After returning to Liang City, Lin Ji went straight to the government office.
Tonight's events should be reported to Zhan Chengfeng.
However, when he searched the backyard, he did not see Zhan Chengfeng's figure.
Instead, Master Xingchi had been waiting in the pavilion all night.
"Master Zhan has already gone to Lianghe County. There was news last night that things are still unsettled in Lianghe County," Master Xingchi said with a bitter smile.
Lin Ji fell silent.
"How are things? Have they been resolved smoothly?"
"I'm not sure if it can be considered smooth. The mastermind behind it saw through the plan, only a puppet appeared," Lin Ji briefly recounted the situation before saying, "But the Ghost King has left, so Liang City should be safe."
Compared to the elaborate schemes, Lin Ji felt that the current outcome was acceptable.
Regardless of what happens, there will always be someone to handle it. For the Chief Constable of Liangzhou, resolving the troubles in Liang City was truly important.
Upon hearing this, Master Xingchi seemed unsurprised, just muttered "Amitabha," and quietly left.
Lin Ji did not stay at the government office any longer. Exhausted from the night, he needed to rest at home.
After leaving the government office, Lin Ji quickly returned home.
As he entered the gate, Lin Ji noticed that the plaque at the main entrance of his mansion had been changed to 'Lin Mansion.'
"It feels a bit grand." Lin Ji chuckled inwardly.
Back at home, the steward, Lao Li, quickly instructed the servants to prepare breakfast, assuming Lin Ji had gone out of the city again last night to slay ghosts.
"Master, how long will these ghosts outside Liang City continue causing trouble?" Lao Li, seeing Lin Ji's amiable attitude, dared to speak up.
"It's almost over, just a few more days," Lin Ji casually replied.
The remaining ghosts were at most ghost generals, not weak, but unlikely to attract the attention of the Ghost King.
Now that the Ghost King's city had moved away, dealing with these remaining ghosts would only take a bit of effort.
After breakfast, Lin Ji returned to his room.
By this time, a sense of fatigue had washed over him.
From rushing on the road, to resisting ghostly energy, and finally being invaded by the Ghost King's aura, although there were no major issues, the accumulation of events had left Lin Ji, a Fourth Realm cultivator, quite exhausted.
Lin Ji lay down on the bed, and soon the sound of his snoring filled the room.
This sleep lasted the whole day.
It was not until the afternoon of the next day that Lin Ji finally woke up, feeling refreshed.
As he was about to go out for a meal, he noticed the floor in his room seemed slightly loose.
In Qingyang County, Lin Ji might have ignored it, but in Liang City, the Chief Constable's mansion, the workmanship should not be so rough.
He subconsciously looked down.
It was a piece of bluestone floor tile, inconspicuous, with slightly larger gaps around it.
If one did not look closely, nothing would seem out of the ordinary.
But Lin Ji faintly felt something was amiss.
He squatted down, reached out to pry the edge of the floor tile, and with little effort, he removed the tile.
Underneath was a hidden compartment.
"Hidden by the former Chief Constable?" Lin Ji raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
Opening the compartment, the first thing that caught his eye was a stack of silver notes.
One thousand taels each, Lin Ji roughly counted, there were over a hundred notes.
"A hundred thousand taels of silver, quite a sum."
Lin Ji was not overly excited, but the unexpected windfall did bring some pleasant surprise.
However, following that, Lin Ji saw a book hidden beneath the silver notes.
Looking at the large characters on the book cover, Lin Ji took a deep breath.
"Is Arctic Art a divine technique of the Taiyi Sect? The former Chief Constable was from the Taiyi Sect, so it should be correct."
With this in mind, Lin Ji was no longer hungry.
The Taiyi Sect, known as the best in the world, naturally had profound and extraordinary techniques. It seemed that the former Chief Constable was recently practicing this technique and had not fully mastered it, otherwise it would not be hidden here.
Lin Ji flipped open the Arctic Art and began to read it carefully.
This reading took two hours.
By the time the moon rose above the treetops in the evening, Lin Ji had finally read the entire technique.
"Taiyi is the center of the heavens, also known as the Arctic... surrounded by the stars."
"This technique harnesses the power of the stars! Such a technique that borrows the might of the heavens is probably no less than the Thunder-Calling Sword Technique."
The more Lin Ji thought about it, the more shocked he felt.
After two hours of careful study, he had some insights into the Arctic Art.
This technique, similar to the Thunder-Calling Sword Technique, used the cultivator as a medium to wield the power of the heavens.
However, unlike the Thunder-Calling Sword Technique, the power of the stars was much gentler than heavenly thunder.
When practicing the Thunder-Calling Sword Technique, one wrong move could backfire, which was why Lin Ji dared to practice it due to the Book of Karma's influence.
For others, even if they truly mastered it, they would still be extremely cautious.
But the Arctic Art was different. Although it was difficult to master, once learned, one could draw the power of the stars into their body.
Compared to the Thunder-Calling Sword Technique, this Arctic Art was a perfect complement to Lin Ji's weaknesses.
Normally, when he attacked, he could only convert spiritual energy into sword energy, but now he had a new method.
"This Arctic Art is just right for me... Wait a minute."
Lin Ji suddenly realized.
"Is this the gift I received for fulfilling Miss Luo's karma?"
"But it was just a sachet she sent, why would she send me a perfectly suitable divine technique?"
Lin Ji furrowed his brow slightly.
"It should be related to Miss Luo, intertwined with the plans of the Heavenly Supervisory Bureau. Although I am just a pawn in it, I have contributed, hence this extraordinary gift."
Having figured this out, Lin Ji felt at ease.
The ways in which the heavens bestow gifts are varied, and Lin Ji did not find this coincidence strange.
After keeping the silver notes, Lin Ji did not go out for a meal but began to cultivate in his room.
The night passed in the blink of an eye.
It was not until the next morning that Lin Ji woke up from his cultivation.
By now, he had grasped the basics of the Arctic Art.
Opening his eyes, Lin Ji's thoughts stirred slightly, and a mysterious force enveloped him.
"This Arctic Art only involves the Big Dipper. Each time a star's power is drawn, it enhances strength by about ten percent."
"At this moment, I have only drawn the power of the Polaris star, but I can already faintly sense the limit."
Lin Ji quickly dissipated the starry power around him.
"Another profound divine technique, and I have only scratched the surface at the Fourth Realm."
Thinking of this, Lin Ji's eyes lit up.
With another powerful method at his disposal, Lin Ji was somewhat excited.
After finishing his cultivation, Lin Ji left the room and had breakfast.
Then he confidently went to the government office.
As he entered the side hall and sat in the study, a noisy voice could be heard outside.
"Chief Constable, may I announce myself!"
"Announce what!"
Following that, the door to the study was pushed open.
A burly man walked in, coldly staring at Lin Ji.
"You are the new Chief Constable Lin Ji from Qingyang County?!"
(End of this chapter)