Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 161 – 141 Inspector_2

This time, Yan Jingqing fell silent, showing a pensive expression.

After a while,

he sighed and said, “In this chaotic world, how can one even talk about governing a country…”

The title ’White-Clothed Scholar’ in the Martial World was not a facade he deliberately put on; rather, he aspired for a prosperous era and was famous in the Imperial Court for his administrative wisdom. Governing the country and its people was his lifelong ambition, not fighting and killing in the world of Martial Arts.

Then he turned his gaze back to Chen Mu, with even more surprise in his eyes.

When he had asked questions while reading the book earlier, he merely did so casually and didn’t expect Chen Mu to have an answer for each one, let alone with thoughts and actions embedded in each response. While he often had similar reflections, he had never summarized them in such a way.

“Who is your mentor?”

Yan Jingqing asked after a brief contemplation.

Chen Mu, however, shook his head and said, “I have no mentor, I simply read a lot of books in my spare time.”

“Hmm…”

Yan Jingqing nodded slightly, recalling that the information about Chen Mu stated he came from the lower ranks and had never formally studied literature. Therefore, the only way he could have produced such responses was through extensive reading, and not just of one or two books.

Looking at Chen Mu, he felt a flicker of admiration.

As a lofty Inspector, he had seen countless people who tried to curry favor with him; to forge connections, they would feign a desire for learning, and he had seen too many of them. But Chen Mu before him couldn’t possibly be trying to ingratiate himself.

After all, his arrival in Yu County was a recent affair. The perspectives Chen Mu held couldn’t have been formed just by skimming a few books on literature; they must have involved thoughtful consideration.

And he remembered that in Chen Mu’s record, there was a stint as a Prefecture Chief, a not particularly high-ranking position, but exactly one that dealt directly with the administration at the grass-roots level.

“If it were a time of peace, perhaps we would both be serving as officials in the Imperial Court. But in these troubled times, our ambitions cannot be fulfilled as we wish. How unkind the heavens are to me,” Yan Jingqing sighed.

Chen Mu did not respond to this.

He was even internally critical. The Inspector of Yu State, a fourth-grade official, an existence at the top Six Viscera Realm, is a status and position many people wouldn’t dare dream of, yet this man was quite discontented, claiming the heavens were unfair.

Of course, these were definitely thoughts he couldn’t voice aloud.

Yan Jingqing seemed somewhat lost in thought, and after a long pause, he finally returned to his senses. Seeing Chen Mu still standing before him, calm and composed, without irritation or flattery, neither subservient nor arrogant, he pondered deeply and then said:

“With your talent in Martial Arts, had you joined the Seven Profound Sect earlier, you might have been counted among the elite disciples. It’s a pity that your poor background delayed you, and it’s not suitable for you to join the Seven Profound Sect now.

Moreover, from your words, you seem to have your own views on the current state of the world, especially since you have risen from the bottom and even held the position of a Prefecture Chief, giving you greater insight into the people.”

“The position in the Demon-Slaying Office is not suitable for you. However, the Demon-Slaying Office is generally a loosely structured department anyway, so there’s no need to completely detach from it…

Well, let’s do this: I appoint you as the Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate, and I’ll write a recommendation for the Demon-Slaying Office to create another position of Metropolitan Commander, which you will also hold.”

Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate!

Metropolitan Commander of the Demon-Slaying Office!

These two positions, the former, in particular, was one of great authority and influence. Now the Inspectorate was overseeing Yu County, from the highest officials to the common folk, all fell within its purview, which essentially meant it had a vast scope of jurisdiction. Essentially, it could intervene in almost any matter.

And the latter, as the Metropolitan Commander of the Demon-Slaying Office, it goes without saying that it came with the resources of the Demon-Slaying Office. In fact, the Demon-Slaying Office was almost a direct force under the Seven Profound Sect, as the various exchangeable resources mostly came from the Seven Profound Sect.

Not to mention, the Demon-Slaying Office itself held a very high position, able to command all Yamen to assist during times of demon disturbances or demon chaos.

The only thing the Inspectorate could not oversee was the Demon-Slaying Office itself.

From a White-Clothed Guard of the Demon-Slaying Office, he jumped all the way to the position of Metropolitan Commander of the same office, not only skipping two ranks but also taking on a concurrent role as the Metropolitan Commander of the Inspectorate. In the entirety of Yu County, there was almost no one like him.

