My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 753 - 477: Calm Down (Two-in-One)

After the commotion in the inn settled down, things calmed. The waiter let out a series of sighs and muttered bitterly under his breath, cursing the hawk-grabber Sun.

Chen Yi turned his head slightly and asked, "This constable Shao is newly appointed, and County Magistrate Wei is also new?"

"Isn't that so? He was originally a Jinshi from the twenty-eighth year of the Qingying reign, given a placeholder official title without real duties—a mere clerk. But thanks to that feathered robe of his, he scratched together quite a fortune. Then, two years ago, he officially took office, and as for Constable Shao, well, he's his nephew."

Once the waiter started talking about this, he couldn't stop himself,

"When this County Magistrate first arrived, he was all about making a name for himself, claiming he'd contribute to the court. And what came of it? Just levying ridiculous high-interest loans under the guise of construction fees and spring farming advances. The other county magistrates and chief clerks merely followed his lead, conspiring together! Several families have already been ruined. Even the shopkeeper has taken ill and been confined to bed these past days."

"Enough, stop talking nonsense—you need to fix that sloppy mouth of yours."

The shopkeeper's face darkened as he snapped at the waiter, who immediately shut his mouth, though his eyes still held an indignant glint.

"Hawk-grabber Sun is all the same."

He Taixiong, the man who had earlier drawn his knife, sheathed it again, sat back down at the table, and silently drank his wine.

Seeing that no more information could be squeezed from the inn's ground floor, Chen Yi led Yin Tingxue upstairs. Just as he was about to ascend, his peripheral vision caught sight of the shopkeeper, who seemed deep in thought before finally taking out a jar of wine and sitting down in front of He Taixiong.

Back in the rented upper room, Chen Yi leisurely pulled out a chair and sat down.

With his fingertip, he gestured for Yin Tingxue to sit by the bed.

The young girl dared not defy him. After all, she'd indeed been running around recklessly and so obediently sat opposite him, placing her folded hands on her lap.

"Where were you running off to?" Chen Yi's tone was calm.

Yin Tingxue replied, "I wasn't running off anywhere, just saw something and went to take a look."

"What did you see?"

"… A Guhuo bird."

As soon as she said that, Yin Tingxue felt Chen Yi's gaze grow cold, staring straight at her.

"Oh? Bold enough to hunt demons on your own now?" Chen Yi's voice was impossible to read, his smirk one of mockery but devoid of true amusement.

Yin Tingxue's shoulders shrank inward. In moments like these, he was at his most oppressive, suffocating those around him with a pressure they couldn't escape. Even though she'd been by his side for a long time, she often felt on edge, unsure of how to respond.

A bit flustered, she said, "I-I just went to take a look, worried I might miss some clues. Besides, I carry your Sword Intent with me, so nothing would happen… Next time, I won't run off again."

The figure before her rose silently from the chair, clearly uninterested in her talk of clues.

Yin Tingxue's heart sank.

He seemed ready to take a harder approach.

She slowly crawled onto the bed, already turned away as Chen Yi approached closer. Her small hips tilted upward slightly…

"You... you should calm down first." She softened her voice.

Chen Yi paused.

She wanted to mollify him, after all.

After hesitating briefly, a warm breath rolled against the back of her neck, making her shiver slightly with goosebumps. However, she endured it. A moment later, there came a chill, and Chen Yi's face was abruptly close to her ear.

"Alright, I'll calm down first."

...

...

Passing through the ceremonial gate of the county office, one need not enter the grand hall inscribed with "Justice and Honor"; instead, through the arched garden gate and past the murals lining the walls, one could find County Magistrate Wei in the courtyard.

Shao the constable stepped quickly inside. Before him were rows of glazed windows separating him from the scene: within the pavilion, a man in a robe of green silk sat warming wine near a brazier, attended by two maidservants no older than fourteen or fifteen. One of them read aloud from some unknown collection of writings, while the other bent down to massage his feet. In the chill of the new year, their thin garments shivered against the cold, and their shoulders trembled under the biting wind.

"Uncle, you're quite the connoisseur," Shao the constable stepped forward, half-joking, half-seriously bowing in salute.

"It's only in the depths of winter that one finds pleasure in warm wine,"

County Magistrate Wei spoke slowly, leisurely fanning the fire as if nothing could disturb his peace.

His gaze shifted momentarily toward the maidservant's flushed, frostbitten neck before returning to his nephew.

"Po'er, do you know why I called you here?"

Shao Po nodded deeply and replied, "Of course, it's about Master Su's matter."

A county magistrate's responsibilities can be distilled no further than overseeing levies and labor duties, adjudicating lawsuits, promoting education, and enforcing customs. Reduced again, the essence is to serve the court and repay imperial favor. Currently, turmoil grips Hu-Guang to the south, with the White Lotus Sect causing an uncontrollable uproar. Such unrest is the perfect moment for service to one's country.

The phrase "service to one's country" is broad, but the real questions are: how to serve, in what manner, and how to ensure promotions afterward. The chaos in Hu-Guang lacks two things: manpower and money. The former requires sacrifices, while the latter merely needs funds. Taixian County, lying a river's passage away from Hu-Guang, is neither too near nor too far—safe from immediate danger yet ripe with opportunities to earn merits.

For that reason, County Magistrate Wei had secured connections with Hu-Guang's Capital Commander Su Hongtao, a high-ranking official of Standard Second Rank, known as "Anshan Gong." During routine visits, subordinates must reverently address him as "Lord Anshan." While the uprising in Hu-Guang spells disaster for local officials, for Anshan Gong—and by extension, his ally County Magistrate Wei—it could hardly be considered an unfortunate turn of events.

County Magistrate Wei slowly uncovered the wine jar, continuing to fan the fire as he casually asked,

"Did you apply pressure to those households?"

"Uncle, we've already done so. When we came knocking, we listed a few charges, then clearly spelled out their overdue debts from the loans two years ago. They all obediently paid up and even dared to put together some money to treat a few of us brothers to drinks.

However, there are a few stubborn ones playing coy with us! Several of my men are advising me to haul them off to jail for several dozen—maybe even a hundred—days. They won't hold out too long." Shao Po spoke briskly.

County Magistrate Wei cast him a measured glance and asked indifferently, "What's your opinion on the matter?"