All Familiar Faces
"Centurion Xu!" Sect Leader Kang Da paused for a moment upon seeing the newcomer, then bowed respectfully.
It turned out that the tall and burly city lieutenant in front of them was actually the Xu family general who had commanded Kang Dabao's group of Pingrong during the Battle of the Five Aspects Sect.
"No, no, I am Xu Yingshi, the acting magistrate of Double Brightness Trade Market, paying my respects to Your Excellency." Xu Yingshi said he dared not, but his disdain was undisguised.
Sect Leader Kang Da didn't care. He had been looked down upon countless times in his life, so this was nothing.
If Xu Yingshi is truly a straightforward and honest man, that would be all the better.
People who wear their emotions on their sleeves are much easier to deal with than those who are two-faced and hypocritical.
Xu Yingshi's accompaniment of the young man surnamed Deng was merely a formality. After exchanging greetings, he simply nodded to the young man and then ignored Kang Dabao, leaving the place without a word.
"That's Acting Commandant Xu is, don't take it to heart, City Commandant," the young man surnamed Deng said, smoothing things over with practiced ease.
"I know, Centurion Xu was my former superior. I benefited greatly from serving under him back then," Kang Dabao laughed heartily, showing no sign of embarrassment or annoyance.
After all, Xu Yingshi was not the same kind of person as Luo Heng.
The latter was merely a lowly son-in-law of an old Foundation Establishment family, with mediocre skills. Since he dared to provoke the Sect Leader Kang Da, then let him fight.
The former is different.
Back when he attacked the Five Aspects Sect, Xu Yingshi's cultivation level must have already reached the Late Qi Refinement. His Fire Element technique when facing the disciples of the Five Aspects Sect was extremely exquisite, showing no mercy to anyone.
With his Fire Element magic alone, Xu Yingshi would be considered an outstanding figure even among the hundred-man squad of the state court.
This is precisely why he was chosen by the two Sima to occupy a "Hundred Generals" position, which was still quite rare at the time.
Thinking about it this way, even if Xu Yingshi's abilities are not as formidable as Tie Xishui's, they are almost comparable to those of a cultivator who is just about to Foundation Establishment.
That means he should at least be Qi Refinement cultivator on par with Ge Yangfeng of the Feng Prefecture Ge Household.
Although Sect Leader Kang Da's combat skills have improved in recent years, it is unlikely that Xu Yingshi will remain stagnant.
Judging by the resources of the scions of powerful clans, if the latter's cultivation progresses smoothly, they might already be preparing to Foundation Establishment.
In this situation, let alone whether Kang Dabao can fight or dares to fight, even whether he can win is highly questionable.
Not to mention, they are members of the Dai County Xu Household. Even a minor branch of a Nascent Soul Lineage is not something that Kang Dabao, the head of a small Qi Refinement sect, can underestimate. They cannot be easily offended.
However, it's a bit too low for a promising young man from a prominent family to suddenly start working, only to become a lowly, unranked city lieutenant.
Whether Xu Yingshi offended a powerful figure in the state court and was exiled, or whether the state court specifically summoned him as a warning to Sect Leader Kang Da, the latter requires careful consideration.
Thinking of this, Sect Leader Kang Da looked at the young man surnamed Deng in front of him. Although the latter had come to serve as a minor official, his cheerful and refined demeanor was undeniable, suggesting that he must also come from a prominent family.
Given this, Kang Dabao leaned more towards the latter of the two conjectures, feeling that this was another layer of constraint imposed on him by the state court.
As for why the state court would pay so much attention to someone as insignificant as him, Sect Leader Kang Da had no idea. He could only guess that perhaps they wanted to make his humble origins appear more respectable.
Xu Yingshi's arrival did not bring any changes to the construction work of Double Brightness Trade Market; many things were still done by Kang Dabao and two market accountants.
To be precise, it was that elderly accountant, whose name Kang Dabao barely even remembered, who was doing the job.
