Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

The four of them settled down.

Zhao Cheng was the eldest and the strongest of the four.

Zhao Cheng was the eldest, followed by Zhang Wen and Zhao Ji, and finally Wang Cong.

Every day, the four of them would either hone their skills and strengthen their bodies in the courtyard, or accompany Chen Yuancheng on a tour of the village to resolve disputes between the villagers.

Since Chen Yuancheng took office, he has been fair in all his dealings, whether it was providing relief to orphans and widows or lending money to poor villagers for food. The villagers of Wohu Township have always respected him greatly.

As a result, all the people of the Dao, regardless of the size of their disputes, came to Chen Yuancheng to request justice.

Chen Yuancheng was also pleased with this, as it showed that his prestige among the Daoists was rising.

As for Zhao Xian, aside from his daily arduous self-cultivation, he served under Cao Miao, a local official.

Cao Miao knew that Chen Yuancheng valued Zhao Xian highly, so he entrusted all matters, big and small, to Zhao Xian.

If Zhao Xian encountered difficulties along the way, Cao Miao would not hesitate to offer guidance and carefully cultivate him.

Of all the official duties in the village, taxation and corvée labor are the most important, followed by population calculation and land acreage clarification.

Taxation and population calculation are both carried out in December of each year, and the land area is clarified. Zhao Xian has already begun to do so.

As for corvée labor, it depends on when the county levies laborers.

In this world, corvée labor is unavoidable. We can't expect those high-ranking sect disciples to mine, build bridges and roads, or construct cities.

......

Time flies, and two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Zhao Xian returned from the pavilion and had just led his horse to the stable when he saw Wang Cong walking quickly towards him.

"Ah Xian, Lord Chen has summoned you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately followed Wang Cong towards the backyard.

Before long, everyone took their seats in the main hall.

Zhao Xian's gaze swept over an unfamiliar young scholar in the hall. He felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before.

Seeing Zhao Xian staring at him, the scholar immediately smiled and said, "Ninth Brother, don't you recognize me?"

"Last winter, I was still building houses and cellars with Jiulang and the others in Shanghu Pavilion."

"Ah! Jiulang greets Lord Qi!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian suddenly realized that the refined scholar in front of him was the same person he had seen before, who was dressed in shabby clothes but spoke eloquently. He quickly stood up and bowed.

Zhao Cheng and the others then recalled that there was indeed such a scholar accompanying Chen Jun at that time.

At the head of the table, Chen Yuancheng coughed lightly, and everyone immediately sat up straight.

"Ninth Brother, Qi Jun has come to Wohu Township this time to purchase land and build a house." Chen Yuancheng looked around at everyone, his gaze falling on Zhao Xian, and said slowly, "Most of the land in the township is owned by the Yan, Xu, and Cao families. This matter still needs to be negotiated by Ninth Brother."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Mr. Chen, among the three families, the Yan family has the most land, but I'm afraid they won't give it to us. Next would be the Xu family and the Cao family."

"Xu Dekun has been recommended by you and is now a subordinate official of the bandit chief Chen. Perhaps he can buy some land from the Xu family."

At this point, Zhao Xianfu turned to the scholar surnamed Qi and asked in a solemn voice, "May I ask, Mr. Qi, how much land do you wish to purchase?"

"A hundred acres is enough!"

The scholar surnamed Qi immediately responded.

"Currently, one mu of fertile land costs 1,800 coins, while one mu of barren mountain land costs 800 coins," Zhao Xian continued. "I wonder if Lord Qi wishes to purchase fertile land or barren mountain land?"

"I bought the land to build a house and settle down; how can I destroy and occupy fertile land?" the scholar replied with a smile. "A piece of land in the mountains or fields will suffice."

"In that case, I will go to the Xu family tomorrow to discuss this matter on behalf of Lord Qi!" Zhao Xian nodded slightly, already having made up his mind.

After chatting for a while, Zhao Xian got up to take his leave, and Zhao Cheng and the others also left, leaving only Chen Yuancheng and the scholar in the hall.

After everyone had left, Chen Yuancheng's smile gradually faded, and his expression turned serious: "Qi Lian, you came here to buy land and houses, is it on the orders of the Daoist Master?"

