Mystic War Calendar, Year 2932, December.
The winter wind carried snowflakes as it walked through the outskirts of the capital. Passing by withered trees and desolate fields, the snowflakes fluttered like fine powder.
It seemed as if they were determined to fill the cracks formed by the return of the ancient Fenghai on the ground.
They reached the heart of the city where they merged with the streets, rooftops, and bustling crowds, transforming into white mist. In this alternate form, they coexisted with the world.
Half a month had passed since the calamity brought by the Deputy Governor.
In the past half month, much like the wind and snow working to mend the cracks in the earth, the three palaces of the capital city, along with the Sword Holding Courts of ten provinces and various major sects, had all been putting their efforts into the reconstruction of Fenghai County.
A large number of veteran Sword Holders also went out to the various provinces and joined the rescue team, suppressing all the races who were causing trouble during this chaos.
Gradually, most of the negative influence brought about by the calamity dissipated and everything began to recover.
Even though Marquis Yao and Old Master Seventh weren't familiar with each other, with their shared bond with Xu Qing, after interacting with each other, they each developed an appreciation for the other.
It seemed that their personalities were somewhat similar, so they coordinated well together.
And finally, after this wind and snow, the dawn also fell upon Fenghai County.
The Deputy Palace Masters of the three great palaces assumed their roles as palace masters. The one in the Sword Holding Palace was Li Yunshan. As the oldest deacon, Deacon Sun took over the position of deputy palace master.
Daoist Sima had other missions.
As for Xu Qing, his life was not much different from before, and the rewards from the imperial edicts of the Human Emperor had not yet arrived. However, he understood the significance of the rewards from his master and Marquis Yao.
The golden plaque was a token of exemption from death. As long as one hadn't committed a crime of treason, it granted immunity from death once.
The yellow robe was a special bestowal from the imperial family, a symbol of elevated status.
The qualification for the Imperial Academy provided an opportunity to further one's education at the Human Race's Imperial Academy. There, the accumulated knowledge and inheritances of the entire human history were preserved, which could greatly aid in the breakthrough to the Nihility.
Apart from these, among each batch of students at the Imperial Academy, the one who ranked first in the assessments would have an opportunity to be tested and selected by the holy land. Once they passed the holy land's test, they could be recruited to the holy land.
The holy land was high and mighty outside the Wanggu Continent.
In the nearly 3,000 years of the Mystic War Calendar, no student had successfully passed the test.
As for the first-class merits of the human race, they were a huge honor. There were less than a hundred people alive who possessed such merits.
But these rewards were not necessities for Xu Qing. His life continued as usual, with only a change in his place of residence.
He lived in the Sword Holding Palace now, in the hall of the edict bearer which he used back then.
Under the suggestion of Marquis Yao and Old Master Seventh, the Secretariat Department was reorganized by Xu Qing and became an extremely special department in Fenghai County. It was no longer in charge of one palace but the entire Fenghai County.
His status was extraordinary.
Xu Qing's identity in Fenghai County was still the edict bearer.
His duty was to help Marquis Yao and Old Master Seventh organize the information of the entire county and help manage Fenghai County.
There were also many more members of the Secretariat Department than before. Other than the Sword Holding Palace, the other two palaces also established branches of the Secretariat Department. In fact, under Kong Xianglong's suggestion, the various provinces of Fenghai County also established a branch of the Secretariat Department to cooperate with the Sword Holding Courts of their provinces.
This matter was handled by Kong Xianglong.
He also joined the Secretariat Department, along with Shan He, who had recovered from his injuries.
Seeing that an outsider like Kong Xianglong had such great authority, the captain felt a little sour. Hence, he instigated Xu Qing to develop the Secret Department in the various provinces and sects.
The captain recommended himself to be the person in charge of the Secret Department. Moreover, he was extremely enthusiastic and left the capital city with a sense of purpose.
Before he left, he patted Xu Qing's shoulder, his expression filled with pride.
"Junior Brother, the old man has become the deputy governor and is protecting this family business for us. As the eldest brother, I can't idle around either. I'll manage the Secret Department!"
Xu Qing looked at the excitement on the captain's face that couldn't be concealed. He recalled a transfer order regarding Li Shitao from the Observance Palace previously and looked around.
"What are you looking at?" The captain was taken aback. He was feeling quite ambitious, but Xu Qing seemed to be looking around, making him a bit uneasy.
"I'm looking for Li Shitao," Xu Qing said honestly.
"Your sister-in-law insisted on following me. I'm very annoyed but there's nothing I can do."
The captain coughed and didn't continue this topic. Instead, he put his arm around Xu Qing's shoulder and leaned closer to speak in a low voice.
"Little Qing, let me tell you. I am not going out for romantic affairs. I have two things to do. One is the Secret Department, and the other is… I've been thinking about something major recently!"
"If we succeed in this big matter, us brothers will be amazing. Therefore, I plan to go out and collect information about the Moon Worship Region. I'll be back soon."
"The Moon Worship Region?" Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. He was very sensitive to the word 'moon' now.
The captain lifted his finger to shush Xu Qing as he whispered.
"When I return, I'll tell you in detail. In short, Junior Brother, be prepared to go out. This time, Eldest Senior Brother will bring you to do something absolutely great!"
The captain licked his lips and his eyes revealed the madness that Xu Qing was familiar with. After that, he hummed a small tune and left majestically with many people.
Xu Qing stood on the green stone platform at the edge of the Sword Holding Palace. After watching the captain leave, he calmly spoke.
"Come out."
As Xu Qing's voice rang out, Ning Yan popped his head out of the pavilion not far away and laughed awkwardly before quickly running to Xu Qing's side.
He was afraid of the captain and worried that he would be called along, and hiding was useless. So, during this time, he often came to Xu Qing, pleading for assistance.
