Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 174 Bewitching
Chang Ping'an's heart sank.

The news that some traveling merchants had gone missing and had not yet returned came from an elder in the neighboring Bailuquan village.

Although merchants who defied the superstition and ventured in without warning would always return naked after being robbed and survived, not all of them could return on the same day. For example, it is said that the caravan that passed through Bailuquan Village had been gone for two days and had not yet returned!
The weasel demon cannot speak, but its body language clearly conveyed a fact: there are still "hostages" in the county.

And the whereabouts of these hostages are still unknown!
The weasel demon seemed to know, but even with his fighting prowess, it would be difficult to rescue the "hostage" undetected while also protecting the weasel demon as a "witness"...

This is even more troublesome than the old man who protected the Qu family!
Therefore, the only hope is that Qu Zhiweng understood his hint and went to meet the people sent by his junior sister, Murong Ruyan...

Having slept soundly without dreams, the next morning, Magistrate Zhou specially invited Chang Ping'an to have tea. This time, Chang Ping'an couldn't refuse again. He tried to communicate with the weasel demon, emptying a [Qiankun Bag] and letting it crawl inside. Small demons like the weasel demon could barely survive without water, spirit, or air. In order to avoid being searched and caught by the county yamen runners, it preferred to stay curled up in the "little black bag".

As soon as he entered the room, Chang Ping'an smelled a delicate fragrance and asked curiously, "Does Magistrate Zhou like fragrance?"

Magistrate Zhou gave an awkward laugh: "Hehehe, how could I possibly have the salary to play with incense? I obtained this incense while working for the Yellow-Robed Immortal. I don't know what kind of incense it is, but it smells quite nice, so I specially burned incense for the Immortal."

As he spoke, he earnestly gestured, "Immortal Master, this tea is also a rare and precious tea that I obtained by chance. Its taste is unique, and I usually don't dare to drink it myself. I only drank it because I invited you to. However, I am a person of limited knowledge and do not know what kind of tea it is..."

Chang Ping'an picked up the teacup and saw that the tea soup in the cup was golden yellow and had a refreshing osmanthus fragrance, which smelled somewhat similar to the incense he was burning.

Chang Ping'an couldn't help but sneer inwardly—was he thinking that just using incense to knock him out wasn't enough, and he also needed to add a cup of tea?

Although he couldn't tell whether the incense being burned was a bewitching incense, it definitely smelled strange.

However, as a cultivator at the second level of the Foundation Establishment stage, how could he be knocked out by ordinary bewitching incense? It seems that this magistrate is grasping at straws in desperation!
Chang Ping'an was disdainful in his heart, but remained calm on the surface. He glanced at the tea soup twice and then put it down, repeating the same excuse as yesterday: "I am a cultivator and do not eat much. Please forgive me, Magistrate Zhou."

Magistrate Zhou smiled awkwardly, seemingly quite disappointed, but still said, "It's only right, it's only right. The immortal is a person beyond worldly affairs, such common tea is certainly not worthy of the immortal, hehehe..."

Chang Ping'an smiled slightly, remained silent, and quietly watched Magistrate Zhou put on his act, as if he could see right through him.

Magistrate Zhou was somewhat annoyed by the stares. As time passed, Chang Ping'an, who still showed no signs of dizziness, became increasingly anxious. With the night drawing to a close, and wondering when the sect leader would bring in more people, Magistrate Zhou gritted his teeth and said bluntly, "Immortal Master, how much do you know about my Pingding County?"

Chang Pingan tilted his head slightly, somewhat puzzled by Magistrate Zhou's sudden question.

"I am merely a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), originally from Baozhou, but from Weize Pass. It took a great deal of money to obtain the position of magistrate of Pingding County... Alas, it is very difficult for a Juren like me from a poor and remote place. In terms of learning, I cannot compare with those sons of aristocratic families. Those scholars from high-ranking families associate with high-ranking officials and nobles. They can obtain an official position with just a few words, while I have to exhaust my family's wealth to obtain a small county magistrate position!"

At this point, Magistrate Zhou seemed quite indignant. Chang Ping'an remained expressionless as he looked at Magistrate Zhou, offering no comment on his cynical remarks, only saying, "If I know correctly, it seems that Xiao State has a system of avoiding registration. Magistrate Zhou is truly exceptionally capable, managing to become the magistrate of Pingding County."

The so-called "avoidance of official residence" means that officials cannot serve in their place of origin. The State of Chu had the strictest requirements for this rule, which required that officials not be from the same prefecture or the same route.

The Xiao Kingdom is relatively more lenient, but it still cannot be the same prefecture or a neighboring county. Since Magistrate Zhou is from the neighboring Weize Pass, he should not be the magistrate of Pingding County.

"To be honest, although I grew up in Weize Pass and consider myself a Weize Pass native, my father was from Daming Prefecture. He only settled in Weize Pass because of his business. After my mother passed away, my father took me to Daming Prefecture to take the imperial examination. So, if you look closely, my registered place of origin is Daming Prefecture, which is not considered a violation."

Magistrate Zhou paused, took a sip of tea, and continued, "Let's go back to Pingding County. This county is near Weize Pass. Although Weize Pass is not valued by the higher authorities and has less than a hundred troops stationed there, there are advantages to having so few troops."

"Does the immortal know that Weize Pass is the largest smuggling pass in Baozhou? Every year, the salt, iron, grain, cloth, tea, porcelain, and calligraphy and paintings that leave Weize Pass are worth far more than ten million! And the gold, silver, gems, and spices that come in through Weize Pass are supplied to the empresses in the palace!"

At this point, Magistrate Zhou's expression gradually turned somewhat manic. He stared intently at Chang Ping'an and bewitched him, saying, "The amount of silver I handle each year is probably more than the national treasury! Immortal Master, if you and the White Stone Immortal Sect behind you are willing to protect my Pingding County, Pingding County is willing to offer a thousand dan of gold from the Golden Sand Kingdom every year!"

Chang Ping'an suddenly realized and said, "No wonder Pingding County looks remote, but the people in the county look plump and healthy. It seems that Magistrate Zhou has taken good care of the people, making even ordinary people well-fed and healthy."

Magistrate Zhou squinted and chuckled sinisterly, "Hehehe, that's just a little bit that slipped through my fingers. If the immortal is willing to make the decision, then what I offer will certainly be the lion's share!"

Just then, the chirping of birds came from outside, and Magistrate Zhou's expression immediately changed.

Chang Ping'an also heard the clear birdsong and looked at Magistrate Zhou's face, which was covered in sweat.

This week, the county magistrate was clearly out of options, so he tried to use benefits to bind himself.

Now that things have come to this point, it's almost impossible to avoid a complete falling out. Besides, Master Qu has returned, so it seems that reinforcements have arrived and someone has taken over Pingding County.

Magistrate Zhou is nearby; at worst, we can subdue him first and then slowly investigate the location of the "hostage."

Chang Ping'an then stood up and said with a smile, "Then there's no need for that. The White Stone Immortal Sect is not short of money. Magistrate Zhou, your bewitching incense probably won't work. I think it would be better if you came with me to confess your crimes."

(End of this chapter)