Chapter 14: The Situation in Lyuzhou...

```

At the Government Office of Lyuzhou City, several key officials gathered for a meeting, all due to the chaos that erupted at noon.

In the grand hall, aside from the Magistrate, Deputy Prefect, and Administrative Commissioner, who held the three main posts in the office, there were also various circuit intendants and two Academic Commissioners of prefectural level!

The scale of the assembly could not be described as anything but grand, causing Weichi Peng, who was present for the meeting, to frown deeply.

However, he was well aware that the location of the incident this time was quite special. South Street White Willow Lane was home to numerous wealthy individuals who admired Master Huang's talent, as well as many elderly scholars and Educational Instructors. During the chaos, up to a hundred households went missing, many of whom did not even leave a corpse to be found, and most were respected teaching scholars!

The official explanation given to the public was that it was the upheaval caused by "earth dragons turning over," but such a major event could hardly be concealed with just an earthquake theory. Not to mention the families of those scholars, their students would surely demand an explanation.

"Commander Weichi... Are you certain it was the work of a monstrous creature?"

The senior official who posed the question was over fifty, with a beard as white as snow, none other than Zhou Xun, the Magistrate of Lyuzhou.

"Does the Magistrate think that I'm making a false report?" Weichi Peng glanced at him with an irritated expression, clearly impatient. That thing was as hard as forged fine steel and could block his meteorite broadsword with its flesh – if that's not a monstrous creature, then what is?

This was the first time he had encountered a monster with such terrifying strength. Not only did his hands burst open from the clash, but he also lost all his teeth, and although, as a descendant of the Celestial Roc Bloodline, his teeth grew back quickly—in just a few hours—he was left with only new teeth that were still growing in, making his speech slightly whistle. That's why he was especially impatient to answer any question.

The Magistrate and Administrative Commissioner looked at each other, and finally nodded, saying, "Commander, the victims are all from notable families, not ordinary people, and the creature you mentioned has yet to be subdued. We believe it would be appropriate to report to the Imperial Court and request that they send a strong individual to capture the true culprit and calm the public's mind!"

"Indeed..." The Deputy Prefect next to him also nodded in agreement, "Since the new dynasty was established, our Jiangnan region has always been peaceful, with no incidents involving evil creatures. Among the scholars affected, many held great prestige and were well-learned, with students spread far and wide. If the creature is not captured promptly, it will certainly cause widespread fear among the people."

"Ghost Doll!!" Weichi Peng shouted excitedly, his voice whistling oddly, and the officials in the hall looked at each other in confusion.

Flushing with embarrassment and further annoyance, Weichi Peng barked, "With me here, why the need for strong individuals from above? A mere monster I let slip by in a moment of carelessness, next time I encounter it, I will certainly take its head and give you all an explanation!"

As the youngest among the hereditary nobles, Weichi Peng had been stationed in Lyuzhou for five years without notable achievements. Finally, an incident like this occurred and if he couldn't handle it himself, and these uninformed civilian officials reported it to call for reinforcements, how could he face his peers in the capital without being laughed at?

He simply could not afford such a loss of face!

"This... this is not acceptable!" The Magistrate immediately became anxious, "With such a major incident, it's imperative to report to the higher authorities without delay. If something worse happens, who will take responsibility?"

"I will take responsibility!" Weichi Peng glared at him and said, "I warn you, anyone who dares to report behind my back, if I catch you, you won't get away with just being stripped and whipped in public!"

"You!!" The officials from Lyuzhou stood up in anger, crying out in unison, "How dare you, a coarse warrior!"

The last Magistrate was stripped and whipped in front of the Government Office doors, a disgrace that Lyuzhou's scholars remember to this day. Now this brute dared to threaten them directly!

"Heh..." A nasty grin spread across Weichi Peng's ferocious face. "Whether I dare or not... You bunch of pedantic scholars just try and see!"

"You... Blackguard!"

"Heh... Damn your mother!"

"You... you... you!"

The hall immediately turned into a pandemonium, and the lieutenants behind Weichi Peng stepped back slightly. Lu Jiaming, one of his lieutenants, quietly approached Wei Gongcheng and asked, "Gongcheng, why aren't you advising him today?"

Wei Gongcheng replied impassively, "It's no use advising the Commander after the face he's lost this time."

"That's true..." Jiaming nodded, stroking his chin in agreement.

But what Wei Gongcheng saw made his heart cold. This man's movements, habits, and tone of voice were almost identical to the real Jiaming. Mister Hua Pi... he really deserved to die!

What chilled him even more was realizing the state of the other people in the hall.

The Chinese Scholar

named Chen mentioned that more than half of Lyuzhou's officials were on the other side, and at the time, he thought the Scholar was talking big. But now it seemed... he might have been conservative...

More than half?

Magistrate, Deputy Prefect, Administrative Commissioner—all three showing the same awkward, stiff mannerism, just like Jiaming and the others!

And the two Academic Commissioners, as well as another Commander of the same rank as Commander Weichi... all were the same!!

All the officials overseeing Lyuzhou's affairs were... without exception...

I've been interacting with these officials for five years alongside Commander Weichi?

If they had gone undetected, could they have turned the entire Jiangnan into this state?

The thought made Wei Gongcheng feel not just a chill in his heart, but as if his very blood had turned to ice.

