Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

"Whoosh!"

With a sudden whooshing sound, Zhao Xian, as if by telepathy, jerked backward.

An arrow grazed his face, the force of which stung his cheek.

He dismounted, and several masked figures were already rushing towards him from the mountains and forests.

The speed was so fast that Zhao Xian didn't even have time to draw his bow and nock an arrow.

"Clang!"

With his ring-bladed sword drawn, its cold light gleaming, Zhao Xian showed no fear. With a thought, he unleashed his lightness technique.

With lightning speed, Zhao Xian charged towards the enemy forces opposite him.

A group of bandits must consist of at least three people to be considered a group of bandits.

Now, there are four or five bandits attacking Zhao Xian alone, which can certainly be called a band of outlaws.

"kill!"

In an instant, the leader of the bandits had already swung his knife and attacked Zhao Xian, who naturally raised his hand to meet the attack.

"Ding!"

The clang of metal rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

Zhao Xian lightly swung his ring-blade, deflecting the bandit's ring-blade, and then moved forward, his ring-blade already close to the bandit's throat.

"Rip!"

In an instant, a jet of blood shot into the sky like a fountain, reaching a height of over ten feet.

The bandit continued his advance without changing momentum, passing Zhao Xian's figure and lunging forward for about ten feet before finally falling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Clang!

The ring-shaped knife fell to the ground, creating a shallow crater.

"Big brother!"

With a mournful cry, a figure wielding a knife in both hands resolutely stabbed at Zhao Xian, his eyes burning with rage.

"Pfft!"

Seeing that the bandit's steps were unsteady and weak, relying only on a surge of bloodlust, Zhao Xian immediately showed disdain, dodged to the side, and thrust his ring-shaped knife through the bandit before he could react.

In just a few breaths, Zhao Xian had killed two people.

Seeing this, the remaining three also slowed down their pace.

"We thought that apart from your excellent archery skills, you were not good at close combat, but now it seems that we were all deceived by you!"

The bandit coughed up blood and spoke incoherently.

"It seems you've all been eyeing Zhao Xian for some time!"

"You're quite well-prepared, even bringing tripwires!" Zhao Xian slowly drew his sword, staring at the three opposite him with a calm smile. "Unfortunately, the people behind you clearly didn't tell me that I'm not only skilled in archery but also in swordsmanship!"

"We were not instigated by anyone else; it's just because you were carrying spirit rice on your shoulders, parading around the streets!"

Upon hearing the voice, a thief on the opposite side immediately responded in a hurried voice.

Seeing his rapid breathing and hurried response, Zhao Xian already had some guesses in his mind.

"kill!"

With a roar, Zhao Xian once again charged at the three thieves opposite him with his knife.

"kill!"

The three men hardened their expressions and charged at him again, swords in hand.

A few breaths later, the three figures slowly collapsed to the ground.

Zhao Xian pulled off the masks from the heads of the five men, and upon closer inspection, he found that they all had dark complexions and disheveled beards.

After prying open the five people's hands and examining each one, Zhao Xian stood up and sighed.

The calluses on the hands of the five men were not from holding knives and spears for a long time; they were not thieves or bandits, but simply country folk.

"Driven by greed?"

Zhao Xian absolutely refused to believe it!

Of the five, only the leader, Daoist, had reached the Tendon Refining level, while the other four were at the Skin Refining level. Their ring-handled knives were also extraordinary, worth at least one or two thousand talismans on the market.

In the homes of ordinary people in the countryside, such valuable items are unaffordable.

"The Yan family?"

After a moment's thought, Zhao Xian also shook his head.

If it really is the Yan family who are making a move, then the person who comes must be a first-rate martial artist who can kill Zhao Xian in three to five rounds!

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Xian also sighed, got up and cut off the heads of all five men.

As for the remains, they can be disposed of by the head of Xiahuting.

He searched them one by one, and found they had nothing on them.

