Corvée

The message came from the Pingrong County, indicating that the Pingrong County government hadn't spent all its public funds on the Mandarin Duck Hall; they had used some of the money to purchase other useful items.

The inscription contained only the brief phrase "Come to the county government office for a meeting," and was stamped with Luo Heng's official seal as the county magistrate.

After thinking for a while, Sect Leader Kang Da decided that he should go and take a look first. He didn't say much to his junior brothers to avoid them worrying unnecessarily.

As soon as Kang Dabao arrived in Pingrong County on his golden-haired old donkey, he sensed something was wrong.

There were still starving people on the streets, and the pale-faced people still looked pale, but the idlers who used to roam the streets were much fewer.

The constables rushed about the streets, searching house to house, as if looking for someone.

Kang Dabao had no interest in getting secondhand information from these low-level yamen runners. When he arrived at the county yamen, he handed the old donkey over to the clerk sent by Luo Heng to meet him and asked him to lead it to the back office to graze.

Kang Dabao then went straight to Luo Heng's room without even changing out of his official robes or asking anyone to announce his arrival.

At this moment, only Luo Heng and Sun Bingdou were in the room. It was likely that Tie Xishan was on his way back from the Tie Household.

When Kang Dabao entered, Luo Heng and Sun Bingdou were having sex with a prostitute.

After a member of the imperial clan arrived in Cloud Horn Prefecture, Hua Yuanyang, the head of the Mandarin Duck Hall in Pingrong County, put a lot of effort into opening a Mandarin Duck Pavilion in Pingrong County, a place she had always looked down upon, and even brought in many famous courtesans.

As it turned out, this move was the right one. After donning the official robes, these people in Pingrong County seemed to feel that they wouldn't fit in if they didn't frequent prostitutes.

To celebrate a colleague's promotion, to invite a superior to take office, to see off a friend on a long journey—this is treating the Mandarin Duck Hall like the county government's canteen.

These corrupt officials and parasites do not find this despicable; instead, they simply label such behavior as "romantic."

Since the county started using public funds, the number of starving people on the roads has not decreased, nor has the number of soldiers increased. Instead, the top courtesans at this Mandarin Duck Pavilion have become radiant with health and beauty.

This attracted the envy of several Rogue Cultivators who practiced dual cultivation techniques, and they also joined the Mandarin Duck Pavilion, making the Mandarin Duck Hall business even more prosperous.

If you really think about it, there are probably one or two more cultivators in this Mandarin Duck Pavilion than in the Pingrong County.

As soon as Kang Dabao entered, he saw a sea of white. Sun Bingdou was currently using his long, white beard and squinting fox-like eyes to chuckle and flirt with a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen in his arms. It was truly a sight to behold, like pear blossoms and crabapple blossoms, or snow-laden pine trees.

"Alright, County Magistrate Kang is here. Let's get down to business." Luo Heng also withdrew his hand from under the skirt of a curvaceous and beautiful woman, shook off the slickness on his hands, and then put on a serious face and said solemnly.

"Let's go somewhere else." Kang Dabao, his face dark with anger, looked at the mess on the ground and led the way into the main hall of the county government office.

"These bastards, they dare to patronize prostitutes without calling me 'Master'!" Sect Leader Kang Da was naturally furious, not because he couldn't attend this uninhibited gathering.

It was because the county's public funds had so few Spirit Stone, and he hadn't gotten anything yet, and it seemed they were all about to be squandered by these good-for-nothings.

Kang Dabao waited in the hall for almost half an hour before Luo Heng and Sun Bingdou finally came in, beaming with joy, looking as if they hadn't had enough.

"The county magistrate has been away from the county these days, which has exhausted both the old man and the county magistrate," Sun Bingdou said before Luo Heng could speak.

Sect Leader Kang Da was somewhat surprised, but not entirely unprepared. After all, the two in front of him were already close enough to share a bed, so it wasn't surprising that they were practically inseparable.

What truly surprised Kang Dabao was what methods Luo Heng had used to make Sun Bingdou, who was initially quite unhappy with his new position, now seem somewhat willing to be subordinate to him.

It's impossible to win him over based solely on what I just saw of those women. Although Sun Bingdou is not well-liked in the Grass Witch Cult, he is still a powerful elder at the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer Refining, wielding considerable authority. Trying to win him over with such meager resources is a joke.

