County Magistrate Wang Lichuan saw that he understood, so he added, "Since that's settled, spend the next two months cultivating hard and strive to break through to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist! As for your conflict with the County Assistant, with me here, he won't dare do anything to you."
Lu Feng's face filled with gratitude. "Yes, thank you for looking after me, County Magistrate. I won't let you down."
After they finished talking, the strategist led Lu Feng to a room that had been prepared for him.
The room wasn't very large, but it had all the furniture and supplies he could need.
There was not only a desk and bookcase, but also an Iron Man Post for martial arts training.
Strategist Wang Jun looked at him and said, "Captain Lu, this will be your office from now on. If you need anything, just let me know."
Looking around the room, Lu Feng guessed that the County Magistrate had had it prepared especially for the new captain.
"Of course. I'll be counting on you, Strategist Wang," Lu Feng said with a smile.
"Heh, Captain Lu, you're too kind. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
With that, the other man left the room, leaving Lu Feng there alone.
Looking at the brand-new furniture, Lu Feng walked over to the desk and sat down.
Now he had his own private office at the County Yamen. His treatment was much better than that of the other three captains.
After briefly looking over the room's furnishings, Lu Feng decided to visit Chief Clerk Lu Yan.
Although the man was a neutral official at the County Yamen, he had indeed helped Lu Feng a great deal.
Now that he had successfully risen to the position of captain, it was time to thank Lu Yan.
Having made up his mind, Lu Feng left his room and went to the Chief Clerk's room. He knocked on the door and said,
"Your subordinate Lu Feng has come to pay his respects, Lord Chief Clerk."
In less than three breaths, the door slowly opened, and Chief Clerk Lu Yan appeared before him.
"Come in and talk," Lu Yan said.
Lu Feng didn't waste words. He simply stepped inside.
Once they were seated, Lu Yan even poured him a cup of tea.
It was clear from this that Lu Yan was treating him quite differently today than he had the last time.
After pouring the tea, Lu Yan finally spoke. "Captain Lu, this tea was sent from the commandery seat. Give it a taste and tell me what you think."
Lu Feng lifted the cup and sniffed. A faint fragrance drifted into his nose. He took a small sip, and the delicate aroma instantly filled his mouth.
"Mm, excellent tea!" Lu Feng said, nodding.
Seeing him say that, Lu Yan smiled. "Heh, since you like it, I'll give you two jin to enjoy."
Lu Feng had intended to refuse, but in the end, he nodded and accepted it.
"Thank you for your generous gift, sir. I mainly came today to thank you for helping me before."
Lu Yan seemed to have guessed why he had come, and said, "Your achievements are all your own. I merely lent a hand. Now that you've taken the new captain's position, I imagine you already know the County Magistrate's intentions. Do you have confidence about the upcoming Martial Examination?"
The man had asked so suddenly because he must have known all along why the County Magistrate had created the new captain's position.
Although Lu Feng already knew about the Martial Examination, he still knew far too little about the Martial Artists of this world.
When it came to martial knowledge, he was a complete beginner.
So he couldn't guarantee that he would achieve a good result in the Martial Examination two months from now.
"Sir, all I can say is that I should qualify to take the Martial Examination. As for what kind of result I'll get, I can't say," Lu Feng answered honestly.
Instead of looking disappointed, Lu Yan seemed to admire him even more.
"Mm, you're neither arrogant nor impatient, and you speak frankly. Very good, very good!" Lu Yan said approvingly. "I've served as Chief Clerk in Qinglu County for four years, and I haven't often seen a young Martial Artist as talented as you."
Lu Feng smiled helplessly. "You flatter me, sir. I'm only telling the truth."
"Since you're mentally prepared, I can rest easy. If there's anything you don't understand or anything you need, come to me. That way, I'll have done my part for Qinglu County."
Seeing the other man say this, Lu Feng was delighted.
Now that County Magistrate Wang Lichuan and the Chief Clerk were both on his side, it wouldn't be so easy for County Assistant Zhou Yongsi to make a move against him.
Besides, County Lieutenant Li Muyuan seemed interested in winning him over, so the days ahead probably wouldn't be as difficult as before.
The two chatted for a while longer, then Lu Feng got up to take his leave.
After leaving the Chief Clerk's room, he went straight to the Registration Room at the County Yamen.
He had come to exchange the five thousand taels of silver he'd won on his bet with Old Li.
As soon as he entered, he saw Old Li writing something with a dark expression.
The other yamen runners in the room immediately stood and saluted when they saw Lu Feng.
"We pay our respects to Captain Lu!"
Lu Feng casually waved a hand. "There's no need to stand on ceremony, colleagues. Just treat me the same way you did before."
As they spoke, Old Li looked up and saw him. His already dark expression grew darker still.
But Lu Feng now held the rank of captain. Even if Old Li was unhappy, he wouldn't dare offend him to his face, so he too stood and bowed.
Lu Feng looked him over, then stepped forward and said, "Old Li, you know why I've come, don't you?"
Old Li's mouth twitched. At last, he sighed. "Ah, a bet is a bet. I know why you're here, Captain Lu."
Since the other man was being so straightforward, Lu Feng didn't waste time. He took the wooden betting token from his robes and handed it over.
Gambling wasn't illegal in Great Yan, but it was still best to keep a low profile inside the County Yamen.
Old Li took the token, opened the cabinet beside him, and pulled out fifty banknotes worth one hundred taels each. He handed them over.
"Captain Lu, these are the banknotes you won. Please count them."
Lu Feng took the notes and counted them carefully. Everything was in order.
Then he left the Registration Room with a smile.
The reason Old Li could pull out so many banknotes at once was that someone stood behind him.
Otherwise, how would a mere bookkeeper and yamen runner like Old Li dare to set up a betting pool at the County Yamen?
Lu Feng had known for a long time who stood behind the old man: Chief Clerk Lu Yan.
Five thousand taels was no small sum, but it was nothing to Lu Yan.
Lu Yan appeared to be merely the Chief Clerk of Qinglu County, but in truth, he belonged to the Lu Family of Baiyue County.
The Lu Family was one of the Three Great Noble Families in the commandery seat. Not only was the family immensely wealthy, but it also had an extensive network of connections.
With the banknotes in hand, Lu Feng returned to his room, leaned back in his chair, and began to think.
He was now short neither of money nor of work outside the yamen. All he needed to do was cultivate every day and fulfill the County Magistrate's requirements.
His life had suddenly become much better.
But on closer thought, things weren't so simple.
The people who had wanted to harm him before were all still out there: his uncle's family, the Caobang Gang, and County Assistant Zhou Yongsi.
They might not dare target him openly now, but they could still scheme against him in secret.
If he wanted to avoid being caught off guard, he still needed to improve his strength.
Thinking of this, Lu Feng decided to continue cultivating Peiyuan Gong.
He sat in his chair, closed his eyes, and began circulating the cultivation method.
[You circulated Peiyuan Gong once. Proficiency +1] [You circulated Peiyuan Gong once. Proficiency +1] ...
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