Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

After finishing our meal, it was already sunrise.

Zhao Yi squatted by the water vat, sharpening the spearhead in his hand with the help of a whetstone. Next to him stood a red jujube wood pole that was at least ten feet long.

Zhao Xian carefully wiped the mulberry wood bow, while his second brother, Zhao Hong, polished each arrow until it shone and then carefully placed it into the quiver.

Zhao Xu was inside the room helping her younger sister Zhao Yu with her hair and makeup, and her silvery laughter could be heard from inside from time to time.

A moment later, they locked the courtyard gate and the family walked towards the inner gate.

Along the way, they encountered familiar clansmen, all carrying spears and guns. The group gathered together and, led by the village chief Zhao Zhong, headed towards the pavilion.

Yesterday, the village chief Zhao Zhong went door-to-door to inform everyone that the village head would be organizing the villagers for drills to prepare for the enemy today, and that they should not be late.

A large group of over a hundred people walked along the muddy country road toward the pavilion.

The customs and traditions of this world are quite similar to those of Zhao Xian's previous life in the Han Dynasty.

In terms of administrative divisions, a prefecture is divided into a county, a county into a township, and a pavilion into a hamlet. Townships are in charge of household registration, while pavilions are in charge of public security. The two are independent of each other and are both directly under the jurisdiction of the county government.

Further down is the smallest settlement, "Li".

The Yangpingli village where Zhao Xian's family lived had more than fifty households, all of whom were of the same Zhao clan.

Today, the village head has issued a summons, and all male citizens aged sixteen to sixty are required to respond.

Zhao Xian and his father Zhao Yi were naturally within the scope of the conscription.

As for Zhao Xushi, her second brother Zhao Hong, and her younger sister Zhao Yu, they also went along because rural life was quite monotonous and boring.

Now that it's mid-September, there's hardly any farm work left, and the drills to prepare for the enemy are quite a lively event in the eyes of the villagers.

Yangpingli belongs to Shanghuting, which governs six villages: Yangpingli, Dawangli, Fanrongli, Changgongli, Wenmaoli, and Chunpingli.

At this time, long queues also appeared from other directions, all heading towards the pavilion.

......

Most pavilions are located on main roads, and Shanghu Pavilion is no exception.

In front of the pavilion was a straight and wide official road, which led directly to the township government and the county seat.

To the west of the pavilion is a wide open field, where military drills for defending against bandits were conducted in previous years, and this year is no exception.

Before long, the residents of Liulidao had gathered in the open space, each occupying a corner, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Pedestrians passing by on the official road also watched this scene with great curiosity.

The villagers rarely get together, so now that they've gathered, they naturally want to have a good chat.

Groups of three or five people were seen laughing and playing, while seven- or eight-year-old children weaved in and out of the crowd, shouting and yelling, creating a lively scene.

Not far away, a dozen or so people gathered together, and the person in the lead looked at this scene with a furrowed brow.

Seeing this, a perceptive person quickly whispered something to the village chiefs.

"I am a humble person; please forgive me, Lord Ting!"

"We will go and reorganize the troops immediately!"

The village chief immediately walked up to the leader and bowed to the young man with a fearful expression.

"It's alright, today is just the first summons!"

Upon hearing this, the young man's brows relaxed, and he smiled slightly.

"Lord Ting is kind!"

The village chief bowed again and then turned to walk towards his fellow villagers.

After a short while, the field gradually quieted down, and the six men each formed their own teams.

......

"My name is Chen Yuancheng, and I am currently the head of Shanghu Pavilion. Greetings, gentlemen!"

Seeing that the people in the crowd had finally quieted down, the young man immediately walked to the front of the line, cupped his hands in a salute, and said with a smile.

Although the sound was not loud, it was exceptionally clear to everyone's ears.

"I have gathered you all here today to prepare for the invasion."

"Those selected for the defense force may eat in the barracks during training!"

Upon hearing this, many Taoist practitioners' eyes lit up. Being able to save their families a meal was a good thing!

"Anyone with a cultivation level of Qi Refining Level 3 or above, or Martial Arts Level 3 or above, step forward!"

