The First Volume of Qinghe County

  After seeing Ximen Qing off, Wu Daoguan felt a bit damp on his back and was still pondering what Ximen Qing wanted to do with the alchemy furnace. At this time, a small Taoist priest came up and kowtowed: "Master, I'm leaving if there's nothing else."

  "Wait a minute." Wu Daoguan thought for a moment: "Take out your things, just in time to add something."

  The little Taoist responded with a sound, took out a square cloth package from his bosom, and presented it. Wu Daoguan opened the package, inside which was a small booklet with a black background and red characters, written on it were three beautiful characters "Qí Wén Lù".

  Wu Daoguan hastily flipped through a few pages, picked up his brush and continued writing: "On this day, a grand gathering was held. Half of the western street offered incense and oil worth 50 guan, seeking a heavenly marriage sign. Also borrowed a dan furnace, no solution."

  "Be careful on the road, can you?" Wu Daoguan blew dry the ink marks while reminding the little Taoist: "When arriving at Ji State, bow your head in front of Luo Shenxian and don't look around randomly."

  "Don't worry, Master, I understand." The little Taoist replied.

  The strange news was re-packed into a cloth bag and stuffed into the small Taoist's bosom.

  "Master, I'm leaving." The little Taoist took his leave of Wu Daoyuan and left the Jade Emperor Temple. He found a secluded spot, pulled out two wooden horses from his side, tied one to each leg, and began reciting the divine travel incantation. In an instant, he vanished into thin air, crossing mountains and ridges as he headed towards Ji Zhou.

  "Where did that Ximen official run off to? Why can't we find him anywhere in the temple?" Wang Po pulled Pan Jinlian along, squeezing through the crowds in the Jade Emperor Temple, but they still couldn't find Ximen Qing.

  "Perhaps the master has already finished burning incense and left?" said Pan Jinlian, "Let's not bother with that anymore, I'm a bit tired."

  "Why are you so tired at such a young age? I, an old woman, am not even tired." Wang Po's eyes sparkled like she had been injected with chicken blood, and her spirit was great: "Let's continue to search, we can pack up quickly, going up and down the mountain is just one road, West Gate Officer will definitely not have left."

  "Damn it!" Pan Jinlian was dragged by Wang Po, searching for Ximen Qing everywhere, and unexpectedly found a small wooden door slightly ajar in the corner.

  "Push the door and take a look!" Wang Po's spirit was undiminished as she directed Pan Jinlian to push the door.

  "Mother Wang, this is the last place." Pan Jinlian stepped forward, stretched out her hand to push open the door, and turned her head to look at Mother Wang: "If Ximen Daoye isn't inside, we'll have to go back."

  "Go ahead, hurry up and push the door open to take a look." Wang Po replied impatiently, but in fact, she was thinking completely differently. Wang Po now hated that she couldn't smash all the mud statues in the temple to see if Ximen Qing was hiding inside, earlier at the teahouse the atmosphere was so good, didn't expect Ximen Qing to slip away, making Wang Po feel resentful.

  Looking at the wooden door, although it was not big, but quite thick and solid, Pan Jinlian still made an effort to push it with all her might. Unexpectedly, inside, someone was also making an effort to pull the door open.

  So Pan Jinlian's efforts resulted in her whole body falling forward and directly throwing herself into the person's arms.

  A familiar flavor of wonton soup wafted up...

  That person was naturally Ximen Qing, things were done properly, just about to come out and meet with Xiaotianqing at the foot of the mountain, did not expect the door to be pulled open, a beauty directly rushed in.

  If a big old man rushed over, Ximen Qing would definitely dodge quickly and scold him for two sentences; since the one who rushed over was a beauty, Ximen Qing directly hugged the beauty tightly without any politeness.

  This beauty is not only very familiar, but also smells very familiar.

  This beauty is none other than Pan Jinlian.

  Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian were tightly embracing, when suddenly Wang Po exclaimed loudly: "Ah! Isn't this Master Ximen? How come you didn't greet me before embracing?"

  Ximen Qing was feeling a tightness in his chest when he heard Wang Po's voice, and the two of them suddenly seemed to wake up from a dream, separating from each other.

  Pan Jinlian took a deep breath, her face flushed as she bowed; Ximen Qing retreated half a step with an impassive expression, clearing his throat: "Unexpected, purely unexpected."

  It was certainly an accident, but in Wang's eyes, it wasn't that accidental after all, and she didn't rule out the possibility that Ximen Qing had been hiding behind the door waiting for Pan Jinlian to push it open.

  "What a surprise! The big official, the old lady's eyes are not sand-filled." Wang Po chuckled and said: "Hugged also hugged, must have some explanation."

  "Shrew!" Pan Jinlian stomped her foot and retreated behind Wang Po, like a frightened little rabbit: "What nonsense are you talking about!"

  If this scene had occurred in the previous few dozen minutes, Ximen Qing might have retreated again, but now that he has come to a realization, he naturally will not retreat.

  Ximen Qing also put on a calm demeanor and asked in return: "Wang Po, what kind of explanation are you looking for?"

  Ximen Qing shamelessly shook his sleeves, and the bamboo slips he had just asked Wu Daoyuan for naturally fell out of his sleeves and dropped onto the stone floor.

