Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 488: Quagmire Qiu He
In the official system of the State of Ba, "fake" means temporary. Shang Lu, the fake Sima, is an acting Sima. If nothing goes wrong, it's fine. But if something goes wrong, he will be taken away immediately.

"This is not even an acting job."

Shang Lu sneered secretly, but he also knew that he could not find any fault with Li Hong in terms of procedures.

Although he sometimes suppressed bandits as a thief official, he was still a civil official and a policeman at heart.

But Sima was a military officer, and no one could say anything about his transfer from a civil officer to a military officer and arranging an acting probation period.

The appointment document also stated that as long as one passed the performance evaluation, the word "fake" could be removed and one could become a real Sima.

If Shang Lu didn't know that Li Hong wanted to kill him, he would be very happy even if he was a fake Sima.

Compared with the thief Cao Yuan, both his official rank and salary were raised by one level!
Moreover, when one reaches the Sima level, the imperial court will also provide a lot of spiritual resources such as spiritual liquids and spiritual marrow.

For example, the two thief clerks Shentu and He Ying, who were unaware of the inside story, as well as Du Feng, Tu Pi and others, all smiled with joy and were filled with envy after they peeked at the contents of the appointment document.

"Congratulations, thief Cao... ah, no, I should call him Sima from now on! Congratulations, Sima!"

"Sima is a capable commander. Our country of Ba is not only facing many external threats, but also many evildoers and bandits. With your ability, you will surely accomplish great things! I, the humble official, would like to congratulate you in advance!"

Du Feng and Tu Pi also said some compliments.

But one of them had less experience, and the other was not good at speaking, so they just kept congratulating Shang Lu on his promotion, and they were not as eloquent as Shen Tu and He Ying.

Shang Lu sneered in his heart, but on the surface he pretended to be excited and happy so as not to let others see the flaw.

He first laughed out loud, then bowed to Shentu and He Ying to thank them for their congratulations.

Then he ordered Du Feng to order a few tables for a banquet at the best restaurant in the city, and when the thieves' office was dismissed, all the brothers who were not on duty would go to have a drink.

Shang Lu even took into consideration the brothers who had to be on duty, and asked Du Feng to ask the restaurant to send some delicious food.

Forget about drinking. Although there is no regulation in the country of Ba, Shang Lu brought over the rule from his previous life that "no drinking during working hours".

Du Feng accepted the order with a smile, and turned around to prepare the banquet, even more enthusiastically than when giving birth to a son.

After exchanging a few polite words with Shentu and He Ying, Shang Lu also extended an olive branch:
"Would you two like to follow me out of the thieves' office?"

Sima is capable of leading troops.

If Shentu and He Ying were willing to continue to follow him, he would find a way to request an official position such as military marquis for them.

Shang Lu was 80% sure that Li Hong would not refuse.

In Li Hong's eyes, he was about to die, and the men he brought with him were also doomed.

At this time, Li Hong would not say that he would always respond to his requests, but he would try his best to keep him stable until he was sent on a mission to kill himself, so that he would not be able to refuse.

"This……"

Shentu and He Ying looked at each other, but hesitated.

Shang Lu is capable and generous. If you follow him, you will definitely make great contributions.

But Shang Lu happened to offend the Gongcao Yamen.

Even if he was transferred to a military position, as long as he was in Baiyi County, all matters such as performance evaluation, promotion, etc. had to be approved by the Gongcao Yamen.

Even if the people from the Gongcao Yamen do not retaliate directly, they have plenty of ways to find fault reasonably and make things difficult for others in accordance with the regulations, so that even if someone is given a hard time or targeted, they will have no place to appeal.

There is no way to go to the door and make trouble like this time.

From this point of view, Wang Sen's work is indeed rough.

It’s not that he is really stupid, but he is used to being arrogant. He didn’t expect Shang Lu to dare to overturn the table.

In addition, there is another big reason why Shentu and He Ying hesitated: now in the bandit Cao's office, Chen Li is dead and Shang Lu is about to be transferred.

