Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Early frost flies on the roadside in late autumn, and the grass grows lush and green on the flat fields where birds hunt.

As we approach the end of August, the rice in the fields has been harvested, and the wild animals are plump and have nowhere to hide, making it the perfect time for hunting.

In previous years, the sons of prominent families and wealthy households in the village would have already prepared hawks and hounds, and led their guests and entourage to hunt in the mountains and forests.

This year was no exception, but there were two more people: one was Chen Yuancheng, a promising young village head, and the other was Qi Lian, a scholar.

The two men each led their guests to go hunting at the invitation of the sons of wealthy families in the village.

Zhao Xian also prepared bows and arrows and followed Chen Yuancheng on a hunt.

The fields were bustling with activity: greyhounds barked, eagles soared through the air, and people and horses neighed.

"With Bo Zhang here, it is likely that all the prey this year will be hunted by Bo Zhang."

Upon seeing Chen Yuancheng bring Zhao Xian here, Song An, the son of the wealthy Song family in the village, immediately made a joke.

The other wealthy young men chuckled and echoed his sentiments.

"Brother Xu, you've also come here today." Another person looked at Xu Dekun, a member of the Xu family who had come to hunt with him, and said with a smile, "How fortunate we are to witness the two of you being such excellent archers!"

Xu Dekun is now an official under Chen Sheng, a bandit chief in the county. Today happens to be his day off, so he came to participate in such a grand event in the village.

"How can Bo Zhang's archery skills compare to Xu Jun's? Xu Jun has been known for his bravery since he took office in the county, and we have heard of him in this Crouching Tiger Township."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuancheng immediately smiled and said.

"How dare I, Dekun, flaunt my meager reputation before Lord Chen!"

Xu Dekun waved his hand repeatedly, simply expressing his modesty.

Having served in the county for several months, Xu Dekun has become more composed.

As for the bravery mentioned by Chen Yuancheng and Xu Dekun, it was a group of merchants from another prefecture who were ambushed by bandits in a neighboring county a month ago. The caravan, including its guards, numbered about forty or fifty people, and were all killed by the bandits.

The neighboring county requested assistance from Rongtai County. The bandit Cao Chen Sheng, acting on the orders of the county magistrate, led his subordinates to provide support.

In the mountains and forests where the two counties meet, officials from both counties found the bandits and a fierce battle ensued.

In this battle, Xu Dekun shot several bandits in succession and then went close to kill several more, thus earning his reputation for bravery.

Zhao Cheng and others behind Chen Yuancheng were also aware of this matter, and they were quite resentful that Xu Dekun enjoyed such a great reputation.

When it comes to killing bandits, Zhao Xian killed far more than him.

He single-handedly killed a group of bandits, which was enough to make him a brave and powerful man.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xian did not have the family background of the Xu family, so no one promoted his fame.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, once all the invited guests had arrived, Chen Yuancheng, Yan Su, Qi Lian, and others spurred their horses forward and galloped ahead, with Zhao Xian and Zhao Cheng following closely behind.

Looking around, there were dozens of riders, and if you include the guests running wildly behind them, there were more than a hundred people.

In an instant, the fields were filled with the thunderous roar of horses' hooves, the whistling of horses echoing across the wilderness, and dust billowing everywhere.

......

"middle!"

With a soft shout, an arrow shot out, and dozens of feet away, a pheasant fell to the ground.

"color!"

"Bo Zhang is a master archer!"

Cheers erupted from all around!

"The range of that arrow is probably a hundred paces!" Qi Lian, dressed in a smart warrior's uniform and holding a carved bow and feathered arrow, looked quite heroic. He looked at Zhao Xian with a complex expression. "In a few years, Bo Zhang will surely reach the level of hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces away, a truly divine skill!"

"You flatter me, Lord Qi. Bo Zhang's success was merely due to luck!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately made a self-deprecating remark, and a servant stepped forward to retrieve the pheasant.

