Pingrong County Commandant

Half a month later

Outside the newly renovated Pingrong County, a large number of cultivators gathered to congratulate the four chief officials on their appointments.

Indeed, although Tie Liuyun had recently killed the Foundation Establishment who attacked the Pingrong County Magistrate, the Pingrong Clerk had already been assassinated before Xie Fu, Hu Jiang, and Zhai An died.

It was perfectly neat and clean.

The simultaneous appointment of four officials to Pingrong County was both amusing and provided interesting fodder for conversation among cultivators in nearby counties.

The danger of serving the Immortal Dynasty in various county seats of Cloud Horn Prefecture is evident.

At this moment, Kang Dabao was dressed in a plain blue official robe and wore a belt with a stone sash. He sat on the second-to-left side of the main hall according to his official rank, looking as if he had lost his parents. This made him a true "assistant official".

The Sect Leader Kang Da, didn't find anything to envy about the person sitting at the head of the main hall.

He was timid, and since he didn't dare to say "no" to Tie Liuyun, who was holding his Foundation Establishment head, that night, he could only pick up the smaller official seal from Tie Liuyun's hand.

Sect Leader Kang Da still felt that being a county lieutenant was safer than being a county magistrate; even if it meant dying a few days later, it was still a gain.

At noon, he had a fairly sumptuous spiritual meal with the cultivators who came to offer their congratulations. In the afternoon, he and the three others received congratulations from colleagues in the state for quite some time before he finally had some free time.

After this social gathering, I'll probably have received three or four hundred Spirit Stone in gifts. Not bad, I'll just consider it money for selling myself.

The pretty maidservant brought out the same coarse, unpalatable tea as always. The four of them looked at each other in silence, speechless for a moment.

Finally, the newly appointed magistrate spoke up, "In the early years of the Immortal Dynasty, it would have been difficult for someone like us to even get a position as a warehouse supervisor in the county government. Now, we finally have official positions, which is a great honor for our ancestors. My fellow colleagues, you shouldn't worry too much."

"The county magistrate is indeed magnanimous, being the son-in-law of the Huo Household." County Magistrate Sun Bingdou chuckled sinisterly.

He was a perfectly respectable elder in the Grass Witch Cult, but Chen Ye and the other elders elected him to a position meant for death.

That's bad enough, but how come his official rank is lower than that of Luo Heng, a son-in-law of the Huo Household?

"Hmph." Luo Heng's handsome face alternated between pale and flushed, but he didn't dare to say anything more.

Sun Bingdou was considered quite powerful among the elders of the Grass Witch Cult. He had cultivated to the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer for many years, but since Foundation Establishment spiritual objects were rare, he didn't dare to achieve Foundation Establishment independently without relying on external objects.

Faced with such a person, Luo Heng, a not particularly outstanding son-in-law of the Huo Household, dared not say much; it was better to be tolerant for the sake of the country.

"Haha, my two superiors, say less. You're both stuck on the sinking ship, so why bother?" said Tie Xishan, the clerk with a rough and burly appearance. Although he had a fierce look, he was the most friendly person to get along with.

This person cultivates in Hemu Dao, but he comes from the Pingrong Tie Household.

In fact, the Pingrong Tie Household is the ancestral clan of the White Sand Tie Household in Jingnan Prefecture.

However, the Pingrong Tie Household has fallen into severe decline, while the White Sand Tie Household has produced a "prodigy" named Tie Liuyun, which has caused the Shu clan there to overshadow the main clan here.

Fortunately, there was no major rift between the two families, so they could be considered relatives. The Pingrong Tie Household felt somewhat honored to have Tie Liuyun.

Tie Xishan, as Tie Liuyun's distant nephew, has a somewhat ambiguous status in this matter.

Kang Dabao remained silent. He was constantly worried and felt insecure. These days, he was terrified that Foundation Establishment might appear out of nowhere and casually pluck his head off.

Therefore, when he took office this time, he didn't bring any of his Junior Brother Lian or followers, for fear that they would be implicated.

"Let's talk about official business first," Luo Heng said, taking the silk scroll from a clerk beside him.

