Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

The gray donkey shuffled slowly along the snow-covered official road.

Li Ping rode on the donkey's back, bouncing with the donkey's movements.

"You have too much money, can your oxcart go a little faster? My butt is being bounced around in this stupid donkey and it's going to split into four pieces."

Li Ping tugged at his sheepskin coat and shouted towards the grain cart behind him.

Qian Duo sat on the edge of the grain cart, holding half a frozen sweet potato in his hand. Hearing this, he replied with a bitter face.

"Sir, the roads are slippery in this snowy weather, and the oxcart is carrying Hu Lie's nine-ringed broadsword and Miao Jun's junk, so it can't go fast."

"That broadsword is as heavy as an iron plate. If we take it back and have my elder brother melt it down to forge iron, he might be able to make some good hoes."

Li Ping pursed his lips and spat out the withered grass leaf he was holding in his mouth.

The procession swayed and staggered into the city gate.

The guards at the city gate stood ramrod straight, not daring to even breathe loudly, when they saw Li Ping's triumphant return.

Yesterday, rumors were still circulating in the city that Li Ping was going to become a mountain bandit king.

Today they wiped out Black Wind Stronghold, and even brought back Hu Lie's head.

With such methods, who would dare to treat him as an ordinary clerk?

Back to the new house in the east of the city

As soon as Li Ping dismounted from the donkey, Uncle Zhou came forward with several servants to greet him.

"Sir, the hot water is ready. Come inside and warm up quickly."

Uncle Zhou took the reins, looking at the bloodstains on Li Ping with some concern.

"I'm fine; it's all someone else's blood."

Li Ping waved his hand and walked towards the guest room.

"How badly is Shi Gan injured?"

"The doctor has come to see you, applied some medicine, and you're already asleep. However, the wound on your back is quite deep and will need some time to heal."

Uncle Zhou followed behind and answered in a low voice.

Li Ping pushed open the door to the guest room.

Shi Gan was lying face down on the couch, shirtless, with a thick white cloth wrapped around his back, and a faint smell of medicine wafted out.

Hearing the noise, Shi Gan struggled to get up.

"Don't move, stay still."

Li Ping walked over and slapped Shi Gan on his uninjured shoulder, making Shi Gan wince in pain.

"Sir, my back is incredibly itchy. Is it because I'm starting to gain weight?"

Shi Gan grinned.

"That's the medicine spreading out. Don't scratch it. If you scratch it and break the skin, you'll lose all your bonus next month."

Li Ping sat down on the bamboo chair beside the couch, took out ten taels of silver from his pocket, and tossed it next to Shi Gan's pillow.

"Here's a tip for you. Use it to buy some bone broth. Don't just think about eating cold roast chicken all the time."

Shi Gan's eyes lit up, he grabbed the silver and chuckled.

"Thank you, sir. With my physique, I'll be able to get to work and kill for you in a few days."

"No need. I am a scholar and have no interest in fighting and killing."

Li Ping stood up and dusted off his sleeves.

"Take good care of your injury; I have some work for you to do in a few days."

After leaving the guest room, Li Ping went straight to the study.

In the study, the charcoal brazier was glowing red, dispelling the chill from the room.

Qian Duo walked in carrying a thick stack of booklets and placed them on the desk.

"My lord, the results of this battle have been tallied."

Qian Duo pointed at the amounts in the booklet, his eyes darting around rapidly.

"Of the bandits from Black Wind Stronghold, sixty-two died on the spot, and forty-six were captured alive."

"They were all locked up in an empty brickyard in the west of the city, watched over by the men of Yefuling."

"Thirty bushels of grain, two hundred taels of silver, and some loose furs were found in the mountain stronghold."

Li Ping sat down in the armchair, picked up the hot tea and took a sip.

"Two hundred taels? This Hu Lie is really in a sorry state. He can't even compare to a hair on the head of the Bai family in the city."

"However, each of the forty men from Wild Fox Ridge was given one tael of silver and two bushels of coarse grain."

