Wuyi Lane, Xu Residence.

This residence is solemn and dignified, with a sacred atmosphere permeating the tranquility.

In the courtyard, a gentle breeze softly brushes by, the rustling of the flowers, grasses, and trees seems to whisper tales of power shifting through the ages.

"The swallows before the halls of the Wang and Xie families, now enter the homes of ordinary people."

"Seeing him build a grand tower, seeing him host guests, and seeing the tower collapse."

"Contentment avoids disgrace, knowing limits avoids danger."

Rows of striking cautionary sentences can be seen everywhere on the courtyard walls, long corridors, and pavilion columns of the Xu Residence.

These were personally written by Young Protector Xu to admonish the family servants.

Xu Qing stands in the center of the courtyard, his posture upright, his gaze deep and focused.

His long robe gently sways with the wind, his floating sleeves exuding an extraordinary aura.

At this moment, his thoughts are entirely centered around the new Dao Skill—Sleeve Universe. He slightly closes his eyes, constantly visualizing the mysterious operation track of the Sleeve Universe in his mind.

Recently, Xu Qing's Inner Heaven and Earth have undergone wonderful changes.

Compared to the real world, this place seems like another mysterious dimension. Looking around, he sees not the splendor of the sun, moon, and stars of the ordinary world, but fortunately, the Four Symbols Constellations transformed from Divine Soul Hidden Veins hang high, barely adding some light and color to this world.

Xu Qing deeply understands that this is far from enough, the road to perfecting the Inner Heaven and Earth is still long. He looks up at the Four Symbols Constellations, secretly contemplating how to further enhance the power of the Inner Heaven and Earth.

At this moment, the Three Imperial Constellations in the Inner Heaven and Earth are being awakened and lit up by Xu Qing one by one.

He runs the Beiming Divine Ability, like a precise machine of absorption, constantly drawing in the star power of the corresponding Three Constellations and Twenty-Eight Stars from the outside world.

Even in daylight, the star power is hidden within, only obscured by the glaring Taiyang True Fire.

Xu Qing extends his palm upward, the power of the Beiming Divine Ability gathers in his hand, forming a small vortex, as if to absorb all the star power of the universe into it. His Heavenly Demon Body serves as a magical filter, precisely sieving out the star power of anything other than the Three Constellations and Twenty-Eight Stars, allowing only the most refined parts to merge into the Inner Heaven and Earth.

This also exposes a significant shortcoming of the Inner Heaven and Earth—being picky. To it, the star power beyond the Three Constellations and Twenty-Eight Stars is like impurities, absorbing them not only offers no benefit but also brings negative effects.

Xu Qing feels somewhat helpless in his heart. He knows well this shortcoming of the Inner Heaven and Earth, a resolution must be found, but it is not something that can be achieved overnight.

On the other hand, while the space of the Inner Heaven and Earth is limited, it serves an irreplaceable role in critical moments.

In the face of terrifying crises, it becomes the safest haven for those around Xu Qing. Xu Qing understands the importance of this trump card, thus he never lightly reveals it to others.

Just like during the pacification of the Southern Border's Heshan Tao, he moved out a large number of cannons, others thought it was the work of a Qiankun Bag, not knowing it was the Inner Heaven and Earth silently exerting its effect behind the scenes.

The biggest difference between the Inner Heaven and Earth and a Qiankun Bag is that the Inner Heaven and Earth can store live beings.

He suddenly waved his hand, and the rockery ahead instantly disappeared, taken into the Inner Heaven and Earth. Then, he waved again, and the rockery reappeared steadily in the courtyard.

"Xuanhu is still young, the Beiming Divine Ability he has realized is far from complete. Even when I perform it, the suction is still too weak. To reach the legendary realm of Sleeve Universe, where a wave of the hand can subdue powerful Immortals, there is still a long way to go." Xu Qing slightly shook his head.

He knows in his heart that with the current version of Sleeve Universe, it would be difficult to directly absorb someone as formidable as his elder brother, a Martial Arts Grandmaster, into the Inner Heaven and Earth.

Alright, with this effort, he might just as well knock out his elder brother directly, achieving the same result!

On the other hand, he plans to, while absorbing enemies, simultaneously use the "Beidou Sealing God" forbidden technique in the Inner Heaven and Earth, thus fully controlling the enemy. To achieve this goal, the Old Wutong Tree is needed as the base of the array to cooperate.

Of course, it is also possible to set up the array in advance, but maintaining the array consumes a great deal of effort and energy, where it can be saved, it must be saved. After all, in a contest between top masters, the slightest difference can determine victory or defeat, just like in a game of chess, a single move can decide the entire game.

After finishing a day of cultivation, Xu Qing went to the duty room.

He has always maintained a clear distinction between public and private affairs, refusing to handle official matters at home. In the duty room, the setup is simple and orderly, with a desk and a few chairs, showcasing his efficient style.

Actually, there were valuable decorations before, that time when Yan Shan came to report about the cult, a moment of distraction caused a valuable enamel vase to fall and shatter all over the floor.

Xu Qing couldn't ask Yan Shan to compensate, so he learned his lesson and left the treasures at home!

At the appointed time, Yan Shan arrived promptly.

Yan Shan entered the duty room, under the guidance of the cultivation method and the nourishment of elixirs imparted by Xu Qing, his posture becoming increasingly upright.

