This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 102 The Qing Court's Reaction, Tan Sitong and His Son

A grievance drum is set up in front of the county government office.

Zhong Bai smiled and walked to the drum. He looked around and saw that there was only the drumhead and no drumsticks.

Shaking his head, Zhong Bai then decided to use his fist instead of a drumstick and gently tap the drumhead. Zhong Bai was worried that he would use too much force and break the drumhead, but as soon as he touched the drumhead, it shattered instantly like a piece of paper.

"This Yangwu County is really..."

Zhong Bai sighed. He understood now. Not only were the Eight Banner soldiers in Yangwu County arrogant and domineering, but the county government office in front of him was probably no better.

Since literary means don’t work, let’s try force.

Arriving at the yamen, and seeing the tightly closed gate, Zhong Bai kicked it open. Instantly, the gate shattered into splinters with a muffled thud, finally attracting the attention of the yamen runners and the county magistrate and assistant magistrate inside.

As Zhong Bai stepped into the county government office, he saw several constables holding eyebrow-length sticks coming out of the main hall.

Immediately afterwards, the county magistrate, dressed in official robes, also emerged from the main hall with a frown.

He looked at Zhong Bai and gave a stern rebuke.

"Where did this troublemaker come from, daring to disrupt the court? Do you know that what you're doing is a capital offense!"

Speaking in an official tone, the magistrate of Yangwu County thought Zhong Bai was just a reckless and uncouth man, but as soon as he finished speaking and met Zhong Bai's deep gaze, he was immediately terrified.

The Taoist priest in front of him didn't seem as simple as he had thought. However, as a county magistrate, he was used to showing off his power and authority. Even though he had some doubts in his heart, he didn't say a word of weakness.

Zhong Bai smiled, but he looked increasingly cold and icy.

"Everyone says that the county magistrate is the local official who is like a parent to the people, but what I have seen and heard tells me that you, as the local official, seem to have no other function besides exploiting the people."

Upon hearing Zhong Bai's sarcastic remarks, the county magistrate immediately became furious, knowing perfectly well how he had obtained his official position.

He was able to become a county magistrate not because he had any official titles or merits, but because he donated his position to become one.

It might be an exaggeration to say he doesn't know the Four Books and Five Classics, but when it comes to knowledge, he really doesn't deserve to be called learned.

"How dare you! Come on, seize this audacious Taoist priest!"

As soon as the magistrate gave the order, the other yamen runners naturally obeyed and were about to step forward to escort Zhong Bai. However, at this moment, a series of hurried footsteps came. The person who came was also dressed in official robes, but this person was not another county official, but the assistant magistrate of Yangwu County.

The Yangwu County Magistrate, who had just arrived in a hurry, stepped into the yamen and saw that Zhong Bai was about to confront the yamen runners. He quickly shouted a reprimand.

"Stop! How dare you all offend a Celestial Master? Are you courting death?!"

As he spoke, he approached the magistrate. Looking into the magistrate's eyes, the county magistrate was furious. He had only just learned of Zhong Bai's situation. After learning about what happened at the city gate, he rushed to the county office to discuss with the magistrate how to report and handle the matter. Little did he expect that he would almost miss their only chance to survive before even reaching the county office.

With a loud slap, the county magistrate's face was slapped. At this moment, the county clerk no longer cared about the crime of insubordination. Not feeling satisfied after the first slap, he quickly continued to slap him several more times until the county magistrate's official hat fell off and his cheek was swollen. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and respectfully look at Zhong Bai.

"Immortal Master, please forgive my rudeness! This magistrate of Yangwu County is an illiterate scoundrel who has offended you. I hope you will forgive him!"

As he spoke, the county magistrate bowed to Zhong Bai. Normally, the county magistrate was a rank higher than him, and as the saying goes, "a rank higher can crush a person," so he couldn't confront the county magistrate directly.

All we can do is compromise and yield in every situation.

