The County Magistrate Was Like a Puppet

Chapter 6: The County Magistrate Was Like a Puppet

"When out in the world, one's own cultivation is of utmost importance."

"No matter what, one cannot let it delay one's cultivation."

Jiang Sheng forcefully suppressed the turmoil in his heart. Sitting cross-legged atop Qingping Mountain, he swallowed a pill and began his midday cultivation.

For Penglai cultivators, barring unforeseen circumstances, the morning and evening lessons could not be skipped.

More diligent cultivators would also practice the midday lesson.

Although noon was the peak of yang in the day, when the great sun shone with its fiercest brilliance, ordinary cultivators simply could not draw in that supremely hard and blazing solar essence. However, absorbing the spiritual energy drifting between heaven and earth or consuming medicinal pills posed no problem.

Pills existed precisely to make it easier for cultivators to practice day and night.

From ancient times, when cultivators could only gather morning clouds at dawn and moonlight at dusk, to the present, when they could cultivate without interruption through all twelve hours of the day, the emergence of pills had undoubtedly been of immense importance.

The pill Jiang Sheng took was the Essence-Gathering Pill most commonly used by Dao Foundation cultivators.

Moreover, the Essence-Gathering Pills produced by Penglai not only contained the least pill toxicity, but were also of stable quality. There was no risk of poisoned pills.

When cultivators traveled abroad, who would not keep an extra eye open when buying others' pills or magical artifacts?

Those pills that appeared flawless in quality and excellent in finish—who could be certain they were truly nonpoisonous?

Rogue Cultivators had no such abundance of choices, and they possessed almost no ability to identify pills. Aside from stealing them from others, they could only buy from pill shops, with no way to ensure the pills' condition.

Cultivators like Jiang Sheng, who came from an orthodox mystic sect, could purchase pills from their own sect.

This could be called an unseen benefit. Whether pills or magical artifacts, buying them from one's sect was always the most reassuring, without any need to worry about hidden consequences.

This period could be said to have been the most peaceful since Jiang Sheng left his sect.

Every morning, as the great sun first rose, he gathered the purple qi of the dawn clouds. At noon, he swallowed an Essence-Gathering Pill. At night, he gathered the lunar essence of the yin moon to cultivate.

His cultivation steadily advanced, while the Daoist temple halfway up the mountain was constantly being repaired. In only a short time, it had already begun to take shape.

The people of Qingping Town worked each day only on repairing the Daoist temple halfway up the mountain. No one dared come to the summit and disturb Jiang Sheng's cultivation.

Although there were now more hunters in the mountains, they too knew their limits and did not dare disturb Jiang Sheng.

Cultivation placed the greatest emphasis on one's state of mind. If one could not restrain the mind's monkey or rein in the will's horse, one would be unable to settle down and cultivate. One would be doomed to make no progress, nor could one continue climbing the great path to immortality.

Jiang Sheng's state of mind had always been praised by the elders of his sect. What was more, he greatly enjoyed quietly cultivating alone, undisturbed by the outside world.

Unfortunately, such days were always short.

After Jiang Sheng had spent a rare month cultivating in peace, the people of Qingping Town finally came looking for him.

That morning, Jiang Sheng was, as usual, drawing in the purple qi of dawn clouds for cultivation. Before he had even finished his lesson, Tian Guofu hurried over, panting, with several attendants in tow.

Seeing Jiang Sheng cultivating, Tian Guofu did not interrupt him. Instead, he stood quietly to one side until Jiang Sheng had finished his practice, then said, "Daoist Jiang, the Daoist temple has been completed."

Jiang Sheng's heart was still as water, his expression calm. "It was completed in barely more than a month. Town Chief Tian, your people worked quite quickly."

Tian Guofu gave an embarrassed smile. "Everyone is grateful to Daoist Jiang for removing a scourge for us, so they all worked with great efficiency."

Jiang Sheng slowly rose. After exhaling a breath of turbid air, he turned to look at Tian Guofu. "Grateful? If you are not secretly cursing this poor Daoist in your hearts, I should be thanking heaven and earth."

When Tian Guofu met Jiang Sheng's gaze, sweat immediately drenched his back. He felt as though he had been seen through completely, as if no thought could escape those eyes that seemed like stars.

