Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Upon arriving at the Song family residence, Song Chen, the head of the Song family, was already standing below the hall to greet them.

After exchanging greetings, everyone entered the hall.

Apart from Zhao Xian and his group of four, the Song father and son, the only people in the hall were the head of Qiande Village and two guests of the Song family.

After a brief chat, the sound of string and wind instruments began, and the banquet officially commenced.

During the meal, the Song father and son were extremely respectful to Zhao Xian, their flattery evident in their words.

The banquet lasted until late at night before it finally ended.

Seeing that it was getting late, Song Chen invited Zhao Xian and the others to rest at his home, saying that they would need to continue inspecting the fields the next day, and that staying at Song's house would save them the trouble of traveling.

Zhao Xian originally did not want to stay overnight at the Song family's house, but he could not resist the warm invitation from the Song father and son, and with the strong persuasion of Liu Mao and the other two, he had no choice but to agree.

As the moon rose high in the sky, everyone dispersed from the hall, and Zhao Xian and his party followed Song An to their guest residence to rest.

After thanking Song An, Zhao Xian climbed the steps, took off his shoes, pushed open the door, and entered the house.

A thick carpet was laid underfoot, so there was no sound when you stepped on it.

Inside the room stood several lamp stands, each with four or five oil lamps, illuminating the room as if it were daytime.

Upon entering the inner room, one sees a bathtub, with a beautiful young maid kneeling on either side.

Upon seeing Zhao Xian enter, the two maids immediately prostrated themselves and kowtowed, saying, "Please, Your Majesty, take a bath!"

The candlelight was soft, and the two maids were both dressed in pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), their figures were plump, and the thin gauze clung to their bodies, making them mature and alluring.

Zhao Xian was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter.

"I am but a lowly village official, wielding meager power, yet I receive such hospitality. If I were a high-ranking official, I could destroy a family and clan with a mere laugh; what a sight that would be!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhao Xian went forward to take a bath.

They come, the security.

......

When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

As he rose from the bed, Zhao Xian was filled with great annoyance.

My daily morning exercise routine, which I never fail to do, was completely forgotten today!

The allure of a gentle life is indeed a hero's grave.

After washing up briefly, Zhao Xian, with a ring-handled sword at his waist, stepped out of the elegant house, only to find Song An already standing in the courtyard waiting for him.

Upon seeing Zhao Xian leave, Song An also stepped forward to greet him.

"Bozhang, did you rest well last night?"

Song An winked at Zhao Xian, speaking in a very friendly tone.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian smiled in response.

"My father has already prepared the feast," Song An continued.

"Lord Song, we still need to investigate the fields."

Zhao Xian immediately gave a wry smile and waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.

"The remaining households can be checked quickly, there's no need to rush."

Song An insisted on persuading him.

As they were talking, Liu Mao and the other two also came out of the house. Hearing Song An's words, the three of them were quite interested.

Seeing this, Zhao Xian had no choice but to agree to attend the banquet.

When they arrived at the hall, the others had already arrived. Seeing Zhao Xian enter the hall, they all stood up to greet him.

The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments heralded the start of the banquet.

As the afternoon drew to a close, Zhao Xian rose to take his leave, stating that he still needed to continue investigating the remaining Taoist households' land in Qiandeli.

"Knowing that you gentlemen from the village have been traveling and working very hard these past few days, how can we trouble you to go and investigate again? We have already completed our investigation."

Song Chen stroked his beard and smiled. A guest stepped forward with a lacquered tray and presented him with bamboo slips.

Zhao Xian glanced at everyone in the hall, then picked up the bamboo slips, unfolded them, and carefully examined them.

After a dozen or so breaths, Zhao Xian rolled up the bamboo slip again, looked at everyone in the hall once more, and then handed the bamboo slip to Liu Mao.

Seeing Zhao Xian's solemn expression, the smiles on the faces of the Song father and son also disappeared, and the hall immediately fell silent.

Like Zhao Xian, Liu Mao examined the bamboo slips for a moment, a cold smile appearing on his lips. He then handed the bamboo slips to the remaining two officials.

After all the village officials had finished looking at the exhibits, Zhao Xian finally let out a long sigh.

"Bozhang, what's with that sigh?"

