Appointment

Duan Anle withdrew from the council hall with a tea tray, leaving Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing to talk with a distinguished guest.

The two people sitting opposite each other were none other than Tie Xishui, the head of the Demon Correction Office Division, whom I had met not long ago.

"The tea is good." Tie Xishui nodded in satisfaction and put down the cup.

The quality of the spiritual tea that Sect Leader Kang Da serves to his guests indicates the caliber of the guests.

The man before him was now the retired emperor of Pingrong County. Xie Fu was arrogant and boastful to everyone else, but he became somewhat servile and obsequious in front of this man.

His high cultivation level and fighting skills are one aspect, but more importantly, he has a clan uncle who is the commander behind him.

Even a fool like Xie Fu knows how to flatter and fawn, so it's even more impossible for Sect Leader Kang Da not to know.

Since this esteemed person has taken the time to grace us with his presence, the Chongming Sect should treat him with the utmost respect.

Kang Dabao hadn't yet figured out Tie Xishui's preferences, but being a cautious man, he made sure to tell Mo'er not to go out before Duan Anle left, to avoid any unpleasantness.

"I heard that Sect Leader Kang is interested in becoming the county magistrate," Tie Xishui said. He didn't like beating around the bush, perhaps because he disdained beating around people of Kang Dabao's caliber.

The stall owner had barely finished his tea when he directly stated his purpose.

Kang Dabao had a bad feeling, thinking that the aftereffects of his previous beating of Xie Fu were finally coming to fruition.

Although Xie Fu was genuinely frightened, the news couldn't be kept secret and spread.

The story of how the Pingrong County was beaten by a minor sect leader he had conscripted after leading his troops to annihilate the Caishi Wang Household became a legend in the surrounding counties.

Within Pingrong County, the matter caused an even greater uproar.

Xie Fu already had a bad reputation, and now that they heard he had been beaten, the cultivators of Pingrong County, who felt they had been oppressed by the Immortal Dynasty for the past few years, were absolutely furious.

Even today, in the taverns and teahouses of several markets and marketplaces in Pingrong County, there are no storytellers recounting the tale of Sect Leader Kang's brutal beating of the wicked county magistrate.

Kang Dabao was the last person who wanted to be famous, but he ended up being famous nonetheless.

It's likely that Tie Xishui was persuaded by Xie Fu to stand up for him because of this incident!

Just as Kang Dabao was secretly pondering how much chance they had of surviving the Tie Xishui if Jiang Qing joined forces with him...

But then Tie Xishui said softly, "When the elders in your family heard the news that Xie Fu had been beaten, they were very unhappy and were thinking of wiping out your entire family."

Sect Leader Kang Da heard the words "entire sect," his brow twitched slightly in surprise. But since Tie Xishui had used the word "originally," it meant that things had taken a turn for the better. He then pressed down the somewhat agitated Jiang Qing and continued to listen attentively.

"But what you and Xie Fu said is indeed true. Your Patriarch Zhang did indeed serve the country, and your family did deserve the title of the Immortal Dynasty's lackeys in the past." Seemingly bored that Kang Dabao hadn't been frightened, Tie Xishui said indifferently.

"This junior thanks you for your consideration, elders," Kang Dabao said, offering a timely compliment.

"Since Xie Fu is so unpopular, the adults might as well replace him with someone else. Didn't you want to be the county magistrate? Now the adults prefer you to be the county magistrate." Tie Xishui smiled, a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes as he looked at Kang Dabao.

"Alas, I am deeply grateful for your kindness in helping me out. It is not that I am unwilling to serve the state, but I am still recovering from my serious injuries and am truly incapable of shouldering the responsibility of caring for the people of this county!" Kang Dabao revealed the wound on his back.

At this moment, the horrible wound was half scabbed over and half oozing pus, which made Tie Xishui frown slightly.

"Ge Yangfeng's ancient sword is quite something." Tie Xishui took out an ancient sword from his Storage Bag and murmured it softly, whether he was trying to scare people or not was unclear.

"I'm too lazy to advise you. You know perfectly well whether the injuries on your body are real or fake. Think about it carefully. Don't think that becoming a county magistrate is a bad thing. Many have died, and many others are living a comfortable life. As far as I know, the county magistrate of Tanggu County even slept with Foundation Establishment female cultivator. Someone like you, with no background and no elders to protect you, how many chances do you have to change your fate in this life?"