"Double the injury"

"As for those bandits who died, have Qian Duo report it to the county government, saying they were killed while resisting during the bandit suppression, and that he can collect his reward money."

Qian Duo hesitated a bit

"Sir, this reward money... will the county magistrate grant it?"

"Does he dare refuse?"

Li Ping sneered.

"The tax grain was robbed, and I retrieved it for them, and also wiped out Black Wind Stronghold in the process."

"If he can't even spare this small reward, I will write to my senior fellow inspector in Jiangning City."

"Ask the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty if they are ineffective in Xiyun County."

Qian Duo shrank back and readily agreed.

Li Ping took out the black iron tag he had taken from Miao Jun from his pocket and laid it flat on the table.

The character "司" on the iron plaque appeared somewhat cold under the candlelight.

"Hu Jiu, come in."

Li Ping called out to the door.

Hu Jiu, like a frozen quail, shrank his neck and scurried in, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

"Sir, are you looking for me?"

Do you recognize this metal plate?

Li Ping pointed to the things on the table.

Hu Jiu leaned closer, took a closer look, and his expression immediately changed.

"This...this character looks like the clan crest of the Jiangning City Si family."

Hu Jiu swallowed hard, keeping his voice extremely low.

"I've heard people mention it in the black market before; the Si family is one of the top cultivation clans in Jiangning."

"With a Golden Core stage ancestor in the clan, even the prefect has to give them some face."

"Golden Core stage?"

Li Ping raised an eyebrow

"He's definitely quite capable of fighting Miao Jun, that evil cultivator. How did he get involved with them?"

"I've checked. Before Miao Jun went into the mountains, he sent a letter from the city's post station using a special spirit pigeon."

Hu Jiu nervously rubbed his hands together.

"Those pigeons fly extremely fast; they've probably already arrived in Jiangning City by now."

"You're already dead, yet you still leave me with a loose end."

Li Ping put the iron plate back in his pocket and rubbed his temples in frustration.

"The people of Jiangning City really have a long reach."

"However, now that the letter has been sent, the Si family will find out sooner or later that Miao Jun died in Xiyun County."

"We need to quickly take control of the situation in this county."

Hu Jiu nodded repeatedly

"Your Excellency is wise. I will keep a close eye on the situation outside the city. If any unfamiliar faces enter the city, I will report to you immediately."

"Go, go to Uncle Zhou and collect five taels of silver as your reward this time."

Li Ping waved his hand.

Hu Jiu was overjoyed and thanked him profusely before leaving.

Late at night

The wind and snow began to howl outside the window again, pattering against the windowpane with a soft, rustling sound.

Li Ping sat alone in the study, staring absently at the leaping flames in the charcoal brazier.

Having traveled to the present day, only a few months have passed.

He went from being a fake thief who could be slapped to death by Hu Guan at any moment.

Now, "Lord Li" commands two hundred mountain people, has killed a Qi Refining cultivator, and has forced the county magistrate and registrar to remain motionless.

Every step in this process felt like dancing on a knife's edge.

I used to work like a beast of burden on Earth, just seeking stability, spending my days toiling for a few thousand dollars a month.

In this cannibalistic world, taking a step back is like falling into an abyss, where even the lives of your family members cannot be saved.

He looked down at his somewhat rough palms.

The spiritual energy vortex within his body spun slowly, radiating a warm glow.

"Mid-stage Qi Activation..."

Li Ping muttered to himself, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.

"The path of cultivation is really tough on shoes."

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open a crack.

A biting wind, mixed with snowflakes, lashed against his face, stinging his cheeks.

The night sky in the east of the city was as black as a sheet of iron, with only a few faint lights shining from the distant county government hall.

Li Ping closed the window and blew out the oil lamp.

In the darkness, he touched the cold iron plaque in his pocket.

I'm figuring out how to go to the county government tomorrow to settle the reward money for suppressing the bandits with that old bastard Chen Rang.

After all, supporting two hundred people requires a considerable daily expense.