"I accept the order!"
Chu Bai replied in a solemn voice.
The moment he accepted the order, Chu Bai’s sharp senses picked up on something. Vice Director Zhao, standing behind Zhang Cheng, was smiling and clapping, yet deep within his eyes lay a frosty coldness and wariness.
He even felt several gazes from the front rows of the crowd, filled with unconcealed hostility.
Chu Bai sneered inwardly, but his expression remained impassive.
’So these are the factions Daoist Zhang mentioned? I haven’t even started, and people are already targeting me.’
Afterward, Zhang Cheng announced the other appointments.
"I hereby declare Hu Hao, graduate of the Daoist School, appointed as an Evil Suppression Guard and assigned to the Third Evil Suppression Squad."
Hu Hao also stepped forward to receive his uniform and waist token. Though he was only an unranked, ordinary guard, his face was flushed with excitement.
...
After the appointment ceremony, the crowd dispersed, and everyone headed to the logistics department to collect their supplies.
Chu Bai infused a trace of Spiritual Power into the Profound Iron Waist Token.
A wondrous sense of resonance instantly flooded his mind.
This waist token wasn’t just a communication device capable of sensing other token-bearers within a ten-li radius. More importantly, it was connected to the Great Zhou’s Law Net that enveloped the county.
[Permission Unlocked: Patrolling Fiend]
A line of text surfaced in his mind.
This was a function exclusive to the waist tokens of ranked officials—the ability to borrow the power of the Law Net to sense demonic Evil Qi within a hundred-zhang radius.
This was the ultimate counter to demons skilled in disguise—a divine skill for investigations.
’It’s similar to that Dharma Artifact I saw before, the [Demon-Seeking Mirror], just a little less precise.’
’Good stuff.’
Chu Bai put away his waist token and led Hu Hao to the logistics storeroom in the Back Hall.
The man in charge of distributing supplies was a middle-aged clerk, Clerk Liu. He had a round face and met everyone with a smile, but his small eyes revealed a merchant’s shrewdness.
"Oh, you must be the newly appointed Banner Inspector Chu! I’ve heard so much about you!"
Seeing Chu Bai enter, Clerk Liu immediately hurried out from behind the counter. His face was lit with a brilliant smile as he nimbly handed over a prepared set of supplies.
"Lord Chu, this is your share. Three bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, one set of Standard Inner Armor, and the case files for your jurisdiction. Also..."
Clerk Liu lowered his voice, pulled a small, exquisite packet of tea from his sleeve, and stuffed it into Chu Bai’s hand. He smiled obsequiously. "This is just a little something from me to you, sir. Some new tea. It’s nothing valuable, just something to wet your throat."
The whole sequence of actions was as smooth as flowing water; he was clearly an old hand at this.
Chu Bai’s expression was neutral. He neither refused the gift nor showed any pleasure, simply accepting it with a nod. "My thanks, Clerk Liu."
"Of course, of course!" Clerk Liu nodded repeatedly, though his eyes were secretly observing Chu Bai’s reaction.
When it was Hu Hao’s turn, Clerk Liu’s expression changed in the blink of an eye.
He sat back down behind the counter and slowly picked up the papers Hu Hao handed him. He gave them a single glance, and his brow furrowed.
"Hu Hao, is it? Assigned to the Third Squad?"
Clerk Liu smacked his lips, tossed the papers onto the desk, and said with feigned difficulty, "Well, what bad luck. We just ran out of the Standard Long Sabers for the Evil Suppression Guard. The new shipment hasn’t arrived. As for the Inner Armor... the few sets left are all the wrong size..."
Hu Hao was taken aback. "How can that be?" he said urgently. "I just saw the men ahead of me get theirs."
"Theirs were reserved!" Clerk Liu rolled his eyes and said with a smirk, "You’re new, so you don’t know how things work. Why don’t you come back in three or five days and try again?"
’Three to five days?’
In a place like the Evil Suppression Department, going three days without a weapon or armor... If a mission came up, it would be a death sentence.
Hu Hao might be simple, but he wasn’t an idiot.
He glanced at Chu Bai, who was standing beside him with his head down, organizing the files. Then he looked at Clerk Liu’s small, shifty eyes, and understanding dawned on him.
’He’s soliciting a bribe.’
’And he’s doing it right in front of Chu Bai.’
Hu Hao gritted his teeth and pulled out a money pouch he had prepared. It contained five taels of silver, which he had originally planned to use for household expenses.
Five taels of silver wasn’t a huge sum, but graduating from the Daoist School had used up most of Hu Hao’s savings. Now, having just started his post with no income yet, the loss stung.
Using the counter for cover, he slid the pouch over and forced a smile. "You’ve worked hard, Lord Liu. This is a little something for tea, for you and your men. Would you mind taking another look for me? Maybe there’s a set left in a corner somewhere?"
