This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 60 Temporary Demon-Extermination Team

Originally, Zhuang Lin was preparing to leave Wuling County. Wuling was so close to the "Peach Blossom Spring" that the people in the county would have plenty of opportunities to meet again in the future.

But when he heard that Lu Jing had resigned from his public office, Zhuang Lin changed his mind. He knew without even thinking too much that Lu Jing was most likely with the other three gangsters.

Outside the city, on the bank of a relatively quiet river in the Wuling River Basin, four men were sulking on the shore, some sitting cross-legged on the ground, and some sitting on rocks.

There were a few dry lotus leaves on the ground beside them, on which lay a pickled chicken, a few pieces of salted fish, some preserved fruits, a handful of fermented black beans made from soybeans, and of course a few pots of wine.

"Fuck that Wuling Constable! Brother Lu, you're right not to do it. If it weren't for your kindness, I would have slapped that jerk in the face! He's so arrogant after being given a few pennies. He's just a Wuling Order, do you really think a man is afraid of him?"

"Then why don't you fan? Why? Are you scared?" "You"

"Alright, alright, no more words. I, Lu, would like to thank you all for coming to my aid. This time, I will thank you all!"

"Why are you saying this? We're only here to repay your kindness. Come and have a drink!" "Yes, let's drink!"

Several people clinked their wine jugs together and poured the wine into their mouths!
The man with the gun couldn't help but ask a question.

"Brother Lu has resigned from his position as a constable in the county. How should his family be settled? Does my sister-in-law have any objections?"

Lu Jing, who was drinking, paused slightly, put down the wine jug and looked at the person who was speaking, with a slightly strange expression on his face.

"Brother Tianlei, although I am a few years older than you, I have never married. My elders in my family died early, so naturally I have no worries."

"Ah?" "Brother Lu has been back in Wuling for six or seven years, and he still hasn't married?" "No way."

"Well, I thought it would be fine for us rogues like us to have no place to stay and settle down."

Lu Jing's old face was irritated, but fortunately his skin was rough and dark in color, so it was not easy to see. He wanted to make an excuse, but when he saw the three people around him, he knew that they had also been through life and death together, so he sighed and told the truth.

"The salaries of minor county officials are limited to five dou of rice. So if a colleague who doesn't have any extra land scrapes together some extra income from the village to make ends meet, I won't interfere unless it's excessive."
As a police captain, Lu once believed that he was highly regarded by the county magistrate, but his salary was only ten dou of millet and five dou of white rice, with occasional rewards for capturing bandits.

Having said that, Lu Jing sighed again.

"My parents passed away early, leaving only my frail grandfather to take care of me. If it weren't for the support of the hundreds of families in my neighborhood, there would be no Lu Jing in this world. So, after returning home, I've been working as a police captain for the past few years. I've helped whenever I could. I'm not as honest as a noble scholar, but I don't have much spare money either."

Having said that, Lu Jing looked at the three people around him who were listening attentively, and a smile appeared on his face.

"How can you marry and have children?"

The man who asked the question just now wiped the wine stains from his beard and said subconsciously.

"Brother Lu is such a righteous man in the martial arts world, and he has an excellent reputation in his hometown. Isn't there any kind family interested in marrying into your family?"

"Yeah, at least we had the government as our cover before!"

"Yes, yes, but why should I let the girl suffer with me?"

"Hey, Brother Lu, these days, ordinary people are content with having enough food and clothing. You are really..."

Lu Jing sighed for a while, then shook his head, as if to get rid of the haze in his heart.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Now I'm no longer the county constable. Sometimes I just act like a pure gangster, killing those who deserve to be killed and saving those who deserve to be saved. It's a great pleasure to take revenge!"

"Yes, that's not bad!" "Brother Lu is a martial artist, so he can go anywhere in the world." "Right, right, right, how about we go out and explore the world together?"

Lu Jing had previously invited twelve heroes from the martial arts world to help. The three who came were not originally from the same group and were about to go back separately, but now someone brought this up, and the other two also became interested.

