What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 73 The Immortal Sorcerer Forces Su Mo into Marriage (Please Read Further)

Lin Moyin frowned as she watched the Heavenly Mother Sect demoness riding the Demon Locust Mother and flying away at high speed.

Although I was unwilling, there was nothing I could do.

Finally, the voice landed on the middle-aged man, and slowly said, "Mr. Wang, you are mistaken!"

"The Heavenly Mother Cult is plotting against the Ancestral Emperor's Mausoleum!"

"Mr. Wang has rendered meritorious service in assisting in the protection of the ancestral imperial tombs. The Emperor will surely reward him handsomely and summon him to the court to serve as an official. How can you say that he has been harmed?"

The middle-aged man glanced at the corpse of the commander on the ground, then snorted, "To become an official in the court?"

"You officials are all the same, none of you are any good!"

"It's better for me, Wang, to live a carefree life, lest I be sold out by you, a girl, without even knowing it!"

Lin Moyin remained expressionless, then changed the subject: "What a pity!"

"Let that witch from the Heavenly Mother Cult escape!"

The middle-aged man rolled his eyes and said irritably, "He is a disciple of the Heavenly Mother, how could he not have some life-saving items on him? You think you can just kill him as you please!"

"If they've already brought out all the precious artifacts, what if they're hiding some magical treasures? I'm afraid even I, Lian Wang, won't be able to escape!"

"If it weren't for that lucky sneak attack... heh!"

"Don't be fooled by their current panicked escape."

"If you and I were to pursue them, it would be hard to say who would emerge victorious!"

As he spoke, the man glanced at Lin Moyin and added meaningfully, "These days, girls are all ruthless! This old man has better be careful!"

Lin Moyin knew that the middle-aged man's words were true.

The Heavenly Mother Cult's sorceress may have seemingly escaped, but it could very well be a trap to lure the enemy!
He lured himself away from the army to launch a counterattack!

She was a decisive person and would not dwell on things that were beyond redemption. Her gaze shifted to the few remaining blood-soaked corpses and the several giants of the Heavenly Mother Cult who were putting up a fierce resistance.

"Mr. Wang, could you lend me another hand and help me wipe out the remnants of the Heavenly Mother Cult?"

The middle-aged man flatly refused: "With Lin Baihu here, there's no need for me, Wang, to deal with these few cats and dogs!"

He glanced at Su Mo abruptly, then said, "I'm off!"

With a wave of his sleeve, he soared into the air like a large bird and disappeared into the hills and dense forests in the blink of an eye.

Su Mo then poked Lin Moyin with her finger: "Who is he? Magistrate Xue's brother-in-law?"

Lin Moyin nodded and said, "It is indeed Wang Xiuzhi!"

Then he looked at the woman in black.

"You and Su Mo wait here!"

After saying that, he turned around and pushed Su Mo towards the woman in black.

Put away the Sword Control Manual.

With a flick of her wrist, the straight sword and spear on the ground flew into her hand, and she spurred her horse to charge at the blood-soaked corpse!
Despite the enormous consumption of magical power, the female centurion's own martial arts cultivation was also at the top-tier level, so dealing with the blood corpse and the strong man was not much of a problem.

Su Mo couldn't help but glance at the woman in black.

She was petite and delicate, only a little over 1.5 meters tall, with pretty and delicate features. At this moment, her face was deathly pale, clearly indicating that she had also suffered serious injuries.

However, he still carried two short swords, cautiously observing the surrounding movements.

Su Mo glanced again at the corpse of Qianhu not far away.

His skin was charred and cracked, revealing dark red muscles and tendons, and it was still emitting smoke, like a piece of roasted meat.

Absolutely dead!

Such a powerful martial arts master, seemingly at the Grandmaster level, couldn't withstand a single blow from the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Mother Sect!
What exactly is the Saintess's realm?
Although he seems to rely on the power of magic weapons and treasures, his own cultivation level should not be much worse than that of Wang Xiu, who is in the realm of near-divine!

