Chapter 386: The Gao Family Village Inspector
Fang Wushang followed Gao Yiye into the Gao Family Fortress.
The Gao Family Fortress had stood here for several years now, its initial pristine newness long faded. The fortress walls bore the undeniable marks of time; in places, the composite panels had begun to show wear and warping.
Stains marred the walls, interspersed with the innocent scribbles of children.
Gao Sanwa had even scrawled a math problem on one section: 3+2=32.
In some corners of the fortress, despite the mere patches of earth, wildflowers and moss had begun to sprout.
Yet, this age and wear didn't make the Gao Family Fortress appear decrepit. On the contrary, it lent the structure a certain gravitas.
A profound sense of history and solidity, born only from the relentless passage of time.
Gao Yiye led Fang Wushang into the watchtower.
Passing the ancestral hall on the first floor, Fang Wushang instinctively bowed before the sacred image of Dao Xuan Tian Zun, muttering an apology before daring to move past it. He ascended to the third floor and stepped out onto the balcony.
Fang Wushang watched Gao Yiye settle formally across the table. Gone was her usual innocent, lively demeanor, replaced by the poised dignity of a noblewoman. He knew then that serious business was about to be discussed.
He quickly set his saber aside, placed his hands on his knees, and sat upright. "May I ask what instructions the Saintess has for me?" he inquired.
Gao Yiye smiled. "It is not I who has words for you, but the Heavenly Lord himself."
This startled Fang Wushang, and he quickly craned his neck to peer at the sky.
Hovering some two hundred feet above, he saw a small, low-hanging cloud. As Fang Wushang looked up, the cloud drifted gently, almost as if acknowledging him.
Fang Wushang immediately bowed once more.
Gao Yiye continued, "The Heavenly Lord is a celestial being. There is nothing in the mortal realm that escapes his knowledge; only that which he chooses not to know, or is simply too disinclined to observe."
Fang Wushang cleared his throat. "That is only natural, of course."
Gao Yiye's tone shifted. "Therefore, the Heavenly Lord is also aware of the matters you discussed with Magistrate Liang that day."
This statement startled Fang Wushang profoundly, almost making him jump out of his skin.
"Do not fear," Gao Yiye reassured him. "The Heavenly Lord has no intention of blaming you."
"Phew!" Fang Wushang finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Gao Yiye continued, "Not only is the Heavenly Lord not angry, but he praised you. He found your concerns to be very reasonable."
Fang Wushang was overjoyed. "Truly?"
Gao Yiye explained, "The Heavenly Lord is a celestial being; naturally, he would not contend for mundane mortal power. It is like an ant colony squabbling over who becomes king—to a human, does such a thing truly matter? No, it holds no importance whatsoever."
"Those words are indeed profound," Fang Wushang agreed.
Gao Yiye smiled. "However, the Heavenly Lord also believes that if certain mischievous mortals were to deceive, swindle, scheme, and ambush others, employing unjust, unlawful, or even utterly depraved methods that disturb the peace, that would be something the Heavenly Lord would not wish to see."
Fang Wushang's expression turned serious. He knew they were getting to the main point.
"Currently, Gao Family Village lacks an upright enforcer of the law," Gao Yiye stated.
"Oh?" Fang Wushang responded.
Gao Yiye explained, "The Heavenly Lord says that unconstrained power inevitably leads to corruption. To illustrate, if I were to go downstairs to the village treasury on the second floor right now and take whatever I pleased, with no one to stop me, it would be because I possess 'absolute power' bestowed upon me by the Heavenly Lord. This would gradually cause me to lose myself, becoming unrestrained in my actions, doing everything I desired without any concern for whether such actions violated any laws."
Fang Wushang's heart skipped a beat. *The Saintess actually used herself as the primary example?*
"Beyond myself," Gao Yiye continued, "many others in Gao Family Village enjoy similar power. For instance, San Shier, Bai Yuan, Instructor He Jiu... each wields absolute power within the small groups they lead. It's still early days, and they are all good people, but if this situation persists and their power continues to grow, it's hard to say what they might eventually become."
Fang Wushang thought to himself: *This is precisely what Magistrate Liang and I discussed. These people, armed with the food and firearms bestowed upon them by the Heavenly Lord, would be truly terrifying if they were to turn to evil.*
"Should they make mistakes, the Heavenly Lord can punish them," Gao Yiye said. "However, the Heavenly Lord is very busy; he doesn't have time to constantly watch over a group of mortals. That is why he asked me to summon you and entrust you with a glorious and arduous task."
Fang Wushang understood immediately: he was to become the enforcer of the law.
He solemnly declared, "Rest assured, Heavenly Lord, even if you had not called me here for this discussion, I, Fang Wushang, am the Chengcheng County Inspector, bound by my duty. I would certainly manage everything within Chengcheng County, and anyone who commits wrongdoing or crime will surely be apprehended."
Gao Yiye smiled. "Being merely the Chengcheng County Inspector is not enough."
"Not enough?" Fang Wushang echoed.
"You also need to serve concurrently as a Gao Family Village Inspector," Gao Yiye clarified, "otherwise, you truly won't be able to manage these people."
Upon hearing this, Fang Wushang's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp glint. "Since there is already a Chengcheng County Inspector, why is there a need for a Gao Family Village Inspector? Could it be that Gao Family Village does not belong to Chengcheng County? Are you raising a rebel banner and establishing your own state?"
As he spoke, his aura instantly surged, as if he were ready to leap into battle at any moment.
Qiu Ju and Dong Xue, standing nearby, were both startled.
Yet, Gao Yiye remained unfazed. The Heavenly Lord was directly above, speaking to her and dictating his message; she had no reason to be afraid. Gao Yiye said calmly, "General Fang, please do not misunderstand. Gao Family Village has not established itself as a separate state."
"Then why speak of a Gao Family Village Inspector?" Fang Wushang pressed.
"A few days ago," Gao Yiye began, "Gao Family Village dispatched its militia to Heyang County to assist the Heyang County militia in confronting the rebel Wang Jiayin. General Fang, you must have heard of this, yes?"
Fang Wushang nodded. "Yes! I heard about it."
"Then let me propose a hypothetical situation, purely hypothetical, of course," Gao Yiye continued. "Suppose the Gao Family Village militia, en route to reinforce Heyang County, robbed a village there and killed its inhabitants. Could General Fang oversee such a matter?"
Fang Wushang was about to say, "Of course I could!" but the words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back. *Heyang County affairs weren't his jurisdiction.*
He recalled how, previously, he had fended off Fan Shan Yao's attack on a mountain village near Zhengjia Village, yet he couldn't pursue them because he was merely the Chengcheng County Inspector, not a Heyang County Inspector. He was not authorized to arrest people within Heyang County.
The thought brought a flush of embarrassment to his face.
"Our Gao Family Village is a private organization," Gao Yiye elaborated. "As such, it has great freedom to move about as it pleases. Last time, we went to Heyang County; next time, it might be Yichuan County, or perhaps Xi'an, or Shanxi, or even roaming across the entire land. But your position as Chengcheng County Inspector only allows you to oversee Chengcheng County. Wouldn't that mean you couldn't keep up with our movements? Therefore, you must also hold a position within our village—that of Gao Family Village Inspector."
Comments