Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 111 Taking Office in Shahe Township (4,000 words! Requesting monthly votes!)

In the main hall of the Crouching Tiger Lodge, an eerie silence suddenly fell.

Seeing this, the county official Zhu Shen's smile gradually faded, and he only played with the jade in his hand, not looking at anyone in the hall.

Chen Yuancheng looked at Cao Miao below him, forcing a smile.

"Congratulations, Mr. Cao, on your first appointment as the village magistrate, you have already found such a capable advisor!"

Seeing a hint of coldness in Chen Yuancheng's eyes, Cao Miao was startled and immediately stood up and bowed to Chen Yuancheng.

"Shahe Township is suffering from demonic calamity, and the people are in dire straits. Bozhang dealt with the demonic calamity in Wohu Township, slaying more than ten demonic beasts and displaying great power!"

"Cao Miao has gone to take up his post as the village magistrate all by himself, and it is truly difficult for him to manage alone. I hope Mr. Chen will understand!"

After saying this, Cao Miao bowed deeply, his face full of respect.

After gazing at Cao Miao for a few moments, Chen Yuancheng sighed, rose from his seat, and helped Cao Miao up, saying, "Bo Zhang is valued by Lord Cao because of his remarkable talent. I earnestly hope that Lord Cao will treat Bo Zhang well in the future!"

"Cao Miao is already fifty years old. After finishing his term as village magistrate, he plans to return home to enjoy his retirement. What ambitions could he possibly have left?" Upon hearing this, Cao Miao's expression became even more respectful. "Bo Zhang is like the rising sun; I will certainly not hinder his future!"

"Demons and monsters roam Shahe Township, and bandits occasionally hide there, committing all sorts of evil deeds. We earnestly hope that Lord Cao and Bozhang will work together to govern this township!"

Chen Yuancheng then gave another important instruction.

Cao Miao, being an experienced local official, naturally understood Chen Yuancheng's implied meaning and immediately replied respectfully, "Upon taking up my post in Shahe Township, I will be in charge of civil affairs, and Bozhang will be in charge of the military. The two of us will work together to restore peace and tranquility to the people of Shahe Township!"

After a frank conversation, the two men's expressions softened somewhat, and they soon returned to their seats.

"It is a fortunate thing for the people of Wohu and Shahe to be governed by these two gentlemen!"

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two had eased somewhat, Zhu Shen smiled and offered a word of praise.

About half an hour later, two figures rushed in from outside the country house and headed straight for the main hall in the front yard.

Upon ascending the steps and removing his shoes, Zhao Xian immediately bowed to Chen Yuancheng, who was seated in the main seat.

"Zhao Xian greets Lord Chen!"

He then bowed to each of the people on his left and right.

After exchanging pleasantries, the county clerk Zhu Shen withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and stood up to walk towards Zhao Xian.

"Congratulations, Bozhang! I have brought you the appointment as a county magistrate!"

Zhu Shen handed a scroll of appointment letter to Zhao Xian, who quickly bowed in thanks and then unfolded the appointment letter.

"Zhao Xian, an official of Wohu Township, is hereby appointed as the assistant township head of Shahe Township. He shall assume his post immediately!"

The appointment letter was very simple; the most important sentence was this!

"The Township Head of Shahe Township!"

Zhao Xian's breathing became three degrees heavier.

He took a deep breath, then bowed respectfully towards the county town, saying, "Your humble servant Zhao Xian kowtows to thank the County Magistrate for her great kindness!"

"Many thanks, Mr. Zhu, for going to such lengths to deliver our appointment letters!"

Cao Miao also stepped down from his seat, bowed to Zhu Shen, and then looked at Zhao Xian with a smile, saying, "Bo Zhang, I am now taking office as the head of Shahe Township. I will rely on you to assist me in all matters concerning the township in the future!"

"Bo Zhang dares not presume; I will trouble Lord Cao to guide me in the future!"

Zhao Xian also bowed to Cao Miao.

After chatting for a while, Zhu Shen got up to take his leave. Chen Yuancheng, Cao Miao, Zhao Xian and others saw Zhu Shen off from the village house and watched him go before returning to their own village house.

