Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

The lanterns lit up the night, and Yongzhou City was ablaze with lights.

In a private room at Shen's Restaurant, flower lamps were artfully arranged, casting brilliant light and making the entire room as bright as day.

The square eight-immortal table was coated with a gleaming red lacquer and carved with patterns, exuding an aura of luxury.

Shen Qing sat upright in the main seat on the left, full of vigor and exuding the calmness unique to a superior. He was surrounded by many small merchants.

Among these merchants, a burly man with a beefy face stood out. He stood up and loudly declared, "Come, everyone, fill your glasses and let's toast Vice Chief Shen!"

Before he finished speaking, the room was filled with enthusiastic responses, and the crisp clinking of glasses melded into a symphony.

With the news spreading, merchants large and small from Xinyi Square gathered at Shen's Restaurant to celebrate Shen Qing's promotion.

Everyone now knew that there was no Chief Officer position in the Guardian Martial Department, so Shen Qing, as the Vice Chief, was effectively the head of this office.

The Guardian Martial Department's authority was not as great as the Military Department's, but one could never be sure if a few remnants of the Huang Tian Sect or demons would inexplicably appear in their own homes in the future.

These traveling merchants were all sharp-minded. They came after hearing the news to greet and familiarize themselves.

Shen Qing originally didn't want to join in this excitement, but thinking that he was neither alone nor weak, and wanting to expand his influence, he agreed to this drinking session.

"Brother Hong, you're too kind. Thank you all for your favor."

Shen Qing's words were gentle, like a spring breeze that melted rain, making everyone feel waves of goodwill.

Previously, the Chief Officer of the Guardian Martial Department, Zheng Yuanqiu, was only concerned with extracting benefits, ignoring everything else, and was insatiably greedy, causing these people much suffering.

Whenever there was a need to deal with demons, the dispatch office would randomly frame people, causing countless families to be destroyed.

These people had long been full of resentment, and now that there was finally a change in leadership, they sighed in relief while also speculating on the temperament of this Vice Chief Shen.

Now it seemed that the new Vice Chief was easy to get along with, which subtly put them at ease.

Shen Qing raised his glass and stood up, his gaze sweeping across the seated people, and then he boldly drank it all in one go.

"How forthright!" someone praised from among the crowd, with genuine admiration in their voice, "Vice Chief Shen truly has a good nature. Let's toast the Vice Chief again!"

"Very well."

Unknowingly, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

In the Great Zhou Country, the status of merchants was not high, only above that of slaves, so without great martial strength, they were basically oppressed and exploited.

On one hand, they had to cope with commercial competition from the Thirteen Lines, and on the other, they had to handle extortion from the government and local gangs, so life was not very good overall.

Since joining the Guardian Martial Department, Shen Qing had mostly been on the road to slay demons or cultivating, and he rarely extorted these small merchants in his jurisdiction.

Additionally, the merchants were well aware of Shen Qing's massacre of the Hei Zhao Gang, so they held a very good impression of him.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became even more congenial, prompting Hong Tao to bring up the recent demon affairs.

"Speaking of which, Lord Shen, have you heard about Lord Governor's recent injury? This matter has caused quite a stir in the city, and we are all a bit uneasy."

Shen Qing pondered briefly, a barely noticeable trace of gravity flashing across his brows, "The Snake Demon incident?"

Hong Jingtiao nodded and lowered his voice, "Lord Governor is a dignified Innate Martial Master. His cultivation is profound and possesses the power to move mountains and overturn seas. I heard he battled the Snake Demon and leveled several mountains, yet he was still not a match for that demon? If that demon comes into the city, wouldn't we all be doomed?"

Shen Qing remained silent, as no one present understood the terror of the Snake Demon better than he did.

But...

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he picked up a wine cup and said leisurely, "I don't think so."

"What do you mean, Lord Shen?"

Unbidden, Shen Qing's mind recalled what Huang Furo had said, "What do you think of the strength of the Yongzhou Thirteen Lines?"

Everyone exchanged glances, "Certainly strong."

"Then that's settled. Have you seen any indication that they're planning to leave Yongzhou?" Shen Qing slowly guided, "A gentleman doesn't stand under a precarious wall. They must understand such a simple truth."

"If there are no private actions now, it means they're not anxious and have something to lean on. I don't think Yongzhou City will fall into chaos anytime soon, so you can rest assured. Only when you see the Thirteen Lines members unable to remain calm should you really start to worry."

A merchant responded, "Yes, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Why should we worry? I heard that within the Yongzhou Thirteen Lines, many old Undyings are sustained by their family's spiritual elixirs; each one has Innate Realm cultivation, and demons can't yet wreak havoc in this city."

"Well said," Hong Jingtiao agreed.

"Soldiers come to block, water rises to cover; let's drink and not talk about these troublesome matters!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing gladly raised his glass, and everyone else also got up.

"Lord Shen, I've heard that your Guardian Martial Department is going to expand its personnel?"

At this moment, a merchant suddenly said a bit nervously.

Shen Qing did not intend to hide it and nodded, "There is indeed such a matter? Why, are you looking to join the Guardian Martial Department?"

"No, no, I'm too old to endure such hardship."

"Then you are?"

"I have a son at home who has learned some martial arts. I wonder if it's convenient for you to give him a chance? Even as an officer would do."

Shen Qing touched the rim of his wine cup, showing a hesitant expression.

"Lord, rest assured, I understand some of the rules."

Shen Qing knew that most of these people were ordinary folks who might have originally been farmers but had been forced into business due to hardships at home.

What level of martial arts training could such people achieve?

Not everyone was "gifted" like him.

However, those high-ranking disciples wouldn't even spare him a glance, and currently, he really had no one available at hand.

With just him, the large Guardian Martial Department was unmanageable.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Let him come and try. If he's useless, then let him go back where he came from."

"Alright, thank you, Lord Shen."

Seeing someone take the initiative, several other merchants eagerly spoke up one after another.

"Lord, there's also my…"

"I have a daughter at home…"

"..."

Shen Qing waved his hand, "Let them come and try. I'll give suitable ones a chance."

"Thank you, Lord Shen, thank you."

Thus, the banquet continued for a full Shi Chen before it finally ended.

Before leaving, these merchants, knowing Shen Qing's mount had been damaged in battles, generously pooled money to buy him a fine horse.

Shen Qing accepted it graciously.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that, after reaching a certain position and gaining some power, there were many more things he could do.

...

Previously, Zheng Yuanqiu had focused solely on scheming while in office, leaving the Guardian Martial Department with a mess of accounts.

After taking over as Vice Chief of the Guardian Martial Department, Shen Qing found the various accounts and old cases to be utterly chaotic.

Fortunately, having lived two lives, he knew a lot of methods, these matters only required effort on his part.

Time passed little by little.

After a month, Shen Qing finally sorted out the Guardian Martial Department's income, expenses, and overall demon cases of recent years, making himself well-informed.

In his view, if he wanted to fully control the Guardian Martial Department, this was an unavoidable step.

Due to immersing himself in dealing with accounts and old cases during this period, the Guardian Martial Department saw no changes, making it seem that he was somewhat unaccomplished.

Gradually, the rumor of his "incompetence" began to circulate within the Guardian Martial Department, and these voices grew louder by the day.