Sure enough, Hearing of his daughter's safe return to the mansion, Prefect He was overjoyed. He settled his household guards and General An, inquiring about their journey through Cross Slope.

　　He Muxian only spoke of the good things and avoided mentioning any dangers. There were two other individuals besides He Muxian who were delighted about the young lady's return. The first was her younger sister, He Muyu. The sisters had endless private conversations to share. The second was the steward, He Chong, who had watched the two girls grow up. In some ways, he felt closer to them than even the prefect himself. Seeing the young lady safe, he immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare a feast, partly to celebrate the victory in battle and partly to welcome the young lady home.

　　Ji Yanshi, a frequent guest at the prefect's mansion, naturally attended, while Shen Huan, a valuable asset to Beici County, also held a seat at the table.

　　Zhou Ge, seeing the preparations for the family feast, intended to leave and consider his next move. He believed it was time to explore the Yue Region, specifically the Twin Water Fortress of Shuanghuan Mountain.

　　Before he could depart, a servant approached with a message: "The young lady requests your presence."

　　Following the servant to the prefect's hall, Zhou Ge found the He sisters waiting.

　　He Muxian rose and curtseyed slightly, saying, "I never expected Zhou Ge and my younger sister to have such a fateful encounter. Today, I would like to express my gratitude through this feast. Would you do me the honor?"

　　"Er... It was a small matter, not worth mentioning. How could I refuse the young lady's kind invitation?" Zhou Ge replied.

　　"Excellent. Sister, you go to the other courtyard and invite our fourth senior sister. I need to speak with Zhou Ge alone for a moment," He Muxian instructed.

　　He Muyu, who always obeyed her grandfather and sister, agreed and left for the other courtyard.

　　Zhou Ge pondered, unsure why the young lady had called for him.

　　He Muxian studied him for a moment before saying, "Please, take a seat."

　　The two took their respective seats, with the young lady speaking directly from her heart. "May I ask, Zhou Ge, have you ever served as a inquisitor?"

　　"I have, for a brief period," Zhou Ge answered.

　　"My younger sister mentioned that you are skilled in a type of interrogation technique using talismans. What is it called?"

　　"It's a talisman technique called 'Binding Spirit Stanchion Rune Magic'."

　　"I see. Brother Shen mentioned that you've traveled here to investigate a case. Is that true?"

　　"Yes," Zhou Ge confirmed.

　　"Zhou Ge, you are forthright. This matter is known only to a few of us. You have nothing to worry about."

　　Zhou Ge thought to himself, 'Just say what you want to say. Why all these questions?'

　　"The young lady can speak freely," he prompted.

　　"Very well, then I'll get to the point. The position of inquisitor in Beici County, specifically in Muyang Town, has been vacant for many years. I would like to ask you to take up this position for a while."

　　"Me? Why?" Zhou Ge asked.

　　"You're here to investigate a case, and you've come to the right place. As my third senior brother once said, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire.' The Eighth Master won't be far behind. Going to the Yue Region is dangerous, while staying here is safer."

　　Zhou Ge wondered how she knew about his plans to explore the Yue Region but stopped himself from asking. It was true that after the incident at Cross Slope, the He and Qing families were now openly at odds. Staying in Beici County could indeed be beneficial. However, he doubted that his skills alone were enough to warrant such an invitation, suspecting that Shen Huan might have said something.

　　"The young lady is too kind," he began. "My abilities are known to your second sister and Brother Ji. I'm afraid I might not be suitable..."

　　He Muxian waved her hand gently, saying, "Zhou Ge, you needn't be so modest. I just received the list of captives from General An, and it seems that Huang Yan was not among those captured. Also, the Qingzhuang Sword was unable to break the 'dispel weapons' talisman."

　　"It wasn't me who broke it either," Zhou Ge corrected.

　　He Muxian chuckled and said, "Staying in Beici County will provide you with some protection. The journey to the Yue Region is long and treacherous. Zhou, you should consider this carefully."