The scholar was none other than Qi Lian, who replied with a smile: "Wohu Township is located in the west of Rongtai County, adjacent to Yunling. It is sparsely populated, quiet and elegant, making it the perfect place to buy land and build a house."

"Qilian, you may stay here peacefully, but remember not to cause trouble!"

Chen Yuancheng stared at the scholar surnamed Qi for several breaths, his tone extremely cold.

"Lord Chen is joking. How could I dare to cause trouble under Lord Chen's rule?" Qi Lian laughed out loud, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Cheng and the other three who were training their muscles and bones in the courtyard. He exclaimed, "As the saying goes, 'Within ten steps of marshland, there will surely be fragrant herbs; within ten households, there will surely be loyal men.'"

"Small Shanghuting has only a few hundred households and a population of no more than a thousand, yet it has such brave and valiant men."

"Chen Jun has more than 10,000 people in Wohu Township, yet he only summons four attendants, which is really too few."

At this point, Qi Lian changed the subject: "I will give one of my residences to Mr. Chen as a gift. You can also take this opportunity to recruit more warriors and strengthen your own power."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng's expression changed slightly. He suddenly looked at the scholars below and asked in a stern voice, "What do you intend to do by building residences and recruiting warriors?"

"Mr. Chen! It is not 'you all,' but 'us'!"

The scholar surnamed Qi also straightened his expression and emphasized.

Hearing the sound, Zhao Cheng and the others outside the hall also turned their heads to look, wanting to go forward.

Chen Yuancheng shook his head slightly, and everyone continued to train their muscles and bones, but they all secretly kept an eye on the movements inside the hall.

"Mr. Chen, now that you are a high-ranking official, do not forget how we first met!"

"And how did he obtain this high-ranking official position?"

The cultivator surnamed Qi's expression softened slightly, and he spoke in a solemn voice.

......

The purchase of the land went very smoothly.

Just as Zhao Xian had expected, once they learned that it was a friend of Chen Jun who was buying land, and that it was not fertile land but only wild fields, the Xu family naturally agreed to the purchase.

The price has also dropped from 800 coins per mu to 500 coins, with a total of 50,000 coins for 100 mu of land.

Qi Lian also accompanied Zhao Xian to visit the Xu family, presenting them with 50,000 talisman coins, which were equivalent to 500 low-grade spirit stones.

By this time, Zhao Xian also learned that the scholar surnamed Qi was actually named Qi Lian.

Seeing that Qi Lian was so sensible, Xu Daocheng, the head of the Xu family, was very satisfied and said that the Xu family would be willing to help when the fields were leveled in the future.

Qi Lian bowed in thanks and exchanged pleasantries for a while before the two left the Xu family.

After leaving the Xu family, Qi Lian asked Zhao Xian to find a skilled Taoist priest in the village who was good at building houses and courtyards.

Food and lodging are provided, and additional wages are available.

With such generous compensation, Zhao Xian naturally agreed to the offer.

It was late May, and with less farm work in the fields, many Taoist priests were sitting idly at home.

Zhao Xian, mindful of the generous rewards offered, naturally prioritized the well-being of his own family members and the people of Shanghuting.

When Zhao Xian returned home on his day off, he made a point of explaining the reason to the village head, Zhao Zhong, and then went to the other five villages to recruit skilled Daoist practitioners.

When Zhao Xian returned to his village the next day, he was accompanied by more than a hundred villagers.

Chen Yuancheng was naturally worried about entrusting so many Daoist practitioners to Qi Lian.

He then ordered the village chiefs of Shanghuting to take turns accompanying him to supervise the villagers in leveling fields and building houses.

During this time, Chen Yuancheng would also go to inspect the area from time to time.

With the construction of the residence underway, Qi Lian's entrustment of the matter was considered complete. He sent a servant to deliver three thousand coins as a token of his gratitude.

Zhao Xian repeatedly declined, but in the end, the servant had no choice but to put down the talisman and leave in a hurry.

Zhao Xian informed Chen Yuancheng about this, and Chen Yuancheng told Zhao Xian to accept it without worry.

With this matter settled, Zhao Xian continued to attend to his official duties in the countryside.