Cultivating Immortality from the Book of Life and Death

Chapter 353 Punishment. (First Update!)

Upon hearing this, the two monks dressed as yamen runners did not change their expressions at all, and did not even glance at Lu Maohong.

Every day, countless cultivators from the city come to the prefect to try and establish connections.

Perhaps this cultivator named Lu or something had indeed seen them before, but they see countless cultivators every day, so how could they possibly remember such a nobody who hasn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage?
As for that extremely urgent matter... every cultivator who comes here says so!

At this moment, seeing that the two constables did not react, Lu Maohong smiled awkwardly and immediately took out a token from his storage bag. The token was forged from black iron, with the city gate of Taiping County engraved on the front. The lines were smooth and lifelike. The back had his own name on it, and in the upper right corner were the words "offering".

This is a token offered at the Lord's Mansion in Taiping County.

Upon seeing the token, the two constables finally made a move. The constable on the left took the token, cast a few spells, and after examining it to confirm that it was not a counterfeit, he said, "The magistrate is dealing with important matters. You two wait here for now, and I will go inside to report."

With that, he returned the token to Lu Maohong and turned to walk inside.

Lu Maohong quickly cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, senior!"

So Zheng Que waited patiently with him outside the door.

More cultivators arrived one after another, most of them seeking the prefect's services. Some came to lodge complaints, some to ask for help, some to pay a visit, and some to report crimes...

These monks had no credentials or visiting cards, and after a brief entanglement, they were driven away by the yamen runners.

Only three cultivators, travel-worn, ragged, and covered in blood, produced the offering tokens of Hengshui County. They, along with Zheng Que and Lu Maohong, were then arranged to wait outside the door.

The entrance was temporarily deserted. The yamen runner on the right looked up at the sky, ignoring the cultivators waiting outside.

The three cultivators looked around, their gazes landing on Lu Maohong and Zheng Que. One of the older cultivators, who was the leader, immediately cupped his hands slightly and asked politely, "Gentlemen, may I ask where the Immortal Realm is?"

Lu Maohong immediately returned the greeting, saying politely, "You flatter me, we are from Taiping County."

"Did you three come to see the Prefect for the same reason—regarding the matter of taxes?"

Upon hearing this, the three cultivators sighed in unison. One of the cultivators, who appeared to be a young man, couldn't help but nod, saying with a worried expression, "That's right!"

"We've had a really bad time."

"We set off with twelve cartloads of taxes, but we encountered a ghostly disturbance along the way. The deaths of those rogue cultivators were one thing, but the most important thing was that we lost a full half of the taxes!"

"I hope the magistrate will be lenient and punish me lightly."

"Otherwise, we'll be in real trouble this time!"

Half of the taxes from the twelve cartloads remained?
Isn't that a lot?
What's so tragic about it?
Zheng Que listened from the side, frowning slightly. This time, they had collected taxes from a total of ten carts, and not a single one was left!
Of course, a lot of the car tax was actually taken by the ghost bride.

If he really goes to the ghost bride, he should be able to get back a carload or two.

However, the ghost bride had clashed with the prefectural magistrate, so who knows if the magistrate saw the cartloads of taxes that the ghost bride had stolen?

At this moment, the elderly cultivator who was in the lead asked again, "Gentlemen, how is the tax escort in Taiping County going this time?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Maohong sighed and was about to reply when the yamen runner who had gone in to report earlier came out from behind the screen wall. He glanced at the five people outside and immediately said, "Lord of Hengshui County, come in first!"

Upon hearing this, the three immediately abandoned their conversation with Lu Maohong, hastily bowed, and followed the constable inside. Watching this, Zheng Que frowned slightly and said, "Senior Lu, we were clearly here first."

Lu Maohong remained calm and composed, simply shaking his head and replying indifferently, "The population, prosperity, and wealth of Hengshui County are all superior to those of Taiping County."

"The order here is not based on who came first, but on the size of the county town."

“Remote small towns will definitely have to make way for more prosperous cities with larger populations.”

Is Taiping County a remote small town?
Zheng Que was slightly taken aback, but then didn't say anything more.

The two waited outside the door for about fifteen minutes. Then, there was another commotion behind the screen wall. The three cultivators from Hengshui County had returned.

Before the three of them had even stepped out of the gate, a strong stench of blood filled the air!

The three men were all deathly pale. The old cultivator in the lead was even weaker, his head drooping to one side, being supported by his two companions on either side. His legs were dragging limply on the ground below his knees, leaving a clear trail of blood, indicating that his legs had been broken.

The tax revenue was only reduced by half, yet the punishment is so severe?

Zheng Que's expression changed immediately. There wasn't even a single cartload of taxes left in Taiping County. What would happen to Lu Maohong later?

Just then, the constable who had led the way came out, glanced at Lu Maohong and Zheng Que, and said casually, "People of Taiping County, come with me!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que immediately snapped out of his daze and turned to look at Lu Maohong.

Lu Maohong's expression remained unchanged. As he agreed and walked inside, he whispered rapidly, "Summon your two intelligent ghost servants!"

"The Prefect doesn't like useless people, but he highly values ​​young cultivators with outstanding potential!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Que did not hesitate. He patted the storage bag at his waist, took out the Soul-Summoning Banner, and with a gentle sway of the banner, summoned Qing Li and Nian Nu.

Two streaks of blood-red light shot into the air, revealing two female figures: one dressed in white with black hair, the other in pink blouses and colorful skirts. They stood in mid-air, their necks bearing deep bruises, their bodies solid as if they were alive, and their gazes were filled with a chilling aura.

As soon as Qingli and Niannu appeared, they began to look around, surveying their surroundings.

Upon seeing this, the two constables, who had previously paid little attention to Lu Maohong and Zheng Que, suddenly became serious.

Two intelligent ghost servants!
Moreover, one of them is a [Scissors Prison]!
The next moment, the yamen runner who had already reached the screen wall quickly retreated, smiling apologetically, "Gentlemen, I didn't mean to keep you waiting, it's just the custom..."

Lu Maohong quickly waved his hand and said, "It's alright. The Prefect is very busy. We are only waiting for a moment, which is only what we should do."

As they spoke, Zheng Que, accompanied by Qing Li and Nian Nu, followed behind Lu Mao Hong and quickly turned past the screen wall.

Inside is a spacious courtyard paved with blue bricks. In one corner grows a large, leafy soapberry tree with a canopy that covers the entire courtyard.

Five houses are lined up in a row in front of the courtyard, with three wing rooms on each side. Flower beds are built on the sides of the houses, planted with bamboo and trees. In the corner there is a lotus pond about half a zhang square. It is not the season for lotus flowers to bloom, but several red carp are swimming leisurely in the green water, which is very bright.

The constable led the two men straight to the first room on the left. They quickly stopped at the door, bowed, and respectfully reported to the inside, "Sir, the two people from Taiping County who requested an audience have been brought here."

(End of this chapter)