"Of course, the government would never withhold or exploit such wealth. Why would Young Master Feng have such concerns?"
Officer Xing, who delivered the reward money, did not leave as cleanly and efficiently as before. Instead, he stood at a distance and chatted with Feng Bingwen. His words were less wary than before, as if he was plotting something.
"I was overthinking it. After all, this is a considerable sum of money. Even in this county town, it's enough to buy a house with a courtyard and a gate. It's quite normal for some people in the government to have such thoughts."
"Hehe, Young Master Feng is joking."
Officer Xing chuckled dryly. Under normal circumstances, such a reward would naturally attract some people who would try to take a share.
However, the details of this person's background were clearly written in black and white in the newly opened file created by the government: a disciple of a Taoist immortal cultivator. Although it was unclear which Taoist sect he belonged to, whatever it was, he was someone that these lowly mortal officials could not afford to offend.
"Is there anything else, Officer Xing?"
Seeing that the constable was still there, Feng Bingwen naturally guessed that he had other ideas, so he took the initiative to ask him.
"Well, Young Master Feng, although it may be a bit presumptuous, the magistrate asked me to inquire whether you are interested in joining the public service for cultivation. Although there will be some restrictions, all the resources will surely satisfy you."
"Entering the public service to cultivate oneself is unnecessary. I am fond of the worldly prosperity, but I have no interest in officialdom."
As expected, Feng Bingwen shook his head and refused, and Officer Xing was not surprised by this answer.
If it were a rogue cultivator with no connections, they would naturally be more than willing to join a government organization for cultivation. But this person is different; he has a powerful background and it's normal that he doesn't want to be bound by such constraints.
But being unrestrained is also fine. The Great Gan Dynasty has plenty of ways to get disciples from Taoist and Buddhist temples to contribute. Since they are cultivators, they naturally have desires for external things.
"Would Young Master Feng be willing to cooperate with us?"
"What kind of cooperation?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Bingwen's face immediately showed interest.
“Young master, please look. Just like the villain you killed yesterday, we constables who have practiced some martial arts can handle him. But in the mountains and wilderness, there are spirits and monsters with their own supernatural powers. They appear and disappear unpredictably. If they do evil, ordinary people simply cannot deal with them. It takes a reclusive true cultivator like you, young master, to suppress them.”
"Of course, with a true cultivator like yourself intervening, once the matter is resolved, the government will naturally offer appropriate rewards. They certainly won't let you act for nothing or waste your cultivation time."
"If it's about dealing with harmful demons, then I have no problem with it, and I'd even be happy to do so."
Upon hearing this, Feng Bingwen readily agreed, but he still added one sentence.
"But this demon must be within my ability to handle. If there is any danger to my life, don't blame me for refusing."
"That's only natural."
Officer Xing was all smiles, his attitude completely different from before. If this matter succeeded, he would gain considerable benefits, and might even get a glimpse of the innate realm of martial arts, which would transform him completely and give him a bright future.
"Actually, it's not just demons. If there are any evil martial artists, you can also let me know, and I'll be happy to help."
"That would be best, as long as you don't find it troublesome, young master."
"By the way, regarding my affairs, I don't want my parents and elders to know before I tell them."
"I see."
Xing Putou nodded repeatedly, his attitude becoming even more respectful. Although he was just a constable, his knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary people in the martial arts world.
Judging from what this young master Feng said, could it be that, as he read in the book, a powerful immortal has been reincarnated and is experiencing the trials and tribulations of the mortal world, feeling the warmth and coldness of human relationships?
"I think everything's alright now. If not, I'll head back to class."
"After you."
"Put on a normal posture. It's really strange for a constable like you to be bowing and scraping to me."
Feng Bingwen muttered something to himself, and after straightening up, he walked towards the school.
"These cultivators who practice immortality are really strange."
Officer Xing stood there watching as the child, who was not even as old as his son, skipped and hopped into the school. He couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He dared not utter such words aloud, for who knew what special abilities this seemingly mischievous child might possess?
"However, I finally got this matter done. I didn't expect this young master Feng to be so easy to talk to. When I get back, I will definitely receive a reward from the county magistrate."
Officer Xing couldn't help but show his delight. He could get rewarded for bringing together a promising cultivator to cooperate with the government.
Feng Bingwen was in a good mood when he returned to the school. Because of his violent intervention, the hooligans in Qingshan County had completely disappeared from the streets.
This also means that he has basically lost his biggest source of good deeds. Although he can get a share of the good deeds that the reformed hooligans do occasionally, those little good deeds are not worth Feng Bingwen's attention now, even though they add up to a considerable amount.
However, it still couldn't compare to what he gained from that night when he transformed into a dragon in his dream and slew the ferocious beast. In addition, he had just been strolling by the lake yesterday and had inexplicably picked up eight hundred merits.
But these things are all things that can't be forced; they're purely a matter of luck. But now, it's like a pillow has fallen when you're sleepy—everything you want has come to you.
Because of this matter, the government actually took the initiative to seek his cooperation. It's not hard to understand, really. There are probably quite a few cultivators like him who travel in the mortal world. It's perfectly normal to select the good ones among them and use their power to eliminate the negative factors that affect the rule.
The matters that would prompt a prosperous government to seek help from a cultivator are all thorny issues.
Of course, Feng Bingwen was not afraid at all; the more difficult the problem, the better, because that meant he could gain more merit—as long as it didn't exceed the limit of what he could solve.
However, while Feng Bingwen thought this way, the government was quite ruthless. Just three days after he agreed to cooperate, they presented him with a thorny and difficult matter that he could choose whether or not to handle.
What's most interesting is that this difficult situation is also somewhat related to him.
White Crocodile Bay is a fishing village near the water in Lingmeng County, Longchuan Prefecture. The villagers rely on this bay for their food and daily life. In recent years, this fishing village, which used to struggle to make ends meet, has become rich. Every household has built a new house with green tiles and blue bricks, and it has been completely transformed.
The reason for this is that this village is able to reliably obtain abundant fish catches from the bay through special means, which can be exchanged for a lot of money each time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com