Chapter 774: WAR! WAR!

Feng Province Provincial Capital, Inspection Department.

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

"Who are you all?"

The guard stationed at the gate asked hurriedly.

The official in the lead 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 Cabinet on the document and were struck with terror; just as they were about to speak, the group of officials from Datong Prefecture had already pushed their way inside.

Soon, the people in the Inspection Department were alarmed.

"People from the Datong Prefecture General Inspection Court? Investigating us? Are they insane!"

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 check on local officials, and 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 first-floor lobby, an official from the Inspection Department suddenly shouted.

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 Commissioner of the Inspection Department, a fourth-rank 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 the localities 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 under orders to investigate a case."

Ma Xiangwen said angrily: "Under whose orders? Who has the qualifications to have you investigate us?!"

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

Ma Xiangwen was stunned; at first glance, he also noticed the red seal at the very bottom. It was the seal of the Central Inspection Cabinet, and it even carried the corresponding spiritual energy aura; it could not be faked.

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

The reputation of the Central Inspection Cabinet was indeed great, but it also depended on which people had specifically certified this document.

Ma Xiangwen had seen many cases of people using a chicken feather as a token of authority and using others' power to bully people.

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 forced Ma Xiangwen to be cautious.

A document personally approved by a Cabinet Member, when placed in the localities, was indeed very intimidating!

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

Now he could finally no longer maintain his composure.

"Has Master Ma seen clearly?"

Zhuang Hui asked mockingly.

Ma Xiangwen stared at him fixedly:

"Who are you investigating?"

"Who are we investigating? That would be a long list!"

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

"Ma Xiangwen, you are suspected of corruption, bribery, and dereliction of duty; please cooperate with our investigation!"

Ma Xiangwen's face changed drastically.

He looked at the second document and saw dozens of names written densely upon it; besides his own name, it included many of his colleagues.

Not only that, he even saw the 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:

Insane!

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

Zhuang Hui said, feeling incredibly refreshed.

Previously, every year when Ma Xiangwen led a team to Datong Prefecture for inspections, 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 chance to turn the tables and investigate Ma Xiangwen and the others, they had finally vented their frustrations!

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 center, local government offices had no right to directly inspect 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 high-ranking provincial officials!

This made it even more impossible for provincial government offices 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 a 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 to be taken back for investigation!"

The lecturer who came to report was a disciple of the Green Mountain Sword Sect, so he still used the terminology from the sect.

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

Slap!

Nalan Zhi slapped his desk heavily, his face full of rage:

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

"Sect Master, they said they are acting under the orders of the Central Inspection Cabinet, orders issued directly by Cabinet Member Li, the Blue Patrol Special Envoy!"

"Cabinet Member Li? Li Fei!!"

Nalan Zhi gritted his teeth.

With Xu Jing, the president, in seclusion most of the time, he could basically be considered the head of Hongyi University.

He was originally the Sect Master of the Green Mountain Sword Sect, and later brought the entire sect to join Hongyi University, becoming the university's vice president.

With the help of the university's resources, the Green Mountain Sword Sect had developed rapidly over the past two years!

Nalan Zhi himself had also used this opportunity to successfully cultivate a second divine ability, and his cultivation base had advanced further.

Over the past two years, he had almost come to view Hongyi University as his own private property.

Only now, being suddenly investigated, did he realize that Hongyi University was not his; he was merely a manager, not the owner.

The true owner was the imperial court!

It was just that previously, with the Lu family blocking the way, the imperial court's investigations had never found any problems, so Nalan Zhi had become increasingly bold.

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 Mansion.

A few minutes later, just as Nalan Zhi hung up the phone, several officials in blue robes walked straight into his office.

"Vice President Nalan, you are suspected of misappropriating public resources and using your position for personal gain, violating relevant laws multiple times; please come with us now!"

The visitors handed a document to Nalan Zhi to read.

Nalan Zhi's expression changed.

He had not expected the other party to actually move against even him, the vice president!

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

This included the Chief Inspector of the Inspection Department and the Head of the Stop-War 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 was still required to submit a report to the center 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 taken away for investigation all had some dirt on them that had been secretly uncovered by Datong Prefecture.

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

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

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

In the provincial capital, the Lu family and Hongyi University were caught off guard at the first moment and were somewhat dazed.

But they soon reacted and began to 'protect their assets' while simultaneously launching a counterattack.

If you can investigate me, I can certainly investigate you!

It was just that previously, relying on the advantage that 'a higher official crushes a lower one,' they could suppress Datong Prefecture.

If it weren't for the fact that Datong Prefecture had a Wu'an University, it would have long since been 'crippled' by the provincial capital.

Now that Datong Prefecture had the backing of 'Cabinet Member Li,' the Blue Patrol Special Envoy, it had become the side with more power, and thus occupied the upper hand in this smokeless battle.

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

However, for now, this is limited to the level of imperial court officials and university lecturers; as for the higher-ranking imperial court seated officials and university professors, the Lu family and Hongyi University are protecting them very tightly.

