Chapter 148: Jingzhi Money "How dare you slander Sect Master Xue?"
While the fortune teller Li Zhou was leisurely listening to the rain, the swordsman Li Zhou strolled down the mountain with a broken sword.
This sword was a fake Sui Sword that Sect Master Li Zhou had snatched from Tianzun. Although it was a fake God-killing Sword, it was already considered a top-notch divine weapon in the world. Therefore, Sect Master Li Zhou said to Swordsman Li Zhou: "I will give this divine weapon to you. You can go down the mountain and find someone who is destined to give it to you."
Swordsman Li Zhou knew that the sect leader wanted her to travel. She must know that cultivation cannot be achieved just by staying in the mountains. It is also extremely important to cultivate the mind in the secular world. Otherwise, she would be like the fortune teller Li Zhou and have a demon in her heart again.
Therefore, even though deep down he just wanted to continue practicing sword in the sect, the swordsman Li Zhou still took the fake sword, took his own natal spirit sword Zhi Beiyou, and went down the mountain alone.
Li Zhou, whose inner thoughts also followed the ideas of different aliases, caught a glimpse of the gazes of Cong'er, Qi Ying, Xing Can and others cast on the back of the swordsman Li Zhou. There was respect, solemnity and contemplation in those gazes.
Sect leader Li Zhou and swordsman Li Zhou raised their chins more and more complacently, acting righteous and awe-inspiring.
Hehehe, everyone must think that I am going to do something big.
Naturally, no one knew that Li Zhou was actually just imitating what the heroes in the storybooks often did.
Cong'er, the youngest, sensed a hint of impending danger from the sect leader's instructions to the swordsman.
Qi Ying and Xing Can looked at each other and realized that the sect leader wanted the swordsman to choose a master for the magic weapon, probably to prepare for a desperate fight in the future war or even the decisive battle.
The two men were in heavy moods as they looked far towards the north in the direction of the capital city. The news that the head of the Demon Hunting Division had died in the line of duty had already reached Sizhou. Now the Demon Hunting Division was leaderless, and if another war broke out, who could lead the Demon Hunting Division to fight against the evil god?
The clan leader and the swordsman certainly have great powers. In a battlefield at the god level, how could they care about mortals... Hey, could it be that the destined person for this magic weapon is the new chief of the Demon Hunting Division that the two immortal masters helped the mortals find?
After taking a quick look at the clan leader who was as steady as a rock, Qi Ying and Xing Can nodded secretly, feeling that they had guessed the truth.
Swordsman Li Zhou never imagined that it would take such a long time. As soon as he was out of sight, he randomly chose a direction and flew hundreds of miles with his sword, but he didn't see any human figures. So he simply chose an old crooked tree, lay on the thickest branch, and waited for his destined person.
She squinted her eyes, swung her legs, and vaguely heard voices coming from a few miles away, but she was too lazy to take another step.
If we are destined to meet, we will definitely meet. Swordsman Li Zhou rested his head with one hand and raised his other hand to grab a few stars and play with them at his fingertips.
Three miles away, in an inn.
A group of travelers dressed as businessmen walked into the store, ordered some food and booked a few rooms.
The leader wore a square scarf on his head, a silk jacket, and walked with the gait of a heron or a crane. He did not look like a businessman, but more like a top scholar.
The man beside her was as strong as an iron tower, with arms and waist as thin as an ape, and he looked like the majestic general on the stage.
The other followers also had bright eyes and alert expressions. There were bulges on their backs, and it was unknown whether they were gold, silver or weapons.
The shopkeeper had sharp eyes. When he saw the appearance and demeanor of these people, he sent the waiter away and entertained them personally.
These people were polite, and while they were eating, they asked a few questions about the local customs and culture, and then let her go.
"Gu Hou," Wei Liangchen, the former Wei Xianfeng and now the commander of the Shenwu Army, swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and whispered to Gu Sheng beside him, "We encountered many demons and evil cultivators blocking the way along the way, but today, we didn't see a single one the whole day."
The two men were ordered by the emperor to inspect various places to see if there were any corruption or abuse of power taking advantage of the natural disasters during this period. Once such officials were found, they would be brought to justice on the spot.
