When he heard that Tian Guofu, the mayor of Qingping Town, had come to see him,
Zhang Qingyun was visibly delighted. Could it be that, after all this time in Qingshan County, someone was finally willing to throw in their lot with him?
At that thought, Zhang Qingyun said, "Show Mayor Tian in."
Tian Guofu soon entered and bowed respectfully to Zhang Qingyun. "This humble commoner, Tian Guofu, pays his respects to the county magistrate."
"Please rise, Mayor Tian. What brings you here to report to me?" Zhang Qingyun asked with a smile.
Tian Guofu hurriedly said, "Your Honor, do you know that an evil tiger on Qingping Mountain became a demon and has been terrorizing the area and taking lives?"
Zhang Qingyun nodded. "I have heard of it. Apparently, the two previous magistrates invited quite a few cultivators, but none succeeded. That tiger demon is still wreaking havoc in the mountains."
As he spoke, Zhang Qingyun frowned. Surely Tian Guofu had not come to ask him to find cultivators to eliminate that tiger demon?
If things were truly that simple, how could the tiger demon have run rampant in the mountains for so many years?
Tian Guofu seemed to see what Zhang Qingyun was thinking and hurriedly said, "There is something Your Honor does not know. A Daoist master with extraordinary abilities arrived in Qingping Town a few days ago. He has already slain that tiger demon!"
"What?!"
Zhang Qingyun was startled.
He truly had not expected that the tiger demon, which had ravaged Qingping Mountain for so many years, devouring who knew how many people and killing who knew how many cultivators, would actually be slain by a Daoist who had appeared out of nowhere!
But a moment later, a thought occurred to Zhang Qingyun: since that Daoist was so formidable, why not invite him to become an ally?
He came from a collateral branch of his Lineage. Being appointed magistrate of Qingshan County was already a tremendous stroke of luck.
He and his daughter had come alone to take up his post in Qingshan County, with no one at his disposal. Otherwise, the local gentry would never have been able to twist him around their fingers so easily.
If he could gain a cultivator's assistance, things would surely be different!
At that thought, Zhang Qingyun immediately said, "By slaying the tiger demon, that Daoist master has rid Qingshan County of a great scourge!"
"Mayor Tian, take a thousand taels of fine silver back with you and reward that Daoist master on my behalf. While you are there, invite him to the county seat. I would like to meet the Daoist master who slew that tiger demon."
Those were precisely the words Tian Guofu had been waiting for. He hurriedly replied, "As Your Honor commands."
Soon, Tian Guofu hurried back to Qingping Town with a thousand taels of fine silver.
Then he quickly assembled a group of men, wrapped the silver and some fruit in red silk, and brought them up Qingping Mountain to the beating of drums and gongs.
Such a commotion naturally alerted Jiang Sheng.
Jiang Sheng preferred peace and quiet by nature. Seeing a large crowd coming up with drums beating and gongs clanging, he could not help frowning.
Before long, Tian Guofu arrived in front of the Daoist temple with the crowd.
Beaming, Tian Guofu said, "Master Jiang, wonderful news!"
"What is there to celebrate?" Jiang Sheng's expression remained indifferent.
His face glowing with excitement, Tian Guofu said, "Master Jiang, I have informed the magistrate that you rid Qingping Town of the tiger demon."
"His Honor was overjoyed to hear that a Daoist master such as yourself had come to Qingshan County."
"And so, His Honor ordered us to bring you a thousand taels of fine silver as a reward."
As he spoke, Tian Guofu grew even more excited. "His Honor also wishes to invite you to the county office. He said he would like to meet you in person!"
"Heh!"
Jiang Sheng gave a cold laugh, without the slightest trace of amusement in his eyes.
Seeing Jiang Sheng's expression, Tian Guofu's heart suddenly sank. He had a feeling he had gone about this all wrong.
The sturdy young men beating the drums and gongs also felt an inexplicable chill. One after another, they stopped playing that ear-splitting festive music.
