Chapter 284: Chapter 284: An Anxious Magistrate Han

Late that evening, a rumor spread throughout Zhige County: the Divine Doctor of Mount Zhige had broken through to the Innate level and intended to apply for citizenship in Zhige.

This news made most of the Zhige People unable to contain their joy—”Zhige is finally going to have an Innate Master.”

Innate Experts are extremely valuable assets, and it had been over fifty years since Zhige County had produced a native Innate Expert.

In fact, not just Zhige County, but in the entire Qingning Prefecture, only Xiyin City and Yangshan County had Innate Masters stationed there—Luo Wendao could not be considered an Innate of Dongmu Province, as he was merely passing through and decided to stop by the Tian Family to try his luck, and unexpectedly lost his life.

And for most of Yangshan people, the Innate in their county was from the Gu Family, which didn’t have much to do with the people of Yangshan.

Of course, that didn’t stop the people of Yangshan from boasting to those from other counties, saying, “Our Yangshan does indeed have an Innate Master.”

But the fact was, Gu Maoyuan was a reclusive Innate, not an active type like the Soul Capture Spike; he wouldn’t show himself unless someone touched the Gu Family’s foundation. He was like a strategic nuclear weapon.

Such an Innate had a very low presence, but that was inevitable, as most clan Innate Experts are like that—they can’t just take action wantonly.

However, the Divine Doctor of Mount Zhige had recently become a hot topic in the county; this person had successively eliminated three Innate Masters and was categorically an active type expert.

Now, an active type expert had broken through to the Innate level, becoming an active Innate Master, and even expressed a wish to apply for citizenship in Zhige—how could this not excite the masses of Zhige?

However, some people remarked, “You might have heard a false rumor. Who isn’t aware of that earth-shattering battle on Mount Zhige? And you’re actually saying… the Divine Doctor wasn’t an Innate before that battle?”

Others speculated, “You’re really overthinking it. If the Divine Doctor wanted to apply for citizenship, why wouldn’t he go somewhere else—let’s not talk about other places; if the Divine Doctor were willing to go to Xiyin City, it’s estimated that the Magistrate would bring lavish gifts and personally all the way to Mount Zhige to extend an invitation.”

Our Zhige doesn’t have what it takes; what reason would the Divine Doctor have to apply for citizenship here—because of the little talcum on Mount Zhige?

These disputes quickly reached the ears of Magistrate Han.

The esteemed county official had just attended the funeral of the Prefecture Chief and also had a headache dealing with those people on Mount Zhige; it was like a troublesome basket.

The Yongyi Duke’s Princely Heir wanted to buy Mount Zhige, while Lord Beiyuan wanted to buy a large tract of land near the county town to settle the villagers of Zhao Family Fort.

And the original plot of land of Zhao Family Fort was to be handed over to Lord Beiyuan.

The Yongyi Duke’s Princely Heir was also offering a high reward for two traitors accused of stealing a crossbow and two so-called flashlights.

Besides that, Magistrate Han, for the sake of peace within the territory, had accepted Lord Beiyuan’s suggestion to set up checkpoints at all intersections to strictly inspect travelers.

Believe it or not, this move in the past few days had already sniffed out quite a few suspicious characters, well over two hundred.

Thinking about how this was only the beginning and that there would be even more people in the days to come, Magistrate Han felt an even greater headache coming on.

At that moment, he heard the news that Feng Jun was interested in becoming a citizen, and his eyebrows couldn’t help but furrow, “Are you kidding me, broken through to Innate?”

Though Magistrate Han was extremely busy, he hadn’t forgotten to keep an eye on Mount Zhige—of course, it was essential to watch closely.

The person he sent to spy was Uncle Zhong, whom he had brought from his hometown; Uncle Zhong was getting on in years and wasn’t particularly agile, but the less conspicuous a person is, the less likely they are to draw attention.

Not to mention, Uncle Zhong’s old eyes could see many things that younger people missed.

Just as he was thinking of sending someone to contact Uncle Zhong to inquire what exactly had happened on Mount Zhige, the County Magistrate’s messenger reported that their inside source had informed them of the Divine Doctor’s breakthrough to Innate at noon on Mount Zhige, with such tremendous force that it was as if mountains collapsed and the earth split open.

Later that evening, Uncle Zhong, riding a poor horse, had actually come back in person to report the same, and he added that according to the Tian Family members, the Divine Doctor intended to invite officials from the Official Government to bear witness at the Innate celebration.

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Han finally understood what the “citizenship” in the rumors referred to; the presence of Official Government witnesses at an Innate celebration indeed meant that the Innate could be registered as a citizen in the locality.

Realizing this, he felt elated, and the gloom brought about by the death of the Prefecture Chief also diminished quite a bit, for the reason was none other than having a Cultivator in the county breaking through to Innate level and willing to register as a local—another feather in his cap for his educational achievements was practically guaranteed.

Let’s put it this way, if an expert were just passing through Zhige and broke through to Innate, then left, it had nothing to do with Magistrate Han.

But if this expert was willing to register, even if he wasn’t from Donghua but a foreigner, it would still be a credit to Magistrate Han for having kept the person within the Official Government system—a sure mark of his educational achievement—if indeed the person was a foreigner, he might even get credit for conversion.

Any official who’s indifferent to political achievements is an anomaly; without them, how can one climb the ladder and take on larger roles?

So Magistrate Han waited patiently, awaiting the invitation from Mount Zhige for the celebration.

After waiting for two days without receiving an invitation, he started to worry: even if it were crawling, it should have arrived by now, right?

