Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 129 Military Officer Zhao Jun (Seeking monthly votes)

Sure enough, within three to five days, more officials arrived from the county, and the one in the lead was none other than a high-ranking official with an official seal.

"We have met Lord Liu!"

Cao Miao and Zhao Xian, along with the village officials, bowed respectfully to the visitors!

Liu Yuan, the county clerk, came from the Liu family, a prominent clan in the county, and was also a confidant of the county magistrate. Naturally, he deserved such a grand ceremony.

"Haha, Lord Cao, Lord Zhao, and all of you, please rise!"

Liu Yuan smiled calmly, looked at Cao Miao and Zhao Xian, and raised his hand to help them up.

"Mr. Liu, please come into the country house!"

The two men naturally got up, stepped aside, and accompanied Liu Yuan into the country house.

In the main hall of the front courtyard, Liu Yuan sat in the main seat, and everyone else took their seats.

"The bandits of Taisei Mountain have plagued the area for years, but you have now wiped them out. This is truly a great achievement!"

"The county magistrate has ordered that we distribute the rewards immediately!"

Looking around at everyone, Liu Yuan said with a smile.

"We thank you, Your Excellency!"

Zhao Xian and Cao Miao immediately bowed and thanked him.

Are Yuancheng and Dekun still in the house?

Seeing that Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun were not in the hall, Liu Yuan immediately looked at Cao Miao and asked with a smile.

"Reporting back to Mr. Liu, Mr. Chen and Mr. Xu, concerned about official business in their hometown, have returned to Wohu Township."

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao immediately responded respectfully.

"I thought I could be lazy and avoid walking too much, but it seems I'll have to make another trip to Wohu Township!"

Liu Yuan chuckled lightly and said jokingly.

"There's no need for Liu Jun to go; I will send someone to Wohu Township immediately!"

Hearing this, Zhao Xian also chimed in.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Lord Zhao!"

Liu Yuan did not refuse and immediately said with a smile.

Zhao Xian bowed again, got up and went outside the hall, summoned Zhao Hong and Zhao Duan, whispered something to them, and then returned to the hall.

Zhao Hong and Zhao Duan also walked quickly towards the stable, and before long, the two riders had sped away like the wind.

"Lord Zhao, this should be the second time I've met you!" Liu Yuan said casually for a few moments, then looked at Zhao Xian and smiled, "Back then, Lord Zhao was only fifteen or sixteen years old, yet you single-handedly killed more than ten bandits!"

"I was quite amazed, and now, several years later, Mr. Zhao has become famous throughout the countryside!"

"If it weren't for Lord Liu's fair rewards and punishments, Zhao Xian wouldn't have been able to gather enough resources for cultivation. Without Lord Liu, there would be no Zhao Xian today!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately prostrated himself on the ground and replied solemnly.

"Haha, Mr. Zhao, you flatter me. Please rise!"

Upon seeing this, Liu Yuan immediately waved his sleeve, and a gust of wind flew out, helping Zhao Xian to his feet.

Seeing Zhao Xian's respectful attitude, Liu Yuan was very pleased and continued chatting with Zhao Xian, with Cao Miao occasionally chiming in.

After learning that Zhao Xian had led his troops to quell the demonic calamities in Wohu Township and Shahe Township, Liu Yuan also had an idea in mind.

More than half of Rongtai County is adjacent to the foothills of the Yunling Mountains. In the past six months, not only Wohu Township and Shahe Township have been plagued by demons, but four or five other townships have also suffered from the invasion of demonic beasts.

The county magistrate was also very troubled by this.

The county's left and right lieutenants have both gone to Zhenyao Pass to guard it, leaving only the county magistrate and the county assistant as Foundation Establishment cultivators in the county government office, which is truly beyond their capacity.

If we can persuade the county magistrate to send Zhao Xian to quell the demonic disturbance, this matter may be resolved completely!

Upon thinking of this, Liu Yuan couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

"Bo Zhang, I've heard you have a demon-hunting team under your command. They've done a great job in eliminating the bandits this time. Why don't you take us to visit them?"

Suddenly, Liu Yuan looked at Zhao Xian and said with a smile.

"Since Lord Liu has this intention, how could Zhao Xian dare to refuse!" Zhao Xian immediately stood up, bowed, and gestured, "Lord Liu, please!"

The group immediately got up and headed out of the cottage.

Upon arriving at the training ground, Zhao Li, Zhang Gong, Xu Hua, and others were leading the Mo Xia Dao people in training.

"kill!"

Zhao Li brandished his ring-pommel sword and shouted, and the three groups of Daoist priests moved at the sound, all brandishing their spears and thrusting forward!

"shoot!"

