Stop flattering me, system! I'm about to become a saint!

Chapter 3 The Governance of the Sect

In Tianyuan Prefecture, there is no so-called imperial court; instead, seven major sects each govern a territory.

The Zhenwu Sect governed six cities and twenty-two counties, one of which was Anping County.

The county government that governs this area has a much simpler structure than the government offices under the imperial dynasty.

The person who holds all the power in a county is respectfully called the county magistrate. Under him are several stewards who are in charge of important matters such as money, grain, documents, household registration, and criminal justice, each performing their own duties.

As for matters of maintaining order and apprehending criminals, these were the responsibility of the commander and his subordinate constables.

Here, the laws established by the sect are followed, and all order operates in accordance with these laws.

When Yang Song carried the corpse to the county magistrate's office, laughter was coming from the dimly lit jail room.

Chief Constable Wang An was chatting and drinking tea with several constables on night duty, passing the long night.

Yang Song threw the two corpses on the ground and walked straight into the cell. Then, amidst the puzzled looks of the crowd, he clasped his hands and said, "Officer Wang, this afternoon I had a conflict with Liu Changsheng, the young master of the Cangying Martial Arts School. He was harassing a woman on the street, and I couldn't stand it, so I fought with him."

"As a result... that evening, the Wang family father and daughter came to my door with wine and food, saying they wanted to thank me for saving their lives, but little did they know that they had secretly put arsenic in the wine."

I tasted something was wrong with the alcohol, and they immediately tried to kill me to silence me. To protect myself, I was forced to fight back, and in the end, I accidentally killed the father and daughter.

"Oh?"

The people inside the room exchanged glances, all quite surprised.

Although Yang Song had only been working at the county magistrate's office for about half a month, everyone from top to bottom knew of his reputation.

This kind-hearted person, who was almost naive and overly kind, actually committed murder?

"It's like the sun has risen in the west."

Wang An peeled peanuts on the table and said meaningfully, "You're not going to say that the Wang family father and daughter came to your door to poison you because they were threatened by Liu Changsheng, are you?"

"no."

Yang Song sighed deeply: "This matter has nothing to do with Liu Changsheng. It was the Wang family father and daughter who were afraid of his revenge, so they took it upon themselves to poison the wine."

"Oh?"

Wang An looked quite surprised. Yang Song had actually learned to lie?

He didn't believe that the Wang family father and daughter acted on their own initiative; ordinary people like them wouldn't have that kind of guts. They must have been threatened by Liu Changsheng.

Wang An glanced at Yang Song with a scrutinizing gaze, then smirked.

This stubborn blockhead, who never knew how to be flexible, actually got it?

"Who else is in this father and daughter's family?"

Upon hearing Wang An's question, a portion of Yang Song's memories flooded back.

He replied, "When I rescued the Wang family father and daughter this afternoon, I heard them say that they had no relatives left, only the father and daughter depended on each other for survival, and usually made a living by singing around."

Wang An curled his lip: "So you're just a poor wretch who can't be squeezed dry."

Take the body to the mortuary, and have Old Li transport it out of town and bury it somewhere random first thing tomorrow morning. Go.

"Yes."

Yang Song clasped his hands in a fist salute, took a few steps back, turned around, and walked out of the cell.

He then grabbed the two corpses from the ground and hurried to the mortuary in the west of the city.

Facing Wang An's aloofness, you felt not the slightest displeasure, but rather great joy.

This person was over forty years old when he barely managed to cultivate to the Inner Strength Realm. He was a complete fool with no future whatsoever.

He may show off in front of you tonight, but years later, he'll look back and think it was the glory of his life.

The thought that a glimmer of light had appeared in his otherwise bleak life made you happy for him, completely forgetting his past disdain for you.

[Reward: Four days of cultivation points]

Hearing the system's voice, Yang Song couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

In just a few words, his transcendent, compassionate, and somewhat divine image is vividly portrayed.

It's a real pity that he didn't gain enough power.

Although your cultivation is constantly improving, you always feel that you have many shortcomings in your cultivation.

