Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 63: Fish leap in the vast sea, birds soar in the high sky
(Last week, last two days on the new book chart, well, everyone decide what to do.)
Maoxian County Government Office.

It still faces south.

The high walls and flying eaves, every brick and tile, remain unchanged from before.

But it seems things have changed again.

Because the person in charge of the government office changed, everything changed.

At first glance, the eyes of the pair of stone lions outside the gate seem different, as if a fierce light is gathering within them, staring intently at anyone who wants to enter.

After passing through the front yard, we arrived at the courtroom, where a person sat under the plaque that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High".

This person seemed to have been sitting here all along, with an upright posture and his hands resting flat on the two armrests of the armchair, as if he were holding mountains and rivers.

It was already dusk, and the sky was getting dark. There were no lights in the hall, making it seem dim; there were no clerks or servants either, so it was empty and had a kind of oppressive silence.

Suddenly, a fleeting figure appeared like a ghost and came down to the hall, respectfully saying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, Chen Shounian and his party have left Maoxian and are heading to Yixian."

Magistrate Zhao preferred the title "Sir" to "Young Master," finding it much more pleasant. His face, hidden in the shadow of the plaque, held an unspoken meaning as he uttered two words: "Very good."

The people below the hall then asked, "What should be done with that Scholar Chen?"

Magistrate Zhao said coldly, "Among the eight great families in the world, some busybodies have made a selection, saying that the Zhao family of Xinzhou ranks fifth and the Chen family of Gaozhou ranks sixth. But back then, my Zhao family was once the imperial surname."

The people below listened quietly; he knew when to speak and when to remain silent.

Magistrate Zhao continued, "It's a pity this is Gaozhou Prefecture. No matter what, the Chen family is a local tyrant, and we have to give them some face. I never expected that poor scholar would catch my eye. This has successfully piqued my interest. If he wants to court death, he can't blame anyone else. Mr. Gu, I'm leaving this matter to you. Make sure you handle it well."

Mr. Gu, sitting below, said solemnly, "It will definitely be a good look."

Suddenly remembering something, he asked again, "The Wang family's side?"

"A stray dog ​​is not worth worrying about."

"Yes."

Mr. Gu left, and the courtroom returned to silence.

……

Inside the Chen family's house in Datang Township.

In the afternoon, Chen Jin returned by carriage.

After seeing Chen Shounian off, he quickly began packing; Shi Qifeng did the same, taking everything he needed. As for the house, he had intended to sell it, but time was short, it was difficult to find a buyer, and the market was sluggish, so he couldn't get a good price.

After some consideration, he decided to call back his apprentice, Atie, and leave him to look after the business. If he could run it, he could; if not, he could sell some materials to make a living.

This can be considered a test. If Atie's character passes the test, he can be accepted as a true disciple in the future.

After packing our things, we returned to Datang Township.

Horse-drawn carriages run on the ground, and crows fly in the sky.

However, Xiao Ci did not enter the village, but instead perched in a tree outside the village. It seems that it is still bothered by the label of "unlucky bird" and is afraid of being seen and suffering disgust.

In that case, why bother making a fool of yourself?
What a sensible guy.

Chen Jin didn't say much about it, after all, he only planned to stay at home for one night and set off for Gaozhou County the next day.

He was home, and Chen Yuan and the others were naturally happy, so they quickly killed a chicken.

Chen Jin's family was unaware that Magistrate Zhao had targeted him and prevented him from qualifying for the provincial examination. Chen Jin himself would not mention it to avoid causing them worry.

At the moment, Chen Yuan was most concerned about Chen Shounian's meeting with Chen Jin and wanted to know what the two had discussed.

"Actually, we didn't talk about anything. It was just that my sixth uncle encouraged me to take the provincial examination. If I passed, I would have the opportunity to move back to our ancestral home in the prefecture and be re-registered in the family genealogy."

