Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 172 Everyone is delighted, the Yan family's secret treasure (Seeking monthly votes)

"Three acres of low-grade spirit land?!"

In the main hall, Chen Sheng looked at the four people below, raised an eyebrow, and looked quite surprised.

"Reporting back to the Venerable Master, that spiritual field is located in an underground cave, concealed by an array, making it extremely well-hidden!"

"This must have been the result of decades of hard work and meticulous cultivation by the Yan family!"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Xian immediately recounted what he had seen and heard in the cave.

"The Yan family didn't occupy any spiritual veins. Those three acres of low-grade spiritual fields must have come at a considerable cost to maintain their grade!"

After Zhao Xian finished speaking, an elderly monk with graying temples spoke up in a low voice.

Zhao Xian did not recognize this person, but he could guess that this person should be the Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Xu family.

Immediately, Zhao Xian bowed respectfully to the old monk, saying, "Your Excellency has discerning eyes!"

"If a low-grade spiritual field is used to grow Jade Pearl Rice, it will yield about one and a half shi per mu per year, with one harvest per mu."

"Three mu (approximately 0.3 hectares) would yield over four hundred jin (approximately 200 kg) of Jade Pearl Rice per year, which would be worth at least a thousand low-grade spirit stones!"

At this moment, another person who had not spoken until now, Master Liu Ang, glanced around at everyone and spoke up in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, the people in the hall all fell silent.

As the saying goes, wealth can move people's hearts!

Even though these three acres of low-grade spirit fields are not built on a spirit vein, maintaining their grade requires a considerable amount of spirit stones every year.

But it is still a spirit field of a certain grade. Even after deducting the cost of maintaining the spirit field, it can still earn five hundred low-grade spirit stones a year!

Even a high-ranking official with a salary of 100 shi (a unit of grain) receives only 100 low-grade spirit stones per year!

Even if Chen Sheng successfully takes up the position of county magistrate, his annual salary is nominally only four hundred low-grade spirit stones!

This is also why the venerable ones have remained silent at this time!

"Gentlemen, why don't you take a look at the rest of your gains first?"

Suddenly, Zhao Xian broke the silence in the hall and pointed to several spirit-suppressing wooden boxes on the ground!

"Bo Zhang is absolutely right!"

Chen Sheng immediately smiled and said that he was quite satisfied with Zhao Xian breaking the silence at this time.

"We did not take a single spirit stone from the box!"

"As for these magical artifacts and elixirs, each of us will take one!"

Zhao Xian did not hide anything, and opened the wooden boxes one by one, telling the truth.

"This is the account of the Yan family's annual transfer of mid-grade spirit stones to the Yunlan Sect!"

Seeing the surprised expressions on the faces of the monks, Zhao Xian took out the account book from the wooden box and presented it to Chen Sheng.

The moment the wooden box was opened, the divine senses of several masters arrived simultaneously.

He already knew the number of spirit stones in the box.

Chen Sheng took the account book, glanced at it a few times, and then handed it to Liu Mao and Xu Daoshan.

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators only glanced at it twice, since they could tell at a glance that the ledger was not a forgery!

"The three of us will each take twenty mid-grade spirit stones, and the remaining forty must be given to the county magistrate!"

"As for these low-grade spirit stones, Bozhang, you have contributed greatly this time, so take six hundred. Yuancheng, Dekun, and this young friend from the Cao family, each take three hundred!"

Chen Sheng glanced at the spirit stones and then began distributing them to the people in the hall.

What are your thoughts, everyone?

Finally, Chen Sheng looked around at everyone and asked with a smile.

The Chen family was powerful, and neither Liu Ang nor Xu Daoshan had any objection to this.

The two masters had no objections, let alone Zhao Xian and the other three, who naturally bowed and thanked them.

Without Zhao Xian and the others needing to count them, Chen Sheng, with a slight thought, gathered the low-grade spirit stones that everyone had obtained into a pile and placed it in front of the four people.

