I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 156: Title? Fifth Rank General!? (Seeking monthly votes)

Xie An secretly opened his five senses and carefully observed the deputy director of the Qingwu Town Demon Palace in front of him.

He has a full beard, an upright figure, and a majestic and cold demeanor. Although he is restrained, he is intimidating without being angry. He has the air of someone who has been in a high position for a long time, but at the same time he is humble. Talking with him is like being bathed in spring breeze.

Compared with children from aristocratic families like Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er, the Chen Tie in front of him is much more stable.

No wonder he could become the eldest princess's confidant.

To be able to become a deputy general manager of the fifth rank, he must be quite capable.

After entering the gate, the inside is very spacious, with doors and windows that can be opened and closed installed on three sides. However, one wall is empty, with only a railing. Standing in front of the railing, you can overlook most of Qingwu County.

Climbing to a high place and looking far into the distance, the county town is right at your feet, and the scenery is truly magnificent.

Next to the railing is a tea table, armchair, and tea sets. Sitting here and drinking tea, you can have a panoramic view of half of the county.

Xie An has been traveling through this world for almost forty years, and this is the first time he has come to such a place with great scenery.

"Thank you, brother, please take a seat."

Perhaps the princess had given Chen Tie some instructions, so Chen Tie was very enthusiastic towards Xie An. After asking Xie An to sit down, he also asked Zhao Qing'er to make tea.

The daughter of the high-ranking Prince Bao ordered Wei Haoran around, but she was extremely respectful to Chen Tie. She even squatted down to make tea without any hesitation.

Chen Tie looked Xie An up and down and couldn't help but smile and praise him, "Brother Xie is as handsome as a tall pine and auspicious crane, and his spirit is as vast as the sky. No wonder the princess praised you so highly."

Xie An: “…”

Exaggerated, exaggerated.

Chen Tie showed no sign of stopping his praise. "The Princess has been planning in Nanyang for over twenty years, trapped by the Great Bronze Bell. Although we are willing to serve her, we are unable to relieve her of her worries. This stalemate lasted for over twenty years, but Brother Xie's arrival was like a crushing blow, breaking the century-long deadlock. Such heroic feats are rare in the entire Jingtai Dynasty. He is truly a role model for us."

If an ordinary person had praised him like this, Xie An would have gladly accepted it.

But facing such praise from an eighth-level martial artist and fifth-rank deputy general manager, Xie An felt a little embarrassed.

Xie An bowed and said, "Master Chen, you are too kind."

Chen Tie laughed heartily and said, "We destroyed the dock at Shuideng Town and beheaded the seventh son of King Huainan. We demonstrated the prestige and responsibility of our Demon Suppression Division. Thank you, brother, for being too modest. Come, have some tea."

The tea is ready.

Although Zhao Qing'er was a princess, she took the initiative to serve Xie An a cup of tea.

This surprised Xie An. He took the teacup and thanked him, "Thank you, Princess."

Zhao Qing'er was very satisfied with this, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, showing her approval of Xie An's politeness.

After some pleasantries, Xie An felt that Chen Tie was quite steady and knew when to advance and retreat, so he took the initiative to ask, "Master Chen, what are the details of the battle at the Corpse Refining Hall?"

Chen Tie stood up and took out a case file from the bookshelf next to him, handing it to Xie An. "It's all recorded in the case file. The original has been handed over to the Demon Suppression Office for archival. I specially had someone copy this, take a look."

Zhao Qing'er explained, "I wanted to tell you when we were in Dayin Mountain just now, but I was skeptical about your identity at the time, so I didn't tell you. After you entered the Demon Suppression Division, I confirmed your and Yuhe's identities with Liu Chun from a distance, so I can tell you now."

Xie An expressed his understanding and then opened the case file.

As he watched, Xie An became frightened.

It's so tragic.

Of the one hundred demon-suppressing guards dispatched from the Nanyang Demon Suppression Division, ninety-three died, and the remaining seven were disabled. Almost all of them were dead.

All the thousand soldiers led by Qian Hu Xie Mingfeng were killed in the battle, and even Xie Mingfeng lost a hand.

More than one hundred yamen runners led by Wen Zaiqing were all killed in the battle.

Xie An could have foreseen the deaths of a thousand soldiers and a hundred yamen runners. After all, these men weren't particularly strong. They were fine for hunting down fugitives and suppressing ordinary bandits, but facing the sheer number of corpses in the Corpse Refining Hall, they were no match.

