Myriad Immortals

That makes sense.

Zhong Xuan looked like he had learned something.

What are the advantages of the imperial court?

That is, having more people means having more power.

The monsters are fierce. Whether you can defeat them or not doesn't matter. Once you find them, you can call in the army to surround them. You must never have the idea of ​​going into danger alone. Even if you want to make a name for yourself, you have to be alive.

However, everyone has their own ambitions.

The Qing Kingdom's court was never stingy with rewarding those who made meritorious contributions, so there were quite a few officials willing to risk their lives for merit, most of whom came from humble backgrounds.

How can one rise to high office without putting in tremendous effort?

Duan Wen: "Don't be fooled by the grandeur of our Governor's Mansion. We're surrounded by monstrous beasts, and it's extremely dangerous. A moment's carelessness could cost you your life."

He suffered a great loss and almost lost his life when he went to inspect the Baisha River before.

Even now, he still feels lingering fear.

Duan Wen has elderly parents to care for and young children to raise. He doesn't want his newlywed wives to all remarry. Zhong Xuan helped him when he was in Baisha County, so what he said just now was from the bottom of his heart.

As they were talking.

The two then arrived at a house east of the South Town River Office.

"This is it..."

Duan Wen was about to say that this was the office of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner.

Before he could finish speaking, a gust of wind swept in his face.

Duan Wen reacted quickly, grabbing the young man who rushed out the door and immediately scolding him loudly:

"What are you doing, acting so recklessly?"

The young man felt his collar being pulled up and was about to get angry when he heard Duan Wen's voice. He immediately put on a smile and said, "So it's Lord Duan. Our Lord Yu has followed the clues and found the Black Witch Cult spy hiding in Yongning City. I heard he's the disciple of the Black Water Grand Priest. I've come to our office to help everyone get some credit."

"Oh?"

Duan Wen put the young man down, revealing an interested expression.

The Blackwater Grand Master has already been killed by Marquis Rong'an, and now his disciple has been found by the people of the Southern River Bureau.

He was one of those who participated in that operation, so he paid close attention to these survivors.

"Brother Zhong, why don't we go take a look together?"

Zhong Xuan's mind raced.

Now we know that the black stone leg bone was stolen by the Black Water Grand Master, and perhaps the Black Water Grand Master's disciple still has a great demon bone.

He nodded decisively: "Okay."

Duan Wen patted the young man on the shoulder: "Alright, lead the way."

The young man blinked, looking at Zhong Xuan curiously: "Lord Duan, who is this old man?"

Duan Wen rolled his eyes in annoyance:

"Your new transport commissioner, Lord Zhong!"

Upon hearing this...

The young man was greatly surprised and immediately bowed, saying, "This humble servant greets Lord Zhong."

......

......

The young man led Zhong Xuan and Duan Wen to a grand mansion in the city.

When the three arrived.

The battle is over.

Through the gate of the house, one could see corpses lying haphazardly inside, including children and women.

Duan Wen frowned slightly, his eyes revealing displeasure:

"This Lord Yu really has no sense of restraint; he shows no mercy whatsoever."

The young man listened, but dared not respond.

Both of them are superiors, and neither can be offended, so keeping silent is the best option at this time.

Duan Wen had no intention of going in; he mingled with the crowd of onlookers, tiptoeing and craning his neck to peer inside.

"The Blackwater Grand Priest has seven disciples in total. Three were lost before, so there should be four left. Which one is the demon or monster?"

"Demons and monsters" is a derogatory term given to the disciples of the Blackwater Grand Master by outsiders.

The evil spirit Hu Tu Yan from before was that ghost.

Then a gasp of surprise came from the crowd on the street.

A middle-aged man walked out carrying a bloody human head on a long spear.

"So it was the Xuan Shui Demon."

As the river patrol envoy, Duan Wen was very familiar with the situation of the Black Witch Cult and recognized the identity of the head at a glance.

"Ding Ce's strength has improved again."

Zhong Xuan saw it too.

Xuan Shui Yao was the second disciple of Hei Shui Da Zhu and a master at the peak of the Tendon Refining stage. Yet he was killed by this transport commissioner named Ding Ce, which shows how powerful he was.

Duan Wen looked at Ding Ce, whose fierce aura was rampant, and said with apprehension:

"Brother Zhong, this guy was originally the captain of the Eighteenth Battalion, but because he was too bloodthirsty, he set fire to the entire village in order to kill a monster."

"Governor Deng was furious and personally demoted him to the position of Grand Canal Transport Commissioner."

Seemingly sensing Duan Wen's gaze, Ding Ce, who was carrying human heads, strode up to Duan Wen.

Even though he was unwilling, Duan Wen still looked at the other person and said:

"Congratulations, Lord Ding, for another meritorious service."

Ding Ce, still reeking of blood, glanced at Duan Wen before fixing his gaze on Zhong Xuan beside him: "You're the newcomer, Zhong Xuan?"

"Lord Ding, please take good care of me in the future."

Zhong Xuan cupped his hands in greeting.

Ding Ce merely nodded indifferently, then mounted his horse and galloped away with his entourage.

"This guy..."

Duan Wen rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Zhong Xuan then turned his gaze to the courtyard. He secretly circulated his breathing technique and only stopped after confirming that there was no demonic energy.

Duan Wen: "Brother Zhong, although Lord Ding's methods are too extreme, his achievements are also immense. Two of the Blackwater Grand Priest's disciples died at his hands, and he has also taken down no less than a dozen demonic beasts. He is indeed a fierce general."

"If he hadn't gotten into trouble, he might have already been promoted."

A brief interlude.

Duan Wen pulled Zhong Xuan aside and said, "Brother Zhong, you must be tired from your journey. I've set up a table at Sihulou Restaurant and invited some of our colleagues from the Southern River Management Office. It'll be a good opportunity for you to get to know them."

"Then I shall respectfully comply."

That night.

More than ten courtesans danced gracefully at the Sihu Tower, amidst the clinking of cups and toasts.

He was very drunk.

......

......

The next day.

Zhong Xuan woke up in his room at the inn, touching his still somewhat groggy forehead.

"The wine from Yongning Prefecture is truly intoxicating."

It was already noon.

Zhong Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating his breathing techniques to dispel all the effects of the alcohol.

There was no rush to go to the government office.

According to the rules of the Qing Kingdom.

No need to report for duty after seven days in office.

This was to allow the officials taking up their posts time to settle their relatives and arrange accommodations.

After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Zhong Xuan felt refreshed. He left the inn and headed out of Yongning Prefecture.

We arrived at the foot of a verdant hill surrounded by green waters outside the city.

A stone gate covered with green moss is inscribed with the four characters "Yongning Prefectural School" in neat characters.

Zhong Xuan climbed the stone steps.

Halfway there.

Just then, I ran into a group of three or five students walking towards me.

Zhong Xuan was about to step down the stone steps to make way when he noticed one of the young men rubbing his eyes uncertainly before tentatively asking, "Are you Lord Zhong?"

The other students were surprised:

"Brother Lin, which Lord Zhong are you referring to?"

"It is Lord Zhong Xuanzhong from Baisha County, who passed the imperial examination this year."

After hearing that,

Several students stared at Zhong Xuan.

Students of their age might not necessarily envy the officials in the imperial court, but it's a different story when it comes to the newly appointed top-ranking scholar in the civil service examination.

Feeling the admiring gazes of many.

Zhong Xuan had no choice but to ask, "I wonder if Master Cui Bai is in the mountains?"

Your one-stop haven for novel reading.