Zhao Xian and the other three immediately put away the low-grade spirit stones they had obtained.

Zhao Xian naturally wouldn't share these six hundred low-grade spirit stones with others, and the rewards for his Daoist followers would naturally come from the talisman money obtained by the Yan family.

Zhao Xian glanced at it and saw that there were more than twenty baskets!

Bright yellow, standing out!

It must be hundreds of thousands!

Of the remaining magical artifacts, there were three mid-grade artifacts, and each of the three masters naturally received one.

In fact, Zhao Xian and the other three had already discovered these three mid-grade magic artifacts when they were in the underground cave, but they all tacitly refrained from touching them.

A mid-grade magic weapon costs at least four hundred low-grade spirit stones!

Moreover, mid-grade magic artifacts consume far more mana, making them impossible for Qi Refining cultivators to control!

Finally, there were the medicinal herbs, and the several masters each took a few.

After distributing the spiritual items, Zhao Xian stepped forward again and bowed.

"I would be grateful if the three of you could stay here for another three to five days. The Yan family owns numerous fields, caravans, shops, livestock, and other properties that require careful inventory!"

"We will follow Bozhang's advice!"

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, then looked at Zhao Xian and the other two, and instructed, "Bo Zhang, Yuan Cheng, and De Kun, you three need to each write a document to the County Magistrate, and then Yuan Cheng will escort the Yan family members to the county to confess their crimes and accept punishment!"

Chen Sheng was also an experienced official, so he was naturally familiar with the ins and outs. With his guidance, the three of them understood how to submit their petition to the county magistrate!

The three bowed in gratitude once more before slowly withdrawing with Cao Quan.

"Ah Quan, now that this matter is over, I'm afraid I can't keep you here anymore!"

After leaving the residence, Zhao Xian mounted his horse, then suddenly turned to look at Cao Quan behind him and said with a smile.

Given their past achievements in eliminating the Wu family and now in eliminating the Yan family, if the Cao family were to make any further moves, Cao Quan would surely be promoted by the county magistrate.

Zhao Xianmo only had Song Ming, a military officer, as a food official, so he naturally could not arrange a food official position for Cao Quan.

"Cao Quan dares not! If it weren't for Lord Zhao's recommendation, where would Cao Quan be today!"

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, Cao Quan responded with utmost respect.

"Haha!" Zhao Xian laughed heartily, then said gently, "Ah Quan, don't be so modest!"

"With this experience, you will surely soar to great heights in the future!"

"Ah Quan, we have already decided that Liu Zhuo will be appointed as the village assistant. Are you interested in taking over the position of village head left behind by Liu Zhuo?"

Xu Dekun, standing to the side, looked at Cao Quan and asked with a smile.

He and Cao Quan had known each other since childhood, so it was quite appropriate for him to say these words!

Obviously, if the Cao family were to act on behalf of Cao Quan, the best position they could obtain would be the position of village assistant in Wohu Township, which was left behind after Yan Su was arrested.

However, Zhao Xian and the other two had already promised the position to Liu Zhuo!

Upon hearing this, Cao Quan was slightly taken aback, and then a bitter smile appeared on his face.

Although the village head was a lowly official, he was a lowly servant who welcomed and saw off guests. Even if the village was a large village, what difference did it make?

This will not change the fact that they are considered lowly servants!

However, since the three of them have spoken up, they must have other ideas.

"What do the three lords mean?"

Thinking of this, Cao Quan also looked at Zhao Xian and the other two, and tentatively asked.

"A position is vacant in the western guerrilla command. Is Ah Quan interested in taking a position under this guerrilla?"

Chen Yuancheng immediately looked at Cao Quan and smiled gently.

"If I'm not mistaken, this western patrol post should still be held by someone from the Liu family of Mangshan!"

"After all, the Liu family also contributed to the extermination of the Yan family, and the county magistrate will reward them by reserving this position for the Liu family!"

