Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

After breakfast, the morning sun rises in the east.

Inside the courtyard, Zhao Xian's second brother, Zhao Hong, and his younger sister, Zhao Yu, knowing that Zhao Xian was going to the pavilion to guard it, had already begun to carefully wipe Zhao Xian's bow and arrows.

Zhao Xian practiced the "Pine and Crane Nourishing Yuan Boxing" in the courtyard.

As his fists rose and fell, his figure was as resilient as a pine tree and as agile as a crane in the clouds.

Before he knew it, a set of boxing techniques flowed smoothly from his hands.

"Good young man! The 'Pine and Crane Nourishing Vitality Boxing' has already reached a high level; it is sufficient to teach it in the village!"

A cheer came from outside the courtyard wall.

The courtyard gate creaked open, and two burly figures walked into the courtyard one after the other.

"uncle!"

"Brother Zhong!"

Zhao Hong and Zhao Yu quickly stood up to greet them. The visitors were their uncle Zhao Li and elder brother Zhao Ji.

At the foot of the east wall, Zhao Yi was casually smoking his pipe. When he saw the two men enter the courtyard, he nodded in greeting.

Unmoved by the two men, Zhao Xian continued practicing his boxing techniques on his own until he had completed twenty rounds.

"call!"

With a long sigh, Zhao Xian slowly finished his practice, white steam rising from his head.

"Uncle, Brother Zhong."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Zhao Xian greeted the two men.

"Grandfather wants my uncle and me to accompany you to the pavilion," Zhao Ji said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian paused slightly, then bowed solemnly towards his grandfather's residence: "I thank you for your kindness, Grandfather!"

Without further ado, the three quickly tidied up and headed out of the inner gate straight for the pavilion.

......

Shahe Township Pavilion, Chizhu Village.

The Zhu family, a prominent clan in the village, has lived here for over a hundred years.

Deep in the alley, there is a grand three-courtyard house with blue bricks and white walls, which is now the residence of Zhu Lai, the patriarch of the Zhu family.

Although they weren't exactly a wealthy or powerful family, they still had two guards with knives standing watch at the gate.

People coming and going hurried along, not daring to look directly at each other.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the main hall of the backyard was quite somber.

Several figures knelt below the hall, while several guests in fine clothes sat on the couches on either side.

"You all went to Shanghu Pavilion and set fire to it without permission last night. Your crime of disobeying orders will not be discussed for now!" Zhu Lai, his temples graying, slammed his hand on the couch as he shouted, his voice as cold as ice, "Four went, only three returned! Where is Hu Fei?!"

"Master, please forgive us, we have no idea where Hu Fei has gone!"

"The Daoist people of Shanghuting came with great force. After we set the fire, we turned around and fled. Hu Fei did not accompany us."

The leader knelt on the ground and replied in a trembling voice.

The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop. The three people kneeling below trembled with fear.

Last night, Zhu Lai held a grand banquet for his guests. When the four of them were halfway through their drinks, they heard that Zhu Lai's younger cousin, Zhu Ran, had been dismissed from his post in the county, all because the head of Shanghu Pavilion had defended against the bandits' attack.

As the effects of the alcohol took hold, and to show their loyalty, the four immediately spurred their horses and charged up to Tiger Pavilion to vent their anger on Zhu Ran.

The four men were outnumbered and dared not attack the pavilion, so they had no choice but to set it on fire.

Seeing that the Daoist people had come to their aid, and that they were numerous and powerful, they fled in panic.

By this time, the effects of the alcohol had worn off, but he was already terrified, knowing that burning down the pavilion would be a capital offense!

"I am deeply grateful to all of you for your righteous act for me!"

"After a long night of travel, please go and rest for a while."

Suddenly, a voice filled with gratitude broke the silence in the hall. The speaker was none other than Zhu Ran, the former steward of Wohu Township.

Upon hearing this, the three men felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They immediately kowtowed to Zhu Ran, saying they dared not accept such treatment, and then slowly withdrew.

After the three men left, everyone in the hall wore solemn expressions.

"The four men rode away on horseback, and the three men returned on four horses. Hu Fei must have fallen off his horse while drunk."

