Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 107 Pingrong County Lieutenant
Half a month later

Outside the newly renovated Pingrong County Government Office, there were many monks who came to congratulate the four chief officials on their appointment.

That's right, although Tie Liuyun had just killed the foundation-building cultivator who attacked the chief official of Pingrong County not long ago, the chief clerk of Pingrong had also been attacked and killed before Xie Fu, Hu Jiang and Zhai An died.

It can be described as neat and clean.

The fact that four chief officials took office at the same time in Pingrong County was hilarious and also provided some interesting topics for conversation for the monks in nearby counties.

It is easy to see how dangerous it is to work for the Immortal Dynasty in the counties of Yunjiaozhou.

Kang Dabao was wearing a plain green official robe and a stone belt at the moment. He sat second from the left in the main hall according to his official rank, looking like he had lost his parents. This made him a real "assistant official".

Master Kang did not think that the person sitting at the head of the main hall was anything to be envied.

He was timid, and since he didn't have the courage to say "no" in front of Tie Liuyun who was holding his head, that night, he could only pick up the smaller official seal in Tie Liuyun's hand.

Master Kang still felt that being a county lieutenant would be somewhat safer than being a county magistrate. Even if he could die a few days later, it would still be a gain.

At noon, he had a fairly sumptuous spiritual meal with the monks who came to congratulate him. In the afternoon, he and the other three people accepted congratulations from people sent by colleagues in the state. Only then did he have some free time.

After this round of socializing, the gifts I received were probably worth three or four hundred spirit stones. Not bad, I just took it as the money I got from selling myself.

The tea served by the pretty maid was still of such coarse quality that it was difficult to drink. The four of them looked at each other in silence for a while.

Finally, it was the new county magistrate who spoke up: "In the early years of the Immortal Dynasty, it would be difficult for people like us to even be the head of a warehouse management team in the county government. Now that we have finally become officials, it is a good thing to bring honor to our family. Colleagues, please don't worry too much."

"The county magistrate is worthy of being the son-in-law of the Huo family. He has a very broad mind." County Magistrate Sun Bing laughed sinisterly.

He was a powerful elder of the Grass Witch Cult, but was elected by Chen Ye and other elders to be an official who was destined to die.

That would be fine, but how come this official rank is ranked behind that of Luo Heng, a son-in-law of the Huo family?

"Hmph." Luo Heng's handsome face turned alternately blue and white, but he didn't dare to say anything else.

Sun Bingdou could be considered a powerful figure among the elders of the Grass Witch Cult. He had been practicing Qi training for many years and had reached the ninth level. However, spiritual objects for building a foundation were hard to come by, and he did not have the courage to build a foundation independently without relying on external objects.

Facing such a person, Luo Heng, a not-so-outstanding son-in-law of the Huo family, dared not say much. It is better for them to tolerate each other for the sake of the country.

"Haha, two superiors, please say less. We are all trapped on the sinking ship. Why is this happening?" The rough-looking chief clerk Tie Xishan spoke. Although he looked fierce, he was the most friendly person when dealing with people.

This person practices in Hemu Dao, but he is from the Pingrong Iron Family.

In fact, the Pingrong Iron Family is the ancestor of the Baisha Iron Family in Jingnan Prefecture.

However, the Pingrong Tie family is now in great decline, while the Baisha Tie family has a "unicorn child" named Tie Liuyun, who has caused the distant clan over there to overwhelm the main clan here.

Fortunately, there was no major rift between the two families, so they could be considered relatives. The Pingrong Tie family also felt somewhat proud of Tie Liuyun.

As Tie Liuyun's distant nephew, Tie Xishan's identity is somewhat subtle here.

Kang Dabao didn't say anything. He was worried all day long and had no sense of security. These days, he was afraid that he would be beheaded by a foundation-building master who appeared out of nowhere in the next second.

That's why when he took up his post this time, he didn't even bring any of his fellow disciples with him, for fear that they would be implicated.

"Let's talk about official business first," Luo Heng took the silk book from a clerk beside him.