Upon returning to the country house, Chen Yuancheng walked alone towards the backyard, with Zhao Xian and Cao Miao exchanging a glance before following closely behind.

A moment later, Wang Cong served tea to the three of them and then withdrew, leaving only Chen Yuancheng, Cao Miao, and Zhao Xian in the hall.

After a moment of silence, Cao Miao sighed, rose, bowed to Chen Yuancheng, and solemnly said, "It is not that I, Cao Miao, intended to do this, but the demonic calamity in Shahe Township is becoming increasingly severe, leaving me no choice but to act in this manner!"

"Lord Cao, there's no need for this. Yuan Cheng knows what's on your mind. You're just so sad because you know Bo Zhang is leaving and you won't be able to see him often in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately waved his hand and sighed deeply.

"Don't worry, Lord Chen. Bo Zhang was recommended for this official position by you, Lord Chen. I will never forget your great kindness!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "Although I am only a village official in Shahe Township, I still follow Lord Chen's lead!"

"Please don't be offended, Cao Jun; this is truly what Bo Zhang has been thinking!"

Zhao Xianfu bowed to Cao Miao again and shouted.

"I admire Bozhang's loyalty and righteousness so much, how could I possibly blame him!"

Cao Miao immediately returned the greeting, replying with great sincerity.

"Bo Zhang, please rise quickly!" Chen Yuancheng also rose from his seat and helped Zhao Xian up, a pleased smile on his face. "Hearing Bo Zhang's words, I am very pleased!"

"Ah Cong!"

Chen Yuancheng called out towards the outside of the hall, and Wang Cong immediately entered, bowing respectfully: "Lord Chen, what are your orders?"

"Quickly prepare a feast. Tonight, in the side courtyard, I invite all the gentlemen of the village to celebrate the promotion of Mr. Cao and Mr. Bozhang!"

"Thank you, Mr. Chen!"

Cao Miao and Zhao Xian exchanged a glance and bowed to Chen Yuancheng in unison.

As night fell, the feast was prepared, and everyone gathered in the side courtyard to drink heartily until the moon was high in the sky before they dispersed.

The next morning, Zhao Xian stepped out of the house and continued his unwavering morning exercise.

Just as Zhao Xian finished his morning exercise and was about to go to the front yard for a meal, he saw Cao Miao already at the country house, carrying a bamboo box that was slightly steaming.

"Bozhang, my wife makes excellent soup noodles, I brought you a portion especially!"

Upon seeing Zhao Xian, Cao Miao immediately greeted him with a smile!

"Bo Zhang thanks Lord Cao for his concern!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian smiled and responded, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

Last year, on the second day after arriving at the village, Cao Miao warmly greeted Chen Yuancheng with soup noodles.

This year, as I was about to leave my hometown, I finally got to eat Cao's soup noodles, which were very famous among the local officials!

It must be said that the soup dumplings that Cao Miao brought were quite good, which pleased Zhao Xian greatly.

After breakfast, Zhao Xian and Cao Miao were left alone in the main hall of the central courtyard after the servants cleared away the tableware.

After a few moments of contemplation, Cao Miao looked at Zhao Xian, his expression becoming more solemn, and asked, "Bo Zhang, how much do you know about the demonic calamity in Shahe Township?"

"I dare not conceal anything from Lord Cao. Bo Zhang knows very little, only that dozens of people have perished in the jaws of monsters, mostly the work of monsters from the river!"

Zhao Xian pondered for a few moments, then replied solemnly.

"The name Shahe Township comes from the Shahe River that flows through its territory!" Cao Miao nodded slightly, then added, "The Shahe River originates from Wohu Mountain, and when it passes through Shahe Township, the river is at its widest point ten zhang wide and several zhang deep!"

"There are seven pavilions in Shahe Township. Five of them are located along the Shahe River, while the other two are far away from the Shahe River."

"The demonic calamity is gradually rising, and the five pavilions along the river are suffering the most severe damage. In contrast, in the other two pavilions, only one or two Daoist practitioners have been injured by the demonic beasts!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian's expression also became more solemn.