This young pavilion chief was not one to ramble on; with just a few simple words, he took control of the situation.

As soon as he finished speaking, a number of Taoist followers stepped out of the group; at a glance, there were at least a hundred people.

Most of the hundred or so people were martial arts practitioners, and Qi Refining cultivators were quite rare.

Last year, the population was counted. There were more than 400 households and nearly 2,000 people in the six li of Shanghuting. Among them, there were 400 men aged 16 to 60.

Selecting about a hundred out of four hundred people is a selection of the strongest and most capable. Zhao Xian's father, Zhao Yi, being a second-rate martial artist, was naturally among them.

As for Zhao Xian, he stayed in the group. He had only just entered the Dao of Qi cultivation last night, and his martial arts cultivation had not yet reached the third-rate level, so he naturally did not need to leave the ranks.

"In that case, everyone else may leave!"

Chen Yuancheng said in a deep voice, and Zhao Xian and the others dispersed upon hearing this.

"Kuro, Kuro!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from behind. Zhao Xian turned around and saw the village chief, Zhao Zhong, waving at him.

"Fifth Uncle, what is it?"

Zhao Xian stopped and turned to look at Zhao Zhong.

"Jiulang, why are you leaving too? Last year at Huting, we practiced archery to defend against the enemy. You were the best archer in our village!"

Zhao Zhong walked to Zhao Xian's side and said with a smile.

"Fifth Uncle, my cultivation level doesn't meet Lord Ting's requirements, what am I doing staying here!"

Zhao Xian nodded towards the young man in the distance and replied.

"Jiulang, please stay. I'll speak to Tingjun in a bit."

"Hey, it's been a night since I last saw you. You've actually mastered Qi cultivation. You're only sixteen, right?"

Suddenly, Zhao Zhong looked Zhao Xian up and down, patted Zhao Xian on the shoulder, and laughed loudly.

"Just a few more months until I'm seventeen!"

Zhao Xian replied with a smile.

"Excellent, excellent. To have entered the Dao of Qi cultivation at the age of sixteen is quite rare even in our Shanghu Pavilion. I will take you to pay your respects to the Pavilion Master!"

After saying that, Zhao Zhong pulled Zhao Xian forward.

Before long, the two of them arrived at a distance of about ten feet in front of the young man.

"Lord Ting, this is my nephew Zhao Xian, the ninth among his generation in the clan, sixteen years old. He is skilled in archery and entered the Daoist realm last night through Qi cultivation!"

Zhao Zhong bowed respectfully to the young man and said with delight, then looked at Zhao Xian and laughed, "Ninth Brother, why don't you pay your respects to Lord Ting!"

"Zhao Xian pays his respects to Lord Ting!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Jiulang entered the Dao at a young age and is skilled in archery; he is truly remarkable. Therefore, he will stay and train with us!"

Chen Yuancheng glanced at the proud young man in front of him, then smiled faintly.

He didn't take Zhao Zhong's words seriously; he had entered the Dao at the age of sixteen, and was nothing special.

As for his skill in archery, the young man's mulberry bow was well-maintained, which might indeed be true.

The remaining hundred or so people of Liulidao were divided into two teams under Chen Yuancheng's arrangement, with Chen Yuancheng and Qiu Dao Wang Jia serving as the team leaders respectively.

Within a pavilion, the pavilion chief is the head, and the thieves are his capable henchmen, mostly the strongest men in the pavilion, who are in charge of maintaining order in the village and should not be underestimated.

Wang Jia was born in Dawangli and was a first-rate martial artist. The Wang clan had the most members in Shanghuting and all lived in Dawangli.

Including Zhao Zhong and Zhao Xian, a total of twenty people remained in Yangping Village, which were divided into two groups.

One of the squad leaders was Zhao Zhong, and the other was Zhao Xian's uncle, Zhao Ren. Zhao Xian's father, Zhao Yi, was also a squad leader.

Chen Yuancheng was not a reckless person, and he turned a blind eye to the fact that the Daoist people divided themselves into groups of ten and five and elected group leaders and squad leaders.

This is the essence of life.