National Division

Chapter 28 Shen Xian: Couldn't he be the General of the Cowherd Guard?
The night was deep, and the moonlight was like frost.

Traces of venom remained in the grass, silently testifying to the brutality of the battle that had just taken place.

Shen Xianqing said in a clear voice, "However, before leaving, we should destroy the murals on this wall to prevent them from harming people."

Xue Zhihua nodded, her gaze fixed on the painting in the distance. With the spiritual power of her four-star Dao weapon, she transformed it into several sword blades and blasted them towards the painting.

"boom!"

Dust and bricks flew everywhere, and the mural was instantly shattered into pieces.

Having anticipated this, Shen Xian, along with Xue Zhihua and the others, left the dilapidated temple and headed towards the post station.

At this moment, Shen Xian and Xue Zhihua rode side by side, with several riders following closely behind.

The moonlight, like a bolt of silk or a veil of mist, shone upon the two of them.

The man had a heroic air and a tall, upright figure, while the woman wore a flowing red dress with wide sleeves, as bright and beautiful as a red lotus flower. Beneath her exquisitely styled hair, her face was as fair as ice and jade.

Shen Bin watched from a distance, thinking to himself, "If only Xian'er could marry a woman like that."

Although it was somewhat unfair to Yu Qingchan at home, Shen Bin had been both a father and a mother to her son all these years, so it was hard for him not to care about him.

Shen Xian looked at Xue Zhihua beside him and said, "Lord Xue, you've been watching for a while now, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhihua looked surprised in her clear eyes and said, "You are indeed quick-witted."

Shen Xian looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "Lord Xue mentioned the imperial court earlier, not because he was unaware of this matter, but because he couldn't allocate the necessary manpower?"

Xue Zhihua said, "Eighty percent of the people in the world who possess Taoist magic and supernatural powers come from the Three Teachings, but the Three Teachings... let's not talk about them."

In the end, Xue Zhihua also felt somewhat melancholy.

Shen Xian nodded and said, "Today, I went to ask the abbot of Qingyang Temple for his help, but he was indifferent to the matter of demons causing trouble."

"Master Crane Guardian? He belongs to the Taiqing lineage and never interferes in worldly affairs. Even if demons slaughter the entire Guhe County, he won't care," Xue Zhihua sighed.

Shen Xian said, "This..."

"Since these Taoist priests do not serve the court, why does the court still use Taoist land to support them?"

Xue Zhihua said, "There are very complicated reasons for this matter, which I don't quite understand. However, it's not like they completely ignore people. The Shangqing lineage is better, but the Taiqing and Yuqing lineages have all kinds of personalities."

Shen Xian was momentarily confused.

These are things that cannot be explored at this moment; in fact, he really wanted to see how much his merit points had increased.

Divine thought enters the Yin-Yang millstone.

In the section on merits, ninety is clearly visible.

He had originally used up fifty merit points, leaving him with only thirty. Now, by risking his life to lure the demon out, he gained sixty merit points.

It's really not easy to increase these merit points. I risked my life to get them up by sixty.

Perhaps it's because the demons weren't completely eliminated?
Shen Xian muttered to himself.

However, sixty is barely enough; it allows for further integration and upgrading of techniques, or rather, the deduction of other martial arts.

Shen Xian and Xue Zhihua said nothing more and returned to the post station.

At this moment, Sun Yicheng stepped forward and, seeing that everyone had returned unharmed, smiled and asked, "Lord Shen, did the extermination of the evil spirits go smoothly?"

Shen Bin said, "The evil spirit has fled wounded; we need to plan this carefully."

Sun Yicheng nodded, then turned his gaze to Xue Zhihua in the red dress and asked, "And who is this young lady?"

Shen Bin said, "Old Sun, don't make a sound about the people from the Vermilion Bird Division."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yicheng's expression changed slightly, and he cupped his hands and said, "This humble official has awakened."

He had only heard the military officers who delivered reports from the palace gates mention the Vermilion Bird Bureau, but it was a powerful government office that held immense influence in the imperial court.

Sun, the postmaster, beckoned to the group of postmen to help lead the horses, saying, "Gentlemen, please come inside and have a chat. We'll prepare some wine and food right away."

As they talked, they entered the hall of the post station.

It was already midnight.

Shen Bin asked, "Lord Xue, did you come to Guhe County on the orders of the Vermilion Bird Division? Did you discover that demons and evil spirits are rampant in Guhe County, Anzhou?"

Xue Zhihua shook her head and said, "I have official business to attend to, but the evil spirits causing trouble in Guhe County is also within my duties."

Shen Bin nodded.

Xue Zhihua said, "Lord Shen, there is another matter I would like to ask of you."

If Princess Qing and Princess Anyang live in seclusion in Guhe County, matters of the immortal path can be entrusted to Daoist He Shou, while matters of the secular world should be entrusted to Shen Bin.

Having a county constable in charge of maintaining order in a county can reduce a lot of official troubles.

However, due to the special status of Princess Qing and her daughter, others avoided them like the plague.

With this thought in mind, Xue Zhihua decided to entrust this matter to Shen Bin.

Shen Bin asked in surprise, "Lord Xue, please give your instructions." Xue Zhihua glanced at Zhao Lang and Li Yan.

