Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 231 Asking for help (Thanks to Brother Jian V for the points reward)
"The second master of the Ming family has sent a letter." That night, Kang Dabao called Yuan Jin and Jiang Qing together. The three brothers did not sit on the futons, but each sat cross-legged on the soft bed of Kang Dazhang.

Jiang Qing's expression had not improved yet, but he was still a little nervous after hearing what Kang Dabao said. After Yuan Jin read the letter, he took it with a serious expression.

The Ming family that Master Kang was talking about was the family of the three men's master's wife. After their master's wife and master passed away, the three men were all taken care of by their master's wife's father.

Jiang Qing, in particular, was intelligent, handsome, and exquisite, and was the old man's favorite.

When he was young, Kang Dabao placed him in the Ming family to practice alone for two years, and he received swordsmanship enlightenment from the second master of the Ming family.

If it weren't for the fact that Master Kang was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get it back later and went to get it many times, the Ming family would probably be reluctant to return it, and Jiang Qing would most likely stay in the Ming family as a son-in-law.

The Ming family is the same as the He family. Although they have never produced anyone who has truly cultivated a foundation, they are also a large Qi-cultivating family.

Compared with Chongmingzong, his family is quite prosperous.

There are as many as sixty or seventy Qi-cultivating monks practicing at home, which can be regarded as a top force in a wealthy county like Tanggu County.

Even the notorious outlaw bandits like the Huodao Village did not dare to infringe on the interests of these big families. At most, they would take advantage of small families like the Kuai Family.

When the old man of the Ming family passed away a few years ago, the three brothers Kang Dabao went to pay a visit.

A few years later, when the situation of Chongming Sect was better, Master Kang never forgot to visit and pay his respects to him on festivals and birthdays.

But human affection is weak, and since the old master passed away, the relationship between the two families has gradually become distant. This can be seen from the fact that after Kang Dabao provoked the Shi family, no one from the Ming family came to help.

Until Kang Dabao personally visited Mr. Ming Erye and Chongming Market opened, no one from the Ming family came to congratulate him. After these two events, the relationship between the two families was severed.

But even so, seriously speaking, compared with in-laws such as the He family and the Kuai family, the relationship between Chong Mingzong and the Ming family is still much simpler.

No matter what, the Ming family and Chongming Sect have a debt of gratitude. If something serious happens in his family, it is difficult for the three brothers of Kangda, the head of the Kang family, to ignore it just for the sake of the old man of the Ming family.

"I heard from Senior Brother Pei a few days ago when he came back from the market buying spiritual herbs that someone in the tavern was spreading rumors that the Tanggu County Court had sent people to several families that had a good relationship with the Huo family and asked for a lot of things."

Yuan Jin started talking, Kang Dabao put the letter away, and after hearing these words, his guess was confirmed.

"The second master of the Ming family only expressed some concern in the letter, but he didn't say anything was wrong." Kang Dabao felt that this was unusual.

Because of my poor talent, the second master of the Sui Ming family has never been close to me. Even when I went to his house with He Dezong when I was a child, I would give him less candy.

According to common sense, if the second master of the Ming family wanted to write a letter, he should write to Jiang Qing.

"I remember that the Ming family had an aunt in the early years. She seemed to be the cousin of my master's wife. She married into the Huo family, right?" The head of the Kang family suddenly asked. Jiang Qing looked confused. He was still young and had no idea about these things.

Yuan Jin nodded. He was a familiar face among the three brothers and had some impression of what Kang Dabao mentioned.

Kang Dabao thought for a while and made up his mind: "Second brother, you go to the warehouse to prepare some gifts. I have to go to Tiexi Mountain."

————Tanggu County Government Office

"Brother Kang, don't be so formal. Just drink up this cup quickly." In the back court of Tanggu County, there was a scene of toasting, singing and dancing.

Tie Xishan sat at the chair with beauties on both sides, and while being unrestrained, he did not forget to invite Kang Dabao to drink. The officials of Tanggu County who were at the table also had their beauties in their arms. It was a decadent place.

Kang Dabao, who was sitting at the table, had a stiff smile on his face. This was the tenth banquet he had attended within three days of coming to Tanggu County.

Tie Xishan, who was sitting on the chair and laughing non-stop, suddenly made Kang Dabao feel a little unfamiliar. The hardworking monk who once won the praise of a group of foundation-building practitioners on the arena seemed to have been drowned in the spiritual wine and food in front of him.

Kang Dabao was getting anxious as no serious business had been discussed in the past three days.

After the banquet, when all the officials had left, Kang Dabao finally stopped Tie Xishan and said, "Brother, please stay."