  "Oh? The official has also come to ask for a divination?" Old Woman Wang suddenly turned towards the blood-sucking fly, directly went forward and picked up the divination slip: "Don't look at me as just an old woman, I can actually interpret divinations too, let me take a look..."

  "Spring in March. Good marriage."

  Wang Po finished watching and was stunned, not saying a word. She turned around and directly threw the note to Pan Jinlian. In her heart, she felt a sense of satisfaction: "Ximen Qing, Ximen Qing, see how you can escape my wife's Five Finger Mountain!"

  Pan Jinlian was still blushing when she saw Wang Po hand over a note, took a look and exclaimed: "Auntie, how did you get the note that I kept hidden away..."

  Before she had finished speaking, Pan Jinlian discovered that something was amiss. The signboard in the house had been touched by her own hand, and this signboard was still very new.

  Pan Jinlian held the note and looked at Ximen Qing, immediately becoming stupid...

  Ximen Qing also responded with ambiguous eyes...

  "Isn't it exactly the same!" Wang Po's emotions could no longer be controlled, and she directly transformed into a violent outburst: "The old woman knew all along that you, Liu Niang, and the official were a match made in heaven!"

  "Where's your pen? Take it out and let's compare!"

  Pan Jinlian fumbled for a while, and also took out the hidden token. The two identical tokens shone together, illuminating the brilliance in Pan Jinlian's eyes.

  Is this fate?

  Pan Jinlian suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness in the face of fate, as well as waves of unnameable joy.

  Ximen Qing also shamelessly leaned in close, stretched out his hand to take a look at the two slips, and of course he had already learned from Wu Daoyuan earlier that Pan Jinlian had also obtained the same slip, but still feigned some surprise: "Really are the same!"

  Wang Po looked at Ximen Qing and Pan Jinlian with a pleased smile: "Sir, look at this matter..."

  "Also ask Auntie Wang to help out a bit..." Ximen Qing very bluntly changed his tone, anyway calling out a few times wouldn't lose anything.

  Wang Po listened with a smile, this dry mother called good ah, who is Ximen Qing? That's the local tyrant with half of the street's property, or the county magistrate who killed people with force, and was favored by the county magistrate.

  "Alright, alright, I'll take care of everything." Old Mother Wang took Ximen Qing aside and whispered a few words to him. How could Ximen Qing not understand her intentions? A fifty-guan IOU was directly handed over from his sleeve, telling Old Mother Wang to accept it.

  "When you have nothing to do, just come to my tea house and I'll arrange for Sixth Lady to meet with you." Wang Po said with a big smile, the money having already entered her pocket.

  Ximen Qing nodded, is this going around in circles and following the original plot? Absolutely not, as long as he doesn't kill Wu Dalang, Wu Song won't be able to avenge his brother.

  Leaving alone the beautiful Pansy did not pursue, Ximen Qing only then felt that he was a bit foolish before.

  Originally, I thought that from Pan Jinlian to Wu Song's revenge, there was only one step in between. Now it seems that even a hundred steps are not enough, just like two countries quarreling over a small island, either issuing warnings or sending warships and planes for patrol, making the people think that they will start fighting at any moment, who would have known that they were still 108,000 miles away from actually starting to fight.

  Wang Po and Ximen Qing had finished their discussion, the money had been collected, and then she turned around and called Pan Jinlian over to whisper something in her ear for a while. Ximen Qing stood aside, stroking his sheep fat white jade pendant, gazing up at the sky.

  After a while, Wang Po led Pan Jinlian, whose face was flushed with excitement, to pay her respects to Ximen Qing before withdrawing.

  Ximen Qing stood still for a moment, thinking for a while, before walking away with a smile.

  Xiao Tianqing waited for Ximen Qing to mount his horse, and when the master and servant returned to the mansion, it was almost noon. Ximen Qing had not yet dismounted, and Niu Daotou hurriedly galloped up on his horse.

  "County Magistrate!" Niu Dutou didn't have time to dismount, and directly bowed his head on horseback, as a form of greeting: "The County Magistrate has an order: go to the county yamen's main hall, there is important business to discuss."

  "Oh, does Niu Da know what's going on?" Ximen Qing felt slightly surprised and didn't know what urgent matter had occurred.

  "It seems to be a matter of collecting grain taxes! I'm not very clear about it either!" The cow turned its head and the horse nodded: "You'll know when you go, sir. I still need to inform the merchants to participate, excuse me for not accompanying you!"

  "Raising grain supplies?" Ximen Qing watched as Niu Da's horse galloped away like a flying arrow, his mind in a fog: "Could it be that the heroes of Liangshan have arrived? This good-for-nothing's good days are just beginning..."

  "Xiao Tianqing, accompany Old Master me to go to the county government office for a trip!"

  When Ximen Qing dismounted and entered the county yamen's main hall, it was as bustling as a vegetable market. Merchants were gathered in groups of three to five, discussing and debating. As Ximen Qing looked around, most faces were familiar, including several who rented his properties.

  "Isn't this the great official arriving?"

  "Good sir Ximen!"

  "Magistrate Xi Men has arrived, now we have a pillar of support!"

  The merchants all stood up, saluted Ximen Qing, after the Wu family was copied, Ximen Qing had changed his fortune, with a million taels of silver around his waist, and quietly became the first local tyrant in Qinghe County. Moreover, he was also the county lieutenant, at this time if he didn't take the initiative to greet them, they would be finished.