You're not a good-for-nothing like Wang An, why be so hard on yourself?

[Reward: Three days' worth of cultivation points]

Yang Song shrugged. Although the system reward was small, it was better than nothing.

The path of martial arts is a gradual process of hard work, and achieving instant success only exists in dreams.

With this in mind, Yang Song quickened his pace.

The more he walked, the more desolate it became. The blue brick and tile houses along the road were gradually replaced by low thatched huts, making the white-walled and black-tiled charitable estate stand out.

Two plain lanterns hung quietly under the eaves of the mortuary. Yang Song glanced around at the moonlit surroundings, put down the body, and stepped forward to knock on the gate.

"Old Li."

After waiting for a while, footsteps were heard from inside the door.

As the door opened, an elderly man with graying temples appeared before Yang Song.

It was only early autumn, yet he was wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, which was quite strange.

Yang Song's eyes flickered slightly, and he couldn't help but glance at the person's attribute panel.

Name: Li Liming

[Realm: Outer罡 Realm (Peak)]

[Skill Level: 34 years and 29 days]

"Um?"

Yang Song was quite surprised; this old man actually had such a high level of cultivation.

The ten realms of martial arts are: Body Tempering, Qi Condensation, Inner Strength, Outer Strength, Jade Liquid, Elixir Crystal, Vajra, Profound Understanding, Celestial Being, and Divine Travel.

Li Liming was just one step away from reaching the fifth realm in his cultivation. Such strength was rare in Anping County, with only a handful of people reaching this level.

With such great power, why would they condescend to guard the mortuary?

Weird!

Yang Song's mind raced, but his face remained impassive, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Before he could speak, Li Liming asked first, "Officer Yang, what brings you here so late at night?"

Yang Song sighed and recounted what had happened that night.

After hearing this, Li Liming gave Yang Song a deep look.

He also didn't believe that the Wang family father and daughter would poison him on their own initiative; they must have been threatened by Liu Changsheng.

He shook his head: "This father and daughter are pitiful. If Liu Changsheng hadn't been so aggressive, how could they have ended up like this?"

Yang Song said, "Before I drank the poisoned wine, they had countless opportunities to repent, but they remained silent throughout."

If I hadn't tasted something was wrong after just one sip, they would have poisoned me to death.

They may be pitiful, but they don't deserve sympathy. They could easily ask me for help and let me take them far away.

Li Liming said in surprise, "Officer Yang, I have heard of your reputation. The people around this mortuary have benefited a lot from your kindness."

You not only sent them clothes and food, but also helped repair their houses. Countless people praised you for your kindness.

Although the Wang family father and daughter made a grave mistake, I never imagined you would actually commit murder.

Yang Song said, "I am kind-hearted, not a pedantic person."

I will help those who deserve it, but those who want to harm me will not be let off easily!

Li Liming's eyes lit up: "Officer Yang, don't blame me for being presumptuous, but your temperament is exactly the same as mine when I was young."

Yang Song exclaimed in surprise, "That's quite a coincidence!"

"By the way, Officer Yang, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

"No."

Yang Song waved his hand: "It's getting late. I have to get up early to patrol the streets tomorrow. I should go home and rest."

Li Liming's identity is unknown, so it's best for him to avoid contact with this person.

Yang Song exchanged a few polite words, then turned and walked towards the north of the city.

But before he could take more than a few steps, he was stopped by Li Liming.

"Officer Yang, what is your cultivation level now?"

Yang Song pursed his lips, turned around, and said, "Mid-stage Body Tempering, what's wrong?"

Li Liming grinned: "It's nothing, I was just asking."

Yang Song raised an eyebrow, exchanged a few more polite words, and then quickly left.

On the way, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Li Liming seemed to have some ideas about him, and he didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse.

Everyone in the county government thought Li Liming was just an ordinary old man, but you saw through his true nature at a glance.

In your eyes, no one can keep a secret; all pretense is child's play!

[Reward: Five days' worth of cultivation points]

"...Alright then."