Both of the two thief Caoyuan are gone, so where will the new thief Caoyuan come from?

Was he parachuted in from above? Or was he promoted from among these bandit officials?
If it is the latter, then if he stays, wouldn't there be hope of becoming the chief official of a yamen?

After a brief hesitation, Shentu and He Ying had an idea.

But they did not explicitly reject Shanglu's solicitation, but just said:

"It is an honor for us to be valued by Sima, but we have been working in the bandit office for a long time and have no military experience. Can you let us think carefully before making a decision?"

"It's natural."

Shang Lu nodded in response, but sighed in his heart, knowing the attitudes of the two men.

It's a pity that although these two people's cultivation has not reached the Qi Refining Realm, their abilities are not bad. If they can continue to follow me, they will be of great use.

I will not be stingy and will definitely help them enter the Qi Refining Realm.

But since these two people are unwilling, then forget it. A forced melon is not sweet.

Tu Pi was a little anxious when he saw Shang Lu didn't ask him, so he hurriedly recommended himself:

"Sir, please don't leave me behind. I want to follow you. I have served in the frontier army and am familiar with military affairs. It will definitely be useful if you take me with you."

Shang Lu laughed and said, "Everyone knows that you and Du Feng are my people, so I will naturally take you with me. It just so happens that after becoming a Sima, I can have my own soldiers. You two will stay with me as my personal soldiers. When I really have the opportunity to take charge of a battalion in the future, I will let you go."

"Okay." Tu Bin smiled very happily.

Shentu and He Ying suddenly felt that they might have missed something. But after hesitating for a while, they still didn't say anything.

The news that Shang Lu was going to be promoted and leave quickly spread throughout the thief Cao's office.

Zhu Quan, who was resting and recuperating in the official residence, heard about this and asked two thieves to support him. He struggled to come to the government office to see Shang Lu and wanted to go with him.

"My life was saved by you, sir. I have sworn to the gods that I will die for you, sir! No matter where you go, I will follow you to the end. Please don't abandon me, sir."

"Get up and talk."

Shang Lu waved his hand, releasing a stream of energy to lift up Zhu Quan, who was kneeling on the ground, and said with a smile: "Since you said that, I will definitely take you with me. Go back and recuperate. When your injuries are healed, you can die for me!"

Zhu Quan nodded in agreement, and then, with the help of the two thieves, he returned to his residence to recuperate.

Shang Lu's mood instantly improved a lot.

Among the three thieves, the one Shang Lu wanted the most was Zhu Quan.

Not only because of his ability, but also because of his loyalty. Now that Zhu Quan has taken the initiative to surrender, it can be regarded as what he wished for. As for Shentu and He Ying, it doesn't matter if they don't come.

In addition to Zhu Quan, several thieves from the thieves' office also came to the yamen and asked Shang Lu to take them with him.

If I stay in the thieves' office, I will be a thief for the rest of my life. But if I follow Shang Lu, maybe I can have a better future! Shang Lu is so kind to the dead, how can he be any worse to the living?

Shang Lu accepted all those who came to him to seek refuge.

As for whether there might be spies sent by Li Hong among them, he was not afraid at all.

Even if there really are any, it would be a good opportunity to paralyze Li Hong. After Li Hong is eliminated, they can be found out one by one, and it can also serve as a warning to the unruly soldiers under his command.

While Shang Lu was sorting out various documents and preparing for his resignation and handover, Uncle Huai lived up to his trust and found out the news.

A few leaves fell from the branches of the locust trees planted in the yard outside the yamen and floated onto Shang Lu's desk.

Shang Lu reached out to sweep away the leaves, but suddenly he sensed a familiar scent on the leaves, so he picked up the leaves instead.

Then the leaf veins began to twist and turned into words.

Is this a message from Uncle Huai? I didn't expect him to have such a skill. Is it due to his improved cultivation? Or did he learn it from the spiritual plant knowledge he brought back?

