After leaving Zi Luan’s small courtyard, Wang Ping headed deeper into the back area. As a Patrol Envoy, he also had his own private courtyard in the Daoist Scripture Hall, though he only visited once in a while.

The last time he came, he remembered a plantain tree outside the courtyard, but now it was a lychee tree.

A Qi Cultivator also stood guard at the courtyard’s main gate. He was dressed like a steward and even wore a green robe similar to the Court’s official uniform, though it lacked the bird insignia patch on the chest. He was someone Zuo Xuan had selected, and Zuo Xuan was also normally the one who handled daily affairs in the courtyard.

When Wang Ping arrived, the Qi Cultivator at the gate recognized him at first glance. The cultivator didn’t offer an overly enthusiastic greeting; he simply opened the central gate in silence and stood quietly to the side.

"Bring me the files on Ningzhou Road, especially those concerning Right Huai Prefecture," Wang Ping ordered as he walked into the courtyard.

"Yes!"

The Qi Cultivator’s response was crisp.

Wang Ping paid the Qi Cultivator no more mind and walked straight into the courtyard. It was much smaller than Zi Luan’s. The main building contained a reception area and an office, with a lounge in the back. The west wing served as an archive for case files, while the east wing was where the Qi Cultivator who managed the courtyard’s daily affairs rested.

There was already someone in the main building. He had no Spiritual Qi fluctuations and looked like a middle-aged Scholar. He was likely hired by Zuo Xuan to handle routine official business; his wages were deducted from Wang Ping’s salary as a Patrol Envoy.

"My Lord!"

The middle-aged Scholar recognized Wang Ping as well. Upon seeing him, he immediately stood up from his desk in the office area on the left side of the room. His form of address was quite worldly.

"Carry on with your work. Don’t mind me."

Wang Ping sat in the head seat of the reception area and closed his eyes, lost in his own thoughts. Yu Lian slipped out of his sleeve and crawled onto his shoulder for some fresh air.

’The top priority right now is definitely to commission the Daoist Scripture Hall to inquire about the maturation date of the Holy Heart Grass. During this time, I’ll need to show up for work at the Daoist Scripture Hall frequently and slowly integrate into Xiao Shan Lord’s circle to gain his trust.’

’My goal was never just the Third Realm. I still need a Fourth Realm Cultivation Technique, and the basic requirement for obtaining one is Xiao Shan Lord’s trust. Or perhaps I’ll have to wait for Xiao Shan Lord to advance to the Fifth Realm... or maybe I could ’loot his corpse’ if he fails his advancement?’

’Looting the corpse’ is a very dangerous course of action, but it’s an option.’

’Besides, even if Xiao Shan Lord fails his advancement, he still has a True Monarch backing him. That’s where his real value lies.’

’Finally, before I get the Holy Heart Grass and successfully refine the elixir, I must suppress the impulse of my own curiosity. I can’t go peeking into the chaotic memories of the Locust Tree Divine Soul. With Yu Lian to remind me, at least I don’t have to worry about having a sudden brain fart one day.’

This wasn’t something he could avoid just by willing it. After all, Wang Ping had only partially fused with the Locust Tree Divine Soul, and he sometimes experienced strange urges, especially when his True Essence was depleted after a battle.

"Your mind is growing heavy with thoughts," Yu Lian said softly.

"It can’t be helped. Master was right. I have to walk the rest of this path on my own. He’s already helped me more than enough. For now, let’s just let him stay at the temple and cultivate in peace."

"Oh."

After her understanding reply, Yu Lian quietly lay on Wang Ping’s shoulder. Her vertical pupils would occasionally glance at Wang Ping before shifting to the busy middle-aged Scholar in the office on the left side of the room. The Scholar had been staring at Wang Ping with curiosity, but when Yu Lian’s gaze fell upon him, a chill went through him, and he quickly looked away.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

The same Qi Cultivator from before walked into the courtyard. He took five or six bamboo slips from his storage pouch, cradled them in his arms, and then entered the main building.