But the hundred elite demon-suppressing guards of the Nanyang Demon-Suppressing Office were all genuine warriors. Many of them were likely martial masters, so it was a tragic loss that they were all killed in battle.

The case file summarized the situation at the end: over 8,000 corpse-refining hall members were killed, and 1,600 demons were slain. Four hundred crystal stones, with the exception of a few dozen who fled deep into the southeast of Dayin Mountain, were all killed.

So cruel!

Although the sacrifice was great, the results were equally astonishing.

The case file also records that Su Yuqing single-handedly killed more than 300 crystal corpses.

This sentence particularly frightened Xie An.

You know, Xie An had witnessed the horror of the crystal corpses with his own eyes. Each of them was at the level of a fourth-level martial artist, and some of the strongest ones were even stronger.

The more than four hundred crystal corpses should be the trump card of the Corpse Refining Hall.

Su Yuqing, a woman, killed more than 300 people single-handedly.

It can be said that it turned the tide and established victory in one fell swoop.

If it weren't for Su Yuqing's bravery, the battle at the Corpse Refining Hall would have been lost, and everyone's sacrifice would have been in vain.

Looking further, Xie An saw a line of words: Su Yuqing killed the high priest Jin Haier at the Huai River at the foot of Dayin Mountain.

The high priest, a being comparable to a martial arts master, was killed!
Su Yuqing attacked twice, absolutely securing victory. She should have taken the credit for everything. But why did she insist on keeping it for herself?
Xie An felt that this was debatable.

But on second thought, I can understand it.

On the one hand, Su Yuqing didn't mind the credit. The entire world belonged to her Su family, and Su Yuqing was a big shot. It would be better to give up the credit and show royal grace.

On the other hand, from Su Yuqing's perspective, killing three hundred crystal corpses and the high priest was just routine. What really trapped her was the large bronze bell. Xie An helped her break the bell. It's fair to say he was the first to do so.

and many more……

Jin Haier! ?

These three words suddenly caught Xie An's attention.

Xie An's attention was focused on the incident just now, and he ignored this detail.

Xie An was shocked, but he acted calm on the surface and read through all the contents of the file normally. He did not see any record of Li Changchun being killed, so it seemed that Li Changchun was still alive.

Xie An took a deep breath, then handed the case file to Yu He, and then said to Chen Tie: "The high priest's real name is Jin Haier?"

Chen Tiedao said, "Well, I didn't know that before. The princess told me before she left."

Xie An had an estimate in his mind.

Jin Haier...

Mrs. Jin...

It seems to fit.

Yu He finished reading the file and was also terrified. She asked worriedly, "Is the young lady injured?"

Chen Tiedao: "I suffered some minor injuries, but overall I'm fine, nothing serious."

Yu He finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned the case file, a look of relief on her face. For Yu He, it seemed that the master and the young lady always came first. As for other family and national affairs, she had little interest.

Chen Tie accepted the file and asked Zhao Qing'er to take out a pen and paper to take notes. He then asked Xie An, "Brother Xie, we were all on this mission together. I've already told you the truth about our situation. What happened between you and Yu He?"

Xie An had no objection to such questions.

Acting together and keeping each other informed is a very reasonable request.

But Mrs. Jin's situation was special and of great importance. If Su Yuqing were here, Xie An would have told her the truth, but since it was Chen Tie, Xie An had his doubts.

After all, Xie An had no relationship with the Demon Suppression Division. He just had a personal deal with Su Yuqing.

Seeing Xie An's hesitation, Chen Tie immediately realized the crux of the matter and said, "Of course, Brother Xie is not from our Demon Suppression Division. To be more precise, Brother Xie is from the Princess's side. We can also skip this record and have Brother Xie write a letter personally to the Princess of Nanyang Prefecture to explain the situation."

Xie An readily agreed, "Okay."

Chen Tie asked Zhao Qing'er to go out for a walk, leaving Xie An and Yuhe alone.

Yuhe was grinding ink beside him, and Xie An picked up his pen to write a letter.

Xie An told Su Yuqing the truth about everything except his long-lived personality. He also asked her about the cultivation method of the plant.

After the writing was completed, Chen Tie and Zhao Qing'er came back soon, and Wei Haoran was also there.

Although Chen Tie is the deputy director general, he did not avoid Wei Haoran and Zhao Qinger, which shows that the relationship between the three is very close.