At Zhang Gong's command, a squad of archers fired their arrows.

Eighty paces away, several targets stood, and in the blink of an eye, arrows struck the targets one after another!

"Excellent archery skills!"

Upon seeing this, Liu Yuan also showed a hint of surprise in his eyes and praised it.

"I only knew that Bo Zhang was skilled in archery, but I never knew that the guests under his command were also such skilled archers!"

Liu Yuan concealed the surprise in his eyes, looked at Zhao Xian with a smile, and praised him.

"Mr. Liu, you flatter me. It's nothing more than some rustic trick!"

Zhao Xian then spoke modestly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan smiled without saying a word, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Li, Zhang Gong, and the others.

Although they were only third- or second-rate martial artists, their aura was extremely fierce, and they were clearly seasoned veterans.

"This Zhao Xian actually has some skill in training troops!"

Looking at Zhao Xian again, Liu Yuan pondered to himself.

"Da da da!"

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from the official road. Everyone looked up and saw Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun and their companions.

"Now that Mr. Chen and Mr. Xu have arrived, let us return to our homes first!"

Liu Yuan smiled slightly and turned to walk towards the country house.

Before long, everyone took their seats in the main hall.

"The county magistrate is very pleased with the annihilation of the bandits at Duiying Mountain and has ordered us to distribute the rewards immediately!"

Looking around at everyone, Liu Yuan said solemnly.

"This time, forty-six were beheaded, including four bandit leaders and forty-two bandits. Each bandit leader was awarded 10,000 talismans, and each bandit was awarded 1,000 talismans, for a total of 82,000 talismans!"

The people below showed no unusual expression upon hearing this amount.

"I've brought the money; please hand it over."

At this point, Liu Yuan paused and looked at Chen Yuancheng.

"Lord Liu, this great victory is entirely due to Bo Zhang and his demon-hunting team. Let the credit be given to Bo Zhang!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately replied.

"What do you think, Lord Cao?"

Liu Yuan nodded slightly, then looked at Cao Miao and asked with a smile.

Cao Miao naturally chimed in, as an old clerk could easily see that Liu Yuan favored Zhao Xian, and he would not speak up to be the bad guy.

"Bozhang, step forward!"

"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Excellency!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately rose from his seat, stood below the hall, and bowed to Liu Yuan.

"Eight hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones are all inside. Take out the spirit stones. As for this storage bag, it belongs to the county and cannot be given to you!"

Liu Yuan immediately took out a storage bag, placed it on the table, and then made a joke.

Upon hearing this, everyone chuckled in agreement.

Zhao Xian immediately stepped forward, took out the spirit stones from his storage bag, put them all into his own storage bag, and then respectfully presented Liu Yuan's storage bag.

Seeing Zhao Xian accept the spirit stones and return to the hall, Liu Yuan looked down at the people below, his expression turning solemn.

"Cao Miao, the village head of Shahe Township, has rendered meritorious service in suppressing bandits; hereby awarded one commendation!"

"Cao Miao thanks the county magistrate!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Miao immediately stood up and bowed.

"Zhao Xian, the township magistrate of Shahe Township, has demonstrated skillful command and meritorious service in suppressing bandits; he is hereby awarded a major merit!"

"Chen Yuancheng, the magistrate of Wohu Township, has rendered meritorious service in suppressing bandits and is hereby awarded a major merit!"

"Xu Dekun, the village chief of Wohu Township, has rendered meritorious service in suppressing bandits and is hereby awarded a major commendation!"

"We thank you, Your Excellency!"

Zhao Xian and the other two stood up at the same time and shouted loudly.

"With this great achievement in hand, Yuan Cheng will surely be able to wear the official seal and serve as an official alongside us at the end of the year!"

Liu Yuan put down the bamboo slip in his hand, looked at Chen Yuancheng, and smiled calmly first.

Of the people in the hall, only Chen Yuancheng is truly worthy of Liu Yuan's attention.

The reason for this was simply that Chen Yuancheng came from a prominent family in the county and was betrothed to a noblewoman from the Liu family.

As for Zhao Xian, Xu Dekun, and others, they have not yet caught his eye.

After a brief chat, Liu Yuan got up to take his leave, and everyone naturally rose to see him off.

Upon reaching the village house, Liu Yuan suddenly looked at Zhao Xian, a smile on his face, and said meaningfully, "Bo Zhang, these next few days you should rest and cultivate in peace in the house!"

After saying this, Liu Yuan mounted his horse and led his entourage away at full speed.

"What's wrong with Liu Jun?"

Watching Liu Yuan and his group leave, Zhao Xian showed a hint of doubt on his face and looked at Cao Miao and Chen Yuancheng beside him.