But now it concerns his life and fortune, so whatever rank he holds, he can all get lost!

Didn't you see that hundreds of Manchu soldiers were killed at the city gate?
The magistrate was still somewhat dazed, touching his flushed and burning cheeks, lost in a daze.

Zhong Bai glanced at the other party and saw that he didn't have any karmic burdens on him. It was clear that he was just a scoundrel. Zhong Bai wouldn't send such a person to his death.

He could escape death, but not punishment. Zhong Bai flicked his finger, and a bolt of lightning struck the magistrate's back. In an instant, a sharp pain made the magistrate writhe in agony, collapsing to the ground unable to get up. Zhong Bai crippled him. Since he didn't want to do anything, he could spend the rest of his life lying in bed!
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A bright mirror hangs high in the center of the hall, where Zhong Bai sits at the head of the table, with the county magistrate and several yamen runners standing below him.

"Your divine might is unparalleled, Immortal Master. Our county government has long been displeased with those Eight Banner soldiers, but not only are they of higher rank, they are also descendants of the Eight Banners. We have absolutely no way to deal with them!"

Now that the immortal has arrived and killed more than half of them, there are no major threats to Yangwu County in the future.

But Daoist Master… I'm afraid your actions this time will be reported to Wuchang Prefecture by the surviving Eight Banner soldiers. If the prefect finds out about this, he might even send troops to Yangwu County.”

The county magistrate was a clever man. When Zhong Bai came to their door, they had no way to avoid him. They could neither offend Zhong Bai and risk being killed, nor could they get too close to him lest they be punished by their superiors after he left.

The best way to handle this matter is to get Zhong Bai to leave Yangwu County.

They then reported the situation to clear themselves of any involvement.

However, while their idea was good, Zhong Bai could not do as they wished.

Setting down his teacup, Zhong Bai looked up at the group. "So, you mean you want me to leave Yangwu County...?"

"No, no, no, please let me explain. Yangwu County is only eighty li away from Wuchang Prefecture. As you know, Wuchang Prefecture is the center of the entire Hubei region, and there are probably more than ten thousand Eight Banner soldiers stationed there. If you do not leave Yangwu County, I'm afraid... I'm afraid you will be met with a large army pressing in. At that time, it will be difficult for you to leave."

The county magistrate was speaking from the heart; he too disliked the Eight Banners soldiers, yet the enemy had deployed tens of thousands of elite troops in Wuchang Prefecture. Originally intended to deter revolutionaries from the south, the current situation made it uncertain whether a large army would be pressing in.

Zhong Bai frowned. He was already somewhat embarrassed by the presence of tens of thousands of elite soldiers. It wasn't that he was in any danger, but rather that the people of Yangwu County were innocent, while the Eight Banner soldiers... well, they wouldn't let go of the opportunity to plunder Yangwu County.

"I understand what you're trying to say, but I have no problem leaving Yangwu County."

Zhong Bai stood up and glanced at the several yamen runners, county magistrate, and county assistant present.

"The Han people will eventually rule the Central Plains again. The fate of the Manchu Qing Dynasty has come to an end. You should think carefully about what is more important."

Although it's unclear whether these words are true or false, even a fool could see that the Qing Dynasty was on the verge of decline.

Zhong Bai originally planned to wait in Yangwu County for a while to see how the Qing court would react.

But since Wuchang Prefecture has tens of thousands of elite troops, I can't involve Yangwu County in this.

Zhong Bai's decision was simple: there are no dragon's dens or tiger's lairs in this world, and Wuchang Prefecture is no exception!
Zhong Bai decided to set off now and enter Wuchang Prefecture openly and legitimately.

He wanted to see what the Qing court could do to him...

Just as Zhong Bai got up and left Yangwu County for Wuchang Prefecture, some Eight Banner soldiers who were galloping away to escape had already arrived in Wuchang Prefecture.

Upon arriving in Wuchang Prefecture, the group of Eight Banner soldiers went straight to the prefectural government office.