"It's almost noon, and we've only hunted a few pheasants. How are we going to have enough to eat!" Song An looked up at the sun and then said helplessly, "Why don't we have Xu Jun and Bo Zhang shoot a few more?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian and Xu Dekun both looked at Chen Yuancheng.

After pondering for a few moments, Chen Yuancheng had no choice but to agree.

Zhao Xian didn't stand on ceremony, cupped his hands in acceptance, and spurred his horse forward, followed by two spear-wielding attendants.

More than a hundred people and horses gathered together, making a great commotion. Wild animals in the mountains had already fled at the sound of the noise, so it was only natural that they could not hunt any prey.

The mountains and forests were dense, so Zhao Xian dared not go far. He only patrolled the mountains and forests a few miles away, searching for prey.

Suddenly, a faint yellow hue caught his eye, and Zhao Xian immediately tugged on the reins to stop his mount.

After drawing the bow and nocking the arrow, taking a quick aim, the arrow shot through the air.

"Pfft!"

The arrow fletched violently, and a lithe figure leaped out from the nearly human-high weeds, its four hooves off the ground!

"Snapped!"

Before it could fall, an arrow had already pierced through his chest.

"Wild deer!" one of the attendants exclaimed immediately, then his face lit up with joy. "Deer meat is the most delicious; we're in for a treat today!"

"Lord Zhao, I will go and fetch the deer for you right away!"

After saying this, the attendant hurried forward and returned a moment later with the wild deer.

"It weighs at least seventy or eighty pounds, Lord Zhao, enough to fill our stomachs!"

"In that case, let's go back!"

Zhao Xian glanced at the wild deer and immediately smiled and said.

"Lord Zhao, shall we hunt a few more?"

Upon hearing this, the attendant was slightly taken aback, and then asked in confusion.

"Haha, a full stomach is enough; excessive hunting is against the natural order!"

Zhao Xian laughed loudly, made a "haha" sound, then turned his horse around and drove back.

Upon seeing this, the two attendants behind him had no choice but to follow closely behind.

It wasn't that Zhao Xian didn't want to continue hunting, but rather that he felt a vague unease.

In this unfamiliar mountain forest, it is best not to wander alone.

Before long, Zhao Xian had driven his horse back to Chen Yuancheng's side, with two attendants carrying a wild deer behind him.

"Excellent, this deer is enough for us to have a hearty meal!"

Upon seeing the wild deer, Chen Yuancheng was also delighted and praised it with a smile.

A moment later, Xu Dekun also returned to the group, followed by his followers who carried the prey on their shoulders and in their hands.

"Haha, not only will we have a feast today, but we'll also have enough to show off back in the village!"

Looking at Xu Dekun, Chen Yuancheng immediately shouted loudly.

The other wealthy young men also cheered and echoed the sentiment.

Compared to Zhao Xian, they were naturally more pleased with Xu Dekun, whom they had known for many years.

Having successfully hunted their prey, the group headed out of the mountains and forests.

Once they emerged from the forest, everyone agreed to Qi Lian's invitation to go to Qi's house for drinking and merrymaking.

Only after stepping out of the mountains and forests did Zhao Xian's anxious heart slowly settle down.

For some reason, after entering the mountains and forests, Zhao Xian felt uneasy, as if someone was secretly watching him.

The banquet lasted until late at night before everyone finally dispersed.

In the following two weeks, under Chen Yuancheng's leadership, the group cooperated more and more effectively, and the number of prey they hunted increased.

Zhao Xian returned home several times for rest and relaxation, and each time he brought back a lot of game, which made the boys in his family eat until their mouths were full of oil.

The skin that was peeled off was also very precious. The father tanned it and prepared it to make a fur robe for Zhao Hong in the winter.

However, the sources of the furs were quite diverse, including fox, rabbit, and wolf furs that Zhao Xian obtained by hunting, as well as dog and sheep furs.

Fortunately, it was just used as an inner lining, covered with cotton cloth, so no one could see what was inside.