Monsters are relatively easy to find if they are in the deep mountains and forests, but if they are lurking at the bottom of the sandy river, it is like finding a needle in a haystack!

"If what Lord Cao says is true, the demons and monsters causing chaos in Shahe Township are all within the Shahe River!"

"Hunting monsters in the water~"

At this point, Zhao Xian paused, looked at Cao Miao, and did not continue speaking.

"As difficult as climbing to heaven!"

Cao Miao also sighed.

Hunting a few Qi Refining demonic beasts is naturally extremely easy for Foundation Establishment cultivators, but there are no Foundation Establishment cultivators in Shahe Township!

Although the county has two inner disciples of the Yunlan Sect, Zuo Lie and You Lie, who are in charge of suppressing bandits, the situation in Yunling is serious, and these two have returned to the sect to hunt demons in Yunling.

Currently, the only Foundation Establishment cultivator that the county magistrate can openly employ is the county clerk.

Of course, the three powerful families of Chen, Liu and Zhu in the county naturally have Foundation Establishment cultivators in their families, but they will not do their work for the county magistrate for nothing!

Asking a Foundation Establishment cultivator to take action comes at a considerable cost; it would be better to let the people under your jurisdiction resolve the issue themselves!

As for the deaths and injuries of the Daoist people caused by this delay, no one cared about them!

Dao Min, in the end, is just a mortal with some cultivation!

"Lord Cao, in the battle against the monsters in the water, the barbed wire net is the key!"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Xian looked at Cao Miao and said solemnly.

"Bo Zhang is absolutely right!"

Cao Miao nodded slightly and fell into thought.

A moment later, Cao Miao looked at Zhao Xian with a smile on his face: "I will search for the barbed wire net for Bo Zhang!"

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Cao!"

"Aside from this matter, does Bozhang have any other requests?"

Cao Miao looked at Zhao Xian again and asked once more.

"The only things missing are strong horses, powerful bows, and sharp blades. If we had talismanic arrows, that would be even better!"

Zhao Xian gave a wry smile and said directly.

"Bo-Zhang really has a big mouth!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao gave a wry smile.

"I don't own many strong horses; as for powerful bows, sharp blades, and talismanic arrows, I can gift Bozhang three iron-rimmed bows, five thirty-ringed swords, and thirty talismanic arrows!"

After a moment's thought, Cao Miao slowly spoke.

"Thank you for your help, Lord Cao!" Zhao Xian bowed respectfully, then said with a smile, "The talisman arrows must be freezing talisman arrows; they are most effective in water!"

"Whatever you say!"

Cao Miao shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly, agreeing to Zhao Xian's request.

Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

After bidding farewell to Chen Yuancheng at the village house, Zhao Xian and Cao Miao led their entourage along the official road toward Shahe Township.

Cao Miao brought only two attendants, while Zhao Xian brought more than twenty people and an oxcart.

The oxcart was borrowed from the Cao family. The thin man driving the ox was surnamed Mu, the second son of the village stableman Lao Mu, and his name was Mu Chun.

According to the old shepherd, Mu Chun has mastered the true skills and is exceptionally good at serving strong horses and oxen!

Now that Zhao Xian has two horses, plus the ox that pulls the carriage, he naturally needs a professional groom to serve him.

The oxcart was carrying several iron and wooden shields, each about five feet long, prepared for my second cousin Xu Hua and others. Each shield weighed several dozen kilograms, and ordinary people could not bear the weight of such a long journey.

This is also why Zhao Xianfei wanted to borrow an oxcart from the Cao family.

All the weapons and equipment that Cao Miao had promised had been delivered, and Zhao Xian had reorganized his Daoist followers.

They were still divided into two squads. One squad consisted of spearmen, led by Uncle Zhao Li. The other ten men were divided into two teams. One team consisted of shieldmen, led by Cousin Xu Hua, and the other team consisted of archers, led by Zhang Gong.

Zhang Gong was from Changgong Village, Shanghuting. His elder brother was Zhang Wen, and he was also very familiar with Zhao Xian.

Nowadays, archers all wield iron-rimmed bows, making them extremely formidable!