Sect Master Kang leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "The world has really changed. There are even official matters to discuss in the Pingrong County Office. In the past, when those few independent cultivators who were officials gathered together, the most discussed topic was how to go to the state to ask for salary so as to pay off the outstanding debt of Yuanyang Hall."

"There are only 43 spirit stones left in the county treasury?" Luo Heng said in an unhappy tone, glaring at the mortal clerk beside him. The latter was sweating and hurriedly explained in a low voice: "Your Excellency, the taxes that Your Excellency had assigned to each household during your tenure have been collected. However, 60% of them must be turned over to the state government. Of the remaining 40%, 20% is used to maintain the county's expenses, and the remaining 20% ​​is..."

Before the secretary finished speaking, everyone understood that the profits were all divided among the corrupt officials.
Thinking of this, the three people except Kang Dabao all thought at the same time, "20%, that's almost 400 yuan a year. Even if we divide it among several people, it's a good business that will last a long time!"

The forces they joined might be much stronger than Kang Dabao, but they were not indispensable and important in the family. Apart from the unshakable annual salary, they had no other income.

Otherwise, they would not have been chosen to be county officials, where the risks far outweigh the opportunities. The hundreds of spirit stones they receive each year are of some benefit to them.

"How ridiculous!" Luo Heng took a sip of coarse tea and frowned. These dog officials didn't even know how to exchange some tea leaves! Did the 20% of the expenses written in the account all go to Yuanyang Hall?

"Later, draw up a list of items for colleagues to review. It's a mess to be so confused, what a mess." Sun Bing was an experienced fighter and gave the order before Luo Heng.

He ignored the latter's increasingly ugly expression and instead thought of the "interesting" house that the previous county magistrate had bought in the city. Thinking of the beautiful women in it, he felt a little itchy in his heart: "It's not completely without benefits."

After hearing Sun Bingdou's instructions, Shu Zuo nodded quickly and accepted the order.

Luo Heng glared at Shu Zuo with a bad look, but he just took note of it in his mind. He didn't want to get angry on the spot, so he changed the topic and started talking to the chief clerk Tie Xishan.

According to what Luo Heng had thought before, Tie Xishan, like him, also had an official background, and there was a basis for sincere cooperation, so he could be recruited for his own use.

Unexpectedly, Tie Xishan's response was also not very positive. He sent him away with just a few words.

"Bah, what a thing." Luo Heng spat in his heart, having been humiliated twice. He looked at Kang Dabao who was pretending to sleep with a look of displeasure. He thought to himself, "How dare the head of a small sect in the county, a guy in the middle stage of Qi training, to talk to this county? I have to use someone as an example to establish my authority." Then he raised his narrow eyes and started to sing, "County Lieutenant Kang—"

"What does the county magistrate have to say?" Kang Dabao slowly opened his eyes and responded in a tired tone.

"The county is in turmoil right now. The county lieutenant will have to take measures to maintain the public security in Qingping County as soon as possible." Luo Heng spoke in a high-sounding tone and pretended to be nonchalant as he took a sip of rough tea.

"I wonder how the county magistrate wants the officials to go to Qingping? Are they going to bring back a foundation-building cultivator?" Kang Dabao was so angry when he heard this that he almost laughed.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows why there has been such panic in Pingrong County these days.

Not long ago, four chief officers of Pingrong County died, and even two of the file officers sent by the Demon-Suppression Department were killed.

Tie Liuyun brought back the head of the Foundation Establishment warrior, which completely confirmed that it was the Liangyi Sect that first broke the tacit understanding and sent the Foundation Establishment warrior to take action.

This incident completely angered the earl of the state court.

Rumor has it that Kuang Liuting took action personally, found a pretext out of nothing, and severely injured a fake Dan from the Liangyi Sect.

Now that Kuang Liuting had taken action, bureaucrats at all levels under the provincial court naturally dared not fail to take some action.

This time, the provincial government sent out at least two dozen foundation builders to search for various rebel forces lurking near Yunjiao Province. Even places adjacent to Yunjiao Province, such as Jingnan Province, were affected.

Kuang Liuting's behavior is considered to be a violation of regulations.

