Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Dazhuang mounted his horse.

Squeeze the horse's belly with both legs

They sped off towards the city gate.

The horse's hooves kicked up a spray of melting snow, splashing mud and water everywhere, nearly soaking Li Ping.

Li Ping stood at the alley entrance, straightened the cuffs of his blue long robe, and stuffed the newly acquired iron plaque back into his pocket.

Qian Duo stood to the side, his neck hunched, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

His face was pale and his legs were trembling slightly.

"Sir, are we really going to the county government office?"

Qian Duo muttered to himself

"Inspector Song is known throughout the county for his incorruptibility."

"If Zhao Heng and his men really get away with this, we'll be in big trouble."

"How about we go back to Wild Fox Ridge to lay low for a while?"

Li Ping glanced at him sideways, then strode out of the alley.

"Go, why not go? They've already set up the stage. If we, the main characters, are absent, wouldn't we spoil their fun?"

"But that's an official from the prefecture. What if he just arrests people without warning?"

Qian Duo jogged after him, muttering to himself.

"I heard that Inspector Song used to be so arrogant in the county that he didn't even give face to the scions of powerful families. He was as stubborn as a rock in a latrine."

"Hard stones are better."

Li Ping walked steadily.

"If a greedy and lustful person comes along, and the Bai family sends over a chest of silver, we'll truly have no chance at all."

"Let's go and meet this incorruptible Lord Song."

Inside the main hall of the county government office, the charcoal brazier burned brightly, filling the air with the aroma of pine wood.

Seated in the main seat was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark brown official robe, with a stern face and hawk-like eyes.

This man was none other than Song Ming, the patrol inspector sent by Jiangbei County.

Magistrate Chen Rang sat to one side, holding a teacup and slowly blowing on it, as if everything in the hall was irrelevant to him.

The registrar, Zhao Heng, stood below the hall, holding several documents in his hand, a cold smile on his face, and a sinister look in his eyes.

Bai Chong, the head of the Bai family, sat on a chair on the other side, resting with his eyes closed.

The fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest, producing a series of heavy sounds.

Li Ping strode into the hall and bowed respectfully.

"Li Ping, clerk of Xiyun County, greets Inspector Song and the County Magistrate."

Song Ming raised his eyelids and coldly sized up Li Ping.

"You're Li Ping?"

Song Ming's tone was icy.

"I have received a report that during the suppression of bandits in Xiyun County, you embezzled the cultivation techniques of Hu Guan, the former county magistrate."

"And is it true that he secretly gathered his followers at Wild Fox Ridge with ulterior motives?"

Li Ping straightened up, looking calm and composed.

"Your Excellency, this is utter nonsense."

"Nonsense?"

Zhao Heng sneered, stepped forward, and presented the document in his hand to Song Ming.

"Lord Song, this is the evidence I have collected."

"Li Ping recruited hundreds of strong men at Wild Fox Ridge, privately forged weapons, and even recruited surrendered soldiers from Black Wind Stronghold into his own service."

"If he wasn't plotting something, why would a mere clerk gather so many people? Is he perhaps staying in the mountains to farm?"

Bai Chong also opened his eyes and said calmly.

"Lord Song, the abandoned mine in the mountains belonging to my Bai family was forcibly seized by this Li Wenshu a few days ago."

"The people my Bai family sent to reason with him were all injured by his thugs."

"This young man acts arrogantly and domineeringly, completely disregarding the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"If this isn't severely punished, Xiyun County might have to be taken over by the Li family."

Chen Rang put down his teacup and sighed.

"Lord Song, Li Ping is indeed somewhat arrogant and conceited."

"I have always been lenient with him because of his meritorious service in suppressing bandits, but I never expected him to do such an overstepping act."

"I have failed in my duty to discipline my children; I beg Lord Song for punishment."

The three of them, working in unison, pushed Li Ping to the edge of a cliff in the blink of an eye.

Song Ming raised an eyebrow as he looked at the documents presented to him, then glanced at Li Ping.

"Li Ping, what's your explanation?"

Li Ping remained calm, took out the iron plaque from his pocket, and presented it with both hands.

"Lord Song, please take a look at this."

The yamen runner presented the iron plaque to Song Ming.

Song Ming took it and saw that it was engraved with the four large characters "Xi Yun Min Zhuang" and stamped with the official seal of the county government on the edge.

"What is this?" Song Ming asked.

"This is the iron plaque of 'Xiyun Anti-Beast Militia Camp' personally approved by the county magistrate."

Li Ping looked at Chen Rang and smiled slightly.

"The county magistrate, with his keen foresight, is aware of the strange movements of the monsters in the mountains, which may endanger the county seat."

"Therefore, I hereby grant you special permission to recruit local militia at Yehuling and form a militia battalion to guard against the beast tide."

"Everything I have done has been done under orders; how can there be any accusation of me gathering followers privately?"

Zhao Heng's expression changed slightly, and he abruptly turned to look at Chen Rang.

Chen Rang's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and a few drops of tea spilled onto his sleeve.

He originally thought Li Ping was just recruiting people privately, but he didn't expect Li Ping to use this iron plaque as a shield at this moment.

"Your Highness, this iron plaque..."

Zhao Heng asked anxiously

Chen Rang coughed dryly and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say...

"This is indeed true."

"I am doing this for the safety of the county, and I hereby grant Li Ping permission to form a militia battalion."

"However, I never permitted him to forcibly occupy the Bai family's mine."

Li Ping smiled slightly and continued...