Shang Lu was secretly amazed while silently reciting the words on the leaf in his mind: "He was escorting food and fodder to the front line of Xingshan and was beheaded for losing food."

Is this the reason why the Sima position in Baiyi County is vacant?
The states of Ba and Chu had already stationed their troops in the Xingshan area for many days. In addition to continuously sending troops to Xingshan, both sides were also continuously transporting supplies to the Xingshan area.

But the previous Sima should also be a cultivator, so how could he have lost his food?

Did they encounter evil ghosts and bandits? Or did they encounter a grain-robbery team from an enemy country?
After a brief pause, Shang Lu turned around and told the clerk in the government office to find a map, and said with a smile:
"I'm about to be transferred to a military position. If I don't know the map by heart, wouldn't it be a dereliction of duty?" This reason was reasonable and the clerks naturally had no doubts. They immediately followed the order and searched for the map in a pile of documents, while not forgetting to flatter Shang Lu.

Soon a map was found and brought to Shang Lu's desk.

At this time, the leaves of the locust trees that had carried the message all returned to normal, and no trace of the text could be seen anymore.

Shang Lu spread out the map, took a glance, and found the location of Baiyi County, and then found Xingshan.

Although the route crossed counties and prefectures, it did not require us to walk along the border, and there were no marked dangerous places along the way.

So, why did the previous Sima lose food?

"Li Hong must know the reason, and he is very sure that I will also lose food, otherwise he would not arrange for me to sit in this position..."

Shang Lu thought about it and raised his hand and tapped the table lightly.

Uncle Huai understood what he meant without him saying anything. A gust of wind blew down from the locust tree outside, blowing away the leaves and continuing to investigate the matter.

As expected, he is the housekeeper brought by Sanniang, and is as considerate as Sanniang.

Shang Lu nodded with satisfaction.

In a blink of an eye, it was time to adjourn the office. Shang Lu brought his men from the thieves' office to the restaurant to celebrate.

He even sent someone to send Li Hong an invitation to invite him to a dinner.

Li Hong was a little surprised to receive the invitation, but on second thought, he guessed that Shang Lu wanted to give in.

But he has already made up his mind to kill someone, so he won't give in.

And since Shang Lu knew the secret of the human elixir, he must be killed to prevent future trouble.

Li Hong made up an excuse and declined Shang Lu's invitation.

He even said to Du Feng, who was delivering the invitation, in a hypocritical manner, "I've been very busy lately. After a few days, I'll host Shang Sima and give him a drink to apologize for the mistakes of our Gongcao Yamen."

After Du Feng left, Li Hong sneered in his heart: "I don't want to eat with a dying person, it's unlucky."

Du Feng walked all the way to the restaurant and reported to Shang Lu in a low voice that Li Hong had refused to keep the appointment.

Phytolacca nodded.

Li Hong's refusal was within his expectations and not surprising.

He did this even though he knew he would be rejected, just to make Li Hong let down his guard further.

Even if Li Hong really came, it would not be a bad thing. He could use his eloquence and sophistry to get clues from Li Hong.

It would have been better if he had not come. Shang Lu did not want to drink with a dying man and be tainted with bad luck.

On this point, Shang Lu and Li Hong reached a consensus.

After the banquet, Shang Lu righteously rejected the bandits' invitation to listen to music and visit brothels, and went straight home.

As soon as I entered the yard, I saw Sanniang's figure emerging.

The souls of Huang Jin, Ma Quan and others stood obediently beside her, no longer struggling to run away as before.

Without Sanniang saying anything, Huang Jin, Ma Quan and others wrote down their own confessions, signed and sealed them, and handed them to Shang Lu.

The confessions of Huang Jin, Ma Quan, and others were accompanied by a series of witchcraft inscriptions.

This is called a Yin Gong, which is a confession obtained by a sorcerer who has captured a ghost in the underworld.

It has the same legal effect as a confession from a living person, and is even more credible.

Shang Lu carefully read the confessions of Huang Jin, Ma Quan and others, but shook his head repeatedly.

