Chapter 1224: Chapter 123 Barely Retained the Title of Number One Below the Transcendance Tribulation Stage

The constables outside the meeting hall all witnessed County Magistrate Zhou being made to stand at the door for over two hours, and they transmitted messages to their respective County Magistrates, who began to look at Zhou with increasingly bemused eyes.

Is this some strange kind of hobby?

But even if he liked standing at the door, he couldn’t expect them to wait from noon until now.

Even Zhou, who had exceptional interpersonal skills and a top-notch mental resilience, felt embarrassed in this situation.

"There was a little accident during practice; let’s start the meeting," Zhou said lightly, then walked inside.

"Lord Governor, it’s time to finish work for the day," Man Gu kindly reminded him.

Zhou’s face changed color repeatedly. Although he was at fault, being persuaded by Man Gu in just a few words not to hold the meeting was a blow to his dignity.

With a stern voice, he said, "Lord Man, if we don’t hold the meeting today, we will have to continue tomorrow. Are you suggesting that all the colleagues come here again from their counties tomorrow? Are you trying to waste everyone’s time?"

Man Gu was puzzled, "But wasn’t it you who wasted our time by standing at the door and not coming in?"

Faced with the truth, Zhou had no defense against Man Gu and ordered, "We must have the meeting today!"

"Oh," Man Gu sat down obediently.

Seeing Man Gu’s indifferent attitude, Zhou’s blood pressure rose; he had never encountered such a person in his official career!

He made an effort to adjust his mentality and chaired the meeting.

In reality, it was just a simple introductory meeting. After all, he was new to the job and unfamiliar with the place; he couldn’t rashly decide the development direction of Zhongshan County.

At the end of the meeting, Zhou asked, "Does anyone else have something to say?"

No one responded.

Zhou scanned the room and fixed his gaze on Man Gu, who seemed eager to leave, "Lord Man, do you have anything to say?"

Man Gu shook his head, remembering the notes the secretary had written, "No."

Seeing that Man Gu was somewhat sensible and understood the rules of bureaucracy, Zhou’s tone softened a bit, "Lord Man, don’t be constrained. Here, you can speak freely."

Still, Man Gu shook his head, "Don’t believe it; those who say such things are liars, very hypocritical, can’t be trusted."

This was the explanation the secretary had given Man Gu about when a superior says to speak but not really to speak—all direct quotes.

Zhou clenched his fists tightly, his century-long cultivation almost breaking right there. He managed to say calmly, "Lord Man really has a sense of humor."

"I’m not joking, though."

Zhou stared at Man Gu intently, wishing he could swallow him whole.

It seemed that Man Gu had his eye on the position of County Magistrate, having captured the Governor twice already, but he didn’t expect himself to become the Magistrate, harboring resentment and repeatedly embarrassing him during the meeting.

Through clenched teeth, Zhou managed to utter, "...Meeting adjourned."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were curious about Man Gu’s performance during the meeting, observing the hall with their Spiritual Sense. Seeing this scene, they exchanged glances, shaking their heads in amusement.

"Truly worthy of Junior Brother Man," Lu Yang thought that after they returned, the secretary would have to add more notes for Man Gu.

Dealing with a superior like Man Gu was certainly not easy for the secretary.

"Hey, is there really anything funny about this?" Fairy Eternity, who was also paying attention to Man Gu, felt that Man Gu had done quite well in the meeting.

"Open and honest, says what’s on his mind, very much in the spirit of his ancestors."

Lu Yang held his forehead, thankful the Fairy hadn’t involved herself in officialdom. No, that’s not right, she had already reached the highest echelons of it.

The Fairy couldn’t be relied upon, after all. It seemed he and Old Meng, two good Senior Brothers, would have to take more care of Man Gu.

After the meeting, the three of them had no intention of lingering in Zhongshan County. Lu Yang and his companion still had patrolling duties that night.

Man Gu returned to his room in the Government Office to rest, while Lu Yang and his companion, invigorated, wandered around Quyi County and encountered someone unexpected.

"Master Ru?" Lu Yang and his companion were surprised. What was Master Ru doing here? Could it be that he didn’t know the Drought Demon was already at the Corpse Chasing Sect, and he was still searching for it here?

Lu Baqian was even more surprised. "Are you two the constables here?"

"That’s right, Man Gu is the County Magistrate here, and you two have come to serve as his Protectors."

Lu Baqian remembered that Man Gu was the County Magistrate of Quyi County.

"Master Ru, what brings you to our county?"

"Isn’t this just a chance encounter with a scion of the Divine Craftsman Wang Family? In order to contend with the Drought Demon, I rushed to get the forging methods for the Mountain Seal from them and didn’t have time to repay them."

"The young blacksmith Wang has decent talents; the only issue is his young age. Once he’s older, he can bring my token to join our Corpse Chasing Sect, or he could go to another Sect."

"I wouldn’t dare speak for distant places, but the Sects of the Wild State would definitely give me face."

In the Wild State, every Sect knew the title of the number one person beneath the Pass Tribulation Stage, and none would dare not to give him face.

"By the way, I must thank the two Martial Nephews for delivering the female Drought Demon to our Corpse Chasing Sect."

"Master Ru, you are too kind. The female Drought Demon was originally a zombie of your esteemed Sect. We just happened to encounter her while on patrol. She has simply returned to her rightful owner."

"Still, I am grateful. She has exceptional combat capabilities and has become a significant asset to our Corpse Chasing Sect. I’ve exchanged blows with that female Drought Demon, and I’ve barely managed to maintain my title as the first person beneath the Transcendance Tribulation Stage."

"Does that mean you defeated the female Drought Demon, Master Ru?"

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

"..."

Lu Baqian had been bedridden with a serious injury and had gone over the battle with the female Drought Demon many times, arriving at a conclusion:

He could have won with the Mountain Seal keeping the female Drought Demon at bay, but since she had encountered Lu Yang, her courage had grown, and she was no longer intimidated.

"Then congratulations on your Sect’s advancement to Super-grade."

A Sect could be considered Super-grade if it had a Pass Tribulation Cultivator in its ranks, and the female Drought Demon could probably be counted as a Pass Tribulation Cultivator for the Corpse Chasing Sect... right?

Discussing this made Lu Baqian very happy. With him present, their Corpse Chasing Sect was considered half a step into Super-grade. With the female Drought Demon joining, they had finally officially become a Super-grade Sect, eligible for tax reduction policies from the Dynasty.

Lu Baqian felt that Lu Yang and his companion were indeed lucky charms. They had come to the Corpse Chasing Sect during their Golden Core Stage, and then he had advanced to the Half-step Tribulation Crossing Stage. This time they had brought a Transcendance Tribulation Stage female Drought Demon. Every visit seemed to double the strength of the Corpse Chasing Sect.

...

"To choose whether to join the Corpse Chasing Sect or another Sect?" The young blacksmith Wang faced the choice given by Lu Baqian with much distress.

Old Wang the blacksmith was also struggling to make a decision for his son.

"My child, don’t rush, you’re not yet sixteen. You can take your time to think," Lu Baqian said.

The young blacksmith Wang furrowed his brows deeply in contemplation. He had been pondering one question all along: "You said that the Corpse Chasing Sect excels at manipulating zombies and feeding them with one’s own blood."

"Then, my Bloodthirsty Evil Sword, being an inanimate object that grows stronger with bloodlust, wouldn’t that also be considered capable of controlling zombies?"

Lu Baqian fell silent for a moment, then said earnestly, "My child, join our Corpse Chasing Sect. What we lack in our Sect is precisely your kind of thinking."