Chapter 440: War! War!

Feng Province Capital, Inspection Department.

Several black sedans pulled up outside the main gate of the Inspection Department. A dozen officials in blue official robes stepped out of the cars and walked straight toward the gate.

"Who are you all?"

The guards stationed at the gate asked hurriedly.

The leading official produced a stamped document:

"We are from the Datong Prefecture General Inspection Court, here on orders to investigate a case!"

The two guards saw the seal of the Central Inspection Pavilion on the document and were shocked. Before they could speak, the group of officials from Datong Prefecture had already pushed their way in.

Soon, the people in the Inspection Department were alarmed.

"People from the Datong Prefecture General Inspection Court? Investigating us? They must be crazy!"

The first reaction of many officials was that it was absurd.

The Feng Province Inspection Department was responsible for the inspection work of the entire province, and the General Inspection Courts of each prefecture were under their jurisdiction. It had always been them sending out investigation teams to inspect officials in various places; they had never been approached by local officials to be investigated themselves.

It was simply turning the world upside down!

The group of officials from Datong Prefecture had already walked into an office building.

"Zhuang Hui?!"

In the lobby on the first floor, an official from the Inspection Department suddenly shouted loudly.

He recognized the person in the lead.

The Datong Prefecture official named Zhuang Hui turned his head to look and smiled: "So it is Master Ma."

Ma Xiangwen walked toward them and scolded:

"What are you doing? Isn't this too presumptuous?"

He was an Inspection Envoy of the Inspection Department, a fourth-rank seated official, a level 14 official.

The Zhuang Hui he was questioning was only a third-rank appointed official, a level 12 official.

Therefore, he spoke to Zhuang Hui very rudely.

According to custom, the Feng Province Inspection Department would send investigation teams to local areas for routine inspections every year. Previously, Ma Xiangwen led the team to Datong Prefecture every year, and the person responsible for coordinating with his investigation team was Zhuang Hui, so he recognized Zhuang Hui at a glance.

Zhuang Hui: "Acting on orders to investigate a case."

Ma Xiangwen said angrily: "On whose orders? Who has the qualifications to let you come and investigate us?!"

Zhuang Hui unhurriedly showed the document in his hand to the other party.

Ma Xiangwen was startled. At first glance, he also noticed the red seal at the very bottom. That was the seal of the Central Inspection Pavilion, and it also had the corresponding aura of spell techniques, so it could not be faked.

However, he was not a guard outside after all, and he was not frightened by this seal.

The name of the Central Inspection Pavilion was indeed very big, but it also depended on which people had specifically certified this document.

Ma Xiangwen had also seen many instances of people using a chicken feather as a token of authority and acting like a fox assuming the majesty of a tiger.

So he looked at the second seal on the document. Judging by the style, it was the personal seal of a certain cabinet member of the Central Cabinet.

This made Ma Xiangwen have to be cautious.

A document personally approved by a cabinet member indeed had great deterrent power when placed in a local area!

Ma Xiangwen finally saw two characters in the seal—Li Fei.

Now he finally could no longer maintain his composure.

"Has Master Ma seen clearly?"

Zhuang Hui asked mockingly.

Ma Xiangwen stared at him fixedly:

"Who are you going to investigate?"

"Who are we investigating? That would be quite a few!"

Zhuang Hui waved his hand, and a subordinate behind him stepped forward and showed the second document to Ma Xiangwen:

"Ma Xiangwen, you are suspected of corruption and bribery, and job-related crimes. Please cooperate with our investigation next!"

Ma Xiangwen's expression changed drastically.

He looked at the second document and saw that it was densely packed with dozens of names. Besides his own name, it also included many of his colleagues.

Not only that, he even saw the big name of the Chief Inspector of the Feng Province Inspection Department on this document!

That was a level 16 cabinet official!

Ma Xiangwen's body swayed, and only one thought remained in his mind:

Crazy!

"Master Ma, I don't need to teach you how to cooperate, do I?"

Zhuang Hui said, feeling incomparably refreshed in his heart.

Previously, every year when Ma Xiangwen led a team to Datong Prefecture for inspection, he would lecture Zhuang Hui and the others like they were his grandsons!

The most painful thing for Zhuang Hui and the others every year was dealing with these 'big shots' sent from above.

Now that they finally had the opportunity to turn around and investigate Ma Xiangwen and the others, they had finally raised their eyebrows and exhaled!

While Zhuang Hui and the others were breaking into the Feng Province Inspection Department, another team of officials from the Datong Prefecture General Inspection Court broke into Hongyi University.

The power and resources mastered by the thirteen universities were extraordinary, and they were directly under the jurisdiction of the Central Cabinet. Without authorization from the Central Government, local government offices had no right to directly inspect the universities.

Therefore, the status of universities in various places was very transcendent.

The presidents of the thirteen universities were equivalent in rank to level 17 cabinet officials, on the same level as regional governors!

This made it even more impossible for the government offices of various provinces to do anything directly to the universities.

However, the people who broke into Hongyi University today happened to have this authority, because Li Fei, who was a cabinet member and the Blue Patrol Special Envoy, had authorized them!

