Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 122 Sudden Change in the Bandit's Den (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

"Clang!"

A flash of cold light, and a chilling aura pierced to the bone.

"What a fine sword!" Zhao Li carefully examined the ring-pommel sword before him, a look of excitement spreading across his face. His gaze swept over a line of small characters on the blade, and he scratched his head, then looked at Zhao Xian. "Xian, I don't recognize Taoist script. Can you read it to me? What does it say?"

"On the third day of the third month of the 527th year of the Celestial Calendar, the Yunlan Pavilion's Weapon Forging Hall forged the Thirty-Sixth Refinement Greatsword!"

Zhao Xian glanced at the blade and then replied with a smile.

"It was actually made by Yunlan Pavilion!"

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, Zhao Li couldn't help but exclaim in surprise!

Yunlan Pavilion is a merchant guild under the General Affairs Hall of Yunlan Sect. Its shops are located in seven prefectures and sixty-five counties of Qingzhou, making it a behemoth in the Qingzhou business world!

The items sold in this shop are all of the same quality and are quite expensive!

"I made a deal with Xu Dekun; the Xu family gave me a thousand low-grade spirit stones. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the financial resources to purchase such a powerful weapon!"

Seeing Zhao Li looking at him with a puzzled expression, Zhao Xian naturally understood the meaning in his uncle's eyes and immediately explained in a low voice.

"I'm just a country bumpkin and don't know much about the ways of officialdom, so I won't say more," Zhao Li said, nodding slightly and waving his hand with a smile. After a pause, he added, "Just a word of advice to Ah Xian: don't let these scions of powerful families sell you out!"

"Ah Xian understands!"

Zhao Xian also smiled and agreed.

"Dad, look! My eldest brother gave this to me!"

Zhao Bing, who was standing to the side, also came over and began to show off his ring-handled sword!

"Hmm?" Zhao Li glanced at the ring-shaped knife in Zhao Bing's hand, then looked up at Zhao Xian, who was smiling. His expression suddenly darkened, and he directly snatched the ring-shaped knife from Zhao Bing's hand.

"You brat! How dare you accept such a precious sword!"

But Zhao Li glared angrily at Zhao Bing and shouted sternly.

"Uncle, Ah Bing has already reached the Skin Refining stage and has achieved some merit in several demon hunts. Naturally, he needs a good knife for self-defense!"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Xian immediately stepped forward to explain to Zhao Bing.

"Ah Xian!" Zhao Li suddenly turned around and looked at Zhao Xian, hissing in a low voice, "Does Ah Duan also have one?"

"I think you've lost your mind!"

"Neither of them participated in the battle. If you take this precious sword, how will you be able to command respect in the future!"

"What are you all standing there for!" Zhao Lifu then turned to Zhao Bing, who stood silently to the side, and scolded, "Go and fetch Zhao Duan!"

Before long, Zhao Duan and Zhao Bing arrived, and the brand-new ring-handled sword in Zhao Duan's hand was handed to Zhao Li.

"Zhang Gong rendered great service in this battle, and afterwards he cleaned up the battlefield and took stock of the dead and wounded. He deserves a sword!" Zhao Li looked at Zhao Xian, then stuffed a ring-handled sword into Zhao Xian's arms, and continued, "Xu Hua was seriously injured while trying to stop the demonic beasts; he also deserves a sword!"

"Uncle~"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian glanced at the two brothers, Zhao Duan and Zhao Bing, who looked indignant, and hesitated for a moment.

"Ah Xian!" Zhao Li called out emphatically, his voice solemn, "The demon-hunting team has over twenty members; you are the backbone. You must act with utmost caution!"

"Don't hurt people's feelings!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian suddenly realized his mistake and immediately bowed to Zhao Li.

After putting the two ring-handled swords into his storage bag, Zhao Xian immediately headed out of the hall.

"Ah Bing is foolish, and Ah Duan, as the elder brother, is equally muddle-headed!"

"Sanlang's career is just beginning to take off, and instead of helping him fill in the gaps and make up for his shortcomings, you two are holding him back!"

As Zhao Xianchu stepped out of the hall, the reprimanding voice of his uncle Zhao Li came from inside, but he could only smile helplessly.

As my uncle said, this matter was indeed ill-considered.

Upon reaching a side courtyard, Zhao Xian saw a blond-haired figure showing off a long spear to the group.

"Ah Zhong!" Seeing this, Zhao Xian smiled and called out, "Go to the room and help your second cousin out!"

"Okay!"

Huang Zhong immediately responded, put away his spear, and then ran quickly into the house next to him.

"Ah Gong!"

Zhao Xianfu then looked at a robust young man in the crowd and called out with a smile.

"Zhao Jun!"

Upon hearing the voice, the robust young man immediately responded, pushed through the crowd, and strode over.

"Lord Zhao, what are your orders?"

Standing a few steps away, Zhang Gong respectfully bowed to Zhao Xian.

"Ah Gong, call all the brothers out and distribute their rewards!"

Zhao Xian looked at Zhang Gong and said with a smile.

"Thank you, Lord Zhao. I will now have everyone line up!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gong's face lit up with joy, and he immediately responded loudly.

