Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chen Sheng and Chen Yuancheng were well aware of the unspoken meaning behind Gong Cao's words.

The total number of enemies killed the night before was only about forty. This Zhao Xian was not a clerk of the pavilion, but a mere country bumpkin. How could he have shot and killed twelve people!

"Liu Gongcao, I have witnessed your archery skills today, and I have grasped three-tenths of their true essence!"

Before the Chen uncle and nephew could speak, the patrolman Liu Yu came over and recounted in detail how Zhao Xian had saved him that afternoon.

Seeing that all three of them were praising him so highly, Liu Yuan, the clerk, also became somewhat curious.

"In that case, when the rewards are distributed later, I'll see just how valiant the young man is!"

......

A moment later, several burly warriors brought out tables, mats, and straw mats from the pavilion for the officials to sit on.

By the time the high-ranking officials had taken their seats, it was nearly dusk, but the area in front of the pavilion was as bright as day.

This is because at each of the four corners of the gate, there is a bright pearl the size of a bird's egg, which emits a dazzling light and is quite magical.

The onlookers were naturally amazed by this scene.

"cough!"

Chen Yuancheng coughed lightly, and the Taoists surrounding the pavilion fell silent, their faces filled with deep reverence.

Liu Yuan, the clerk, rose from his seat, surveyed the crowd, and solemnly declared, "I am Liu Yuan, the clerk of the county. I have come by order of the county magistrate to distribute rewards to all of you meritorious officials!"

"Where is King Jia, the Thief King?"

"This humble official is here!"

King Jia immediately strode out and arrived at the pavilion in a few steps. He bowed respectfully.

"We request that King Jia guard the pavilion, kill three thieves, and be promoted one level. The reward is three thousand coins!"

Liu Yuan, the clerk, looked at Wang Jia and said solemnly.

"Thank you so much for your generous reward, Your Excellency!"

Wang Jia immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and shouted.

Then, a burly warrior brought over dozens of strings of bright yellow talisman coins from the side.

Wang Jia took the wooden tray, stood up, and left.

"Zhao Ze, a soldier guarding the outpost, killed two bandits. He is promoted one rank and rewarded with two thousand coins!"

Zhao Ze also stepped forward and knelt down, after which a warrior presented him with golden talisman coins.

"Zhao Xian, a resident of Yangping Village, rushed to the aid of the outpost, killing twelve bandits. He is rewarded with twelve thousand coins!"

"hiss!"

"Kuro is so brave!"

"Twelve thousand coins, that must be incredibly heavy!"

In an instant, gasps of surprise erupted from the crowd of onlookers.

Another Taoist priest looked extremely regretful, sighing, "If it weren't for my wife stopping me, my archery skills would definitely have earned me enough money!"

"It wasn't your wife who stopped you, it was you who were so tired from plowing the fields at night that you didn't hear the drumbeat."

A Taoist priest immediately chimed in with a joke.

Ignoring the whispers around him, Zhao Xian took a deep breath, strode out of the group, and knelt down on the ground.

"Thank you so much for your generous reward, Your Excellency!"

"So you are Zhao Xian? You truly are a valiant young man!"

"Given your youth, you must diligently cultivate yourself in the future to protect your community!"

Liu Yuan, the clerk, looked Zhao Xian up and down and then offered words of encouragement.

"Your Majesty's encouragement will surely be remembered by Jiulang!"

Zhao Xian immediately kowtowed in respect.

"I observe that you are a novice in the Dao, and your foundation is not yet solid. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of exchanging these twelve thousand talisman coins for a purifying and strengthening pill. What do you think?"

Chen Yuancheng had already spoken to Zhao Xian about this matter, and Zhao Xian readily agreed.

After all, elixirs are hard to come by, so in the end, Zhao Xian benefited.

Twelve thousand talisman coins, or about one hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones, can only be exchanged for four bottles of low-grade spirit pills, the Nourishing Essence Pill.

One Nourishing Essence Pill costs three low-grade spirit stones, and a bottle contains ten pills, totaling forty spirit pills.

The warrior immediately carried a wooden tray to Zhao Xian, on which were placed four palm-sized porcelain bottles.

Zhao Xian took the wooden tray, but instead of returning to the group, he walked up to Chen Yuancheng.

"Lord Ting loves the people like his own children and acts with integrity. Now that he has suddenly acquired a large fortune, he is not entirely at ease keeping it at home. Therefore, he specially requests Lord Ting to safeguard it for him!"

"This~"

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yuancheng looked at Liu Yuan, the clerk.

"Yuan Cheng, since the people under your jurisdiction trust you so much, it's clear that your actions are well-received. You need not refuse; please keep it safe for them!"

