Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Shanghu Pavilion.

The backyard, a humble abode.

Zhao Ze, the thief, stood at the door, holding a ring-handled knife, his eyes filled with a chilling aura.

Opposite him stood a composed swordsman in black.

Inside the elegant room, the aroma of tea filled the air. A brazier shaped like a beast sat in the center, its silver charcoal glowing a soft orange-red.

Two wooden tables are placed at the lower left, with two elegantly dressed guests seated on them.

Opposite the two guests sat the pavilion chief, Chen Yuancheng, also seated on a wooden board.

As for the main seat, it was occupied by Chen Sheng, a high-ranking official from the county who had visited the area several months prior, also known as the bandit clerk.

After a leisurely chat, and having finished a pot of tea, the four of them gradually got down to business.

"I heard that the pavilion was attacked by bandits again the night before last, and I am very worried."

"Since I was on holiday yesterday, I came to visit Mr. Chen today."

The elder in the first seat on the lower left looked at Chen Yuancheng opposite him and said with concern.

"Many thanks to Lord Zhu for taking the time and effort of his journey to visit me. I, Yuan Cheng, am truly unworthy of such praise!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately smiled slightly and bowed in thanks.

"The misfortune that befell the pavilion was entirely Zhu Ran's fault."

"If Zhu Ran had led her troops to reinforce Shanghu Pavilion a few months ago and wiped out the bandits, the pavilion wouldn't have been attacked by the remaining bandits on New Year's Eve!"

The short, stout guest below the elder also spoke with a look of shame.

"You brat, how dare you speak like that!"

"If it weren't for your fault, how could the people of Tingshe have suffered such a calamity!"

"Your cowardice in the face of the enemy will ruin the illustrious reputation of my family, passed down through generations!"

Upon hearing this, the elder's expression changed drastically. He glared angrily at Zhu Ran and pointed his finger, cursing her vehemently.

"Lord Zhu, please do not be angry. Lord Xiao Zhu has already realized his mistake."

At the head of the table, the bandit chief Chen Sheng and the person below him Chen Yuancheng exchanged a glance, their lips slightly upturned, and they immediately raised their hands to dissuade him.

"It is not that Xiao Zhu is afraid of the enemy and does not advance, but rather that the enemy's situation is unclear, and he is acting cautiously."

Chen Yuancheng also offered his sincere advice.

After some persuasion from Chen and his nephew, Zhu Ran prostrated herself on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, and Zhu Lai's anger gradually subsided.

The two guests on the left are Zhu Lai, the head of the Zhu family, and his cousin Zhu Ran, the former head of Wohu Township.

Seeing that their group of eight guests had not returned all night, the two men suspected that something must have gone wrong and hurriedly sent someone to inquire again.

After learning that the Daoist priests of Shanghuting had killed eight bandits in the night, the two brothers discussed the matter with their guests at home, which led to their trip to Shanghuting today.

"The Shanghu Pavilion was burned down by bandits, and my family wishes to rebuild it."

"We have heard that some of our people have been injured by bandits. Our family is willing to reimburse the medical expenses for each of them and provide an additional thousand coins for each person."

"I would be grateful if you, Lord Ting, could carefully calculate all the expenses incurred and inform this old man!"

With a long sigh, Zhu Lai gently wiped her eyes and said sadly.

"How can we trouble the Zhu family to pay? The pavilion was attacked by bandits, and I, as the bandit officer, have already investigated and confirmed the incident. I will return and report to the county magistrate, and the county will allocate the funds!"

Upon hearing Zhu Lai's words, the bandit chief Chen Sheng immediately smiled and replied.

"The county magistrate is busy with official duties, how could we dare to trouble him with our family's transgressions?"

"At this time, we are in the lean season, and the county's money and grain are all used up. How can we have extra money to repair the pavilions and buildings?"

"We have provided all the necessary expenses in full. We hope that Mr. Chen will not report this to the county magistrate!"

But Zhu Lai immediately spoke respectfully.

Zhu Ran, who was standing to the side, also rose from her seat again, prostrated herself before Chen Sheng in the hall, and wept, saying, "I will never forget your great kindness, Lord Chen!"

"Little Zhu, please rise quickly!"

Upon seeing this, Chen Sheng quickly stepped aside, and Chen Yuancheng also strode forward to help Zhu Ran up.