Zhao Qing'er then took out a special envelope and red wax from the Demon Suppression Division and handed it to Xie An. Xie An sealed it himself. Zhao Qing'er then took out the Demon Suppression Division's special seal, stamped it on the red wax, and showed the envelope to Xie An. "Xie An, do you think this is feasible?"

Xie An bowed and said, "Thank you, Princess."

"As I should." Zhao Qing'er walked to the door with the envelope, handed it to a servant, and immediately set off with the letter. Aside from the red birds used by the Demon Suppression Division's top brass to deliver secret messages, normal correspondence would take at least four or five days to receive a reply. If expedited, even on a specially bred BMW, a round trip would take two days.

After exchanging information, Chen Tie took out a large brocade box from the shelf again, slowly returned to his chair and sat down, holding the brocade box in one hand while saying, "Thank you, brother, you have performed a great service this time. The princess has already reported to the court, and is just waiting to find you. Now that you have returned, once the news reaches the capital, His Majesty will soon reward you.

Of course, Yuhe will also have a reward. It will probably take ten days to half a month. Please wait for a moment."

Xie An didn't expect to receive such treatment.

Your Majesty's reward will certainly not be stingy.

Speaking of which, Xie An still made a lot of money.

It was just a deal with Su Yuqing, but Xie An had made a fortune from that deal alone. Not only did he avoid being killed by Li Changchun, but he also gained nearly 8,000 strands of immortal energy, as well as protection... and a personal letter of agreement from the leader of the Taiyi sect.

Nowadays, merits are publicly reported to the court and rewards are given...

Earn money with blood!

Doing business with a big shot like the eldest princess... is extremely cost-effective.

Yuhe asked on Xie An's behalf at this time: "Master Chen, do you know what the emperor will reward?"

Without waiting for Chen Tie to reply, Zhao Qing'er excitedly said, "Our emperor is very generous and never hesitates to reward meritorious people. Xie An has made great contributions this time by destroying the Corpse Refining Hall. In addition to gold, silver, and silk, there will also be resources for martial arts training, elixirs, and so on. He may even receive an official position or a title."

Title!

For Daqian, it is something more noble and scarce than an official position.

No matter how high an official position one holds, it is gone after death and cannot be passed on to future generations. However, a title of nobility can be inherited!
Moreover, a great title can definitely produce a nobleman.

For example, if a father is a prince, the eldest son will be a prince, and the other sons may all be auxiliary dukes. If it is clearly stated at the time of the ennoblement that there will be no reduction in rank, then after the father dies, the sons will still be princes... This is quite terrifying.

Many scholars and officials have power but no title, that is, they have power but are not noble.

There were even some first-rank ministers who served the court their entire lives, and when they were about to die, they would ask to be enshrined in the Taimiao and given a title of nobility.

This shows how rare the title is.

Of course, Xie An was not very interested in being an official, but he could have a title...

With the title, whether it is the King of Huainan or Li Changchun, if they want to take action against me again, they will need to think twice.

Chen Tie smiled and said, "If a title is granted, then Brother Xie would be a noble. Wei Haoran's father made great contributions in resisting the Northern Liang army, killing over 180,000 enemies on the banks of the Wei River, shocking the court and the people. From then on, he became a first-class military marquis in Daqian. Even so, His Majesty did not grant him a title until Lord Wei came to the capital and was idle at home. His Majesty then granted Lord Wei the title of Duke, a hereditary title for 26 generations. It can be seen that His Majesty attaches great importance to titles."

Hearing this, Xie An couldn't help but look at Wei Haoran again.

I didn't expect that this young man who was ordered around by Zhao Qing'er had such a powerful background.

Daqian implemented nine ranks of nobility: Prince, Prince of a certain county, Duke of a certain state, Duke of a certain county, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.

Duke is a very high title, the first rank of duke and the third rank of noble.

For a military marquis of a foreign surname to be able to obtain the title of Duke through meritorious service was already quite remarkable. However, it was still far from being a member of the royal family.

Zhao Qing'er is the daughter of Prince Bao and is a princess at such a young age. No wonder she can order Wei Haoran around.

However, the title of Princess is not a noble title, but a title. Only the Princess's elder brother or younger brother can obtain the title of Prince.

Xie An thought about it for a moment...that's not right.