Even though Datong Prefecture has grasped some evidence, they have no way to completely finalize the charges against these people.

When it comes down to it, the officialdom is not just the Inspectorate branch.

The central government has the Six Cabinets, and the local government has the Six Ministries and the Six Courts. Everyone cooperates with each other, while also checking and balancing each other.

No one can manage to cover the sky with one hand.

In terms of foundation and influence in the officialdom, Datong Prefecture still cannot compare to the Lu family; relying only on the authority given by Li Fei, they can at most gain the upper hand for a moment.

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

Since one cannot kill the opponent in one blow, it is better to continue accumulating "shells" and wait until there is certainty to settle the matter with one hammer blow!

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

Not to mention anything else, at least this "battle" was fought quite satisfyingly!

May 27th, Lanling City.

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

For these past two months, Li Fei has spent the vast majority of his time cultivating at his residence.

A thousand miles away, both sides are fighting until "rivers of blood flow," and two cabinet members and one vice-chancellor at the Martial Dao Master realm have been forced by Li Fei to submit written self-defenses, yet Li Fei himself does not take all of this very much to heart.

He insists on fighting back just to express an attitude.

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

Your turn is almost over, and from now on, it is Laozi's turn!

Therefore, this sudden investigation into the provincial capital of Feng Province is not the end, but merely the beginning!

From now on, Li Fei will send people to investigate the other side from time to time.

He wants to make 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 has exactly this kind of deterrent power, especially Li Fei, this unprecedented Level 16 Blue Patrol Special Envoy!

Of course, by doing this, Li Fei will inevitably be accused of using public office for private gain.

In fact, for the past two months, the petitions impeaching him have never stopped!

In the central cabinet and at the Great Court Assembly, there have been ministers standing up to impeach him and accuse him of such behavior.

Some suggested demoting Li Fei's official rank, letting him be demoted back to a Level 15 Blue Patrol Special Envoy.

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

But until now, whether it is the Chief Grand Secretary Ye Ze or the Emperor, neither has had any 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 knows clearly that because he is about to go fight a real war, the Emperor and Ye Ze have a relatively high tolerance for him during this period.

Next, he is going to the Northern Frontier to fight for the country, so he will have no way to continue authorizing Datong Prefecture to investigate the Lu family and Hongyi University.

Inside the secret chamber, Li Fei sticks a milky-white, soft-mud-like object onto his dantian.

Soon, this lump of soft-mud-like object merges into his dantian.

This is a Fourth-Grade spell-type implant, the 【White Mist Pawn】, which is one of the "Pawn" that makes up the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.

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

In this process, there is also a "Little Li Fei" inside his body, just like a blacksmith forging iron, chasing after the 【White Mist Pawn】 all the way, continuously hammering it into various parts of his body.

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

The process of strengthening a life-bound magic treasure has two difficulties:

The first is the refining.

One must ensure that the newly merged implant will not cause damage to the life-bound magic treasure; otherwise, once a problem arises, cultivating the life-bound magic treasure will require more time, energy, and materials.

There are quite a few True Persons who repeatedly make mistakes at this step, eventually damaging their foundation and causing the life-bound magic treasure to be unable to be further strengthened.

The second is resonance.

After merging with a new implant, one must 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 conversely strengthen one's own true spirit and true power.

There are also many True Persons who are very talented in the refining step but struggle at the resonance step.

However, these two difficulties are nothing to Li Fei.

He has the Ten Thousand Blood Bead to transfer damage, which can ensure the refining process has a maximized fault tolerance, and he almost never needs to worry about ruining his life-bound magic treasure.

His life-bound magic treasure is himself, and his connection with his life-bound object is unparalleled in the world! Therefore, he can also easily achieve the resonance step.

In just two short months, Li Fei has already merged four types of Fourth-Grade implants and is currently merging the fifth.

Even if the Fifth-Grade implant to be merged next requires more time, at Li Fei's current speed, he will definitely be able to complete the strengthening of the first "Twelve Fiends" within a year, thereby having the opportunity to cultivate the second divine ability of the Flying Sword Body!

For ordinary True Persons, completing the merger of one Fourth-Grade implant in a year is already very fast.

True Persons who choose to refine Earth-Grade low-quality magic treasures need to merge thirty-six Fourth-Grade implants to cultivate a second divine ability, but in reality, many people may not be able to cultivate their second divine ability even after forty years.

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

Inside the secret chamber, a bell suddenly rings.

This means there is an important matter outside that must interrupt Li Fei's cultivation.

Li Fei stops the refining of the 【White Mist Pawn】 and walks out of the secret chamber.

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

The Marquis's estate steward says to Li Fei.

Li Fei nods, revealing an excited expression.

Previously, the Emperor told him that the military campaign against the Northern Barbarians would likely be within these few months.

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

This means that he is about to set off for the Northern Frontier.

To participate in a real war!

(End of this chapter)