Another Immortal
Just as Tong Shuzheng had finally finished arranging his work for the past few days and handling all the big and small matters for the day, he heard his advisor Xue Chengfeng, come to report from outside the tent.
When Xue Chengfeng entered, he saw Prefect Tong sitting wearily in a chair, drinking water from the table.
He knew that, seeing the urgency of the situation, Prefect Tong had hurriedly packed two changes of clothes and left, not even having time to bring the tea.
When Prefect Tong took office, he did not bring his family with him, only two attendants and his clerk who had accompanied him for more than ten years, so no one thought to help him make detailed preparations.
"Sir, although the dam repair is urgent, you must also take care of your health." Xue Chengfeng raised his hand and bowed to him.
After taking a large gulp of water, Prefect Tong put down the cup and waved his hand at him, saying:
"Chengfeng, I've told you so many times, there's no need for such formalities when there are no outsiders. Alas, Non-Self don't care about my health, but this matter is of great importance, concerning the thousands of people here!" If he weren't afraid that no one would take care of things if he fell ill, he wouldn't have stopped now.
As he spoke, he glanced at the sky outside and, seeing that the moon was already high in the sky, asked Adviser Xue:
"What brings you here now?"
Xue Chengfeng sat down in the seat to his left:
"It's not a major matter, but I just heard from Head Constable Huang that up to half an hour ago, not a single conscript who came today was missing."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Tong Shuzheng's weary mood instantly brightened, and he looked at Xue Chengfeng with delight.
"I initially thought that casualties were inevitable on the first day due to the staff's unfamiliarity with the procedures, but to my surprise, there were zero casualties all day! It seems the officers have done an excellent job! Issue my order: each officer will receive an extra fifty coins as a bonus today!"
The second half of the sentence was spoken by Tong Shuzheng in a louder voice to the person outside the tent. Upon hearing this, the attendant outside the tent came in, acknowledged the order, and then went back to carry it out.
Xue Chengfeng did not stop him. After watching the attendants leave, he turned to Tong Shuzheng:
"My lord, I've heard some strange things about this matter."
Seeing that he was keeping him in suspense, Tong Shuzheng asked curiously:
What's the strange thing?
"Today, although the officers repeatedly reminded us to be careful, I heard that some people still encountered danger. Some of them who were responsible for repairs on the dam fell off the dam, and some of them who were carrying things rolled into the river. There were probably more than a dozen people in total."
Those who fell into the river were later found on the bank, while those who fell off the dam miraculously walked back unharmed.
Upon hearing this, Tong Shuzheng was somewhat surprised:
"Such a strange thing has happened?"
Xue Chengfeng nodded, then added:
"At first I didn't believe it either, but many people around me saw it with their own eyes on many occasions. And, sir," he looked at Tong Shuzheng with a strange expression,
"Some of them said that they were rescued by an immortal? But after rescuing them, the immortal disappeared immediately, without even leaving a name."
"An immortal?" Tong Shuzheng was stunned for a moment, thinking of the official document he had handed to the Shangyang Sect's post station in Hufang Province five days ago.
"If an immortal had come, how could they... not have shown themselves?"
Having served as an official for many years, he had dealt with the three major sects quite a bit. Basically, whenever he encountered something that was beyond human control, he would actively seek help from the immortal sect under his jurisdiction.
However, most of the time it's like throwing a stone into the sea.
If the situation is more serious, at most a celestial being will be sent over to take a look.
But a very long time has passed.
It takes at least a month or two to get a response.
Few of the immortals who came to offer assistance were not arrogant and looked down on others. Not only that, they also had high demands for pomp and circumstance. Every time they were received, Prefect Tong's own savings dwindled considerably. If it weren't for the support of the official expenses for official business from the sects he applied for from the imperial court, and the sharing of expenses with the wealthy families who wanted to curry favor with the immortals, he probably would have lost his official position long ago and returned to his hometown to become a farmer.
Xue Chengfeng peeked out of the tent, then whispered in Tong Shuzheng's ear:
"My lord... I suspect there might be other immortals here."
Hearing his words clearly, Tong Shuzheng somewhat surprised. He looked at Xue Chengfeng and lowered his voice as well:
Why do you think that?
Xue Chengfeng continued to whisper in his ear:
"Do you remember what that Immortal Jin said when we were looking for our child last time?"
Tong Shuzheng was somewhat puzzled when he suddenly brought this up:
"But is there something wrong with it?"
At the time, he was focused on finding his child. He was overjoyed when he found the child and didn't think much of what the Immortal Jin was saying. After all, the affairs of immortals had nothing to do with him.
Xue Chengfeng whispered his thoughts:
"When I first heard it, I felt something was off. After thinking about it more carefully, I realized there was a serious problem. But since the children had all been found alive, I didn't investigate further at the time. Now, considering this strange event, I have a bold guess..."
"Who knows, there might be other immortals in our manor, and they might even be kind-hearted, just not fond of showing themselves. What do you think, sir?"
After listening to his words, Tong Shuzheng fell into deep thought.
To be honest, his experiences dealing with those so-called immortals have never been pleasant.
After all, who would willingly be subservient and subservient to others all the time? Moreover, he was a well-read scholar who had passed the imperial examinations twice, so he naturally possessed the pride of a learned man.
However, many times, in order for the people under his rule to live and work in peace, he had to temporarily hide his pride and arrogance.
Therefore, he simply did not believe that these people today were immortals from the Shangyang Sect, after receiving his letter of aid, traveled day and night without asking for any special treatment or showing off, but instead went out to protect those poor conscripts.
But what if there are other reclusive immortals who don't belong to the three major sects?
Now, recalling the Immortal Jin's words, he, who had been in officialdom for many years, immediately noticed many loopholes.
Moreover, when he wanted the Immortal Jin to ask his companion for the prisoner's body, the Immortal Jin hesitated and gave vague excuses.
Could it really be true?
If that's the case, then the lives of these soldiers would have an extra layer of protection!
Upon realizing this possibility, Tong Shuzheng immediately felt much better, as if all the fatigue he had accumulated in recent days had suddenly vanished!
Looking at Xue Chengfeng, Tong Shuzheng laughed and patted him on the shoulder, saying:
"Chengfeng, if that's really the case, that would be wonderful! Oh my!"
As he spoke, unable to contain his excitement, he immediately stood up and paced back and forth inside the tent, continuing as he spoke:
"However, these are all just our guesses. Let's observe for a couple more days. If it is indeed true, since the immortal doesn't like to show himself, we can't go against his wishes. In that case, we'll quietly prepare some gifts as a token of our gratitude and find a suitable place where the immortal can see them."
Seeing the adult he had followed for over ten years pacing back and forth so happily, Xue Chengfeng nodded and smiled:
"What you say is absolutely right, sir."