Dammit, what exactly happened? Did that greenhorn from Dongmu County intercept it?

By the third day, Magistrate Han felt he could wait no longer. So early in the morning he rode out on a fast horse with a few attendants in tow, heading straight for Mount Zhige.

When he was still more than twenty li from Mount Zhige, he encountered a team from the Yongyi Duke Mansion, one of whom he had once had a pleasant chat with. Thus, he greeted him and took the opportunity to inquire—Had he heard that the Divine Doctor had broken through to the Innate realm and was planning to hold a grand ceremony?

Heard about it? The man mercilessly mocked him, “Such big news and you can’t confirm it? What kind of Zhige County Magistrate are you?”

The County Magistrate awkwardly explained, “Actually, I did hear about it. I was expecting him to send an invitation to the yamen, but… I’ve never seen the invitation.”

Upon hearing this, that man connected the dots and asked in a lower voice, “Are you hoping he’ll choose to reside here?”

Mmm-hmm, Magistrate Han nodded incessantly, “Of course, I hope he will choose to reside here.”

That man looked at him as if he were an idiot: “Knowing that he might choose to reside here, and you’re just sitting in the yamen waiting… Do you really think that he can’t get by without your Zhige County?”

Magistrate Han felt exceptionally wronged: “Everyone says he intends to reside here. Am I not just respectfully waiting for his arrival?”

“You’re taking yourself too seriously!” The man said no more and turned to leave with his people.

Magistrate Han was stunned for a while before he realized the logic: Yes, by waiting for someone to come to deliver an invitation, he was indeed being too presumptuous.

He had always thought that if the other party wanted to invite him to the Innate celebration, they would send an invitation—as a necessary courtesy.

It hadn’t occurred to him that by expressing a fondness for Zhige and a potential interest in settling here, the mere statement was already an immense honor for him.

What came next was something for him, as the County Magistrate, to actively pursue, rather than waiting for them to come knocking at the yamen—Here, this is the invitation to the Innate celebration, and… the Divine Doctor wishes to register residence in Zhige, be prepared.

Who is the Divine Doctor? He is an Immortal, not someone to be trifled with in this way.

With the pride of an Immortal, they would not condescend to notify the yamen directly; it was good enough that the public rumors had conveyed their intention.

So, that man from just now was entirely correct; he had been too presumptuous.

Magistrate Han felt he had been somewhat misunderstood: “I was simply stuck in conventional thinking, I had no intention of overstepping.”

However, given the situation, pondering over this was utterly pointless. He spurred his horse on and continued to gallop towards the courtyard.

As he neared the courtyard, someone stepped forward to stop him—it was a Tian Family Disciple responsible for patrolling.

Several disciples recognized the local official and asked what his business was. Upon hearing he was there to find the Divine Doctor, they pointed in a direction, “Go that way… The Divine Doctor isn’t in the courtyard.”

Magistrate Han glanced curiously at the distant courtyard, noticing a hubbub of noise as if it were bustling, and he couldn’t help but ask, “What’s happening over there in the courtyard? It seems so lively.”

The Tian Family Disciples answered straightforwardly, “The Divine Doctor’s breakthrough has collapsed his room. It’s under repair and will take at least two more days.”

Without asking further, Magistrate Han turned his horse and left. After traveling twelve or thirteen li, he was stopped by someone once again.

This time, it was Tian Yangni who barred the way, explaining that the Divine Doctor was just ahead but that he didn’t want him to go any further. “The person who just advanced to Innate isn’t stable and could explode at any moment. If you’ve got business, then wait here.”

Magistrate Han frowned in confusion and asked, “Explode? Even if one isn’t stable after a breakthrough, how could they explode?”

“The Divine Doctor’s miracles are beyond your comprehension,” Tian Yangni declared solemnly, “If you insist on going ahead, you must sign a death waiver. I won’t stop you then.”

“Then I’ll wait,” Magistrate Han was indifferent but he needed to clarify, “I am an Imperial Court official. Signing such a document would be invalid… It’s not that I’m afraid to sign it.”

Tian Yangni looked at him with a smirk, “I can have someone from the Official Government witness it. Don’t worry about its validity.”

“There’s no need for that,” Magistrate Han flatly refused. “I’m not in a rush. Why disturb the Divine Doctor… Does he really explode that easily? I’ve never heard of such instability.”

Tian Yangni gave him a meaningful look, “You’ve indeed never seen the Divine Doctor explode… It’s just that a Prefecture Chief died.”

At that moment, Magistrate Han had a sudden realization. Thinking back to seeing people busy at the courtyard, he shivered at the thought, “These two explosions… are indeed rather unsettling. But there must be some reasons for them, right?”

Although he had never deeply interacted with an Innate Expert, common sense told him that after advancing to Innate, one’s energy shouldn’t be too unstable. As for the previous explosion that breached the Immortal Array, it was done intentionally and wasn’t a regular occurrence.

“Who knows?” Tian Yangni shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said, “Anyway, I’m not willing to take the risk…”

The Divine Doctor had been proficient in causing explosions even before breaking the Immortal Array. From what he knew, the Divine Doctor had killed three Innate experts, each death somehow related to explosions. Who would dare underestimate the Divine Doctor’s warnings?

Before he finished speaking, a dull boom came from not far away, like a series of muffled thunder rolling across the sky. The ground trembled twice, and looking up, the area nearby was already a chaotic mess of flying rocks and billowing dust, remarkably alarming.

Someone let out a shrill cry that was hard to discern as either excitement or terror, “It exploded, the Divine Doctor exploded again, exploded yet again…”

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