Li Yan was quick-witted and knew that Lord Xue from the capital must have some secret business to discuss. He clasped his hands and said, "Young Master, let's go check on our brothers' injuries first."

As she spoke, she tugged at Zhao Lang's sleeve, left the hall, and went down the stairs.

Shen Xian said, "Father, I'll go take a look too."

Just as Shen Bin nodded in agreement, Xue Zhihua's voice rang out: "Your son, please stay."

Shen Xian's heart stirred slightly, as if he had realized something.

For a moment, only Shen Bin, his son Shen Xian, and Xue Zhihua remained in the hall.

Shen Bin cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Please enlighten me, sir."

Xue Zhihua pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is related to Prince Qing."

Shen Bin was startled and said, "Prince Qing? Wasn't he involved in the treason and arrested and brought to the capital?"

He wondered if the Shen family had been found out in the capital for harboring criminals from the Yu family.

Shen Xian frowned, then relaxed. He felt it shouldn't be related to the Yu family.

A blind girl from the Yu family wouldn't warrant such a huge fuss from the capital.

Otherwise, the capital city would have known that the Yu and Shen families were related by marriage, and this woman surnamed Xue would not have spoken so kindly as before.

Xue Zhihua said, "I was also entrusted by Her Highness the Eldest Princess. Although Prince Qing was arrested and questioned, Princess Qing and her daughter were spared their lives by the grace of the Empress Dowager and were imprisoned in their fiefdom."

"manor?"

“The fiefdom of Princess Anyang,” Xue Zhihua said, her red lips slightly parted, “is Guhe County. I hope County Commandant Shen will take good care of it then.”

Shen Bin was filled with doubt and said, "Lord Xue, the capital is a dangerous place, and there are countless people watching the Prince Qing treason case."

He was already on edge taking in just one woman from the Yu family, and now the Princess Consort and her daughter have come along. It's as if they think he's living too comfortably.

“You don’t need to worry. Since the Empress Dowager has already forgiven Princess Qing and her daughter, no one will make a fuss about it,” Xue Zhihua said.

Shen Bin said, "Lord Xue, I am of low rank and little power. Why don't you seek out Magistrate Lu?"

Xue Zhihua's jade-like face was cold and aloof as she said softly, "Magistrate Lu is a disciple of the Jade Purity Sect. He doesn't concern himself with worldly affairs and is afraid of getting into trouble over this."

Shen Bin fell silent for a moment.

So, you're just throwing this tricky thing at him? Isn't he afraid of getting into trouble?
Xue Zhihua thought for a moment and said, "But don't worry, I will definitely not let you work for nothing."

Shen Bin was speechless for a moment.

He's long past the age of indulging in empty promises.

"If it is for the sake of the people, I would go through fire and water without hesitation, but the family of Prince Qing... I have no connection with Prince Qing's family and do not wish to be involved in the vortex of the capital. I hope Lord Xue will understand." Shen Bin said in a solemn voice.

Xue Zhihua smiled faintly and said, "Don't be in such a hurry to refuse."

Under Shen Bin's questioning gaze, Xue Zhihua said, "I see that your son is sincere, loyal and brave. I want to bring him to the capital and find him an official position. Not to mention anything else, it wouldn't be a problem to get him a position as a guard in the Thousand Bull Guard, a seventh-rank official."

According to the "Da Jing Hui Dian", "Those who are selected for official positions are from the imperial clan, and those with a dignified appearance are especially valued. Only those with a tall and strong physique, a dignified appearance, and a distinguished family background are eligible for selection."

Given Xue Zhihua's status as the daughter of the Duke of Xue, securing an official position in the Qianniu Guard, a place teeming with sons of nobles, was truly a matter of mere words.

This is the noble.

Upon hearing this, Shen Bin felt somewhat helpless.

He was only a ninth-rank official, while his own son was already a seventh-rank military officer.

Shen Xian listened quietly from the side, and had roughly figured out the ins and outs of the matter.

Princess Qing and her daughter wanted to take refuge in Guhe County and asked her father, the county magistrate, to help them. This Lord Xue offered them the price of being a member of the Imperial Guard.

Couldn't he be the General of the Cowherd Guard?

Of course, this was just a random thought of his.

Shen Bin said, "Although my son is somewhat skilled in martial arts, I intend for him to take the imperial examination and enter officialdom."

"The county examination, the prefectural examination, and even the metropolitan examination and the palace examination all require knowledge of the Daoist scriptures. Your son doesn't seem to have a deep understanding of the Daoist scriptures." Xue Zhihua glanced at Shen Xian.

Shen Bin was speechless for a moment.

Xue Zhihua said softly, "As for the quota, Shen Xian has already offended the Qingyang Temple Master in order to get reinforcements."

Upon hearing this, Shen Bin was greatly alarmed. He looked at Shen Xian, who was not far away, and asked, "Xian'er, what exactly happened?"

Shen Xian looked uneasy and said, "No, I was just feeling indignant, so I wrote a poem in response."

Xue Zhi's face held a playful expression as she parted her lips slightly and slowly said, "So many things have happened in the rise and fall of dynasties, like the endless flow of the Yangtze River..."

Shen Bin was stunned after hearing this.

After all, he was from a prominent family and had received some education; how could he not understand the meaning of the poem?
That damn guy is really his living father!
(End of this chapter)