Rural folks don't care about appearance; as long as they are protected from the wind and kept warm, that's enough.

......

As we entered mid-September, the weather gradually turned cold.

Chen Yuancheng also stopped participating in the hunting expeditions of wealthy young men and instead began to urge the heads of various pavilions to prepare for the enemy's attack.

Townships and pavilions are not subordinate to each other, both under the jurisdiction of the county. However, pavilions are located in townships, and with Chen Yuancheng's supervision, the pavilion chiefs naturally dared not neglect their duties.

Moreover, preparing for enemy attacks is within the duties of the village head.

On this day, Chen Yuancheng and Zhao Xian returned from Tingbu and saw four or five double-shafted oxcarts parked on the official road in front of the village house, each with a driver waiting quietly.

"Um?"

Seeing this, Chen Yuancheng and Zhao Xian exchanged glances, puzzled, and immediately dismounted and entered the country house.

In the main hall of the front courtyard, Cao Miao, the village assistant, was already waiting.

Upon seeing Chen Yuancheng return, he immediately descended the steps and hurried to greet him.

"Most of the wealthy families from Xiangting and the surrounding villages gathered here, stating that their nephews and nieces had gone hunting in the mountains with guests and servants the day before yesterday and had not returned yet!"

Cao Miao, a local official, approached Chen Yuancheng and immediately spoke in a low voice.

"What?!"

Upon hearing the sound, Chen Yuancheng also exclaimed in surprise, his expression immediately becoming more serious. He stepped past Cao Miao, hurried a few steps, and entered the hall.

Zhao Xian and Cao Miao exchanged a glance and then entered the hall together.

A moment later, Chen Yuancheng saw the group off from the country house. After watching them leave, he immediately gave them a signal with his eyes.

Zhao Xian and the others then followed him back to the backyard.

"Cao Jun, along with seven wealthy young men and their servants and guests, number about twenty or thirty." Chen Yuancheng looked at Cao Miao and analyzed solemnly, "They are all brave and strong, and possess cultivation. Ordinary bandits would never be a match for this group."

"Each household has dispatched servants to search the surrounding mountains and forests, but they have not found any trace of this group of people. They have only discovered their tracks, suggesting that they may have entered the depths of the mountains!"

"This matter is of utmost importance, Lord Cao. You must immediately issue a document and send someone to report to the county tonight!" Chen Yuancheng continued, "A-Xian and I will go into the mountains to search overnight!"

"Mr. Chen, you mustn't!" Cao Miao immediately raised his hand to stop him. Seeing Chen Yuancheng pause in surprise, he realized that Chen Yuancheng had misunderstood him. "I will send a document right away and have someone deliver it to the county overnight."

"As for what Mr. Chen said, that we should immediately go into the mountains to search, but absolutely not!"

"The mountains and forests are densely covered with vegetation, and at night it's pitch black, making it extremely easy to get lost," Cao Miao continued. "Besides, with just Chen Jun and Bo Zhang among them, scattering them into the mountains and forests would be like drops of water joining a vast ocean—utterly ineffective!"

"What Cao Jun says is very true. In my haste, I almost led Bozhang and the others into a predicament!"

Chen Yuancheng slapped his forehead and said with a wry smile.

"In that case, let's proceed to Wen County first. Tomorrow, I will gather the villagers from each village and then search the mountains again!"

......

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, inside a dark cave, white bones lay scattered on the ground, the air thick with the chilling aura of blood, and a few wisps of phosphorescent ghost fire floated within the cave.

Further in, about ten feet in, lies a cave nestled in the mountainside, its walls roughly carved and sculpted, covering an area of ​​about ten feet in diameter.

Inside the cave, a ferocious beast, about ten feet in size, was fast asleep, snoring loudly, with a group of eerie little ghosts standing guard on either side.

Beneath him lay a pile of mangled remains, limbs and torsos scattered throughout the cave, dried blood staining the cave floor a dark purple hue.

In one corner of the cave, there was a pile of unconscious, muddy figures.