The local people were in a state of panic and asked about the two men's appearance, height, and clothing. As a last resort, the two men had to disguise themselves and take a detour.
Gu Sheng, the former Wannian County Magistrate and now the Powerful Censor and Righteous and Courageous Marquis, held half a steamed bun between his legs and said thoughtfully, "Could it be that we have already reached the jurisdiction of the Duotian Sect? I heard that the leader of the Duotian Sect has set a rule that those who kill will be killed and those who eat will be killed. How could any villain dare to act recklessly in her territory?"
Wei Liangchen had met Sect Master Xue up close, and when he heard Gu Sheng praise her so highly, he felt indescribably proud. He thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "This place is still four or five hundred miles away from Sizhou, not to mention Xili Mountain. The Sect Master is in the mountains, and has always been elusive. I'm afraid she doesn't have time to take care of things here."
Gu Sheng hummed, picked up a piece of pickled vegetables with chopsticks, and couldn't help feeling a little worried.
The demons, ghosts and evil cultivators suddenly disappeared. They were either destroyed by the righteous path, or bigger and more terrifying demons and evil spirits appeared.
She worried it was the latter.
At this moment, Gu Sheng didn't know that a black rain of divine blood fell on the coast of the East China Sea thousands of miles away. Most of the miscellaneous gods were killed by Li Zhou. Correspondingly, the demons who believed in them naturally lost the ability to stir up trouble.
Those who were too devout in their faith were reduced to ashes along with their own gods, while those who were not devout enough in their faith were also left without protection. The evil spirits were in chaos, some fled to the mountains, and some changed their appearances and became human again.
Just as Gu Shengcai was about to remind Wei Liangchen to be on high alert tonight, the half-open shop door slammed as someone kicked it from outside.
A group of shirtless men swaggered in from outside the door and shouted to the shopkeeper: "Cut ten pounds of beef, buy four corners of good wine, and open three more rooms!"
The shopkeeper walked around the counter, smiling, and asked the waiter to go to the kitchen to get some wine. He said in a friendly voice, "We don't have any beef, but we do have some pig heads, which are just right for you gentlemen to drink with."
The big men were all startled. The one in the lead blushed and pointed at the shopkeeper's nose and said, "What kind of meat do you have?"
The shopkeeper looked at his expression and wondered if he didn't like pork. He smiled and said, "We have some venison. We bought it from a hunter this morning. It's very fresh."
The leading man moved his lips, as if he wanted to get angry, but was choked by her words. The other men all had black faces and their hands were on their waists.
The inn suddenly became eerily quiet. The breathing of a group of big men was frighteningly heavy. Suddenly, there was a clang, and someone put the scabbard on the table.
Everyone turned to look, and saw the tall woman who was eating the steamed bun slowly, turning her head and looking at the strong men rudely with her eagle eyes.
The two sides looked at each other, and suddenly the big men shuddered collectively. Their eyes, which had been red just now, suddenly became clear. They each picked a stool and sat down, saying to the shopkeeper, "No, we don't want meat. Just a few trays of vegetarian steamed buns will do."
The shopkeeper heaved a sigh of relief, and felt as if his heart had stopped beating. He looked at the lady with the temperament of a general with tears of gratitude, and quickly asked someone to steam the buns.
Wei Liangchen put the knife aside, but shook his head at his tense followers, signaling them to continue eating.
Gu Sheng asked hesitantly, "General Wei, do you know the origins of those people?"
"You smell like pigs." Wei Liangchen smiled. She had killed countless monsters during the expedition against the barbarians, so she had been trained for this. "Just now you said you wouldn't encounter any monsters, but now they are here."
Gu Sheng nodded. Even though she was a civil servant with little martial arts skills, she had witnessed the descent of the gods from heaven, so she would not be scared by a few little demons.
These pig monsters dared to come out and walk around. It seemed that she was overthinking it. There were no big evil spirits around. They didn't encounter any during the day. They were just lucky.
Gu Sheng felt relieved by the appearance of the pig demon, but the pig demons were all extremely scared.