"Haha, Bozhang, good things are about to happen!"

"Perhaps you'll have to wear the seal of office before me!"

When Chen Yuan was founded, he made a joking remark.

"What Chen Jun says is quite right. Liu Jun is the county's chief clerk and a confidant of the county magistrate. Bo Zhang's meritorious service in suppressing the bandits has already caught Liu Jun's eye!"

Cao Miao, standing to the side, also smiled and echoed.

Xu Dekun, who was standing to the side, felt very depressed when he saw this scene.

Chen Yuancheng, being observant, saw Xu Dekun's expression and naturally understood his thoughts. He immediately smiled and said, "Dekun already has two great achievements to his name. With Liu Yugong's recommendation at the end of the year, the position of Western Patrol Officer should be within his grasp!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Cao Miao and Zhao Xianli, who were standing nearby, also chimed in to agree.

"Then I'll take your kind words as a blessing!"

Xu Dekun forced a smile and said with a laugh.

A moment later, Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun also returned to Wohu Township.

Zhao Xian and the others also returned to their village house to prepare for a good rest.

A few days later, Liu Yuan, the county clerk, came to Shahe Township again to announce the appointment of the county magistrate!

"Zhao Xian, the township assistant of Shahe Township, is hereby appointed to temporarily assume the position of county military officer, and is hereby ordered to recruit a team of Taoist priests to quell the demonic disturbances within the county!"

"Congratulations, Lord Zhao! Before you've even reached adulthood, you've already risen to the rank of a minor official!"

Liu Yuan looked down at Zhao Xian and said with a smile.

"This~"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian froze on the spot!

"Bozhang, why don't you quickly pay your respects to the County Magistrate and Lord Liu!"

Seeing Zhao Xian standing there in a daze, Cao Miao immediately took a few steps forward and tugged at Zhao Xian's sleeve.

"Zhao Xian bows in gratitude to the County Magistrate!"

Coming to his senses, Zhao Xian immediately took a deep breath, knelt down, and kowtowed to Liu Yuan.

"Thank you for the recommendation, Mr. Liu!"

Zhao Xianfu raised his head to look at Liu Yuan again and kowtowed once more.

"Oh, Bozhang, there's no need for such a grand gesture!"

Upon seeing this, Liu Yuan immediately bent down to help Zhao Xian up.

"Bo Zhang has repeatedly rendered great service, and the county magistrate has heard of it. I, however, have not contributed anything!"

Liu Yuan immediately smiled and said.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian still looked at Liu Yuan with gratitude.

That being said, if Liu Yuan hadn't given him a push from behind, it would have been at least another two or three years before Zhao Xian could wear the official seal!

Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun have both made numerous contributions, but they still need to wait for their predecessors to step down before they can take over their positions!

"The two county lieutenants are decisive in their actions, and the position of county clerk has been vacant for a long time. Bozhang, you must be more careful in your future dealings!"

After receiving the half-seal and blue ribbon from his subordinate, Liu Yuan personally put the seal and ribbon on Zhao Xian's head, then smiled calmly and gave some pointers.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lord Liu!" Zhao Xian bowed again in gratitude. "Lord Liu, when may I go to the county to pay my respects to the County Magistrate?"

"Bozhang, the county magistrate has ordered you to quell the demonic disturbances in the western and northern parts of the county as soon as possible. As for the matter of paying respects to the county magistrate, that must wait until after the demonic disturbances are quelled!"

"Furthermore, Bo Zhangru is currently only at the sixth level of Qi Refining. If he wants to shed the title of 'temporary', he needs to hurry up and advance to the late stage of Qi Refining!"

"Bo Zhang thanks Mr. Liu for his guidance!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian bowed again.

"This is the county magistrate's warrant. With this warrant, Bozhang can command the officials of the western and northern villages!"

Liu Yuan then took out a scroll of green bamboo slips from his sleeve, handed it to Zhao Xian, and said solemnly.

Zhao Xian immediately accepted the bamboo slip with a respectful expression.

"As is customary, the clerk in the Ministry of War has a total of five staff members, including one food clerk and four assistant clerks!"

"The county magistrate grants you the right to recruit two assistants!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian couldn't help but show a hint of joy on his face and responded in a deep voice.

A moment later, Liu Yuan got up to take his leave, and Zhao Xian and the others saw him off outside the house.

After Liu Yuan and his entourage left, Cao Miao immediately looked at Zhao Xian, straightened his robes, and bowed to Zhao Xian, saying, "This humble official Cao Miao greets Military Officer Zhao!"

"This humble official pays his respects to Military Officer Zhao!"

Behind him, all the officials of the village bowed deeply!