“Do you have a plan, Chief Ling?” Ye Qing asked.
It was true he killed Xiao Yang, but he wouldn’t be in this situation if Ling Jianqiu hadn’t sent him on a mission. Therefore, the man must take some responsibility!
Ling Jianqiu chuckled. “I do, but I’m not sure you would like it.”
“Tell me. I’ll decide if I like it after I hear it,” Ye Qing said quickly. To be honest, he wasn’t expecting the Chief of Bureau to say yes when he asked him for a solution. Of course he wasn’t going to pass it over until he had heard about it.
“You can join the Pacification Bureau!” Ling Jianqiu declared.
“You… want me to join the Pacification Bureau?” Ye Qing stared at Ling Jianqiu incredulously. You couldn’t even handle one Evergreen Ivy, and you’re asking me to join you? Do I look stupid to you?
“Ahem…” Ling Jianqiu coughed in embarrassment. He couldn’t hear Ye Qing’s thoughts, but the doubt in his eyes was as plain as day. “I’m not asking you to join my Pacification Bureau. We obviously do not have the strength to protect you from the likes of Sunset Hill. But Luo Shui’s Pacification Bureau is a different story.”
“Luo Shui?” Ye Qing’s confusion only increased. Sunset Hill was located in Luo Shui, so to go there was like entering the tiger’s den of his own volition. He’s not trying to kill me, is he?
Ling Jianqiu explained, “You probably don’t know this, but Luo Shui’s Pacification Bureau is stronger than Sunset Hill, Blood Shadow Castle and White Horse Academy combined.”
“As the overseer of eighty-one villages, Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui commands fifteen thousand Qi Invokers, eight thousand Vessel Augmentors, one thousand Astral Refiners, three hundred Spirit Purifiers, ten half-step Spirit Masters, and two Spirit Masters in total. This does not include partial members such as guest warriors, hanger-ons, or covert agents.”
“If they wanted to, the Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui absolutely possesses the power to topple the three sects and make themselves king of the hill that is Luo Shui. They didn’t because our responsibility is to slay Strangers, preserve the peace, and protect the territory we’re assigned to from all dangers, not getting involved in petty affairs so to speak.”
“Are you for real?” Ye Qing blurted in shock. He had no idea that Luo Shui’s Pacification Bureau was so powerful, though in hindsight he probably should’ve realized this sooner. In Anyang, the Pacification Bureau was also stronger than all the other factions such as the three clans, the Iron Shirt Gang and Qiao Six.
Ling Jianqiu continued, “Besides that, Luo Shui is defended by ten thousand Black Feather Guards, and they answer to the Pacification Bureau and the commandery administration. Sunset Hill would be crazy to go up against them.”
Ling Jianqiu sounded quite proud of his brethren’s strength. “Finally, the Pacification Bureau is the central pillar of Chu itself. If Sunset Hill is stupid enough to challenge and bring shame to the empire, the ten thousand Black Feathers would step in and flatten them overnight.”
“In conclusion, your safety should be guaranteed if you join Luo Shui’s Pacification Bureau.”
“That sounds awesome!” Ye Qing did not try to hide his admiration. “But how can I join them?”
His question sounded simple, but it wasn’t. It was notoriously difficult to join the Pacification Bureau, not to mention that this one was the overseer of an entire commandery. Sure, he could join them as a Pacification Sentinel—it would be simply since he was an Astral Refiner—but neither the Pacification Bureau nor Wang Luori were idiots. The Pacification Bureau would not go to war against Wang Luori over a small fry, and Wang Luori knew this as well. This meant that he must join the Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui as a person of power. Only then would their protection matter.
Ling Jianqiu assured him, “Don’t worry. Every year, I am allowed to recommend one person to join the Pacification Bureau of Luo Shui. If the person succeeds, they would be promoted to Guardian or Lieutenant immediately. I will give you the slot.”
“Are you sure? That’s not very proper, is it?” Ye Qing said hesitantly, but he was just being polite. On one hand, he was robbing the actual members of the Pacification Bureau a shot at promotion. On the other hand, this was his life they were talking about.
Ling Jianqiu smiled. “Considering what you’ve done for Anyang, giving you the slot is the least we could do. In fact, you deserve it more than anyone in this entire county. I can only imagine your future considering how strong you already are.”
“In that case, I shall gladly accept your offer!” Ye Qing saluted the Chief of Bureau respectfully.
It was a sound plan. With Ling Jianqiu’s recommendation, he could skip most of the hassle and be promoted to a Lieutenant right away. That was high enough on the totem pole that Wang Luori would have to think twice before attacking him.
The idea of shooting for Guardian never crossed his mind. At his level, it would be a mark of shame to become a Guardian.
Ling Jianqiu nodded when Ye Qing agreed to the plan. “One more thing. My teacher is the Deputy Chief of Bureau. I will write him a letter and ask him to look after you!”
“Thank you, Chief Ling!” Now this is what I call proper nepotism!
“I’ll get started on the procedures then. No reason to drag this out longer than it needs to be, right?” Ling Jianqiu said. When he turned around, his lips curled into a triumphant smirk.
From the day he learned about Ye Qing and his deeds, he had wanted to recruit Ye Qing into the Pacification Bureau. Although the young man proved to be too big for Anyang, where he was going would give him the opportunity to benefit far more people and uplift Chu to greater heights. It was a dream come true so to speak.
Behind Ling Jianqiu, Ye Qing saluted the man again and declared, “Thanks for everything, Chief Ling. I will never forget what you’ve done for me today!”