God have mercy on them, they had finally escaped from a group of evil cultivators who were killing monsters and taking elixirs, and they were hungry and tired, and were thinking of resting for a night in this roadside inn, but how could they have met such a ruthless man full of murderous aura.
The pig monsters knew that uncastrated pigs like them were not tasty to humans, so they all lowered their heads and looked submissive, hoping that the general would spare them.
For a moment, the hotel became extremely quiet, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of people chewing.
"Bang!"
There was another sound of kicking the door, which scared the pig demons so much that they all trembled. Everyone looked up and saw a man walking in from outside the house. He had a fat head and big ears, with a protruding chest and a bulging belly. He was even more demonic than the pig demons.
One of the followers couldn't help but ask, "General Wei, is this the leader of the pig demons coming to kill us?"
Gu Sheng also showed curiosity.
Wei Liangchen looked at it for a moment, shook his head, and said with a complicated expression: "No, this is a person."
"ah?"
The followers looked at each other and couldn't help but look at the man at the door again.
The man just stared at the shopkeeper, patted his belly, and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper, it's time to pay this month's salary."
Jingzhi money refers to the general term for miscellaneous taxes such as liquor tax, lees tax, and dental tax. It was originally a stopgap measure to raise military funds and was abolished by the emperor in the 13th year of Yongxi.
What law did this person rely on to collect the money?
Gu Sheng's expression changed immediately, and Wei Liangchen immediately grasped the handle of the knife wrapped in cloth.
The shopkeeper did not notice their expressions and movements. He quickly took out a bundle from under the counter and handed it to the man, saying with an apologetic smile, "Captain Zheng, business is not good this month. Do you think you can discuss it with Sect Leader Xue..."
Village Chief Zheng weighed the bundle and knew how heavy it was. He kept smiling, but a dozen ferocious officials rushed out from behind him. He shook his head and sighed, "If it weren't for Sect Master Xue who intimidated those monsters, you unruly people wouldn't have the good life you have now. You actually dared to rely on her kindness and softness and refused to pay even a few taels of money!"
The policeman holding the sword had a stern look on his face, as if he would rush forward to rob as soon as the head of the village, Zheng, gave the order.
The shopkeeper wanted to explain himself but didn't dare to. His face turned pale and his body felt like a sieve.
Gu Sheng couldn't hold back any longer. It was her duty to patrol and investigate illegal activities. She slammed the table and stood up, her face livid: "Which village head are you from? Who asked you to collect the money? Doesn't your county magistrate know that the money has been abolished for eight years?"
The shopkeeper immediately pulled Gu Sheng's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking. Village Chief Zheng looked at her strangely and asked, "Are you from out of town?"
"So what if it's from another place? So what if it's from this place? Could it be that this place is not under the jurisdiction of the Great Zhou?"
"My lady, please don't be angry." Lizhang Zheng touched his belly with a smile and bowed to the southwest. "What I mean is that ignorance is not a crime. The reason why we in Guangxin County collect money for making scriptures is to follow the decree of the leader of Duotian Sect. This money is the hard-earned money of the immortal masters of Xili Mountain who fought against the demons."
Gu Sheng's eyelids twitched, and he could no longer bear it: "Absolutely impossible! Nonsense!"
Wei Liangchen stood up and pointed his sword at the village chief Zheng: "How dare you slander Sect Master Xue?"
Clang clang clang! The official and Wei Liangchen's followers drew their swords almost at the same time, and the sword light reflected the candlelight onto the face of Zheng Lichang.
The fat on Captain Zheng's face cast shadows, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He chuckled and the wooden door behind him closed heavily.
"I am Sect Master Xue's last disciple, how dare I slander her?"
As he spoke, a tumor appeared on his forehead, and greasy fat almost overflowed from it.
The fat and bloated mind was embodied in this person.
But he didn't care. He raised his hand and pressed the tumor back.
He looked at Gu Sheng and Wei Liangchen, and repeated with a smile: "Don't get me wrong, the money I received was to honor my master."
"Um?"
The swordsman Li Zhou, who was playing with the stars, stood up straight. Why did she feel like someone was saying bad things about her?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