"Ah Quan, you're from Wohu Township, which is quite impressive considering you've been wandering the western frontier!"

After Chen Yuancheng finished speaking, he spurred his horse forward and stopped talking to Cao Quan about the matter.

The final outcome of this matter depends entirely on Cao Quan's decision!

A moment later, the four returned to the Yan family residence.

Meanwhile, Zhao Hong and his group were still taking stock of the Yan family's wealth.

As for Zhao Ji and the others, they mingled with Chen Yuancheng and the guests of the Xu and Cao families.

They say they're hanging out together, but really it's just them keeping an eye on each other!

After all, the Yan family is large and powerful; they could make a fortune if they weren't careful!

What's more, the beautiful maids and female relatives of the Yan family are still alive!

Upon seeing Zhao Xian and his companions return, everyone bowed and greeted them.

"Mr. Chen and Mr. Xu possess a vast amount of wealth, which has not yet been fully inventoried!"

Song Ming also stepped forward and said with a wry smile.

"It's alright, just continue the inventory!"

Zhao Xian nodded slightly, then asked in a solemn voice, "Have the talisman money been counted?"

"The talisman money has been counted; it totals a whopping 470,000!"

Upon hearing this, Song Ming stepped forward and reported in a low voice.

"Let's distribute the talisman money to all the civilians and soldiers who participated in the battle first!"

Zhao Xian immediately spoke up.

"Then please, Mr. Zhao, set out a plan!"

Song Ming's expression immediately turned solemn, and he spoke in a stern voice.

"Each top-tier martial artist who participates in the battle will be rewarded with five thousand talisman coins. If any top-tier martial artist is captured, their head will be counted as the bandit leader's, with ten thousand talisman coins!"

"Each second-rate martial artist who participates in the battle will be rewarded with two thousand talisman coins. If any second-rate or third-rate martial artists are killed, their heads will be rewarded with two thousand talisman coins each!"

"The injured will be rewarded with additional coins based on the severity of their injuries!"

"In the event of death, first-rate martial artists will receive a compensation of 10,000 talismans, and second-rate martial artists will receive 5,000 talismans!"

"What are your thoughts, Mr. Chen and Mr. Xu?"

After pondering for a few moments, Zhao Xian looked at Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun and spoke.

"It will all be in accordance with Lord Zhao's wishes!"

The two of them naturally had no objections.

Upon hearing that rewards were to be distributed, the Daoist followers present were naturally very excited.

Zhao Li and Zhao Yi did not kill any of the Yan family's guests; instead, they stayed behind to guard the Yan family members.

With the assistance of Zhao Hong, Zhao Ji, and others, Song Ming and his team confirmed the kills, and the reward money was distributed in just over half an hour!

Thankfully, no one died!

Instead, four people were fighting over the valuables, but they were killed by Zhao Li and Zhao Yi!

Song Ming then came to ask Zhao Xian how to handle the affairs after the deaths of the four men, and Zhao Xian used the excuse that the four men had died to settle the matter.

These four people are all second-rate martial artists, and their families can receive an additional five thousand talismans!

These four people also have powerful connections, so Zhao Xian doesn't need to worry that the Xu and Cao families behind them will abandon them after they've served their purpose and mistreat their families!

After the rewards were distributed, Zhao Xian ordered all guests and attendants except Zhao Ji and others to leave the Yan family immediately.

Having received the talisman money, none of them complained and all left the Yan family with smiles on their faces.

Zhao Xian distributed 150,000 coins as rewards alone. He also gave a portion of the remaining coins to Chen Yuancheng, who would then distribute them among the county officials who handled the matter.

This part will cost at least 100,000 talismans.

Chen Yuancheng, Xu Dekun, and Cao Quan each took another 20,000 talisman coins. Talisman coins are not like spirit stones; they are used for welcoming guests and sending off guests in many ways.

Cao Quan, however, although he took 20,000 coins, secretly sent 10,000 back to Zhao Xian!

