The bandit suppression campaign was a resounding success, and Prefect Shen made a fortune. Zhao Xian's contribution was indispensable, and Prefect Shen began to consider how to reward Zhao Xian.

At the same time, he reported to the provincial government on the drought relief and bandit suppression in Qing'an Prefecture, and explained Zhao Xian's important role in these two matters.

After dealing with the bandits of Qianniu Mountain, Prefect Shen sent Zhao Xian back to Shuixian Village.

On the way back, the boy was cautious and didn't speak easily.

The boy told Zhao Xian that his surname was Li, his given name was Guang, and that his grandfather was an old private school teacher, and that he had studied some books under his grandfather's tutelage.

The fact that the boy shared the same surname as his mother immediately brought them closer, and Li Guang relaxed, addressing Zhao Xian as "brother" directly.

When they passed through a town, Zhao Xian had the carriage stop, found a restaurant to eat something, and then bought Li Guang a set of clothes.

Li Guang was deeply moved and bowed deeply to Zhao Xian.

"Thank you, Brother Zhao."

This was the first time Li Guang had smiled, and the smile made him look very handsome.

"Since you call me Brother Zhao, we're family from now on, no need to be so polite."

When Zhao Xian browsed the system last time, he saw a sword made of special steel. It was very sharp and not expensive.

In ancient times, there was no special steel. Due to technological limitations, iron contained some impurities, making the swords and knives made from it somewhat brittle and easy to break.

Swords made of special steel were not only sharp but also extremely tough, making them true weapons of war at the time. They could cut through gold and jade and slice through iron like mud, making them virtually godlike on the battlefield.

When no one was looking, he bought the sword, wrapped it up, and when he got home, he gave it to Zhao Cheng, saying that he had found it while suppressing bandits, so that it would not arouse suspicion.

This assistance in suppressing the bandits took a full three days.

Finally, they arrived back at Narcissus Village. The carriage stopped in front of their house, and the two got off. The horse pulling the carriage neighed and turned around and drove away.

It was already afternoon, and the family was making white sugar in the workshop. Hearing the commotion outside, they knew that Zhao Xian had returned, and they all ran out of the workshop.

"Brother, you're back."

The whole family gathered around.

"Brother, this time when you assisted Prefect Shen in suppressing the bandits, did you wipe out all the bandits?" Zhao Xiaoshan asked.

"Of course, the bandits who had been entrenched on Qianniu Mountain for decades were wiped out in one fell swoop, and we won a great victory."

After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he looked at Li Guang and began to introduce him to his family.

"This young man is named Li Guang. We met him during this bandit suppression operation. He will be staying at our house from now on, so please take good care of him."

Only then did everyone notice this quiet young man. Perhaps because he had been in the bandit's den for too long, Li Guang was very cautious in his behavior and spoke in a very soft voice.

"My name is Zhao Xiaosheng."

"..."

"My name is Qin Shiyu."

...

The group began to introduce themselves.

The family members were very hospitable to Li Guang, and Li Guang finally smiled. Everyone in this farm family was very simple and honest. Although there were many people, including servants, the relationship between them was very harmonious, and there was no obvious distinction between master and servant.

He recalled the events of the past year. Despite his prominent status, his own brother, in his struggle for power, saw him as a thorn in his side and tried every means to get rid of him.

It was Lord Yao who risked his life, sacrificing his youngest son, to secure his own life as a fugitive.

However, he encountered bandits while on the run and was captured and taken to their den. He felt somewhat fortunate that he was temporarily safe from death in the bandits' den.

Prefect Shen successfully quelled the bandits and rescued him, but this made him feel unsafe. He feared that his identity would be exposed and that he would eventually die at the hands of his half-brother.

Fortunately, a scholar named Zhao Xian took him in. After spending half a day with him, he felt that the scholar was a good person and took good care of him. He hoped that he could integrate into this family and live a peaceful life, without expecting to make a comeback in the future.

"How have things been at home while I've been away?" Zhao Xian began by asking about what had happened at home during the past few days.

Qin Shiyu nodded and reported to Zhao Xian on the production and sales of white sugar over the past few days.

“We went to the county town a couple of days ago and delivered 300 catties of white sugar. Manager Lin has already opened up the sales channels for the white sugar. He asked us to increase the supply. I only agreed to increase the supply by 50%. Only in this way can the scarcity of white sugar be reflected.”

Tomorrow we're going to deliver goods again, this time 450 jin of white sugar, and we'll also be wholesaling granulated sugar on the way back.

Zhao Xian nodded. Qin Shiyu managed the sugar production and sales very well. From now on, he would let her handle it, so he would have more energy to do other things.

"With the payment for the sugar settled this time, we have plenty of funds at home. We've also finished purchasing the dried mushrooms, totaling over 120 jin," Qin Yingying reported on the finances and the dried mushroom purchase.

After Qin Shiyu and Qin Yingying finished telling their stories, Zhao Xiaosheng began to recount how the county government had handled the dispute between his family and Zhang Dahu.

“Brother, a couple of days ago, Li Zheng took me and Zhang the landlord to the county government office. Magistrate Cao personally tried the case. We returned twenty taels of silver to Zhang the landlord and got back the house deed and IOU.”

Meanwhile, the county government punished Zhang for his exploitative behavior towards his neighbors, confiscating his illegal gains over the years, fining him 500 taels of silver, and sentencing him to three years of imprisonment. This time, Zhang was truly finished.

"Good, this is what they call 'those who do many evil deeds will surely perish.' Zhang the landlord harmed the village for his own selfish interests, and he finally got his comeuppance," Zhao Xian said excitedly.

"Those who do many unrighteous deeds will surely perish." Li Guang silently memorized these words. People are watching what others do, and Heaven is watching. He believed that his own brother would eventually get his comeuppance.

Seeing that everyone had finished telling their stories, Zhao Xian looked at Zhao Cheng standing beside him and handed him the precious sword wrapped in layers of coarse cloth.

"Master, what is this?" Zhao Cheng asked, somewhat curious.

"Just open it and you'll see," Zhao Xian said with a smile.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zhao Cheng unwrapped the package layer by layer, finally revealing a precious sword in his hand.

Zhao Cheng was pleasantly surprised. The sword was over three feet long and very heavy, but Zhao Cheng was very strong and did not feel its weight when he held it.

The sword's scabbard is exquisitely crafted and exudes a powerful and imposing aura, making it clear from its sheath that this sword is truly exceptional.

With a forceful pull, he drew the sword from its sheath, and a flash of cold light appeared, seemingly causing the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees.

"A precious sword, this is a real precious sword, capable of cutting through gold and jade, and slicing through iron like mud. Where did you get this? It's priceless." Zhao Cheng, who was usually not very talkative, said so much in one breath.

"I found this on the mountain during the bandit suppression. I knew you would like it, so I didn't hand it over and brought it back. I never expected it to be such a treasure."

"This is a perfect match for a hero. This sword is yours now." Zhao Cheng was very happy that he liked the sword.