Tie Xishan responded drunkenly, but seeing that Kang Dabao refused to leave even after making several excuses, he finally saved his face and left the two complaining beauties behind and invited Kang Dabao into the quiet room.

After dismissing his attendants, Tie Xishan brewed two bowls of boiling hot tea and drank them down. He finally sobered up a little and said with a smile while holding the teacup: "Brother, I know why you came here, but I can't help you with this matter."

He paused at this point, and habitually looked around before he spoke: "The old man of the Huo family has done something rebellious. The Huo family's assets have been divided up. If we don't punish those accomplices who followed his family to do evil, what will happen?"

"Even if the Huo family is guilty, my master's family is a well-known kind family nearby, and they are also loyal to the Immortal Dynasty, Brother Dao," Kang Dabao interjected at the right time.

However, Tie Xishan interrupted him with his hand: "Brother, why do you have to pretend to be ignorant in front of me? Since the Ming family married Huo Bing, they have gained so much benefits. Don't you know? In Tanggu County, which family doesn't have dozens of petitions filed in the government office? How can there be the kind family you are talking about?"

"To be honest, brother, Tang Guming's family has done my family a favor. I hope you will show some mercy and let him go." Just from Tie Xishan's tone, Kang Dabao could easily sense that the Tie family was really intending to eliminate the forces that were once close to the Huo family.

Although Master Kang has some weight now, he is definitely not able to change Tie Liuyun's mind.

The latter was now in a state of great pride and satisfaction, so he would not tolerate Kang Dabao's little Qigong noises in his ears.

Master Kang simply gave up the idea of ​​looking for Tie Liuyun, took out the soul-sealing stone from his clothes and placed it in front of Tie Xishan.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Tie Xishan pushed the spirit stone back with a straight face. "We are friends, why do we need these things?"

Seeing that he really didn't want it, Kang Dabao couldn't help but ask, "Brother Dao is a close relative of Commander Tie. How could you not have a say in such a small matter in front of Commander Tie?"

"Don't make things difficult for me, brother. My uncle has made his own decision, so how can I, a junior, interfere?" Tie Xishan looked embarrassed. He had a good relationship with Kang Dabao, who could be regarded as one of the most worthy peers in the nearby counties.

If it was really a small favor that could be done by just raising his hand, he would naturally give it a try.

But the matter of suppressing the Ming family was indeed instructed by Tie Liuyun himself. As a subordinate and a junior, how could Tie Xishan dare to say a word?

Tie Liuyun has now become a real celebrity in Yunjiaozhou. As the provincial government in Yunjiaozhou becomes more and more stable, Kuang Liuting, apart from major events, has been focusing on cultivation, waiting for the opportunity to form a pill.

As a result, the political affairs of the entire Yunjiao Province were almost all shared by retainers from the capital like Fei Nanying and local tycoons like Tie Liuyun.

Especially now that the structure of the Yunjiaozhou Demon Suppression Bureau has been roughly established, Tie Liuyun has been personally appointed by the Earl to take on the post of deputy commander, and the Demon Suppression Bureau is now in charge of him alone.

From then on, under this name, the soldiers of the Demon-Suppressing Division under Tie Zhihui killed countless gangs of bandits and robbers, and also caused great harm to the local forces in Yunjiao State that were inclined towards the Liangyi Sect.

According to the information Kang Dabao knew only, before the battle of Xiaowu Mountain, there were already two or three foundation-building forces whose families were destroyed by Tie Liuyun, not to mention those who were exploited.

After the battle of Xiaowu Mountain, the Liangyi Sect had apparently completely withdrawn its tentacles from Yunjiao Province, and the Demon-Solving Division became even more unscrupulous.

Not to mention that if too many things like destroying families are done, it will arouse other forces to think that if one party destroys the other party, the other party will be in trouble.

Tie Liuyun is not a person who would eat and drink alone. He is very skilled in his methods. Before taking any action, he always brings along a few forces that have grudges against the victim to act as a cover.

By doing this, he was able to secure his position as the assistant commander, and his reputation in Yunjiao Prefecture became more and more severe.

It is unlucky to say the Ming family. Even before the sudden arrival of Kuang Liuting, the Earl of Nan'an, his family was considered close to the Immortal Dynasty, otherwise they would not have been able to marry into the Huo family.

After all, it is true that the Huo family has a foundation-building clan, but Huo Bing’s strength is almost at the bottom among all the foundation-building clans in Yunjiao Province, and he cannot be said to have a very high status.

It is said that such a loyal family is hard to find even in the entire Shannan Road, so it should not be his family's turn to be held accountable.

However, it happened that Huo Bing was highly regarded when Kuang Liuting first arrived in Yunjiao Prefecture, and even the Ming family and other forces that were close to his family also got some benefits. As a result, the Ming family became the focus of the Iron Commander's attention.