Damn it!

It's best not to remember your own appearance!

Su Mo recalled the meaningful words Wang Xiuzhi had spoken before he left.

Su Mo became suspicious.

Could it be that Lin Moyin really caused the death of that commander of the Imperial Guard?

He wanted to use his merit in protecting the ancestral imperial tombs to take over the throne.
But it was clearly his own fault for attacking the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Mother Sect from behind. What does it have to do with Lord Baihu?
Regardless, as long as Lord Hyakugo is good to me, that's all that matters.

She grabbed and pinched me, but she didn't do anything to me!
Thinking of this, Su Mo suddenly chuckled.

Doesn't it have a cheat code?
Su Mo couldn't guarantee anything about the others, but Lin Moyin definitely wouldn't!

Favorability ratings don't lie!

Su Mo stopped dwelling on this issue!

She's the only powerful person he can rely on right now; his future promotions and wealth will all depend on her.

If the commander is not killed, the credit will go to him the most.

How does a centurion get promoted?
If a centurion isn't promoted, how can I advance my career?

With Lin Moyin joining the battle, the great war quickly came to an end.

No one came from Taihe County.

I wonder if they weren't notified to avoid the news leaking.

Or perhaps it was a deliberate attempt to divert the attention of the Heavenly Mother Sect by relocating their troops to the county seat.

Apart from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The three counties of Changping, Tieshan, and Anyang participated in the night raid.

A total of seven or eight hundred men were mobilized, and they fought a brilliant ambush, yet still suffered more than two hundred casualties.

One can't help but marvel at the power of the Holy Mother.

She was almost entirely responsible for these casualties!
I really don't know just how terrifying the Heavenly Mother, who is at the Golden Core Realm, and the Nine Dragons Daoist, who is known as the number one person in the world!
The battle is over.

Soldiers cleaned up the battlefield and collected spoils of war.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were there to inspect the corpses to prevent anyone from faking their death.

However, even if they found that the animals were not completely dead, they did not finish them off; they simply tied them up.

Escorting them to the capital is a merit!
The generals of the various forces met.

I turned my head and looked around; basically, no one was missing.

After all, the general himself was quite strong, and he also had personal guards protecting him. In such a small-scale battle, he could not easily die.

The only high-ranking officer to die in battle was none other than the commander-in-chief of this operation.

Everyone was speechless.

I really don't know what Lord Qianhu was thinking.

For this operation, he didn't bring his two powerful deputy commanders, but he did bring four centurions.

Although the garrison commander and the thousand-household guard of the three counties were of higher rank than Lin Moyin.

However, the true initiator of this operation was Lin Moyin.

The operation was also spearheaded by the Embroidered Uniform Guard system.

Without a doubt, Lin Moyin will definitely be promoted, perhaps even skipping two ranks and becoming a fifth-rank commander in one step!

With the commander of a thousand killed in battle and the deputy commander absent, the one in charge is naturally Lin Moyin, the centurion with the honorary title of fifth rank!

All eyes were fixed intently on Lin Moyin.

Lin Moyin's face darkened, and she sighed, "I never imagined that the demoness of the Heavenly Mother Sect would be hiding in the Dragon Gate Cave."

"Lord Qianhu fought valiantly but was no match for the demoness and died at her hands!"

Bai Shouren quickly said, "Lord Lin, please don't blame yourself!"

"War is dangerous and casualties are inevitable. Commander Zhong died fighting the demoness. The Emperor will posthumously honor Commander Zhong for his merits!"

His scales were covered in blood and bits of flesh. Looking at the incredibly brave and fierce garrison commander of Tieshan County, he nodded and said, "The demoness of the Heavenly Mother Sect is incredibly powerful and full of cunning schemes!"

"If it weren't for Commander Zhong and Commander Lin's strenuous resistance, we would have had a hard time completely annihilating the other Tianmu followers."

