txolops Chapter 81 Geng Metal Leaves its Seal, Blood Sword Accepts Orders
Chapter 81 Geng Metal Leaves its Seal, Blood Sword Accepts Orders
Chapter 81 Geng Metal Leaves its Seal, Blood Sword Accepts Orders (Seeking First Subscriptions!!!)
The back hall of the Changning County Government Office.
The golden beast exhales fragrance, and the redwood gleams.
Above the main seat hangs a nanmu wood plaque with four bold characters inlaid in gold: "Love the people as your own children".
County Magistrate Wu Decai was a fat man weighing 300 pounds. He was slumped in a grand chair, playing with two luminous pearls the size of walnuts in his hands, listening to his subordinates' reports.
"You mean, the new commander went to Guanyao Town last night and quelled the unrest there?"
Wu Decai squinted, his fleshy folds squeezing his eyes into slits. "That madman, Mud Buddha, is dead?"
"Yes, sir, he is indeed dead. It is said that Xiao Chen even chopped off his head."
The advisor stood to the side, his back bent in the curve of a shrimp, and spoke cautiously.
"Good riddance! Good riddance!"
Wu Decai slapped his thigh, his fat face jiggling, his tone full of joy: "That madman was hogging the toilet and delaying so many important matters for me! Now that Guanyao Town is pacified, the celebration tax for next month is finally settled."
"But sir—"
The clerk wiped the cold sweat from his brow with his sleeve and hesitated before saying, "That Commander Gu seems to have not only killed Mud Bodhisattva, but also given silver to those peasants, and even took the account book—"
"What?!"
Wu Decai suddenly sat up straight. Perhaps he had been living a carefree life for too long, because he dared to disregard cultivators. He truly lived up to the reputation of being a good-for-nothing among the common people.
His face hardened with malice. "He took the ledger? What does he want? A mere Qi Refining stage brat, does he really think he's someone important?"
Just then, a voice came from outside the door: "Commander Gu Changsheng of the Demon Suppression Division has arrived!" Wu Decai's fierce look immediately disappeared, replaced by a smile like that of Maitreya Buddha, and he laboriously got off the chair.
"Please come in quickly! Please come in quickly!"
A moment later, Gu Yan entered, led by two constables.
He was still wearing that blue Taoist robe, and as soon as he entered, he bowed somewhat awkwardly and said, "This humble Taoist, Gu Changsheng, greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate."
"Oh dear, Lord Gu, you flatter me!"
Wu Decai greeted him warmly, grabbing Gu Yan's hand with a strength that suggested a trained martial artist. "You are a celestial master from a higher sect and the commander of the Demon Suppression Division. In terms of rank, you are above me. Please take a seat."
The two took their seats as host and guest, and a maid served them fragrant tea.
After a series of pointless pleasantries, Wu Decai finally couldn't contain himself and tentatively asked, "I heard that Lord Gu displayed great power last night, quelling the demons in Guanyao Town. Congratulations! But I wonder—did those demons possess anything they shouldn't have?"
Gu Yan held his teacup, seemingly oblivious to the unspoken meaning, looking bewildered: "Things that shouldn't exist? Lord Wu, are you referring to the evil artifacts used by that sorcerer Mud Bodhisattva? They've already been destroyed by my two subordinates."
Wu Decai stared into Gu Yan's eyes, trying to discern something, but Gu Yan's gaze was clear and foolish, exuding an air of naiveté and bookishness.
"That's good, that's good."
Wu Decai breathed a sigh of relief, then changed the subject, his face showing difficulty, "Now that the demon has been eliminated, production in Guanyao Town should resume. As you know, Lord Gu, the imperial celebration is imminent. If we can't deliver this 'Long Live the Emperor' porcelain, the entire Changning County will lose its head."
"Resume production?"
Gu Yan put down his teacup, his brows furrowing slightly. "Lord Wu, the casualties in Guanyao Town are heavy; nine out of ten houses are empty. Where are we going to find people to fire porcelain?"
"Alas, Lord Gu, you are unaware of this."
Wu Decai sighed, looking compassionate, "This is all for the Emperor, for the sake of the Great Wei Dynasty. If the people suffer any more, I will bear the blame. I have already ordered that another five hundred able-bodied men be drawn from the neighboring villages to make up the shortfall by next month."
"Send another five hundred able-bodied men?"
Gu Yan's voice turned colder. "Lord Wu, as far as I know, this so-called celebration tax is not an imperial decree, but rather—it's been levied privately by certain individuals, isn't it?"
The atmosphere suddenly froze.
The smile on Wu Decai's face gradually disappeared, replaced by the sternness of someone who had long served in officialdom.
"Lord Gu, there are some things you can't say carelessly. This is Changning County, not Liuyun Sect. Although you are a cultivator, it's best not to meddle too deeply in worldly affairs. Otherwise, the waters are too deep, and you might lose face for your sect, which could easily drown you."
This is a blatant threat.
In his view, Gu Yan, a novice disciple of the sect, was most afraid of being blamed. As long as he was scared a little and given some benefits, he would be sent away.
He clapped his hands, and the clerk immediately came up carrying a tray.
The tray was covered with a red cloth; lifting a corner revealed an alluring golden hue.
It is not gold, but the more precious Geng gold, which is an excellent material for refining magical artifacts and treasures.