He didn’t know that Ling Jianqiu had been plotting to recruit him into the Pacification Bureau since ages ago, but he could see that the arrangement was purely to his benefit. Offering the Chief of Bureau his wholehearted thanks was the least he could do.
Sure, Ye Qing didn’t really want to be affiliated with the Pacification Bureau, but you couldn’t always get what you wanted in life. He would just have to improvise as the situation demanded.
“With your permission, I’ll be taking my leave, Chief Ling. There are a few things I need to attend to.”
“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ye Qing turned around and left after that. His smile was warm and bright.
Humans were humans not just because they knew right from wrong, good from evil, and justice from injustice. It was also because they knew gratitude, reciprocation, self-sacrifice, altruism, love and more.
This, was why humanity was worth it.
As usual, the morning gongs awoke the sleeping men and women. The sky took a shade of white, the streets became filled with hustle and bustle, and merry voices and laughter filled the world with joy once more.
Everyone seemed to be gossiping about three major incidents today. The first incident was the demise of the two remaining clans of Anyang, the Shen Clan and the Li Clan. Their people were slaughtered, their assets were robbed, and their bases were reduced to ruins in just a single night. Who would’ve thought that they would follow in the footsteps of the Zheng Clan, and in such a short time no less? In any case, this marked the moment the three major clans became the laughingstock of the entire county and a mere footnote in Anyang’s history.
The second incident was the destruction of the headquarters of the most mysterious department in Anyang, the Pacification Bureau. Despite suffering heavy casualties and damage, the members of the Pacification Bureau were unusually cheerful for some reason. It was almost as if they were celebrating the New Year.
The third major incident was some of the most prominent figures of Anyang standing on gates when the first morning gong was sounded. There were Ling Jianqiu, Chief of the Pacification Bureau; Yan Yufei, the county magistrate of Anyang; Yan Feng the bailiff and the omniscient Master Qiao Six. For some reason, they were all gazing to the horizon as if welcoming the first ray of dawn or bidding goodbye to someone!
As usual, no one knew exactly what had led up to the incidents. For a time, it was all they could talk about for an entire month and more.
No one noticed that Endless Horizons had gotten a new owner, however. The young man who always wore a warm smile on his face; who enjoyed drinking and basking in the sun in front of his bookstore, who always joked with the children and put a smile on their faces, was gone.
Like a grain of sand he had flown into the hub of humanity with the wind, and like a grain of sand he had flown away without anyone noticing.
“Life comes and goes like the wind and the rain, but a jar of rice wine? Man! Who said that there is no medicine to cure my sorrows, right Brother Frog?”
“Brother Frog, I don’t mind you staring at me with your large, innocent eyes all day, but just in case you’re harboring any misguided hope, I must tell you that I am not sharing this jar of wine with you. This is mine!”
Ye Qing gave his wine a shake and took a long sniff that left him feeling heady in a very, very good way. “We agreed that we’d enjoy a jar each everyday. It’s not my fault you finished it as quickly as you did. As a frog, a kungfu frog no less, your word is your bond!”
Even Wawa appeared on Ye Qing’s shoulder and chided Kung Fu Frog seriously, “He’s right. You should always keep your promises!”
“Croak croak…” Kung Fu Frog croaked glumly. Who was the one who told it that it would never run out of good food and fine wine? Lies, all of it!
“Do we really need to leave so soon, young master?” Faceless asked. The Stranger was currently holding the donkey and leading the way.
Ye Qing sipped his wine before answering in a helpless tone, “What can I do? Wang Luori could show up a month later, or he could show up this very evening. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get to Luo Shui and safety!”
Their departure was, admittedly, a little hasty, but at least he had wrapped all of his important business in Anyang. First, he had paid the Shen Clan and the Li Clan a visit and plundered them for all their worth. Everyone who resisted was killed, and no one still living was stupid enough to plot revenge against him. Second, he had made Tao Xian the new boss of the Iron Shirt Gang and a subordinate of Yan Yufei. With the Pacification Bureau to back them up, Wang Luori should be less tempted to take it out on them.
Last but not least, he visited all of his friends and acquaintances and bade them goodbye. Yan Yufei, Yan Feng, Yang Guan, Ling Jianqiu, Qiao Six, even the Zhou Family whose son he saved a while ago and more, he made sure that his departure was one that would not leave any regrets behind.
The next day, before the sun was even up he visited the Pacification Bureau, received the recommendation letter and stamp from Ling Jianqiu, and left on the first morning gongs toward the light. If Ye Qin were to be honest with himself, he did not want to leave Anyang either. But life was everchanging, and reality was its harsh mistress. All he could do was to walk the path without losing himself!
There were two ways to travel to Luo Shui, the land route or the river route. The land route—also the official route—was longer, but it was safe because it was populated by villages and counties. The river route would take them to Luo Shui in three days at most, but the chances they might run into Strangers or other danger was almost one hundred percent.
After weighing the pros and cons, Ye Qing decided to stick with the river route. The sooner he reached the Pacification Bureau, the lesser the chance that something might go wrong.
The closest ferry point to Anyang was Maple Leaf Point. Ideally, it would take them about one day to make it there. Realistically, it was impossible to say.
A party of one man and three Strangers was unusual even in this world, but it certainly wasn’t boring. They passed the time by making conversation with one another and teasing Wawa. It was a pretty lively experience overall.
Ye Qing was teasing Wawa again when suddenly, they heard a childish voice singing,
One two three four five…”
Ye Qing followed the voice. He quickly saw a small, childlike figure digging a hole on the ground with a little spade.