In the end, Zhao Xian only had 160,000 to 170,000 talismans left.

It looks like a lot, but it doesn't last long!

That afternoon, Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun escorted Yan Heng and his son Yan Su, along with other important male members of the Yan family such as Yan Li and Yan Zhen, back to the county town.

After last night's massacre, very few male members of the Yan family survived!

As for the female members of the Yan family, they were escorted by Cao Quan to the county town the following day.

As for why it was said to be the next day, it was naturally because Zhao Xian needed to verify it again.

The eldest brother, Zhao Zheng, still led the Daoist people to guard around the Yan family. After Chen Yuancheng and the others left, Zhao Xian also ordered them to enter the Yan family's residence.

Each Taoist disciple was given three hundred talismans.

As for why there were so few, it's because they had only been standing outside all night!

After distributing the talisman money, he ordered Zhang Gong and Xu Hua to lead two groups of Taoist priests to continue guarding the area around the Yan family residence.

Aside from the talisman money, the Yan family still possesses countless riches!

Items such as weapons, lamps, brocade robes, bedding, and jewelry were also quite valuable!

However, this part naturally belongs to Zhao Xian!

After working all night, Zhao Xian and the others hadn't eaten or drunk anything.

Zhao Zheng ordered several Taoist priests to boil water and cook porridge, while Song Ming, Liu Ping, Liu Sheng, and Zhao Hong and others continued to count the valuables.

Account books.

As for Cao Quan, he led Zhao Ji, Zhao Cheng, and others to begin questioning the female members, maids, servants, and others in the Yan family.

With nothing to do, Zhao Xian took his uncle and father for a stroll around the Yan family mansion.

The Yan family's residence was not a three-courtyard house, but a large five-courtyard house!

There are quite a few main halls and side courtyards!

The three of them casually pushed open the doors of a few houses and went inside to take a look.

"Look, there's a thick blanket on the ground; even in winter, walking on it isn't cold at all!"

Zhao Li pointed to the carpet in the room and said with a smile.

"The Yan family has been in Wohu Township for a century; they are certainly not benevolent people!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi took a puff of his cigarette and said with a smile.

"A century's worth of accumulation—it would take who knows how long to move it all!"

Zhao Li looked at the carpet on the ground and really wanted to take it home!

"Uncle, take your time moving it, it's not going anywhere!"

Zhao Xian closed the door and replied with a smile.

After strolling around the mansion for a while, the three of them arrived at a rather spacious courtyard.

"This should be the training ground for the Yan family's guests!"

Looking at the weapon racks around him and the huge stone on the ground where blood and qi had been forged, Zhao Xian said with great certainty.

"These things are nice, let's take them all back to Yangpingli!"

"Our Zhao family's lads always seem to be wielding wooden swords and spears!"

Zhao Li also kept looking at the weapon rack and said with a smile.

At this moment, a tall blue stone in the courtyard also caught Zhao Xian's attention.

After walking around the bluestone, Yi Xian suddenly looked at his father and uncle and said with a smile, "Doesn't this bluestone seem a bit out of place here?"

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, the two of them naturally came over to take a look.

"Father, Uncle, lend a hand, see if you can push it?"

Upon hearing Yi Xian's words, Yi Yi and Yi Li also stepped forward, took a deep breath, and the three of them exerted their strength on the tall blue stone!

"Crunch, crunch!"

A creaking sound immediately followed, and the huge bluestone began to move slowly.

After more than ten breaths, a deep cave entrance appeared before the three of them.

"Shall we go down and take a look?"

Ye-ri looked at Ye-hyun and asked.

Upon hearing this, Ke Yixian waved his hand, and a shield the size of a bar appeared in front of him. Then, Jing Guangyi shone brightly, transforming into a half-person-high shield in front of his chest!

This scene was also reflected in the eyes of Zhao Li and Yi Yi, and both of them showed a hint of envy!

This is a magical artifact of the immortal path!

