Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Zhou Nian looked at Ning Xuan and sighed. "Originally, there was."

Ning Xuan blinked. "What do you mean, ’originally there was’?"

"Well, you were supposed to be able to inherit your predecessor’s power. However, only cultivators can do that. Since you aren’t one, you naturally can’t."

Hearing this, Ning Xuan’s spirits sank. This world is full of malice toward me!

"I have important official duties to attend to," Zhou Nian said, his mood improving as he watched Ning Xuan’s crestfallen expression. "Given that you just won the selection competition, you are granted one day of leave. As long as you don’t leave the city gates, you are free to do as you please."

"Hey, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"

Ning Xuan glanced at the cultivators below the stage and instinctively shrank back.

"Rest assured, what happened earlier was just an accident. You are now one of our city’s four Law Enforcement Officers; no one will dare to touch you. However, your cultivation is far too weak. If you cannot reach the Holy Realm within a month, you’ll be in grave danger."

After patting Ning Xuan on the shoulder, Zhou Nian turned and left. With that single pat, the black official robe Ning Xuan wore turned a brilliant red, as vivid as fresh blood.

"By the way, read the Enforcement Manual carefully," Zhou Nian’s voice drifted back from a distance, just as a small booklet landed squarely in Ning Xuan’s arms.

Ning Xuan flipped it open, scanning ten lines at a glance, and quickly finished it. Then, his spirits plummeted again.

There was a truly ridiculous rule inside. The Judge and the four Law Enforcement Officers were absolutely forbidden from leaving the city without being summoned. If they did, they would be annihilated by the city’s laws. Everyone else, however, was unaffected.

Damn it! What kind of ridiculous rule is this?! Ning Xuan couldn’t help but complain to himself.

Seeing that many cultivators were still glaring at him with unfriendly expressions, Ning Xuan immediately called out, "Who among you wants to be a Law Enforcement Officer?"

The crowd of cultivators looked at him as if he were an idiot. A moment later, one of them reminded him, "My Lord, the position of a Law Enforcement Officer cannot be passed on unless the predecessor dies."

Ning Xuan’s mouth twitched. He had forgotten about that; it had been written in the booklet. Suddenly, he remembered another detail. While being a Law Enforcement Officer restricted his freedom, it also came with many benefits. For example, he received a certain number of free visits each month to Gold-Melting Street. He wasn’t interested at the moment, though. Another perk was unrestricted access to the city’s Trial Mountain.

"Where are you going, my Lord?" The same cultivator who had just reminded him sidled up as soon as Ning Xuan took a step.

"To cultivate."

"My Lord, you’re a Law Enforcement Officer now. No one dares to touch you. There’s no rush to cultivate. Why not take a stroll down Gold-Melting Street? It’ll be my treat!"

The cultivator had barely finished speaking when several others swarmed around him. Without exception, they all wanted to show Ning Xuan a good time.

Ning Xuan righteously refused, but these cultivators were strong. He soon found himself being hustled toward Gold-Melting Street.

Back in the square, the expressions on the faces of several cultivators shifted rapidly. Finally, with gritted teeth, they made their decisions and vanished in a flash. Not just one, but several of them did the same.

...

On Gold-Melting Street stood the Drunken Moon House, the most luxurious brothel in the entire district. Not only was the building magnificent, but the caliber of the women within was also supreme.

Still in a daze, Ning Xuan was brought into the Drunken Moon House by the group of cultivators. Then, he was ushered into an antique, quaint room. Soon, he was left all alone.

Just as he was about to leave, there was a knock on the door.

Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow, sat back down, and called out, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal a woman of striking appearance. Her face was a whirlwind of emotions: anger, shame, indecision... Upon seeing Ning Xuan, she froze and simply stared at him for a long moment.

Then, with a sigh, she took a few delicate steps forward and reached out to pour tea for Ning Xuan, who had just finished his cup.

"Are you a swordswoman, miss?" Ning Xuan asked suddenly.

The woman’s hand trembled, spilling tea all over him. She mumbled an apology and moved to wipe it off, but Ning Xuan had already darted to the doorway.

"Miss, my surname isn’t Cao, and you’re not cut out for this kind of honey trap. I’m leaving."

After speaking, Ning Xuan opened the door and quickly disappeared, leaving the woman completely baffled. She had no idea what he was talking about.

A moment later, a man appeared at the door. Seeing the woman standing there unharmed, he first let out a sigh of relief, then said with annoyance, "What happened? Didn’t you agree to it?!"

The woman shot him a look, said nothing, and walked past him, leaving the man frozen in place.

Elsewhere, Ning Xuan walked down the street, feeling rather speechless. He hadn’t even left the Drunken Moon House yet, but he had already been approached by three different young ladies, including the first one. It was obvious they all came from respectable families. The mixture of anger, indecision, and shame on their faces was almost enough to give him the urge to change his surname to Cao.

Thankfully, I’m a man of principle!

This world is full of temptations. I must get to Trial Mountain and cultivate immediately!

Shaking himself free from the distracting thoughts of the beautiful women, Ning Xuan quickened his pace.

Just then, a voice called out from behind him. "Stop right there!"

Ning Xuan turned to look. He saw the young lady from his room. A man was holding her, her head lolling to the side. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth to the ground, and her body, sloppily draped with a piece of clothing, revealed large patches of torn muscle.

Ning Xuan’s expression instantly turned grim, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes. He hadn’t expected this man to be so depraved as to harm his own beloved woman just to frame him.

"Some Law Enforcement Officer you are! You not only sullied my Daoist partner, you even killed her! The Yi Family will never rest until you are dead!!" the man shouted, playing the victim.

Ning Xuan was so angry he laughed. "Luckily, the Judge showed me the Grand Legal Code earlier, otherwise you might have actually... forget it. There’s no point talking to a beast like you. You wouldn’t get it anyway. So what if I did it? I haven’t broken any laws."

Ning Xuan’s words stunned not only the man from the Yi Family but also the crowd that had gathered to watch. Anyone with eyes could see what was really going on, so why wasn’t he defending himself?

"Hahaha, ’haven’t broken any laws’! The Grand Legal Code states..." The Yi Family member, recovering from his shock, burst into laughter. He was ecstatic. The man had admitted it, which gave him a legitimate reason to attack. As long as he killed Ning Xuan, he would become the new Law Enforcement Officer!

Unexpectedly, Ning Xuan cut him off. "I know what you’re going to say. But if I recall correctly, you just said she was your Daoist partner?"

"That’s right! You..."

Ning Xuan interrupted him again. "She is merely your Daoist partner, not your wife or daughter. Even if I had done what you accuse me of, it would not be a violation of the law!"

The man from the Yi Family was dumbfounded.