Chapter 1230

The government office runners outside the conference hall saw the prefect standing at the door for over two hours, and they sent sound transmissions to their respective county magistrates, whose gazes toward the prefect grew increasingly strange.

Is this some strange habit?

But even if he likes standing at the door, he can't make them wait from noon until now.

Even though the prefect's interpersonal skills are top-notch and his mental fortitude excellent, he felt embarrassed in this situation.

"There was a slight mishap in cultivation; let's start the meeting."

The prefect said lightly, then walked inside.

"Prefect, it's already time to get off work," the constable reminded kindly.

The prefect's expression changed repeatedly; although he was at fault first, being dissuaded by the constable in a few words and unable to hold the meeting damaged his dignity.

He spoke in a very serious tone: "Constable, if we don't hold the meeting today, we'll have to continue it tomorrow. Do you mean to have all our colleagues come again from the county seat tomorrow to hold the meeting? Are you trying to waste their time?"

The constable was utterly puzzled: "But isn't it because you've been standing at the door, not coming in, wasting our time?"

Faced with the facts, the prefect could not argue with the constable and had to order him: "We must hold the meeting today!"

"Oh." The constable obediently sat back down.

Seeing the constable's indifferent attitude, the prefect's blood pressure rose; he had never seen such a person since becoming an official.

He struggled to adjust his mindset and presided over the meeting.

Actually, this meeting was just a simple get-together, after all, he had just arrived, unfamiliar with the people and place, and couldn't rashly decide on the development direction of Zhongshan Commandery.

At the end of the meeting, the prefect asked: "Is there anyone else who wants to say something?"

No one responded.

The prefect scanned the room, his gaze falling on the restless constable who wanted to leave: "Constable, do you have anything you want to say?"

The constable shook his head, remembering the clerk's written precautions: "No."

Seeing that the constable was somewhat sensible and understood officialdom's rules, the prefect softened his tone: "Constable, you needn't be restrained; here you may speak freely."

The constable still shook his head: "I don't believe it; those who say such things are all liars, hypocritical to the extreme, untrustworthy."

This is the clerk's explanation to the constable about superiors allowing speech but forbidding it, verbatim.

The prefect clenched his fists tightly; his hundred years of self-cultivation nearly failed here, and he forced himself to speak in a calm voice: "Constable, you really know how to joke."

"I'm not joking at all."

The prefect stared fixedly at the constable, wishing he could devour him in one bite.

It seems he also has his eye on the prefect's position, so he seized the prefect twice, but never imagined he would become the prefect himself, bearing a grudge in his heart, and at the meeting repeatedly making himself embarrassed.

The prefect squeezed out two words from between his teeth: "... Dismissed."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were curious about the constable's performance in the meeting, constantly observing the conference hall with their divine sense, saw this scene, exchanged glances, shook their heads, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Truly lives up to being the constable's junior brother." Lu Yang felt that upon returning, the clerk would again add precautions for the constable in his little book.

Having such a superior as the constable, the clerk is indeed not having an easy time.

"Eh, is there anything worth laughing about?" The Immortal Maiden also paid attention to the constable, feeling his performance in the meeting was quite good.

"Open and aboveboard, speaking when one has something to say, very much in the style of his ancestor."

Lu Yang rubbed his forehead, fortunate that the Immortal Maiden hadn't mixed into officialdom—no, wrong, the Immortal Maiden has already mixed into it to the hilt.

The Immortal Maiden is hopeless; we'll still have to rely on me and Old Meng, two senior brothers, to look after the constable more.

After the meeting ended, the three had no intention of lingering in Zhongshan Commandery; Lu Yang and the other still had night patrol duties.

The constable returned to the government office room to rest; Lu Yang and the other roused their spirits, wandered around Quyu County, and encountered an unexpected person.

"Sect Leader Lu?" Lu Yang and the other exclaimed in surprise; how could the Sect Leader be here? Could it be he doesn't know the drought demon is already at the Corpse-Raising Sect, and he's still here searching for the drought demon?

Lu Lu Baqian was even more surprised than Lu Yang and the other: "You two are the constables here?"

"That's right; the constable is the county magistrate here, and you two are here to be his Dharma protectors."

Lu Lu Baqian recalled that the county magistrate of Quyu County is the constable.

"Sect Leader Lu, what brings you to our county?"

"This isn't just bumping into the heir of the Divine Artisan Wang family; to deal with the drought demon, I rushed over from them to obtain the method for refining the Mountain-Suppressing Seal, and didn't have time to report back to them."

"Little Wang the blacksmith has decent aptitude, just too young; when he's old enough, I can let him carry my token into our Corpse-Raising Sect, or go to other sects."

"I wouldn't dare say for distant places, but these sects in Huangzhou still give me face."

The title of "Number One Below the Tribulation Transcendence Stage," the sects in Huangzhou—who doesn't know it, who dares not give him face?

"By the way, I still need to thank the two junior nephews for delivering the female drought demon to our Corpse-Raising Sect."

"Sect Leader Lu, you're too polite; the female drought demon was originally your sect's zombie, but we happened to encounter her during our patrol, and returned her to her rightful owner."

"Still, thanks are due; her combat prowess is extraordinary, capable of becoming a great aid to our Corpse-Raising Sect. I exchanged blows with that female drought demon, and merely managed to hold onto the title of 'Number One Below the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.'"

"So you're saying Sect Leader Lu defeated the female drought demon?"

"No, she defeated me and then advanced to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage."

"..."

Lu Lu Baqian lay wounded on the bed, having replayed his battle with the female drought demon many times, and drew a conclusion:

With the Mountain-Suppressing Seal intimidating the female drought demon, he could win, but after encountering Lu Yang and the other, her courage grew, and he could no longer intimidate her.

"... Then congratulations on your sect advancing to a super-grade sect."

The requirement for a super-grade sect is having a Tribulation Transcendence-stage cultivator seated in command within the sect; the female drought demon should count as the Corpse-Raising Sect's Tribulation Transcendence-stage cultivator... right?

Speaking of this, Lu Lu Baqian felt very pleased; with him, their Corpse-Raising Sect counts as half a step toward a super-grade sect, and with the female drought demon joining, they finally qualify as a formal super-grade sect, able to enjoy the imperial court's tax reduction policy.

Lu Lu Baqian feels Lu Yang and the other are truly lucky stars; when they came to the Corpse-Raising Sect at Golden Core stage, he became half a step to Tribulation Transcendence, and this time they came again, bringing a Tribulation Transcendence-stage female drought demon, each visit doubling their sect's strength.

"Are you letting me choose whether to join the Corpse-Raising Sect or another sect?" Little Wang the blacksmith faced Lu Lu Baqian's choice, feeling very troubled.

Faced with sect selection, Old Wang's head also found it hard to make a decision.

"Child, don't be in a hurry, you haven't even reached sixteen yet, you can think slowly." Lu Lu Baqian said.

The little blacksmith frowned, thinking hard, he had actually been thinking about one question: "You said the Corpse-Chasing Sect is best at driving away corpses, using one's own blood to feed the zombies."

"Then my bloodthirsty evil sword is a dead thing, bloodthirsty becomes stronger, does that also count as being able to control zombies?"

Lu Lu Baqian was silent for a while, then said seriously: "Child, join our Corpse-Chasing Sect, what our Corpse-Chasing Sect lacks is exactly your kind of thinking."