Princes are all members of the royal family, so why is Su Yuqing's surname Su and Zhao Qing'er's surname Zhao...

Zhao Qing'er takes her mother's surname?
Will Prince Bao allow it?

Or is there some special historical reason...

Xie An held his forehead, feeling overwhelmed.

But in general, Xie An did not want an official position, but he was willing to have a title.

The reason was simple: titles were rare and noble, and didn't entail specific duties. They were considered idle aristocrats, perfect for a peaceful development. With a title, it would be much easier to train in martial arts or acquire resources for longevity in the future.

Chen Tie took out the box in his hand and slowly pushed it in front of Xie An. "Brother Xie, the reward from His Majesty belongs to His Majesty. This is the great gift that the eldest princess asked me to give to you."

Xie An solemnly took the brocade box and gently opened it.

Inside were neatly arranged three scrolls of purple, gold, and silver, each exquisitely tied with a ribbon.

Everyone around looked at him curiously, looking forward to it.

This made Xie An a little nervous.

I don’t know what gift the eldest princess left for me.

He adjusted his mood, picked up the silver scroll, untied the ribbon, and slowly unfolded it.

Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er immediately moved behind Xie An and stared at him with wide eyes.

Chen Tie glared at Wei Haoran and Zhao Qing'er. The two took a step back, their eyes still fixed on the scroll.

Chen Tie shook his head speechlessly and said nothing more.

As the scroll slowly unfolds——

Before Xie An could say anything, Zhao Qing'er and Wei Haoran gasped.

Xie An's eyes widened.

Letter of appointment from the Chief of the Demonic Office in Qingwu Town!
Fifth rank!
He was also a powerful official, half a level higher than Chen Tie.

Even though Xie An always felt that he had little interest in being an official, when he saw this letter of appointment, he couldn't help but feel his heart beating wildly.

When a letter of appointment to the fifth rank is placed in front of you, it would be unrealistic to say that you are not tempted at all.

During the chaotic era of the Daqian Emperor, many people studied hard for over a decade, only to pass the civil and military examinations and become a seventh-rank county magistrate. Without a strong connection, their lives would remain the same.

Even with a good background, one still needs to endure many years of experience before they can advance to the next level. However, reaching the fifth rank is almost impossible unless one has incredible luck.

Now, it is placed in front of Xie An.

Xie An took several deep breaths before he calmed down.

Zhao Qing'er had previously said that the position of General Manager was originally intended for Chen Tie, but something unexpected happened and the position remained unresolved. It turned out that it had already been reserved for Xie An.

not right...

It's not right.

Four years ago, Xie An had only cultivated to the eleventh stage of Mingyu Gong, which was only comparable to the level of a second-level martial artist. How did Su Yuqing know at that time that he was qualified for the position of a fifth-rank general?

There's something wrong with this woman...

Chen Tie also caught a glimpse of the contents of the scroll at this time. Suppressing his sour feelings, he bowed and said, "Congratulations, General Xie!"

Zhao Qing'er was extremely shocked. "So the Princess had already reserved the position of General Manager for you... Congratulations and thank you, General Manager."

Wei Haoran was a little embarrassed, but he still bowed and congratulated: "Congratulations, Chief Xie."

Yuhe was so happy that she stood up and bowed deeply, "Congratulations, Master."

Xie An finally came to his senses and quickly asked, "Master Chen, is there any room for maneuver with this scroll?"

Chen Tie was stunned, and looked at Xie An in shock. Then he said, "Of course. The princess didn't send it to anyone, but gave it to Brother Xie privately. If Brother Xie has no interest in officialdom, he can naturally decline."

Only then did Xie An breathe a sigh of relief.

If Xie An was a pure man of this world, he would definitely agree immediately to such a great gift.

But Xie An was not so keen on officialdom in his two lives.

Fortunately, the princess had no intention of forcing Xie An. If she had sent it out immediately... Xie An would not have been able to refuse.

He also felt a little more grateful to the eldest princess, thinking that the eldest princess was thoughtful and cared about his will.

This matter was of great importance, and Xie An felt that he needed to think it over carefully.

He put down the silver scroll, then picked up the second purple scroll and untied the ties...

The first scroll was so amazing.

Then isn’t the second one even more amazing?
----

P.S.: I updated 330,000 words last month, and I haven't stopped writing 10,000 words a day. I'll continue this month. Please give me a basic monthly ticket~
(End of this chapter)