Chapter 10

Huang Wei felt a bit uneasy under Li Mu's gaze.

He had never seen a county magistrate who referred to himself as "Laozi," spoke so crudely, and was so domineering.

"Good, very good, Your Excellency truly has a great presence. Hehe, I remember. However, in Taibai County, what Your Excellency says may not count. Hehe." Huang Wei came to his senses and no longer hid his feelings. He smiled coldly and said sarcastically, "I will pass on Your Excellency's words to my master word for word. I hope Your Excellency can make good on your words. Hehe, I take my leave."

After saying this, he turned and left.

After taking a few steps, he still felt unsatisfied and turned back, smiling with disdain and contempt, "Let me give you a piece of advice. Since you are new to Taibai County, you may not know the weight of our Shencao Hall in the city. You'd better find out when you have the time. Otherwise, in three days, you might regret it too late."

After saying this, he left with a swagger.

Just a small shopkeeper dared to be so arrogant in the county hall, which showed how arrogant and overbearing this Shencao Hall and the Shenong Gang behind it were in Taibai County.

Li Mu watched his back, several times wanting to chase after him and beat Huang Wei's mouth, but in the end, he couldn't help it.

He knew that his seclusion for the past twenty days after taking office had made him seem like a soft target.

How could this be allowed?

It seemed he really needed to show his teeth.

He needed to find an opportunity to let these alien natives feel the warm greetings from Earth.

There was no rush now; he would deal with them all in three days.

However, before that, Li Mu still needed to figure out some things.

"Bring Zhang Lishi and Zhang Qin to the medical hall for treatment and rest," Li Mu said.

The woman and her daughter were helped up by the bailiffs.

"Don't worry, in three days, I will give you justice," Li Mu comforted the pitiful mother and daughter.

Zhang Lishi and Xiao Qin left with gratitude.

In the darkest and most desperate moments of their lives, they finally saw a glimmer of fairness and hope.

"Why are there only six of you here today?" Li Mu returned to his seat and looked at the remaining four bailiffs. He had been puzzled earlier. Qingfeng had mentioned that the county hall had a hundred bailiffs, but today only six appeared. Where were the others?

"Uh, this..."

"This..."

The four bailiffs stammered.

"Speak," Li Mu pointed to the bailiff who had spoken first when the court opened. "What's your name?"

The bailiff was young, in his early twenties, with a strong build and a sharp face. Pointed by Li Mu, his face changed immediately, and he stammered, "This subordinate is Zhang Ru... the others... might... have been sent out... I'm not quite sure..."

Li Mu, seeing this, knew the truth was far from simple.

However, he thought for a moment, waved his hand, and indicated they could leave.

He wouldn't get anything from these small bailiffs.

The bailiffs were like they had been granted a great pardon and retreated as if they were fleeing.

"Master, someone wants to sideline you," the little girl servant Mingyue said angrily.

The little boy servant Qingfeng, after recording the process of Master Li's first trial, put down the brush, stood up, and said worriedly, "This time, Mingyue is right. The atmosphere in the hall has been abnormal recently..."

Mingyue was delighted at first, her beautiful big eyes smiling like a crescent moon, but then she realized something. Her fair, delicate pointed ears twitched, and she looked at Qingfeng, saying, "This time? Does that mean what I said before was all wrong?"

Qingfeng: "..."

"I suddenly remember that Master's underwear hasn't been washed. I'll go back and wash it..." Qingfeng turned and left.

Mingyue jumped up, "Don't go, explain clearly."

Li Mu rubbed his forehead.

Where did the Li Mu who fell off the cliff and whose fate was unknown find these two lively servants?

The first court session did not give Li Mu a good feeling. His attempt to show off did not bring the expected satisfaction.

Most importantly, Li Mu seriously thought about it and felt he should take a more active role in this world, ideally intersecting or colliding with the martial arts circle. Although the old shaman had said safety first, there was no absolute safety on the path of martial arts. Calm waters do not produce skilled sailors; only turbulent waves can forge true captains.

Li Mu needed to reach the level of martial arts cultivation that would allow him to leave the planet within twenty years, and that required fighting.

After thinking through everything, Li Mu's mind became clearer.

He returned to the back hall and continued his cultivation.

...

The next morning, he summoned the head bailiff Ma Junwu to understand some matters.

"Your Excellency."

Ma Junwu was a tall and strong man with a beard and a square face. He wore black soft armor, a cloth helmet, and a heavy sheathed steel sword at his waist. As one of the three head bailiffs of Taibai County, he was clearly quite powerful. At least, Li Mu felt he was stronger than the leader of the six Blood Moon Gang warriors who had pursued him.

"Head Bailiff Ma, please sit," Li Mu pointed to a chair beside him and said, "I have invited you here today to ask you about some matters of the martial world."