"Line up! Line up!"

"Lord Zhao is about to distribute rewards!"

But Zhang Gong immediately started walking quickly in the courtyard, calling on everyone to get up and line up.

Before long, the injured people inside the room, as well as Zhao Li, Zhao Hong, and others, all stood about ten feet away from Zhao Xian, forming a very neat and orderly line.

Zhao Xian glanced at the group and saw that everyone was full of vigor and had a fierce look in their eyes, but they had inadvertently revealed a hint of toughness.

"The demon carcasses and the three demon cubs from this demon hunt have all been sold at Yunlan Pavilion, yielding a total of 340 low-grade spirit stones!"

Zhao Xian looked around at the people in front of him, and then shouted in a stern voice.

"Zhao Cai died in battle. I have already sent one hundred low-grade spirit stones to his family and exempted them from land taxes!"

At this point, Zhao Xian showed a hint of shame.

The other Daoist followers also showed a trace of sadness upon hearing this.

"Zhao Cai left behind two sons. In the future, someone will teach them martial arts and guide them in their cultivation. The whole family will have someone to rely on for the rest of their lives!"

Upon hearing this, all the Daoist disciples in front of him showed a look of shock!

"The remaining two hundred and forty low-grade spirit stones will be divided equally among all participants, ten stones each!" Before the Daoist followers could speak, Zhao Xian continued, "Ahong, Aduan, distribute the spirit stones!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hong and Zhao Duan each carried a wooden tray and slowly stepped out from behind Zhao Xian.

On the wooden tray were naturally several low-grade spirit stones that emitted a faint glow.

"We are deeply grateful for Mr. Zhao's noble character!"

Zhang Gong immediately raised his arm and roared loudly!

"Zhao Jun is a man of noble character!"

The other Taoist followers also shouted in unison!

The shouts of more than twenty people were quite loud.

In the main hall of the backyard, Cao Miao, who was swaying her head and reading the green bamboo slips in front of her, couldn't help but look up when she heard the shout, a hint of envy in her eyes!

"A lowly official who doesn't even turn twenty!"

With a soft sigh and a gentle sniff of the rising smoke from the incense burner before him, Cao Miao calmed down again and began to carefully study the bamboo slips in front of him.

"How regrettable that I am already so old!"

As the spirit stones were distributed to the Daoist practitioners, a smile couldn't help but appear in their eyes as they rubbed the shiny low-grade spirit stones in their hands.

"In the battle of Dajingkou, we defeated 45 bandits, and the county has already distributed rewards totaling 45,000 talisman coins!" Zhao Xian looked around at the Daoist people again and said with a smile, "Brothers who participated in the battle of Dajingkou, please step forward three times!"

Upon hearing this, the Daoist practitioners who participated in the battle stepped forward three times on their own.

"Zhang Gong achieved the most decapitations in this battle, shooting and killing four bandits!" Zhao Xian looked at Zhang Gong at the front of the column, a slight smile playing on his lips. "He deserves a reward of four thousand coins!"

"A-Duan, bring the talisman money!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Hong, Zhao Duan, Huang Zhong, and Zhao Bing, in pairs, carried over two heavy baskets of talisman money.

Inside the bamboo basket, the golden talisman coins were piled high!

"Then, write down four thousand talismans and hand them to Zhang Gong!"

Zhao Xian gave the order without turning his head.

Zhao Hong and his three companions immediately got to work.

"Zhang Gong, since you joined the demon-hunting team, you have repeatedly rendered great service. This low-grade sharp weapon-level ring-handled sword is hereby bestowed upon you!"

With a flash of inspiration, Zhao Xian produced a finely crafted ring-handled sword in his hand and handed it to Zhang Gong in front of him.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Lord Zhao!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gong immediately shouted and stepped forward, taking the ring-shaped sword from Zhao Xian's hands with both hands.

"Xu Hua, you have repeatedly bravely stepped forward to thwart the attacks of demonic beasts, and you deserve a reward!"

After Zhang Gong withdrew, Zhao Xianfu looked at his second cousin Xu Hua, who was standing to the side, and shouted loudly.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Zhao!"

Xu Hua's face lit up with joy, unable to contain his excitement. He almost called out Zhao Xian's name, but after a pause, he quickly changed his address to Zhao Jun.

"Clang!"

With his ring-bladed sword drawn, Xu Hua brandished the weapon with an air of arrogance and pride, unable to suppress his smile.

"Huang Zhong, you have captured and killed two bandits; the reward is two thousand coins!"

After Xu Hua left, Zhao Xianfu continued to shout.

More than forty were beheaded, but not counting Zhang Gong and his archers, only seven or eight of the bandits were actually killed in battle, and most of them only killed one or two people.

After all the talisman coins were distributed, there were still about 20,000 talisman coins left.

Seeing that everyone was still glancing at the remaining pile of talisman coins, Zhao Xian immediately smiled and said, "The remaining talisman coins still need to be distributed to the four guests under Lord Chen's command!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded repeatedly and stopped paying attention to the remaining talisman coins.

