Chapter 73: The Demeanor of a Reclusive Expert, and an Unexpected Surprise (Seeking Monthly Votes)

After trekking over mountains and ridges, wading through rivers and streams, passing through lush dense forests, and walking along steep cliffs, Pei Shaoqing finally saw the emerald bamboo forest that Li Jiangjun had described.

Because in some places, horses simply could not pass.

Therefore, they relied entirely on light-body techniques and walking for the latter part of the journey.

Chen Zhongyi and the others were already numb.

To drag out and collect taxes from people hiding in this godforsaken place—they truly loved the Great Zhou deeply.

"Keep your spirits up, we'll be there once we pass through this bamboo forest," Pei Shaoqing said, looking back at the group.

Everyone replied in unison: "Understood!"

They were all suppressing a foul temper; they had to make that guy pay later. Making us chase you into the mountains to evade taxes—you've made life miserable for us tax collectors.

"Madam, you should walk in front," Pei Shaoqing said to Liu Yuheng, fearing an ambush.

Liu Yuheng nodded and stepped forward to lead the way.

Because she was going on a long journey, she had specially changed into a tight-fitting martial outfit for convenience; her plump and full assets were strained to reveal every curve, and the curves of her buttocks under her long trousers swayed gently with each step.

This provided a feast for the eyes of Pei Shaoqing, who was behind her.

He couldn't help but compare them to the buttocks of Zhao Zhilan, whom he had studied in depth last night; the conclusion was that Zhao Zhilan's were firm and perky, while Liu Yuheng's were plump and soft—each had its own merits.

Walking through the bamboo forest, a gentle breeze brushed their faces, carrying a faint fragrance, making the group, who had been traveling for so long, feel refreshed and their irritation dissipate significantly.

Suddenly, they vaguely heard a melodious sound of a zither.

As they moved forward, the zither music became more distinct.

Liu Yuheng stopped and looked at Pei Shaoqing.

"Let's go take a look," Pei Shaoqing said softly.

The group immediately followed the source of the zither music.

After walking in the bamboo forest for less than a quarter of an hour, they finally saw the person playing the zither: a graceful young man in white, looking to be in his twenties, sitting in the bamboo forest with his eyes closed, playing while fallen leaves danced around him in the wind.

Lying in front of him was a massive black-haired wild boar, eyes closed quietly, its facial expression soft, seemingly enjoying the music.

Li Jiangjun, at Pei Shaoqing's feet, found it inconvenient to speak in front of so many outsiders, so it let out a "meow."

That's the guy! That's the pig!

The wild boar opened its eyes, stood up, and stared at Pei Shaoqing and the others from afar with sharp, unfriendly eyes.

Li Jiangjun relied on its master's power.

It glared back without the slightest fear.

The young man, sitting sideways to the group, remained focused on playing the zither, seemingly unaware of their arrival.

Liu Yuheng whispered a reminder, "Young Master, this person has the demeanor of a reclusive expert; be careful."

"Flag Chief Chen," Pei Shaoqing called out.

Chen Zhongyi stepped forward, "My lord."

"Go test him," Pei Shaoqing ordered.

Chen Zhongyi replied with a grave expression, "Yes!"

He then gripped his sword hilt and walked toward the young man in white.

Everyone held their breath and watched this scene.

Clad in official robes with a long sword at his waist, Chen Zhongyi approached with steady, pressing steps, while the young man kept his eyes closed and continued playing, his expression indifferent and unmoved.

The zither music was melodious; a clear breeze blew, the bamboo forest surged like waves, and bamboo leaves fell with a rustling sound.

"Guests are guests; why not wait for me to finish this piece to show the way of hospitality?" The young man finally spoke his first sentence while playing with fluid ease.

Chen Zhongyi's footsteps faltered; he looked back at Pei Shaoqing, then gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and kicked directly at the table in front of the young man.

"Still playing the zither?!"

The young man, eyes still closed, slowly raised his hand to block.

"Clang!"

The table holding the zither, along with the young man himself, was kicked over onto the ground, and the zither music stopped abruptly.

"Damn! It didn't scare them off! Brother Pig, save me!" The young man rolled on the ground in a sorry state and shouted in a panic.

The wild boar immediately rushed out to shield the young man, glaring fiercely at Chen Zhongyi.

Chen Zhongyi was stunned.

Pei Shaoqing and the others were also dumbfounded.

No, damn it, if you don't have the skills, why act like a peerless expert? Are you sick?

A chick hatching an egg—who the hell are you trying to fool!

The young man, having scrambled up, saw Chen Zhongyi's attire and his expression changed drastically; he didn't even bother to brush the dust off himself, "So it's brothers from the Jing'an Guard! I'm a law-abiding good person, just planting flowers and raising pigs; I've never done anything harmful."

