National Division

Chapter 14: Isn't this just receiving a salary without any real benefit, while focusing solely on cultivating the profound mysteries?
Guhe County, County Government Office
The lights in the west hall also stayed on all night. While Shen Xian was reading through the national history, Shen Bin was not idle either, and even stayed up all night.

At this moment, his rugged face showed signs of fatigue, and he had a stubble beard, but his eyes were sharp and he was full of energy.

"Brother, have some breakfast." A young man with a square face, who was also the head constable of the county, came in from the outer room carrying a tray with porridge, steamed buns and other breakfast items on it.

Behind him, a constable was carrying hot water and towels.

Shen Bin was a rough and boisterous man with many brothers around him, but among them were two highly skilled constables from the county government who were considered his good helpers.

However, the two head constables were considered to be from the Bad People, or even county constables. These were officials of high rank, and they were all from prominent families.

"After searching through ancient texts all night, I've finally made some progress," Shen Bin said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Zhao Lang asked as he put down the bowls and chopsticks.

“For such strange phenomena, we can use the blood of a martial artist, the blood of the Crimson Sun, to make talismans.” Shen Bin said, getting up, washing his face, splashing warm water on his face, taking a towel, and wiping his face.

"Besides the Mingfu Temple, there's also the Qingyang Temple. Who else knows how to make talismans?" Zhao Lang shook his head, helping Shen Bin tidy up the books on the table, and asked.

The current situation is that Magistrate Lu doesn't care about anything at all, and the Crane Guardian Taoist and his gang at Qingyang Temple don't care about worldly affairs either.

Shen Bin said, "This talisman is not difficult to make; the only difficulty lies in the materials required. All you need is the essence and blood of a Xiantian martial artist."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lang's expression changed drastically, and he said urgently, "Brother, this essence blood... once it is depleted, it will at least affect your cultivation, and at worst, damage your vital energy."

Shen Bin didn't take it seriously and said, "It's alright. As long as we use more precious medicinal herbs afterwards, we can always make up for it."

Zhao Lang asked, "No, this is absolutely impossible!"

Shen Bin said, "These kinds of monsters are good at hiding their forms. I don't know how many more people will fall victim to their poison. How can I just stand by and do nothing?"

Yesterday, Lin Jing did indeed look down on him.

Even after all these years, he has never lost his childlike innocence.

Zhao Lang frowned and said, "That won't do either. He's just a country bumpkin. As long as it doesn't involve the county, you don't need to worry about being blamed by the higher-ups."

Zhao Lang and Li Yan were notorious bandits in their early years. They only stayed by Shen Bin's side because they were attracted by his personal charm. In reality, they didn't have much love for the people.

Shen Bin sat down, picked up a pair of chopsticks, took a bun, put it in his mouth, and ate it heartily. He said, "I only lost some of my life essence, but the common people are losing their lives. Since people call me Shen Qingtian, I can't just ignore it."

Zhao Lang said, "But that's the essence blood of a congenital martial artist. Brother, this sacrifice is too great."

Shen Bin waved his hand and said, "As for what you said, as long as nothing happens in the county, it won't affect me."

As he spoke, Shen Bin looked up to meet Zhao Lang's gaze, shook his head, and said, "Although I am not a Qi cultivator and do not know the method of observing Qi, I always feel that the law seems to have loosened a lot, and I am afraid that it may affect the county town."

This is Shen Bin's perception of the changes in public security cases over the past two years.

In fact, if Shen Xian were here, it could be summarized in one sentence: the imperial power was declining and the laws and regulations were being neglected, which was reflected in the local prefectures and counties, and the legal system was naturally loosening.

"Rather than letting this demon devour human essence and grow stronger, it's better to eliminate it as soon as possible!" Shen Bin said coldly.

Seeing this, Zhao Lang had no choice but to try a different approach, asking, "But who will draw the talisman? Neither of us are Qi cultivators. How about we bribe the Taoist priests at Qingyang Temple to have them draw one?"

Shen Bin gave a wry smile and said, "Qingyang Temple has never been involved in this matter in the twenty years it has been in Guhe County."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lang angrily said, "These Taoist priests enjoy the land granted by the imperial court and the incense offerings from the people, yet they do not contribute anything at all. They are truly hateful!"

Shen Bin sighed and said, "That's just how the world is. You and I can only move forward with the torch."

Not to mention the Taoist priests of Qingyang Temple, even Magistrate Lu was just receiving his salary without doing anything, and was only focused on cultivating the mysteries of the universe.
He deserved this bowl of porridge.

As he spoke, he picked up the thin porridge and drank it all in one gulp.

“Wu the Cripple from the East Gate is a master of talisman drawing, and his reputation is impeccable. I’d like him to help me draw talismans,” Shen Bin said, wiping his mouth after finishing his porridge.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lang's eyes widened in disbelief. "That Wu the Cripple outside the East Gate? He can do it? He's good at fooling people, but you're asking him to draw talismans? What if they don't work? Wouldn't that be a waste of your life essence?"

