Ch 187: Sixth Master Chen, Compassionate And Merciful, Large White Horse, Majestic And Awe-inspiring
The twentieth day of the Twelfth Lunar Month, during the Greater Cold, ten days remaining until the New Year.
In Fengling County City, a heavy snow fell.
In previous years at this time, countless vagrants and lowly households froze to death on the streets.
This year, there were no people seen frozen to death.
This wasn’t because of timely cleanup, but because after autumn, a household registry was compiled, and the Fengling Merchant Guild distributed money to everyone. While not much, it was enough to buy winter supplies.
Before winter, the Fengling Merchant Guild also provided targeted subsidies based on each household’s situation. This was a time-consuming and expensive project, but the results were good.
However, many people didn’t understand what the Fengling Merchant Guild was actually trying to do.
In the past, the Four Great Families would also distribute porridge and medicine, performing good deeds to enhance their reputation, but these were superficial efforts. Who would truly care about the lives of commoners?
But the Fengling Merchant Guild genuinely worked hard, doing its best to help lowly households survive the winter.
Now, as the New Year approached, the Fengling Merchant Guild began distributing money, grain, and cloth. They also sent people to the surrounding villages.
Northwest of the city, Rotten Mud Alley.
An old man with missing teeth, tightly clutching a bag of coarse grain, his knuckles purple from the cold, squatted in a corner. His voice, like a broken bellows, muttered, “In previous years at this time, people either froze or starved to death, or sold their children… This year, Sixth Master Chen gave a path to life!”
A frail woman, holding her young child, wrapped the child in a worn but thick cotton-padded jacket she had just received. She herself only wore a single layer of clothing, tears streaming down her face.
“My husband died fighting bandits last year, leaving me and this child. If it weren’t for Sixth Master Chen’s rations and cotton cloth, my child and I… we wouldn’t have survived this winter!”
“Sixth Master Chen’s great kindness, even if I were to be an ox and horse for a lifetime, I couldn’t repay it!”
Nearby, a silent, scarred, lame man looked at a string of coins in his hand: “Ox and horse? We’re lowly lives, not even worth a good animal!”
“Sixth Master Chen is a high-ranking official in the Town Guard Bureau! He has gold and silver, personnel, and incredible abilities!”
“We who scrape by in the mud, our bones are dry, what do we have?”
“Besides a life, only this bit of warmth in our hearts!”
He chuckled bitterly, hitting his crippled leg: “Our lives are cheaper than grass, what can we use to repay Sir?”
Hearing this, the people around fell silent. They truly couldn’t think of how to repay Chen Huian’s kindness.
Dragon Head Mountain, surrounded by spiritual energy, was spring-like year-round, without a hint of coldness.
Chen Huian stood beside the herbal field at the foot of the mountain, Chen Erdog and Guo Dachuan standing respectfully behind him.
“An official from Jiangling County is coming to Fengling County. I need to return. You continue farming and cultivating, do not delay!”
“Also, if you discover anyone from other counties entering the mountain, immediately pretend to be bandits. If you can defeat them, kill them; if not, ask the Wind Wolf and other great demons for help!”
“Only those protected by the Fengling County Town Guard Bureau can be allowed into Fulong Mountain, but they can only cultivate within the Dragon Claw Ridge area, and only for five days!”
Before leaving, Chen Huian gave careful instructions.
Guo Dachuan could no longer return to Fengling County. After all, they had officially left with Inspector Song Ping. Staying in the mountains as bandits, managing the herbal fields was suitable.
These people’s aptitudes were somewhat lacking, but with the support of pills and spiritual energy, they successfully broke through to the Blood Condensation Realm.
Compared to Chen Huian at the Blood Condensation Realm, their combat abilities were far inferior, but they were more than enough to deal with other martial cultivators who wanted to forcibly enter Fulong Mountain.
After their conversation, Zhao Lingxue and Meng Weiyang, along with the little girl, also came down the mountain.
Chen Huian’s original plan was to return to Fengling County himself, leaving Zhao Lingxue and the others in the mountains. However, Zhao Lingxue wanted to follow Chen Huian, and having cultivated in the mountains for so long, she felt somewhat stifled. As the New Year approached, it was a good time to return to the county and relax.
Zhao Lingxue followed Chen Huian, Meng Weiyang disguised herself as an old woman and followed on the other side, behind them Wu You led a white deer, on which the playful little girl sat.
The group arrived at the shore, boarded a palace boat, and sailed downstream to Fengling Ferry.
Wu You escorted Zhao Lingxue and the others back to Chen Residence in Yongchang Alley, while Chen Huian rode a deer to the Town Guard Bureau.
Wearing armor, riding a white deer taller than the Grand Flag Officer’s white horse, he was majestic and imposing. Those who saw Chen Huian along the way knelt down and paid their respects.
“Sixth Master!”
“Sixth Master!”
Once upon a time, he was in a mud brick house, relying on others for even a hard flatbread.
Now, he was Chen Sixth Master, valiant and heroic, riding a deer.
Entering White Tiger Hall, Chen Huian dismounted, leading the deer to the back yard.
Old Biao, as always, sat in a chair in the courtyard.
“Uncle Biao!”