"H-how could we dare? Daoist Jiang, you jest," Tian Guofu said with an awkward laugh.

Jiang Sheng nodded. "You do not dare, not that you do not wish to."

"The people of Qingping Town helped this poor Daoist build a temple. Though it was because this poor Daoist slew the tiger demon in these mountains, the main reason was that you thought I could help you eliminate the river god of Taiping River as well."

"But because this poor Daoist did not agree, resentment arose in your hearts. You think this poor Daoist took the money but did not do the work."

As Jiang Sheng spoke, he walked down the mountain. "But Town Chief Tian, do you know that this poor Daoist has never owed you anything?"

"That Daoist temple was built for this poor Daoist voluntarily after I eliminated the tiger demon. This poor Daoist did not force you to build it. I will not use this favor to demand repayment, and I hope you will not expect to use a Daoist temple to coerce this poor Daoist."

As Jiang Sheng walked farther and farther away, Tian Guofu grew anxious and hurried after him. "Daoist Jiang, neither I nor the people of Qingping Town ever intended to coerce you."

"That is good, then. Since that is so, all of you may go down the mountain," Jiang Sheng said calmly.

Tian Guofu froze for a moment. Not daring to say more, he obediently led his people down the mountain.

When they returned to town, Tian Guofu explained the outcome and could not help sighing. "This Daoist Jiang truly has ability."

"So many Daoists came before to slay demons and eliminate evil, only to be swallowed by the tiger demon. Yet Daoist Jiang was able to kill it. That proves he has genuine skill."

A wealthy gentleman said unhappily, "So what if he has genuine skill? He still will not help us eliminate the demon of Taiping River."

"Remember, this year it is our turn to provide six pairs of virgin boys and girls."

An old scholar suddenly said, "We cannot invite him because our status is insufficient. Daoist Jiang does not think us worthy."

Though everyone was unwilling to accept it, they had to admit that was indeed the case.

Tian Guofu asked again, "Then according to your opinion, sir, what should we do?"

The old scholar stroked his beard and smiled. "Didn't the newly arrived County Magistrate of Qingshan County say he wished to establish some achievements and eliminate the demon in Taiping River?"

"Town Chief, why not inform the County Magistrate of this matter and have him send someone to invite the Daoist? That should be worthy of Daoist Jiang's status, should it not?"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

At the same time, in Qingshan County, the newly appointed County Magistrate Zhang Qingyun was filled with rage.

"I have only just arrived in Qingshan County, yet I never expected to be treated with such contempt!"

Zhang Qingyun had only just assumed office as the magistrate of Qingshan County. He had thought that once he arrived, he would be able to put his ambitions to work.

At first, Zhang Qingyun had indeed received a warm welcome from the county city's gentry and wealthy merchants, making him think that these local gentry would cooperate with his governance.

But who would have thought that, on the surface, these people addressed him as County Magistrate and appeared incomparably respectful, while in reality, his orders could not be carried out at all!

The gentry had been rooted in the region for decades, even centuries. Furthermore, every year during the river god's grand sacrifice, they controlled everything, and the people of every town almost all listened to them.

The wealthy merchants, meanwhile, colluded with the gentry, holding Qingshan County in a death grip—from the county yamen to every shop in the county city, and then to every town.

There was not the slightest room for County Magistrate Zhang to exercise his authority.

On the surface, these people treated him respectfully, but in secret, the gentry were the true masters of Qingshan County!

This filled Zhang Qingyun with unbearable humiliation. He was a dignified County Magistrate, yet his own subordinates had turned him into a figurehead!

Just as Zhang Qingyun was at his wits' end, someone suddenly came to report.

"County Magistrate, Tian Guofu, the town chief of Qingping Town, requests an audience to report a matter."

Lin Yuan's explanation: Jiang Sheng was a cultivator, not a chivalrous hero eager to champion justice. Cultivators had always acted according to their own sense of good and evil; they possessed the power to act as they pleased. This was a world where great power belonged to the individual. Jiang Sheng had a good temperament and came from an orthodox mystic sect, but that did not mean he was a good person in the purest sense. Saving people could be a casual act, not something he was obliged to do.

(End of chapter)