Wu the Cripple was a self-taught Taoist who called himself a wandering Taoist priest. He usually walked with a limp, leaning on an iron crutch, and made a living by drawing talismans and divining for people.

According to the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty, such unlicensed Taoist priests should not only be punished for swindling, but should also be arrested and sentenced to one month of hard labor.

The Taoist priest of Qingyang Temple, who enjoyed the exclusive incense offerings of the entire Guhe County, reported the matter to the authorities. Shen Bin took pity on him and, seeing that he was only making a living by selling divination talismans, detained him for a few days, gave him a lecture, and then released him.

A few days later, Wu the Cripple set up his stall again, but this time, for some reason, Qingyang Temple ignored him. He kept his stall there for three years, and the people outside the west gate of the city became familiar with this cripple.

Even if the amulets or other talismans he drew aren't effective, it's still good to have something auspicious in mind.

In fact, in the county town, the so-called demons and evil spirits were mostly regarded as strange tales.

Like dragons, I've only heard of them, but never seen one.

Shen Bin ate a few steamed buns, picked up the porridge beside him, and said, "This doesn't require spiritual power. It's just a matter of the materials for drawing the talisman. I just asked him to draw a talisman."

"It's such a hassle to make a simple request to the county magistrate," Zhao Lang said with dissatisfaction.

Shen Bin was taken aback for a moment, then sighed, "Perhaps the magistrate has other considerations."

Magistrate Lu hardly ever dealt with affairs of state, leaving most of the mundane matters of the county to the local officials. He never bothered with matters of demons and evil spirits.

"If an official doesn't serve the people, he might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes," Zhao Lang said indignantly.

Shen Bin looked very anxious and said, "There are many people in the county government office, so be careful, they might have ears."

Zhao Lang complained a couple of times, but didn't say much more, and asked, "Brother, are we really going to fight the demons ourselves?"

Shen Bin said, "Call my third brother. Let's go ask that blind man Wu first. After we finish drawing the talisman, we'll take people to Dongliu Township to investigate what's going on."

Seeing this, Zhao Lang decided not to offer any further advice.

At this moment, Shen Xian and A Xin had already arrived at the county government office on horseback.

After the spring rain, the two stone lions in front of the county government office were washed clean and spotless.

"Hey, Young Master Shen is here." The yamen runners at the gate all recognized Shen Xian and greeted him with smiles.

Shen Xian asked, "Brother Zhang, where's Uncle Li?"

"They're still in the west duty room, preparing for their business trip," the constable said with a smile.

Shen Xian said, "Then I'll go take a look."

As he spoke, he entered the county government office with practiced ease, and then looked towards the armory in the west guardhouse in the distance, where a young man dressed in the black uniform of a water and fire officer was sitting on a bench at the entrance.

Li Yan was intently adjusting a crossbow when he sensed footsteps approaching. He looked up at the dashing young man and smiled, "They're here."

"Uncle Li, you're busy so early in the morning," Shen Xian asked, leaning closer.

"Your father is going on a business trip later, so I had to prepare all these things." Li Yan smiled and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

"I've already eaten," Shen Xian said, stepping closer and smiling. "It's the recipe Uncle Li told me about last time."

Li Yan lowered his voice and said, "Let's talk inside."

As he spoke, he handed the crossbow to the constable beside him, took a rag from the side to wipe his hands, and then stepped over the threshold.

Shen Xian nodded, and then followed Li Yan into the inner room.

Li Yan then took out a yellowed piece of paper and handed it over, saying, "This is Yi Jin Duan Gu San (a traditional Chinese medicine formula), but it requires tiger bone and century-old ginseng. These medicinal materials are very precious, costing hundreds of taels of silver each."

Shen Xian asked in surprise, "So expensive?"

As he spoke, he looked at the prescription in his hand, noting that the other ingredients on it were also quite expensive.

Li Yan said, "Your martial arts training will probably require an explanation to your father. If you can get his full support, it will be much more effective."

Regarding Shen Xian's martial arts training, Shen Bin, as his father, actually had mixed feelings. He wanted his son to focus more on literature and not put too much effort into martial arts.

Seeing his son engrossed in martial arts and neglecting the Daoist scriptures, he became secretly anxious.

Shen Xian said, "Uncle Li, judging from my father's name, he probably doesn't want me to be good at both literature and martial arts. I am now planning to study the Taoist scriptures and participate in this year's county examination."

In the grand scheme of things, those who don't engage in philosophical discussions and philosophical debates will find it difficult to rise to the top. This is the prevailing cultural trend or ideology of our dynasty.

Last night's national history, which only records major historical events, did not mention why this dynasty exclusively reveres Huang-Lao thought. Only he can sort these things out in the future, and if there is an opportunity, he may be able to set things right and correct the wrongs.

(End of this chapter)