The County Magistrate of Yiyang, Hao Chong, has been extremely anxious lately.

They say that a county magistrate is akin to a parental official of the area, and calling him a county lord wouldn’t be an exaggeration. However, only County Magistrate Hao Chong himself knows the extent of the pressures he faces between the powers that be—above, he needs to keep the primary officials of the state pleased, and below, the local powerful families may not necessarily heed his words. If he were to act against these families, they could easily leverage their connections, which are deeper than his own.

As just a mere county magistrate caught in the middle, who truly understands his hardships?

Fortunately, the newly appointed governor of Yizhou over the past two years has come through connections. Although he is a military officer, he is charming and elegant, quite unlike other martial artists who are stubborn and inflexible. He is generally easy to communicate with, which at least reduces some of the burdens from his superiors.

As for the locals, through years of management, the powerful families and clans of Yizhou generally maintain good relations with him. Although some matters occasionally require discussion, for the most part, everyone cooperates with him as the county magistrate.

"So, my lord, what are you busy with these days?"

Inside the county office, seeing the flustered demeanor of County Magistrate Hao Chong, a middle-aged man sipping tea couldn’t help but feel confused.

The middle-aged man named Bu Shen is a close advisor to County Magistrate Hao Chong. Routinely involved in handling various county affairs diligently, he knows very well that Yiyang County has been peaceful for a long time with nothing much to be concerned about.

So what’s causing Magistrate Hao such urgency?

"What’s there to stress about? Couldn’t be more obvious. The people of the prairie silently started a war. The Northern Mountain Dao is in chaos."

At this point, County Magistrate Hao Chong couldn’t help but shake his head repeatedly.

"The world is truly..."

"Sigh..."

Upon hearing this, the advisor Bu Shen also heaved a long sigh.

The lack of respect for rules by the people from the prairie is something everyone knows; they’re like that, after all. But for them to disregard rules to such an extent, no one truly expected—that’s just unthinkable. Although it’s true prolonged peace tends to lead to conflict, initiating war without a declaration is too outrageous.

Could it be that the Khan of Northern Desert is insane?

But pondering over such things is pointless. Regardless of whether the Khan of Northern Desert is insane, the war has already broken out. It’s heard that Northern Mountain Dao is in shambles, countless citizens are displaced, forced to flee to various regions seeking safety.

Even in this small Yiyang County, quite a number of refugees have arrived.

"What concerns me are those refugees."

County Magistrate Hao Chong poured himself a cup of tea and took a big sip.

"These refugees..."

"Wait a moment?"

Advisor Bu Shen was suddenly taken aback.

Understanding and appreciating Magistrate Hao’s concerns about the war made sense, given that only Taiyin Mountain separates Southern Mountain Dao from Northern Mountain Dao. Who knows when those prairie people might attack—but to worry about the refugees... what’s the rush?

"My lord, have you forgotten?"

Advisor Bu Shen felt somewhat embarrassed.

"A while ago, when you were having a drink with local patricians, didn’t you assign the task of settling those refugees to the Zhang family in Taiyin Mountain? At the time, they had claimed that the Mountain God was benevolent and willing to contribute to the welfare of Yiyang County... and wasn’t the Zhang family doing well?"

"Ah, yes, I’m aware."

County Magistrate Hao Chong nodded.

He certainly knew the efforts made by the side of Taiyin Mountain were yielding great results. After all, not a single refugee has managed to wander into Yiyang County, which just shows how substantial the contribution from the Mountain God Temple was. But precisely for this reason, County Magistrate Hao Chong was even more anxious.

"While Taiyin Mountain has settled the refugees properly, that I’m certainly aware of... but what’s going on with the Zhang family?"

With that, County Magistrate Hao Chong couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

"How long has it been? I’ve already reached a bottleneck in my practice of the Mystical Technique, so why hasn’t the Zhang family delivered the Tripod Furnace they promised?"

"...Ah?"

Advisor Bu Shen was left utterly speechless.

It was only at this moment he realized how County Magistrate Hao allowed the Mountain God Temple of Taiyin Mountain to gather the refugees.

It turns out County Magistrate Hao, much like those famous scholars in the capital city of Jiankang, is fond of discussing mystical abstractions. However, Magistrate Hao’s focus is on those mysterious and peculiar techniques. Thus, Zhang Qi from the Mountain God Temple catered to his interests, engaging with Magistrate Hao in discussions about the Mystical Technique as a fellow practitioner.

As for the Mystical Technique, its explanation is rather elusive, with numerous interpretations regarding the words ’mysterious’ and ’female’.

The most common understanding is that ’mysterious’ suggests deep and profound, and ’female’ suggests feminine.

Simply put, it’s dual cultivation.

According to these mystical teachings, mastering the Mystical Technique can make one as carefree as an immortal, displaying various supernatural phenomena—though no one has truly accomplished such a feat. Even though this explanation sounds rather unreliable, people are still quite eager to try this path, attempting over and over again.

"What do you mean by saying it sounds unreliable?"

County Magistrate Hao Chong instantly became displeased.

"The Mystical Technique is undoubtedly credible... to be honest, I was quite frail in the past, often struggling to hold my head high. But ever since receiving Zhang Qi’s guidance and learning this Mystical Technique, I’ve been able to showcase my prowess daily!"

"Ah, this..."

Advisor Bu Shen was left at a loss for words.

Indeed, if Zhang Qi truly possesses such a mystical method, no man would be able to voice any objection.