Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Around noon, Zhao Xian, leading the ox, could already see the wall of Yangpingli.

My pace quickened, and I felt a sense of relief.

Zhao He, the gatekeeper, recognized Zhao Xian from afar and went forward to greet him.

"Kuroro, are you having a rest today again?"

"Huh, why was the horse replaced by a cow?"

Zhao He looked at the large, robust female bull and asked with a smile.

"Eleventh Uncle, the Xu family of Xiangting saw that our family was poor and specially gifted Jiulang an ox!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately replied with a smile.

"Wow, Jiulang has really made something of himself!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao He immediately said with a face full of envy.

After exchanging a few words with Zhao He, Zhao Xian led the ox into the inner room.

He had only taken a few steps when he bumped right into his cousin, Zhao Cheng.

When Zhao Cheng saw that he had returned home for a rest, he smiled and went up to greet him.

Zhao Cheng was meticulous, but unlike Zhao He, he didn't only have eyes for the cow.

With just a glance, one could see that Zhao Xian was covered in mud and grass, and his headscarf was torn in one place.

Upon noticing two iron-framed bows hanging on the ox's back, Zhao Cheng's expression immediately hardened, and he whispered, "Did we encounter bandits on the road?"

"Fourth brother has a keen eye; I was indeed ambushed on the road!" Zhao Xian did not hide anything and recounted in a low voice, "I exchanged arrows with the thief for a while, and by sheer luck, I managed to wound him with a clever trick, which allowed me to escape and return home."

"Does Jiulang know the man's background? Do you have any guesses?" Zhao Cheng pondered for a moment, then asked in a low voice.

"I also have no idea where they come from!"

Zhao Xian immediately shook his head and said with a wry smile.

"Although you are highly regarded by Lord Chen in your hometown, you must still act with caution and prudence!"

With a sigh, Zhao Cheng stepped forward to brush the mud and grass off Zhao Xian's body and gave him some instructions.

"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Brother." Zhao Xian nodded slightly, then a thought suddenly struck him: "As the saying goes, 'Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together.' Now that I am being ordered by Lord Chen to recruit followers, I should first recruit one or two members of my clan to help me."

Upon realizing this, Zhao Xian did not hesitate and immediately whispered, "Fourth Brother, I am currently on leave and have returned home. Lord Chen entrusted me with a matter!"

"What is it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng's expression turned serious, and he asked in a low voice.

"He was to recruit four close attendants and retainers for him at Shanghu Pavilion!"

"Fourth brother, your martial arts are superb, and Lord Chen is sincere and kind. Why don't we brothers work together under Lord Chen?"

"This~"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng felt a slight tremor in his heart and was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Although my great-uncle is advanced in years, he is very insightful. Why don't you go home and consult him, Fourth Brother?" Zhao Xian added with a smile. "I will not return to my hometown until tomorrow afternoon, so you will have time to consider it."

"What Jiulang says is very true. I will go home and ask my grandfather for advice!" Looking at Zhao Xian, who was wearing a black turban and had a high-spirited demeanor, Zhao Cheng was quite moved and immediately replied solemnly.

"My second brother, Zhao Ji, has nothing to do at home, and I also intend to recommend him to Lord Chen." After a moment's thought, Zhao Xian added, "As for the remaining two, my fourth brother knows the brave and martial people of Tingbu very well. He can recommend one or two to me. They must be brave and strong, and of pure character."

"Okay!" Zhao Cheng readily agreed.

The two chatted for a while longer before parting ways.

When I got home, it was exactly noon.

When Zhao Xian returned, his mother, Zhao Xu, and his younger sister, Zhao Yu, were overjoyed.

When Zhao Xian brought back a female cow with a calf, his mother beamed with joy and immediately busied herself cleaning the straw shed and settling the cow in.

The courtyard was filled with the sounds of dogs barking and geese honking, creating a lively scene.

As night fell and after dinner, Zhao Xian accompanied his father to his grandfather's house.

......

The door was closed, leaving only the able-bodied men of the household inside.

The group sat together in a warm place, so there was no need for a brazier; only a pot of warm soup was placed on the fire pit.

"Grandfather, Uncle, I am currently on leave from home and have been entrusted by Lord Chen to recruit four attendants for him," Zhao Xian said bluntly. "My second brother is currently farming at home. Why not send him to serve Lord Chen?"

"Attendants~"

The uncle looked at Zhao Xian, pondered for a moment, and then glanced at Zhao Ji opposite him, noticing that Zhao Ji's face was already showing excitement.

The second elder brother, Zhao Ji, was a free spirit. If he hadn't been injured before, he wouldn't have given up his business with his uncle, Zhao Zhi, and returned home to farm.

The term "attendant" sounds respectable, but in reality, they were servants under the master's household, who had to run around and serve, which was quite hard work.

"Ah Ji, what do you think?"

Instead of answering Zhao Xian directly, the grandfather looked at Zhao Ji and asked calmly.

