the brush dripped down the shaft, forming a small black puddle on the inkstone.

But Qi Shujian didn't notice.

His eyes were now wide with astonishment at the contents of the official document.

The official document reads: "Yi Yang is hereby appointed as the acting chief inspector of the Suining Prefecture's Observatory, and shall be placed under the command of the Youquan Bureau, effective immediately."

Alternate Chief Inspector.

Qi Shujian read those five words three times; he wasn't surprised by the position.

But it was the name that followed the position that shocked him.

Qi Shujian had initially doubted whether it was someone with the same name, but upon seeing Youquansi, he knew that there was no mistake; this Yi Yang was the Yi Yang he knew.

Qi Shujian recalled the morning six months ago when he saw Yi Yang off from Yunlin County.

At that time, Yi Yang was wearing a patrol captain's uniform, carrying a cloth bag, and taking his granddaughter in a carriage.

He gave him a letter of recommendation and a hidden gold token, his plan being a long-term investment to curry favor in the future.

His expectation was that Yi Yang, with his "late bloomer" destiny, would take three to five years to establish himself in the prefectural city and climb to the position of Inspector General, at which point he would have an assistant.

I had planned for three to five years, but I never expected that Yi Yang would become a candidate chief inspector in just six months.

His official rank has already surpassed his.

Qi Shujian worked his way up in the Sky Patrol Division for more than 20 years, rising from a low-level patrol guard to become the deputy patrol director for several years. He only gained control of the county by eradicating the Nine Evil Cults and purging the old forces in Yunlin County.

But this process took Yi Yang half a year. He went directly ahead of him.

Qi Shujian folded the official document and put it in the drawer.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip; the tea was completely cold and tasted astringent.

After placing the teacup back on the table, he said:

"OK."

He uttered those two words with a strange sense of emotion.

Fang Xi stood at the door, her neck hunched, not daring to move, until Qi Shujian waved his hand, and Fang Xi went out and closed the door behind her.

After the other party left, the public room became quiet.

Qi Shujian leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced in front of his abdomen, staring at the old locust tree outside the window for a long time.

His feelings weren't jealousy.

He wasn't that narrow-minded. When he sent Yiyang to the prefectural city, he didn't expect him to be grateful for the rest of his life. It's only natural for people to strive for higher positions.

It's just that feeling—you think you've carefully nurtured a seedling for three years, but in the first year it grows faster than a tree you've planted for twenty years.

When you stand below and look up, your neck does get a little sore.

The news couldn't be suppressed.

Fang Xi couldn't keep his mouth shut, and by that afternoon, everyone in the Yunlin County Astronomical Bureau knew about it.

Song Tiecheng had just returned from a business trip to another city.

He entered the gate of the Sky Patrol Office, and before he could even change out of his muddy boots, someone grabbed his sleeve.

"Lord Song, something terrible has happened!"

After handing the riding whip to the gatekeeper, Song Tiecheng asked casually:

"The Nine Evil Cults have resurfaced?"

"It's not a cult, it's Yiyang."

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's been promoted to acting chief inspector!"

Upon hearing this, Song Tiecheng stopped in his tracks, his muddy boots landing on the bluestone slabs, and he froze.

He stood there for three breaths before asking, making sure he hadn't misheard.

Say it again.

"The official document from the prefectural city has just arrived. Lord Yi has been promoted to acting chief inspector and will be under the command of Youquan Division."

Song Tiecheng's lips moved twice, but he didn't respond.

He recalled the journey he took Yiyang to the prefectural city, where he sat outside the carriage and explained many of the prefectural city's rules.

"The city is shrouded in deep waters."

"You've come from the county town, so first establish yourself."

"If you encounter disciples from other sects, you should give way."

At that time, Yi Yang sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, adjusting his breathing. He occasionally responded with a word, his attitude humble and showing no sharpness whatsoever.

But now it seems the other party was just being modest.

Song Tiecheng remained silent for a long time before turning to find Chen Wuyai.

At this moment, Chen Wuyai was drinking tea in the side hall. On the table next to him was a copy of an official document that had already been opened. He had received the news half an hour earlier than Song Tiecheng.

Song Tiecheng pushed open the door and entered. Seeing the official documents on the table, he sat down immediately, slapped his hand on the table, and asked:

"You saw it?"

"I saw it."

Chen Wuyai, holding his teacup, spoke much more calmly than Song Tiecheng.

"What was your reaction?"

Chen Wuyai took a sip of tea, put down the bowl, and smiled, saying:

"What kind of reaction could I have? My reaction would be that our big brother has great taste."

Hearing this, Song Tiecheng was stunned for a moment, and upon thinking about it carefully, it was indeed true.

Chen Wuyai tapped the official document on the table with his finger and said:

"Back when Yi-yang was in Yunlin County, my elder brother said that this man was extraordinary and might be a hidden dragon. At that time, you and I both thought he was just a lucky old man, but my elder brother insisted on giving him a letter of recommendation and even used his own connections to pave the way for him."

