Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Sky Patrol Guard
After being beaten with twenty army rods, the twenty-three young men all looked half-dead, and were dragged out of the square by the black-armored soldiers. It was truly tragic.
Their families and elders were heartbroken, but they did not dare to say more. After all, it was wrong to lie about their age to participate in the Martial Academy's assessment.
"Alright, let's move on to the second assessment!" Han Zhuang said.
Jiang Hongji looked at the high sun and agreed: "Yes, time is running short, we must hurry up!"
"No need to rush, it's not over yet." Lin Chen shook his head.
"What does friend Lin mean by that?" Jiang Hongji frowned.
Lin Chen smiled and said, "Isn't there still one team left unprocessed?"
"Hmm?" Jiang Hongji asked doubtfully, "Did they also lie about their ages?"
"No, their offense is ten to a hundred times more serious than lying about their ages!" Lin Chen's smile gradually faded, his voice becoming cold and icy, filled with murderous intent.
"I forgot to tell you both, the Reach Profound Crystal is a product of the Sky Patrol Office's extensive research and investment, and its abilities go far beyond simply testing bone age.
Its main purpose is to detect the aura of an Evil Cult. As long as one has been tainted by the Evil Cult's influence, the Reach Profound Crystal will emit dazzling red light.
When these ten people were tested, the Reach Profound Crystal emitted a dazzling red light, proving beyond a doubt that they are spies arranged by the Evil Cult!"
"What, these people are all Evil Cult spies - could it be a mistake?!" Jiang Hongji exclaimed incredulously.
Eight hundred years ago, the founding emperor of Morigin unified the world and established the Morigin Dynasty. The army swept across the land, wiped out all sects, and established Martial Academies in each province to cultivate talent.
From then on, the world was unified, and talent was gathered in the court. Within the territory of Morigin, the remnants of religious sects were regarded as Evil Cults, and the Sky Patrol Office was established to patrol the world and eliminate the Evil Cults' influence.
However, as time passed, internal conflicts within the Morigin Dynasty grew more severe, and the power of the Evil Cult gradually revived, with their spies infiltrating the court.
The Martial Academy, as a base for cultivating talent, naturally attracted the attention of both the court and the Sky Patrol Office.
But could a single crystal really detect that someone was a spy of the Evil Cult?
"Haha, let me tell you, not too long ago, a major investigation of the Martial Academy found that there were hundreds of Evil Cult spies. However, the news was temporarily kept secret, so you were simply unaware of it.
From now on, the Reach Profound Crystal will not only be officially included in the assessment for recruiting Martial Academy disciples, but it will also be widely used among the Sky Patrol Guards."
Lin Chen's tone was gloomy and his gaze uncannily swept over Han Zhuang and Jiang Hongji, giving people the feeling that he was selecting his next prey.
Lu Yun's eyes narrowed in the square, sensing that Meng Hongfei's aura seemed to have undergone a subtle change.
Whoosh!
Sure enough, a fleeting saber shadow appeared and vanished in an instant in Lu Yun's vision, without a clear glimpse.
He only vaguely saw that with a single stroke, the saber was like a startled swan piercing the sun!
The whip-like saber wind left a long trail on the ground in the square.
Bright red blood splattered everywhere.
Soon after, the ten young men fell to the ground, devoid of any life.
"What a terrifying Saber Technique!"
Lu Yun murmured to himself.
Meng Hongfei's speed and saber technique were so powerful that they exceeded Lu Yun's imagination, making him feel almost suffocated.
As still as a virgin, yet as ferocious as a flood dragon!
The seemingly simple stroke was incredibly powerful, like a flood dragon emerging from the sea, swift and unpredictable.
Standing at the head of the line, Xiao Chen could not help but clench his fists, subconsciously reaching for the three-foot-long Green Peak at his waist.
However, he quickly ceased such a pointless action.
Although he was confident, it did not mean he was arrogant.
"These people are all Evil Cult spies. I have executed them on the spot. Based on the information you have just registered, trace their connections and capture the Evil Cult forces in one fell swoop." Meng Hongfei ordered the arrest officer beside him.
"Yes." Cloud Water County arresting officer Wang Qi did not resist Meng Hongfei's order, appearing to accept it as a matter of course.
"Brothers, it's time for us to make our mark. Follow me and set off immediately." Wang Qi copied a list of the names and led a group of arresting officers to depart swiftly.
Watching this series of events unfold, the many young people in the square looked at each other, feeling that everything had happened too suddenly and they were completely in the dark.
Just as they thought everything was about to end, a familiar voice echoed once again in the square.
"In addition to overseeing the Martial Academy's student assessments during our visit to Cloud Water County, we have another task: to investigate the infiltration of the county government by evil cult forces."
Lin Chen leaped down from the high platform, and as he landed, the immense impact caused the bluestone on the ground to crack.
He walked slowly to the Reach Profound Crystal, holding it in his hand. Meng Hongfei stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, coldly.