With a flick of the finger, a ball flew into the hole below and went straight to the bottom without any apparent abnormality!

Seeing this, Zhao Xian also stepped into it, and after a moment, he landed gracefully.

"Come down, Father, Uncle!"

"There's no mechanism involved!"

He propelled the fireball forward, peered inside by its light, and immediately shouted upwards.

After the two men got off, the three of them continued walking forward.

The cave was not large, only a few dozen feet in diameter!

There were more than a dozen wooden crates on the ground, and neatly arranged weapon racks on both sides!

Yi Xian stopped Yi Li from stepping forward, scanned the cave with his divine sense, and only after finding nothing unusual did he move forward.

"Clang!"

Yi Li walked towards a weapon rack, picked up a ring-pommel sword, and drew it with a clang!

"Ding!"

With a flick of the finger, a crisp echo resounded!

"Hiss! It's actually a low-grade weapon!"

Although Yi Li was not familiar with Daoist texts, he was still a second-rate martial artist and could naturally tell the quality of weapons!

Having sheathed the ring-pommel sword, Ye-ri picked up the next one, drew it from its sheath, and examined it.

"Another low-grade weapon!"

Looking around at the weapon racks in the cave, Qi Li couldn't help but mutter to himself, "These are all low-grade weapons?"

A moment later, the three of them opened and looked through all the weapons and wooden boxes in the cave!

Looking at the five very simple spirit-repelling wooden boxes in front of them, the three of them fell silent!

No one knows where the Yan family got them from, but they even secretly kept five sets of talismans.

Fortunately, these five talisman palms were hidden in this secluded place and were not seen by others, otherwise it would have brought a great disaster!

The Talisman Palm is an armored palm possessed only by the elite Dao soldiers under the Yunlan Sect. It is engraved with runes. If a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator wears the Talisman Palm and forms an array of ten, it is enough to withstand the strong attack of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

If the shell is worn by a first-rate martial artist, as long as a low-grade or mid-grade spirit stone is embedded inside the talisman palm, and a formation is formed, it can also fight against a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a while.

Of course, if you inlay a low-grade spirit stone, the spiritual power will be thin and it won't last long!

The Yunlan Sect has extremely strict control over talisman armor. Once they make a move, they will not only punish the ringleaders, but also destroy their families and clans!

However, after seeing that the Yan family had a private collection of such talisman palms, Yi Xian also thought that perhaps the Chen and Xu families also had private collections of such talisman palms!

Each talisman weighs over fifty catties and is extremely difficult to make. As for its price, Yi Xian does not know.

However, one can guess a little. The ordinary iron armor Zhao Zheng was wearing weighed about forty pounds. If you wanted to buy it on the black market, you would need thirteen thousand talismans!

It cost about one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

This world is a mix of immortals and mortals; even a single ox used for plowing the fields requires more than twenty low-grade spirit stones!

And such a talisman palm strike would cost at least three or four hundred low-grade spirit stones!

"The contents of the cave will be immediately transported back to Yangping Village by my father and uncle and hidden at home. We must not tell anyone!"

Suddenly, Ye-hyun looked at Ye-rye and Ye-yi, who were standing silently to the side, and said in a solemn voice.

"Is the Yan family plotting a rebellion?"

Ke Yili finally snapped out of his shock and shouted in a low voice.

"What a pity, we failed to kill off all the male members of the Yan family!"

Zhao Yi suddenly looked at Yi Xian and said in a deep voice.

"Yan Mu won't tell you these things!"

Yi Xian, however, was certain that only Yan Mu knew what was inside.

"Talisman armor is not available in Rongtai County; only the Daobing Camp in the prefecture possesses it!"

"These five sets of talismanic palms are all brand new armored palms, clearly forged and hidden here from the start!"

"Only the Weapon Forging Hall of the Yunlan Sect can forge the talisman palm!"

"This clearly originated from within the Yunlan Sect!"

