I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 9 Moral Defense Points

"Lord Cui, I will definitely convey the message verbatim."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Fei Xi's eyes instantly turned cold. She suppressed her smile and nodded with a composed expression.

"That's wonderful, hahahahahaha..."

The effeminate man laughed loudly for a while, then gave Jia Shidao a warning look before striding out.

No one dared to stop them, and no one dared to ask them questions.

Seeing the questioning looks from her junior brothers and sisters, Fei Xi gently shook her head at them, indicating that she would talk about it later.

Before long, the coroner stepped forward and announced the autopsy results in front of everyone, which were exactly the same as what Fei Xi had said!

Despite the overwhelming evidence, Li Erniu continued to defend himself, sometimes saying he didn't kill anyone on purpose, and sometimes crying as he crawled toward Dongfang Rui, hoping he would speak for him.

Unable to ascertain the relationship between the Qingcheng Sect and Cui Chou, Dongfang Rui dared not offend Fei Xi. With a flick of his sleeve and a curt "This is an insult to scholarship," he stepped aside and never mentioned anything about whether the killing was intentional or not.

Looking at Li Erniu, who kept kowtowing and crying out for justice, Jia Shidao tossed out a red slip of paper in annoyance. He ordered his men to gag Li Erniu, take this contemptuous criminal away, give him ten strokes of the cane, and then deal with him accordingly.

After dealing with Li Erniu, Jia Shidao stroked his beard, glanced around at the crowd below, and said in a "pleasant" tone:

"As expected, heroes emerge from among the young. Such stubborn and unruly commoners dared to deceive even me, they deserve to die! You all were able to see through the culprit at a glance, you are truly brilliant young talents. It is a great fortune for Nanxuan City to have you this year."

Fei Xi took two steps forward to the center of the hall and bowed in response:

"Lord Jia, you flatter me. Your keen insight is a blessing to us all. In order to find that young lady, my fellow disciples and I have been running around investigating, wearing out several pairs of shoes in the process, before finally discovering the clues and arresting the person. Unexpectedly, this villain not only denies his crimes but also dares to falsely accuse our Qingcheng Sect of attacking him. Our enthusiasm has been completely dampened. Please, Your Excellency, restore our innocence."

This young woman was meticulous, methodical, and efficient. Jia Shidao could naturally see that the murder case was solved so quickly because of her.

It was a pity she was a woman. Jia Shidao, who had been intrigued by her talent, shook his head inwardly. If she were a man, perhaps he could recruit her to his service. He then recalled the noblewoman's last glance before she left, and decided to do her a favor and forge a good relationship.

With this thought in mind, Jia Shidao smiled and said in a kind and amiable manner:

"How can you take the words of this scoundrel seriously? This scoundrel is full of vigor and doesn't look like he's been tortured at all! Rest assured, fellow heroes, your obedience to the law is beyond doubt. Anyone who dares to spread rumors and cause trouble will be the first to be punished by me. I will definitely report your merits to the court truthfully. Master Liu, make sure to register them."

After praising Lord Jia a few more times, and waiting for his junior brothers and sisters to register the information for the Guardian Order, Fei Xi led everyone away from the yamen.

“Lord Jia, that young girl didn’t register for the Guardian Order.”

"what?!"

Upon hearing Liu Shiye's words, Jia Shidao exclaimed in surprise.

Don't blame him for that.

The Defender of the Righteousness Order is a reward given by the current emperor to martial arts practitioners for maintaining social order and protecting their homes and country.

Those who possess the Defender of the Righteous Path can use it to accept righteous defense missions. Once they accumulate a certain number of points, they can apply to become a military officer.

At first, many people in the martial arts world didn't know what the use of these so-called military officers was.

Until the first group of martial arts practitioners who returned alive from Wei Kingdom transformed into military officers with official ranks.

Not only do they receive a monthly salary and allowance, but wherever they go, even the lowest-ranking ninth-grade halberd bearer will receive certain courtesy. Unlike in the past, when they were relegated to the margins of society and looked down upon.

Some high-ranking members of sects found that their access to certain gray areas, which had previously been banned by the authorities, had suddenly been granted.

In the past, martial arts practitioners never heeded imperial edicts, engaging in countless illegal activities. Suddenly, they discovered that after becoming officials, some things could be done legally. Many then suddenly understood why there was the saying, "Of all professions, only studying is noble." The darker details behind this will not be elaborated upon here.

Suddenly, an additional path opened up for ordinary people to advance, unlike in the past when everyone was crammed onto the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination.

With the Defender of the Way, you can obtain Defender of the Way Points. With Defender of the Way Points, you can become a military officer. Once you become a military officer, you will have money, power, and a promising future.

Moreover, the Safeguarding Order is not limited to men or women!

