Unless an Immortal Helped

Inside the side room.

"What? You're going to wipe out more bandits?"

County Magistrate Zhang stared at the immortal in disbelief and cried out.

He had only just returned,

and hadn't even had a hot meal.

Had the bandits in Heyang County broken the laws of heaven in their past lives? Was that why Heaven had sent an immortal down specifically to hunt them?

If County Magistrate Zhang hadn't witnessed the miraculous sight of the immortal descending to the mortal world with his own eyes, he would have thought the man sitting before him was the reincarnation of a god of slaughter.

This immortal's desire to kill was a little too strong, wasn't it?

"What? Can't I?"

Gao Yunyi knew his behavior was strange, but he had no choice. He was only level 11 and hadn't even put together a full set of equipment. If he didn't kill bandits and robbers, was he supposed to kill commoners instead?

Or he could simply slaughter the fat old man in front of him. As the highest official in the county, he ought to be worth a lot of experience.

Perhaps sensing the flicker of killing intent in the immortal's eyes, County Magistrate Zhang immediately shrank his neck and said, "Yes, yes, of course you can."

"You're willing to keep wiping out bandits and ridding the people of Heyang County of this scourge. I can't thank you enough."

Gao Yunyi quite liked the way the fat old man spoke and conducted himself. Unless he had absolutely no choice, he really couldn't bear to kill him.

"Then tell me about them."

"Yes, yes. Crouching Ox Mountain was home to the largest and most dangerous band of mountain bandits in Heyang County. But aside from them, there are indeed several other groups of robbers and bandits in the county. Though they haven't amounted to much, they rob homes and commit all manner of evil. Their sins have piled up to the heavens." County Magistrate Zhang answered after thinking for a moment.

"All right, they'll do."

Gao Yunyi said, "Leave this task to me."

After spending the past two days with the immortal, County Magistrate Zhang had gotten a rough feel for the way he spoke and acted. He quickly nodded and said, "Very well. Then I entrust you with the task of clearing the robbers and bandits from the county."

Yet after County Magistrate Zhang finished speaking, the task panel Gao Yunyi was waiting for didn't appear.

And so,

Gao Yunyi and County Magistrate Zhang stared wide-eyed at each other, and the atmosphere grew a little awkward.

Why does the immortal keep staring at me? Is there something wrong with me?

Gao Yunyi's stare made County Magistrate Zhang nervous, but he didn't dare ask, for fear of offending the immortal.

It seemed he couldn't accept the same task from the same person more than once. This damned game system really wouldn't leave him a single loophole to exploit.

Gao Yunyi sighed inwardly. Even without a task, he still had to kill those bandits and robbers.

No matter how small a sparrow's leg was, it was still meat. Besides, he wasn't in a position to be picky right now.

After killing those groups of bandits and robbers, he should be able to reach level 12 and get a few more pieces of equipment.

"Same as yesterday. Prepare a carriage and some men for me. Once we've wiped out those robbers and bandits, we'll do things the old way. The heads are yours."

Gao Yunyi gave his instructions.

"I understand. Please wait a moment." County Magistrate Zhang hurriedly agreed.

"Oh, and prepare a set of local clothes for me while you're at it. Nothing too flashy. Simple and understated will do."

Just as County Magistrate Zhang was preparing to leave, Gao Yunyi gave him one more instruction.

"I'll go prepare it right away."

County Magistrate Zhang closed the door behind him and stepped outside. Though he didn't understand why the immortal wanted him to prepare a set of mortal clothes, he obediently did as he was told.

After all, the ways of immortals were profound and unfathomable. How could a mortal like him hope to understand them?

Besides, he didn't know if it was his imagination, but the immortal seemed a little different from before.

He seemed a little more human.

Heh heh heh...

An immortal with a human touch? That joke wasn't funny at all.

County Magistrate Zhang shook his head, thinking he was probably reading too much into it.

