Free Web NovelChapter 31: Chapter 31: The Situation
In the crowd, Xu Le watched Fang Xing up ahead, feeling a little dazed for a moment.
Just a few months ago, Fang Xing had been a colleague. Then he broke through to Bright Force and vaulted to the position of Deputy Constable. Now, he had made one leap after another to become the Chief Constable of Qingshan County.
It all felt so surreal!
He had made a fundamental leap in just a few months. Such a promotion was simply unheard of.
’He’s the real boss now.’
Xu Le sighed.
Still, he was genuinely happy for Fang Xing.
When Fang Xing became a Deputy Constable, he had looked after him well. Unfortunately, his own strength was lacking, so he couldn’t be of much help.
It had taken him these past few months just to get his body back in shape.
’If I could just reach Bright Force,’ he thought, ’with Fang Xing’s current status, he could surely get me a position as a Deputy Constable.’
But alas, his strength was insufficient.
Without the strength of a Bright Force Martial Artist, it was impossible to secure the position of Deputy Constable, no matter how good one’s connections were.
***
After a thunderous wave of applause, Zhang Chen and Lin Zheng said a few more words.
They announced the location for the new General Guard Room.
After making a few more announcements, they departed.
Once Zhang Chen and Lin Zheng had left, all eyes turned to Fang Xing.
Xu Zhengxiong and the three other constables stepped forward, their faces full of respect. "Greetings, Lord Fang."
Fang Xing gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over Xu Zhengxiong and the other three men.
Yang Bo was particularly nervous. He clutched the corner of his robes, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his face was a little pale.
Seeing Yang Bo’s predicament, Fang Xing’s expression remained placid, revealing nothing.
"In the future, I will require your cooperation to maintain the peace in Qingshan County. I hope we can all work together harmoniously and avoid any unnecessary trouble."
Fang Xing’s voice rang out.
"At Your Lordship’s command, we will certainly obey," Chen Shan said first, making his position clear.
Xu Zhengxiong and the others nodded in agreement.
A faint smile touched Fang Xing’s lips. "Excellent. With your cooperation, I believe we can make Qingshan County a place of law and order."
The men nodded along with forced smiles.
With that, Fang Xing turned to the assembled constables. "The Deputy Constables from each guard room are to remain. The rest of you, return to your duties."
"Yes, sir!"
Their response rang out in unison, and the constables quickly filed out of the main hall.
Soon, only the four Constables and three Deputy Constables remained in the hall.
The men looked at Fang Xing, not knowing what he intended to do. But whatever Fang Xing said, they had to obey.
He commanded all the constables; he could dismiss anyone with a single word.
The status of a constable was an excellent Protective Talisman in its own right.
"Gentlemen, please follow me to the General Guard Room," Fang Xing said.
The men nodded and followed him out of the main hall.
Soon, Fang Xing and the others arrived at a courtyard on the east side of the County Yamen.
The General Guard Room was far more spacious than any of the four regular guard rooms.
The compound had a large main hall, two other rooms, and an old locust tree in the yard.
The yard had been swept clean.
After a quick survey, Fang Xing entered the main hall of the General Guard Room and, without hesitation, took the seat of honor.
He scanned Xu Zhengxiong and the others. "Please, have a seat."
The men nodded and sat down.
"Chen, how many Bright Force Martial Artists are in the South Guard Room?"
Fang Xing looked at Chen Shan.
Chen Shan was stunned for a second, then immediately replied, "Sir, the South Guard Room has a total of three Bright Force Martial Artists, myself included."
’Three...’ Fang Xing nodded lightly, then turned to Li Qing.
"Li Chai Tou, what about West City?"
Li Qing immediately replied, "Sir, the West Guard Room has four in total."
"Excluding the Deputy Constable, two of them just reached Bright Force last month."
’Four...’ Fang Xing nodded, his gaze then falling on Yang Bo.
Before Fang Xing could even ask, Yang Bo spoke up. "Sir, East City has six men who have reached Bright Force. Three of them, myself included, only broke through in the last two months."
’Six... It seems the forces in East City are the most formidable,’ Fang Xing thought.
