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Chapter 956 Taking Office in Lihuo Prefecture

An unexpected message disrupted Zhou You's plans; he had originally intended to stay in the prefectural city for a while longer.

During his time back home, he spent time happily with his parents, wives, and concubines, making up for the years he had missed them.

Hua Youxing, Qi Fengzi, and others became pregnant one after another, and Old Man Zhou and his wife were so happy that they talked about having a grandson all day long.

There's no need to worry about Daqian Martial Arts School anymore; Qi Qingdi is doing a great job, and it's thriving under his leadership.

After the destruction of Dayin Mountain, 40% of the escaping disciples fled to the prefectural city.

Although some were diverted to other martial arts schools, about 80% chose to join Daqian Martial Arts School. This was because these disciples were also proud and arrogant, looking down on the mediocre Tiger Fist practitioners, and thus set their sights on the strongest lineage led by Zhou You.

After discussions between Qi Qingdi and many high-ranking members, it was decided to accept these disciples to strengthen the martial arts school.

Of course, it's not about accepting everything unconditionally; we still need to assess and screen applicants, and we'll remove those that don't meet the requirements.

In just half a month, the martial arts school gained three-digit numbers of advanced martial arts masters, and its power skyrocketed!

At first, Zhou You was worried that Qi Qingdi would not be able to subdue so many former Dayin Mountain disciples, but his disciple's methods were far more sophisticated than his. He divided and weakened them, and won them over. He quickly divided these high-level martial artists into several groups to keep each other in check.

As for the rest, they followed Yan Baihu to learn the martial arts and inherit the skills, but they were no longer affiliated with any sect.

There's not much to worry about in the prefectural city anymore.

"His Majesty issued a decree from the Nine Tripods, appointing Zhou Nanwang as the governor of Lihuo Prefecture, to take office within one year."

The feudal lord was the supreme ruler of all fifty states under heaven. He was known for his "golden words and jade teeth, and his word carried the weight of nine tripods." Therefore, his official orders were collectively referred to as the Nine Tripod Imperial Edicts.

This imperial edict from the Nine Cauldrons concerns personnel appointments and removals, and it targets Li Huo Prefecture, one of the ten prefectures in the southeast plagued by demons.

Lihuozhou has a special geographical location, situated in the southeast and adjacent to southern Xinjiang, making it a key transportation hub.

Viewed from above, Lihuo Prefecture resembles a funnel, with its mouth facing the vast southeastern region and its slender neck leading to the rugged southern border region.

This order is quite meaningful!

The governor of Lihuo Prefecture, being one of the fifty prefectures in the land, held a high position and wielded great power; he was undoubtedly a minister among ministers.

Although after Zhou Nanwang was promoted to Earth Sect Master, both the Earth Capital and the Capital Prefectures speculated that he would be given an important position, no one expected that the Lord of the Capital would value him so much that he would entrust Li Huo Prefecture to him.

Lihuo Prefecture is located north of the ten demons rampaging in the southeast and south of the treacherous southern border, making it as important as a vital choke point.

Unless it's a trusted and important minister, anyone who guards that place would keep people up at night!
The two prefectures of Dijing were in an uproar, but everyone knew that Zhou Nanwang was about to leave Dijing for a distant place, and many people could breathe a sigh of relief.

Why is Zhou Zhouyou involved in this matter?
Since Zhou Nanwang was about to take up his post as governor and needed manpower, it was decided to take him along to Lihuo Prefecture.

A governor of a prefecture has countless cities and prefectures under his command, and he must have capable and efficient subordinates to manage them.

As an adopted son, Zhou You had a vested interest and was at the late stage of the Strong Martial Realm. He had been groomed as the heir of the Western Branch of the Zhou Clan, and would be of great use in Li Huo Prefecture in the future.

Therefore, the date has been set, and Zhou You will go to Li Huo Prefecture with Zhou Nanwang.

During this period, Bentai was studying maps and documents in the Western Branch of the Zhou Clan, researching the celestial phenomena and landforms of Lihuo Prefecture, the aristocratic families and sects, and the relationships and conflicts with neighboring prefectures, etc.