Yet Yan Shan still bore a respectful demeanor, jogging up to Xu Qing and bowing in salute.

Recently, the Recovery Society's audit work has been progressing smoothly, but there are still some with malicious intent lurking deeper.

Xu Qing did not deliberately focus on these hidden "parasites".

He understood that even if they were pulled out, new ones would appear later. So, he chose to occasionally remind them, as long as it didn't affect the bigger picture.

Just like how the Yangtze River water is clear, and the Yellow River water is muddy, yet both can be used to irrigate the land. Although the yield is different, at least it prevents people from going hungry.

The saying goes, "Not foolish nor deaf, could one be a family elder." It's hard for human hearts to be completely pure, and if the demands are too harsh, everyone becomes indifferent, losing the motivation to strive.

Xu Qing picked up a stack of Wutong leaves from the side, the leaves were green like jade, emitting a faint glow.

"Each leaf has a person's name, position, and corresponding Government Office. You distribute them one by one," Xu Qing instructed calmly and methodically.

"Master Xu, what is the purpose of these leaves?" Yan Shan asked respectfully.

Nowadays, he is among the few who can address Xu Qing as Master Xu, which is not only an honor but also highlights his senior position in the Xu party. Undoubtedly, Yan Shan is among the most senior and could even be said to be unrivaled.

In today's Great Yu Dynasty officialdom, everyone knows that the reason Elder Huo remains the Grand Secretary is because Yan Shan, the young Elder, is still young.

As Yan Shan's age and experience grow, Elder Huo will have to yield his position as Grand Secretary. Yes, Yan Shan is now truly a young Elder, and the heavy responsibilities of the two capitals and thirteen provinces will eventually fall on his shoulders.

The young master of the Yan Family has yet to marry, but now the matchmakers are lined up from Yingtian Prefecture all the way to the sea. The Yan Family of Jiangning is rising again after many years of decline, even threatening to catch up to the top-tier aristocratic families of South Zhili.

Xu Qing slowly opened his mouth, explaining in detail the function of the Wutong leaves.

It turns out that a person holding a Wutong leaf can communicate with others. There is a mysterious connection between the Wutong leaves, forming an invisible network. Of course, only the clerk corresponding to the name can unlock the special abilities of the Wutong leaves; to others, the leaves are just useless ornaments even if picked up.

This is indeed another form of the Heavenly Demon Net. With it, those clerks who admire Xu Qing will communicate more smoothly and gather greater cohesion.

Yan Shan, upon hearing this, was shocked, keenly aware that a special group more advanced than the Recovery Society was about to be born.

And this group is bound by personal reverence for Master Xu, its cohesion will be astonishing.

But these Wutong leaves cannot be distributed freely. Xu Qing is unable to mass-produce them, for it would be an enormous burden on him, also consuming a considerable amount of Tai Shi Demon Qi.

If it weren't for the compilation of Martial Arts Scripture and Daoist Scripture, establishing the Golden Core Right Method, Xu Qing's Tai Shi Demon Qi would not have significantly increased, nor would he have sufficient capital to create this "Heavenly Demon Net".

These Heavenly Demon Nets, if placed in the past life, wouldn't even compare to dial-up internet, extremely limited in function. After all, too many features and information is a huge test for Xu Qing's Tai Shi Demon Qi.

Of course, if Xu Qing sacrificed his sense of self and wholly became a demon, he wouldn't need to consider these burdens, and the Heavenly Demon Path would operate in the Great Yu Dynasty like the laws of nature.

But he "holds his own heart" and is unwilling to reach that step. Anyway, even though the functionality is not perfect, temporarily using it is also no harm!

Yan Shan acted efficiently, quickly distributing the Wutong leaves one by one.

These clerks, in their exchanges, were pleasantly surprised to find themselves like-minded individuals. Intellectuals often praised love, but in reality, such love is often metaphorical, used to describe the relationship between rulers and ministers, kindred spirits among virtuous people.

It proved that the emotions between men are often purer. They can admire each other, weather storms together, make each other better, and are more willing to give for one another.

In this new group, the capable clerk Li Xiwen quickly played an important role, becoming a model for everyone.

Li Xiwen is upright, talented, and takes public duties seriously and responsibly, always coming up with clever ways to solve problems. Clerks eagerly sought his advice, and he shared his experience without reservation. As communication deepened, the efficiency of their corresponding Government Offices continuously improved.

However, other officials in the Government Office quickly noticed this.

Towards the clerks holding Wutong leaves, most other officials adopted an attitude of isolation and rejection. They gathered together, whispering, casting strange looks at these clerks.

Of course, there were also a few opportunists who deliberately sought to befriend them, attempting to profit from the situation.

Nevertheless, the clerks currently have pure intentions, wishing wholeheartedly to promote Young Protector Xu's good governance to the world, benefiting more people. They remain unmoved by external interference, firmly practicing their beliefs.

However, the surrounding corruption quietly occurs, silently.

…

…

Clerk Zhang Huairen's wife, Madam Wang, carrying a bamboo basket, walked lightly into the bustling West Market. In the West Market, people came and went, various vendors shouting in succession.

Vendor Liu Ermazi selling fresh fish saw Madam Wang from afar, his eyes lit up suddenly, and he shouted loudly: "Madam Zhang, take a look at this mandarin fish! It was just caught from Taihu Lake this morning, very fresh! I'll give you half-price, make sure you take it!"

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