It wasn't actually County Magistrate Zhang's imagination. It just wasn't a human touch; Gao Yunyi had simply grown familiar with him.

Now that they were familiar, he spoke a little more and was a little more casual in his manner.

It was as simple as that.

Although the immortal didn't attend, the banquet went ahead as planned.

But with the immortal absent, the county magistrate and the other important figures had lost interest, so Constable Chen and his companions became the stars of the grand banquet.

The local gentry and powerful men who usually looked down on them called them brothers. The esteemed scholars who couldn't normally be bothered to spare them a glance sang their praises, while the wealthy merchants and gentlemen came over wanting to marry their female relatives to them.

Every one of them ate until their bellies were round and drank until their faces were red. At that moment, they felt they had reached the pinnacle of their lives.

But soon,

a yamen runner arrived and whispered something in Constable Chen's ear. The wine Constable Chen hadn't yet swallowed suddenly sprayed from his mouth.

"What? We're going to wipe out bandits again?"

Constable Chen was incredulous. He had only just sat down and hadn't even finished his meal.

This immortal was a little too diligent, wasn't he? Didn't he need to eat or rest?

"Boss, if you don't want to go, my brothers and I can go in your place. You can stay here and enjoy the food and drink."

The yamen runner spoke with a burning look in his eyes.

"Bullshit! I'm still breathing! Who said you could take my place? You want to move up? Wait till I'm dead!"

At the runner's words, Constable Chen's bleary, unfocused eyes instantly cleared. He snatched up the saber on the table and bellowed:

"Brothers, stop eating! The immortal has given an order. Follow me!"

Clatter—

The constables and yamen runners who had been feasting rose one after another and hurried away from the banquet with Constable Chen.

From that moment on, all the robbers and bandits in Heyang County would face the darkest, most desperate days of their lives.

What Gao Yunyi didn't know was that, although his name wasn't in the Memorial to the Court County Magistrate Zhang had submitted, tales and rumors of his deeds were spreading wildly through the areas around Heyang County like a prairie fire.

An Immortal Descending to Heyang County had wiped out the bandits of Crouching Ox Mountain in a single night.

Heyang County was five hundred li from Dingzhou City. Riding at full speed, the messenger arrived in two days.

And so,

Heyang County's urgent Memorial to the Court soon reached the prefect of Dingzhou.

But the moment the prefect opened it and read it, he flung it onto his desk.

"Zhang Huaimin has some nerve! How dare he falsify his achievements? Has he gone mad trying to get promoted?"

The assistant prefect beside him asked in puzzlement, "Surely not? Falsifying achievements is a serious crime. Would a mere county magistrate dare do such a thing?"

"Take a good look for yourself. See what this Memorial to the Court says. He wiped out all the bandits and their leaders on Crouching Ox Mountain, and claims he planned everything from his command tent and foresaw events like a god. He's praised himself to the skies! Others may not know what sort of man Zhang Huaimin is, but don't I? He's a muddleheaded old bureaucrat. Could he possibly be that capable?"

The prefect's beard bristled and his eyes bulged with anger. He looked as disgusted as if he'd swallowed a green-headed fly.

The assistant prefect picked up the Memorial to the Court from the desk and read it carefully for a while before saying:

"What's written here doesn't look fabricated. Look, Prefect, it clearly records the number of heads and their distinguishing features, as well as the amount of stolen silver recovered."

But the prefect wore a look of disdain as he declared with certainty:

"You haven't been in office long, so you have no idea how vicious and formidable those bandits were. And the terrain of Crouching Ox Mountain is unusual: easy to defend and hard to attack. Two years ago, I sent troops to wipe them out, but we lost soldiers and officers and suffered a crushing defeat.

"Heyang County is a minor county under Dingzhou. Its constables, yamen runners, and archers don't even add up to a hundred. Even if Zhang Huaimin had the ability to reach the heavens, he couldn't have taken Crouching Ox Mountain."

"Unless an immortal helped him."