"It's freezing cold, and Hu Fei is completely drunk; he may have already frozen to death in the wilderness."

Suddenly, a guest dressed in green robes and wearing a bamboo hat, kneeling with a sword in hand, spoke in a deep voice.

"That makes sense!"

Zhu Lai, seated at the head of the table, nodded slightly, then her gaze pierced Zhu Ran like a knife. She ordered, "Ran, this matter ultimately stems from you. Take a few attendants and set off immediately. Search carefully for Hu Fei's whereabouts along the way!"

"I want to see him alive or dead!"

"I will obey my elder brother's command!"

Zhu Ran immediately got up and strode out of the hall.

After Zhu Ran left, Zhu Lai closed her eyes and fell into deep thought.

A moment later, the sound of horses' hooves thundered, and several riders filed out of Chizhu Village and disappeared onto the official road.

Hearing the sound, Zhu Lai also opened his eyes wide, a flash of crimson light appearing in his eyes.

"Master Zuo!" He looked at a guest on his right, dressed in black with a short beard and a sharp aura, "If Aran returns empty-handed at dusk, you shall take those three men, and select a few more, and rush to Shanghu Pavilion tonight!"

"Under the cover of night, sneak into the pavilion and, without fail—stab Hu Fei to death!"

His tone was chilling and iron-like, which startled the people in the hall.

"Master, what about the other three?"

The guest with the short beard and black clothes asked again in a low voice.

"What use are these good-for-nothings?"

Zhu Lai's face turned fierce as he slammed his hand on the couch and shouted.

"Zuo Liang respectfully obeys the master's command!"

The black-clad, short-bearded guest immediately knelt on the ground, his killing intent palpable.

Seeing this, Zhu Lai stroked his beard and smiled, quite satisfied.

Zuo Liang is one of the top-tier martial artists under his command; with him taking action, success is assured.

......

Shanghuting Pavilion.

The once neat and tidy brick houses are now charred and broken, and several side rooms in the front yard have become ruins.

Zhao Xian and his companions arrived at the pavilion at dawn and helped the pavilion's officials clear away the rubble.

The group only stopped to rest when the sun had set.

After a hasty dinner, Zhao Ze, the thief, divided the local people who remained at the pavilion into two teams, one to guard the first half of the night and the other to guard the second half.

Each team consisted of fifteen people. Zhao Xian, along with his uncle Zhao Li and his second brother Zhao Ji, were led by his eldest brother Zhao Zheng and were on duty for the second half of the night.

Zhao Ze then ordered bonfires to be lit in the front and back yards, and planted more than a dozen blazing torches throughout the front and back yards, illuminating the pavilions as bright as day.

At the beginning of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), the night was deep.

Several ghostly black shadows silently approached the base of the front yard wall.

The group worked in perfect harmony, and in the blink of an eye, they had climbed onto the wall and then leaped down.

"Enemy attack!"

Suddenly, a sharp scream ripped through the night sky!

The front yard instantly erupted in excitement!

At Zhao Ze's command, the civilians on duty swarmed and surrounded the road, and the sounds of clashing weapons and roars filled the air!

Just as the fight was raging in the front yard, several dark figures, like raccoons, took advantage of the chaos to climb over the other side of the wall into the back yard.

They were agile and swift, rushing straight towards the left and right wing rooms and the elegant quarters!

A few breaths later, several figures emerged from their respective rooms, all of them having found nothing.

"Pfft!"

A dull thud as a sharp blade pierced flesh!

An arrow struck one of the figures squarely in the chest; the arrow fletched violently, and the immense force sent the figure sprawling backward.

"Pfft!"

Another arrow shot out from the shadows.

The person moved in response to the sound, and the other person clutched their neck, groaned, and collapsed to the ground!

"There!"

The leader of the bandits roared, drew his short sword from his waist, and threw it in the direction from which the arrow had come!

A chilling light flashed as it pierced through the air!

In the blink of an eye, a dark figure flew out from the shadows, striking the incoming short sword squarely.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, the short sword deflected slightly, its momentum undiminished, and struck the pillar squarely, penetrating the wood by more than an inch!

"Uncle's amazing skill!"

A shout of praise came from the darkness!