"The pavilion was attacked by bandits, and Yuan Cheng returned home to rest. This was also a mistake. I hope my uncle will not report this to the county magistrate!"

After saying this, Chen Yuancheng knelt on the ground and begged.

"Very well, since that's the case, then let the two Zhu brothers provide the funds, and Yuancheng supervise the construction, to repair the pavilion as soon as possible!"

"As for the bodies of the bandits, the Zhu family will take the trouble to bury them."

"Once the amount is used, Yuancheng should immediately go and calculate it, and report to Lord Zhu."

After a moment's thought, Chen Sheng smiled wryly and said...

"Thank you very much, Uncle Chen!"

Upon hearing this, the three people in the hall immediately spoke solemnly.

With the business concluded, Chen Yuancheng got up and left, while Zhu Lai and Zhu Ran accompanied Chen Sheng for a casual chat.

At the entrance of the elegant residence, Zhao Ze and the black-clad swordsman acted as if they were oblivious to what was happening inside.

A moment later, Chen Yuancheng, holding a scroll of green bamboo slips, strode inside.

"Uncle, Lord Zhu, Lord Zhu, the repair of the pavilion and the treatment of the injured Taoist priests will cost a total of 93,525 talismans."

Chen Yuancheng bowed to each of the three people in the hall, and then solemnly said.

"How come there are so many!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ran, the young Zhu Jun, gasped in surprise and nearly fell off the wooden board.

Zhu Lai, the eldest prince, also had a somber expression and remained silent in thought.

Chen Yuancheng and Chen Sheng exchanged a glance, then said sadly, "The bandits are truly vicious and cruel. Even though more than a hundred Daoist villagers joined forces to attack them, many of them were injured by the bandits."

"The bandit leader, in particular, is extraordinary. He broke through several battle formations and killed dozens of people. He must be a local hero and guest of the county."

Upon hearing this, both Zhu Jun and his brother cursed inwardly, "The Chen family uncle and nephew are utterly shameless!"

If Zuo Liangzhen were truly this powerful, he would have already broken through the encirclement of the Daoist people and returned to Chizhu Village. How could he have been beheaded?

Unfortunately, things have come to this point, and if the Zhu family doesn't want to be targeted by the Chen family and the county magistrate, they have no choice but to make painful sacrifices.

"This matter ultimately originated from my family. Even if my family exhausts all our resources, we will still have to repay Shanghu Pavilion with over 90,000 talismans."

After a few moments of silence, Zhu Lai looked up at Chen Sheng and said in a deep voice.

"Yuan Cheng is fair in his dealings. The calculation of 93,525 talisman coins is meticulous. Our family will simply round it up and repay Shanghuting 100,000 talisman coins!"

Seeing Chen Sheng nod in agreement, Zhu Lai then turned to look at Chen Yuancheng and smiled faintly.

"Aran, take out ten mid-grade spirit stones and offer them to Yuancheng!"

Finally, he looked at Zhu Ran and coldly gave the order.

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

Zhu Ran dared not say more, and with a heavy heart, she took out ten three-inch-sized, misty spirit stones, like exquisite jade discs, from her sleeve and presented them to Chen Yuancheng.

Clearly, as the younger brother of the Zhu family patriarch and having served as the village steward, he also possessed a storage artifact.

Low-grade spirit stones are only the size of a thumb, while these mid-grade spirit stones are the size of a palm and are even more wondrous.

Chen Yuancheng remained expressionless and put all ten mid-grade spirit stones into his sleeve.

With this matter settled, the two Zhu brothers had no intention of staying any longer. After chatting with the Chen family uncle and nephew for a while, they got up to take their leave.

The Chen family uncle and nephew naturally got up to see them off.

The black-clad swordsmen standing at the gate also left with the two Zhu brothers.

When the group stepped into the front yard, they saw nine corpses displayed there, their heads already sewn back onto the bodies.

Hu Fei, who was captured on the night of the fire, was also among these nine corpses, but judging from the wound on his neck, he had obviously died recently.

"take away!"

Zhu Lai, the Great Zhu King, glanced at it and then gave a casual order.

The attendants immediately carried the corpse out of the pavilion.

Before long, all nine corpses were collected.

The group stepped out of the pavilion, and the two Zhu brothers boarded the oxcart. They bowed again to the Chen family uncle and nephew, and then headed east to leave.

The Chen family uncle and nephew watched the Zhu family disappear at the end of the official road before exchanging a smile and returning to their pavilion.