"It involves a lot of people; Yan Mu won't tell!"

Seeing that Ye-ri and Ye-yi were confused, Ye-hyun spoke up again to explain to them.

"Furthermore, we're missing the talisman soldiers to match the talismanic palm technique!"

Yi Xian pointed to the weapon rack. The weapons on the rack were all sharp weapons, but they were not talisman weapons!

"Let's use a storage artifact to transport it!"

Yi Xian immediately took off a brand-new storage bag from his body and put the five spirit-suppressing wooden boxes into it one by one.

After putting all the ring-pommel swords inside, the storage bag was finally full!

"The rest can be transported by oxcart!"

Looking at the remaining wooden crates, spears, and bows inside the cave, Yi Xian could only say helplessly.

"I'll go find an oxcart!"

Yi Li immediately walked out of the cave.

"Uncle, I need two!"

After working for most of the hour, the three of them finally managed to move out the weapons and armor.

Ye-ri found an oxcart and parked it outside the oath. The three of them then loaded the oxcart onto it one by one.

After covering themselves with a thick carpet, Zhao Li and Zhao Yi, disregarding the fact that they hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day, drove the oxcart toward Yangpingli.

The Yan family has too much stuff; the two of them will have to come back tomorrow!

The next morning, Cao Quan, along with the selected female members of the Yan family and his guests, headed to the county town.

Whether I can gain the county magistrate's favor depends on this trip!

In the following days, Yi Xian and others finally completed the inventory of the Yan family's wealth and account books.

The brothers Ke Yili and Yiyi always came empty-handed and returned home with their oxcarts fully loaded with shells!

Of course, Yi Xian did not go too far in this matter. Some exquisite Yan family utensils were also transported to Chen Yuancheng's mansion in cartloads.

These were naturally divided among those three venerable ones!

Even the beautiful maids, Yi Xian sent six of them, which the three masters naturally accepted with delight.

With Chen Yuancheng in charge of the county, the county magistrate did not send any officials to the area.

This saved Yi Xian some trouble.

When the final inventory results came out, Yi Xian was quite surprised.

The farmland alone amounted to more than 7,000 mu, and there were also several shops in Daqingshan Market, the county town, and the prefectural town!

In addition, there were more than 150 households that had been relocated!

There's also a ranch!

The sheer amount of wealth shocked Chen Sheng and his companions.

As for how to divide such a large amount of wealth, Chen Sheng and the other two did not hide it from Qi Xian.

After some discussion, the Yan family mansion and the three acres of spiritual land were all given to the Xu family!

The Chen family and the Liu family each received three thousand mu of land. According to them, this land did not belong to either family. The two families would distribute the land to the mortals of the Chen family and each family would relocate one hundred mortals to live here!

The land beneath Cloud Mist Mountain is finite, and the Cloud Ripple Sect will not allow its powerful clans to expand without limit!

This division of households was a method devised by powerful clans to resist the pressure from the Yunlan Sect!

Today, the vast majority of people with the surnames Chen, Liu, and Zhu in Rongtai County are descendants of those who split off from these three families!

The two families relocated two hundred households of Daoist people to this place, which greatly pleased Gao Su, the magistrate of Rongtai County!

If nothing unexpected happens, Xiangting will have two more li!

Chen Deli? Liu Deli?

Who knows!

As for the remaining thousand-plus mu of land, one thousand mu went to the Xu family.

The remaining 400-plus acres of land, along with the pasture, belonged to Yi Xian!

As for the more than one hundred households that were attached to the family, they were all hidden households and not on the fish-scale register, so they could be dealt with however they pleased!

The Xu family claimed forty households, while the rest went to Yi Xian.

Yi Xian's newly acquired fields and pastures don't have much land to support these dependents.

According to Yi Xian's estimate, he can only take on a maximum of thirty more households!

If nothing unexpected happens, the remaining nearly one hundred households of Daoist people will also be handed over to the county magistrate for disposal!