Jiang Sheng's indifferent gaze swept over everyone present, making each of them shudder.
"A thousand taels of fine silver?"
"As a reward?"
"What do you take this humble Daoist for?"
Jiang Sheng's attitude had undoubtedly frightened Tian Guofu and the others.
Tian Guofu hurriedly said, "Master Jiang, we truly meant well!"
"Besides, the magistrate himself brought it up. He wanted to give you a thousand taels of silver and invite you to the county seat—"
Jiang Sheng looked at Tian Guofu with a smile that was not quite a smile. His eyes made Tian Guofu's skin crawl, and he could not help lowering his head.
As Jiang Sheng's gaze swept across them, the wealthy merchants and gentry of Qingping Town all bowed their heads like quails, not daring to look up.
The old scholar who had seemed so assured when offering his scheme a few days earlier was now trembling with fright, almost collapsing to the ground.
"I already told you that I have no interest in your gifts of thanks. Do not waste any more effort on them!"
"Do you not understand what I say, or do you think I am softhearted and easy to bully?"
As Jiang Sheng spoke, he swept his sleeve. A fierce wind came roaring through, sending everyone present flying, along with all the silver, fruit, drums, gongs, and red decorations.
Tian Guofu felt the gale toss him about until he could no longer tell up from down. When his vision cleared, he had already been blown to the foot of the mountain!
The wealthy gentry and young men of Qingping Town exchanged glances, all drenched in cold sweat. None dared say another word.
But Tian Guofu wore a bitter expression. Looking helplessly toward the mountainside, he shouted, "Master, it really was the magistrate who sent me to invite you!"
Jiang Sheng's cool voice drifted down from the mountain. "The magistrate?"
"He offers a paltry thousand taels of silver as a reward, then expects me to go to the county seat to see him?"
"What a joke!"
"If your county magistrate truly wishes to see me, let him come to Qingping Mountain!"
"Disperse at once. If you disturb my secluded cultivation again, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"
Hearing Jiang Sheng's words, everyone hurried back to Qingping Town.
By now, they were all covered in dust and utterly bedraggled.
The wealthy gentry looked helplessly at Tian Guofu. He could only sigh. "Alas, I will go back and tell the magistrate."
When Tian Guofu hurried back to Qingshan County and explained what had happened to Magistrate Zhang Qingyun, Zhang Qingyun's expression immediately changed.
"I am the dignified magistrate of an entire county! I sent men to invite a mere backwoods Daoist, yet he refuses to come? He insists that I go and invite him personally?!"
"He is nothing but a backwoods Daoist, yet he is even more arrogant than the gentry in this county seat!"
Tian Guofu stood awkwardly to one side, not daring to speak. Furious, Zhang Qingyun waved him away, telling him to get out, then went back to the rear courtyard to rest in a sulk.
Back in the county office's rear courtyard, Zhang Qingyun was still seething. He smashed a teacup outright, frightening the servants there into trembling, afraid that the brooding magistrate would vent his anger on them.
Zhang Qingyun could not understand.
Why, within the borders of the Qi Kingdom, could he, the magistrate of Qingshan County, not even summon a backwoods Daoist?
Could it be that everyone already knew he was a puppet, a clay idol confined to the county office?
What was the point of being a magistrate like that?
"Father, why are you so angry? If something is troubling you, why not tell your daughter?"
A clear, lovely voice, like an oriole's song, rang beside Zhang Qingyun's ear. He turned to look and saw his clever, pretty daughter, Zhang Qing.
Seeing that the pearl of his palm had arrived, Zhang Qingyun's expression softened a little. "Qing, weren't you going to listen to a storyteller? How did you find the time to come see your father?"
Please keep reading, bookmark the book, and send in your recommendations. Lin Yuan wants to write a story with the spirit of immortal heroes, and the first tale in this book has only just begun to unfold. Please take your time and keep reading. Finally, dear readers, please be sure to turn through to the very last page. It means a great deal to Lin Yuan. My deepest thanks to you all.
(End of chapter)
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