Chen Jin said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan burst into tears: "Good, good! I've been dreaming about this day, and now it's about to come true." Chen Jin said, "Uncle, I'm just taking the exam. Whether I'll pass or not is still unknown."

Chen Yuan immediately said, "You have overcome thirty major tribulations. From now on, you will surely have a safe and smooth journey, and you will pass every exam with flying colors."

Chen Jin: "..."

Well, after all, everyone loves to hear auspicious and pleasant words.

Chen Yuan added, "If you're going on a long journey, I'll go get you the money. I've already saved up for your travel expenses, and I've been waiting for this day."

Chen Jin stopped him: "No need, I have money."

“What you have is yours. As your uncle, how can I not contribute money?”

As she spoke, she took out a bundle: "It's all here, including a pair of new shoes that your aunt made for you, and a robe."

Chen Jin was touched and accepted the gift. He then turned to Chen Zhi and said, "Brother Zhi, I don't know when I'll be back from this trip. My sister-in-law is showing signs of pregnancy. Whether it's a boy or a girl, as her uncle, I should send her my best wishes. Here's a blessing amulet. Take it and put it on your sister-in-law."

Take out the peace charm given to him by Chen Shounian.

This talisman contains spiritual energy and belongs to the category of ritual implements. It can calm the mind, ward off evil spirits, and exorcise ghosts. However, since he already has the Kui Xing Kicking the Dipper Lamp, he has no use for it.

As for Chen Jin, he even hoped that some ghosts would come and cause trouble, so that Kui Xing, the God of Literature, could eat them one by one and nourish them.

Then he took out a few more strings of cash and asked Chen Zhi to help supplement the family income.

Chen Zhi accepted the talisman but refused all the money: "Young man, you'll need money at every turn when you're out and about, and your expenses will be high. I absolutely cannot accept this money. Don't worry, your father has recovered from his injuries, and you've passed the imperial examination. Now, everyone in the village respects our family. We're doing very well and have no worries about making a living. When you return after passing the imperial examination, the Zhou family will be rushing to give you gifts, but I won't accept them!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin chuckled. After thinking about it, he realized it was indeed true, so he didn't press the matter further.

Silent all night.

The next morning, a hearty breakfast was prepared, along with large bags of biscuits and other rations, enough to last the rest of the journey.

Eat and drink your fill before setting off.

Chen Jin noticed that Chen Min looked a little down, so he went over and said, "Xiao Min, I have a gift for you."

The girl's eyes lit up immediately: "Really?"

"of course."

Chen Jin took out a piece of silk cloth, inside which was a pair of sparkling silver bracelets.

To be honest, this bracelet was made last night with Shi Qifeng, so it's not particularly exquisite, but it's made of high-quality materials.

For rural families, wearing gold and silver is already a great luxury; they wouldn't care about styles and patterns.
Chen Min was overjoyed and immediately ran to her mother to "show off".

When the carriage left the village, not only Chen Yuan and his group came to see them off, but also a group of villagers. Many families stuffed eggs, duck eggs, fruit and other food into Chen Jin's hands.

Chen Jin clasped his hands in thanks and waved goodbye.

After running for a while, with a flapping sound, a crow landed, landing squarely on Chen Jin's shoulder.

They traveled swiftly northwards.

From the time Magistrate Zhao took office to the Wang family's troubles, and then to Chen Shounian's arrival, Chen Jin, who was in the county town for a period of time, always felt that dark clouds were gathering overhead, and that a storm might break out at any moment.

It's like having a huge rock hanging overhead, teetering on the brink of danger.

It's an invisible sense of pressure and oppression that makes people feel quite uncomfortable and difficult to vent.

Even now, as the express train speeds along and the breeze caresses his face, he feels a sense of liberation and high spirits, and he recites: "The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky is high enough for birds to fly!"

Little Ci on the shoulder listened intently, nodding and swaying its head, completely absorbed in the music. It loved listening to the teacher recite poetry.

(End of this chapter)