Of the five Thirty-Speed ​​Ring Blades, Zhao Xian distributed one to each of Zhao Hong and the other youths, and gave the remaining one to Zhang Gong.

The distance between the Shahe Township pavilion and the Wohu Township pavilion is a full thirty li. The group walked and stopped frequently until the afternoon before finally reaching the boundary of the Shahe Township pavilion.

Meanwhile, dozens of people were already waiting at the boundary stone of the Shahe Township pavilion.

Upon seeing the group arrive, the leaders stepped forward to greet them!

"We pay our respects to Lord Cao and Lord Zhao!"

The leader, holding a broom, saw the two riders ahead, one old and one young, both wearing red turbans, and knew they must be Cao Miao, the village head, and Zhao Xian, the village assistant.

Upon hearing this, the two immediately dismounted and walked forward, with Zhao Xian trailing behind Cao Miao by half a step.

"Greetings, Mr. Zhu!"

Cao Miao stepped forward to help the leader up and said with a smile.

The person in charge was none other than Zhu Lai, the head of the Zhu family, a prominent clan in Shahe Township, who had previously appeared at Shanghuting!

Zhao Xian had already heard Cao Miao mention the prominent families in Shahe Township during the journey, so he naturally knew the background of the person in front of him.

Shahe Township administers seven pavilions, and there are four major surnames in the township: Zhu, Wu, Sun, and Zhou.

Although the Wu family has the longest history, the Zhu family is the most prosperous!

Although none of these four families had a Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge, making them inferior to the Xu family of Wohu Township, they were still comparable to the Cao family.

As for the Yan family, they are famous not only in Wohu Township, but also throughout the entire Rongtai County!

After all, there is an inner disciple of the Yunlan Sect in his family!

After exchanging greetings with everyone, Cao Miao introduced Zhao Xian to them.

"We have long heard of Lord Zhao's great name!" Upon hearing this, Zhu Lai immediately looked at Zhao Xian, smiling kindly. "The demonic calamity of Crouching Tiger Village has been completely eradicated, all thanks to Lord Zhao's efforts!"

"This is also thanks to the strategic planning of Mr. Chen and Mr. Cao!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately offered a humble response.

"Haha, Bozhang, there's no need for modesty. The demonic calamity of Shahe Township will surely be ended by your hand!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao immediately smiled and said...

After exchanging pleasantries for a few more moments, the group continued on their way.

Behind Zhao Xian, Zhao Hong, Huang Zhong, and others followed closely, leading their horses. Their heroic bearing surprised the wealthy households of Shahe Township!

"This Zhao Xian truly lives up to his reputation; his retinue is indeed highly capable!"

A wealthy man looked at Zhao Li and the others behind him and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

The group slowly walked towards the pavilion.

Upon reaching the village, the wealthy households in the village gradually dispersed.

Zhu Lai then extended a sincere invitation to Cao Miao and Zhao Xian to a banquet at his home, which the two gladly accepted.

After watching Zhu Lai and the others leave, Zhao Xian and Cao Miao exchanged a glance, and then, surrounded by the village officials, they entered the house.

Shahe Country House is laid out in the same way as Wohu Country House, with three courtyards in the front and back, and a side courtyard on each side.

The front courtyard was the office of the officials, the middle courtyard was the residence of the village officials, and the back courtyard was the residence of the village steward.

Cao Miao and his entourage moved into the back courtyard, while Zhao Xian moved into the main hall of the central courtyard. As for Zhao Li, Zhao Hong, and others, Zhao Xian first arranged for them to stay in the left and right side courtyards.

Since the task was to quell the evil spirits in Shahe Township, it was natural for them to stay in the village inn.

Moreover, Zhao Li and his companions not only stayed at the country house, but also relied on it for all their needs, including food, clothing, and shelter.

After tidying up briefly, Cao Miao and Zhao Xian met up, and the two of them, each with their entourage, went to the Zhu family for a banquet.

Last year, when Chen Yuancheng took office as the village steward, the Yan family, a prominent family in the village, invited even the minor officials of the village. Now, the Zhu family only invited Zhao Xian and Cao Miao, which shows the difference between the two families.