Chapter 1206: Barely Retained the Title of the Number One Below the Tribulation Period

The yamen runners outside the assembly hall all saw Governor Zhou standing by the entrance as punishment for over two hours. They sent messages to their respective county magistrates, who, in turn, looked at Governor Zhou with increasing strangeness.

Was this some strange peculiarity?

Even if he enjoyed standing by the door, he shouldn't have made them wait from noon until now.

Even though Governor Zhou was excellent at handling people and situations, and possessed exceptional composure, he still felt embarrassed facing this situation.

"A slight mishap occurred during my practice," Governor Zhou said casually, then walked inside. "Let's start the meeting."

"Governor, it's closing time now," Mang Gu kindly reminded him.

Governor Zhou's expression kept changing. Although he was initially at fault, being talked out of holding the meeting by Mang Gu's few words would undermine his authority.

He said in a very serious tone, "Master Mang, if we don't hold the meeting today, we'll have to continue it tomorrow. Are you suggesting that our colleagues should travel all the way from their counties again tomorrow for the meeting? Are you trying to waste their time?"

Mang Gu, completely bewildered, replied, "But didn't *you* waste our time by standing at the door and not coming in?"

Confronted with the facts, Governor Zhou had no retort against Mang Gu and could only order, "The meeting must be held today!"

"Oh," Mang Gu replied, and obediently sat back down.

Seeing Mang Gu's nonchalant attitude, Governor Zhou's blood pressure rose. He had never encountered such a person in his entire career as an official!

He tried to compose himself and presided over the meeting.

In reality, this was merely a simple introductory meeting. After all, he was newly arrived and unfamiliar with the people and the place, so he couldn't rashly decide the development direction of Zhongshan Prefecture.

At the end of the meeting, Governor Zhou asked, "Does anyone else have anything to say?"

No one replied.

Governor Zhou scanned the room, his gaze settling on Mang Gu, who was clearly itching to leave. "Master Mang, do you have anything to say?"

Mang Gu shook his head, firmly remembering the instructions the chief clerk had written for him. "No," he replied.

Seeing that Mang Gu was quite sensible and understood official etiquette, Governor Zhou's tone softened. "Master Mang, please don't be constrained. You can speak freely here."

Mang Gu still shook his head. "I don't believe you. People who say that are all liars, very hypocritical. They can't be trusted."

These were the chief clerk's exact words, explaining to Mang Gu that when superiors invite you to speak, it usually means you shouldn't.

Governor Zhou clenched his fists tightly. His century's worth of cultivated composure was almost shattered. He struggled to speak in a calm voice, "Master Mang certainly has a way with jokes."

"I'm not joking, though," Mang Gu replied.

Governor Zhou glared intently at Mang Gu, wishing he could swallow him whole.

It seemed to Governor Zhou that Mang Gu had also set his sights on the governor's position. This was why he had captured two previous governors. But Mang Gu hadn't expected *he* would become governor, and now he harbored resentment, repeatedly embarrassing Governor Zhou during the meeting.

Governor Zhou squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "...Meeting adjourned."

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, curious about Mang Gu's performance in the meeting, had been observing the assembly hall with their divine sense. Seeing this scene, they looked at each other, shook their heads, and struggled to suppress their laughter.

"Truly worthy of being Junior Brother Mang," Lu Yang remarked. He figured that after this, the chief clerk would have to add more notes for Mang Gu in his small book.

Being saddled with a superior like Mang Gu truly wasn't easy for the chief clerk.

"Hey, is there anything funny about this?" Immortal Fairy, who was also observing Mang Gu, felt that he had performed quite well in the meeting.

"He was straightforward and spoke his mind, truly in the style of his ancestors."

Lu Yang rubbed his forehead. "Fortunately, the Fairy never got involved in officialdom... No, that's not right, the Fairy has already reached the pinnacle of status."

The Fairy couldn't be relied upon. It was still up to him and Meng Jingzhou, two good senior brothers, to look after Mang Gu more.

After the meeting, the three of them had no intention of lingering in Zhongshan Prefecture. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou still had patrol duty that night.

Mang Gu returned to his yamen quarters to rest. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, revitalized, wandered through Quyi County and encountered an unexpected person.

"Sect Master Lu?" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou exclaimed in surprise. Why was Sect Master Lu here? Did he not know that the Drought Demon was already at the Corpse Control Sect, and was he still searching for her here?

Lu Baqian was even more surprised than Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. "Are you two constables here?"

"Right, Mang Gu is the county magistrate here. You two must be here to be his protectors."

Lu Baqian then recalled that Mang Gu was the county magistrate of Quyi County.

"Sect Master Lu, what brings you to our county?"

"I ran into the successor of the Divine Craftsman Wang family. To deal with the Drought Demon, I rushed to obtain the crafting method for the Mountain Suppressing Seal from them and didn't have time to properly reward them."

"Little Blacksmith Wang has good aptitude, but he's too young. When he's old enough, he can take my token and join our Corpse Control Sect, or any other sect."

"I wouldn't dare speak for distant places, but all the sects in Barren State still show me respect."

Who among the sects in Barren State didn't know about his title as the foremost expert below the Tribulation Transcending stage, and who would dare disrespect him?

"Oh, and I must also thank you two junior martial nephews for bringing the Drought Demoness to our Corpse Control Sect."

"Sect Master Lu, you're too kind. The Drought Demoness was originally a zombie from your esteemed sect. We just happened to encounter her during our patrol and returned her to her rightful owner."

"Still, I must thank you. Her combat power is extraordinary; she will be a great asset to our Corpse Control Sect. I even exchanged blows with that Drought Demoness myself, and barely managed to retain my title as the foremost expert below the Tribulation Transcending stage."

"So, Sect Master Lu, you defeated the Drought Demoness?"

"No, she defeated me and then ascended to the Tribulation Transcending stage."

Lu Baqian, seriously injured, had replayed his battle with the Drought Demoness many times in his mind while lying in bed, coming to one conclusion: he could have won if the Mountain Suppressing Seal had intimidated the Drought Demoness. However, after the Drought Demoness met Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, her courage grew, and she could no longer be intimidated.

"...Then congratulations to your esteemed sect on being elevated to a Super-Grade Sect."

The requirement for a Super-Grade Sect was to have a Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator residing within the sect. The Drought Demoness should probably count as the Corpse Control Sect's Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator... right?

Lu Baqian was delighted to talk about this. With him, their Corpse Control Sect was considered a half-step Super-Grade Sect. Now, with the Drought Demoness joining, they could finally be officially considered a Super-Grade Sect and enjoy the court's tax exemption policies.

Lu Baqian felt that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were truly bringers of fortune. When they visited the Corpse Control Sect at the Golden Core stage, he became a half-step Tribulation Transcending cultivator. This time, they came again, bringing the Tribulation Transcending Drought Demoness. Each time they visited, they doubled the strength of the Corpse Control Sect.

"Should I choose to join the Corpse Control Sect or another sect?" Little Blacksmith Wang was very troubled by the choice Lu Baqian presented.

Facing the choice of sects, Old Master Wang also found it difficult to make a decision.

"Child, there's no need to rush," Lu Baqian said. "You're not sixteen yet, you can take your time to think about it."

Little Blacksmith Wang frowned in deep thought. He had actually been pondering a question: "You said the Corpse Control Sect excels at controlling zombies and feeding them with their own blood."

"Then my Bloodthirsty Evil Sword is an inanimate object that grows stronger by drinking blood. Does that mean it could also be considered a type of zombie?"

Lu Baqian was silent for a while, then said seriously, "Child, join our Corpse Control Sect. What our sect lacks is precisely this kind of thinking."