Finding a belt, Zhao Xian tied the five ring-handled swords together, then arranged the five corpses in order on the official road, with their heads piled to the side.

Zhao Xian leaped onto his mount and continued on his way, with the old horse following behind him.

When they arrived at the pavilion of Xiahu, the pavilion owner saw Zhao Xian looking travel-worn and covered in blood, and was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly.

A few breaths later, the head of Xiahu Pavilion and Qiu Dao, each holding a ring-handled knife, strode out of the pavilion. Upon seeing Zhao Xian, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lord Zhao, we believe it is an attack by bandits!"

The pavilion chief sheathed his ring-handled sword and bowed to Zhao Xian.

"Sun Jun, Qian Jun, the bandits ambushed and killed me two or three miles away. All five of them have been slain!" Zhao Xian, seated high on his saddle, gave a bitter smile and returned the salute. "You two go and prepare the necessary supplies, then inform the local government and the patrol officer, Liu Jun!"

"I need to go home and rest!"

After saying this, Zhao Xian spurred his horse forward, the five ring-handled knives strapped to the old horse's back clanging.

For a moment, both the head of Xiahu Pavilion and the thief were captivated by him, watching Zhao Xian leave.

"Zhao Jun truly deserves to be called a courageous and valiant man who single-handedly quelled the unrest in hundreds of counties!"

The head of Xiahu Pavilion watched Zhao Xian disappear on the official road and couldn't help but sigh.

"These five could be considered a gang of thieves, and Lord Zhao single-handedly killed them all." The thief nodded slightly, a strange look on his face. "All the officials in the village know that Lord Zhao is skilled in archery; now it seems he is also skilled in close combat!"

"Let's go and see who this villain came from!"

After saying this, the two men, along with four other soldiers, hurried along the path Zhao Xian had taken.

......

In August, the fields are filled with the fragrance of rice blossoms, and farmers are busy working in the fields.

One person on two horses arrived leisurely.

A farmer near the main road looked up and squinted, then immediately waved and called out, "Ninth Brother!"

"I have a day off today, so I'm going home to visit!"

The young figure sitting upright on the saddle also raised his hand in response.

After leaving the official road and entering the country lanes, Zhao Xian greeted people from time to time along the way. Before long, he could see the inner gate of Yangpingli.

Upon reaching the inner gate, which was wide open, they could not see the inner prison gate.

"Uncle Eleven, you're really enjoying your job as a gatekeeper here!"

Zhao Xian shook his head, dismounted, and led the two riders through the inner gate.

Upon entering the inner gate, they indeed found Uncle Zhao He, the eleventh, fast asleep in the shade, his snores filling the air.

If he were a child, Zhao Xian would have certainly played a trick on his eleventh uncle at this time, but now that he is an official, he can no longer act like a child, as it would be beneath his dignity.

Leading the horse towards the inner room, there was hardly anyone there, only a few teenagers playing and laughing.

Seeing Zhao Xian leading his horse over, they naturally went forward to greet him, running and playing around the two horses.

Some of the bolder ones would touch the old horse, which was docile and allowed the children to surround it.

Zhao Xian took out a few pieces of sugar cake from the bundle on his horse and distributed them to the children.

For a time, Zhao Xian was surrounded by various titles such as "Ninth Uncle" and "Ninth Brother".

Let them continue playing, and Zhao Xian can also see his own front door.

After walking several dozen steps, Zhao Xian arrived at the courtyard gate. He glanced at the bloodstains on his body and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Zhao Xian led the two horses into the yard, where a yellow dog immediately stood up and barked incessantly.

A calf was also frolicking and jumping around in the yard.

Hearing the dog barking, the mother and younger sister came out of the house and were overjoyed to see Zhao Xian return.

When the two approached, they saw that Zhao Xian was covered in blood, and they were so shocked that their eyes reddened and they wiped their eyes and brows repeatedly.