National Division

Chapter 42 Shen Xian: This is an attempt to kill officials and rebel!

At this moment, with weapons at his side and the aura of star-like evil emanating from his neck, coupled with the waves of pain emanating from his wounds, the golden toad grimaced in agony.

Jin Chan defended himself, saying, "Senior, I only hate County Magistrate Shen; no one is instigating me behind the scenes."

It wasn't that Jin Chan was being loyal, but if he were taken down along with the pot, Xu Lin's chances of rescuing him would be cut off.

"If you dare to hide it again, I'll slice your head off with one sword!"

As soon as Xue Zhihua had a thought, the four-star Dao weapon in her palm hovered near the golden toad's neck. The chill of the blade made the golden toad's heart tremble.

Jin Chan sensed the chilling, bone-chilling killing intent and steeled his resolve, thinking it better to sacrifice his friend than himself. He hurriedly said, "The leader of the Golden Scale Gang is Jin Scale Gang."

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhihua frowned, not recognizing the person.

She didn't really know much about the gangs in Guhe County.

By this time, with the help of the constables, the villagers had already fled.

The constables sealed off all sides, looking warily at the golden toad monster.

Li Yan exclaimed in shock, "It's the leader of the Golden Scale Gang, who wants to harm my brother!"

Shen Bin frowned and said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid this matter is not that simple."

Someone wants him dead!

Who could it be? Could it really be Magistrate Liu? How dare he?

How dare Magistrate Liu harm him, a high-ranking official appointed by the imperial court?
Shen Bin racked his brains but still couldn't believe it.

"Colluding with demons and assassinating a high-ranking official on the spot—this is tantamount to murdering officials and rebelling!" Shen Xian said in a deep voice, abruptly interrupting Shen Bin's thoughts.

rebel……

Shen Bin's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "A gang dares to rebel?"
They just hadn't yet realized what Shen Xian meant.

Li Yan, quick-witted as ever, said with a glint in his eyes, “My lord, for martial arts gangs to collude with evil spirits to assassinate imperial officials is tantamount to rebellion!”

This provided a perfect opportunity to wipe out the Golden Scale Gang.

At this moment, Shen Xian looked at Shen Bin and said, "County Commandant Shen, we need to deploy heavy troops to wipe out the Golden Scale Gang. I suspect that they are colluding with demons and monsters, wanting to kill officials and rebel against the court."

He didn't want to continue "outwitting" these insects.

Solving a case requires evidence, but counter-terrorism only requires a list.

It can be said that this assassination attempt, which involved collusion with demons, was very successful; it was truly a case of someone delivering a pillow when you're about to fall asleep.

He was afraid things wouldn't escalate much!

There was an official from the Vermilion Bird Bureau, who was in charge of eliminating evil spirits throughout the land, right beside him; this was the opportunity.

However, my father's political acumen was somewhat lacking; he was indeed not good at the intrigues and power struggles of officialdom.

The stage is all set up, but they don't know how to use the opponent's strength against them.

Shen Bin hesitated for a moment, then said, "The mobilization of troops in the county requires the approval of the county magistrate and the county assistant magistrate. This matter is of great importance."

This is a subconscious habit, because over the years, I have been hampered by the county magistrate and the county assistant magistrate.

Xue Zhihua took out a token from the Vermilion Bird Division, her jade-like face as cold as frost, and said in a clear voice: "I vouch for you, and immediately mobilize the county's constables and militia to wipe out the so-called Golden Scale Gang and other evil forces! Arrest them and bring them to justice!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Bin realized what was happening and replied, "Your humble servant obeys."

Then, he looked at Li Yan and said, "Go and gather the yamen runners."

Zhao Lang said in a deep voice, "I'll go and mobilize the group's troops."

Shen Xian instructed, "Father, this matter must be handled quickly. We must take down the Golden Scale Gang before the county can react, especially the gang leader."

His third uncle had previously told him that the Golden Scale Gang was backed by County Magistrate Liu.

Before obtaining a confession and relevant evidence, it is naturally unwise to act rashly against an official like Magistrate Liu.

Zhao Lang reminded him, "Xu Lin is a Xiantian martial artist."

Shen Bin's face darkened, and he said, "I will deal with this person myself!"

"Father, your injuries..." Shen Xian said worriedly.

“Xu Lin entered the Innate Realm not long ago, while I have already reached the Perfection of the Innate Realm. I could have captured him long ago, but there is pressure from people in the county,” Shen Bin said in a deep voice.

Clearly, the reason they had previously stood by and watched the Golden Scale Gang was simply because of obstruction from the county. Now that they had received authorization from higher authorities, they were naturally fearless.

"Father, try your best to capture this man alive; he will be of great use," Shen Xian said. Xu Lin's confession is indispensable.

After listening to their conversation, Jin Chan had only one thought: Jin Lin's gang was finished.