Clerk Liu’s hand darted out. He gave the pouch a quick squeeze, gauging its weight, and the creases on his face instantly smoothed into a broad smile.
"Oh, would you look at that! My memory..."
He slapped his forehead and pulled a brand-new uniform and set of Inner Armor from under the counter. "Why, they were right here all along! Here, take them. And do a good job in the Third Squad!"
Throughout the entire exchange, Chu Bai stood off to the side, watching silently.
Though Clerk Liu was speaking to Hu Hao, his peripheral vision was fixed on Chu Bai.
He was testing him.
Chu Bai was a Patrol Banner Inspector; his duty was to act as an Inspector.
If Chu Bai had spoken up to stop him, or even drawn his saber to make a point, it would have meant the young man was a reckless hothead who couldn’t turn a blind eye to anything. From then on, he’d be an enemy.
If Chu Bai had also offered a gift, or put in a good word, it would have meant he was a pushover who could be easily manipulated.
But Chu Bai did nothing.
He didn’t stop Hu Hao from paying the bribe, nor did he reprimand Clerk Liu. He didn’t even frown.
Not until Hu Hao had received his items did Chu Bai say coolly, "Let’s go."
Then he turned and walked away.
Watching Chu Bai’s retreating figure, the smile on Clerk Liu’s face slowly faded, replaced by a look of surprise and uncertainty.
"This kid... he’s like a wily old fox. Impossible to read."
"What’s he playing at?"
This refusal to take a side, start trouble, or even show an opinion—this way of blending in—actually unsettled him.
...
Once they left the logistics office, the two of them found a secluded corridor.
Hu Hao felt his now-empty money pouch and gave a bitter smile. "Losing money the moment I arrive... The Evil Suppression Department really is a hard place to get into."
"To think I had to spend those five taels of silver..."
Chu Bai stopped, looked at Hu Hao, and said calmly, "Clerk Liu is one of the Liu Family’s men. He was testing me, and also teaching you the ’rules’. If you hadn’t paid today, he would have held up your supplies in the future, and his demands would have only gotten worse."
"Let it go for today. But if he gives you trouble again, tell me."
Hu Hao sighed and nodded, then said with some concern:
"Junior Brother Chu... oh, no, Banner Inspector Chu. I just did some asking around. The Evil Suppression Department may have been merged, but the situation inside is a mess."
He lowered his voice. "Right now, the department has three main squads. The First Squad is made up of the County Magistrate’s trusted men. They have the best equipment. The Second Squad is controlled by the scions of the noble clans allied with the Assistant Magistrate. They have strength in numbers and act like tyrants."
"As for the Third Squad, where I’m headed..."
A troubled look crossed Hu Hao’s face. "I heard that after the two departments merged, the Third Squad became a dumping ground. They stuffed it with all the old, the weak, the good-for-nothings nobody wanted, the sly old soldiers, and any troublemakers who’d offended someone. They’re given all the dirty, thankless jobs."
"Director Zhang wants to make a difference, but he has no control over the First and Second Squads. He can only rely on us newcomers."
At this, Hu Hao looked lost. "I’ve only just arrived and I’m being sent to a place like that. I’m afraid it’ll be impossible to ever get ahead."
Hearing this, Chu Bai grew pensive.
’The elite forces were carved up, and the leftovers were cobbled into the Third Squad?’
"Senior Brother Hu."
Chu Bai patted Hu Hao’s shoulder, his gaze calm. "You’re from the Daoist School; your foundations are stronger than those old shirkers. The Third Squad may be a mess, but precisely because it’s a mess, no one’s paying it any attention.
Remember, don’t get drawn into their factional struggles, and don’t sink to their level, learning to just slack off and get by like those old dogs."
"You just need to build your strength and raise your Cultivation. As long as your fists are strong enough, you’ll be considered elite no matter where you are."
"Our foundations are still shallow, but our potential for the future is far greater than theirs. There’s no need to rush into conflict with them now."
Hu Hao’s confusion seemed to lift, and he nodded emphatically. "I get it! I’ll just follow Director Zhang and you, and focus on doing my job!"
"As for me..."
Chu Bai rubbed the cold Patrol Banner Inspector’s token in his hand, lost in thought.
’The Patrol Banner Inspector isn’t under any squad’s jurisdiction; it’s a parallel position.’
’Zhang Cheng obviously had his reasons for giving me this position. It just means I have to be even more careful.’
’Let them fight amongst themselves.’
Chu Bai thought to himself, ’My master already made it clear. The position of an Immortal Official is unique. I should just use it as a stepping stone and not get involved in their political games.’
’All I need to do is my duty. If I meet a demon, I slay it. If I meet evil, I suppress it...’

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