Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

"You're Hong Lang?"

A man in his thirties sat in the room, flipping through the letter of introduction in his hand, and glanced up at Hong Lang.

"My name is Hong Lang. I have met with Registrar Song."

Clerk Song placed the letter on the table and looked him up and down.

His gaze fell on Hong Lang's wolfskin coat with slight surprise, then he nodded: "I've read Chief Cao's letter. He said you're a capable person. Have a seat."

Hong Lang sat down on the wooden chair next to him.

"Can you read?" Chief Clerk Song asked bluntly.

This world also uses Chinese characters, so Honglang, having traveled through time, naturally had no problem reading and writing.

"They recognize most of the documents, can read and write ordinary ones."

Clerk Song nodded slightly and then asked, "Do you know what a clerk does?"

Hong Lang pondered for a moment and replied, "The clerk is in charge of documents and files, and assists the registrar in handling the county's general affairs. To put it bluntly, he is responsible for managing those stacks of files for the imperial court to ensure there are no mistakes."

Clerk Song took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Indeed, the job of a clerk is neither a big nor a small one; it's a rather leisurely position."

He stood up, walked to the window, and said with his hands behind his back, "The clerk's monthly salary is fifteen taels of silver, with an ice and charcoal allowance at the end of the year, and gifts from merchants during festivals. But let me make this clear from the beginning..."

This job looks easy, but it's actually incredibly tedious. A slight mistake could lead to dismissal or even imprisonment. Are you sure you've thought this through?"

"Reporting to Registrar Song, I have made up my mind. If I am granted this position, I will certainly do my utmost," Hong Lang replied respectfully.

Registrar Song sat down again, picked up his brush, wrote a few lines on the document, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to him:

"Take the document to the front yard and find Liu Zhong. Have him show you around the staff and rules of the yamen. You'll officially start your shift tomorrow."

Hong Lang accepted the document, then took out a hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and handed it to Registrar Song: "Registrar Song, thank you for your help with the previous matter!"

Registrar Song knew he was referring to the matter of Tang Chen and Tan Ya, so he accepted the silver note and nodded.

Hong Lang bowed to thank Registrar Song again and went to the front yard.

A dozen or so people were squatting in the yard, chatting and basking in the sun. When they saw him coming, they all looked up and stared at him.

A short, stout man in his forties approached, dressed in a dark-colored official uniform, with a bunch of keys hanging from his waist, jingling as he walked.

He took the document from Hong Lang's hand, examined it for a moment, and then said, "Hong, my surname is Liu, and my given name is Zhong. I am in charge of all the miscellaneous matters in the yamen. You can just call me Old Liu."

After saying that, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

Hong Lang cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Liu, I'll need your guidance in the future."

Liu Zhong waved his hand and led him through the front yard, saying as they walked, "You're too kind, Clerk Hong. It's not really about giving pointers; we're just serving the court and looking out for each other."

He led Hong Lang to receive his official robes and waist token, and then they arrived at a room. The room was simply furnished with a long table, a few chairs, and piles of files and account books.

"This is where you're on duty every day. Things may be messy, but there are rules. You'll figure it out naturally over time."

Liu Zhong pulled up a chair and sat down, then gestured for Hong Lang to sit as well. He lowered his voice and said, "Since Clerk Song has agreed, there are some things I need to make clear to you first. You need to have a good understanding of the people in this yamen."

Hong Lang nodded and listened attentively.

"There are three types of people in the yamen. The first type is officials, such as county magistrates, county lieutenants, and registrars. The second type is clerks, such as clerks like you, Hong Yashi. They are the core personnel in the yamen. The third type is servants, such as the miscellaneous servants in the yamen. Most of them are ordinary people."

The most important person in this county government office is naturally the county magistrate, whose cultivation at the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm would make him a formidable figure even on the battlefield.

"Below the magistrate is the county lieutenant," Liu Zhong continued. "This man has reached the Great Perfection of the Meridian Opening Realm. Although he is slightly inferior to the magistrate, he is still a capable person who can stand alone in the outside world."

In addition, there are three Marrow Cleansing Realm martial artists and eight Blood Refining Realm martial artists, plus you, Clerk Hong, making a total of fourteen martial artists. This is the entire military force of our yamen.

Hong Lang silently noted down the number, then asked, "Aren't there any ordinary people in our government's armed forces?"

Liu Zhong's tone also became serious: "If we really encounter war or banditry, we'll rely on these martial artists. As for the other ordinary yamen runners..."

There were quite a few of them, several dozen, but when it came to a fight to the death, their impact on the battle was negligible; a few Blood Refinement Realm warriors could easily wipe them all out.

Hong Lang responded with an "oh," his understanding of the world deepening once again.

Because the gap between martial artists and ordinary people is too great, ordinary people will not participate in battles between martial artists.

Taking the Meridian Opening Realm as an example, one person can slaughter an army of a thousand. Under such an extreme power gap, high-end combat power determines the course of war.

No matter how many cannon fodder there are, they are still just cannon fodder in the end.

When the two were talking about noon, Hong Lang realized it was lunchtime and pulled Liu Zhong to go for a drink.

"You're too kind, Clerk Hong. But since you've extended such a warm invitation, I'll have to accept." Liu Zhong's eyes lit up, and he smiled.

The two found a nice restaurant on the street and went inside.

During the meeting, Liu Zhong introduced Hong Lang to the current power structure of Hengjiang County.

"Our county town may not be big, but it is not simple in terms of power. It is mainly divided into two major gangs and four major families."

There are two major gangs. One is the Iron Knife Gang, which controls the city's canal transport and slaughtering industry. It has many subordinates, and its leader, Gao Feng, is at the entry level of the Meridian Opening Realm.

The other is the Qingfeng Gang, whose leader, Cui Jue, is a ruthless character. He is also at the entry level of the Meridian Opening Realm and controls the casinos and brothels in the city.

The two gangs have always been at odds, constantly vying for power, both openly and covertly. Our government has to navigate between them, and we can't afford to offend either of them easily.

Liu Zhong took a sip of wine and continued:

"As for the four major families, they are the Lin, Wang, Zhang, and Zhao families."

The Lin family mainly ran grain shops and controlled most of the city's grain supply. They were the wealthiest family. The Wang family was a scholarly family, with members serving as officials in the prefecture. They were quite influential.

The Zhang family was skilled in business, owning numerous pawnshops and silk stores, and had extensive connections. The Zhao family, on the other hand, was a family of martial arts masters, producing many martial artists, including even experts at the Meridian Opening Realm.

He paused, then added, "These four families cooperate with each other, but they also guard against and scheme against each other."

"If you work in the government office and encounter cases involving these families, you must act with caution, or you'll be embroiled in trouble."

The two men clinked glasses and chatted amiably, discussing everything from martial arts cultivation to anecdotes of the martial world. Before they knew it, two jugs of wine were empty.

In the afternoon, Liu Zhong went back to his duty, and Hong Lang began to stroll around the city.

Hengjiang County is not large; the main street runs north to south, with shouts and calls rising and falling on both sides.

Hong Lang walked along the bluestone path for a while and stopped in front of a silver jewelry shop.

A hairpin caught his eye; the head of the hairpin was engraved with several tiny plum blossoms. He thought of Qin Jiuzhen; this hairpin suited her perfectly.

"How much is this hairpin?"

"Young master has excellent taste; this hairpin is worth two taels of silver."