NOVEL NEXT Chapter 80: Guardian
Chapter 80: Guardian
“You are all a mess, slouching like that. Stand up straight!”
The eyes of Xu Lian’s white cat avatar were sharp, like knives, as it scrutinized the guards. “Stand up straight, keep your backs straight!”
In the Yi Sect, when one used an avatar, they would deliberately alter the avatar’s voice and personality to hide their true identity. This helped maintain secrecy.
Xu Lian had once used his white cat avatar in Stone Town, establishing a temperamental image. Earlier, he’d also discreetly informed the county magistrate that the new inspector was a short-tempered individual.
Now, he continued to embody this fiery temper.
“Yes, sir!”
The guards quickly straightened up, feeling a bit wronged. They had already been standing straight; it was only to show respect to the inspector that they had bowed slightly.
The people from the nearby noble families felt a sudden chill as they realized that the new inspector had a temper and was not an easy person to deal with.
“The Spirit Tree is the core of Pingyang County’s cultivation resources. First Street is close to the Spirit Tree, so its defense is especially important. Anyone who enters or leaves First Street must be thoroughly checked to prevent any demons or monsters from infiltrating and damaging, stealing, or corrupting the Spirit Tree’s branches, leaves, or roots.”
Although he was only a small cat, the white cat avatar exuded an impressive presence due to the Pingyang County Inspector badge. The surrounding area was tense, and no one dared to approach.
The guards had no choice but to reply again, “Yes, sir!”
After a few more stern words, Xu Lian’s white cat avatar spoke again, “Take me to your town guard commander.
The chief guard immediately made a welcoming gesture and led the way. “Please follow me, Inspector.”
As they entered First Street and walked a short distance, the white cat avatar spotted a squirrel approaching quickly with an air of authority. It was clearly an Earth Flesh Avatar from the Yi Sect, the Town Guard Commander of Pingyang County.
Obviously, someone had already reported Xu Lian’s arrival.
“Inspector, I apologize for not greeting you earlier.”
From a distance, the squirrel spoke in the voice of a middle-aged woman.
Xu Lian hadn’t expected the Town Guard Commander to be a woman.
Of course, this was just the appearance of the Earth Flesh Avatar. The true identity of the person behind it-whether male or female-remained unknown. There was always the possibility that a strange man had deliberately made the Earth Flesh Avatar appear as a woman.
“No need for formalities, Commander,” Xu Lian replied, raising both front paws slightly in a gesture of greeting.
The Town Guard Commander had a similar rank to the Inspector, both were equal in status. However, while the Inspector had a nominal position, the Town Guard Commander had real power. They had different roles.
Xu Lian knew not to treat her as a subordinate but as an equal.
“Speaking of which, a new officer often makes waves. I wonder if your first move will affect our county,” the squirrel said jokingly, raising a paw in a welcoming gesture, signaling for Xu Lian’s avatar to follow.
She waved at the senior guard. “You may return to your duties.”
The lead guard bowed to her and Xu Lian’s avatar before turning to return to his post.
Xu Lian’s avatar followed the squirrel, smiling slightly. “Not at all. Before I came to the county, I inspected a few small towns, and what I saw really angered me. The government is far too lax.”
The squirrel replied in the voice of the middle-aged woman, “I suppose the higher-ups noticed the same thing, which is why they assigned the inspector to take charge.”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar sighed. “I’ve always been used to a laid-back life and didn’t want to take a position. But the higher-ups saw me as too lazy and forced this inspector position on me. Being an inspector isn’t easy. If I do my job seriously, I’ll offend my colleagues; if I don’t do it seriously, I can’t explain it to the higher-ups”.
The squirrel chuckled. “Indeed, everyone has their problems. Being a town guard commander isn’t easy either. Although Pingyang County is largely controlled by our Yi Sect, there are still infiltrations from other sects, not to mention all kinds of demons and monsters who are greedy and always try to steal from our sect. I hope you’ll give me more support in this area.”
The two Earth Flesh avatars chatted as they walked and soon reached the Spirit Tree. The defense here was even tighter, with a barrier consisting of three layers inside and three layers outside, preventing anyone from approaching the tree.
The squirrel led Xu Lian’s white cat avatar up the tree and into a hollow tree.
When Xu Lian’s white cat avatar saw the hollow, it was surprised. The inside resembled a small apartment: a bed, table, chairs, tea sets, and various “miniature furniture” were all neatly arranged.
“The conditions are simple, I hope you don’t mind, Inspector.”
The squirrel sat down on a small cushion and began to brew tea with the tiny teapot.
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar sat down opposite on a small cushion, “Our Earth Flesh avatars don’t need many comforts, and besides, the Town Guard Commander’s place isn’t that simple. Many people want to be near the Spirit Tree to cultivate, but only a few can do it, let alone live inside a tree hollow. It’s quite enviable.”
The squirrel smiled. “When I was assigned the position of Town Guard Commander in Pingyang County, I was thrilled, especially because I could cultivate in the Tree Cave. This place is a treasure for cultivation. If the inspector doesn’t mind, you can choose a tree hollow as your residence here, it would greatly benefit your cultivation.”
The Earth Flesh Avatar is a growth type that starts with initial physical strength and improves as the strength of the main body increases. It can also cultivate.
Xu Lian had learned this from the White Fox Quarry Patrol Inspector. However, Xu Lian’s main body had no interest in cultivation, let alone using the Earth Flesh Avatar for it. As long as his main body became stronger, the Earth Flesh Avatar would naturally grow stronger as well.
For instance, now that Xu Lian’s main body had reached the Bright Strength stage, his Earth Flesh avatar had grown much stronger than before.
