Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

As night falls, the country house returns to tranquility.

Today's events, in Chen Yuancheng's words, have become "the villagers of Dahuting were armed and fighting over land, and the local officials quelled the incident."

After Zhao Xian and his party returned to their village, they all kept silent, as instructed by Cao Miao, the village official.

After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.

Back inside, following his uncle's instructions, Zhao Xianyi fetched warm water and a cotton cloth and carefully wiped the ring-pommel sword.

Once the dried bloodstains on the blade were completely wiped away, Zhao Xian's mind calmed down.

Sheathing his sword, Zhao Xian's gaze fell on the bow and arrows before him. The scene of chasing Huang Liang today flashed through his mind, vivid in his memory.

"I must seek instruction in the art of horsemanship and archery from someone skilled in the art!"

If Huang Liang hadn't panicked and mishandled his horse, they might have actually escaped alive.

With a sigh, Zhao Xianfu looked at the other two ring-pommel swords, which were the spoils of war obtained from killing Huang Liang's followers today.

Zhao Xian took them out one by one and examined them. He flicked his finger and the echo was crisp, indicating that they were of extraordinary quality!

"Since my fourth brother has come to our aid today, I may give him this ring-pommel sword, and the other one may be given to my twelfth uncle, Zhao Ze."

"Furthermore, the kindness of the people of Shanghuting also deserves our gratitude!"

After thinking it over, Zhao Xian had already made up his mind.

"Da da!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice: "Bo Zhang~"

Upon hearing the sound, Zhao Xian immediately got up and went forward, opening the door to find Liu Mao and the other two officials standing outside.

"Mr. Liu, please come in." Zhao Xian stepped aside to open the door and let the three of them in. "You must be exhausted today. Why haven't you rested yet?"

The room was small, containing only a couch. The three did not sit down. Liu Mao bowed directly to Zhao Xian and said, "Unable to sleep late at night, tossing and turning, we have come here to repay Bo Zhang's life-saving grace!"

The two officials behind him also bowed in greeting.

"Everyone, rise quickly!"

Zhao Xian immediately reached out and helped the three of them up.

"Please accept our humble offering, Bozhang!"

The three officials rose, each took out a small cloth bag from their sleeves, and bowed again to present it with both hands.

"This..." Zhao Xian looked surprised and quickly went to help Liu Mao up again. "You three are too kind. We are all in the same boat. Bo Zhang is also trying to save his own life!"

"Rise quickly! Bozhang already knows your intentions!"

Zhao Xian exerted a little force with both hands, but Liu Mao's body remained as still as if cast in iron.

"These three are putting Bo Zhang in a difficult position!"

Seeing this, Zhao Xian could only manage a helpless, bitter smile.

Seeing that Zhao Xian's tone was softening, Liu Mao replied at the right time: "Bo Zhang, the three of us are exhausted both physically and mentally after this incident. We have already asked Lord Cao for permission to go home and rest for some time."

"The matter of measuring the land and calculating the population will be investigated by Bo Zhang, who will accompany him at the appropriate time."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian gradually revealed a look of understanding. He glanced at the three officials in front of him, but couldn't help but smile bitterly again.

"Bo Zhang understands your intentions, and I will inform Lord Chen tomorrow." Zhao Xian helped Liu Mao up again, noticing his ashamed expression. "As for your intentions, your families are not wealthy, so please take them back with you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Mao immediately gave a wry smile and placed the small cloth bag on a nearby table, as did the other two officials.

"Bo Zhang, we are not ungrateful people, in fact..."

Then, looking at Zhao Xian, Liu Mao hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Zhao Xian nodded slightly, stepped forward and took Liu Mao's hand, then looked at the other two officials and said solemnly, "No need for further words, Bo Zhang understands!"

"Gentlemen, please rest at home for a few days. Once the land survey and civil affairs are settled, you may return to your hometowns!"

"Thank you, Bozhang!"

