Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

The moon was high in the sky, and the cold wind howled.

The once tranquil countryside has been plunged into chaos, with roosters crowing, dogs barking, and a cacophony of voices filling the air.

The fields were ablaze with firelight, and the shadows of people were everywhere. The thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoed along the official road, as if a vast army was galloping towards them.

Dawangli, Yangpingli, and Fanrongli are all located east of the pavilion, and the residents of the three villages were the first to gather together.

Several knights, armed with lances and bows, rode swiftly past the crowd, disregarding any conversation, and headed straight for the pavilion.

Zhao Xian looked at the imposing figures of those riders and felt quite envious.

The Daewang-ri and Prosperity-ri are prosperous, and many well-off families own draught horses for plowing, and riding them occasionally is not difficult.

"With the enemy imminent, all those participating in the drills for defense must quickly form ranks at the front! The rest will cover the rear!"

Zhao Zhong and the head of Fanrongli shouted at the top of their lungs, while Wang Yi, the head of Dawangli, had already ridden away in a cloud of dust.

Wang Yi, judging from his name, is related to Wang Jia, who sought to steal from Shanghuting.

Rural folks often choose their names this casually.

The name Zhao Xian was given to him by his father, Zhao Yi, when he brought cured meat to ask Liu Zhuo, a tutor in Wenmaoli.

Otherwise, he might have been called Zhao Da or Zhao Jiu.

Upon receiving the command, the people of Sanlidao quickly formed ranks according to their usual drill formation of ten or five units.

Long spears stood like a forest, their cold light gleaming.

Zhao Xian did not form a battle formation, but instead hid in the rear of the ranks, having already quietly drawn his bow several times, stretched his muscles, and made full preparations.

On the other side of the official road, the villagers of Changgongli, Wenmaoli, and Chunpingli had also gathered, formed a procession, and hurried toward the pavilion.

......

Outside the pavilion, seven or eight wiry figures surrounded a burly man wearing half-body armor.

The group gripped their ring-handled swords, their eyes blazing as they stared intently at the tightly closed gate of the pavilion ahead.

"Everyone! Countless Taoist priests have come to our aid along the main roads, both east and west!"

A slender man strode up to the burly man and hurriedly reported the news.

This "elder" is not the same as the other "elder," but rather a respectful title for those with a large and prosperous family and business.

"Liu San'er, Chen Wu'er!" The burly man didn't turn his head, his voice cold and stern. "Each of you lead your troops, one to the east, one to the west, and make sure to hold off the reinforcements! I will personally lead my men to storm the fortress! Once we take this place, we'll display your heads as a warning, and the people of the region will naturally scatter!"

"We will obey your orders!" The two men who were called out responded sternly, and then called their men to split into two groups and pounce on both sides of the official road like wolves.

"Da da da!"

The thunderous sound of hooves signaled that several knights had reached the outskirts of the bandits.

They ran headlong into a group of bandits, but seeing that there were many of them, the knight dared not go forward.

He quickly turned his horse and charged down the official road. After galloping for several dozen feet, he reined in his horse, turned around, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow to harass the bandits.

"Hmph! Cowardly wretch, cowardly in battle! If you were in the army, I would have you all beheaded!"

The burly man glanced at the knights, a look of disdain curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Men, slaughter these Daoist followers, destroy their dwellings, and feast on their spiritual rice!"

A short, stocky bandit raised his arm and roared wildly, then brandished his ring-pommel sword and charged towards Zhao Zhong and the others.

"Closer...closer..."

Zhao Xian held his breath and focused his mind, already drawing his bow and aiming at the bandits.

The night was dark, and although there were torches, it was still quite dim, but Zhao Xian could see very clearly.

"middle!"

With a soft shout, the arrow left the bowstring!

Before the words were finished, a figure rushing forward suddenly fell to the ground dozens of feet away.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

The sound of arrows piercing the air rang out one after another. In just a few breaths, Zhao Xian had fired ten arrows in quick succession.

Then, several figures in the front row of the bandits fell to the ground one after another.

"Sharpshooter! There's a sharpshooter on the other side!"

Terrified screams instantly erupted among the bandits!

The team, which was barely holding on, collapsed in an instant!