Even Luo Heng's own family, the Luo family of Black Forest Fortress, would likely find it difficult to offer anything that could sway Sun Bingdou without expending the entire clan's resources.

"If the Luo Household isn't suitable, then it's the Huo Household?" Kang Dabao narrowed his eyes. It seemed that the governor's Lineage favored Luo Heng, his son-in-law, even more than he had imagined.

"Heh, is it because he looks down on me, that he has the means to bribe me but doesn't hesitate to use them on me? Or is this Luo fellow determined to use me to establish his authority in the county?" A glint of light flashed in the eyes of Sect Leader Kang Da as he thought to himself.

"The county magistrate and county assistant are both 'heavenly candles' of the Immortal Dynasty. The county is peaceful and prosperous. Why should a mediocre person like me, Kang, worry about anything?" The Sect Leader Kang Da was shameless enough to utter words of praise and sarcasm without hesitation.

"The county magistrate is too modest." Luo Heng seemed to be smoothing things over by gesturing to stop Sun Bingdou, who was about to retort. He smiled and beckoned, and the clerk standing in the hall walked towards Kang Dabao carrying a mahogany box.

Kang Dabao disapproved of his behavior, so he reached out and beckoned the redwood box from the clerk's hand into his own.

Even though Luo Heng could easily have placed the object in the other party's hands with a simple flick of his finger using his Object Manipulation Technique, he insisted on having someone carry it over several steps to make a grand display, which was rather pretentious.

There was only a silk scroll in the box. Kang Dabao glanced at it briefly before his brows furrowed. The scroll was from the governor's office of Cloud Horn Prefecture and bore Huo Bing's signature.

The above text states that a small Spirit Stone vein was discovered in Tanggu County. Several months ago, the state government dispatched elite troops to cooperate with Tanggu County in eradicating several Demon Beast lairs near the Spirit Stone mine, but they kept it a secret until now.

After the geomancer recently hired had already analyzed the veins of the Spirit Stone mine, the various counties were informed that scholars would be dispatched to assist Tanggu County in mining the Spirit Stone veins.

"Spirit Stone Vein." When Sect Leader Kang Da saw these four words, he was somewhat dazed.

Spirit Stone veins are like gold mines for cultivators, which made him think about it.

However, since the governor's office selected scholars instead of conscripting Rogue Cultivator to mine, it certainly wasn't out of kindness.

This Spirit Stone vein is probably small and barren, so the governor's mansion must have thought it was not worthwhile to conscript a large number of cultivators to mine it, which is why they came up with the idea of using the Master to mine it.

"No wonder there are far fewer of those scoundrels who bully men and women on the streets, relying on their strength; they must have been caught already." Kang Dabao recalled the scene when he first entered the city.

You must understand that even the most barren Spirit Stone mine is still a spirit mine. If you were to capture a group of poor people who have barely eaten a full meal to be teachers, throw them into the mine, and make them dig with pickaxes that are heavier than themselves, it would be a waste.

It's likely that even after digging for ten years, you might not be able to find five or six Spirit Stones.

Therefore, the only ones who should be arrested are those who practice martial arts. They are full of Qi and Blood and don't engage in production, so who else should be arrested?

"Are the county magistrate and the county clerk going to send officials to summon the scholar?" Kang Dabao asked casually after putting the silk scroll away.

"Exactly." Luo Heng nodded, then changed his tone. "County Magistrate Kang has extensive connections; the task of recruiting a thousand Bone Refining Realm masters within ten days and handing them over to Tanggu County should be a piece of cake."

"According to regulations, lower-ranking officials can only handle military affairs; it's best if the county magistrate handles the dispatch of laborers." Kang Dabao declined without hesitation.

Although Bone Refining Realm martial artists are not valuable, they are not easy to capture either; most of them still need to be allocated to various households in the county.

Countless scholars will die among those sent to serve. This is a terrible thing that will only bring bad karma and offend people. Why should Sect Leader Kang Da get involved in such a wretched affair?

"Very well," Sun Bingdou stepped forward and replied, "Just as County Magistrate Kang said, since the task of dispatching personnel to assist Tanggu County is a civil matter, then I, Sun, will take it on and share the burden for the county magistrate."

"Huh, they just passed on that thorny issue so easily?" Kang Dabao sensed something was wrong, his small eyes narrowed slightly, and he saw a sly smile on Sun Bingdou's face.

"Oh no, we've probably fallen into that old man's trap!"

Happy Dragon Boat Festival everyone!!

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