With such authority, he could almost be said to have unfettered access throughout the entire Yu County!

“Subordinate’s talents and learning are shallow, I fear it may be difficult to fulfill the duties…”

Chen Mu was expressing some hesitation at this moment.

The power and status of these two official positions were indeed great, but for the same reason, they attracted much attention, putting one almost on the front lines in opposition to the Four Great Sects. Governing the people, slaying demons, and on top of that, confronting disciples from the four sects—it was outrageous.

What he wanted even more was a stable environment where he could focus on his martial arts cultivation.

If he had known earlier, he should not have answered Yan Jingqing’s questions and just silently remained an uncouth Martial Man.

A gentleman keeps his talents hidden and bides his time… And now, it seemed he had no choice but to act.

Yan Jingqing laughed and said, “There’s no need to be modest. I have heard that when you served as the Prefecture Chief of Wutong Grove District, not only did you manage the district well-ordered but also at the time of your departure, thousands of people saw you off. In today’s troubled times, is there anyone who does a better job than you?”

At this moment, looking at Chen Mu in front of him, he felt more and more pleased.

Modest and stable, and understanding the art of governance, accomplished in both letters and martial arts—at such a young age, how rare that is. Even during the golden era of the Imperial Court, he would have been a pillar of state. Such a talent would be a terrible waste if recruited by a sect. Now, even if the Seven Profound Sect wanted him, he probably would not let him go easily.

Thousands of people seeing him off was an exaggeration.

Chen Mu inwardly scoffed at this, wondering who told Yan Jingqing this story which had now been blown out of proportion. At that time, there had been at most a thousand people, most of whom were disaster-stricken refugees he had helped, and them seeing him off was perfectly understandable.

But Yan Jingqing had already said so much; there really was no way to decline. Chen Mu could only sigh silently and then asked, “Honored Inspector has shown great consideration for this humble one, and I shall serve with all my heart and effort. However, there is one matter…”

Yan Jingqing smiled and said, “Are you talking about the He Family? I heard some incident occurred on your way here, the He Family has been somewhat unwise. I have already ordered people to deal with it; the dispute between your two families need not be taken too seriously.”

The events that occurred along the way had hardly made a ripple; the member of the He Family and Yu Jiujiang pretty much didn’t have a real confrontation. It was only exchanging signs of momentum and then quickly withdrawing after a brief probe. But even so, it seemed he couldn’t hide it from Yan Jingqing, the Inspector.

This also made Chen Mu feel even more the weight of the Inspectorate, which was currently the most authoritative office in the entirety of Yu City, with eyes in all directions. In Yu County, only the Demon-Slaying Office could even remotely compare to the present Inspectorate.

However, what Chen Mu wanted to discuss was not the He Family.

He shook his head, “Thank you, honored Inspector, for your generous appraisal. The thing I wanted to ask is, if we are to deal with the Four Great Sects, should we prioritize the laws of the Imperial Court, or the rules of the Martial World?”

In the past.

Such a question would not even be voiced, let alone raised, as it would be culpable. During the peak of the Imperial Court, all sects had to obey the law; if anyone dared to murder recklessly, even if they were a true descendant of a sect, a Seven Profound Sect Master, they would still have to go to prison if that was warranted.

But now, the Imperial Court’s decrees did not reach beyond Central Prefecture, and Yu State was controlled by the Mysterious Heavenly Sect. Most of the time, the rules of the Martial World overrode the laws of the Imperial Court, let alone the fact that the current Inspectorate was essentially under the influence of the Seven Profound Sect.

Hearing this question from Chen Mu, Yan Jingqing fell into silence.

After a while, he let out a sigh.

“You’ll have to make your own judgment.”

Although Yan Jingqing did not give a direct answer and his response was ambiguous, Chen Mu understood; after all, Yan Jingqing was someone who aspired for peace and law-based governance. Even he couldn’t say ’follow the laws of the Imperial Court,’ so it was obvious which was more significant.

In light of this, Chen Mu also breathed a sigh of relief. Given the lawless times, if Yan Jingqing insisted on adhering to the Imperial Court’s laws, it would be incredibly complex and thorny. Luckily, the Inspector, although a White-Clothed scholar, was also adept at the ways of the Martial World and was not a rigid character.