"What do you mean by this?" Jiang Hongji's tone was somewhat unpleasant, as he vaguely sensed that Lin Chen and Meng Hongfei seemed to be targeting him.
"Of course, it means asking the both of you to prove your innocence and refute any connections with the evil cult." Meng Hongfei held his saber horizontally, its cold edge shimmering. Under the reflection of sunlight, it was quite dazzling.
"You think I and Commander Han are spies from the evil cult?" Jiang Hongji's tone grew colder as he slowly stood up, eyes fixed on the pair.
Lin Chen was not afraid and spoke calmly, "This is only a suspicion, so we hope the two of you can prove your innocence. As for the method, you must know it."
"Hmph, how ridiculous. What kind of status do County Magistrate Jiang and I have? We are not to be slandered and defamed by immature youngsters like you." Han Zhuang slammed the table, abruptly standing up from his seat. His whole demeanor changed suddenly, his sharp edge emerging, no longer showing any trace of the previous gentleness.
Jiang Hongji's expression slightly eased, but he still didn't look too good and coldly snorted, "Our county respects the Martial Academy students and regards them as the talents of Spirit Martial Prefecture, so we cooperate and treat them as esteemed guests. However, this does not mean you can act wilfully in front of us."
"Hehe, so County Magistrate Jiang thinks being a Martial Academy student is not enough?" Lin Chen smiled faintly, then took out a token from his waist.
The token was golden in color, only palm-sized, with a fierce python engraved on the back side and the words 'Sky Patrol Guard' engraved in seal script on the front side.
"A first-grade Sky Patrol Guard? You are from the Sky Patrol Office?" Upon seeing the golden token, Jiang Hongji's expression changed instantly, and Han Zhuang's body trembled slightly, his gaze accidentally sweeping the surroundings.
The Sky Patrol Office was not only responsible for eliminating evil cult forces but also had the authority to supervise hundreds of officials.
The Sky Patrol Office was divided into three levels from top to bottom: Sky Patrol Guards, Sky Patrol Envoys, and the Chief of the Office.
The lowest-ranked first-level Sky Patrol Guards were equivalent to seventh-grade officials in the court, and when dealing with evil cult forces, they could mobilize all officials of the same rank and below.
Although Jiang Hongji was a County Magistrate and a seventh-grade official, Han Zhuang had an even lower rank, being only just a seventh-grade official.
"The Sky Patrol Office suspects that Cloud Water County government officials have been infiltrated by evil cult forces and has specifically sent the two of us to investigate. Now, we ask the both of you to cooperate." Lin Chen put away his identification token and spoke in a stern tone, in a business-like manner.
Meng Hongfei stared intensely at Jiang Hongji and Han Zhuang, ready to strike at the first sign of any irregularities.
"As a subordinate, I shall cooperate with the Sky Patrol Office!"
Not to mention that a first-grade Sky Patrol Guard's rank was not lower than his own, but the fact that the Sky Patrol Office had the authority over life and death for officials below the third grade was enough to make him cooperate obediently.
If he didn't cooperate, the consequences would be serious.
At best, he would lose his job; at worst, his entire family would be executed!
There had been cases like this in the past, and in the most severe instances, even nine generations of a family were affected.
That was why the reputation of the Sky Patrol Office was deeply rooted in people's hearts, and even those with great power didn't want to confront it easily.
Thus, under the supervision and threats of Lin Chen and Meng Hongfei, Jiang Hongji obediently came forward.
Only after close contact with the subject, could the Reach Profound Crystal function to identify whether the person had any connection with evil cult forces.
Jiang Hongji took a deep breath and walked in front of the Reach Profound Crystal.
He hadn't lied earlier; he genuinely had no knowledge of the Reach Profound Crystal and didn't know if it was reliable.
If an accident occurred, the consequences would be serious.
After a few breaths, the Reach Profound Crystal finally changed, emitting dazzling white light.
Although he didn't know the specific principles of how the Reach Profound Crystal worked, after the previous incidents, he knew that if red light appeared, he would be in danger.
Fortunately, it was not the case. Jiang Hongji breathed a sigh of relief and laughed softly, "As a loyal servant of the court, I stand firmly against the evil cult forces, and if the two of you have any instructions, I will cooperate."
"Hahaha, thank you County Magistrate Jiang." Lin Chen's attitude changed upon seeing Jiang Hongji was not a spy from the evil cult.
Before this, he and Meng Hongfei had the deepest suspicion towards Jiang Hongji.
As the highest commanding officer of Cloud Water County, Jiang Hongji's influences were deeply rooted. If he was a member of an evil cult, the impact that would be caused and the scope involved would be wide, which would be troublesome for them to handle.
Now that Jiang Hongji had cleared his suspicion, the difficulty of their mission had been reduced considerably.
"Commander Han, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and clear your suspicion, then continue with the rest of the assessment."
Seeing that a lot of time had already passed, and only the first part of the Martial Academy assessment had been conducted, Jiang Hongji couldn't help but urge him.
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