The bandits pushed and shoved each other, scattering in all directions on the main road, fearing they might be ambushed by a hidden arrow.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Seeing this opportunity, Zhao Zhong, Zhao Ren, and others in the front row immediately shouted and formed a battle formation, charging fiercely towards the chaotic bandits.

"Follow me, kill!"

Seeing his troops scatter and their formation crumble, the bandit leader's eyes widened in fury, and he roared.

Gathering several men around him, they charged fiercely towards Zhao Zhong and his group, intending to scatter the Daoist people with their ruthless and desperate attack.

These seasoned thieves had encountered this situation many times before, and they always managed to break through it in the same way!

But things are different now!

After firing ten arrows in quick succession, Zhao Xian quickly put away his bow and arrows, then concealed himself among the Daoist people.

After a few breaths, he changed his position again and continued to draw his bow and nock his arrow.

The arrowhead passed over the leader of the bandits, but was pointed at another fierce bandit. The bowstring trembled, and the arrow flew out again.

"Ding!"

With a flash of light, the bandit, indeed fierce, deflected the arrow directly.

"Pfft!"

The arrowhead pierced flesh, but the deflected arrow grazed the fierce bandit's robes and struck another bandit behind him.

"The sharpshooter is there!"

The fierce bandit was filled with shock and anger. He pointed his blade directly at Zhao Xian's hiding place and then charged forward with a whoosh.

Seeing this, Zhao Xian also slipped away, but fled in another direction.

"Ding ding ding!"

On the other side, close combat had already begun, and in the blink of an eye, two or three bandits screamed and fell to the ground.

Before Daomin could draw his spear, the leader of the bandits had already lunged at him.

With a flash of light, several gun barrels snapped in two with a few sharp "cracks"!

The long sword danced through the air, then swiftly slashed down once more!

"kill!"

At the critical moment, several spears emerged from the gap, like venomous snakes spitting their tongues, piercing through the leader of the bandits.

"Go forward and kill!"

Zhao Ren rushed forward and beheaded the bandit with a single stroke. He then grabbed the head and threw it forward with all his might, letting out a loud roar.

After killing several people, the Daoist people were also inspired to fight back. With their spears flying like a forest, they pushed the bandits forward.

"Whoosh!"

Every now and then, cold arrows would fly out from the darkness, and those hit would either die or be wounded.

Seeing their leader and the fierce old bandits die one after another, the rest of the bandits finally collapsed!

They discarded their weapons and fled in all directions into the dark mountains and fields.

Some, terrified, collapsed to the ground, trembling, and surrendered without resistance.

These bandits were stripped of their robes by the Daoist people and bound tightly with hemp rope.

"Do not pick up any valuables on the ground; follow us to the aid of the shelter!"

As a Taoist bent down to pick up the talisman coins from the ground, Zhao Yi kicked him to the ground, roaring angrily.

Seeing this, the others also rallied their followers and reorganized their ranks.

A few men were left to guard the bandits, while the rest continued to hurry forward.

The Zhao clan in Yangpingli had many members who served in the army, such as Zhao Mu and Zhao De. These veterans were naturally willing to share their experiences in the army with their clansmen.

Therefore, Zhao Ren, Zhao Yi, and other members of the Zhao clan had long anticipated that the bandits would abandon their valuables and that the villagers would be tempted by the sight of money.

Meanwhile, the villagers from Sanlidao, who had come from the west, were engaged in a fierce battle with the bandits.

There was no archer as skilled as Zhao Xian in Xisanli, so they couldn't take the initiative.

However, there were also capable people in Xisanli. The tutor Liu Zhuo ordered the villagers of Sanli who had bows and arrows to form their own team.

Just before engaging the bandits in close combat, he fired several volleys of shots, killing quite a few of them.

However, the leader of the bandits gathered a group of fierce and brave bandits and managed to break through the vanguard's gun formation.

When the villagers of Chunping Village saw their acquaintances dying and being injured one after another, they were the first to break down and turned to flee along the official road.

The other two villages were also affected, and many villagers fled in disarray.

In the critical moment, Liu Zhuo stepped forward again, raised his hand and fired several arrows of blue light, which directly killed the leader of the bandits.

This stopped the Daoist people from collapsing.