Sect Leader Kang Da leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pretended to doze off. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "The world has really changed. Even the Pingrong County has official business to discuss now. Before, when those few officials Rogue Cultivator gathered together, they mostly talked about how to go to the prefecture to collect their back wages so they could pay off the debts owed to the Mandarin Duck Hall."

"Only forty-three Spirit Stone remain in the county's public treasury?" Luo Heng asked, his tone displeased. He glared at the mortal clerk beside him, who was sweating profusely. The clerk quickly explained in a low voice, "Your Excellency, please forgive me, but the taxes that Your Excellency Xie assigned to each household during your tenure have been collected. However, sixty percent of them have to be handed over to the prefectural court. Of the remaining forty percent, twoty percent is used to maintain the county's expenses, and the remaining twenty percent..."

Before the clerk could finish speaking, everyone understood immediately: the ill-gotten gains had all been divided among those corrupt officials and their cronies.

At this thought, the three people other than Kang Dabao simultaneously had an idea. "Twenty percent, that's almost four hundred yuan a year! Even if it's split among several people, it's a good long-term business!"

They might be affiliated with a much stronger force than Kang Dabao, but they weren't indispensable figures in the family. Aside from their fixed annual salary, they had no other source of income.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been chosen to be county officials, a position where the danger far outweighs the opportunity. The several hundred Spirit Stone distributed each year are a small but significant benefit to them.

"This is outrageous!" Luo Heng took a sip of coarse tea, frowning. These corrupt officials don't even know how to change the tea leaves! Did they spend all 20% of the expenses listed in the accounts on the Mandarin Duck Hall?!

"Later, draft a list of items for your review. What kind of mess is this?" Sun Bingdou, a shrewd and experienced man, gave the order before Luo Heng could.

Ignoring the latter's increasingly unpleasant expression, he drifted off into a daze, recalling the "exquisitely charming" mansion his predecessor had acquired in the city, and the thought of the beautiful women inside made his heart itch, "It's not all bad, is it?"

Upon hearing Sun Bingdou's instructions, the clerk hurriedly nodded and accepted the order.

Luo Heng glared at Shu Zuo with hostility, but only made a mental note of it, not daring to lash out on the spot. He then changed the subject and began talking to the chief clerk, Tie Xishan.

As Luo Heng had previously thought, Tie Xishan, like himself, also had an official background, which provided a basis for sincere cooperation, and he could bring it under his control.

To his surprise, Tie Xishan's response was equally lukewarm, dismissing him with just a few words.

"Pah, what a piece of trash." Luo Heng spat inwardly, having been humiliated twice already. He looked at Kang Dabao, who was feigning sleep, with displeasure. He thought to himself, "The head of a small sect in the county, Middle Qi Refinement cultivator, dares to talk back to this county? We need to make an example of him to establish our authority."

Then, with narrow eyes raised, he began a long, drawn-out song, "County Magistrate Kang—"

"What does the county magistrate have to say?" Kang Dabao slowly opened his eyes and responded wearily.

"The county is currently in turmoil. The county magistrate will have to get things done as soon as possible to restore order in Qingping County." Luo Heng raised his voice, then casually sipped his coarse tea.

"I wonder how the magistrate plans to send his subordinates to Qingping? Are they going to capture a Foundation Establishment?" Kang Dabao was almost amused by his words.

Anyone with eyes to see knows why Pingrong County has been so tense and on edge these days.

Not long ago, four chief officials of Pingrong County died, and even two of the officers sent by the Demon Correction Office Division were lost.

Tie Liuyun brought back the head of the Foundation Establishment cultivator, completely confirming that it was the Two Instruments Sect that broke the tacit agreement first and sent Foundation Establishment cultivator to take action.

This matter thoroughly angered the magistrate of the prefecture.

Rumor has it that Kuang Liuting personally intervened, fabricating a False Core to severely injure a fake Two Instruments Sect from the Liangyi Sect.

With Kuang Liuting taking action, officials at all levels under the state government naturally dared not remain inactive.

This time, the state court dispatched at least a handful of Foundation Establishment to search for and locate the various rebellious forces hiding in the vicinity of Cloud Horn Prefecture, and even places like Jingnan Prefecture, which are adjacent to Cloud Horn Prefecture, were affected.