In the Vice President's office, Nalan Zhi received the news.

"... Sect Master, they said several elders are suspected of misappropriating public resources and are going to take them back for investigation!"

The lecturer who came to report was a disciple of the Qingshan Sword Sect, so the title he used was still the one from the sect.

The several elders he spoke of were also professors at Hongyi University.

Slap!

Nalan Zhi slapped the desk heavily, his face full of anger:

"Unreasonable! What qualifications do they have to directly take away people from our Hongyi University?"

"Sect Master, they said they are acting on the orders of the Central Inspection Pavilion, and it is a direct order from the Blue Patrol Special Envoy, Cabinet Elder Li!"

"Cabinet Elder Li? Li Fei!!"

Nalan Zhi gritted his teeth.

With President Xu Jing in seclusion most of the time, he could basically be considered the person in charge of Hongyi University.

He was originally the Sect Master of the Qingshan Sword Sect, and later brought the entire sect to join Hongyi University, becoming the Vice President of the university.

With the help of the university's resources, the Qingshan Sword Sect could be said to have developed rapidly in the past two years!

Nalan Zhi himself also used this opportunity to successfully practice a second divine ability, and his cultivation base went a step further.

In the past two years, he had almost regarded Hongyi University as his own private property.

It was not until he was suddenly investigated now that he realized Hongyi University was not his; he was just a manager, not the holder.

The true holder was the imperial court!

It was just that previously, with the Lu family blocking the way, the imperial court's investigations never found any problems, so Nalan Zhi became more and more daring.

Could the Lu family still block this investigation?

Nalan Zhi's expression was uncertain. He picked up the receiver on the desk and immediately made a call to the Lu Fu.

A few minutes later, just as Nalan Zhi put down the phone, several officials in blue robes broke directly into his office.

"Vice President Nalan, you are suspected of misappropriating public resources and using your position for personal gain, violating relevant laws many times. Now please come with us for a trip!"

The person who came showed a document to Nalan Zhi.

Nalan Zhi's expression changed.

He did not expect that the other party would even move against him, a Vice President!

On this day, a total of thirty-seven officials in the Feng Province capital were investigated!

This included the Chief Inspector of the Inspection Department and the Head of the Zhige Department, these two cabinet officials!

In addition, seven professors and twenty-one lecturers from Hongyi University were taken away for investigation.

Although Vice President Nalan Zhi was not taken away in the end, he also had to submit a report to the Central Government to defend himself.

For a time, the entire Feng Province officialdom was like a monstrous wave that had been stirred up!

Without a doubt, this was a war!

These people who were taken away for investigation all had some handles on them that had been secretly discovered by Datong Prefecture.

The Datong Prefecture of the past was like having cannons but suffering from insufficient range, unable to hit the provincial capital at all.

Now, with the authorization of Li Fei, the Blue Patrol Special Envoy who was a cabinet official, the 'range' of Datong Prefecture suddenly increased, and it could directly cover the provincial capital with firepower!

Thus, the 'cannonballs' that had been accumulated for more than two years were poured onto the head of the provincial capital all at once this time!

In the provincial capital, the Lu family and Hongyi University were caught off guard at the first moment and were a bit confused.

But they reacted quickly and began to 'protect their assets' while also launching a counterattack.

You can investigate me, and of course I can investigate you!

It's just that previously, relying on the advantage of 'officials one rank higher crushing people', they could crush Datong Prefecture and fight.

If it weren't for the fact that Datong Prefecture had a Wuan University, it would have been 'beaten to a pulp' by the provincial capital long ago.

Now that Datong Prefecture had the backing of 'Cabinet Elder Li' who was the Blue Patrol Special Envoy, it had become the side with more power, so it occupied the upper hand in this battle without gunpowder.

Some imperial court officials and university lecturers were imprisoned one after another!

However, it was currently limited to the level of imperial court officials and university lecturers. As for the higher-level imperial court seated officials and university professors, the Lu family and Hongyi University protected them very tightly.

Even if Datong Prefecture had mastered some evidence, it could not completely nail down the charges of these people.

After all, officialdom was not just the inspection system.

The Central Government had six pavilions, and the local areas had six departments and six courts. Everyone cooperated with each other while also checking and balancing each other.

No one could cover the sky with one hand.

In terms of foundation and influence in officialdom, Datong Prefecture still could not compare with the Lu family. Relying only on the authority given by Li Fei, it could at most occupy the upper hand for a while.

This was also the reason why Bian Jingru did not approve of Li Fei fighting back now at the beginning.

If you can't beat the other party at once, it's better to continue accumulating 'cannonballs' and make a final decision when you are sure!

However, Li Fei insisted on starting to 'fight back', and Bian Jingru could only cooperate.

If nothing else, this 'battle' was indeed fought very happily!

May 27th, Lanling City.

This war without gunpowder between Datong Prefecture and the provincial capital had lasted for more than two months.

For these two months, Li Fei spent most of his time cultivating at the mansion.