The prefect of Wuchang Prefecture was a Han Chinese, but the commander of the Eight Banners troops in Wuchang Prefecture was a Manchu.

Therefore, when the news came, a disagreement arose between the prefect and the admiral.

The prefect was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) and understood the identity of the Maoshan Daoist. Although he was not clear about the specifics of the Daoist sect, he was still an upper-class person in society and knew that the Qing Dynasty and the Daoist sect were completely unrelated.

The imperial court is on the verge of collapse. Offending the Taoist sect at this time would be utterly ridiculous!

But the admiral didn't care about any of that. Hundreds of Eight Banner soldiers had died, and he was unwilling to let the matter rest. The two argued endlessly, and in the end, they could only report the news to the Governor-General of Huguang!

The Governor-General of Huguang at that time was named Tan Jixun, and he was extremely surprised when he learned of this.

But what's done is done, arguing about right and wrong is pointless, and the court's face is no longer important. His opinion is to appease and win over Zhong Bai, which, to put it bluntly, is to prevent the court from making any more enemies.

Therefore, when Zhong Bai arrived at Wuchang Prefecture, he saw that although the guards were very surprised to see him, not a single one of them chose to come up and question him.

After Zhong Bai entered the city gate, the news was reported up the chain of command, and the Governor-General of Huguang, Tan Jixun, came to welcome Zhong Bai in person.

Even from a distance, Zhong Bai could see the other party arriving in a sedan chair.

The two looked each other over, and Tan Jixun was the first to ask a question.

"Is the Taoist Master Qianhe of Maoshan in person?"

Seeing the officials treat him with such courtesy and without putting on airs, Zhong Bai realized that while the Qing Dynasty was corrupt and decadent, it was wrong to generalize and condemn everyone.

The man in front of me looked to be in his sixties, with a kind face and a gentle demeanor. He was not burdened by any karmic debts, but rather possessed the demeanor of a Confucian scholar.

"This humble Taoist priest is Qianhe. May I ask who you are...?"

Zhong Bai clasped his hands in a fist salute, and Tan Jixun smiled.

"I am Tan Jixun, the Governor-General of Huguang. I am already aware of what happened to you in Yangwu County. You cannot be blamed for this. These arrogant soldiers and generals usually deceive their superiors and oppress the people. Meeting you is just their fate. It is said that enemies are easy to make but hard to resolve. I hope you will not take it to heart."

Tan Jixun didn't care. In any case, the dead were just some Eight Banner soldiers. He could avoid offending Maoshan and the Taoist sect with just a few words. Why not?

Moreover, since this Maoshan Taoist priest in front of them could kill hundreds of soldiers in a short time, who knows if the people of Wuchang Prefecture could withstand him?

Just as Zhong Bai was about to ask the Governor-General of Huguang what he was thinking when he made such a decision, a young man behind Tan Jixun stepped forward.

"Master, my father's words are all sincere, please rest assured!"

Zhong Bai couldn't help but sized up the other person. Hmm, he seemed to have an upright air about him.

"I wonder who this is?"

Zhong Bai asked with a smile, which immediately relieved Tan Jixun, who had been tense. He had thought that his son's words had displeased Zhong Bai.

“Master Qianhe, this is my son Tan Sitong. Sitong, Master Qianhe is a Taoist disciple of Maoshan, so you can naturally judge whether what I say is true or false.”

Upon hearing this name, Zhong Bai's eyes flickered with a strange light, and he couldn't help but softly recite: "I laugh as I brandish my sword to the heavens, my heart and soul remain steadfast, whether I stay or go. Brother Tan is indeed a hero!"

Upon suddenly hearing these two lines of poetry, Tan Sitong was deeply moved and murmured to himself.

"Master, I never imagined you possessed such literary talent. Your fearlessness in the face of death is truly extraordinary!"

Hehehe, hello Mr. Tan!
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(End of this chapter)