"Grandfather, I am willing to serve Lord Chen!" Zhao Ji quickly responded and replied respectfully, "Ah Xian is currently serving Lord Chen alone, and it is difficult for him to support himself alone. If I were to help him, he would be less hindered."

"In that case, let's go!"

"Mr. Chen comes from a prominent family in the county and is very kind and generous. Serving under him would be a good career path!"

Upon hearing this, the grandfather nodded slightly, immediately agreeing to the matter. He then looked at Zhao Xian and smiled, "Of the four attendants, besides Aji, who else do you favor?"

"Fourth brother Zhao Cheng!" Zhao Xian replied solemnly, "As for the remaining two, I don't know which one to choose."

"That Zhao Cheng is already a second-rate martial artist; his strength and character are both quite acceptable." Grandfather nodded in approval, then smiled and pointed out, "The remaining two must not be chosen from the Zhao family of Yangping Village; we must consider the villages of Tingbu as well."

"Most of the villagers in Fanrong Village are merchants who travel far from home and are cunning; there are not many brave people in Chunping Village, and many were killed or wounded in the last bandit attack, so I'm afraid no one will be willing to answer the call; Wenmao Village is mostly composed of scholars, and there are few skilled in martial arts." The uncle carefully advised from the side, "It would be good to choose one person from Changgong Village and one from Dawang Village."

"It's a pity your uncle is already forty years old, otherwise he could also accompany you to serve under Lord Chen!"

At this moment, the father, Zhao Yi, also spoke up with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhao Li chuckled and looked at Zhao Ji: "Tomorrow, when A-Xian returns to his hometown, come find me early, and I will pass on the secret technique of perfecting the skin-refining technique to you!"

Zhao Ji quickly thanked him.

"Besides that, there is one more thing that Ah Xian needs to report to the elders!"

Now that the matter was settled, Zhao Xian planned to recount the incident of being ambushed by a hidden arrow that day.

Seeing the solemn expression on Zhao Xian's face, his grandfather and the others stopped talking and looked at Zhao Xian.

Zhao Xian then recounted to everyone in detail how he had been ambushed by a hidden arrow on the official road that day.

When it was mentioned that the attackers might be guests of the Yan family, a prominent clan in the village, the grandfather and the others' expressions became even more solemn.

"Why would the Yan family's guests attack and kill Ah Xian?" Uncle Zhao Li frowned and asked solemnly, "Could it be because Ah Xian defeated the Yan family's guests and won that fine horse for Chen Yuancheng? According to Ah Xian, that horse was worth at least 20,000 taels of silver!"

"The Yan family is a powerful clan; how could they possibly care about 20,000 coins?" The uncle immediately shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Could it be that Lord Chen forced the Yan family to distribute government-provided relief grain and seeds to impoverished Daoist people, thus offending the Yan family?"

Zhao Yi looked at Zhao Xian, a hint of worry in his eyes, and chimed in, "Is Xian being valued by Lord Chen, and the Yan family trying to make an example of him?"

In an instant, the room fell silent. The Yan family was renowned in Wohu Township, and their power was enough to put this small rural clan under great pressure.

"The Yan family is powerful, and our small village clan can hardly match them." After pondering for a while, Grandfather Zhao Mu reassured everyone, "Their actions are definitely aimed at Chen Jun. Ah Xian was just implicated."

Zhao Xian pondered for a few moments, then smiled wryly and said, "Elders, you may not know this, but after the former village chief Zhu Ran stepped down, Yan Su, a member of the Yan family, intended to vie for the position. However, Chen Jun was meritorious in defeating the bandits and came from a prominent family in the county, so he ultimately secured the position, and Yan Su missed his chance."

Hearing such a secret, everyone was shocked.

"So it turns out that we, the people of Shanghuting, have unwittingly become embroiled in this power struggle!" Uncle Zhao Ren couldn't help but sigh.

"Hmph, Shanghu Pavilion is where we have lived for generations. Even if the Yan family is powerful, what can they do to me!" Uncle Zhao Li shouted angrily. "At worst, we'll fight to the death!"

"Ah Xian, what do you think our family should do in this situation?"

Grandfather Zhao Mu looked at Zhao Xian and asked thoughtfully.

"I believe we should closely follow Lord Chen, leveraging his influence to accumulate strength. Once we are fully powerful, we will have no fear of the Yan family!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately replied in a solemn voice.

"In that case, it is inevitable that Aji will serve under Lord Chen," Uncle Zhao Ren said with a wry smile.

"Grandfather is advanced in years, and his path of cultivation has been severed. From now on, our family will have to rely on the three elders and our eldest brother." Zhao Xian looked around at everyone and continued, "I hope that the three elders and our eldest brother will diligently cultivate, take advantage of the spiritual energy in the well, and strive to reach the Bone Refinement level as soon as possible to protect our family!"

"As Ah Xian said, the three of you should devote yourselves to cultivation during your spare time after Ah Xian and Ah Ji leave, so as not to distract them from their work."

Zhao Mu looked around at his three uncles and solemnly gave them his instructions.

All three nodded in unison, their faces showing determination.