He leaned back in his chair and continued:

"Looking at it now, it seems that our eldest brother has a broader vision than any of us. This man has entered the prefectural city and caused such a stir in just six months."

Song Tiecheng pressed the back of his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling.

He recalled the night of the riot at the South City prison, when Yi Yang single-handedly guarded the high-prisoner area and killed Feng Haiyuan, the Grand Deacon of the Nine Evil Cults. Everyone thought he had risked his life to achieve that.

Was it a desperate act or just a convenient one for someone who was promoted to acting chief inspector in just six months to kill Feng Haiyuan in prison?

The more Song Tiecheng thought about it, the more numb he felt down his spine.

It's not fear, it's just that I realized it too late.

The old man he saw off was never the person he had imagined.

"This old man has been hiding his true intentions very well."

"When you took him to the prefectural city that time, I remember you told him to keep a low profile?"

"Don't even mention it."

Hearing his second brother's words, Song Tiecheng said with a dark face, "Looking back now, what I taught him was almost like teaching a fish to swim while standing on the riverbank."

Chen Wuyai picked up his teacup, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and said:

"You didn't teach for nothing. At least you gave a lecture to the candidate chief inspector, which you can brag about for years to come."

Song Tiecheng glared at him, then couldn't help but laugh himself.

Chen Wuyai suppressed his smile and pressed his palm against the official document.

"What makes Big Brother truly remarkable is not just his cultivation level."

"Out of all the people in the county, only he recognized Yiyang from the mud and dared to place a bet in advance. This favor is now very valuable."

……

Yunwen Town, the backyard of the Sky Patrol Bureau's base.

The message came through internal channels of the Sky Survey Bureau.

Zhao Gang was practicing his fists and kicks with two of his men in the backyard. He was in the middle of a fierce fight when he heard someone calling him from the gate.

"Brother Gang! Brother Gang!"

That voice is definitely Ren Hao's.

Upon hearing that it was the other party, Zhao Gang stopped punching, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked over.

He saw his trusted confidant, Ren Hao, standing at the courtyard gate with a very strange expression on his face. His lips were twitching, and his eyes were wide open.

"Brother Gang, come inside and we'll talk."

After wiping his sweat with the cloth, Zhao Gang said nonchalantly:

"What's the matter that requires closing the door? You've been hiding a woman behind my back, haven't you?"

"More frightening than a woman."

The two went inside, and Ren Hao closed the door.

Zhao Gang poured a bowl of water, but before he could even bring it to his lips, he heard Ren Hao say:

"Big brother, Yi Yangsheng has been promoted."

Zhao Gang didn't take it seriously. "Promotion to what? Chief Inspector? Or—"

"Appointed Chief Inspector"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang lost his grip on the rough porcelain bowl.

Snapped.

The bowl shattered into three pieces on the ground, and tea splashed onto half of his trouser leg.

Zhao Gang squatted on the ground, maintaining the posture of holding the bowl, and did not get up for a long time.

Ren Hao leaned against the door and waited.

After a while, Zhao Gang stood up, supporting himself on his knees, kicked the broken bowl against the wall, and walked around the room twice.

He recalled his first encounter with Yi Yang at the black market, when the man was an old man with white hair carrying a firewood basket, exchanging purple wood for silver.

Seeing that he was quite skilled, Zhao Gang personally poured him a drink and slapped the table, inviting him to join him.

"Work with me, and I won't treat you badly."

Those were bold words back then.

Looking back now, it seems a bit presumptuous of me to think this way.

Zhao Gang walked to the window, patted the window frame, chuckled for a while, and then said:

"Old Yi, oh Old Yi."

"I actually wanted to recruit you as a thug back then."

Ren Hao said from behind, "Brother Gang, you always say you have a good eye for people. You were the first to see that Lord Yi was capable."

Zhao Gang turned around and patted Ren Hao on the shoulder.

"That's right."

He grinned, and his eyebrows and eyes relaxed.

"We bet on the underdogs back then, and now those underdogs have blown the odds out, so the bookmakers have to toast us."

Ren Hao smiled too.

"Go back to the backup gift."

Zhao Gang exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "It shouldn't be too expensive, nor too shabby. Sending a token of our appreciation to the prefectural city at a time like this is more effective than anything else."

Ren Hao nodded and turned to leave.

Zhao Gang called him back again.

"etc."

Ren Hao turned around.

Zhao Gang had a pipe dangling from his mouth, grinning and revealing a set of slightly crooked teeth.

"Add a sentence to the letter, like 'Waiting for you to come back for a drink.'"

No need to say anything else.

Ren Hao responded and went out.

Zhao Gang was the only one left in the room.

He stood by the window, his pipe tucked between his fingers, looking at the gray sky beyond the courtyard wall.

"Old Yi, oh Old Yi."

The sound in his throat was so soft that he almost couldn't hear it himself.

"Just how much have you been hiding?"