Kuang Liuting's actions can be considered a violation of regulations.

Therefore, although the forces under the jurisdiction of the Two Instruments Sect did not dare to directly cause trouble for Kuang Liuting, they could still launch some limited counterattacks against these Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.

Therefore, quite a few people have indeed died in the past two weeks.

Besides Pingrong County, the epicenter of the hurricane, other counties also saw incidents of death and injury to their officials, and even the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator both sides suffered losses, making it difficult to say who benefited.

However, in any case, the recent events have far exceeded the scope of control that the Pingrong County government could handle.

High-ranking officials within the state government have already suggested that Foundation Establishment management should be permanently stationed in each county, or that formations capable of withstanding Foundation Establishment for a short period of time should be added to important locations such as county government offices.

Even if many ants like Xie Fu, who are only at the Qi Refining Realm, die, the higher-ups probably won't care.

But if another county official were to die out, such a disgrace to the Immortal Dynasty would be disastrous.

Against this backdrop, it would be difficult to find a place in the entire Cloud Horn Prefecture with a more peaceful and tranquil atmosphere than Pingrong County.

Even the Evil Cultivator who used to make a living around a few markets knew to keep their tails between their legs and rarely went out anymore.

Even they've started to obey the law for a short period of time, how can the county be expected to remain peaceful?

Are you suggesting Kang Dabao lead a group to manage the wicked and lawless ordinary martial artists in the mountains? Wouldn't that take ten or eight years to resolve?

Everyone should be taking this rare opportunity to rest and recuperate, but Luo Heng insists on giving Sect Leader Kang Da something to do. This is just disgusting.

Luo Heng was insulted by Sun Bingdou and then given the cold shoulder by Tie Xishan. He never expected that even a minor sect leader would dare to talk back to him. This is really outrageous.

He was quite talented, possessing Triple Spirit Root, and had already reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer before the age of fifty. This was the reason why the Huo Household favored him as their son-in-law.

Having been mistreated in the Huo Household for so long, Luo Heng naturally came here to seek redemption elsewhere.

Upon hearing this, his expression immediately turned sour, and he was about to lash out.

Kang Dabao isn't afraid of him at all now. He's risking his life; who knows, he might reach Foundation Establishment one day. Why would I, a mere Qi Refinement cultivator, be afraid of him?

"Your Excellency, please calm down," Tie Xishan advised, pulling Luo Heng's hand away as he reached for the Storage Bag.

Tie Xishan's cultivation level was even lower, only at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement, but Luo Heng dared not ignore him, much less shake off his hand.

Luo Heng managed to save face, but then remembered his instructions from home. He snorted in dissatisfaction, stopped what he was doing, and stormed off toward the back of the county government office.

The first meeting in Pingrong County thus ended unhappily.

Kang Dabao bowed and thanked Tie Xishan. He wasn't necessarily afraid of Luo Heng. Before he was given this official position, he dared to beat up Xie Fu. Not only did the state court not blame him, but they also wanted to give him an official position.

Now that everyone is in a precarious situation, it's only natural that he and Luo Heng would have a fight.

As long as no one dies, the officials who are already overwhelmed with problems won't bother with these petty squabbles by their subordinates.

However, Tie Xishan's actions this time were ultimately out of good intentions, helping Kang Dabao quell a troublesome matter. As a polite person, Sect Leader Kang Da naturally had to accept this favor.

"Luo, being from a prominent family, is inevitably a bit arrogant and unruly. Brother Kang, please bear with him." Although Tie Xishan offered an explanation for Luo Heng, he also deliberately revealed in his tone that he was quite displeased with Luo Heng.

"Thank you very much, Brother Tie," Kang Dabao replied.

In fact, before the incident of Master Kang Dabao's fight with the Daoist Black Shoes, the Chongming Sect and the Hemu Dao had a very close relationship. When Kang Dabao was young, he had some dealings with Tie Xishan.

"There's a small favor I'd like to ask you, brother," Tie Xishan chuckled, placing his hand on Kang Dabao's shoulder and whispering.

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