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

In the early morning, the mist still lingered around the walls of the independent courtyard assigned by the Sky Patrol Office in Yunwen Town.

Yi Yang put on the newly issued official robes of the candidate chief steward inside the room. The dark gray fabric had fine stitches, and the shoulders were embroidered with red cloud and thunder patterns in gold thread.

The sixty-year-old man put on this outfit, straightened his back slightly, and the earthy air ingrained in his bones from years of chopping wood was largely suppressed by the majesty brought by this high-ranking position.

He looked at himself in the basin. Thanks to the blessing of his old age and the nourishment of his body brought by the sixth level of Qi and Blood Cleansing and Blood Transformation Realm, his face, which was full of wrinkles, had an unusually rosy color, and his gray hair was also mixed with a lot of black strands.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the wooden door hinges emitted a long, drawn-out friction sound.

Huang Yushu was standing on the bluestone slab outside the door. Dew dampened the hem of his clothes, his sword hung steadily at his waist, and his bloodshot eyes revealed a stubbornness that refused to turn back even after hitting a wall.

"Does Your Excellency intend to go to Qianyang Tower today?" Huang Yushu stepped forward and bowed.

Yi Yang straightened his cuffs and looked at him, asking, "Why aren't you going back to Yunwen Town? I remember you were promoted to patrol captain, in charge of a small squad, weren't you? Why are you standing guard here?"

Huang Yushu straightened his back and replied, "I want to work for you. I had already decided beforehand. Even if it's just serving tea and water, running errands and doing odd jobs, it's better than working with an inanimate object. Besides, there are many people and eyes around at Qianyang Tower, so I need someone trustworthy to help me hone my skills."

Yi Yang's sharp eyes lingered on the young man's face for two seconds. The situation at Qianyang Tower was unclear, with various forces intertwined and deeply entrenched. As a newcomer, he desperately needed a trusted confidant who could get things done.

Huang Yushu's stubbornness in insisting on investigating the family annihilation case back then was a perfect tool when applied to the business world where old connections needed to be torn apart.

"Let's follow." Yi Yang stepped out of the door and walked towards the alley entrance.

Huang Yushu followed closely behind.

About half an hour later, the two had traversed half of Yunlin County, and the most bustling area of ​​Yunlin County came into view.

This place is nominally called Qianyang Tower, but it is actually a long commercial street.

At the street corner stands a white stone archway about three zhang tall, with the two large characters "Qianyang" carved in bold strokes. Outsiders who have only heard of the name always think that Qianyang Tower is an isolated building selling medicine. Only when they arrive at the site will they realize that the businesses under the Xuntiansi (a local government agency) have long since spread outwards from that main building, forming a vibrant street.

On either side of the archway stood eight fully armed patrolmen from the Celestial Patrol Bureau. The patrol leader, with his sharp eyes, caught sight of the red cloud and thunder patterned official robes in the distance and immediately straightened his relaxed posture.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" The eight guards knelt down in unison, the sound of their armor clanging echoing at the entrance of the long street.

Yi Yang didn't stop walking for a moment, only replying, "No need for formalities."

The independent martial artists who were queuing up for inspection before entering the street quickly moved aside. Many of them lowered their heads to steal glances at the impeccably dressed official, whispering among themselves.

"See that? Red cloud and thunder pattern. That's the insignia of the candidate patrol commander."

"Is this the thirteenth-ranked student who single-handedly defeated several top experts in the quarterly exam?"

"He looks quite old, but he walks more steadily than a strong young man."

Beyond the archway, the streets were lined with shops of all sizes. Pharmacies, weapon shops, martial arts workshops, and shops selling materials for exotic beasts stood side by side, the air thick with the pungent smells of various herbs and the fishy odors of raw materials. Yi Yang noticed that among the shops of the Sky Patrol Division with their black signs and red characters, there were also many upscale shops with the exclusive clan crests of the Zhang, Wang, and Li families hanging on them.

The bustling crowds, the shouts of martial artists, the arguments of bargaining, and the clatter of wheelbarrows laden with goods rolling over the bluestone slabs created a cacophony of noise.

