Chapter 451: Chapter 170: Slay It With One Strike
Either way, Shen Bai deserved Fang Tong’s high regard.
Moreover, upon his arrival, Shen Bai had empowered his subordinates, allowing them to act decisively. This earned Fang Tong’s admiration. He felt incredibly fortunate to have such a superior.
"Jianghu Demons are truly a scourge upon the Great Zhou Country," Shen Bai said, glancing around.
Scores of constables bustled back and forth, carrying the seriously injured commoners on simple stretchers, filing past Shen Bai in a steady stream.
It was a harrowing sight. Before a natural disaster, human life seemed so fragile.
Fang Tong nodded. "The Great Zhou Country is in turmoil, which gives these Jianghu Demons an opportunity to cause trouble. But it’s not just Great Zhou. The surrounding countries face the same problem, though their demons tend to be more covert."
In this world, where there is good, there will always be evil.
Evil is like a weed. You can never burn it all away. Cut one down, and another sprouts in its place.
For now, the situation was at least still under control.
And as always, it was the common people who suffered the most.
As the two were talking, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly broke the air.
Shen Bai turned to see the County Magistrate rushing over.
"I am Yu Yaizu, the County Magistrate of Donglai County," the man said, cupping his hands as soon as he arrived. "Greetings, my lord. Might I ask for your name?"
Shen Bai remained silent, letting Fang Tong speak first.
"You are in the presence of a most distinguished individual from Nanxing Prefecture—Prefecture Chief, Lord Shen."
Fang Tong continued in a steady voice, "Lord Shen heard of the dire situation in Donglai County and has personally led a team to assess the danger."
Prefecture Chief?
Lord Shen?
Hearing this, Yu County Magistrate’s eyes went wide.
He had assumed the arrivals were minor figures from Nanxing Prefecture, never imagining it would be the new Prefecture Chief himself.
News of his appointment was, of course, well-known throughout the official circles of Nanxing Prefecture.
And though he was stationed in Donglai County, it was still within Nanxing Prefecture’s jurisdiction, so he was naturally aware.
He just never expected the situation would warrant the Prefecture Chief’s personal visit.
Yu County Magistrate knew of Shen Bai, whose fame in the Jianghu was legendary.
The Eight Extremes Young Master, Overcoming Adversity and Attacking Upward, First in the Internal Examination, a New Noble of Great Zhou...
Yu County Magistrate knew full well that this was a man of truly distinguished status, one who had earned it all with his own two hands.
To think that such a man had come in person—any prior feelings Yu County Magistrate had were now completely forgotten.
Only then did Yu County Magistrate notice that although only a dozen or so people had come, every single one was a master of the Unity Realm. Fang Tong, in particular, was in the Void Realm.
"Lord Shen, I..." Yu County Magistrate was at a loss for words.
Shen Bai waved a dismissive hand. "Let’s dispense with the pleasantries. Take me to the most heavily affected area."
’Formalities are unnecessary.’
’The important thing now is to solve this problem. Once it’s done, I can get back to grinding my Skill Level.’
Yu County Magistrate hadn’t expected Lord Shen to be so decisive, but he quickly recovered.
The matter was indeed urgent, so being direct was for the best. Excessive ceremony would only worsen the disaster.
"This way, Lord Shen," Yu County Magistrate said, quickly gesturing for him to follow.
Without another word, Shen Bai followed Yu County Magistrate forward.
...
「The Eastern Area.」
Shen Bai had been walking for an hour.
The closer he got to the east, the more he could feel water vapor rising, and the air grew noticeably more humid.
As they walked, Yu County Magistrate explained, "This area was hit by a sudden, massive downpour. The dam burst, causing widespread destruction."
"I responded immediately and sent men to shore up the levee, but the river is still raging. I’m afraid it’s only a temporary solution, not a cure for the root cause."
Ahead, a raging river came into view.
The ground was covered in puddles, and the soil had turned to mud.
The levee was in ruins. After several rounds of hasty repairs, its surface was a mess of pits and mounds.
Even so, dangerous undercurrents churned within the raging river, which threatened to overflow at any moment.
Sensing the humidity in the air, Shen Bai raised his hand and began a divination.
’Using my Divination Skill back in Nanxing Prefecture might have been useless, but now that I’m at the source, it’s worth a try.’
Unfortunately, with so few clues to go on, he still came up with nothing.
The only result was from the reading on Fortune and Misfortune, which indicated that the current situation was highly auspicious.
Shen Bai frowned, lost in thought.
’It’s just as Zheng Xing said. If there were clues, this would be easy to handle. The crucial problem is that there are virtually none.’
’It’s like punching cotton—all effort, no impact.’
Yu County Magistrate asked, "Lord Shen, have you noticed anything unusual?"
Shen Bai shook his head. "I haven’t found any clues so far."
A look of disappointment crossed Yu County Magistrate’s face.
He had hoped that Shen Bai, renowned in the Jianghu as the Eight Extremes Young Master, would be able to spot some clue. But it now seemed the trail was hidden extremely well.
Fang Tong, who had been standing behind Shen Bai, saw this and asked, "Lord Shen, should we dispatch men to excavate the area and see if there’s anything unusual?"
Yu County Magistrate quickly interjected, "Absolutely not! If this levee is excavated again, I fear it will be impossible to repair. The resulting disaster would be even worse."
Fang Tong frowned. "But if we don’t, how will we ever find the source of the problem?"
Yu County Magistrate’s expression grew troubled.
’He knew that, of course. But if they went through with it and still found no clues, it wouldn’t be a pyrrhic victory—it would be an unmitigated disaster, and he alone would have to bear the consequences.’
Listening to their exchange, Shen Bai thought for a moment before saying, "Amber, you come take a look."
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