The Hidden Immortal Chapter 68: Still Short of Two People

On the way ho, Zhang Anxiu was still sowhat displeased.

"Why did you pull away? Letting teenagers go join the army. Back then, Shitou's mother was angered to death alive just like this!"

Chu Xun said, "That was then, this is now. At that ti, there was no one to look after him in the army, and Shitou ran off secretly. Now these families are all willing, it cannot be ntioned in the sa breath."

"Aren't you afraid they'll die out..." Zhang Anxiu stopped halfway through her sentence, feeling it was unlucky, and swallowed it back.

Chu Xun knew that although she had a stubborn temper and couldn't listen to his "reasoning," it was also because she worried about the children in the village.

Both of them were getting older; Chu Xun was forty-nine, and Zhang Anxiu was forty-seven.

The children in the village, starting from Qi Ermao's generation, were without exception watched growing up by the couple.

If anything really happened to any family, Zhang Anxiu would be more anxious than anyone else.

A few days later, Chu Xun went to the county yan to attend the local gentry banquet as usual.

When he arrived at the entrance of the county yan, he happened to run into the County Defender, Feng Jintang.

Chu Xun cupped his hands in salute, "Lord Feng."

Feng Jintang looked up at him, then imdiately lowered his head and left without a word.

Chu Xun only felt it was strange. He couldn't say he had a very good relationship with this Lord Feng, but it wasn't bad either.

At the very least, they would always et once a year at the local gentry banquet.

In the past, he always greeted him with a smiling face. What was wrong today?

Entering the door of the county yan, he happened to see the County Magistrate, Li Zhaoming, arriving. After Chu Xun stepped forward to salute, he asked, "I just ran into Lord Feng, he seed to be in a bad mood?"

Li Zhaoming sighed and said, "His Majesty issued a decree to abolish the position of County Defender, only retaining the position of County Deputy. Lord Feng, he... sigh..."

The positions in the county yan were like one radish for one hole.

Even if you were a County Defender, there was no extra position to place you.

The imperial court didn't say they wouldn't give you a position, only saying that if there was nowhere to place you, go ho and await orders first.

All corresponding salary would continue to be issued at seventy percent of the original amount.

Not having to work and still getting silver, many people might feel happy.

But the smart ones all understood that this was just temporary appeasent.

Once the storm of abolishing the County Defender passed, if there really was no position, so what if they cut off your salary?

At that ti, you would just be a small figure with an official rank but no power or influence.

Chu Xun finally understood. Thinking of Feng Jintang's complexion when he left just now, no wonder it was so ugly.

At the local gentry banquet, Chu Xun, as the only Ordinary Guest of Zhangnan County, sat on Li Zhaoming's right side.

On the left side was the County Deputy, Guo Chongyue.

Further down was the master of the Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall, Song Jingmin, and his second son, Song Yuanshan.

Song Jingmin, whose injuries had recovered, was still a Rank 3 martial artist.

The damage caused to him by Cao Yuanhui's trump card move had already been mostly digested.

It was just that with this delay, advancing to a Rank 2 martial artist would inevitably be later.

However, Song Jingmin didn't care at all, claiming that in at most five years, he would definitely advance to Rank 2!

Although sitting in the second seat on the right, below Chu Xun, Song Jingmin's aura was powerful.

When his fierce eyes, like those of a tiger or leopard, looked over, few people dared to et his gaze.

He ca to attend the local gentry banquet just to deal with the County Magistrate.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't speak more than a few words to these rural Secondary Guests and Ordinary Guests, let alone clinking glasses and drinking freely.

Even for Chu Xun, the only Ordinary Guest of Zhangnan County, Song Jingmin didn't give him more than an extra glance.

Perhaps seeing that Chu Xun's white hair increased year by year, while he himself was older but had a full head of black hair.

The glance Song Jingmin cast over was full of a sense of superiority and disdain.

What Ordinary Guest or not, he was just a local dog about to beco old and decrepit. Only the County Magistrate would take these old things who only knew how to farm seriously.

After three rounds of wine, Song Jingmin used the excuse of having matters at ho to get up and leave.

Li Zhaoming didn't stop him, but instead smilingly escorted him out personally.

As the saying goes, scholars use writing to disrupt the law, and knights use martial arts to violate prohibitions.