He is now anxious to recruit talented people and expand his wings, so naturally the more spiritual stones and resources the better.

In today's Tanggu County, there are really few things that his iron command wants to do but cannot accomplish.

Just look at Tie Xishan who is the county magistrate in Tanggu County, Tie Xishui who is the confidant of the treasurer of Nan'an Earl in the provincial court, and Tie Liuyun himself who is holding the key post of the deputy commander of the Demon-Suppressing Division.

In the entire state court, the children of the Tie family can be considered to have a successful career. The Ming family alone can be easily defeated.

Not to mention high-ranking officials like Tie Zhihui, even ordinary officials in counties today are worth much more than before.

The provincial government can now really support people, and the officials under it, both big and small, have real power in their hands.

It can be said that a petty official can destroy a family and a low-ranking official can wipe out a clan.

If the state court appointed a person from a certain faction to be the chief official of the county at this time, he would not be regarded as a scourge by all families as before. Some families even spent a lot of money to find connections with the state court to buy an official position. Those who have connections are still good, but those who don't have connections, even if you have spiritual stones, you don't know where to send them!
If these forces were to hear how Kang Dabao became an official, they would be so envious!

The reason why people are so eager to become officials in the Xian Dynasty today is naturally because being an official can bring them benefits.

As for how moist it is, just look at Tiexi Mountain.

Since he came to Tanggu County to serve as the chief official, he has been indulging in wine and women every day and neglecting his cultivation. However, after he purchased several realm-breaking elixirs, his cultivation level advanced by leaps and bounds and he reached the fifth level of Qi training.

Let’s not talk about whether these tiger and wolf medicines have any poisonous side effects. If he can’t afford those medicines, he might still be stuck at the third level of Qi training in another twenty years.

As for where did the spiritual stones for buying the elixir come from? Of course, they were obtained by extortion under the name of the county magistrate.

Now that Kang Dabao understood the crux of the matter and Tie Xishan really couldn't make the decision, he didn't want to delay the latter's good fortune any longer.

He immediately made up an excuse to escape, said goodbye in a hurry, went out, rode his old donkey, and headed towards Xuelin Mountain, the territory of the Ming family.

After handing over the visiting card to the gatekeeper outside the formation, the current patriarch of the Ming family, Master Ming Er, opened the middle door to welcome him out. He was the biological uncle of Master Kang Dabao's wife, and was considered a very close elder.

Even when Kang Dabao first learned that he was forced to marry the daughter of the Fei family, he also considered inviting him to sit in the honorable seat of the elder.

Seeing that the elders came to greet him personally, Kang Dabao didn't want to be impolite, so he handed the gift he had brought to the Ming family servant beside him. After getting off the old donkey, he bowed respectfully.

"Brother Bao is here." Master Ming nodded with a smile. Several core members of the Ming family were standing beside him, so the welcoming scene was quite grand.

When you meet different people, you have different ways of dealing with things.

After entering the meeting room, he rinsed his mouth with a sip of the magical tea brought by his maid, let the maid wipe the tea drops from the corners of his mouth, and then told everyone in the hall what he had seen and heard in Tanggu County.

Kang Dabao then sat up straight and said seriously, "Let Second Master and all the elders and brothers know that I heard that the Iron County Master's words did not seem to be false. He only said that this matter was not something he could decide. In this case, we have to make other plans."

Master Ming looked at Kang Dabao who was talking in front of him and couldn't help feeling a little dazed.

This fat boy who was lazy and greedy back then, now actually has a somewhat cheerful and cheerful look. Then he sighed in his heart and a blushing look appeared on his face.

The family was experiencing a huge change and suddenly encountered such a great difficulty. The Ming family must have sent letters to the relatives and friends who had visited them, including Chong Mingzong's family.

But the Ming family was being targeted by Tanggu County, and even people in the Chongming Market in the neighboring county were talking about it. It could no longer be considered a secret in this area.

After sending several letters, only a few bland pieces of paper were returned. Naturally, the Ming family understood what the other party meant.

It is true that both sides still maintained their dignity, but the problem at hand still had to be solved. Mr. Ming decided to try his luck and wrote a letter to Kang Dabao.

I never thought that Emperor Chongming was really busy with his own affairs.

What's more, Kang Dabao not only came, but also went to Tiexi Mountain, where the Ming family had repeatedly requested to see him but was refused, and got important news.

This made the Second Master Ming, who had secretly instructed the Ming family and distanced himself from Emperor Chongming in previous years, feel a little ashamed.

The second master of the Ming family has seen what it means to let bygones be bygones and what it means to be magnanimous and magnanimous.