Yi Yang walked forward in the middle of the road, and the martial artists in front of him began to disperse from a distance. Huang Yushu followed half a step to his side, his palm always resting on the front of the hilt of his sword.

Fifteen minutes later, the four-story octagonal building in the deepest part of the field of vision finally came into full view.

The entire building is constructed with a frame made of red paulownia wood, and the black plaque with gold lettering hanging in front of it stands out conspicuously on the street. A group of people were already lined up on both sides of the open space in front of the main entrance.

The leader was slender with unusually long and narrow eyes and a sparse goatee on his chin. This man was Ye Yang, the head steward of Qianyang Tower.

As soon as Ye Yang saw Yi Yang approaching, he hurried forward to greet him, bending so low that he almost broke off on the ground.

"I am Ye Yang, the head steward of Qianyang Tower. I've been eagerly awaiting your arrival, sir! With you taking over Qianyang Tower, our business is sure to reach new heights!"

Ye Yang rubbed his hands together vigorously in front of him, tiptoed closer, and began to speak eloquently:

"A welcoming feast has been prepared in the upstairs room, featuring all sorts of rare dishes transported from Suining Prefecture. Please come in, sir, let's eat and chat..."

Yi Yang stood with his hands behind his back at the bottom of the stone steps in front of the door, and looked up at the local bully with a big smile on his face.

"Go and get the account books." Yi Yang cut off Ye Yang's endless flattery with just six words.

Ye Yang's two arched eyebrows squeezed together, his narrow eyes darted around, and he continued to speak with a forced smile:

"My lord, what are you saying? You've just taken office and are exhausted from your journey. How can you rush such a mentally taxing and dirty task as auditing accounts? I'll bring the roster to your room right away. Please have something to eat first..."

Yi Yang placed his palm on the gleaming handguard of the knife at his waist. The oppressive aura of the peak of the fourth level of Qi and Blood was concealed, but the chill in his tone was enough to silence the other party.

"I told you to bring the ledgers, didn't you understand what I said?"

Yi Yang stared directly into the other person's eyes and questioned him, his overwhelming pressure pressing down on him.

Sweat beaded on Ye Yang's forehead. The welcoming words he had prepared were swallowed back down his throat. Having worked his way up in Yunlin County for so many years, he was an expert at judging people by their appearance. The murderous aura emanating from his new boss was not something that could be easily fooled with a few drinks.

"This way, sir. I'll get you the bill right away." He hunched over and obediently led the way.

Passing through two colonnades from the main hall, you will reach the back courtyard and arrive at a secluded main hall.

Once the two heavy wooden doors closed, most of the hustle and bustle outside was shut out. Yi Yang pulled out the carved mahogany chair at the head of the table and sat down comfortably.

He tapped his fingers rhythmically twice on the edge of the rosewood table.

Ye Yang stood in front of the hall, his calves trembling. The new steward was unconventional; he didn't meet with the local gentry, nor did he check the actual inventory; he went straight for the vital ledger of Qianyang Tower.

"Sir, the accounts on the street are quite complicated and detailed, numbering in the dozens. The accountants in the building are still doing the final check. Could you perhaps grant us two more days..."

Ye Yang had only spoken half a sentence when Huang Yushu's standard-issue sword was already half an inch out of his waist amidst a screeching sound.

"The master wants to see the ledgers, what are you babbling about?" Huang Yushu stepped forward and spoke sternly.

Ye Yang wiped the sweat from his temples, inwardly groaning. He had originally planned to use the excuse of checking accounts to excuse himself for three to five days, giving him time to smooth over the mess left behind and also to have a word with the real masters in the inner city. Who would have thought that this steward was such a stubborn and unyielding person?

Yi Yang picked up the freshly brewed coarse tea from the side, took a sip, and slammed the teacup back onto the table.

"Steward Ye, there are some lousy rules that you and I both know. Before dark today, you will hand over all the major transactions in and out of Qianyang Street over the past three years and place them in front of me. If even one item is missing or a page is torn out, I can't guarantee you'll leave this door safely."

There is no room for bargaining, let alone discussion.