It was a piece the size of a fist, a generous gift that would be hard for a Qi Refining cultivator to refuse. "This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it, Lord Gu."
Wu Decai smiled and pointed at the piece of Geng gold. He didn't believe any Qi Refining cultivator could resist such a temptation. "As long as Lord Gu turns a blind eye to the affairs of Guanyao Town, you'll definitely get a share of the tribute from Changning County in the future. Let's make money together and enjoy the blessings together, why not?"
Gu Yan stared at the piece of Geng gold for a long time, then suddenly smiled.
His smile was meaningful.
"Lord Wu is truly generous."
He reached out and gently pressed his hand on the piece of Geng metal.
"This piece of gold must have melted down at least a hundred lives, right?"
"What does Lord Gu mean by this?" Wu Decai's face darkened.
"It doesn't mean anything."
Gu Yan slowly withdrew his hand, leaving a deep fingerprint on the incredibly hard Geng metal.
This subtle, yet powerful, finger strike caused Wu Decai's chin to twitch violently, and the fat on his face involuntarily trembled.
"Although my cultivation is low, I still know the principle of draining the pond to catch all the fish."
Gu Yan stood up, looking down at the fat magistrate, his tone revealing an unquestionable coldness.
"That's the end of the matter in Guanyao Town. Don't touch a single one of those five hundred strong men. If I find out you're still secretly arresting people—"
He leaned down and whispered in Wu Decai's greasy ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I'll light your greasy body like a sky lantern and hang it at the entrance of the county government office. Let's see how many days and nights it burns."
After saying that, Gu Yan waved his sleeve and strode away.
Only after Gu Yan's figure disappeared outside the door did Wu De finally come to his senses. He was so angry that he trembled all over and smashed the expensive teacup to pieces.
Wu Decai roared, his face turning a deep purplish-red, "A mere Qi Refining stage Taoist dares to shit and piss on my head! And dares to threaten me?!"
"Please calm down, my lord! Please calm down!"
The advisor quickly advised, "He is, after all, a member of the Flowing Cloud Sect; we shouldn't openly take action against him."
"So what if it's the Flowing Cloud Sect?!"
Wu Decai, panting heavily, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes, said, "Don't forget who's backing us! That batch of supplies is going to be delivered over there. If it's delayed, we'll both die!"
He pulled out a communication jade talisman from his pocket, gritting his teeth as he said, "Send a message to that esteemed master, saying that a foolish obstacle has appeared in the Flowing Cloud Sect, and ask him to take action and make him disappear without a trace!"
gg■ggg
As Gu Yan walked out of the county government office, the righteous and stern expression on his face disappeared, replaced by indifference.
He wasn't really angry.
What happened just now was both an attempt to establish authority and a test.
He was testing Wu Decai's powerful backers, testing whether this lowly county magistrate dared to take him seriously.
Changning County is located in a remote area with scarce resources. Apart from the so-called Longevity Porcelain, there are only some ordinary gold and silver.
But the Geng metal that Wu Decai just took out was no ordinary thing.
This indicates that there is a hidden chain of interests involved.
Gu Yan found an empty alley, and with a flicker of his body, he disappeared from the spot using the illusion technique of the "Concealing Breath Turtle and Snake Skill".
A moment later, he appeared in the backyard of the paper-making shop.
There is an old, dry well here that leads directly to an underground river.
Gu Yan sat cross-legged by the well, separated a wisp of his divine consciousness, and followed the cold water veins, using the anchor points of paper effigies one after another, to cross tens of thousands of miles and connect with a certain being on the other side.
Blood River Sect, Council Hall.
The Blood Swordsman, clad in a blood-red robe, sat high in the main seat, toying with a blood-red jade slip in his hand.
Below, a black-clad steward was trembling as he reported, "Sect Master, an urgent message has come from our informant in Changning County. They say that a new commander of the Flowing Cloud Sect named Gu Changsheng is ungrateful and has cut off our supplies. The county magistrate has requested that we send men to eliminate him."
"Gu Changsheng?"
The Blood Swordsman's eyes were full of amusement. "That supposedly lucky good-for-nothing?"
"It is this person."
"interesting."
The Blood Swordsman tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty light.
The main body acts as a righteous official in Changning County, reaping the blessings and prayers of the worshippers and preventing exploitation.
And these blocked benefits will eventually flow into the pocket of his clone.
The magistrate of Changning County was a puppet supported by his Blood River Sect, specifically responsible for plundering mortal resources, refining essence blood and evil energy to support the sect.
"It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple; even family members don't recognize each other."
The Blood Swordsman chuckled inwardly; this was exactly what he wanted.
Giving these supplies to the Blood River Sect would be a waste; it would be better to keep them for the main body to farm reputation.
In any case, his status in the Blood River Sect is based on his strength and ruthlessness, not on these mundane offerings.
"Tell that idiot magistrate."
The Blood Swordsman casually crushed the jade slip, his voice icy, "This Gu Changsheng, I'll send someone to kill him myself. Tell him to wash his neck clean and wait. If even a single bit of that batch of supplies is missing, I'll refine him along with it!"
"Yes, ma'am!" The deacon replied as if he had been granted a pardon, and scrambled out of the room.
Inside the main hall, the Blood Swordsman leaned back in his chair, gazing at the crimson moonlight outside the window.
"If the original body wants to be a good person, then I'll be the bad person."
"One is good, the other is evil; this charade has only just begun."
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