"Indeed, why didn't I think of that?" Su Ming's eyes lit up.
"Brother, you're still viewing Su Hao as the person he used to be. That's why it didn't cross your mind," Su Hong said with a chuckle. However, his expression quickly turned serious.
"Brother, this incident highlights the Blood Cult's influence in our Northwest County. It's far greater than we anticipated. They might even have connections with powerful families within the region. We must tread carefully."
"I've already informed Third Brother to instruct the Law Enforcement Division to take action against Duanmu Ming, who's currently imprisoned in their dungeon. I trust their methods will cause him some trouble," Su Ming said grimly.
The Su family and the Blood Cult were now sworn enemies, making reconciliation nearly impossible. Therefore, the Su family would seize any opportunity to weaken their adversary.
Whoosh!
As the two brothers conversed, two carrier birds swooped in from the window and landed on Su Ming's shoulders.
Su Ming retrieved two small scrolls attached to the birds' legs before releasing them back into the open air. After scanning the contents of the messages, he passed them to Su Hong.
"The Law Enforcement Division made their move on Duanmu Ming, but he escaped. He's broken through to the seventh level of the Heavenly Realm."
"Duanmu Ming reached the late stages of the Heavenly Realm? This is not good news," Su Hong said, his brow furrowing in concern.
"With Duanmu Ming's breakthrough, the Green Wood Sword Sect will be even more wary. They'll help us keep him in check."
"Furthermore, Duanmu Ming achieving his breakthrough within the Law Enforcement Division's dungeon is a slap in their face. They won't let him off easily. For now, he won't have the time to target our Su family. Besides, I'm also on the verge of breaking through," Su Ming said, his expression calm and composed.
"Brother, you're approaching the late stages of the Heavenly Realm as well?" Su Hong's eyes widened with hope. If Su Ming reached the seventh level of the Heavenly Realm, the Su family would no longer fear Duanmu Ming.
"I'll be entering seclusion for the next two days. You'll be in charge of all family matters during that time. Within a month, I will reach the seventh level of the Heavenly Realm," Su Ming declared, radiating an aura of unwavering confidence.
"This second message is from Su Hao. It requires your attention."
The second message concerned Dugu Fan and required Su Hong's personal intervention.
After reading the message, Su Hong couldn't help but exclaim, "To think that Hao'er managed to eliminate Dugu Fan, an eighth-level Earth Realm expert, single-handedly! He's the first among the younger generation of our Su family to achieve such a feat!"
"He relied on a mystical artifact. Without it, he wouldn't have stood a chance. True martial artists rely on their own strength. External forces are but a temporary crutch," Su Ming said, shaking his head.
"Brother, your expectations are too high. Hao'er is still young. There's no need to be so demanding. I'll head back to the county government office now. I'll finalize the appointment of the new Qingyuan County Magistrate tomorrow," Su Hong said, rising from his seat.
"I'll send a message to Su Hao, instructing him to investigate the gold mine," Su Ming said, nodding in agreement.
Meanwhile, in Qingyuan County...
In just one day, Su Hao had consolidated his control over Qingyuan County. The constables who had been dismissed were all imprisoned. Su Hao planned to release them after some time, but their punishment served as a warning to anyone who dared to challenge his authority.
With Magistrate Li Nantian gone, there was a surge in applications for constable positions. The Constable Bureau quickly replenished its ranks.
Su Hao seized the opportunity to appoint Su Yuan and Su Neng as Constable Bureau Chiefs. With the county's affairs in capable hands, he finally had some breathing room.
"Chief, a letter from the family," Su Yuan said, handing Su Hao a sealed scroll.
"I see," Su Hao replied, taking the letter and dismissing Su Yuan with a wave of his hand.
"They want me to investigate the existence of a gold mine in the Azure Cloud Mountain Range? And Duanmu Ming has already reached the late stages of the Heavenly Realm? I had just sent word of his activities, and he experiences such a fortunate breakthrough," Su Hao muttered to himself, crushing the letter in his hand.
[Mission 1: Investigate the existence of a gold mine in the Azure Cloud Mountain Range. Discovering useful clues will reward you with 500 Sign-In Points and five Bronze Lottery Tickets. Locating the gold mine will reward you with 2,000 Sign-In Points and two Silver Lottery Tickets.]
[Mission 2: As a person who values retribution, you seem to have forgotten about Qin Hao of the Qin family, who previously attempted to harm you. Eliminating Qin Hao will reward you with three Bronze Lottery Tickets. Crippling Qin Hao will reward you with one Silver Lottery Ticket.]
"Two missions: one involves finding a gold mine, and the other involves dealing with Qin Hao. I've been so busy lately that I completely forgot about that punk. However, he's in Fucheng, which is quite a distance from Qingyuan County. I don't have time to travel there at the moment. I'll let him live a while longer. I'll deal with him when I have the opportunity to visit Fucheng," Su Hao thought to himself.
In Su Hao's mind, eliminating Qin Hao was a simple task. He could easily slip some Three Corpse Worm eggs into his food, and it would be game over.
"As for the gold mine, I don't even have a starting point. How am I supposed to find it?" Su Hao wondered, frowning slightly. He regretted killing Magistrate Li's advisor, Fang, so hastily. Perhaps he could have provided some valuable information.
"Azure Cloud Stronghold... Azure Cloud Mountain Range..." Su Hao's eyes suddenly widened in realization.
If Dugu Fan and his group were searching for the gold mine, they wouldn't have chosen the location of their stronghold randomly. The Azure Cloud Stronghold's location could be a crucial clue.
"But they've been searching for years without success. Maybe it's not near the stronghold itself. I need to find another way to search the Azure Cloud Mountain Range," Su Hao thought to himself.
"The Azure Cloud Mountain Range is vast. Searching it directly would be too conspicuous and attract unwanted attention. Finding a gold mine requires discretion. But how can I do it covertly?" he wondered, scratching his head.
"That's it! The Azure Cloud Mountain Range is teeming with bandit gangs. They must be intimately familiar with the terrain. I can use them to my advantage. I'm a genius!" Su Hao exclaimed, slapping his forehead.
The bandit gangs had been operating in the Azure Cloud Mountain Range for years. They knew the area better than anyone. If Su Hao could control their leaders, he might be able to extract valuable information from them.
"Once the new Qingyuan County Magistrate is in place, I'll pay a visit to these bandit leaders," Su Hao said nonchalantly.
Although he was only at the first level of the Earth Realm, he possessed numerous trump cards. Subduing and controlling these bandit leaders wouldn't be too difficult.
"Liu Bin, you're back?" Su Hao said, noticing Liu Bin approaching him, drenched in sweat.
Liu Bin had been tasked with confiscating the late Magistrate Li's assets.
"Chief, I've brought back everything from Magistrate Li's residence. It's all been stored in the Constable Bureau's warehouse. Would you like to take a look?" Liu Bin asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Let's go. I'm curious to see what we've acquired," Su Hao said, his interest piqued. He followed Liu Bin towards the warehouse, hoping to find something valuable among the confiscated belongings.