Patrol Bureau.
The highest pavilion.
A faint mist rose.
"Chief, please try this!"
Ye Qiu gestured for Hong Minghu to taste the freshly brewed hot tea in front of him.
Moments later.
"Good tea!"
Hong Minghu took a couple of sips and nodded in approval.
"Chief, should we do something about the chaos below?" Ye Qiu asked after Hong Minghu put down his cup.
"Chaos? What chaos?" Hong Minghu looked at Ye Qiu with a puzzled expression.
"Chief, do you not know?" Ye Qiu asked.
Hong Minghu said, "Stop beating around the bush. Speak plainly!"
Hearing this, Ye Qiu stared into Hong Minghu's eyes and remained silent for two breaths.
Then, he chuckled.
"Alright!" Ye Qiu nodded heavily.
At that moment, both of them turned to look at the staircase behind them.
Thud, thud, thud
The sound of footsteps was particularly clear in the silent, snowy weather, growing louder as they approached.
"Commander Jiang is here!" Hong Minghu smiled as he saw Jiang Ning's head appear at the top of the stairs.
"Brother Jiang!" Ye Qiu immediately stood up to greet him.
"Brother Ye!" Jiang Ning was also greeted with a smile.
Then, he cupped his hands toward Hong Minghu.
"Greetings, Chief!"
"Commander Jiang, what brings you here today?" Hong Minghu smiled and continued, "Please, have a seat."
"Thank you, Chief!" Jiang Ning cupped his hands.
Then.
Jiang Ning and Ye Qiu sat down across from Hong Minghu.
"Brother Jiang, have some tea!" Ye Qiu poured a steaming cup of tea and placed it in front of Jiang Ning.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning took a small sip and then set the cup down.
"Commander Jiang, it seems you have something to discuss with me?" Hong Minghu asked.
"Yes," Jiang Ning nodded.
"Feel free to speak plainly," Hong Minghu said.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning immediately asked, "Chief, are you aware that some people below are killing innocent civilians and claiming their achievements?"
"Killing innocent civilians and claiming achievements?" Hong Minghu's face darkened. "Commander Jiang, could you elaborate?"
"Chief, are you aware that the so-called followers of the Worship God Sect being hunted by the captains and commanders these days are ordinary civilians?" Jiang Ning said.
"That's impossible!" Hong Minghu shook his head.
Then he continued, "I've personally verified that those people were tainted by the aura of the evil god defeated by the Worship God Sect. Once tainted by the aura of an evil god, there's no mistake."
"Chief, are you truly unaware?" Jiang Ning stared at Hong Minghu.
"Nonsense!" Hong Minghu's expression turned angry.
"Chief, please calm down!" Ye Qiu, who was standing nearby, quickly intervened.
Then he tugged at Jiang Ning's arm, urging him to sit down.
At this moment.
Hong Minghu also slightly softened his expression.
He looked at Jiang Ning and said, "I know what you're trying to say! But I must tell you, the Great Xia claims to share the world with the sects and noble families. This world does not belong to the common people."
"For the Patrol Bureau to operate smoothly, we not only need to establish authority but also gain the support of those people."
"Those captains and deputy commanders you mentioned go and check for yourself. Aside from you, is there anyone else from an ordinary background?"
"Those civilians you mentioned were once followers of the Worship God Sect, tainted by the aura of an evil god. Killing them is not unjust."
At this point, Hong Minghu stared at Jiang Ning.
"You come from an ordinary family, so your perspective is limited. Now that you're in a position of power, you don't need to consider the common people. You only need to focus on building relationships with those of your status."
"In this world, the common people cannot change the course of history!"
After saying this.
Hong Minghu said, "Commander Jiang, go back and think carefully! You should know that He Jinyun, who holds the same rank as you, is a hereditary minor lord."
"Yuan Hua, who holds the same rank as you, is from the Yuan family of Donglin City. His father, Yuan Xianzong, is known as a minor grandmaster and is the sixth elder of the Golden Wheel Sect."
"Tang Miaomiao, who holds the same rank as you, is from the Tang Clan of Bashu County. Before she turned eighteen, she was trained within the Tang Clan."
"Li Changkong, who ranks above you, is a direct descendant of the Li Clan of Beili."
"..."
Moments later.
"I take my leave," Jiang Ning cupped his hands and turned to leave.
Ye Qiu also quickly said, "Chief, I'll see Commander Jiang off and have a chat with him."
"Go ahead," Hong Minghu said indifferently.
Then.