“Sixth Young Master? You’ve reached the Entry Aperture Realm – Great Accomplishment?” Old Biao’s eyes widened in surprise.
Chen Huian’s cultivation speed wasn’t slow before, but that was Body Refinement and Blood Condensation Realm. With some talent and sufficient resources, most people wouldn’t be much slower.
But now, Chen Huian had reached the Entry Realm, and it had only been a few months? He’d reached the Entry Aperture Realm – Great Accomplishment!
The clan heirs of those great families in Jiangling County, with countless resources, didn’t achieve this so quickly!
“Goodness, it won’t be long before Sixth Young Master’s strength surpasses Master!”
“I wonder whether he’ll be happy or sad to hear this news!”
Old Biao joked.
“A Liu guesses he’ll be happier, after all, greater strength means more silver, which he can use for filial piety towards his old father. I just wonder how Master is doing now!”
“Master has great fortune, even if he encounters difficulties, he’ll overcome them!”
Old Biao said, then changed the subject: “Sixth Young Master, this large white deer is truly impressive!”
“What deer? There’s no deer, this is clearly a horse! A large white horse I tamed in Fulong Mountain!” Chen Huian immediately corrected.
“What horse? You’re the horse! I am a sacred deer! Sacred… never mind, for the sake of the spirit herbs, I won’t argue with your shortsighted mortal!”
The white deer thought to itself, accepting its new identity.
“My eyes are dim, it’s truly a fine horse! A fine horse suits a hero. Only someone as young and promising as Sixth Young Master could tame such a majestic steed!” Old Biao changed his words quickly, nodding quickly.
“Uncle Biao, you flatter me!” Chen Huian modestly replied, then asked Old Biao about recent events in Fengling County.
Although he often learned about Fengling County and the surrounding county towns through Lin Wanyu, hearing from multiple sources provided clarity, so he came to Old Biao to gather information first.
The two talked for more than an hour, and most of the news was similar to what he already knew.
Chen Huian’s greatest concern was the heretical cultivators in Qionghua County.
Based on the current intelligence, a large number of heretical cultivators were still stationed in Qionghua County, and their strength was considerable.
However, their current focus was on searching for Zheng Wenyuan.
As for the Saintess, she had been “missing” for over twenty years. Luo Tian Outer Sect was filled with factions, and the various internal forces used the pretext of searching for the Saintess to leave Yunzhou and develop their own territories.
As the strongest county in Jiangling County, Qionghua County possessed extremely rich resources. These heretical cultivators from Yunzhou had no foundation and desperately needed these resources to grow stronger.
Jiangling County was dealing with Lieyang County, so Luo Tian Outer Sect naturally had to seize this opportunity to develop rapidly.
Therefore, the disappearance of Song Ping had not yet been investigated by the heretical cultivators.
This relieved Chen Huian, but the presence of heretical cultivators nearby was still a huge hidden danger.
“Sixth Young Master, you’ve been cultivating hard in the mountains these past few days, so you might not know!”
“The people of Fengling County are all grateful to you, and even want to build a shrine for you!”
Chen Huian knew that his reputation had reached an unprecedented level. After all, he had spent a lot of real silver, and it was bound to create some ripples.
“However, this old servant doesn’t understand why Sixth Young Master would spend so much to treat those people well?”
Old Biao was puzzled. Was it because Chen Huian also came from a lowly household? But that wasn’t enough to make the Fengling Merchant Guild spend hundreds of thousands of taels of silver all at once?
Chen Huian would not stoop to exploiting the lower classes like the Four Great Families, finding reasons to collect taxes. How much money could that possibly generate?
Moreover, most lowly households had already been squeezed dry. Even if you sucked the marrow from their bones, you wouldn’t get much.
Chen Huian wanted sustainable exploitation!
The sky doesn’t fall pies for nothing. What’s given today needs to be returned tenfold later.
“I also came from a lowly household, and I deeply understand their suffering. Now that I have some ability, I just want to do what I can.”
Old Biao didn’t believe Chen Huian’s platitudes, but he still smiled and nodded: “Sixth Young Master, your compassionate heart will surely be blessed with good fortune!”
Afterwards, Chen Huian prepared to visit Li Qilin, the current sole Commander of the Town Guard Bureau.
“Big White!”
He had been so engrossed in his conversation with Old Biao that he forgot about his white deer. When he turned to look, he saw that the deer had eaten all the flowers Old Biao had carefully cultivated.
“This…” Old Biao’s face darkened.
“Uncle Biao, I’m truly sorry, this beast is still untamed. I’ll compensate you ten times the price for your flowers!” Chen Huian quickly said.
“Forget it! Sixth Young Master, go ahead and get busy!” Old Biao took a deep breath and shook his head.
“Then… A Liu will take his leave!”
Chen Huian felt a little embarrassed. He secretly left a bottle of pills on the table and led the white deer away from White Tiger Hall.
“You beast, why did you ruin our things? If you must cause trouble, go ruin someone else’s!” Chen Huian scolded angrily.
“Yo yo…”
The white deer seemed to have gained some enlightenment, nodding repeatedly.
In a flash, the man and the deer arrived outside Qilin Hall.
“This subordinate, Chen A Liu, Grand Flag Officer of White Tiger Hall, requests an audience with Commander Li!”