I also recalled what my eldest brother always said when he was alive a few years ago: "The three sons of Chongming are all extraordinary people, Yuan's Chubi, Jiang's Suizhen, and Kang's Zhilan."

At that time, Master Ming thought that his elder brother was just getting old and confused, but he never thought that what his elder brother said would come true.

In addition, Master Kang had previously asked Kuai En to visit him and return Ming Yue's Jinxian crown. As a result, the attitude towards Master Kang was even better.

This old man is not a fool. Although he is of high generation, he is not old and his brain is still working well.

He was considered the most satisfactory successor of the old man of the Ming family. When he was young, not only was he praised by the true practitioners of foundation building as having the potential to build a foundation, but he also made the entire Ming family more and more prosperous under his management.

Not only did Master Kang Dabao listen to his teachings when he was alive, but even He Dezong's father, who was the best at managing the household, was very impressed by him.

Such a smart person would naturally understand the meaning of Kang Dabao's words.

The person in Tanggu County who is preparing to take action against the Ming family is of very high status, so high that even the current county lord Tie Xishan is not qualified to mediate. So it is self-evident who this person is.

"Can Bao Ge'er get in touch with the commander-in-chief?" When Master Ming asked, everyone's eyes were focused on Kang Dabao, and their eyes were full of hope.

Those who have never been fried in a frying pan have no idea what it feels like.

"The crux of the matter is not how the younger generation can talk to the Iron Commander, but how to satisfy the Iron Commander."

Kang Dabao put down his teacup and said what he had prepared in his mind: "The Tanggu Huo family has always had some conflicts with Commander Tie, and we are also related to the Huo family. Forgive me for speaking frankly, but in my opinion, even if Commander Tie did something excessive, the state government would not care."

Master Ming listened in silence. This was such a simple truth that he naturally understood it. He also knew in his heart that this was the consequence of having no backers.

Tanggu County was less affected by the Pingman Campaign and was not as dilapidated as Pingrong County. No foundation-building force was willing to pay attention to it.

The food chain here where big fish eat small fish has long been stable.

Qi-training families like the Ming family are seen as flourishing in the eyes of outsiders, but in reality, if they don't have a backer, they will be swallowed up by other families sooner or later even if Tie Liuyun does not take action.

However, the Ming family was in trouble at the time, and no foundation-building force nearby was willing to take the risk of offending the influential figure Tie Zhihui and accept the Ming family's surrender.

"What Bao Ge'er said makes sense. I have prepared a gift list in the past few days. Bao Ge'er, since you have a say with Commander Tie, I will have the audacity to ask you to pay a visit to him."

The second master of the Ming family looked ashamed and felt extremely regretful for breaking off ties with Emperor Chongming.

"I will try my best, but the result is not important," said Master Kang. He was not the kind of person who would boast, and his behavior was cautious and strict, which made Master Deming look at him with even higher regard.

The latter interrupted and said in a loud voice: "No matter whether it succeeds or not, the Ming family owes you a favor. Second Master also thanks you on behalf of my eldest brother!"

"Junior dare not!" Kang Dabao stood up only after hearing Master Ming talking about the deceased old man of the Ming family. The expression on his face finally changed.

"Good boy, just go. Although the Ming family is small, they will not let you down." After the second master of the Ming family said this, today's meeting was over.

The maid led Master Kang to a guest room surrounded by pearls and jade to rest.

After Master Kang returned to his room, he still remembered the last words that the second master of the Ming family said to make amends.

The latter was a man who could judge people clearly. He knew that Master Kang was a man who valued gratitude and righteousness, but he would not just think of using this friendship to impress him. He also knew that he should give him some benefits.

Although the head of a family should be more or less shrewd, Kang Dabao still felt a little disappointed after listening to it.

It is no wonder that the second master of the Ming family had previously made such a short-sighted move as severing ties with Emperor Chongming. His vision was much smaller than that of the old master of the Ming family.

After all, the latter can't do things like being affectionate but only making empty promises, which would make the people who helped him very unhappy. If the old man was present, he would probably hand over the reward he prepared in advance as soon as he opened his mouth.

But the second master of the Ming family
Kang Dabao only felt that in the other party's eyes, he was like a ghostwriter, as if he came here just for the reward from his family.

A wave of sadness welled up in my heart. I have to say that the action of the second master of the Ming family was really due to the friendship of the head of the Kang family.

"I just need to settle this matter and repay the old man for his care over the years. From now on, I will have less contact with him."

Kang Dabao thought gloomily, and then he remembered that he had to go to see Tie Liuyun again in a few days. His brows knitted tightly, "I am just exhausted, that's all. If I can't build a foundation, I will be an ant in the end!"

(I owe you more for later)

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(End of this chapter)