Tie Xishui stood up and gave Kang Dabao a meaningful look. Before leaving, he added, "If you've made up your mind, you can come to the Pingrong County to find me anytime."

Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing respectfully escorted him to the outside of the archway before returning hand in hand.

"Senior Brother, I think what that foreman Tie made some sense." Jiang Qing was somewhat swayed by Tie Xishui's words.

"You're kidding me. You're trying to use Foundation Establishment female cultivator to fabricate stories about me." Kang Dabao shook his head repeatedly, not believing Tie Xishui's words at all. What county magistrate or county magistrate? Sect Leader Kang Da just wanted to be a peaceful and stable ancestor of the restoration.

"The Second should be back from the meeting in the county soon. Once he's back, we can have a proper discussion and see what industries we can still develop in Double Brightness. That's my idea, what do you think?"

The moon shines on the water, and all is silent.

"Phew." Pei Que had just come out of the training room for the puppets. He had been practicing from late afternoon until the third watch of the night, which left him somewhat exhausted. He walked outside to get some fresh air and clear his head. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a limping figure walking in from outside.

"Why aren't you asleep yet, you brat?!" Yuan Jin, covered in blood, asked with wide eyes.

"Second Uncle! What happened to you! I'll go get Uncle to come and treat your injury." Pei Que hurriedly helped Yuan Jin up.

"Keep quiet, don't shout. The blood belongs to others. Go and invite the sect leader first, then call your uncles over for a meeting. Keep your voices down, don't make a scene." Yuan Jin instructed.

"Yes, I'll go right away."

Half an hour later

Kang Dabao carefully put away the zombie that had not yet been fully refined. His previous fierce battle with Ge Yangfeng had given him a considerable interest in cultivating the "Guo Mountain Corpse Refining Method".

He relied too much on the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, making his methods somewhat simplistic. If he could properly refine Zhao Gu's zombie, even if it only had half the power of the Black-Haired Zombie under Ge Yangfeng's command, it would still be a significant asset to him.

Sect Leader Kang Da carefully picked up the sleeping Venerable Alligator Softshell Turtle lying on the ground and placed it inside the bed curtains before opening the door to the Cloud Chamber. At this time, his four junior brothers and Pei Que were already standing in the outer room.

"Que'er, you should go back and rest first."

"Hey, Master." Pei Que, filled with doubts, left the main courtyard and returned to his own small courtyard.

"Sit down, everyone." Although the spacious council hall had been renovated, the fellow disciples still preferred to hold meetings in Kang Dabao's cramped cloud room, and each found a worn-out futon to sit on.

"Wasn't the meeting held because the newly Pingrong County died? How did it turn out like this?" Kang Dabao admired Hu Jiang, the leader of the Green Bamboo Gang, for daring to become the county magistrate even after three predecessors had died.

He's just a Principal Ninth Rank county magistrate, a ninth-grade official. You, Hu Jiang, are at least the leader of the Green Bamboo Gang, and you carry some weight in Pingrong County. Is this really necessary?

Yuan Jin said calmly, "Xie Fu also died at the meeting."

"As long as you didn't do it, that's fine." Kang Dabao tapped his fingers lightly on the small table, a faint sense of satisfaction rising in his heart, but not much surprise.

In Cloud Horn Prefecture these days, there are many unpredictable things happening. What's the big deal about a county magistrate who dies at the Qi Refining Second Layer?

"It wasn't me, it was Foundation Establishment." Yuan Jin recalled with some trepidation, "Xie Fu was in a meeting and talking about something, I wasn't listening carefully. Suddenly, someone a hundred paces away just raised a hand and pointed, and Xie Fu, Zhai Le, and the two Late Qi Refinement Demon Correction Office Division leaders sitting at the head of the table immediately erupted in chaos."

"Foundation Establishment, huh?" Jiang Qing murmured.

"Two Late Qi Refinement Demon Correction Office Division leaders, Tie Xishui, are dead too?" Sect Leader Kang Da didn't feel any sadness for Zhai Le, an acquaintance, but was somewhat concerned about Tie Xishui's fate.