In contrast, North City was in the worst shape, with only him and Xu Zhengxiong.
Constables who had reached Bright Force!
They were the core strength!
A Martial Artist was worth ten ordinary men.
United, this force could not be underestimated.
Seeing Fang Xing lost in thought, Xu Zhengxiong and the others exchanged glances.
It was normal to take stock of the Martial Artists under his command.
But whether Fang Xing had other intentions, they couldn’t tell.
"Lord Fang, regarding the matter we discussed earlier, what are your thoughts?" Chen Shan asked, blinking at Fang Xing and breaking the silence.
Fang Xing returned to the present. He looked at Chen Shan, then turned to Xu Zhengxiong. "Boss Xu, what is your opinion?"
"I have no objections. I’ll defer to Lord Fang," Xu Zhengxiong said indifferently.
The North Guard Room was truly lacking in manpower; there was no one suitable to promote.
Other than Fang Xing himself, none had reached Bright Force.
Even if he wanted to promote one of his own, there were no candidates.
Hearing Xu Zhengxiong’s response, Fang Xing glanced at Chen Shan. "If the circumstances are appropriate, then of course, there’s no problem."
Upon hearing this, Chen Shan’s face lit up with delight.
"Thank you, Lord Fang."
Fang Xing looked at him, then his gaze moved to the others. "Today is my first day on the job. I need a detailed file on each of the other city districts, including a complete list of your forces. Will any of you have a problem with that?"
At his words, the men all nodded, indicating they had no objections. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Fang Xing smiled. "Good. Have the detailed files for each district on my desk before the end of the day."
The men nodded. Fang Xing then gave a few more simple instructions, after which they left the General Guard Room one by one.
Soon, only Xu Zhengxiong remained in the main hall.
Looking at Fang Xing, Xu Zhengxiong couldn’t help but sigh. "I never expected this. You’ve really taken flight with this step. Chief Constable... you’re the first one ever in Qingshan County."
Hearing Xu Zhengxiong’s remark, Fang Xing smiled. "Uncle Xu, perhaps you’ll have the chance to sit in this position yourself one day."
"I don’t have that kind of strength. I’m only at the Peak of Bright Force, and it’s hard to say if I’ll ever break through to the next stage. My last attempt to break through failed, and it left my Primordial Qi severely damaged."
Xu Zhengxiong shook his head and sighed.
Hearing this, Fang Xing wasn’t too surprised.
For most people, reaching Bright Force was both their starting point and their final destination.
In a Martial Artist’s Cultivation, besides factors like talent and Root Bone, the most important thing was resources.
He could say that ninety-eight percent of his current strength was only achievable because he had sufficient resources.
Without his enhanced ability, forget breaking through to Dark Force; it would have been a struggle just to reach Bright Force.
’Even a transmigrator wouldn’t be an exception. Without a cheat, you just can’t make it in this world,’ he thought.
"Fang Xing, what are your plans for the future? Are you going to consolidate the guard rooms?" Xu Zhengxiong asked, looking at him.
Fang Xing shook his head. "Consolidation isn’t necessary. Having four posts responsible for the four city districts is fine as it is. It’s more convenient this way."
"Then you don’t plan to do anything about East City?" Xu Zhengxiong asked.
"What do you think would be best, Uncle Xu?" Fang Xing countered, looking at him.
At that, Xu Zhengxiong fell silent, his head bowed. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke. "To be honest, it’s a tricky situation. Yang Bo himself may not be a threat to you, but the powers behind him are not to be taken lightly. Plus, he’s been in East City for so many years; his network of connections is vast and tangled. It would be difficult to root him out quickly."
"My approach would be to proceed slowly and deliberately. The news of your appointment will undoubtedly attract the attention of every faction in the city. You could watch and wait, perhaps even use another faction to do your dirty work."
"What kind of person is Yang Bo? What’s his character?" Fang Xing asked after a moment of contemplation.
Xu Zhengxiong thought for a moment. "He’s the type to hold a grudge over the smallest slight. But now that you’re the Chief Constable, he’ll definitely be looking for ways to curry favor with you."
"But if the opportunity arises, I’d say accept his overtures. It would be to your benefit."