Upon hearing this, the three officials bowed again and then turned to leave.

Upon reaching the outside, Liu Mao hesitated, looking unsure of what to do. He sighed deeply, then turned and grabbed Zhao Xian's hand, whispering a few words in his ear.

"Gentlemen, please rest well at home. As for the matter of surveying the land and calculating the number of people, Bo Zhang will handle it all."

Zhao Xian returned the greeting and said solemnly.

After watching the three officials return to their rooms, Zhao Xian closed the door, his face now solemn.

Liu Mao's words just now truly shocked Zhao Xian.

"More than twenty years ago, that grain robbery case was actually related to the Yan family!"

Zhao Xianqiang suppressed his shock and took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

The grain robbery was the biggest case in Wohu Township, and even a young man like Zhao Xian had heard his elders mention it.

More than twenty years ago, a high-ranking official from the county and several outer disciples of the Yunlan Sect came to Wohu Township to collect spirit rice. On the eve of their return journey after collecting more than a thousand shi of spirit rice, they were suddenly attacked by bandits.

Two high-ranking officials, four outer disciples of the Yunlan Sect, and their entourage and guards were all killed, and over a thousand bushels of spirit rice were looted.

The county magistrate was furious and ordered the county constable to conduct a large-scale search. The Yunlan Sect also sent a Foundation Establishment expert to investigate, but they were unable to find any trace of the bandits. The case became an unsolved mystery and remains unsolved to this day.

The uncle of Liu Zhuo, the head of the township pavilion, was one of the two high-ranking officials in the county who died that day; the other was a patrol officer.

"If this case is truly related to the Yan family, once it's proven, Chen Jun's statement about 'exterminating the entire clan' might actually come true!"

While pondering, Zhao Xian also bent down and picked up the three small cloth bags, opened them one by one, and poured out all the contents.

Dozens of thumb-sized spirit stones jingled and jumped into view.

Zhao Xian counted them carefully; there were seventy-five in total.

After tidying up the room, he quietly took out the hidden box from under the bed.

Upon opening the wooden box, a shimmering light emanated from within, revealing it filled with thumb-sized low-grade spirit stones.

These were gifts given by wealthy households in various villages during the land survey.

Zhao Xian took them out one by one, counted them three times, and there were exactly one hundred low-grade spirit stones.

The three officials, Liu Mao and the others, received less than Zhao Xian, but it should still be around fifty or sixty coins.

Today, the three officials each presented twenty-five coins, which should account for half of what they received.

All told, I now have 175 low-grade spirit stones, which is nearly 20,000 talisman coins!

As for the spirit stones given to Chen Yuancheng by the wealthy households in various pavilions, Zhao Xian has already forwarded them all. Now, after a rough calculation, he estimates that there are about a thousand of them.

However, it was impossible for Chen Yuancheng to accept all of these spirit stones.

Judging from Liu Mao's words, it seems that he intends to give 50% of the proceeds to the county government, which will then distribute the profits among the county officials.

In short, everyone gets a share, which is why this matter can continue for a long time.

Suppressing his reverie, Zhao Xianfu recalled Chen Yuancheng's chilling words and felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Exterminate the entire clan!"

"The Yan clan members in Yandeli, who are within five degrees of kinship with Yan Heng's family, number at least a hundred!"

"The scions of powerful families are indeed fierce and violent!"

Zhao Xian sighed, took out two low-grade spirit stones from the hidden box, and then hid the box in the shadows.

"This low-grade storage bag holds about a hundred low-grade spirit stones, but unfortunately, I'm short on funds. I'll focus on cultivation first!"

With a soft sigh, Zhao Xian rose and sat upright on the bed, holding two low-grade spirit stones in his palms. He closed his eyes slightly and began to meditate.

......

It was late at night, in the deep courtyard of Yande Lane.

But then came roars and the sound of vessels shattering one after another.

Above the main hall, the Moon Pearl shone brightly, illuminating the hall as if it were daytime!