However, the three of them then looked at Lu Jing. In terms of character and trustworthiness, they didn't know much about the other two, but they admired Lu Jing!
Lu Jing had originally planned to leave Wuling and go to his master, but now he was also a little excited by what he said.

"I used to be passionate about the martial arts world, and now I have more energy! It's not a bad idea to continue to explore the martial arts world for a few more years!"

"Hahahahaha, that's exactly what I want!" "Brother Lu, shall we go together?"

"Let's go together! Let's have a drink!"

The few of them immediately got rid of their previous discouragement and became enthusiastic, drinking and eating happily.

However, Lu Jing also said that he was planning to sell or dispose of his few acres of land, which could be used to raise some money for travel and for other purposes.

The few of them were drinking happily, but they didn't realize that there was already another person beside them without them noticing.

Zhuang Lin had been listening for a long time and finally spoke up at this moment. The main reason was that there was a question they had not mentioned.

"How much reward did the Wuling County Magistrate give?"

The sound was so sudden that everyone, including Lu Jing, was startled. Some people even jumped away subconsciously and took a defensive stance.

If someone approached him from behind without making any noise, he would have been in great danger if he had encountered a villain in the underworld.

However, when they saw that the person behind them was Zhuang Lin, the four of them all breathed a sigh of relief, and then were surprised.

"Senior!" "It's Senior Zhuang!"

"It's you, Senior! I thought you had left!"

"Yeah, we thought you had left Wuling a long time ago!"

Zhuang Lin smiled and said it jokingly.

"Didn't Zhuang say he came here because of the Peach Blossom Spring? So, of course, he went to look for the Peach Blossom Spring."

As he spoke, Zhuang Lin took two steps forward and sat down on a stone beside him. He picked up a piece of preserved fruit from the lotus leaf on the ground and put it in his mouth to chew. His casual attitude made the four people feel less restrained.

The man holding the gun on the side put down the weapon and asked curiously.

"Has Senior Zhuang been found?" Zhuang Lin shook his head helplessly and looked around. The four people who were nervous just now gathered together again. Then he looked at the water not far away and smiled.

"The so-called Peach Blossom Spring is probably a fabrication by others. It has been spread so widely that people believe it to be true. Naturally, it cannot be found."

Hearing this, Lu Jing frowned slightly, and spoke after hesitation.

"Senior, in fact, the Peach Blossom Spring may not be a fabrication?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" "Has Brother Lu been there?"

Others were shocked, but Lu Jing looked towards the river and recalled the scene as he spoke.

"I was once ordered to search for the Peach Blossom Spring. It was still spring, and our boat got lost in the complex mountain waterways. Although we followed the signs, we never found the Peach Blossom Spring. However, we did encounter a strange current, and I saw many peach blossoms floating downstream. There were no peach trees in the mountains, so where did the peach blossoms come from?"

"Is this really the case?" "Brother Lu, are you mistaken?"

"It really does exist! So I guess the Peach Blossom Land might exist, but it's definitely not an ordinary place. There are monsters in the world, so why can't there be a Peach Blossom Land? Perhaps only in spring when the peach blossoms bloom, there's a chance of finding it."

Lu Jing nodded and said this, but he suddenly realized that although Senior Zhuang said that he came to find Taoyuan, when he told him the key information about Taoyuan, Senior Zhuang seemed not to care.

Zhuang Lin really didn't care, instead he brought the topic back to his original doubts.

"Well, whether or not Peach Blossom Spring exists, it's obviously not easy to find. Rather than such a vague and illusory thing, let's talk about something else. You haven't answered Zhuang's question just now. How much reward did the Wuling County Magistrate give?"

When Lu Jing heard Zhuang Lin bring up the matter again, the other three started getting angry again before he could say anything.

"Humph, that bird official is not stingy at all! He prepared forty taels of silver."

"We each have ten taels, but senior, do you know what the bird official said?
As one person said this, his voice changed and he adopted a deliberately sharp tone.