"Am I right?"

He Xingguo said in a deep voice, "That's exactly right."

"This battle has yielded tremendous gains and remarkable achievements; the Sage will surely understand!"

The other officers all nodded in agreement!

Although Zhong Qianhu's trusted confidants, who were also hundreds of households, were unwilling.

At this point, they dared not say anything more.

In just a few days, Lin Moyin will become their boss.

Nobody's stupid enough to stubbornly stand up for the dead!
Lin Moyin nodded and said calmly, "Although this battle was not entirely successful, that evil cult witch escaped."

"However, thwarting the Heavenly Mother Cult's plot to invade the Ancestral Emperor's Mausoleum is a great achievement!"

"This battle was entirely due to the assistance of all the generals and centurions!"

"I hereby submit a memorial requesting commendation, which I will certainly report truthfully!"

Bai Shouren chuckled: "It's all thanks to Lord Lin's strategic planning."

"We were merely following orders!" "The greatest credit undoubtedly belongs to Lord Lin!"

He wasn't praising Lin Moyin.

If it weren't for the Embroidered Uniform Guard bringing back the tiger tally, how would the garrison troops in the county and town dare to leave their posts so easily!

Suppressing rebellions and bandits is our duty, and we can deploy troops without orders from our superiors.

However, such a large-scale joint operation, involving troops from across counties, would not dare to be launched without the official tally.

If all the military forces in the country could be mobilized and linked together at will under the pretext of a cult, that would be unacceptable!

This is one of the reasons why a group of fifth-rank military officers regarded Lin Moyin, a sixth-rank centurion, as their commander.

After discussing it among themselves, everyone agreed to the plan.

Lin Moyin then sent someone to the county government office to inform the magistrate of Taihe County to clean up the mess, which could be considered a small contribution to Taihe County.

Then they returned to Su Mo's side.

"Let's talk about this back at the centurion's office!"

Su Mo, ever the friendly type, mounted his horse and embraced the centurion.

He's really here to gain experience and prestige.

Without lifting a finger, they claimed a great credit for eradicating the cult and protecting the imperial tombs!
At most, it helped Lin Moyin release the sixth sword talisman, which withstood the demoness's strongest attack!
As a seventh-rank officer, he was unlikely to escape punishment.

Su Mo was in a great mood!

really.

As the crimson horse crossed the mountain, it galloped onto the official road.

A system notification is coming soon!

[Mission]: Capture the followers of the Celestial Mother Sect (Completed)

[Completion Rate]: 85% (Rating: Excellent)

[Reward]: Lin Moyin's favorability +10%
[Reward]: Embroidered Uniform Guard Flag (to be issued)
[Reward]: To be determined (to be issued)

……

I saw the task prompt.

Su Mo was somewhat surprised.

This time, there's an additional completion option!

System update?

Or is it because the tasks are different?

Rated as excellent?

But it's normal.

The cult's holy woman escaped.

Moreover, he was just reporting on things, analyzing the reasons, and then following the female commander to bask in some credit.

The fact that it received an excellent review already shows how kind the system is.

The problem is, the reward only increases favorability by 10%?
This is the minimum favorability reward!

Could it be that I touched her inappropriately before, causing my favorability bonus to drop to the lowest level?

Su Mo was speechless!
Fortunately, the rewards for official positions were plentiful.

The highest grade is a small flag of the seventh rank!

There's also another reward pending, I don't know what it is again!

Su Mo was somewhat excited.

I wonder when the junior officer will issue them!
If my uncle knew that I had become a junior officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, how excited he would be!
My third uncle, who was obsessed with officialdom, had a lifelong dream of becoming a low-ranking military officer!
I wouldn't even dare to dream of reaching the ninth rank!
A minor officer, a seventh-rank official!

Xue Shan, a seventh-rank county magistrate, is only one rank higher than me!

Of course, if you really want to obtain the small flag, the tooth token, and the official seal!
It will take some time.

