I, a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, secretly became invincible thanks to the system.

The Jinling City Lord's Mansion.

Ye Kang quickly walked out of the gate.

This old city lord was powerful and senior, but he was also a kind person.

Although he didn't give Ye Kang a very friendly look, after reading the secret order, he readily told him how to contact the Azure Scale Guard.

Ye Kang traveled all the way to the west of the city, found a brothel, went inside, ordered two girls, and found an extremely secluded seat to sit down.

Not long after they sat down, a short, thin man dressed as a servant came over.

"Sir, do you need something done for you?"

"A matter of utmost importance."

"Do you need any manpower?"

"A person who is about to die."

"Then please follow me."

After exchanging the secret code, the servant headed towards the back door. Ye Kang tossed a piece of silver to the two young ladies and followed.

After passing through the backyard and walking for a while, an inconspicuous pawnshop came into view.

It is considered inconspicuous because of its remote location, overgrown with weeds, and the absence of any customers.

But behind the shop was a huge manor. Although the houses were old and simple, there was a faint smell of medicine coming from them.

"Sir, I'll leave you here. You can go in by yourself."

"Thank you."

Ye Kang bowed and thanked him, then strode into the pawnshop. The shop assistant pointed to the side.

Ye Kang understood immediately and followed the path inside. Sure enough, the manor was a hidden paradise.

Many people dressed in neat black uniforms walked around. Some carried weapons, some had blood on their hands, some had resolute eyes, and some had bitter faces like those of working people.

Ye Kang walked forward for a while, and a well-off man dressed as a shopkeeper jogged over.

"Please forgive me, I've been very busy. Are you Lord Ye Kang?"

"You recognize me?"

"I naturally don't know him, but I have received a secret order that His Majesty has arranged for an official from the Imperial City Guard to study at the Jiangnan Qinglin Guard branch. He specifically instructed me to cooperate well with Lord Ye in his studies."

"I see."

Ye Kang was not surprised. They had been traveling slowly, but the Emperor's messengers were not. They had been on horseback and the mission had been delivered here much earlier.

Ye Kang also cupped his hands and said, "You flatter me, sir. Is this the Qinglin Guard's branch in Jinling?"

The shopkeeper nodded, then shook his head.

"Yes and no."

"what for?"

"As you may know, the Qinglin Guard and the Imperial City Guard have very different structures. The chief officers of the Qinglin Guard are mostly solitary, only doing missions and killing people, and never dealing with tedious official business. The officer in charge of the Jinling area is also mostly traveling outside and generally does not come here. Therefore, this place cannot be considered a branch."

After speaking, the shopkeeper paused and then said, "However, there are too many affairs in the region, so naturally, we need specialists to handle them. We are the junior officials of the Azure Scale Guard, and this is our office, so it can be considered a branch."

Upon hearing this, Ye Kang frowned: "So, the Azure Scale Guards aren't here?"

The shopkeeper nodded and led Ye Kang around.

"My lord, there's no need to be surprised. The Azure Scale Guards are few in number, and they are all elites, so naturally they won't stay in one place forever."

"So, I'm not going to see the real Azure Scale Guards?"

"I don't know about that, but you don't need to worry about it, it's actually a good thing that you can't see him."

"What is the explanation for this?"

"It's also for the safety of the adults," the shopkeeper said with a squinting smile.

He continued, "You must have met two young masters in Jiayang City. They were weak and young, having only recently become members of the Azure Scale Guard. You could handle the tasks they were assigned. However, the master who guards Jinling is extremely powerful, and the enemies he faces are demons beyond your comprehension. It would be best not to follow him."

Seeing the shopkeeper's expression, Ye Kang knew that the old man was somewhat arrogant.

This is normal, after all, the Azure Scale Guard and the Imperial City Guard are not on the same level at all.

Even a minor official under the Azure Scale Guard held a degree of disdain for the Imperial City Guard.

Ye Kang didn't care about this matter, and simply said, "Then, in your opinion, how am I supposed to complete this learning task?"

"Your Excellency is exceptionally talented and favored by the Emperor. It would be unwise for you to come here and waste your time, otherwise the Emperor will surely be displeased."

As the shopkeeper spoke, he led Ye Kang to a confidential room reinforced with corrugated iron.

Inside is a huge map of Nanjing, with various locations marked in vermilion. Many place names also have a delicate little wooden plaque hanging on them.

The shopkeeper said, "I've thought it all out for you, sir. You can't just coast along, nor can you risk your life. So come here every month and pick out two or three small tasks. If you handle them well, my files will be easier to write."

Ye Kang was somewhat surprised. He picked up a few small wooden plaques, turned them over, and saw words engraved on the back.

"Xu's Coffin Shop in the north of the city harbors two habitual thieves, skilled in using copper hammers, who have committed seven crimes, one of which resulted in a murder. They are punishable by death..."

"In Jiulong Village, Dawa County, there are cannibalistic savages. They are suspected to be disciples of the Crimson Demon Lord. They should be executed..."

"A water monster has appeared in Jing Shui Lake in Cangyu County, injuring people. It is suspected to be the work of an evil spirit. It can be slain, and the monster's corpse must be retrieved. The reward will be doubled..."

Ye Kang glanced at it a few times, his expression growing increasingly surprised.

The shopkeeper seemed to have anticipated his reaction, and simply smiled, occasionally stroking his beard.

"Have you taken a good look, sir?"

"these are?"

"This is the work of the Green Scale Clerk. We have special Green Scale Scouts who are responsible for investigating this intelligence. After the intelligence is collected, there are clerks who are responsible for organizing and summarizing it, and then hanging it on this wall as a task."

"Does this mean that all these tasks need to be completed by the official guarding Jinling?"

Ye Kang was dumbfounded; there were just too many.

A whole wall of material, if you ask one person to do it, wouldn't they be exhausted?

The shopkeeper smiled and shook his head.

"Of course not. The task hanging here is for the masked people, who are martial arts masters from all over the country, all of whom are innate masters."

No sooner had the shopkeeper finished speaking than a person dressed in a black robe and wearing a black mask, with only his eyes showing, walked in.

Without even glancing at Ye Kang and the shopkeeper, he walked straight to the task wall, glanced at it, picked up a small wooden plaque, and quickly walked out.

The shopkeeper said, "These are the masked men. They are very powerful and can freely choose tasks. We will not assign masked men to force them to do tasks unless absolutely necessary."

Ye Kang nodded, understanding the general idea.

"These people must be bounty hunters. They do missions for bounties, and those who meet the requirements are recruited and become real Azure Scale Guards."

The shopkeeper looked surprised and cupped his hands, saying, "Sir, you are indeed wise and quick to understand. Many people do become masked men in order to become members of the Azure Scale Guard. The two you met before also rose through this path."

Upon hearing this, Ye Kang didn't ask any more questions and turned to the shopkeeper: "So, in other words, I also need to become a masked person and do some tasks so that you can help me write my study report, right?"

"The master has become wise again."

Ye Kang nodded, and then without hesitation, he picked up all three small wooden signs he had just looked at.

"Give me a mask and clothes."

The shopkeeper was momentarily stunned and quickly said, "Sir, you need to be more careful. Once the wooden plaques are removed, it must be completed within five days at the latest, otherwise we will replace you. Removing three at once is too risky!"