　　By noon, the feast was ready, and all the relevant individuals were seated, except for the prefect himself and the young lady's second sister.

　　It was known that the prefect had gone to the Qingmei Peak of Snow Mist Mountain to inquire about certain matters. Since he was the junior party, he first needed to visit his father, He Jing, on Listening Spring Peak. His younger daughter also wanted to see her grandfather, so she accompanied him.

　　Listening Spring Peak was divided into the East and West peaks. The West Peak is its own, while the East Peak belonged to the Ji family. The two families had a close relationship, which was why their residences were so close together.

　　From both peaks, it took the same amount of time to walk towards the center, where they would find the same spring pool. Several springs converged between the two peaks, and the spring water flowed downwards into the river below. Standing beside the spring pool, one could hear the sound of the water cascading down, which was how the peak got its name.

　　After a victorious battle, everyone was in high spirits and drank heartily, including Shen Huan and Zhou Ge.

　　As the host, He Muxian took the initiative to toast everyone, showing no signs of restraint.

　　During the feast, Zhou Ge asked, "Shen, what do you think? Should I stay in Beici County and wait, or should I go to the Yue Region to investigate?"

　　Shen Huan understood his meaning. Staying in the prefecture for too long might lead to unwanted involvement. After much contemplation, he said, "I think it's better if you stay."

　　"Why is staying a better choice?" Zhou Ge probed.

　　"If I'm honest with you, there was some selfishness in my decision to bring you here. I won't deny it. Having another person means having more strength. But I also don't want to directly involve you in this matter, which is why I haven't been entirely forthcoming. However, now that you've been exposed, it might be better to stay. As for the reason why..."

　　"Just say it," Zhou Ge urged.

　　"Alright, then I'll spell it out. The more people we have, the stronger our force becomes. This applies not only to me but to you as well. I believe you're a smart person and should understand this."

　　Upon further consideration, Zhou Ge decided to stay for a while. He set a limit of three months for himself. If no one from the Qing Hu or other related parties showed up within that time, he would go to the Yue Region to investigate.

　　He Muxian was delighted to hear that Zhou Ge had agreed to stay. She announced during the feast that Zhou Ge would be taking up the position of inquisitor in the prefecture and that his office would be located in the long-abandoned Inquisitor's Mansion.

　　This news came as a surprise to everyone present. As the feast progressed, guests came forward to congratulate Zhou Ge, with Shen Huan being the first and Ji Yanshi the second.

　　The lunch feast ended amidst laughter, congratulations, and a festive atmosphere.

　　After the feast, He Muxian assigned servants to clean up the Inquisitor's Hall and asked Ji Yanshi to accompany Zhou Ge to the Inquisitor's Mansion to take a look.

　　The two of them, along with the craftsmen, made their way there.

　　Only then did they realize that the Inquisitor's Mansion was just two streets away from the prefect's mansion. Every time they had passed by, they had assumed it was just a storage yard.

　　Pushing open the five-tenths new gate, they were greeted by the hall where judgments were made, which would now serve as Zhou Ge's office. On both sides of the hall were rooms that seemed to be used for storage.

　　Upon randomly opening a door, they found various items inside, and the other rooms were in a similar state.

　　They continued to the backyard, where they saw an abandoned flowerbed, an unswept path, lampposts that had not been polished for a long time, and a Villa in need of repair.

　　Going further in, they found four main rooms, two rows of side rooms on the east and west, and several outbuildings. It was more than enough space to accommodate not just Zhou Ge but also a dozen or so other people.

　　They also took a look at the two other courtyards and the backyard, all of which were quite spacious, much larger than Zhou Ge's house in Binri City.

　　"Zhou Ge, what do you think?" asked Ji Yanshi.

　　"It's too big for me to live alone. ”

　　"It's not big, just fill in the maid slave. ”

　　"Who's going to pay for it?"

　　"Senior sister sends money. ”

　　"Uh...It's good to save a little, I live well by myself. ”

　　After a short time, the craftsmen arrived, and the leader reported to them, that is, Ji Yanshi ordered the construction to start that day.