Many officials have died in Pingrong County over the years, but those assassins have always been Qi Refinement cultivators. If top Qi Refinement cultivators like Tie Xishui are dead, then they must be Foundation Establishment cultivators without a doubt.

If Foundation Establishment assassin truly appears, does that mean the conflict between the Two Instruments Sect and the Cloud Horn Prefecture Court is about to escalate again in the near future?

"No, I heard he went to Jingnan Prefecture." Yuan Jin waved his hand.

"This person is so lucky!" Zhou Yixiu said with some envy. He had heard Kang Dabao and Yuan Jin talk about how shrewd Tie Xishui was. Who would have thought that when the Pingrong County suffered a disaster, Tie Xishui, who had always lived in seclusion there, would be unharmed? He couldn't help but sigh.

"Then what happened to your injuries, Junior Brother?" Pei Yi asked, as he could see that Yuan Jin had some injuries.

"The people from the Earl's mansion arrived very quickly. That Foundation Establishment cultivator attacked the county government office halfway before fleeing, so I fled too. On my way back, I ran into a group of bandits. They were quite troublesome, and it took some effort to wipe them all out." Yuan Jin said, pulling out a pile of Storage Bag of varying ages. "Hey, some of these things are pretty good. Brothers, take a look."

"How did the topic suddenly veer off to the spoils-sharing meeting?" Kang Dabao frowned, about to say something, when he noticed an object he had been looking for.

"Hey, this piece of withered vine is of decent quality. I'll keep it; it might come in handy when I'm refining zombies in the future. I'll keep it for now."

If things continue like this, Chongming Sect won't be short of Storage Bag for quite some time.

But this trend seems a bit off.

"These are turbulent times; many more will die later." Zhou Yixiu sighed. As a production-oriented cultivator, he hated turbulent times the most, and the scene of his miserable escape from Xuanwei City was still vivid in his mind.

Halfway through their conversation, Kang Dabao's expression changed. He made a hand gesture and sent a sound transmission talisman into the cloud room.

"Come out and see me!"

The five brothers exchanged glances, and Kang Dabao led the other four to the front of the sect's Lesser Cloud and Mist Formation. A burly man with a thick beard, clad in black armor, stood outside the formation, holding something in his hand that was dripping blood.

"It's that Foundation Establishment!" Yuan Jin exclaimed softly. Kang Dabao was somewhat confused, unsure whether he was referring to the one being lifted or the one being lifted.

However, this is not important. Let's open the formation first. The Red Light Formation can't stop Foundation Establishment. Kang Dabao suddenly felt that he had wasted his money.

"Greetings, senior." The five people bowed respectfully.

"Are you Kang Dabao?" the burly man asked, pointing at Kang Dabao.

"This junior is indeed Kang Dabao," Kang Dabao replied nervously.

"I am Tie Liuyun." Upon hearing this, Kang Dabao felt slightly relieved. This renowned Commander of the Demon Correction Office had a good reputation and wouldn't drag the Chongming Sect out and execute them all at the slightest disagreement.

Hey, did the fact that Daoist Master secretly refined zombies leak out?

"The villains who murdered the Pingrong County have been beheaded." Tie Liuyun stretched the still-steaming head close to Kang Dabao's eyes, the stench of blood so strong that even the Sect Leader Kang Da could hardly open his eyes.

"Commander Tie rid the people of a scourge, and his descendants, on the Chongming Sect, are eternally grateful."

"Let's not talk about those empty words. Didn't you say before that you could be a county magistrate? Well then, you pick one, you be the one." Tie Liuyun took out two blood-stained square seals and stuffed them into Kang Dabao's hands.

"Gulp." Sect Leader Kang Da swallowed hard, opened his mouth, and was about to refuse when he found that he couldn't make a sound.

When did it become your place, the Demon Correction Office of White Sand County Cloud Horn Prefecture Pingrong County, to manage personnel arrangements in Pingrong Jingnan Prefecture, Keyunzhou?

It took Kang Dabao quite a while to come up with a speech in his mind. He mustered his courage and glanced at Tie Liuyun's bloodshot eyes, but he still didn't dare to say it.

At this moment, Sect Leader Kang Da suddenly understood Hu Jiang a little.

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