He watched the two leave and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Naive!!"
At this moment, Hong Minghu suddenly felt a sense of relief.
He was glad that Jiang Ning had not agreed to marry his daughter earlier.
After Jiang Ning had informed him about He Jinyun's killing of innocent civilians and based on Jiang Ning's behavior and words today.
He had come to understand that Jiang Ning was a kind-hearted person.
But kind-hearted people were the most dangerous in his eyes.
Because they were too upright, inflexible, and unwilling to compromise. In the end, they would be crushed by the overwhelming tide of events.
In the face of such a tide, so-called prodigies and young grandmasters were all illusions, meaningless.
Because opposing the tide, how could one have the chance to grow to that level?
And even if one did grow to that level, becoming a peerless grandmaster, they would still struggle to withstand the tide.
Unless one could become a figure like the Martial Saint.
Only such a figure could represent the tide, the tide of the world!
Hong Minghu pondered for a long time and then shook his head again.
"Fortunately, I didn't form a marriage alliance with him. Otherwise, with his current temperament, if he remains inflexible, it could lead to disaster in the future. It might even bring harm to my wife and daughter!"
Then he smiled.
He muttered to himself, "These days, my contribution points have been quite good!"
"How could I let this kid ruin my plans?"
"I want to progress too much!!" At this point, Hong Minghu's expression was filled with emotion.
He had not reached the fifth rank of Internal Strength through orthodox means, so under normal circumstances, he had no hope of reaching higher levels of martial arts.
But nothing in the world was absolute.
From what he knew, the Martial Saint's vault contained a treasured medicine that could allow him to transform, reversing his innate limitations. That treasure of medicine could solve his current problem.
It would give him the qualifications to reach higher levels of martial arts.
But the contribution points required for that treasure medicine were terrifying.
No matter how terrifying, he still wanted to try. He had his selfish desires!
On the other side.
Ye Qiu and Jiang Ning left the pavilion, walking on the soft snow.
"Brother Jiang, I admire you!" Ye Qiu glanced back, feeling that they were far enough away, and then spoke.
Jiang Ning shook his head and sighed.
Ye Qiu said, "Brother Jiang, you've done your best. Your actions today were destined to be futile. Did you know that Chief Hong is also involved in the distribution of contribution points?"
"Chief Hong is involved too?" Jiang Ning was shocked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Yes," Ye Qiu nodded. "From what I know, it's true! Thirty percent of their contribution points go to the chief. Moreover, in the entire Luoshui County Patrol Bureau, below the chief, including commanders like you and me, whenever contribution points are earned, the chief gets an additional ten percent."
"So, Chief Hong will inevitably turn a blind eye."
"Chief Hong is a beneficiary of the system!"
"Moreover!" Ye Qiu then changed the subject. "You know He Jinyun, right? What the chief said earlier is true! Some people are difficult for even us to touch."
"Take He Jinyun, for example. Whether it's me or the chief, we have to give him enough face."
"Although that minor lord's family has declined, their status is still extremely prestigious. As a hereditary lord, his family has a top-tier fourth-rank expert, and there is no shortage of fifth-rank experts under their command."
"So, those people are hard to touch!"
"You should also rein yourself in. There's no need to clash with the real power group over some ordinary people."
Seeing Ye Qiu's expression, Jiang Ning nodded.
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Ye. I understand."
"It's good that you understand!" Ye Qiu sighed. "The power of an individual is like a speck of dust in the face of the tide! If there were a choice, I wouldn't be advising you like this."
"But you currently have no choice. Staying out of it is the kindest thing you can do."
Jiang Ning looked at Ye Qiu and smiled.
Moments later.
Jiang Ning returned to his residence.
"Sir!" Xie Xiaojiu saw Jiang Ning and quickly stood up to greet him.
After draping a sable coat over Jiang Ning, she quickly brought over a cup of tea that had been warming on the stove.
"Sir, have some tea first!"
Jiang Ning took the tea from Xie Xiaojiu, took a couple of sips, and the cold in his body immediately dissipated.
"Sir, what did the chief say?" Xie Xiaojiu's eyes shone with a bright light.
Jiang Ning shook his head. "No results."
"I understand," Xie Xiaojiu's light dimmed.
She understood all too well that the people captured and killed by the captains, team members, and commanders, and the merits and contribution points they claimed, all came from the ordinary civilians of the city.
Although she wasn't born into an ordinary family, she was born in Luoshui County and didn't want to see this happen.
But as an ordinary captain in the Patrol Bureau.