Upon hearing this, Song Chen spoke up at the opportune moment.

"Bo Zhang's sigh was a lament for those two beautiful maids, for he feared he would never see them again."

After saying this, Zhao Xian raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, his face full of regret.

Seeing this, Song An laughed and said, "Bo Zhang, there's nothing to lament about."

"Father, why not give these two maids to Bozhang, to help others achieve their goals!"

Song Anfu then looked at Song Chen, gave him a meaningful look, and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Song. These two maids will serve as official maids. Bo Zhang can ask Lord Chen for a reward later."

Zhao Xian immediately interrupted the Song father and son, and said leisurely.

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of the Song father and son instantly froze.

"Lord Zhao, what do you mean by that?"

After a few breaths, Song An looked at Zhao Xian and asked calmly.

"After the entire Song family was wiped out, the servants in the household were converted into government slaves."

"As the saying goes, 'those near the water get the moon first,' I'll spend some money and ask Mr. Chen to buy it for me and take it home."

"Therefore, I am very grateful for your kind offer, Mr. Song!"

Zhao Xian looked at the Song father and son and said calmly.

"You scoundrel!" A guest at the right seat suddenly changed color, dropped his dagger, leaped to his feet, glared angrily at Zhao Xian, and pointed his finger at him, cursing, "Our patriarch has treated you with utmost sincerity, how dare you curse our family!"

"Clang!"

He drew his ring-shaped sword, its blade pointing at Zhao Xian.

Seeing this scene unfold before his eyes, Zhao Xian showed no fear. He gripped his sword hilt, leaped to his feet, and shouted fiercely, "Since Lord Chen fought against the bandits, I have faced life and death several times, beheading more than ten. You, you dog slave, dare to draw your sword against me!"

Although Liu Mao and the other two officials were terrified, they knew that they could not show weakness to the enemy at this time. They forced themselves to stand up and glared angrily at the Song family father and son.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned sour that you could hear a pin drop!

"How dare you!"

"presumptuous!"

Seeing this, Song Chen and Song An shouted to stop them in unison.

"You slave, how dare you draw your sword in the hall? Get out of here at once!"

Song Chen threw himself down in the hall, pointed at the guests, and angrily rebuked them.

Upon seeing this, the guest snorted coldly, sheathed his sword, and immediately knelt down on the ground.

"I hope Mr. Zhao will not take offense at the rudeness of our guests!"

Song Chen looked at Zhao Xian again, stood up and bowed.

"Your words are too kind, sir. Who in the village doesn't know that you are charitable, generous, and of high moral character?"

"I am young and my words were too harsh. I hope Lord Song will forgive me!"

Zhao Xian smiled, loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword, and bowed deeply as well.

Upon seeing this, Liu Mao, the three officials, breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down somewhat.

Liu Maofu then perked up, forced a smile, and said, "Lord Song and Lord Zhao are both men of high moral character and sincere hearts, whom we greatly admire."

"The wine is still warm, why not share a cup?"

With Liu Mao's words as a way out, Zhao Xian and Song Chen exchanged a smile and returned to their seats.

"You rude boy, let me offer you a cup of wine to Lord Song!"

Zhao Xian raised his cup first and said respectfully.

"Haha, it's alright!"

Upon hearing this, Song Chen waved his hand and raised his glass in response.

Everyone raised their cups together and drank them down in one gulp.

Zhao Xian refilled his wine cup, raised it to Song Chen, and said with a smile, "This cup is to thank Lord Song for his sincerity in treating people, which has earned him such a loyal guest!"

"This servant is of a fierce nature, prone to drawing his sword and glaring angrily at the slightest provocation. I am deeply worried about him, yet I also love him dearly." With a long sigh, Song Chen looked at the guest, "Rise, Lord Zhao is merciful, raise your cup in respect!"

Upon hearing this, the guests also rose, returned to their seats, raised their cups to toast Zhao Xian, and then everyone drank another cup together.

"This cup is offered to Young Master Song, who is both scholarly and martial, virtuous and talented; and to Lord Shen, who is upright and learned. If Young Master Song were to become Lord Shen's student, he would surely be recruited by the county in the future!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Zhao Jun!"

They then drank another cup together.