All the confessions made by Huang Jin, Ma Quan and others were about corruption, bribery and persecution of officials.

Moreover, these things were not directly ordered by Li Hong. Even Wang Sen only hinted at them, so it was easy to get away with it.

Based on these confessions, let alone killing Li Hong, even Wang Sen could at most be dismissed and investigated.

Shang Lu knew very well that if he failed to kill these people from aristocratic families and sects with one fatal blow, he would inevitably invite revenge.

By that time, not only will I die, but my parents will also be in danger!

Therefore, we have to continue investigating and make sure we find conclusive and strong evidence.

If we can't find out from a living person, we can only find a way from the mouths of the dead.

But this is a backup plan, and it cannot be done now. I have to wait until the time is right, and I have to be able to completely remove myself and not be suspected...

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

Because there were no new thieves' officials coming, Shang Lu temporarily handed over all the paperwork and work to Shentu and He Ying.

Shang Lu did not ask the two men whether they were willing to follow him.

Shentu and He Ying did not mention it either.

Just pretend this never happened.

The documents for Zhu Quan's promotion to military marquis, as well as the documents for the transfer of Du Feng, Tu Bin and others, were all approved.

Just as Shang Lu expected, Li Hong wanted to show his "respect" and "help" to Shang Lu at this time.

In this way, when Shang Lu "messed up" his job and was beheaded by the commander of the Ba army in Xingshan, no one would suspect him.

Zhu Quan's injury had not yet healed, so Shang Lu helped him apply for leave from the county governor's office so that he could recuperate at home.

On this day, Shang Lu handed over the affairs of the Bandit Cao Office to Shentu and He Ying, and then went to the County Wei Mansion to report.

When the county lieutenant met him, he was not as cold as he had imagined, but rather very enthusiastic.

After a few words of encouragement, he arranged a job for him and asked him to stay in the government office temporarily to check the information and understand the military situation in the county first, which would be of great use in the future.

If he didn't know the truth, Shang Lu would probably really think that he was valued by the county lieutenant and would soar to fame from then on.

But now, he sneered in his heart: The so-called great use is to take the blame and die, right?
It seems that the county commander has also determined that he will definitely be beheaded like the previous Sima for losing food.

I just don't know if the county lieutenant was involved in this?

The county lieutenant's cultivation level is obviously higher than Shang Lu's. Although Shang Lu is eloquent and good at sophistry, he does not dare to test him rashly.

After bidding farewell to the county lieutenant, Shang Lu, led by a clerk, arrived at his official residence.

The county lieutenant really didn't assign him any work, so he had a lot of free time. He simply started reading documents, especially military intelligence documents in the Xingshan area.

Since I'm going to be sent to Xingshan, I have to prepare for a rainy day and make plans early.

In order to avoid breaking the dangerous situation of "being punished for losing food", and then falling into the disaster of war and death.

Deep down, Shang Lu also wanted to go to Xingshan.

Now he has seen through it. Baiyi County is a quagmire. Even if Li Hong is eliminated, there will be people like Ma Hong and Xu Hong appearing. Staying here will only make him sink deeper and deeper.

Not to mention, the people of Zhongli family also hated him because of what happened to Zhongli the Great Witch. Even if Li Hong was killed, they would still look for opportunities to attack him!
If you jump out of this mud pond, maybe you can be like a fish into the sea or a bird into the sky, and no longer be bound by the cage!
Moreover, Shang Lu's main subjects were military witchcraft and Nuo witchcraft.

Fighting on the front lines and taking part in battles helped him improve his cultivation much more than studying behind closed doors in the Witch Academy.

There is also a chance to hunt down high-level wizards from the enemy country and seize the spiritual roots for breakthrough.

Of course, if you really want to go to Xingshan, you must be fully prepared.

In addition to killing Li Hong, completely getting through the Three Talents Tribulation, and leveraging the force to disrupt the quagmire, some other preparations must be made.

(End of this chapter)