However, in the outside world, a captain was seen as a powerful official with real authority and privileges.
Within the Patrol Bureau, a captain had no say in decisions, only the power to execute them.
So she could do nothing.
Now, hearing Jiang Ning's response, she could only sigh helplessly.
If even Jiang Ning's intervention yielded no results, she could do even less.
Moments later.
The room was filled only with the sound of Jiang Ning quietly flipping through his book and the occasional crackle of sparks from the charcoal stove.
As he read.
[Literacy Experience +1]
[Literacy Experience +1]
[Literacy Experience +1]
[...]
The experience points for the literacy skill continued to increase.
Time also continued to pass.
Evening.
The snow had stopped.
Under the overcast sky, darkness fell quickly.
"Sir, I'll head back now!" Xie Xiaojiu boarded the carriage and turned to look at Jiang Ning one last time.
"Go ahead. The roads are slippery in the snow, so be careful!" Jiang Ning said.
"Thank you for your concern, sir!" Xie Xiaojiu smiled brightly upon hearing this.
The next moment.
She ducked into the carriage, and as she spoke, the spirited horse lifted its legs and pulled the carriage toward the Xie residence.
Watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, Jiang Ning slowly withdrew his gaze.
"Finally, I can go home today!"
He sighed inwardly.
After his conversation with Liu Linmen earlier in the day, although he wasn't entirely sure why Liu Linmen had treated him with such respect.
It didn't stop him from concluding that Liu Linmen wouldn't act against him for the time being and posed no immediate threat.
Moreover, even if he did have to face Liu Linman, Jiang Ning wasn't particularly afraid now.
In his view, he was fully capable of fighting Liu Linman.
Compared to that night, his strength had improved significantly, and he was no longer the same person.
His martial arts had reached the level of dragon tendons, which could double his explosive power.
Moreover, the continuous breakthroughs in the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique greatly enhanced his combat power, even without using a bow.
The breakthroughs in the Firewood Chopping Saber Technique had further elevated his saber techniques.
Each of these changes had multiplied his strength.
With all these combined, his current strength was worlds apart from that night, a completely different person.
All of this had become the foundation of his confidence, greatly boosting his self-assurance.
But when he thought about his conversation with Hong Minghu and Ye Qiu earlier in the day, Jiang Ning's spirit deflated.
No matter how quickly his strength improved, in the face of the overwhelming tide, he was still powerless.
They were using human lives to farm contribution points, and almost the entire Patrol Bureau was involved.
In such a situation, he could not currently stop this behavior.
If he tried to stop it, he would be openly standing against the entire interest group.
The people he would face weren't just the captains, but also deputy commanders like He Jinyun and Yuan Hua, who came from noble families.
And even Li Changkong, a commander from a powerful clan.
It might even provoke Hong Minghu to take action.
Thinking of all this, Jiang Ning shook his head silently. "Forget it! I'm not someone who worries about the nation and its people or has grand ambitions. As long as I can protect those around me and the people I care about, that's enough!"
As he pondered, Jiang Ning also walked toward his home.
At the same time.
In a snowdrift on a rooftop.
A pair of eyes peered through the thick snow, secretly watching Jiang Ning.
When she saw Jiang Ning, her eyes lit up with excitement.
At this moment, she was certain that the spiritual energy emanating from Jiang Ning was the most exaggerated she had ever seen.
Just thinking about the benefits she could gain by offering Jiang Ning as a sacrifice made her tremble with excitement and anticipation.
"By offering him as a sacrifice, I will break through to the fifth rank of Internal Strength!!!"
The middle-aged woman's eyes were filled with greed.
Then.
She quietly emerged from the snowdrift, trying not to make any noise, and secretly followed Jiang Ning.
She didn't dare to act at the entrance of the Patrol Bureau.
If she acted and attracted the chief's attention, she knew she would have no chance against Hong Minghu.
The gap between the sixth rank and the fifth rank, though only one rank apart, was like heaven and earth.
The difference between these two ranks was far greater than any other rank.
At the fifth rank of Internal Strength, not only was the physique stronger, but the internal organs were also tempered, allowing for long-lasting stamina and endurance.
Moreover, in critical moments, one could tap into the body's potential, unleashing strength and speed far beyond the norm.
At the same time, one also mastered a powerful and mysterious force of internal energy.
With the addition of internal energy, combat power increased exponentially.
With all three combined, this gap was enough to make any sixth-rank expert feel deep despair and a sense of invincibility when facing a fifth-rank expert.
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