Chapter 329: This Place, I'm Very Satisfied

Above Qingzhou City, the talent‑infused golden dragon that pierced heaven and earth lingered in the sky.

Under the dazzling Heavenly Might, the entire city fell into a death‑like silence.

No one dared to raise their voice; even the usually arrogant noble slaves now crouched in the mud like quail, refusing to lift their heads.

Gu Yuan propped his tattered oil‑paper umbrella and calmly watched the golden Heavenly Dao edict hovering in mid‑air.

In his eyes there was no ecstatic joy of a mortal after high school, nor the excitement of a low‑born scholar suddenly rising; only a lofty, condescending scrutiny.

"The so‑called Heavenly Dao of this Great Yin Divine Dynasty is truly a second‑rate piece that fears the hard and flees the soft."

Gu Yuan let out a faint laugh in his heart.

At that moment, in the northern sky of Qingzhou City, a violent spatial disturbance suddenly rang out.

Boom—

A massive flying vessel, its whole body forged of purple‑gold and etched with countless royal formation patterns, tore through the clouds and descended over Qingzhou City in an extremely domineering manner.

At its prow flew a wind‑blown dragon banner, embroidered with an enormous character "Yin".

This is an imperial commission flying vessel of the Great Yin Divine Dynasty, mobilized only for matters of utmost urgency.

Its propulsion is powered entirely by pure royal fate energy, fast enough to cross the Nine Provinces in half an hour.

Before the vessel could settle, a sharp voice radiating supreme authority descended from the heavens, echoing through the city:

"The imperial edict has arrived—Qingzhou scholar Gu Yuan, receive the edict!"

Accompanying the voice, an elderly eunuch dressed in a bright red python robe, holding a brilliant yellow imperial edict, descended from the flying vessel, surrounded by dozens of heavily‑armored Imperial Guard.

A dense violet aura enveloped the eunuch; he was evidently a Grand Eunuch of the Court of Ceremonies with fourth‑rank power.

According to the regulations of the Great Yin Divine Dynasty, anyone who receives an imperial edict, civilian or official, must burn incense, bathe, and perform three bows and nine kowtows.

However, Gu Yuan simply stood still, not even folding his tattered oil‑paper umbrella, let alone kneeling.

The eunuch landed before the screen wall; seeing Gu Yuan's posture, his brows instinctively knit, a flash of anger crossing his eyes.

But when he saw the talent‑infused golden dragon still coiling above Gu Yuan's head and the still‑lingering Heavenly Dao edict in the sky, his anger instantly turned into profound awe.

A born saint!

This is a peerless demon who can trigger Heavenly Dao resonance and revive the Imperial City's fate‑golden dragon! His Majesty gave countless admonitions before departing, forbidding any slightest neglect.

The eunuch inhaled deeply, forcibly suppressing his pride; instead of accusing Gu Yuan of disrespect, he bowed slightly, unfolded the edict in his hand, and read aloud:

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Qingzhou scholar Gu Yuan, talent surpassing eight dou, a master of the heavens and humanity. His writings reach the ears of Heaven, pacify the common folk, draw the Heavenly Dao's golden list, and invigorate the Great Yin Divine Dynasty's fate. I am greatly pleased! By special exception, grant him the status of a Tong Jinshi, appointing him to the rank of a proper seventh‑rank county magistrate! So be it!"

At those words, the whole of Qingzhou City fell into dead silence again, followed by a gasp of cold air like a tsunami.

【7】 Special promotion!

【8】 Directly grant Tong Jinshi status, appoint as proper seventh‑rank county magistrate!

【9】 One must know that the Great Yin Divine Dynasty's imperial examination system is exceedingly strict.

【10】 A low‑born scholar wishing to reach the seventh‑rank county magistrate must pass six examinations: county, prefectural, academy, township, metropolitan, and palace exams!

【11】 Even a prodigy who tops three successive exams still needs at least three years of service in the Hanlin Academy before being dispatched as a seventh‑rank magistrate.

【12】 Yet Gu Yuan, having taken only a single county exam and not even earning the scholar title, was handed an imperial decree that placed him directly upon the seventh‑rank magistrate throne!

【13】 It is a leap to the heavens!

【14】 This is true favor in the emperor's heart!

【15】 The eunuch cupped the edict with both hands, along with a bronze official seal wrapped in red silk, and respectfully presented them before Gu Yuan, his face plastered with a sycophantic smile:

【16】 "Sir Gu, take the seal. His Majesty has great expectations of you,"

【17】 Gu Yuan, with a calm expression, extended his free left hand and took the edict and seal.

【18】 The moment the upright seventh‑rank bronze seal settled in his palm, Gu Yuan felt a crimson fate energy surge along the seal's ribbon into his body.

【19】 The power attempted to root in his dantian, establishing a link with the Great Yin Divine Dynasty's fate network.

【20】 "Is this the official aura?" Gu Yuan sneered inwardly.

【21】 Such a trivial amount of energy could not even sway a single leaf of the World Tree in his inner world.

【22】 He subtly shifted his thoughts; his inner world emitted a faint, extremely obscure chaotic aura, instantly enveloping the official aura, allowing the Great Yin Divine Dynasty's fate network to scan it without revealing any of his own details.

【23】 "Fine," Gu Yuan replied evenly.

【24】 The eunuch, seeing Gu Yuan accept the seal, broadened his smile further:

【25】 "Sir Gu, His Majesty originally intended to summon you directly to the capital, to the cabinet, to appoint you as minister. Yet the court officials deem that, however astonishing your talent, you still lack experience in local governance. Therefore, the Ministry of Personnel worked through the night to select an excellent training ground for you; as long as you achieve modest achievements there, you will be recalled to the capital in three years and rise swiftly!"