A thousand miles away, the two sides were fighting until 'rivers of blood flowed'. Two cabinet members and a Vice President at the Martial Arts Master realm were forced by Li Fei to submit reports to defend themselves, while Li Fei himself did not pay much attention to all of this.

He insisted on fighting back just to express an attitude.

He wanted to let the Lu family and Xu Jing know—

Your turn is almost over, and the next turn is all mine!

So this sudden investigation aimed at the Feng Province capital was not the end, but just the beginning!

Next, Li Fei would send people to investigate the other party from time to time.

He wanted to let all the officials standing on the Lu family's side clearly realize one thing—

As long as you still work for the Lu family, the official hat on your head could be taken off at any time!

The Blue Patrol Special Envoy had such deterrent power, especially Li Fei, this unprecedented level 16 Blue Patrol Special Envoy!

Of course, Li Fei doing this would inevitably be called using public office for private gain.

In fact, for the past two months, the reports impeaching him had never stopped!

In the Central Cabinet and at the Great Morning Assembly, there were ministers who stood up to impeach him and accuse him of such behavior.

Some suggested demoting Li Fei's official position and letting him be demoted back to a level 15 Blue Patrol Special Envoy.

Others suggested simply removing Li Fei from his position as Blue Patrol Special Envoy!

But until now, whether it was Grand Secretary Ye Zean or the Emperor, there had been no reaction to this matter.

They did not remove Li Fei from his position, nor did they demote him, and they did not even scold him once.

Regarding this, Li Fei knew it well, because he was about to fight a real war, so the Emperor and Ye Zean had a relatively high tolerance for him during this period.

Next, he was going to the Northern Territory to fight for the country, so he would not be able to continue authorizing Datong Prefecture to investigate the Lu family and Hongyi University.

In the secret room, Li Fei stuck a milky white, soft mud-like thing onto his dantian.

Soon, this soft mud-like thing merged into his dantian.

This was a grade four implant of the spell technique type, 【White Mist Pawn】, which was one of the 'pawn' that made up the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.

After merging with 【White Mist Pawn】, Li Fei activated the Sword State · Golden Body Jade Marrow and began to incorporate the newly merged implant into his Flying Sword Body.

In this process, there was a 'Little Li Fei' in his body, just like a blacksmith, chasing after 【White Mist Pawn】 all the way, constantly tempering it into various parts of his body.

This 'Little Li Fei' was the true spirit of the Flying Sword Body and also Li Fei's 'Second Consciousness'.

The process of strengthening the life-bound magic treasure had two difficulties:

The first is refining the treasure.

It is necessary to ensure that the newly merged implant will not cause damage to the life-bound magic treasure. Otherwise, once a problem occurs, it will take more time, energy, and materials to recuperate the life-bound magic treasure.

Quite a few True Persons make mistakes repeatedly in this step, and in the end, they damage their foundation, leading to the life-bound magic treasure being unable to continue to be strengthened.

The second is resonance.

After merging with a new implant, it is necessary to let the true spirit of the life-bound magic treasure establish a deep-level connection with the newly merged implant and form a new resonance with the strengthened life-bound magic treasure. Only in this way can one truly control the strengthened life-bound magic treasure and, incidentally, use the life-bound magic treasure to strengthen one's own true spirit and true power in turn.

There are also quite a few True Persons who are very talented in the step of refining the treasure, but have a hard time in the step of resonance.

However, these two difficulties are nothing to Li Fei.

He has the Ten Thousand Blood Bead to transfer damage, which can ensure the process of refining the treasure, with the fault tolerance rate pulled to the max, and he almost doesn't have to worry about refining the life-bound magic treasure into a bad state.

His life-bound magic treasure is himself, and the connection with the life-bound object is unparalleled in the world! So he can also do it easily in the step of resonance.

In just two short months, Li Fei has already merged with four types of grade four implants and is currently merging with the fifth type.

Even if the grade five implant to be merged next needs to spend more time, according to Li Fei's speed, he will definitely be able to complete the strengthening of the first 'Twelve Fiends' within a year, thereby having the opportunity to practice the second divine ability of the Flying Sword Body!

For an ordinary True Person, completing the merging of one grade four implant in a year is already very fast.

True Persons who choose to refine Earth-grade low-quality magic treasures need to merge with thirty-six types of grade four implants to practice the second divine ability, but in fact, many people may not be able to practice their second divine ability even after forty years.

Li Fei's speed is simply like cheating to these people!

In the secret room, a bell suddenly rang.

This was because there was something important outside that had to interrupt Li Fei's cultivation.

Li Fei stopped refining 【White Mist Pawn】 and walked out of the secret room.

"Marquis, someone from the palace has come, asking you to enter the palace."

The Marquis Mansion steward said to Li Fei.

Li Fei nodded, revealing an excited expression.

Previously, the Emperor told him that the use of troops against the Northern Barbarians would be within these few months.

Now that he was suddenly summoned into the palace, it was probably that the imperial court was preparing to send troops!

This meant that he was about to set off for the Northern Territory.

To participate in a real war!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 441 =====