“Living in a tree hollow for cultivation is indeed a unique privilege of the Town Guard Commander,” Xu Lian’s white cat avatar said. “But living here might attract gossip.”
He subtly declined the offer, “Are there any empty houses on First Street? If so, perhaps you could reserve one for me.”
Unlike the other avatars of the Yi Sect members, Xu Lian’s white cat avatar had no need for cultivation. A tree hollow as a residence had no value to him. However, a house was different; while he might not use it, he could rent it out… and make some profit.
This could lead to spirit stones!
The houses on First Street were extremely expensive. Even families with some power, like the Lin family, couldn’t afford them and could only rent them periodically for cultivation.
“Inspector, you are worrying too much.”
The squirrel thought that Xu Lian was really worried about being criticized. “This Spirit Tree is under my care, and the whole of Pingyang County is under my jurisdiction. If I allow you to stay here, who would dare to complain? Unless you criticize yourself… But as long as we stick to our business, no one will interfere with us, and the higher-ups wouldn’t blame us for such a small matter.”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar shook its paw. “No, no. As an inspector, I must set an example and not abuse my power for personal gain. Please prepare a house for me. It will make me feel more comfortable.”
The squirrel looked at Xu Lian’s white cat avatar with an unusual expression. “In our Yi Sect, there aren’t many people who are as strict with themselves as the inspector.”
Xu Lian silently repeated to himself, Houses, rent, spirit stones.
Unable to persuade him any further, the squirrel saw his firm stance on principle and had no choice but to comply.
She stood up from the small cushion, walked over to a large chest, opened it and took out a jade key. “This is the key to House A1. You can use it to open the barrier around the house. While it is House A1, it still doesn’t compare to the spiritual energy in the tree hollow. But if you ever want to cultivate in the hollow tree, just let me know.”
The rent for House A1 must be a fortune in spirit stones, Xu Lian’s white cat avatar thought happily, but casually accepted the jade key. “Thank you, Town Guard Commander.”
She then took a few ledgers and a jade box, placed them on the tea table, and slowly pushed them toward Xu Lian’s white cat avatar. “These are the accounts for the sale and rental of houses on First Street since I’ve taken office as the Town Guard Commander. Would you like to review them?”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar opened the jade box with one paw and looked at the neatly arranged rows of spirit stones. He was pleased, but also a bit surprised. Obviously, the Town Guard Commander had received a lot of benefits. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so generous with Spirit Stones right away, she clearly did not want her accounts to be audited.
After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Lian’s white cat avatar pushed the ledgers back toward her. “There is no need to check the accounts. Since the higher-ups have appointed you as the Town Guard Commander, they must trust you.”
The squirrel gave him a knowing look and smiled. Both understood each other’s unspoken thoughts.
The squirrel likely thought, This inspector doesn’t seem as principled as he appears.
It made sense when one considered that the Yi Sect never paid a salary. In order to obtain resources for cultivation, people had to find their own ways. No matter how principled one was, in order to gain strength, one would have to gather some resources along the way.
Moreover, the members of the Yi Sect all entered the sect using avatars, each with their own identities. In the end, they were all in the same boat, so it was natural for them to take a little advantage.
The squirrel smiled. “Thanks for the trust from above, and also for the inspector’s trust.”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar continued to drink tea and casually chat with her. After about an hour in the tree hollow, he picked up the jade key and jade box and prepared to leave.
The squirrel blinked. “Inspector, what’s this? Have you filled your storeroom yet?”
What if I don’t even have any storage items…? Xu Lian’s white cat avatar thought, then said, “When I was hastily assigned to this position, I brought too many things with me, and they didn’t fit. I forgot to buy a storage item.”
The squirrel flipped her paw, revealing a black storage bag, and handed it over. “I have an empty storage bag. You can use it.”
What if I don’t know how to use it? Xu Lian’s white cat avatar thought, feeling a bit of resentment towards the white fox quarry patrol inspector. As its “most loyal” subordinate, the White Fox never bothered to teach him basic cultivation knowledge. It was careless of the White Fox.
Of course, it was also possible that the White Fox assumed that he already knew these basics, after all, Xu Lian had reached the Bone Refining stage on his own. Surely, he wouldn’t be completely ignorant of basic things like this?
The truth was, he didn’t know.
Luckily, when Xu Lian reached out to take the storage bag, he felt his paw grow cold as the black bag melded into it. He could clearly sense a strange “small compartment” forming inside his paw.
He placed the jade box and the key down and waved his paw, and the two items were neatly stored inside the “small compartment”. This is really useful.
After descending from the Spirit Tree, the squirrel escorted him through the layers of protective barriers around it before waving goodbye.
As Xu Lian’s white cat avatar walked along First Street, he could clearly feel the chill in the air, sensing many pairs of eyes focusing on him.
This was the downside of being famous. By revealing his position as an inspector and accepting benefits, he had inevitably drawn attention from all sides. From now on, this white cat avatar couldn’t operate as covertly as before.
“With so many people watching me, it’ll be hard to go back without being noticed. My movements will be tracked.”
Xu Lian’s white cat avatar thought about it for a moment.
The house, A1, is too risky to give to the main body. It would reveal my true identity. I’ll just rent it out using this avatar and collect the rent in spirit stones.
The real challenge will be to figure out how to send the spirit stones and those in the jade box to the main body.
After pondering for a while without coming up with a solution, Xu Lian’s white cat avatar arrived at the front door of House A1, used the jade key to open the barrier, and entered, cutting off any outside observation.
Since returning wasn’t an option, he decided to stay here for now.