"Matters of the martial world?" Ma Junwu was surprised. This young magistrate, who had avoided him for some time, summoned him not for county affairs but to ask about the martial world?

Li Mu nodded and said, "I heard you are also from a sect?"

Ma Junwu, a martial person, was taciturn and said, "This subordinate is from the Taibai Sect."

"Taibai Sect?"

"Exactly. It is located in the Taibai Mountains. Among the thousands of sects in the empire, the Taibai Sect ranks 99th. On the entire continent, it is a 9th-grade sect. Ten years ago, I was fortunate enough to receive guidance from an outer sect elder of the Taibai Sect and was accepted as a named disciple, learning a set of martial arts," Ma Junwu said honestly.

In fact, the reason he could become the head bailiff of Taibai County, besides the previous magistrate's favor, was also due to his identity as an outer sect disciple of the Taibai Sect. After all, within a radius of thousands of miles, the Taibai Sect had a great reputation and a profound influence.

"9th-grade sect?" Li Mu pondered, "Sects are also graded?"

Ma Junwu, thinking the young magistrate was deeply immersed in literature and did not know these martial arts basics, nodded and answered, "Exactly. The three great empires and the nine divine sects jointly govern the world. Besides the nine divine sects, there are also millions of other sects of various sizes. Thousands of years ago, an ancient sage divided the order of the continent. Sects cannot directly rule the secular world and also need to be graded. Once a sect is graded, it has secular privileges, and sect disciples are not entirely subject to secular laws..."

Li Mu did not speak, listening quietly to Ma Junwu.

He roughly understood that this world was different from ancient Earth.

In this world, martial arts power could play a decisive role in the fate of a country. Sects were everywhere, permeating every corner of the world. The three great empires of the Western Qin, Northern Song, and Southern Chu ruled the secular world, and many officials, ministers, and generals in the empire had sect backgrounds. Even the royal families of the three great empires were long-standing martial arts forces.

Although the old shaman had said this was a low-level martial arts planet, it was clear that the martial arts level on this planet was much higher than in ancient Earth.

"The nine divine sects, which are they?" Li Mu asked again.

"Your Excellency doesn't know?" Ma Junwu was very surprised. It was understandable not to know the names of the three emperors, but not knowing the nine divine sects that had governed the world for thousands of years was very strange.

Li Mu said seriously, "Oh, like this, I fell off a cliff and injured my brain recently."

Ma Junwu was half-believing, half-doubting, but still answered, "The nine sects are Huazang Temple, Qingcheng Mountain's Qingcheng Daoist Temple, the Sun God Temple, the Heavenly Demon Manor, the Questioning Dao Academy, the Diancang Sect, the Great Grassland Wolf God Palace, the Extreme South Great Water River, and our Western Qin Empire's Guanshan Ranch, which is the national divine sect."

Li Mu nodded, afraid of arousing Ma Junwu's suspicion, and changed the subject, "I am a scholar and do not understand martial arts cultivation. May I ask, Head Bailiff Ma, how are martial arts realms divided? Are there different titles for the strength of martial artists?"

Ma Junwu did not doubt this time and patiently explained, "Martial arts cultivation indeed has different realms. A normal, healthy person can improve their strength through cultivation methods, making their blood and qi more vigorous, stronger than ordinary people. With some martial arts techniques, they can defeat a dozen ordinary people bare-handed, possessing a thousand pounds of strength, which is the Combined Strength Realm, considered a mainstream expert in the martial world. If they successfully open the qi gates in their body and master internal qi, they reach the Combined Qi Realm, considered a third-rate expert. If they can further integrate strength and qi, they reach the Combined Intent Realm, considered a second-rate expert in the martial world..."

At this point, Ma Junwu stopped speaking.

Li Mu listened with great interest and, seeing him stop, hurriedly asked, "What about above the Combined Intent Realm? What other realms are there? What kind of strong person is considered a first-rate expert?"

Ma Junwu smiled bitterly and said, "This subordinate is of low talent. My former master taught me only some basic skills. I do not know much about the specific realms above the Combined Intent Realm. As for true first-rate experts, besides my former master, I doubt there are any in Taibai County. I have never seen one."

"Which realm are you in, Head Bailiff Ma?" Li Mu asked again.

Ma Junwu did not hide it and said, "This subordinate has low talent. After ten years of hard cultivation, I have only reached the Combined Qi Realm."

"Wow, that's very strong," Li Mu flattered insincerely.

He nodded thoughtfully.

The feeling and pressure Ma Junwu gave him were not particularly strong. Li Mu was confident he could injure him with one punch.

In other words, his current combat strength was stronger than a Combined Qi Realm martial artist, making him a third-rate expert.

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The new book is gradually entering the plot. Please continue to support it. I love you all. I heard someone is organizing a trip to Baoji for National Day. Ha ha, are there any brothers and sisters who want to join?

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