The junior officers, senior officers, and probationary centurions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could be appointed internally without the need for an emperor's appointment.

However, it must be reported to the Garrison Command and approved by the Garrison Commander!

Su Mo figured that it shouldn't take too long to wait.

The officialdom is treacherous and unpredictable; no one knows what will happen tomorrow. Such a tremendous achievement must be implemented as soon as possible to put one's mind at ease!

Lin Moyin took Su Mo back to Changping County and left her there in the East Market.

She was furious! How dare she, so lawless, grab me! She's asking for it!
Furthermore, she would then have to write a report requesting commendation, weigh the interests of all parties, and provide compensation to her wounded and injured subordinates…

There are too many things to do, I don't have time to deal with that bastard Su Mo!

……

In the dead of night, the once bustling East Market became deserted, with only a few gambling dens and brothels still brightly lit.

Despite the curfew being lifted, very few people were out at night.

The fact that it's still open at this time shows that business is quite good.

Su Mo frowned and wrote everything down.

He wasn't planning a crackdown on prostitution and gambling, much less banning this ancient profession.

These gambling dens and brothels must have powerful backgrounds. If you want to regulate the market, you can start by targeting these gambling dens and brothels to make an example of them.

Back to Ping An Fang.

Su Mo opened the side door, somewhat surprised.

The inner room was actually lit up.

He quickly walked into the inner hall and saw that Lady Chen and Xue Yishu were both dressed in casual clothes and waiting inside.

There was also a large pot of strong tea on the table!

What surprised Su Mo the most was...

A middle-aged man with a refined and elegant demeanor, dressed in a traditional robe!

Xue Shan's brother-in-law, Xue Yishu's uncle, is a great sorcerer in the Divine Realm, Wang Xiuzhi!
Su Mo was taken aback, and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Wang, what brings you here?"

Wang Xiuzhi slowly sipped his tea, looking at Su Mo expressionlessly: "Why can't I, Wang, come?"

"My unmarried niece is staying in another man's house. As her uncle, shouldn't I come and check on her?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Yishu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she coughed repeatedly.

Wang Xiuzhi glared at her, annoyed.

"What are you coughing for!"

"You think no one knows you're a woman disguised as a man!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Yishu's pretty face immediately turned bright red, and she dared not look at anyone!

Su Mo dared not be careless.

Don't be fooled by Wang Xiu's harmless appearance and his seemingly respectable scholarly demeanor.

But Su Mo had personally witnessed the terrifying way he suppressed the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Mother Sect!
Most importantly, a sneak attack!

How could someone whose brain has been ruined by reading commit such a shameless act of sneak attack?

Su Mo instantly labeled Wang Xiuzhi's forehead with the tag "Hypocrite"!
Hypocrites are much harder to deal with than genuine scoundrels and clerks.

He feigned shock and looked at Xue Yishu: "Mr. Wang, I truly do not know Brother Xue Yuan..."

Wang Xiuzhi waved his hand: "It's fine whether you know or not."

"Since my niece has been staying with you for a few days..."

"Let me ask you, when do you plan to come and propose marriage?"

Su Mo was dumbfounded.

Although the Xue family had sent him the engagement token—that sharp sword—this was still... a bit too direct.

So they've come to propose marriage already?
I'm only eighteen!

Chen cursed under her breath.

As expected, Xue Yishu beat him to it.

He was obviously the one who came first!

If Su Mo marries her, wouldn't she only be able to be a concubine?
But she is the daughter of a county magistrate, a lady from a prominent family.

Yourself?

A female knight-errant yet to make her debut? The daughter of a salt smuggling boss?
I am afraid of comparison in everything.

Ms. Chen immediately became dejected.

So be it...

I need to improve my cooking skills in the future.

Xue Yishu seems to have a sweet tooth, so she probably won't object to Su Mo taking her as a concubine...

(End of this chapter)