After waving to Zhao Hong to take the remaining talisman money back, Zhao Xian chatted with the injured Taoist priests for a few more minutes before letting everyone disperse.

Meanwhile, a new change occurred in the reed marshes twenty miles away from Shahe Township.

"Greetings, Master Liu!"

A scholar in a blue robe entered from outside the thatched cottage. He bowed respectfully to the burly man in the main seat.

"Mr. Wei has arrived, please have a seat!"

The burly man in the main seat looked at the scholar in the green robe in front of him and then grinned.

"Master Liu, the battle at Dajingkou really caused you considerable losses."

The scholar in the green robe didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately walked to the first seat on the right, lifted his robe, sat down, and solemnly said...

Seeing the scholar in the green robe so casually, the burly man in the main seat also narrowed his pupils, revealing a hint of murderous intent in his eyes, but it quickly turned into a faint smile.

"Mr. Wei, that Zhao Xian is truly extraordinary; his demon-hunting team is exceptionally elite!" Suppressing his dissatisfaction, the burly man spoke with a grave expression, "If Zhao Xian attacks..."

"Master Liu, you are overthinking this!" Upon hearing this, the scholar in the green robe immediately waved his hand and laughed, "The reed marshes stretch as far as the eye can see. Zhao Xian's demon-hunting team consists of only about twenty people. Once they enter the reed marshes, they will disappear without a trace, just like a drop of water merging into a river or sea."

"If it truly enters this reed marshland, then this reed marshland will become its burial ground!"

But then the scholar in the green robe stroked his short beard, looked around at the others in the hall, and said with a smile.

"Mr. Wei is right!"

Upon seeing this, the burly man could only manage a forced smile and reply.

"Mr. Wei, my followers have suffered heavy losses and need time to recuperate. Therefore, I will not keep you here any longer!"

The tone shifted abruptly, and the burly man was already smiling and gesturing to drive away the group of scholars in green robes.

"Haha, Master Liu, the scenery here is wonderful. We've already set our sights on this place and plan to make a name for ourselves here. How can we leave so easily!"

Upon hearing this, the scholar in the green robe immediately waved his folding fan and said calmly.

"Um?"

The burly man was slightly taken aback. After a few breaths of thought, he finally understood the meaning behind the scholar in the green robe's words, and his expression immediately changed slightly.

"Mr. Wei, this is a remote and impoverished place; there's no beautiful scenery here. Why don't you leave now?"

A hint of fear flashed in the burly man's eyes, but he quickly suppressed his anger and coldly advised him.

Upon hearing this, the scholar in the green robe fell silent, looking around and carefully examining every plant and tree in the hall.

Seeing this, the burly man in the main seat showed a fleeting anger, then immediately stood up and shouted, "You surnamed Wei, leave at once! Don't linger here!"

"Second brother!"

Suddenly, the burly man turned to look at the first person on the lower left and shouted a question in a stern voice.

"Brother, don't panic. I think Mr. Wei makes a good point!"

The person below, upon hearing this, spoke slowly and calmly.

"Second brother, how dare you betray us!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately understood the second leader's intentions and roared angrily.

"Hmph! You, surnamed Liu, know perfectly well how you became the big boss!"

"This is just tit for tat!"

"Clang!"

With their ring-bladed swords drawn, the two leaders charged towards the burly man at the head of the group!

"Okay, okay!"

"I'll show you the difference between us today!"

The burly man, seeing the two leaders charging towards him, was so angry he laughed instead.

"Bang!"

With a sudden burst of force, the wooden planks laid on the ground exploded and shattered.

Wood chips flew everywhere, but the burly man didn't advance; instead, he retreated and crashed backward!

The thatched cottage was crudely built; it could withstand wind and rain, but how could it withstand the swift impact of a first-rate martial artist!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, a figure burst out of the thatched hut and rushed off into the distance, shouting, "Second leader has betrayed us! Follow me and kill this ingrate!"

Upon hearing this sudden turn of events, the scattered bandits around the thatched cottage were momentarily stunned, then their faces showed disbelief.

"That thief is quite cunning!"

"Ayu, go and kill him!"

Inside the thatched cottage, the green-robed cultivator looked through a hole about the height of a person at the fleeing bandit leader and chuckled softly.

"Whoosh!"

But then he saw the silent figure behind him, who hadn't uttered a word, lightly tap his toes, and a gentle breeze swirled around him as he rushed out of the thatched cottage through the hole.

"kill!"

With a low shout, the figure appeared before the bandit leader in the blink of an eye, like a blue whirlwind.

"Pfft!"

With a slight tremor of the sword tip, a flash of blue light disappeared in an instant, and a jet of blood gushed out from the bandit leader's neck!

The second leader inside the thatched cottage had also chased out of the cottage. He glanced at the first leader lying dead on the ground with his eyes wide open, and his heart couldn't help but tremble!

"The leader is dead!"

"I am now the new leader!"

Recalling what the scholar in the green robe had said, the second leader immediately looked around at the bandits and shouted sternly.

Seeing that the swordsman had killed the leader with a single stroke, even those bandits who were loyal to the leader had no choice but to suppress their loyalty and immediately kneel down.

"We have met our leader!"