"What you said, apart from attracting the monster's attention, did not involve any extra effort. The person who took action was basically just that expert who killed the monster with one sword.
Considering your hard work for Wuling County, ten taels per person is a reward. If we really reward according to merit, one thousand coins per person would be enough. It's just that you carried more than 200 kilograms for more than ten miles and acted as a porter."

Zhuang Lin frowned slightly when he heard this. Logically speaking, this statement was not wrong, but it was indeed a bit insulting.

The man continued speaking.

"Originally, I was angry, but the truth is, we were only able to survive thanks to our seniors. We didn't contribute much, so we dare not take credit for ourselves. But later..."

The person who spoke glanced at Lu Jing, and seeing that he didn't object, he also spoke angrily.

"Brother Lu was the head constable of Wuling County. He fought for this county through thick and thin. But when he stayed behind after we left, what do you think the county magistrate said?

He said that although Brother Lu had made great contributions, he also had a serious fault. He had already strictly ordered that he should not leave the city at will, let alone provoke the monster again. Fortunately, a master passed by and a disaster was avoided. If the master had not been there, the monster would not only not be eliminated, but would also bear a grudge against the people who came here, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
As a result, this person waived Brother Lu's money, and if that master hadn't dissuaded him, he would have been punished."

After hearing what others said, Lu Jing also spoke with some anger.

"Although I, Lu Jing, have been a police officer for several years, I will not tolerate being humiliated at will. I will not listen to any advice, throw away my robes and letters, and resign from my position as a constable."

Zhuang Lin stood there, frowning as he listened to the whole story but said nothing.

It's really infuriating from the perspective of four people.

However, Zhuang Lin now has a better understanding of Wuling Ling Pang Boqi. He is a typical rigid and corrupt scholar with limited abilities. He can't be said to have a very bad heart. He can even be considered a tall man among the short ones in this environment.

However, these four people in front of us can also be called righteous men, but their martial arts skills are really poor. However, if you are not good at martial arts, you can practice, but once a bad character is formed, it is difficult to eradicate it.

After they finished speaking, they were probably angry and fell silent for a while.

Zhuang Lin's thought flashed through his mind, and a smile appeared on his face again.

"Actually, I lied before. I came to Wuling because of the rumors about the Peach Blossom Spring, but more importantly, I knew that this place was haunted by evil spirits."

As he spoke, a string of wooden beads appeared in Zhuang Lin's hand, and the attention of the other four people was subconsciously attracted. As Zhuang Lin deliberately catalyzed some of the aura on the beads, the four people felt a slight chill in their bodies.

Zhuang Lin pointed quickly at the faces of the four people through the air. The four people only felt a slight soreness in their noses, and then they could vaguely smell a faint stench, which made them feel uncomfortable and uneasy.
"This is the demonic energy!"

After only a short while, the four people's nasal soreness subsided, the aura disappeared instantly, and Zhuang Lin also withdrew the magic power to activate the beads.

"That giant monkey is just one of the beads. It's the most urgent one, having been causing the most harm lately, so it came to Wuling first. The other four beads also represent a demonic creature in cultivation."

It would be troublesome to explain the whole story to the four of them, and it would also involve the level of immortal cultivation. In comparison, saying this would point directly to the result and would actually save trouble.

After all, Zhuang Lin didn't really need to explain anything to the four people, he just liked them and wanted to find an opportunity to give them some pointers.

When they heard Zhuang Lin say this, the four of them suddenly understood!
"Senior, you really came here to hunt down evil spirits!" "I knew it, it's such a coincidence!"

"So there are four more?" "So there are so many monsters in the world."

"What's with that smell just now? And our noses, senior, this..."

"Yeah! How did we smell it?" "Just now, my senior tapped me and my nose is sore!"

"Me too"

There was surprise in the words of several people, and Zhuang Lin explained.

"The acupoints in the human body have many magical uses. Just now, I only used my true energy to stimulate the large orifice in your nose, causing you to smell the evil spirit for a short time. Let's not talk about this matter for now."

After a pause, Zhuang Lin looked at the four people with a half-smile and continued.

"Since the four of you are all willing to be chivalrous and righteous in the martial arts world, would you be willing to join me and eliminate those four evildoers together? What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)