A person like Song Jingmin naturally couldn't be considered a knight, but he mastered martial arts.

Even the County Magistrate had to give him a bit of face.

Otherwise, if he really caused trouble, it would be much more troubleso than refugees.

Even to the point of risking everything to assassinate you in the middle of the night, how many heads could block a Rank 3 martial artist?

After Li Zhaoming returned, seeing Chu Xun looking towards the door, he thought he was looking at him condescending to escort a martial artist.

After taking his seat, he picked up his wine cup and said, "I've made a fool of myself in front of you again. Once a year, it draws criticism, but there's nothing I can do."

Chu Xun understood what he was saying and replied, "Your Lordship is only considering the big picture, no one is laughing."

"I'd rather not consider the big picture!" Li Zhaoming heavily placed the wine cup back on the table, drawing the attention of the people nearby.

He didn't care, his voice low and his words direct, "After Song Jingmin's injuries healed, the Song family's arrogance has beco increasingly rampant. A few days ago, soone even ca to beat the drum and cry out grievances, saying the Song family forcibly occupied over ten mu of their land and beat several people in their family until they vomited blood."

"I called Song Jingmin over, but he said it was done privately by wicked disciples and had nothing to do with the martial arts hall. Even if it ant beheading, just chop off the wicked disciples' heads."

"The Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall now has hundreds of disciples and is already the largest martial arts hall within a radius of two to three hundred miles. I really hope they do sothing earth-shattering, so I can go to the guard station to borrow troops and eradicate them in one fell swoop!"

No one dared to make a sound, at most just echoing a few complints like "Your Lordship is wise."

Li Zhaoming was not of a tough disposition to begin with, and didn't really plan to do anything.

He said these words once every year at the local gentry banquet, and didn't shy away from the mixed crowd at all.

It was precisely to use the mouths of others to tell the Song family.

The governnt indeed has misgivings about you, but don't go too far.

If truly pushed to the brink, the yan runners and constables of the county yan might not be able to handle you, but there is still the guard station main camp.

No matter how formidable your Song family is, or how many disciples you have, could you possibly block an army of thousands?

To put it bluntly, this was Li Zhaoming's verbal deterrence.

It indeed had so effect, otherwise the current Zhangnan County wouldn't just have this little bit of disturbance.

But that was all.

After Li Zhaoming finished speaking, he let everyone enjoy themselves, while he held Chu Xun's hand and poured out his grievances.

The position of County Magistrate was not a high official rank, but there were many matters.

He was overwheld every day, increasingly missing the tis when Lord Tang and Lord Zheng were still around.

At that ti, although he was only a Master of Records with a low position and little influence, he didn't have to manage so many ssy affairs, let alone worry so much that he lost a handful of hair every day.

If it continued to fall out like this, he was afraid he would beco bald in a few years.

"Your Lordship, do not be too distressed, just keep a calm state of mind. The Song family does evil in a region, and one day they will seek their own doom," Chu Xun said.

"Will that day co?" Li Zhaoming smiled bitterly and said, "Song Jingmin is sixty years old this year, yet his vitality is even more abundant than mine. The newly married concubine gave birth to an eight-jin, eight-liang son for him a few months ago."

"It is said that his root bone is exceptionally excellent, good material for practicing martial arts. In the future, he might be able to reach Rank 1, or even the realm of an Innate Grandmaster."

"I'm afraid even when I die of old age, he can still continue to have sons."

"A son with exceptionally excellent root bone?" Chu Xun blinked, picked up his wine cup, and said with a smile, "In that case, Song Jingmin plus his sons and grandsons, there must be eight people."

"If it weren't for him being picky, not wanting anyone who isn't a national beauty with a root bone for practicing martial arts. Not only is he like this himself, but it's the sa for his sons taking wives. Otherwise, how could the Song family only have eight people, they should have eighteen by now," Li Zhaoming shook his head and said.

Chu Xun didn't speak anymore and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

The wine was very good, its llow fragrance not the slightest bit weaker than the Remaining Years Brew from the Bai family's old shop.

But even if the aftereffect was stronger than the Remaining Years Brew, Chu Xun still felt sothing was missing.

It wasn't until he returned ho and saw the Spirit Pearl Grass at the door that he realized what it was.

"Still short of two people."

[End of Chapter]