Chapter 62: Malice

With that shout, not only the magistrate’s office but even the townsfolk nearby heard it loud and clear.

In just a moment, a group of officials came rushing out from within the yamen. The moment they caught sight of the medallion in Li Miao’s hand, their expressions changed dramatically. They hurried over and fell to their knees in greeting. “Master!”

Li Miao waited for a while, and seeing that no more came, he finally spoke. “Is this all there is?”

One of the officials, trembling, replied, “Master, Eunuch Cheng came here this morning. Several of the other officials were punished and are now in the cells…”

“Most of the yamen runners and soldiers have been taken away by the Inspector, following Eunuch Cheng to carry out duties elsewhere…”

“At present, these are all the people left in the yamen…”

Li Miao nodded. “You seem clever enough. What’s your position?”

“Reporting to Master, this subordinate is Jiao Qingfeng, a clerk of Tai’an Prefecture…”

“Very well, Clerk Jiao, listen carefully.” Li Miao addressed the assembled men.

“I am here on imperial orders. His Majesty has granted me full discretion. From now on, you all answer to me, with Clerk Jiao as your leader.”

“Now, the lives of tens of thousands of the people of Tai’an hang by a thread—and that thread is you alone.”

Jiao Qingfeng’s position was lowly; usually, he dealt with paperwork and had never heard such words or borne such responsibility. Startled by Li Miao’s words, he began to shake uncontrollably and stammered, “Ma-master, I, I…”

He quivered so much he could barely speak.

Li Miao had no patience for dithering. With a flick of his hand, he sent a palm strike through the air, employing the secret art “Frost Soul Palm”; a chill swept through the air and struck Jiao Qingfeng.

Of course, the blow was not meant to kill. Jiao Qingfeng merely felt a cold surge rush from his chest through his body, and he instantly regained his composure.

“Are you clear-headed now?” Li Miao asked.

“Yes, yes, Master. I’m clear-headed now,” Jiao Qingfeng replied.

Li Miao said, “All of you, listen well. This is urgent; I will say this only once.”

“You all heard it just now—this concerns the lives and fortunes of tens of thousands in Tai’an City. If anything goes wrong, not only you subordinate officials of Tai’an, but the prefect of Jinan and the governor of Qi and Lu will find themselves at death’s door!”

“Let me make myself plain: if we avert this disaster, I will petition the emperor for merit on your behalf! The reward will be taken straight from the prefect’s own home!”

“But if we fail—negligence will be punished by death! Fleeing officials, your entire families will be wiped out!”

“Is that clear enough!?”

“It’s clear, Master!” they all responded in unison.

“Good!” Li Miao ordered at once. “Divide yourselves into five groups. Take the remaining soldiers, and guard the city gates.”

“From this moment on, no one may enter or leave Tai’an. If a single person escapes, all of you will be thrown into the dungeons of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

Tai’an City had four gates: Jingxuan Gate, Yueyan Gate, Tai’an Gate, and Yangsheng Gate.

Li Miao quickly divided his men into four groups, sending each to one of the gates. Then, he turned to Jiao Qingfeng. “Clerk Jiao, where is the office of the local inspector? Take me there.”

Jiao Qingfeng led Li Miao to a room. Li Miao entered and looked around. In a corner, he stamped his foot.

Clang—

The floor tile caved in, revealing a hidden chest.

Li Miao reached in and pulled out a set of the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s attire, a brocaded spring blade, a bronze sunflower belt, and a pair of black-striped boots.

He handed the pile to Jiao Qingfeng. “Change. Now.”

Jiao Qingfeng, shaking, changed clothes in front of Li Miao.

He was thin and frail, and the uniform hung loosely on him, making him look like a monkey playing dress-up, with none of the guard’s imposing dignity.

Li Miao tugged the collar and cinched the belt, so it looked just a little less comical.

Then, Li Miao handed him the official’s medallion. “Take this, Clerk Jiao. From now on, you are the Captain of a Thousand in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”

“What? Master, I, I…” Jiao Qingfeng began to stammer again.

“You’ll take the remaining soldiers, arm them, mount up, and patrol the gates in rotation.”

“If any official is lazy or tries to desert, use the brocade blade to execute him on the spot.”

“If any martial vagabonds cause trouble outside the gates, use the uniform and medallion to scare them off.”

“This is no trivial routine. The lives of the entire city are at stake.”

Li Miao looked him dead in the eye.

“You’re an official. The mouth of an official is like a carrying pole—across your shoulders rests human life.”

“I don’t care how much you’ve eaten off your office in the past; now that burden has fallen, you must bear it well for me.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes…” Jiao Qingfeng shrank back instinctively, but met Li Miao’s cold gaze and shivered. “Yes, Master!”

“Go, then.”

With that, Jiao Qingfeng took his orders and departed.

Only then did Li Miao return outside to find the inn attendant he’d brought earlier.

“Brother attendant, you heard what happened.”

“Now, answer my questions. No lies. Do you understand?”

The attendant shrank back. “Yes, yes.”

Li Miao questioned him closely on where he’d been these past days, whom he’d seen, where his food and drink had come from, and whether he’d encountered anyone with a strange accent.

When he finished, Li Miao pressed a finger to the attendant’s neck. The man crumpled instantly.

Li Miao picked him up, tossed him into a room, and shut the door.

With the city full of danger, it was safer for him to remain inside the yamen.

Li Miao turned back and entered the inspector’s office.

This inspector was in fact a secret agent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, placed here to monitor the movements of the Mount Tai Sect. When Li Miao first arrived in Tai’an, it was this agent who handed him his official uniform.

After all, Li Miao traveled light, so anything cumbersome or unnecessary had been sent ahead to Tai’an to await his arrival.

He hadn’t taken everything at the time.

Now, he reached into the chest and took out a pair of pitch-black gloves, pulling them onto his hands.

This was his weapon.

In Li Miao’s hands, no magical blade or legendary weapon could withstand his abuse; in fact, none were as sturdy as his own flesh. Ordinary weapons were a limitation for him.

Only these gloves, woven of celestial silkworm threads, could barely contain the ferocity of his inner energy.

With a burst of lightness skill, Li Miao became a shadow, slipping out of the yamen and stopping outside a common house.

With a single palm, he blasted a hole through the wall.

He strode inside and pressed his palm on the chest of a terrified man, pouring his inner power into him.

“Urgh—”

The man vomited violently, disgorging a heap of blood-red parasites.

Li Miao didn’t even look at him. In a flash, he was back on the street, listening keenly to the sounds around him.

He ignored coughs, but wherever he heard retching, he smashed through the wall and channeled his inner energy.

The Demon Sect was truly depraved—this had gone far beyond the realm of martial rivalries, or even court intrigue!

These were not times of chaos.

What they planned was to turn the entire city’s populace into hosts for their insect parasites!