Five minutes ago.
"Sir," Hao Yu greeted Gao Ke with a respectful gesture, indicating his readiness for work.
Gao Ke nodded in response. The office was open, with a few rooms in the corner. One of these rooms belonged to Gao Ke, while the others were used for storage and various purposes.
Gao Ke pointed to his room and explained, "You will be working with me in that room. It will be you, me, and my secretary. You can head to that room first to familiarize yourself with your tasks. I will join you after assigning tasks to the others."
"Understood, Sir," Hao Yu acknowledged as he made his way to the designated room. Inside, he found a man in his mid-twenties seated behind a pile of bamboo scrolls, diligently scanning their contents.
Upon hearing the door open, the man looked up and offered a friendly smile to Hao Yu. "You must be the new Assistant Administrator. I'm Zhang Xin."
Hao Yu reciprocated the gesture, clasping his hands and introducing himself, "My name is Hao Yu. Administrator Gao informed me that you will be guiding me, Mr. Zhang."
"Feel free to call me Zhang Xin. Despite my age, it's only a few years' difference," Zhang Xin replied with a light chuckle. He rose from his seat and moved to another table across from Hao Yu. "This will be your desk. As an Assistant Administrator, your task is to assist with Old Gao's workload."
Hao Yu nodded calmly, indicating his understanding. He was familiar with this type of arrangement from past experiences. The leader would provide direction, and he would execute the tasks.
Zhang Xin continued, "There are a few tasks left from yesterday. You will likely be assigned one of them when Old Gao returns. For now, you can sit and wait here."
Hao Yu, wearing an innocent expression, asked with curiosity, "If you don't mind me asking, what kind of work do you handle, Mr. Zhang... Xin?"
Suppressing a chuckle at Hao Yu's slightly awkward address, Zhang Xin maintained his professional demeanor and explained, "I manage all the tasks and delegate them. Essentially, I assist Old Gao with his responsibilities while you complete the tasks. I'll be here to support you as needed."
"Thank you very much," Hao Yu responded with a polite smile. "I'll wait here for Administrator Gao."
With that settled, Hao Yu occupied his seat. The table was still neat and empty, devoid of tasks for the moment. However, as his time in the city progressed, he would learn more about its affairs. Although he lacked the bamboo scrolls like Zhang Xin, he intended to gain insights into the city's happenings.
He took this time to examine the room. Even though there were a mountain of scrolls on Zhang Xin's or Gao Ke's table, they weren't scattered around. In fact, the room was extremely neat and tidy.
There were a lot of shelves that contained scrolls, which seemed to record all kinds of important information.
He would definitely ask Gao Ke's permission to browse all these scrolls to learn about the city.
Suddenly, the situation took an unexpected turn when An Lei abruptly burst into the room, startling both Hao Yu and Zhang Xin.
"An Lei?" Zhang Xin raised an eyebrow, showing signs of confusion in response to An Lei's sudden entrance.
An Lei, panting slightly, exclaimed, "Sir, we have a situation! One of our personnel has spotted a cultivator not far from the city!"
However, An Lei's confusion deepened upon seeing Gao Ke's empty seat. He questioned, "Eh? Where is Sir Gao?"
Zhang Xin, equally bewildered, inquired, "Isn't he outside, assigning tasks?" He even rose from his seat to peer outside, confirming that Gao Ke was indeed absent. "Strange, he's not there?"
An Lei didn't know what he should do in this situation. Normally, the appearance of a cultivator would lead to a big thing, so Gao Ke would be informed. Depending on the person's strength, even the Magistrate would have to handle the matter personally.
This time, Gao Ke wasn't in the office, even though he was there just a moment ago.
Zhang Xin hurriedly stormed outside while shouting, "I will be searching for Old Gao. Hao Yu will be gathering the information. Ask An Lei to guide you for that. Once you get the information, don't rush and wait for Old Gao."
"Yes!" Hao Yu and An Lei replied at the same time.
