Chapter 128: Blue Sky?

Tenth day.

The New Year's atmosphere in Qinghe had vanished completely; life returned to its ordinary, mundane rhythm.

Li Rui rose early, circulated Qi through a full Great Circulation in his room before opening the door.

Standing beneath the courtyard tree, his blood and Qi flowed smoothly, easily contained, effortlessly circulating.

In the next instant!

He pushed both hands forward.

Faintly, a dragon's roar seemed to echo.

Boom!

A thunderous crash sent dust swirling from a boulder ten zhang away, shattering it into fragments; when the dust cleared, two handprints, two chi deep, were plainly visible on the stone's surface.

"Amazing power!"

Li Rui's eyes lit up.

The Dragon Form was nearly complete; the true Qi's power was now manifesting—this palm strike could shatter bones and tendons within ten zhang, truly formidable.

No wonder the Willow Sinew realm was so powerful; this true Qi alone was beyond the reach of an Eighth Rank.

Remember, the founders of the Great Alliance, a major organization, were only Seventh Rank.

Yang Yong and Wang Zhao burst out at the sound.

"What happened?"

"It's the tenth already—who's still setting off firecrackers?"

Yang Yong cursed under his breath, assuming it was just firecrackers.

But when he and Wang Zhao saw the boulder facing Li Rui, they both drew a sharp breath.

"Old Li, this is—"

Yang Yong stared at the two handprints on the boulder.

"You did this?"

Li Rui nodded: "Got carried away during training."

Yang Yong stared at Li Rui as if he were a monster: "Old Li, this move of yours is stronger than any martial arts master in the city."

He had once worked as a guard for the Zhu family.

His understanding of martial arts far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

So he knew better than anyone the true weight of Li Rui's feat.

Unbeknownst to them, Li Rui hadn't even touched the boulder—he'd shattered it with pure true Qi from afar.

If Yang Yong and Wang Zhao knew, they'd likely think Li Rui had become a immortal.

Li Rui said coolly: "Time's up—I'm heading to the Martial Repository."

With that, he stepped out the door.

Leaving Yang Yong and Wang Zhao staring at each other in silence. What kind of opportunity had Old Li found? In just two years, his martial progress was this staggering.

If they hadn't seen him daily, they'd have thought he'd been swapped out.

This was still too shocking for them.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Li Rui arrived at the Ding-shaped martial repository.

Liang He had been assigned to the Night Scouts.

The remaining three were still obedient, having cleaned the repository thoroughly.

Just as Li Rui was about to make his usual inspection, one of the subordinates approached timidly: "Master Li, we heard the new County Magistrate is remeasuring land and may redistribute fields—we were wondering if we could have a day off to help our families. Would you permit it?"

"New County Magistrate?"

Li Rui raised an eyebrow slightly.

Rumors had long circulated that Qinghe would get a new magistrate.

In truth, it was expected.

Magistrate Zhang Linkang had been diligent enough, but his abilities were limited, and he wasn't a martial artist—he'd been completely overshadowed by the Anning Guard. That meant he'd lost all real authority.

The imperial court would never allow such unchecked dominance.

It typically sent an official of equal rank to counterbalance.

The Assistant Magistrate and Registrar of Qinghe County had long been replaced; only Zhang Linkang remained. Now, the new magistrate was finally arriving—every old official in the government office was gone.

"Go ahead. No problem."

Li Rui wasn't a cruel superior; he wouldn't make trouble over something so minor.

"Thank you, Master Li."

The subordinate turned to leave, but Li Rui called him back: "Tell me about the land redistribution."

"They say the Magistrate is verifying household registrations and landholdings to reset tax quotas."

"He wants to force the wealthy landowners to give back their stolen fields and redistribute them to the landless."

"Even before he arrived, he sent tax inspectors to investigate—likely planning to make an example of a few big families."

"This is a great thing!" The subordinate was a temporary worker at the repository, from an ordinary family.

Li Rui nodded.

Land consolidation happened in every dynasty; Yu State was no exception.

Wealthy families seized farmland from peasants through usury and brute force, turning them into tenant farmers or refugees, destabilizing society and reducing tax revenue for the court.

The court had repeatedly reformed, but with little effect.

Why?

Because these so-called "blue sky" magistrates colluded with local elites, profiting from the corruption.

It was a good thing, admittedly.

After all, some tenant farmers would indeed regain land.

But Li Rui suspected the new magistrate was burning his first three fires—shattering Qinghe's entrenched networks and realigning power and wealth.

Who knew?

=9+book_bar

More and more factions were entering Qinghe, including prominent schools like the Golden Light Sect and the Clear Wind Manor, both influential in Anning Prefecture.

Only a new magistrate could control these powerful newcomers.

Fifteenth day of the first month.

On the bustling streets of Qinghe City, cries of astonishment rang out.

"What a massive carriage!"

Five steeds, each a zhang tall, like mountains, approached from the city gate.

They pulled a carriage fit for a palace; with every step, they exhaled long streams of white vapor.

Fortunately, Qinghe's streets had been widened—otherwise, such grandeur couldn't have fit.

"Demon horses!"

Li Rui stood in the alley's shadow, silently amazed.

These five steeds were specially bred demon horses, far stronger in endurance and burst speed than even the famed Blood-Sweating Horses.

Of course.

They were also truly expensive.

Each cost three thousand gold.

"Tsk tsk—Magistrate Zhu has quite the flair."

If he guessed right, the man in the carriage was the new County Magistrate—Zhu Renhe.

"I heard this Magistrate Zhu comes from a great clan in Yunzhou—truly extraordinary."

Li Rui had stepped out today just in time to witness this spectacle.

"Blue Sky!"

"Blue Sky!"

Around him, the sounds of prostrations and shouts never ceased.

Blue Sky.

Not every official could be called a Blue Sky—only those the people believed truly stood for justice.

This Magistrate Zhu, even before arriving, had sent men to measure land and redistribute fields, earning himself a reputation as an upright official.

"Blue Sky?"

Li Rui was unconvinced.

At that moment,

inside the carriage,

the unique scent of Yaizhou sandalwood drifted, its light smoke curling slowly from the incense burner.

Magistrate Zhu Renhe sat cross-eyed, eyes closed, purple vapor rising from his crown.

Excellent.

Unlike those civil officials, Zhu Renhe was himself a martial master.

In fact, martial arts flourished in Yu State; while lower officials were often non-martial, senior officials nearly all excelled in combat.

Though he was a County Magistrate, his rank was not low.

A Fifth Rank County Magistrate held equal status to a Prefect—unique in Yunzhou.

Otherwise, with too low a rank, they would surely be crushed by the Anning Guard.

Besides County Magistrate Zhuang Renhe, there was another person in the carriage.

An old man clad in a black robe, with a bare arm as withered as dry firewood.

"Old Qi, your Beast Taming Art seems to have improved further."

(End of Chapter)