He was clearly a wily old hand, well-versed in the ways of the world, but he didn’t seem to grasp the sheer might of an Entering Cultivator. After entering the room, he bowed respectfully and presented the bamboo slips at a height level with Wang Ping’s chest, yet held above his own head. It was quite a skillful maneuver.

"Put them here," Wang Ping said, pointing to the table beside his seat.

"Yes!"

The Qi Cultivator set down the bamboo slips, then took out a map drawn on brocade. "This is a rough map of Right Huai Prefecture," he said. "To get the map of Ningzhou Road, I’ll need your written authorization."

’He’s quite thorough. No wonder Zuo Xuan kept him around.’

"This will do for now."

Wang Ping thought for a moment and decided to give him a profitable task. He instructed, "Use the Daoist Scripture Hall’s connections to help me find out the maturation time for the Holy Heart Grass in Hu Mountain Country. You can get reimbursed for any related expenses from Qianmu Temple. If there’s any news, have a disciple from Qianmu Temple use any means necessary to deliver it to me at once."

"Yes!"

The Qi Cultivator accepted the assignment, overjoyed. Just as he was about to leave the room, Wang Ping added a timely warning, "The task is simple, but it is a matter of great importance. Do not, under any circumstances, mess it up."

"Yes!"

Wang Ping was only doing this to assert his leadership position. He had, of course, made several other arrangements regarding the Holy Heart Grass. For example, he had already ordered Yang Hou to dispatch disciples to Hu Mountain Country specifically to watch for the maturation period of the Holy Heart Grass. He had also written a letter to Yuan Zheng Taoist of the Upper Dan Sect.

"Were you just showing off?" Yu Lian said, seeing right through him.

"I was not!"

"Heh heh..."

Wang Ping picked up the bamboo slips from the table and began to read...

Ningzhou Road bordered both Mozhou Road and Nanlin Road. The Weijiang, the largest branch of the Nong River, flowed straight through Ningzhou Road from north to south. It then curved around the northern parts of Nanlin Road and Mozhou Road before entering Hai Zhou Road and emptying into the Great Sea. As the world had been at peace for the last hundred years, the silt in this natural waterway had been cleared out, forming a bustling aquatic trade route.

However, most of Ningzhou Road was mountainous forest, and a nearly five-hundred-li stretch of the river ran through uninhabited territory. This section of the waterway was partially controlled by various Mountain Gods and partially by the local Huai Bang.

And the Mountain God of Crescent Mountain in Right Huai Prefecture, whose case Wang Ping had taken over, was the one who managed a section of this waterway. His death had thrown that part of the river into chaos.

Zi Luan had made it clear earlier: the preliminary investigation by the Ningzhou Road Daoist Scripture Hall pointed to a Taiyin Cultivator causing trouble. ’This means an Entering Cultivator must be involved. And since they’re currently in the mountains, I’ll need at least one Second Realm Cultivator overseeing the operation to ensure a flawless capture.’

At the same time, there were very few registered Qi Cultivators in Ningzhou Road, which meant Wang Ping would have to gather personnel himself. This was because the entire population of the Ningzhou Road region was less than three million, and the total population of Right Huai Prefecture, where the incident occurred, was less than thirty thousand. This was the population of an entire prefecture, one that was even larger in area than Shang’an Prefecture.

He took out the map of Right Huai Prefecture. It showed one Prefecture City, but not a single County Government. There were only a few scattered small villages; the rest of the area was mostly mountain forest, marked with the territories of over a dozen Mountain Monarchs recognized by the Court and the Daoist Scripture Hall.

"So you got back before I did. If I’d known, I would have waited for you at the foot of Six-Heart Mountain." Zuo Xuan appeared at the doorway. She walked over as she spoke, glanced at the map in Wang Ping’s hands, and asked, "Are you planning to get involved in the Right Huai Prefecture case?"

"You know about this case?"

"I’ve looked into it. I have to complete my advancement within fifty years, and this case could provide me with a lot of the materials I need for it," Zuo Xuan said bluntly.