Chapter 122: A Major Problem

The entire Xiancheng had grown in population for centuries; the once neatly planned city, both inner and outer, was now riddled with rampant illegal constructions.

Even so, there still weren’t enough houses.

Both inner and outer city housing was built atop spiritual veins, and such dwellings were always limited in number.

So the inner city residents began secretly encroaching on outer city homes.

Outer city residents could only reluctantly pack up their families and move outside the city walls.

Though spiritual energy diminished outside, houses could be built larger; with more children in the future, they wouldn’t fear overcrowding.

Add to that the influx of migrants from other regions, and the outskirts became densely populated with abundant housing.

All kinds of troubles kept emerging.

Law and order were in chaos; “heroes” sprang up everywhere.

The ultimate solution everyone settled on was to evade patrol squads, then kill their enemies.

The total population of the outer settlement zones had long surpassed the combined population of Xiancheng’s inner and outer cities.

Especially the number of scattered cultivators, which far exceeded the total number of Xiancheng cultivators by three or four times.

With only this many people, the Su family truly couldn’t handle any unrest.

Whether they directly organized clan members to clear out the parasitic people outside, or distributed large quantities of supplies to help them self-rescue, any move they made would make them the target of all.

The parasitic people might strike first at the Su family’s own settlement districts outside the city.

As daylight waned and night approached, the clan chief weighed his options and decided not to blindly send people to exterminate the parasitic people outside.

They couldn’t leave the city, but they could still help nearby neighborhoods investigate parasitic people.

Besides, once the inner and outer cities were fully cleared, City Master Xu Yi would still act against the outskirts; there’d be time enough to join other clans then.

Thus, the Su clan once again recruited large numbers of young and strong men, equipped them with supplies, and quietly began assisting nearby scattered small factions in exterminating parasitic people.

Fortunately, the Su clan had many new-generation cultivators.

Because of the Su clan’s intervention, nearby small factions realized Xiancheng had developed a new kind of insect—it didn’t just eat human brains, but could also parasitize inside them.

That was terrifying.

Who knew how many of these insects had already parasitized those around them?

If one of these insects had parasitized a loved one and they hadn’t noticed, the next one to be eaten might be themselves.

Because you don’t guard against your own loved ones.

It was far too easy for the insects to strike by surprise.

Even as night fell, the areas where the Su clan had intervened were lit by countless bonfires and hanging lanterns.

Most neighborhoods glowed brightly, cooperating fully in intensive inspections for parasitic people.

Some neighborhoods conducted net-style sweeps and found none; others uncovered dozens at once.

Many small clans and factions broke out in cold sweats.

If these parasitic people continued to multiply, multiply, the entire neighborhood might be doomed.

Besides the Su clan, other noble families, after being summoned by Bao Junyi, also launched actions.

After securing the heads of all clans and ordering them to fully purge their internal ranks, Bao Junyi went to report to City Master Xu Yi—this large-scale sweep required mobilizing more city guards and patrol squads.

Without coordinating with the city master, he could mobilize patrol squads, but not city guards—he lacked the authority to command them.

Mobilizing city guards meant quelling rebellion or civil war.

That was the city master’s exclusive privilege.

Based on the information he’d gathered, Bao Junyi believed the likelihood of needing to quell rebellion had greatly increased.

Xu Yi was just having dinner when Bao Junyi arrived.

He instantly sensed trouble and quickly finished his meal.

Only then did he allow Bao Junyi to enter.

As soon as Bao Junyi stepped inside, he dropped a bombshell.

“My lord, something huge has happened.”

Xu Yi’s heart sank at those words.

“Explain,” he said calmly.

Bao Junyi then recounted the full story of the day’s discovery of the new insect.

“You’re saying Xiancheng now has another new insect, one that’s been spreading secretly? This insect eats human brains and can control parasitized people to keep hunting?”

Xu Yi’s face had turned grim.

He wondered if the chair he sat on was a powder keg, one that kept exploding in succession.

A fury he couldn’t name filled his chest.

“Bao Junyi, you’ve been in Xiancheng for over two years, and you’ve sat as Chief of the Police Inspectorate all this time.

Are you stupid? Or have you lost your mind?

For over two years, you didn’t notice two kinds of insects growing and developing inside Xiancheng?

Are you just as useless as your predecessor?”

He demanded angrily.

Bao Junyi’s predecessor, Liu Hai, was a high-cultivation, low-competence fool.

He promoted whoever pleased him and was easily swayed by persuasion.

The Police Inspectorate constantly reversed its orders.

He turned the entire office into a mess.

The sect could no longer tolerate it, so they removed him—and dumped Bao Junyi in his place.

Bao Junyi gave Xu Yi a look filled with resentment and complexity.

He thought: We’re both just cleaning up other people’s messes—what’s the point of pointing fingers?

Xu Yi laughed bitterly at that look.

“Since you’ve come, you must already have a plan. Tell me your idea—I’ll see how I can assist.”

Bao Junyi finally softened his resentful expression.

When he first arrived, he’d come alone, taking up his post with no loyal subordinates.

The Police Inspectorate had been a tangled mess; with no trusted men, he’d had to slowly cultivate his own, adjusting personnel one step at a time.

After over two years, he’d only gained control of half the core departments.

The Inspectorate was still undergoing internal purges and corrections; he’d planned to take it slow.

As long as no major crisis erupted, in another year or two, he’d smoothly pass the transition and fully control Xiancheng’s Police Inspectorate.

Who knew that from this year on, troubles kept piling up?

Explosions kept happening inside and outside Xiancheng!!

What could he do?

“This white caterpillar we discovered is different from the earlier mutated black locusts. It poses far greater danger to humans. We don’t even know when it began spreading or which groups it primarily infected.

And our Inspectorate likely has moles planted by the shadowy forces behind this.

That’s why, even after two years, I’ve found no trace or report of these insects.

I suspect either our subordinate patrol squads are compromised, or the Intelligence Division has a major problem.”