Ye Yang sensed the weight of the message. He had originally intended to invoke the influence of the previous heads of the Sky Patrol Division or the powerful families to try and smooth things over, but after glancing at the half-bladed knife that the hothead had drawn, all his excuses were swallowed back.

He could only meekly agree and take out three thick, hardcover ledgers from a hidden compartment in the inner room and place them on the table.

"My lord, I dare not conceal anything. These three books record the flow of all high-grade pills and exotic beast meat in Qianyang Street over the past three years. Please take a look."

Yi Yang pulled the top ledger to his side and opened it, his rough fingertips tracing the densely packed records of money transactions. After reading through it for about half an incense stick's time, he snapped the ledger shut and pushed it open.

"Go outside and wait there." Yi Yang waved his hand, issuing an order to leave.

Ye Yang bowed as if he had been granted a pardon, and stepped back out of the room, fastening the door bolt again as he did so.

Only the two of them remained inside.

Yi Yang pushed the thick ledgers in front of Huang Yushu.

"Just flip through it. Tell me, what insights do you see in this ledger?"

Huang Yushu picked up the top book and examined it carefully from beginning to end, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing more and more tightly. After a long while, he finally looked up and answered.

"My lord, Ye Yang's old tricks for keeping accounts are really cunning. On the surface, every single transaction is traceable and looks perfectly balanced."

However, these high-grade pills were sold at a price 30% lower than the market price in outside shops, and they were all sold to small shops whose names they had never even heard of. This was clearly a blatant case of transferring money from one's own pocket to another, taking away the flesh of the Sky Patrol Division to fill their own hole.

Your stern warning should keep that old man quiet for a while.

Huang Yushu thought he had seen through the mystery and characterized it as a common tactic used by new officials to discipline seasoned veterans.

Yi Yang straightened up, supporting himself on the armrests of the chair, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You're still too slow on the uptake, treating him like a normal person," Yi Yang scolded, pacing back and forth in the room.

Huang Yushu looked over with a blank expression.

Yi Yang walked to the window and pushed open half of the carved wooden window, looking at the still busy and noisy street scene outside, where many huge shop signs were very eye-catching.

"I had a drink with you last night and learned a lot of inside information. The foundation of Qianyang Tower and this street has been rotten for years. Ye Yang's real backer is one of the three major families in the inner city."

Yi Yang turned his gaze back to Huang Yushu and continued his analysis.

"In the past three years, the Sky Patrol Division could have easily made a fortune and replenished its treasury by relying on the low-priced resources allocated from Suining Prefecture. However, Ye Yang, through various shady means such as losses and unsold stock, managed to supply 80% of the high-grade pills to the underground channels controlled by the three major families at extremely low prices. He wasn't just secretly embezzling the Sky Patrol Division's money; he was using the Sky Patrol Division's lifeblood to provide sustenance to those powerful families!"

Yi Yang pressed his fingers hard on the wooden table, leaving several fingerprints on it.

"Do you think a few words of reprimand will work on a dog that's already changed owners?"

Huang Yushu gasped, his grip on the knife tightening.

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

"Investigating these messy accounts isn't really about recovering the lost money from the past. Those powerful families won't spit out what they've taken. Looking at the accounts is just to get them to lay their cards on the table, so I can hold onto a key indicator that allows me to legitimately prosecute them according to the rules of the Sky Patrol Bureau!"

Yi Yang slammed the account book that Ye Yang was so proud of onto the ground. If he wanted to push the Yi Mu Health Cultivation Technique to its limit as soon as possible and break through to the Inner Qi Realm in the coming days, he had to completely control this hugely profitable business chain.

If Ye Yang and the three major families discover that he has been plundering medicinal resources on a large scale, it will inevitably lead to their annihilation. Only by uprooting this nail that has long been covered with barbs can he walk steadily on his future path.

"Huang Yushu, you'll have to work hard these next few days to find out the connection between Ye Yang and the aristocratic families, and then come back and report. But remember, you absolutely cannot act rashly. This is not something you can solve alone," Yi Yang ordered.

The fire in Huang Yushu's eyes burned especially fiercely at that moment. He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to accept the order, then turned and disappeared into the corridor leading to the outside.