Gongcao Liu Yuan stroked his beard and smiled, saying with pleasure.

"Thank you for your trust, Jiulang. You may come to the pavilion anytime to use it!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately spoke up.

"If any of you feel uneasy keeping your belongings at home, you may store them at this pavilion!"

He then looked at the other Daoist followers and said with a smile.

Zhao Xian also took off a jade bottle and put it in his bosom, while offering the other three bottles to Chen Yuancheng.

Then came the rewards for the others. Father Zhao Yi, Uncle Zhao Ren, village chief Zhao Zhong, and others had all worked together to kill the enemy and shared the money.

Zhao Xian then stepped forward to collect three hundred coins on behalf of his father.

However, Uncle Zhao Li, without making a sound, actually killed three thieves and obtained three thousand coins.

My elder brother Zhao Zheng killed a bandit and was rewarded with a thousand coins. He was promoted to a rank of soldier at the Upper Tiger Pavilion, which means he now receives an official salary.

In addition, there is another person who is quite eye-catching, namely Liu Zhuo, the tutor of Wenmaoli School.

He led the people of Sanlidao to resist the bandits' counterattack, fought fiercely against the bandits, and finally defeated them.

He was also praised by Liu Yuan, the official in charge of merit, who rewarded him with five thousand coins and offered to recommend him to the county magistrate for a government post.

After the bestowal of rewards, most of the Daoist followers were quite satisfied, but a small number of them were not so satisfied and grumbled quietly.

These Taoist priests had all rushed to the aid of the pavilion the previous night, but none of them had achieved any success.

According to the laws of the Heavenly Court, if there is no bounty, there will naturally be no reward.

Seeing this, Chen Yuancheng stepped forward, bowed to the group, and said sincerely, "You all rushed to my aid and saved my life. I have little money, but I wish to share my reward with you all!"

Upon hearing this, the Daoist followers blushed, then bowed sincerely and replied, "Lord Ting has treated us so kindly; how could we dare to ask for any reward!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng simply smiled without saying a word, and took out five thousand talisman coins from the ten thousand coins he had been given as a reward, distributing them to the Daoist followers.

The leader of the bandits was killed, and a reward of ten thousand coins was given. As for the bandits that Chen Yuancheng had shot and killed earlier, the credit was given to the three soldiers who died in battle.

In addition to their pensions, the three soldiers each received three thousand coins, some of which Chen Yuancheng contributed to make up the difference.

The families of the soldiers who died in battle were extremely grateful to Chen Yuancheng.

Three thousand coins can be exchanged for thirty bushels of white rice, enough to feed a family of four for several years, allowing them to continue living without falling apart.

The bandit leader was originally to be killed by Zhao Xian and Chen Yuancheng together, so why is it recorded in the end that Chen Yuancheng killed him alone?

That was because Zhao Xian insisted on concealing his name to repay Chen Yuancheng for imparting the Daoist teachings to him.

This move pleased Chen Yuancheng, Chen Sheng, Liu Yu, and others. They believed that a small act of kindness should be repaid with great gratitude, and such a young man was bound to be loved!

Therefore, when Liu Yuan, the clerk, questioned Zhao Xian's merits, the three of them immediately spoke up to defend Zhao Xian.

There must be both rewards and punishments.

After the distribution of rewards, Liu Yuan, the clerk, changed his expression and shouted sternly, "Where is Zhu Ran, the steward?!"

Immediately, a short, stout official stepped forward and knelt down.

"Last night, you feared the enemy's strength and delayed your aid, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians. According to the law, you should be executed!"

"Today, during the search and capture of bandits, you led from the front. Now, remove your red hat, relieve yourself of your post as foreman, and escort you to the county seat for the magistrate to decide your fate!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a warrior stepped forward and removed the red crown from his head.

"The Chief Clerk is strict and impartial; Zhu Ran is willing to accept punishment!"

The short, stout clerk knelt on the ground and shouted loudly, before being dragged away by the samurai.

"Where is Liu Yu, the patrolman?"

Liu Yu also stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"The bandits have gathered in the mountains and forests, attacking our outposts and houses; you are guilty of negligence!"

"Today, during the search and capture of bandits in the mountains, you bravely faced the blade, leading the charge and slaying several men. Your merits and demerits cannot offset each other; you are hereby fined six months' salary!"

"As for the rewards, they will all be distributed to the civilians who were injured or killed at Shanghuting."

At this point, Liu Yuan, the clerk, sighed inwardly. His cousin was indeed unlucky, but at least he managed to keep his position.

"The Chief Clerk is strict and impartial; Liu Yu sincerely accepts punishment!"

Thus, the matter of the bandits attacking the pavilion was finally resolved.