Chapter 279 - 142: Timely Aid and a Righteous Heart! The Spiritual Saber ’Long Day’, for My Dao is Like the Sun at its Zenith

Chapter 279: Chapter 142: Timely Aid and a Righteous Heart! The Spiritual Saber ’Long Day’, for My Dao is Like the Sun at its Zenith

The Northern Garrison Command was a colossal institution of power established by the Great Xuan to watch over the world, patrol for the Outer Dao, and maintain control over the land. It has endured for several hundred years.

In the counties below, patrols were handled by Imperial Guard Cavalry at most, with Banner Officials overseeing operations. For a Hundred Households to be dispatched, it meant there was a major case involving traces of the Outer Dao.

But at the Prefecture City level, a Prefecture Bureau would be established, and its Director held the post of Inspector of Patrol Hunting.

Though they didn’t interfere with the Prefecture’s internal affairs, they were still a figure of immense power and authority.

And as for those who could become a Prefecture Commander...

They ranked above the Imperial Guard Cavalry, Banner Officials, and Hundred Households—positions on par with a Prefecture Official. Yet they themselves stood equal to the highest Prefecture Officials, and within a prefecture’s territory, were second only to the Director of the Prefecture Bureau, who held the imperial authority to "execute first and report later"!

If a matter fell within their jurisdiction, such as those involving the Outer Dao...

They could even arrest, interrogate, administer punishment, and execute on their own authority, making their own judgments without needing a ruling from the Prefecture Yamen.

This was precisely why Li Lin had dared to confront the Celestial Blade School.

It was because he had the rules of the Northern Garrison Command behind him, with the backing of the Prefecture Bureau and the Commander-in-Chief. With such support, no one could touch him!

The fishing and medicine lineages had deep and tangled roots of power within the prefecture.

One controlled the wharves of Eight Dock, retaining several hundred boat masters and possessing an endless supply of fish and Spiritual Objects from the sea.

The other controlled seventy percent of the Prefecture City’s vital medicinal herb trade, possessing vast amounts of Silver and Red Gold.

Martial Artists, in their Cultivation, were most in need of wealth and resources. And when it came to connections, these two Grand Lineages had ties to the Prefecture Yamen, the Northern Garrison Command, the Garrison Mansion, the major Mansion Courtyards, and various Schools...

To varying degrees, nearly all of them had sons—be they from primary wives or concubines, legitimate or illegitimate—who had joined these factions.

Consequently, Prefecture Officials holding important positions, even the highest among them, had innumerable ties to these lineages.

Li Lin had clawed his way up through the ranks of the Northern Garrison Command for many years, rising from a common Imperial Guard Cavalryman to Banner Official, and then to his current key position as a Hundred Households. He had certainly reaped his share of benefits along the way.

This time, when he saw that the heads of several Grand Lineages had all coincidentally submitted an arrest warrant to the Prefecture Yamen, and had even promised many off-the-books benefits...

As the Hundred Households of the Northern Garrison Command responsible for Outer Dao affairs, Li Lin had taken the case. He saw it concerned a disciple of the fallen Duan Chenzhou—and an out-of-towner at that.

Li Lin didn’t think twice. He gathered his men and showed up at their door, full of aggression.

But before he could even take the person away, he found himself staring at Gu Baichuan, who now stood before him in robes embroidered with a flying eagle...

Cold sweat broke out, instantly trickling down.

’A Prefecture Commander... That’s not a position just anyone can hold. You either have to be a Leakless Level Martial Artist, have accomplished great deeds, or have an incredibly powerful backer!’

’After all, plenty of Hundred Households have reached the rank of Qi Cultivation Grandmaster, but they only end up with honorary titles. Though nominally higher than a Hundred Households, they still can’t be called a Prefecture Commander!’

’I’ve heard this Lord Gu went from a lowly Imperial Guard Cavalryman to Prefecture Commander in just over a decade. A promotion every three years... it was like he was promoted the instant he met the seniority requirement. His rise was faster than a rocket.’

’Even the Director of the Prefecture Bureau himself is said to favor him.’

’Who would believe he doesn’t have even deeper connections pulling the strings!’

"M-My Lord, this is an arrest warrant from the Prefecture Yamen. The Northern Garrison Command is tasked with overseeing the Yamen. As soon as I saw the warrant involved the Outer Dao, I... I was eager to distinguish myself, so I rushed over with my men. I don’t know the finer details!"

In his heart, Li Lin was already cursing the Great Lineage Masters of the fishing and medicine lineages up and down.

’You big shots have your power struggles, and it’s me, a mere Hundred Households, who has to suffer the consequences.’

’If I’d known, I never would’ve waded into this mess, only to come out stinking!’

Watching the formerly aggressive Hundred Households do a complete one-eighty, Gu Baichuan sneered:

"In all things, evidence is paramount. And when a matter involves the Outer Dao, you must be doubly cautious."

"Otherwise, wouldn’t the Northern Garrison Command become a group of thugs who abuse their authority and treat human lives as worthless?"

"Someone reports that Ji Xiu is colluding with a Divine Fiend, and you just believe them? It didn’t occur to you to investigate the case files or search for clues related to the incident?"

"As far as I know, some of the young masters and ladies of the Grand Lineages right here in this prefecture were also involved in the Central Yellow Calamity that occurred in Anning."

"Yet you didn’t bother to question any witnesses or look for physical evidence before deciding he was guilty."

"If you had made even the slightest inquiry, if you had even a shred of your own evidence to stand on, then I would have nothing to say."

"But you didn’t ask a single question. For that alone, you cannot escape the charge of ’dereliction of duty and abuse of power’."

"Go back to being a Banner Official. Take some time to reflect on the rules of the Northern Garrison Command. Then we can talk about promoting you back to Hundred Households."

With his hands behind his back, even before the Grandmasters from Daoist School Street had all departed, Gu Baichuan nonchalantly sealed the man’s fate, stripping him of his Hundred Households rank.

Li Lin was dumbstruck. He couldn’t seem to understand how such a trivial matter had become so serious, just from a few words from this man.

Ten years of his hard work were about to be washed away in an instant. His composure shattered, and veins bulged on his forehead:

"My Lord, I am a Hundred Households! This kid has accomplished nothing! And even if—let’s be generous—even if I were derelict in my duty, I have still performed illustrious deeds for the Command."

"But what has *he* ever contributed to the Great Xuan or the State Mansion!?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Even if I did wrong him, once we’re back at the Northern Garrison Command, I’m willing to face the Martial Arts Stick, confinement, a docked salary... I’ll accept any punishment they see fit."

"But you can’t just strip me of my title as a Hundred Households with a single sentence! I earned this rank with every ounce of merit I’ve bled for over the years!"