Chapter 7: Invoking the Immortals Requires Sincerity

Hearing that Tian Guofu, the magistrate of Qingping Town, had come to visit, Zhang Qingyun was visibly surprised. Could it be that after being in Qingshan County for so long, someone was finally willing to pledge their loyalty to him?

With this thought in mind, Zhang Qingyun said, "Please, invite Magistrate Tian in."

Tian Guofu soon entered and performed a formal salute to Zhang Qingyun: "Commoner Tian Guofu pays his respects to the County Magistrate."

"Magistrate Tian, please rise. I wonder what business brings you to report to this county office?" Zhang Qingyun asked with a smile.

Tian Guofu hurriedly replied, "Does the Magistrate know that in the Qingping Mountains, a fierce tiger has become a demon, wreaking havoc and harming lives?"

Zhang Qingyun nodded. "I am aware of this matter. It is said that the previous two magistrates invited many cultivators, but none could achieve success, leaving the tiger demon to continue its evil deeds in the mountains to this day."

As he spoke, Zhang Qingyun frowned. Could it be that Tian Guofu wanted him to find a cultivator to eliminate the tiger demon?

If the matter were truly that simple, how could the tiger demon have remained so rampant in the mountains for so many years?

Tian Guofu seemed to perceive Zhang Qingyun's thoughts and quickly added, "The Magistrate is unaware, but some time ago, a Daoist priest arrived in Qingping Town. He possesses extraordinary skills and has already eliminated the tiger demon!"

"Hmm?!"

Zhang Qingyun was startled.

He truly had not expected that the tiger demon, which had ravaged the Qingping Mountains for so many years, having consumed countless people and killed many cultivators, had actually been eliminated by a suddenly appearing Daoist!

But the next moment, a thought occurred to Zhang Qingyun: Since that Daoist is so powerful, why not invite him to become his own aid?

He was from a branch of a noble family, and it was already a stroke of great luck that he could come to Qingshan County to serve as the magistrate.

Coming to Qingshan County alone with his daughter, he had no usable manpower at his disposal; otherwise, he would not have been so easily manipulated by the local gentry.

Once he could gain the assistance of a cultivator, the situation would surely be different!

Thinking of this, Zhang Qingyun immediately said, "That Daoist priest removing the tiger demon is a great relief for our Qingshan County!"

"Magistrate Tian, take a thousand taels of silver back with you to reward that Daoist on my behalf. Also, invite that Daoist to the county seat; I wish to meet the priest who was able to slay the tiger demon."

Tian Guofu had been waiting for these words and quickly replied, "I shall strictly follow the Magistrate's orders."

Soon, Tian Guofu hurried back to Qingping Town with the thousand taels of silver.

He then quickly organized his men, wrapping the silver and some fruits in red silk, and headed up the Qingping Mountains to the sound of gongs and drums.

Such a lively commotion naturally disturbed Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng was by nature a person who preferred quiet. Seeing a large group of people coming up with gongs and drums, he could not help but frown.

Soon, Tian Guofu arrived in front of the Daoist temple with a large crowd.

Tian Guofu approached with a smiling face: "Daoist Jiang, good news!"

"What good news could there be?" Jiang Sheng's expression remained indifferent.

Tian Guofu said with a glowing face, "Daoist Jiang, I have already informed the Magistrate of the news that you eliminated the tiger demon for our Qingping Town."

"The Magistrate was overjoyed to hear that such a Daoist priest had come to Qingshan County."

"And so, the Magistrate has ordered us to bring you a thousand taels of silver as a reward."

As he spoke, Tian Guofu added quite excitedly, "The Magistrate also wishes to invite you to the county office, saying he wants to meet you in person!"

"Hah!"

With a cold sneer, there was no warmth in Jiang Sheng's eyes.

Seeing Jiang Sheng's expression, Tian Guofu's heart suddenly skipped a beat; he felt that something had gone wrong.

The young men who were beating the gongs and drums also felt an inexplicable chill, and one by one, they stopped their jarring, festive music.

Jiang Sheng's indifferent gaze swept over the crowd, causing everyone to tremble.

"A thousand taels of silver?"

"As a reward?"

"What do you take this Daoist for?"

Jiang Sheng's attitude undoubtedly frightened Tian Guofu and the others.

Tian Guofu hurriedly said, "Daoist Jiang, we truly meant well!"

"And this matter was initiated by the Magistrate himself, wanting to give you a thousand taels of silver and invite you to the county seat..."

Jiang Sheng looked at Tian Guofu with a half-smile. That gaze made Tian Guofu's heart crawl, and he could not help but lower his head.

As Jiang Sheng's gaze swept past, the wealthy merchants and gentry of Qingping Town also lowered their heads like quails, not daring to look up.

The old scholar who had been so eloquent when offering his advice a few days ago was now trembling so violently he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"I have already told you that I do not care for your gifts, and you should stop wasting your efforts!"

"Is it that you cannot understand what I say, or do you think I am soft-hearted and easy to bully?"

As Jiang Sheng spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and a gust of wind swept over, blowing the crowd, along with the silver, fruits, gongs, and drums, all away.

Tian Guofu only felt a violent wind tossing him about, and when his vision cleared, he found he had been blown all the way to the foot of the mountain!

The wealthy gentry and young men of Qingping Town looked at one another, all covered in cold sweat, none daring to say another word.

Tian Guofu, however, looked bitter. He looked toward the mountainside and shouted, "Daoist, it really was the Magistrate who sent me to invite you."

Jiang Sheng's cold voice drifted down from the mountain: "The Magistrate?"

"A mere thousand taels of silver as a reward, and he expects me to go to the county seat to see him?"

"What a joke!"

"If your Magistrate truly wishes to see me, then let him come to the Qingping Mountains!"

"All of you, disperse at once! If you disturb my cultivation again, do not blame me for being impolite!"

Hearing this, the crowd scrambled back to Qingping Town.

Everyone was disheveled and in a sorry state.

The wealthy gentry looked at Tian Guofu in distress, and Tian Guofu could only sigh: "Sigh, I suppose I will have to go back and report this to the Magistrate."

When Tian Guofu hurried back to Qingshan County and explained the situation to Magistrate Zhang Qingyun, Zhang Qingyun's expression changed instantly.

"I am the dignified magistrate of a county, and I send someone to invite a wild Daoist, yet he refuses to come? He insists that I, the Magistrate, must go and invite him personally?!"

"He is nothing but a wild Daoist, yet he is even more arrogant than the gentry in the county seat!"

Tian Guofu stood to the side, not daring to speak. Zhang Qingyun waved him away in anger, then sulkily returned to the backyard to rest.

Back in the backyard of the county office, Zhang Qingyun was still fuming. He smashed a teacup, frightening the servants so much that they trembled, fearing that the angry Magistrate would vent his rage on them.

Zhang Qingyun could not understand.

Why, within the borders of the Qi Kingdom, could he, as the Magistrate of Qingshan County, not even invite a wild Daoist?

Could it be that he was already a widely known puppet, a clay figurine that could only sit in the county office?

If this is what being a magistrate is like, what is the point?

"Father, why are you so angry? Is there something you would like to tell your daughter?"

A voice as crisp and moving as an oriole sounded in Zhang Qingyun's ear. Zhang Qingyun turned his head to see his intelligent and beautiful daughter, Zhang Qing.

Seeing his beloved daughter, Zhang Qingyun's expression softened slightly: "Qing'er, weren't you out listening to stories? Why do you have time to come see your father?"