This place is sandwiched between the Ten Demons of the Southeast, the Hundred Sects Alliance, and the Southern Frontier, making it far more difficult to do things than usual.

As a high-ranking official in charge of a region, Zhou Nanwang is bound to make a difference on the emperor's orders.

The position of governor is both a challenge and an opportunity. If done well, it will surely lay a broad foundation for the Zhou clan's western branch.

The entire Western Branch of the Zhou Clan was working day and night to mobilize manpower and resources to prepare for his upcoming inauguration. During this period, even Zhou Nanwang himself was extremely busy, let alone the 'Heir Apparent' Zhou You.

Left with no other choice, he had to abandon his trip to the North, withdraw his projection clone, and devote himself entirely to the capital.

The reason why the lord of Feng transferred Zhou Nanwang to Lihuo Prefecture was obvious, because "building cities on the ground" is a conventional rule.

Zhou Nanwang has only been promoted to Earth Sect Master for a short time and has not yet found a place to build a city. Now that the transfer order has come, there is no doubt that he will build a city in Lihuo Prefecture. This move is of profound significance.

Once Zhou Nanwang builds a city in Lihuo Prefecture, he will inevitably develop intricate relationships with the local people and become bound to this land.

"A wind is blowing from the southeast; something big is about to happen!"

In private, Zhou Nanwang revealed a few inside stories to Zhou You.

Why are the Ten Demons of the Southeast so rampant, sweeping across several states, growing stronger with each passing year?
Because the Southern Frontier is located in a separate prefecture. Although Lord Shen once pacified the four directions of the Southern Frontier, killing the remnants of the demon race who fled for their lives.

Despite being a major scourge of the world, the Ten Demons of the Southeast were all fugitives who escaped from Lord Shen's clutches back in the day.

Until the treacherous demons rose to power with the help of the military, causing the demon race to run rampant again, there were even signs of a "landlord returning home". They chose to cause trouble in the southeast, with the aim of killing their way back to the southern border.

At this turbulent time, news came from the north that Mount Dayin had been destroyed by a demonic transformation.

A demon at the Grandmaster level is expected to arrive from the north and join the southern battlefield, bringing changes to the calamity caused by the Ten Demons of the Southeast.

Although the higher-ups were keeping the information under wraps, Zhou You could still tell that the monster was the tiger corpse.

As one of Lord Shen's comrades-in-arms, Tiger Corpse was drawn into the rebellion and fell into the demon race, becoming a major threat surpassing the Ten Demons of the Southeast.

Zhou Nanwang's condition for taking up his post was that the tiger corpse be used as a hypothetical enemy to prevent him from entering the southern border.

Of course, of course, there's another layer of meaning that can't be explicitly stated.

It is a well-known fact that Lord Shen guards the southern border, but from another perspective, the southern border also confines Lord Shen.

This towering pillar guarding the southern frontier is the foremost ruler of the world today, and the undisputed leader of the prominent families of the fifty states.

If he were to leave the southern border, the turmoil he would bring to the world would be...tsk tsk!
I'm afraid that the lord will be the first one who can't sleep.

Therefore, Zhou Nanwang has another task: to block the only entrance and exit to the Southern Frontier, eliminate the demon threat, and prevent Lord Shen from having an excuse to leave the Southern Frontier and threaten the outside world.

After learning the inside story, Zhou You understood why Zhou Nanwang was so busy!

It is true that the lord highly valued Zhou Nanwang, but the KPI targets set for him were too high, and it was unlikely that he could achieve them even if he worked himself to the bone. The only way was to devote himself wholeheartedly to the task.

Zhou You also had to leave his family and lead his personal guards to Li Huozhou to do hard labor.

Oh, I almost forgot, he went there as a family member, without any official position, so his status was somewhat illegitimate.

Until one day, Zhou Nanwang reminded Zhou You, "Once you break through to the Grandmaster level, I will appoint you to manage a prefecture for training."

Prefectural city? I actually have the chance to become a prefectural governor.

Zhou You rubbed his hands together with satisfaction, then said nervously, "I might not be able to advance to Grandmaster in a short time."

"We'll be staying in Lihuozhou for a long time, so let's not rush and take it slow!"

What?
(End of this chapter)