But with a life-or-death crisis looming, there was no time to worry about such things.

Jin Chan could never have guessed that Shen Xian would seize the opportunity to make a big fuss and use the power of the Vermilion Bird Division to escalate the matter.

Shen Bin and a group of constables headed to the county town to arrest members of the Golden Scale Gang.

Xue Zhihua stared intently at the young man directing the group, thinking to herself, "He is truly meticulous and plans before he acts."

He didn't seem to care much about the boy's behavior of relying on his power as the Vermilion Bird Division.

For Yu Liren, who was in charge of the Vermilion Bird Bureau, she had the duty to monitor the area and slay demons and evil spirits.

This is also the reason why the Empress granted the Vermilion Bird Division such great power.

From learning that evil forces were colluding with gangs to mobilizing troops to suppress them, these events seem simple, but not everyone can seize such an opportunity.

Shen Xian turned his gaze to Xue Zhihua and said, "Please allow me to question this monster, Lord Xue."

Xue Zhihua found it amusing that Shen Xian kept switching between calling her Miss Xue and Lord Xue.

“Interrogate him,” Xue Zhihua said, then looked at the golden toad and said, “I know you were once a third-realm demon with the ability to regenerate severed limbs, but you can try to see if you can still regenerate limbs after my next sword strike.”

"Senior, spare my life!" The golden toad trembled, its voice trembling with fear.

This exposed the true nature of the golden toad, shattering its psychological defenses.

Shen Xian stared intently at this scene, thinking to himself, "The path of immortality is extremely mysterious, and its methods are unpredictable. I also want to learn from Xue, and yes, I also want to learn from him."

Xue Zhihua said in a clear voice, "Let's go back to Guhe County first. Don't ride horses anymore, it's too slow. Let's fly there."

Shen Xian: "..."

These words further fueled Shen Xian's yearning for the path of immortality.

Shen Xian was stunned for a moment, but then he saw his arm being grabbed and then suddenly lifted into the air.

Xue Zhihua said, "When martial arts reach the Grandmaster level, the innate true qi transforms into true essence, which allows one to briefly fly. However, when traveling for a long time, one still needs to rely on external objects such as treetops. To truly fly, one will probably have to wait until the fourth level of martial arts, the Grandmaster, with the Yuan Gang protecting the body. Only then will martial arts begin to shine and one will be basically invincible among those of the same level."

Shen Xian murmured, "Grandmaster, the fourth realm of martial arts Grandmaster?"

Fortunately, he had read books by Bian Bufu and Zhao Zhijing, so he was familiar with the names of these martial arts realms.

Xue Zhihua parted her pink lips slightly, her tone tinged with a hint of emotion, and said, "But if you cultivate your nature but not your destiny, a hundred years will be in vain."

Shen Xian felt himself rising higher and higher off the ground. Looking around, he saw the houses and shops of the county town lined up one after another, almost like ants. He asked, "Then how can one step onto the path of immortality?"

Xue Zhihua paused for a moment, then said, "Read the Taoist scriptures, become a disciple of the Three Teachings, and receive the Taoist ordination certificates from the Three Teachings."

Shen Xian fell silent for a moment.

He understood. The three religions controlled the power of cultivation, which explained why he hadn't seen any immortals from other sects.

It seems that the three religions are the mainstream in this world.

Xue Zhihua said softly, "There is another path: read the Taoist scriptures, be among the top three in the imperial examination, receive the title of the national guardian beast, and become the Vermilion Bird Envoy. As for those who follow the demonic path, they have always been unacceptable to the Three Pure Ones and the imperial court."

Shen Xian asked in surprise, "What about those who haven't received the Daoist ordination?"

“That is the path of demons,” Xue Zhihua said in a clear voice.

Shen Xian: "..."

As expected, the Three Pure Ones Sect, what a sect it is, it has completely monopolized the right to practice the Dharma.

He said to his father, "Since you liked martial arts when you were young, it's impossible that you didn't have the ambition to become a sword immortal. Why didn't you cultivate Taoism?"
Xue Zhihua said softly, "The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is divided into pure and turbid, and into yin and yang. The Three Pure Ones Sect is the orthodox sect, while others are regarded as heretical sects, and it is difficult to achieve immortality and freedom."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xian was startled.

No wonder Crane Guardian Daoist always acts so arrogant, sometimes wandering freely, sometimes dreaming of Zhuangzi's butterfly dream.

This is the Taoist way of governing the world!
It has permeated the political system and religious culture, and enjoys supreme power.

The golden toad blinked its eyes, thinking to itself that the woman before it was clearly a disciple of the three religions.

He can't die here; he needs to find a way to escape.

　After the main characters are established and the world-building is introduced, the pace of the book will gradually pick up, with exciting moments and climaxes coming one after another. There won't be a situation where the book only has a brief introduction after one or two million words. You can read on with confidence and don't need to wait for the book to finish.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)