During this period, the Sect Leader Kang Da was mostly responsible for tasks such as arranging the locations of various shops, planning the layout of each street, and specifying the size of the shops—tasks that involved dividing up the profits.
Other mundane tasks that were neither profitable nor mentally taxing naturally fell to the elderly city accountant.
That day, Sect Leader Kang Da had just finished drinking with He Degong and left Chongming Sect. The latter had been staying at the Chongming Sect for some time now since arriving with his caravan.
The He Household didn't urge him either, because He Degong had done a great job this time, helping the He Household secure a good location in Double Brightness Trade Market.
In fact, considering Pingrong County's remote location, chaotic Spirit Vein, and scarce number of cultivators, even with the support of the state court, it would be difficult to tell whether the business of Double Brightness Trade Market establishment.
Therefore, even if the Hong County He Household acquired a good location, they might not necessarily profit much, so it's not worth being overly excited.
But this is, after all, the first market town upgraded under the leadership of the state court. How many of the Foundation Establishment forces who opened shops here are actually here to earn Spirit Stone? Aren't they all just hoping to make an appearance in front of the officials of the state court?
He Degong even received praise from the Foundation Establishment behind the He Household because of this incident.
This was a treatment he had never received in his decades of cultivation.
After all, before this, the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator had only dealt with He Dezong and had probably never even heard of He Degong's name.
This excited He Degong. Even the Sect Leader Kang Da hadn't paid much attention to the trivial matters of Double Brightness Trade Market, but He Degong had been busy with the elderly accountant, doing quite a lot of work.
Thanks to He Degong's connections, the old accountant's resentment towards Sect Leader Kang Da dissipated considerably.
The flying boat of Sect Leader Kang Da carried the two of them all the way to the bustling Double Brightness Trade Market. The place was now like a huge construction site, with warriors carrying spirit wood beams and pack animals pulling various spirit materials everywhere.
Many other forces that were about to move into Double Brightness Trade Market also sent people to inspect the place. Among them was a beautiful woman with a quiet temperament and steep mountains, Sect Leader Kang Da happened to recognize. So she rode her Black Blood Colt up to greet her.
"It's Steward Deacon Huo in person. It's been many years since we last met. Fellow Daoist, you still have the same refined demeanor."
"Master Kang, how are you Market Commandant Kang?" Huo Ying was surprised to see Sect Leader Kang Da.
"If I had known this would happen, I would have sold that Seven Luminaries Heart-Slaying Sword to them for a cheaper price back then." Huo Ying bit her lip lightly, and two beautiful blushes rose on her cheeks, exuding a mature woman's charm.
"Oh, I didn't expect that Deacon Huo has also come from Xuanwei City. From now on, we will be neighbors. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me." The Sect Leader Kang Da had heard the manager of the Illusory Sword Alliance mention Huo Ying's background before, and could roughly guess why she had been transferred here.
This is a distant niece of Huo Bing, the governor of Cloud Horn Prefecture. In her early years, she married a True Disciple of the Illusory Sword Alliance and became his second wife.
Back then, Huo Bing had a decent relationship with a powerful elder of the Xuanwei Niu Household. In order to gain some advantages, the Illusory Sword Alliance transferred Huo Ying to the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion as a steward.
The woman was beautiful and did a great job in business, which pleased the Illusory Sword Alliance.
However, in recent years, the Niu Household was destroyed, Huo Bing is dying, and Huo Ying's husband, True Disciple of the Illusory Sword Alliance, died tragically in seclusion during his Foundation Establishment.
Having experienced these changes, the prosperous Xuanwei City was no longer a place for her, so she had no choice but to settle in Double Brightness Trade Market to cultivate the land.
"I never imagined that the poor little customer I once saw would become such a prestigious figure whom so many Foundation Establishment forces want to befriend." The young woman, who had only recently become a widow, suddenly had some unusual thoughts. She stared at the departing figure of the fat man for a long time.
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