Therefore, although the forces under the Liangyi Sect did not dare to directly make things difficult for Kuang Liuting, they were still able to make some limited-intensity counterattacks against these foundation-building cultivators.

Therefore, a lot of people have died in the past half month.

Apart from Pingrong County, the center of the hurricane, other counties continued to see casualties of chief officers, and even the foundation-building practitioners of both sides suffered losses. It is hard to say who gained the upper hand.

But no matter what, the recent events have far exceeded the scope that the Pingrong County Government can control.

Senior officials in the provincial court have suggested that permanent foundation-building management personnel should be stationed in each county, or that formations that can resist foundation-building in a short period of time should be added to important places such as county offices.

No matter how many ants like Xie Fu in the Qi training stage die, perhaps the big shots at the top won't care.

However, if another county chief were to die, it would be a disastrous event that would greatly damage the reputation of the Immortal Dynasty.

Against this backdrop, it would be hard to find a place in the entire Yunjiao Prefecture that is more peaceful than the market in Pingrong County.

Even the evil cultivators who had been hanging around a few markets for years to make a living knew to keep a low profile and seldom went out.

Even they have begun to abide by the law for a short period of time. How can the county be peaceful?
Do you want Kang Dabao to lead people to deal with the mortal warriors who commit crimes in the mountains? Wouldn't it take ten or eight years to deal with it?
Everyone has not had time to take advantage of this rare opportunity to rest and recuperate, but Luo Heng is still trying to find things for Master Kang to do. This is purely disgusting.

"You" Luo Heng was retorted by Sun Bingdou and was treated coldly by Tie Xishan. He didn't expect that even a small leader dared to challenge him. It was really out of control.

He had very good aptitude, with three spiritual roots, and he had already reached the seventh level of Qi training when he was less than fifty years old. This was the reason why he was chosen by the Huo family to be a son-in-law.

Luo Heng was used to being bullied in the Huo family, so when he came out, he naturally wanted to get some compensation from other places.

After hearing this, his face immediately turned strange and he was about to get angry.

Kang Dabao is not afraid of him now. His head is hanging on his belt. Maybe he will come to build the foundation one day. Why should I be afraid of you, a Qi-cultivating cultivator?
"Your Excellency, please calm down," Tie Xishan advised, and pulled back Luo Heng's hand as he was about to wipe the storage bag.

Tie Xishan's cultivation level was even lower, he was only at the third level of Qi training, but Luo Heng did not dare to ignore him, let alone shake off his hand.

Luo Heng barely got a way out, but then he remembered what his family had told him. He snorted in dissatisfaction, stopped what he was doing, and ran towards the backyard of the county government office, waving his sleeves.

The first regular meeting in Pingrong County ended in a bad mood.

Kang Dabao bowed to Tie Xishan and expressed his gratitude. He was not necessarily afraid of Luo Heng. Before he became an official, he had dared to beat up Xie Fu. Not only did the state court not blame him, they also gave him an official position.

Now that their lives are in danger, it would be reasonable for him to have a fight with Luo Heng.

As long as no one is killed, the overwhelmed superiors would not care about these petty conflicts of their subordinates.

But Tie Xishan had good intentions this time, and he helped Kang Dabao to resolve a troublesome matter. The head of the Kang Dabao sect was polite, so he naturally had to accept the favor.

"Mr. Luo is born into a noble family, so it's inevitable that he has a somewhat arrogant and rude temperament. Please bear with me, Brother Kang." Although Tie Xishan explained for Luo Heng, he also deliberately pointed out in his tone that he was very unhappy with Luo Heng.

"Thank you, Brother Tie." Kang Dabao responded.

In fact, before the fight between Master Kang Dabao and Taoist Heilu, the relationship between the Chongming Sect and the Hemu Taoist families was actually very close. When Kang Dabao was young, he had some dealings with Tiexi Mountain.

"I'd like to trouble you with a small matter," Tie Xishan laughed, put his hand on Kang Dabao's shoulder, and whispered.

　Thank you brothers for reading, voting, subscribing, and following!
　　thank you all!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)