In the past, women could only gain social recognition by assisting their husbands in educating their sons and by having the men they relied on obtain official titles for them after they became officials.

Now women don't need to rely on men; they can rely on themselves. As long as they accumulate enough points, women can also become military officers.

This demonstrates the importance of moral defense points!

Each sect patrols the city for a year, and every disciple holding a Guardian's Token receives 20 points. The lowest-ranking military officer, the Halberd Bearer, can apply for the position once they accumulate 100 points. This means that if the Guardian's Token remains unchanged, it would take an ordinary disciple at least five years to reach the very bottom of the official ranks. Compared to a scholar who has spent ten years studying diligently, it's difficult to say whether the two are superior.

Solving a murder case earns 10 to 50 moral integrity points, though the exact number depends on imperial approval. Even if divided equally, there are always a few points left. And now, someone is actually refusing to accept moral integrity points they've already earned?

After dismissing his subordinates, Jia Shidao silently pondered the girl's origins... Qingcheng Sect... a disciple of Master Wei...

At the entrance of the yamen, Fei Xi tugged at the sleeve of the old senior, wanting to invite him to a banquet. But Senior Shi Yi refused to accompany her to the Qingcheng Sect's headquarters.

"No one can stop me from going wherever I want, girl, don't forget what you promised me."

"Oh, Senior Shi, how could I go back on my word? You'll see when you get home."

"Girl, why didn't you say so earlier!"

Shi Yi waved his hand and hurried home.

Monkey wine from Qingcheng Mountain! Just a sip a few hours ago made the old drunkard Shi Yi feel like his head was about to explode with joy.

No one can stop a drunkard's pursuit of fine wine.

Watching the senior Shi run away, Fei Xi smiled. The more capable a person is, the more eccentric their temper becomes as they get older. She wouldn't force him to join in the fun if he didn't want to.

With the matter settled, she returned to the Qingcheng Sect's headquarters with her junior brothers and sisters, as well as a group of followers from Thunderbolt Fortress led by Tie Yi.

"Senior Sister, can you tell me now who that androgynous person is? How does he know our Martial Uncle Jiucheng?"

"Xiao Feng, be careful what you say! Young Master Tie Yi should know the other party, right?"

"Cui Chou... butcher Cui Chou?"

Several times along the way, Tie Yi wanted to speak, but was stopped by Fei Xi, the senior sister of the Qingcheng Sect, who said, "Walls have ears." His curiosity was like a cat scratching at his heart, and he couldn't help but follow her to the Qingcheng Sect's headquarters.

The sect's residence is a temporary dwelling provided by the government to facilitate the sect members' protection of their righteous path. As a temporary residence, it is naturally not very nice. Before Tie Yi, as the young master of Thunderbolt Fortress, even before he came to Nanxuan City, someone in the fortress had arranged an exquisite and luxurious villa for him.

Although he didn't live with the ordinary disciples, Tie Yi had visited the Thunderbolt Fortress's outpost. As one of the top sects, Thunderbolt Fortress, which controlled the Northwest trade route, wouldn't mistreat its disciples.

Within the existing environment, the Thunderbolt Fortress's outpost has been transformed into a place with lush trees, abundant flowers and plants, and winding paths paved with cobblestones.

Each disciple's room is furnished with exquisite and luxurious furniture, including sandalwood tables and chairs carved with beautiful patterns; soft and comfortable couches covered with brocade; and classically elegant floral screens.

At the time, he thought that his disciples' rooms were a bit shabby. Not only were the rooms small, but they were also not as luxurious and radiant as his own.

But when he arrived at the Qingcheng Sect's headquarters, he gained a new understanding of the word "shabby".

The main gate of the Qingcheng Sect's headquarters was old and faded, with peeling paint and several door studs missing. Inside the courtyard, there was nothing but a few bare tree trunks and stone lanterns.

Upon entering the house, one finds the interior simply furnished, with a few wooden chairs and a wooden table constituting the entire living room. Apart from a few landscape paintings hanging on the walls, adding a touch of elegance, it's remarkable that such a large sect's residence lacks even a single decent decoration.

He couldn't even imagine what the inner rooms of these people's homes must be like. Were their bedding still patched? Then he thought, how could such a beautiful woman, living in such a dilapidated place, still resolutely refuse the jewelry he offered? His simple admiration for her beauty shifted to a slightly different kind of emotion; he began to respect this woman of principle from the bottom of his heart.

He was smugly pleased with himself for being manly enough when the girl sweetly called the effeminate man neither male nor female. Suddenly, the girl's senior sister threw the topic back at him. He thought for a moment, then remembered that the person in the main hall had said he was Cui Chou…

Cui Chou...

Lord Cui... Butcher Cui Chou!

He had heard his father mention this person!