```

These families with ancient bloodlines had heard from their elders since childhood about the terrifying ghosts and monsters of the previous dynasty. Now, finding themselves in the midst of it, they finally understood what kinds of creatures their elders had faced!!

Just as he was thinking, a fit of light coughing came over. Lyuzhou officials, who had been so angry that their faces were red and their necks swollen, stopped paying attention to Weichi Peng at the sight of the newcomer and went up to greet him.

"Why has the Educational Governor come?"

Weichi Peng frowned, and Wei Gongcheng also looked over in shock.

The newcomer was refined in appearance, clearly over fifty years old, and it was none other than the Educational Governor of the Jiangnan province: Master Mu Hongqing!

"I could hear the might of Lord Weichi from afar...." The comer replied with a chuckle, then turned to Weichi Peng and asked, "Does Lord Weichi have confidence in dealing with this?"

Weichi Peng hesitated, but, albeit unwillingly, he stepped forward and greeted, "This official pays his respects to the Educational Governor!"

The Educational Governor is the highest-ranking academic official in the province, directly reporting to the Imperial Court, a Third-Rank officer, and quite the dignitary. Though Weichi Peng had inherited his title, he still owed a degree of courtesy to such a revered and respected academic official.

Moreover, as a member of a bloodline family, Weichi Peng was very aware that the Educational Governors of the provinces were far from ordinary individuals but were magicians of equal standing to their lineage!

"I have received secret intelligence…" Master Mu Hongqing, smilingly squinting his eyes, looked at Weichi Peng, "That creature's appearance is very distinctive: the face of a girl and the body of a nine-feet-tall man. The 'Record of Unusual Tales' has records of such a being, it should be the legendary Ghost Doll, a monster unseen for a thousand years. This must be reported to the Imperial Court!"

Upon hearing this, Weichi Peng's face turned furious: "Does the Educational Governor not trust me?"

Seeing the other party ready to rough up an old man at the drop of a hat, Master Mu Hongqing's mouth twitched, he sighed, and after careful thought, he held up three fingers: "Three days, I can only give you three days, General. If you cannot capture that Ghost Doll within this time, I will have to request additional forces from the Imperial Court. The Crown Prince's selection of a consort is imminent; we cannot afford any disruptions. Do you understand?"

This finally caused Weichi Peng's anger to recede as he bowed and said, "Rest assured, sir, three days will be sufficient. I will certainly deliver the head of that so-called Ghost Doll to the Governor for an explanation!" With that, he walked out of the hall without looking back.

"Please forgive our Lord, Educational Governor. He doesn't mean to be disrespectful; he's just a bit anxious...." Wei Gongcheng hurried forward to apologize.

"No matter...." The Educational Governor shook his head with amusement, "Aren't all members of the Weichi Clan like this? Keep an eye on your Lord for me; he must not overestimate himself...." He then handed a black talisman paper to Wei Gongcheng, "If you encounter the creature, burn the talisman immediately. I will be there to support you at the earliest opportunity."

"Thank you, sir!" Wei Gongcheng quickly and excitedly accepted it.

"We're all serving the Imperial Court; what's there to thank? Go on...."

----------------------------------------------

"Jiaming, Gongcheng!!"

Bursting into the Governor-general's Mansion, Weichi Peng immediately ordered his two deputy commanders to gather all personal soldiers!

"Sir!" The two men rushed forward.

"Carry the military order, call for troops outside the city to enter, and search the entire city. Dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find that ghostly thing for me!"

As he spoke, he threw out a handful of black spherical objects.

"The usual rules—the brothers each get one. After calling the troops, lead them in squads of twenty. If you encounter that ghostly creature, do not engage it head-on, burn the black grenade immediately!"

"Yes, sir!" The two men promptly accepted the command!

Weichi Peng nodded, and the next second, a pair of massive wings unfurled, sleek as black wrought iron and splendidly magnificent, stretching at least seven meters wide and dazzling even in the sunlight!

With a booming sound, as the wings flapped, Weichi Peng shot up off the ground, instantly reaching hundreds of meters into the air, becoming a black dot high above and surveying the entirety of Lyuzhou City from a thousand-meter altitude!

Wei Gongcheng and Jiaming exchanged looks, then set about organizing their personal soldiers to leave the city. As personal generals of the Weichi Clan, they had grown accustomed to this cooperative method from childhood.

The men of the Weichi Clan rely on the Celestial Roc Bloodline for astonishing speed in the air. By giving the signal, anywhere within the range of Lyuzhou City, the Lord could reach in the blink of an eye!

This unique ability to fly was why the Weichi Clan had been the chosen head of the Imperial Guards for various dynasties, able to rush to any place where an incident occurred at any time, making them the best divine guardians!

"You take the northwest gate; I'll take the southeast!" Gongcheng directly said to Jiaming.

"Alright!" Jiaming grinned and, feeling excited, immediately took the military token and called his men to action.

Wei Gongcheng didn't dare to delay either and immediately instructed his personal soldiers to call up troops at the southeast gate. But after giving the order, he didn't immediately follow up. Instead, he quietly went to the back courtyard.

Approaching the location of the storeroom in the backyard, Wei Gongcheng suddenly remembered something, furrowed his brows, took out the black talisman paper given to him by the Educational Governor, and hid it somewhere before heading toward the backyard....

Although the Educational Governor didn't have the stiffness of a puppet, Wei Gongcheng was still very cautious. Given the current situation in Lyuzhou, he no longer trusted anyone!!