Uncertain about the appropriate course of action, An Lei felt a shiver run down his spine. He glanced at Hao Yu, who had a poker face, making him think he was just a harmless person.
This predicament presented Hao Yu with a dilemma. On one hand, his mentor had advised him to avoid any involvement with cultivators until he had established a reputation within the office. On the other hand, his intense desire to confront a cultivator surged within him. This impulse had led to reprimands from his mentor in the past.
Hao Yu had developed the ability to maintain a poker face under such circumstances, which was the only way his mentor could keep him from revealing himself.
Hao Yu rose from his seat and asked An Lei, "Where should we go now?"
An Lei explained, "The Information Bureau has just reported the sighting of a cultivator in the vicinity. We should proceed to the bureau to gather all available details before determining our course of action."
Hao Yu nodded in agreement and extended his hand, signaling for An Lei to guide him. Together, they rushed to another building. Unlike their office, this location was bustling with activity, with numerous individuals hurrying to and fro, carrying scrolls.
An Lei led Hao Yu to a room where they encountered a scholar. An Lei introduced themselves and their purpose, explaining their originr.
"Sir, we are from the South District Administration. This is Assistant Administrator Hao Yu." An Lei hurriedly introduced themselves, revealing their purpose.
The scholar, upon verifying their identities, commented, "It's the first time I've seen you here."
Hao Yu responded, "I arrived in the city only yesterday."
"No wonder." The scholar then handed Hao Yu a bamboo scroll from among the stacks on his table, explaining, "This is the information we have. We don't know the cultivator's name, but he has short red hair and a muscular build. Based on his attire, he appears to be an outer disciple of the Xuan Sect. His strength ranges from 6-Star to 9-Star Qi Gathering Stage."
Hao Yu inquired, "Where is he located?"
The scholar pointed to a spot on a map on the table, indicating, "Here. South of the city, near the Linghua River, close to Windwood Village. We are currently unaware of his intentions and have dispatched personnel to monitor his movements."
"Upon hearing "Windwood Village," Hao Yu's body trembled. He couldn't help but recall the tragic events that had befallen his own village and feared a similar fate for Windwood Village. His arm shook as he tightened his grip on the bamboo scroll to control his emotions. He asked, "Is that all?"
"For now, yes. We'll inform you if there is something new." The scholar looked nonchalant as if he was already used to this.
Hao Yu felt a sense of disgust as he observed the scholar's indifference. While most people harbored a deep-seated resentment toward cultivators, they had resigned themselves to the belief that nothing could be done against them. As long as they remained unharmed, they seemed apathetic to the fate of those in Windwood Village.
With a nod, Hao Yu left the room, his anger simmering beneath the surface. Though he wished to take action, he recognized his current limitations.
Hao Yu turned to An Lei and asked, "An Lei, what is the usual procedure when we encounter a cultivator?"
An Lei explained, "We investigate their motives and circumstances. If there is a nearby village, we attempt to evacuate its residents if feasible. However, if the cultivator has already reached the village, we refrain from evacuation, as there is a high likelihood the cultivator will respond aggressively. I recommend that we wait for Sir Gao's guidance."
An Lei was a bit worried about Hao Yu as well. Even though he was his superior, it didn't change the fact that Hao Yu was still new in this place.
Gao Ke had informed them that Hao Yu might be brilliant, but he was sent to this place to experience the work for the first time after the training in the capital city. Without that experience, Hao Yu might do something foolish and cause the situation to be complicated.
Hence, he suggested to wait for the more experienced one to handle this case.
Considering An Lei's counsel, Hao Yu paused briefly before deciding, "For now, we should inform the soldiers to commence evacuating the villagers as per the established procedure. If there's no chance to save them, we must retreat. Afterward, we'll seek Administrator Gao's advice."
An Lei agreed with the plan, and they both sent a message to the soldiers before returning to the office in search of Gao Ke. However, An Lei couldn't shake the feeling that this situation was not as straightforward as it appeared, not due to the cultivator's actions, but because of Hao Yu's knowing this matter.