【26】 "Oh? I wonder where the Ministry has assigned me," Gu Yuan said, idly turning the bronze seal in his hand.

The eunuch's smile tightened slightly, a barely perceptible flicker of sympathy and pity in his eyes, but he concealed it well and cleared his throat:

"Cough… it is Jiuyou County under Youzhou Prefecture."

You must know, the imperial examination system of the Great Yin Divine Dynasty is extremely strict.

Hearing those three words, the Qingzhou townsfolk and examinees who had been envying and resenting turned pale instantly.

Even the once‑proud noble slaves lying on the ground showed a gleam of schadenfreude.

The Great Yin Divine Dynasty spans the Nine Provinces and all seas; Youzhou is already the bitterly cold far north, and Jiuyou County is famed as the Divine Dynasty's Ghost Gate, a deadly frontier!

It lies at the border between the Divine Dynasty and the Ten Thousand Great Mountain Demon Realm, with an underground vein that gathers ten thousand years of Yin energy.

Within Jiuyou County, demons run rampant, evil spirits proliferate, and the Dynasty's laws are virtually null.

Worse yet, a millennium‑old peerless great demon dwells there.

In the past thirty years, the Ministry of Personnel dispatched seventeen county magistrates to Jiuyou County.

As a result, eight of those magistrates were devoured by demons en route, five went mad and slit their throats within three days of taking office, and the remaining four left no trace of body or bone, only a pool of blood in the county office hall.

Going to Jiuyou County as magistrate is not training at all; it is a death warrant! A lawful murder!

The eunuch gazed at Gu Yuan's youthful face and sighed silently.

His Majesty wishes to protect this youngster, but how could the aristocratic families in the court tolerate a low‑born youth who has already triggered a Heavenly Dao anomaly?

This trifling amount of energy couldn't even budge a single leaf of the World Tree within his inner world.

A slight stir of his thought caused his inner world to emit a wisp of extremely faint chaotic aura, which instantly wrapped this official aura, allowing the Great Yin Divine Dynasty's fortune network to scan it without revealing the slightest detail of his own nature.

"Good." Gu Yuan replied indifferently.

Seeing Gu Yuan accept the seal, the old eunuch's smile grew even wider:

"Sir Gu, His Majesty originally intended to summon you directly to the capital to enter the cabinet and become a minister. However, the officials at court believe that, although your talent is astonishing, you ultimately lack experience in governing a locality. Therefore, the Ministry of Personnel has overnight selected an excellent training post for you; as long as you achieve some administrative success there, you will surely be transferred back to the capital in three years and rise swiftly in the official ranks!"

"Oh? I don't know what post the Ministry of Personnel has arranged for me." Gu Yuan asked casually while playing with the bronze seal in his hand.

The old eunuch's smile froze slightly, a fleeting hint of sympathy and pity flickering in the depths of his eyes, but he concealed it well, clearing his throat before speaking:

"Cough… it's Youzhou Prefecture's… Nine Abyss County."

"Nine Abyss County?"

Upon hearing these three words, the faces of the Qingzhou locals and examinees who had originally been filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred instantly changed.

Even the aristocratic lackeys slumped on the ground revealed a gleam of schadenfreude in their eyes.

In the Great Yin Divine Dynasty's realm of the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, Youzhou is already an extremely northern, bitterly cold region, and this Nine Abyss County is even called a deadly land, the ghost gate of the dynasty!

It lies at the border between the dynasty and the Hundred Thousand Mountains' demonic domain, and underground runs an extreme yin pulse that has gathered a myriad years of yin energy.

Within Nine Abyss County, demons run rampant, evil spirits proliferate, and the dynasty's laws are virtually nonexistent there.

What's worse, a peerless great demon that has lived for over a thousand years lurks in Nine Abyss County.

Over the past thirty years, the Ministry of Personnel has successively sent seventeen magistrates to take up office in Nine Abyss County.

As a result, of those seventeen magistrates, eight were devoured by demons on the way, five went mad and killed themselves within three days of taking office, and the remaining four left not even their corpses behind, leaving only a pool of blood in the county hall's main court.

Going to Nine Abyss County to serve as magistrate is hardly a training exercise—it's practically a death warrant! It's a premeditated murder under the guise of law!

The old eunuch looked at Gu Yuan's youthful face and sighed inwardly.

His Majesty intends to protect this young man, but how could the aristocratic clans at court possibly tolerate a low-born upstart who has provoked a heavenly omen and is growing in influence?

This appointment is a compromise by the aristocratic clans with the imperial authority, and also a deadly move.

Aren't you a born saint? Aren't you good at writing? Then go to Nine Serenities County and use your grand righteous aura to teach and transform those man-eating thousand-year-old great demons!

"Lord Gu, although Nine Serenities County is remote, as the saying goes, the sharp edge of a precious sword comes from grinding. His Majesty has bestowed upon you a seventh-rank official uniform for self-defense and an imperial sword for slaying demons; as long as you remain content and law-abiding in your post… after enduring three years, you will have boundless horizons."

The old eunuch lowered his voice and hinted obliquely.

So-called staying out of trouble means going there to be a turtle that pulls its head in, letting demons wreak havoc as long as you can save your life.

"Nine Serenities County? Sounds like a rather peaceful place."

Gu Yuan not only showed no trace of fear, but instead curled the corner of his mouth into an extremely playful arc.

"Please convey my thanks to all the officials of the Ministry of Personnel."

Gu Yuan slipped the copper seal into his sleeve, his tone gentle, "This place, I am quite satisfied."