Chapter 718: Chapter 206: Rebel Fan Wu? The Dog Meat Magistrate and the Old Taoist (10,000-Word Mega Chapter, Please Subscribe)_6

A government official first warned the shifty-looking individual, "If I find out everything you’ve said is nonsense, you’re in for it, kid! But if such things have really happened, the Magistrate will certainly not short-change you."

Having delivered the warning, he hurriedly ran back towards the yamen.

"I’ll go and report to the Magistrate, sir!"

"..."

The Magistrate of Iron Mountain County appeared to be a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

Or perhaps...

An old man.

Because in this world of mysticism, the average lifespan wasn’t particularly high; being nearly fifty was enough to be called grandfather, and one’s grandchild might already be helping with household chores!

It was evident that the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County had a particularly good diet, appearing even more rotund and jowl-heavy than the manager of an inn.

In his hands, the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County cradled a cup of tea, and then, addressing the person in front of him with respect, he said, "Mage, the Elixir you’ve recently refined for this official has had remarkable effects."

His tone was even tinged with excitement, "I feel that after taking these Elixirs, I am close to sensing Qi within my body!"

The man seated opposite the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County was also a man.

This man was even older than the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County, looking to be in his eighties or nineties, with white hair and a beard to match.

The man was dressed in a rather plain Daoist Robe, appearing to be a very ordinary, elderly Taoist.

At most, a Taoist who had lived a particularly long life.

"Hmm..." the old Taoist said, "Magistrate, you are ultimately of an advanced age. If you’d been merely a decade younger, you might have felt the Qi a year ago. Our pursuit of the Dao hinges not just on talent, but also on one’s physical foundation."

"The older one gets, the more deteriorated their foundation becomes," the old Taoist paused, speaking idly, "However, with the Elixirs provided by this old Taoist aiding you, Magistrate, your entry into the path of cultivation is... not too late."

"If my calculations are correct, in another month’s time, the Magistrate will truly step onto the path of cultivation," he surmised.

"After that, things will proceed smoothly, and your lifespan will increase significantly."

After listening to the old Taoist’s words,

the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County felt a great weight lifted off him. He drained the cup of tea in his hand and remarked with emotion, "This path of cultivation is quite costly. I have already paid a substantial amount of Silver, but it’s still not enough."

The old Taoist explained, "Money is nothing but an external possession. If you could use ten thousand taels of Silver to exchange for ten additional years of life, would you, Magistrate, be willing?"

"Of course I would be willing!" the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County affirmed without hesitation.

He was not young himself, being in his forties or fifties, and he could clearly feel that his body was no longer what it once was.

At such a time, he desperately desired a better body and a longer lifespan.

For this, he was willing to pay any amount of Silver.

After all...

It wasn’t his own Silver he was spending!

The Magistrate of Iron Mountain County exchanged a knowing look with the old Taoist, for they both knew well the source of this Silver.

Or, one might say, the whole of Iron Mountain County knew.

But...

Others did not understand why this gluttonous Magistrate was so greedy for Silver or what he intended to do with it.

Only the two of them were in the know!

Just as the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County was about to say something else, he suddenly caught sight of someone running over in a panic from the corner of his eye. Then, he heard the person shouting, "Magistrate, sir, there’s trouble, a great disaster has occurred!!"

Interrupted mid-sentence, the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County’s expression naturally soured, and with a frosty face, he demanded, "All this panic, what sort of decorum is this? What’s happened?"

The person who ran in... was none other than a government official responsible for guarding the gates, who relayed the news he had received, detail by detail.

This made the eyelids of the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County twitch incessantly.

Smash!!!

With a livid face, the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County smashed his teacup onto the ground and hissed through clenched teeth, "Ruffians dare to infiltrate Iron Mountain County? To lay hands on the officials? They must be a group of rebels with sinister intentions!"

With that single declaration, he labeled Fan Wu and the others accordingly.

If he could deal with Fan Wu and his companions, it would be considered a meritorious deed in suppressing bandits, a quelling of rebellion.

Therefore.

Fan Wu and his group were rebels whether they were or not.

"You, summon people!" commanded the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County, "Call as many as you can gather, and remember, those thieves must not escape Iron Mountain County! Better to make a big commotion of it!"

The Magistrate of Iron Mountain County needed to maintain his deterrent power within Iron Mountain County, and now that it was being challenged, it was only natural that he fought back. Moreover, he had to do so publicly.

He wanted the lowlifes of Iron Mountain County to see what kind of power he, the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County, wielded.

In this way, he could completely intimidate the lowlifes!

Afterward, matters such as taxation would become much more convenient.

It would not only clear out a group of "rebels" and stabilize the rebellion,

but also serve as a cautionary tale and maintain his deterrent power as the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County, truly killing two birds with one stone.

Watching the government official rushing out,

the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County shook his head and turned to speak to the old Taoist, "Rebels are causing trouble, but it’s just a minor interruption. After today, it will all be over."

The old Taoist nodded slightly, "Your Honor can have your men bring the corpses of those rebels over. They might be useful when crafting the next elixir."

"Oh?" the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County laughed, "Wouldn’t that be killing three birds with one stone? Hahaha!!"

...

Because the Magistrate of Iron Mountain County wanted to make a spectacle of the incident, the news spread with the speed of wings, scorching through all of Iron Mountain County.

"Goodness! Someone dared to pull at that dog meat Magistrate’s beard, don’t they know how to spell ’death’?"

"I heard that group is a bunch of outsiders, a bunch of rebels."

"Bunch of rebels my foot! It’s just that dog meat Magistrate trying to gild his own face! To label a group of outsiders as rebels, that’s quite an accomplishment!"

"Shall we go and watch the excitement?"

"No way, damn it! I’ve just been robbed of twenty coins by the lackeys of that dog meat Magistrate for some damn tax. Disgusting, truly damn disgusting!!"

"Those outsiders... they’re as naive as calves unafraid of tigers, poor things."

"Indeed, if they don’t hurry up and escape, I reckon they won’t make it out alive."

"..."

...

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