There were no servants in the hall, only two figures present.

Yan Su knelt on the ground, his face flushed, veins bulging on his hands, and blood flowing from his forehead!

"You scoundrel! How could I have given birth to such a fool!" Yan Heng grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at Yan Su. "You've been inciting unrest among the people, all for the sake of killing a few petty officials! You don't deserve to bear my surname!"

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the teacup shattered, and blood slowly seeped from Yan Su's other temple.

"Father, it's not for those petty officials!" Yan Su endured the sharp pain in his forehead, prostrated himself on the ground, and kowtowed. "When the people gathered to discuss the matter, the first person the county magistrate punished was Chen Yuancheng!"

"As long as Chen Yuancheng is imprisoned, the position of magistrate of Wohu Township will fall to me."

"At that time, we will be able to take control of Crouching Tiger Village."

"In just a few years, our family will become a powerful clan in the county, just like the Chen family!"

After saying that, Yan Su stopped talking and pressed his forehead against the smooth ground.

"So, in that case, you not only have no faults, but have actually done good?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Heng's face contorted with rage, but he forced a smile and asked in a cold voice.

"I wouldn't dare!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Su immediately responded.

"The Chen family became a powerful clan in the county because a member of the family had once been a master cultivator who had reached the Core Formation stage and served as a prefect."

"You think it's just a matter of a few Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

As he finished speaking, Yan Heng's tone grew increasingly cold. He raised his foot and kicked Yan Su, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"A Foundation Establishment Pill costs only three thousand low-grade spirit stones. If my family wanted to have Foundation Establishment cultivators, we could have several within ten days!"

"But what use are these useless cultivators who rely on Foundation Establishment Pills to establish their foundation, other than merely adding sixty years to their lifespan!"

"Even those lowest-ranking Foundation Establishment cultivators who single-handedly cultivate a ninth-grade Dao foundation are several levels stronger than this piece of trash!"

"I entrust my family business to you; once I pass away, my entire family will be wiped out!"

"Get out! Get out of here!"

Yan Heng glared at Yan Su and roared.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Yan Su's eyes. He then stood up, bowed respectfully, and turned to leave.

"A bunch of lowly slaves, get in here and clean!"

......

The next morning, Zhao Xian got up, washed up, and continued his unwavering morning exercise.

After finishing his practice and having breakfast, Wang Cong came to find Zhao Xian and said that Chen Yuancheng had summoned him.

Zhao Xian immediately got up and followed him to the elegant residence in the backyard.

He took off his shoes and stepped into the hall, where he saw that the village official Cao Miao and the scholar Qi Lian had already arrived.

Zhao Xian bowed to the two men one by one, and they returned the bows in return.

"Surrounded by hundreds of civilians, he remained fearless and composed, single-handedly quelling the disturbance!" Qi Lian looked at Zhao Xian, his eyes gleaming with admiration. "Bo Zhang, you are truly a man of great talent!"

"You flatter me, Lord Qi!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately waved his hands repeatedly, then said solemnly, "Without the help of the head of Dahuting and the others, Bo Zhang alone would not have been able to quell the incident."

"Bozhang, you have rendered a great service to the village this time." Village official Cao Miao also straightened his posture and bowed to Zhao Xian. "If the matter of the people gathering here were to reach the ears of the county magistrate, all of us village officials would be imprisoned and punished!"

"Cao Jun's words are too serious; Bo Zhang is merely trying to protect himself!"

As they were talking, Chen Yuancheng stepped out of the inner room with a smile on his face.

"Bozhang, I heard you repeatedly being modest in the inner room. There's no need for such excessive modesty."

Chen Yuancheng looked at Zhao Xian and smiled gently.

"Lord Cao's words resonate deeply with me. The fact that my head is still intact is entirely thanks to Bo Zhang's efforts!"

"Bo Zhang is unworthy of such praise!"

Zhao Xian immediately bowed in greeting.