"As for the forced occupation of the mine, it was originally an abandoned, unclaimed mine. I settled the refugees here for the sake of the greater good of protecting against wild animals."

"The Bai family head keeps claiming these are Bai family properties, but do you have any mining rights documents issued by the prefecture?"

Bai Chong's face stiffened, he snorted coldly, and remained silent.

The laws of the Great Qian Dynasty were harsh; illegal mining was a serious crime, so how could he dare to produce any documents?

Song Ming closed the iron plaque, his expression softening slightly, but still stern.

"Even if the militia camps are legal, the issue of the mines is still controversial. How do you explain your embezzlement of the Hu Guan Gong manual?"

"According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, all confiscated martial arts manuals must be handed over to the prefecture or local authorities; anyone who keeps them privately will be punished for treason!"

Li Ping remained calm and took out a cyan jade talisman from his pocket.

"Lord Song, that book, 'The Small Heavenly Circuit Qi Induction Technique,' was personally given to me by Inspector Ren Jun."

These words startled everyone in the hall.

Song Ming's eyes narrowed. He took the jade talisman, scanned it with his divine sense, and his expression changed slightly.

The jade talisman did indeed contain Ren Jun's aura and mark, indicating that the cultivation technique was being given to Li Ping as a reward for his meritorious service in suppressing bandits.

Ren Jun was a prized disciple of Prefect Chen Boyong and wielded immense power in the prefecture; Song Ming naturally recognized him.

"Was it a gift from Inspector Ren?"

Song Ming put away the jade talisman, his tone softening slightly.

"Since it was authorized by Inspector Ren, the claim that he embezzled the cultivation technique is unfounded."

Zhao Heng gritted his teeth, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

He originally thought he could use this opportunity to convict Li Ping, but he didn't expect that Li Ping had Ren Jun backing him up.

"Lord Song!"

Zhao Heng stepped forward

"Even if the cultivation technique itself is of legitimate origin, how do you explain his unauthorized collection of spiritual sand? This is tantamount to undermining the Great Qian Dynasty!"

Li Ping looked at the impatient Zhao Heng, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"Registrar Zhao, you keep accusing me of privately mining spirit sand, but do you have any evidence?"

"Hmph, many merchants in the city have seen the spirit sand transported from Wild Fox Ridge. Do you still want to deny it?" Zhao Heng sneered.

"I do have some spirit sand, but it's all remnants cleared from abandoned mines, and it's already registered and ready to be handed over to the county government."

Li Ping pulled a thick book from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

"However, speaking of illegally mining spirit sand, I do have some genuine evidence here, which I would like to request Lord Song to review."

Song Ming took the book, opened it to the first page, and his face darkened.

Li Ping read slowly and deliberately from the side.

"In the thirty-second year of the Daqian era, the Bai family privately mined the mine and obtained three thousand catties of spirit sand, without paying a single penny of tax to the county government."

"In the thirty-fourth year of the Daqian calendar, the Bai family colluded with the Black Wind Bandit Stronghold to transport privately mined spiritual sand to other places for sale, and the profits were split 50/50 with the Black Wind Bandit Stronghold."

"Every single time, place, and person involved is recorded clearly on this document."

Bai Chong's expression changed instantly.

He had originally thought that these secrets were unknown to outsiders, but he never expected that Li Ping would have such a detailed inventory of numbers.

He suddenly stood up, pointed at Li Ping, his finger trembling slightly, and could barely speak.

"You...you're making baseless accusations! This must be a forgery!"

"Forgery?"

Li Ping sneered.

"The handwriting on this is the own handwriting of Bai Fu, the head steward of the Bai family."

"Bai Fu is currently in the city. Lord Song only needs to send someone to summon him here for a face-to-face confrontation to determine the truth."

"Furthermore, at the back of this book, there is a detailed list of the 'tribute' the Bai family gave to certain people in the county government."

"In the third month of the thirty-fifth year of the Daqian calendar, fifty catties of spiritual cinnabar were presented to Registrar Zhao Heng."

In May of the same year, three century-old ginseng roots and one hundred catties of spirit cinnabar were presented to Magistrate Chen Rang.

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence in the blink of an eye.

Chen Rang and Zhao Heng's expressions also turned extremely ugly.

They were well aware of the Bai family's illegal mining of spirit sand, and had even benefited from it themselves.

If Song Ming takes this book back to the prefecture, they'll probably lose their official hats.

Song Ming closed the book, his face as cold as ice, his gaze sweeping over the faces of Chen Rang, Zhao Heng, and Bai Chong.

"Magistrate Chen, Registrar Zhao, what is your explanation for this?"

Song Ming's tone was icy, with a hint of anger.

Chen Rang broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly stood up, bowing respectfully.

"Lord Song, this...this must be a forgery by Li Ping! I have absolutely no involvement in this matter!"

"This humble official is utterly loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty; how could I have committed such a lawless and disorderly act?"

"Yes, Lord Song, Li Ping is a treacherous man who deliberately forged this book in an attempt to frame an official of the imperial court!"

Zhao Heng hurriedly tried to explain, but his trembling voice betrayed his inner panic.

Li Ping stood to the side, his hands tucked into his sleeves, observing coldly.

He knew that once this detailed account book was released, the alliance between the three would crumble.

Just as the situation in the hall reached a stalemate, and Song Ming was about to order Bai Fu to be summoned, a sudden burst of rapid hoofbeats came from outside.

The sound of horses' hooves came to an abrupt halt outside the county government office. Then, a blood-soaked constable stumbled and crawled into the hall, collapsing to the ground.

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