No way, this General was actually bluffed by this poser last night? This is outrageous!

An annoyed and embarrassed Li Jiangjun meowed and pounced, jumping up to give the young man in white a flurry of cat punches.

"Ouch, stop, stop." The young man in white scrambled to grab the face-riding Li Jiangjun, recognized it, and said with a smile: "What a truly cute cat; may I ask which lord it belongs to?"

"At most, Body Refining Realm mid-stage," Liu Yuheng judged based on the fact that he couldn't even take one of Chen Zhongyi's kicks.

Pei Shaoqing nodded slightly, walked over with his subordinates in high spirits, and said with a resonant voice: "I am Pei Shaoqing, Flag Chief of the Tongzhou Hundred-Household Office."

Li Jiangjun broke free, ran to Pei Shaoqing's side, jumped onto his shoulder, and squatted there, tilting its head to look down at the young man with arrogance and contempt.

You bastard, my people are here.

You will pay for what happened last night!

"So it is Flag Chief Pei in person." The young man hurriedly bowed solemnly and said earnestly: "I have long admired your name."

"Oh? You've heard of me too?" Pei Shaoqing was very pleased, squinting his eyes and asking with a faint smile.

It seems he really is known by everyone in Tongzhou.

The young man's expression stiffened. No, why was someone still chasing him with questions? He gave an awkward smile, "I dare not deceive you, my lord. I haven't been down the mountain for over a month."

He had absolutely no idea about Pei Shaoqing's exploits.

"Then why don't you go down the mountain? Are you hiding in the mountains doing something unspeakable?" Pei Shaoqing questioned sternly. He really disliked these homebodies who never went out.

It made it impossible for him to even show off.

"No, no." The young man waved his hands repeatedly, smiling apologetically as he said, "I just simply like to grow some rare flowers and herbs, medicinal ingredients and the like. I'm not good at dealing with people. My lord, I am a top-tier good person."

"A good person?" Pei Shaoqing sneered, his tone unkind as he said, "Would a good person evade taxes?"

"Ah!" The young man was stunned.

Pei Shaoqing raised his voice, "You have cleared land in these mountains; have you paid your summer and autumn taxes on time?"

"No..." The young man's head was buzzing.

No one had bothered him when he was reclaiming the wasteland.

Now that he had finally managed to get the land planted, someone suddenly came to collect taxes. Was this something a human would do?

Pei Shaoqing barked, "This is tax resistance!"

"My lord, I forgot. I'll pay, I'll pay the arrears, is that not enough?" The young man chose to accept his bad luck.

"Seeing that your attitude is acceptable, I won't drag you back to be punished." Pei Shaoqing's expression softened, and he said in a calm tone, "Pay the taxes in full and hand over all the illegally planted Soul-Guiding Flowers, and I will let bygones be bygones."

"My lord, please forgive me, but I cannot comply!" The young man's face changed, and he argued his case, "I can accept paying the taxes, but those Soul-Guiding Flowers were all planted with my painstaking effort. Is it not inappropriate to confiscate them all?"

"This official is acting according to the law. Are you questioning the laws of Great Zhou?" Pei Shaoqing said indifferently.

The young man asked, "May I ask which law that is?"

"Clang!" A long blade left its sheath. Chen Zhongyi held the blade to his neck, "My lord is the law!"

"Fine, fine, fine, Lord Pei. If you are going to act like this..." The young man laughed out of anger and said firmly, "Then don't blame me for resigning myself to my fate!"

Everyone: "............"

No, he was still so tough even while giving in.

"Follow my cat to pick the flowers." Pei Shaoqing instructed his subordinates, then said to the young man, "Trouble yourself to brew me a cup of clear tea. This is not how one treats a guest."

"You still want to drink my tea? Dream on!" The young man spat and said toughly, "A person like you only deserves to drink the Peach Blossom Brew I've stored for ten years. Find a place to sit yourself; I'm going to get the wine now!"

After saying this, he turned and walked away proudly.

Two Jing'an Guards automatically followed behind him.

"My lord, how is he able to be both cowardly and tough at the same time?" Liu Yuheng looked at Pei Shaoqing and asked.

"Afraid of death and afraid of losing face, I suppose." Pei Shaoqing laughed, "This person is quite interesting."

Soon, the young man returned carrying a jar of wine.

He poured a cup in front of Pei Shaoqing and said righteously, "My wine, I must drink the first cup!"

After saying this, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

After a while, seeing that he hadn't died, Pei Shaoqing felt relieved and also drank a cup, "This wine is not bad."

"This was brewed by my own hands. I even dug it up and brought it with me every time I moved." The young man said quite proudly.

Pei Shaoqing asked, "How should I address you?"

"Ouyang Rong." The young man in white replied.

Pei Shaoqing said nonchalantly, "As far as I know, Soul-Guiding Flowers require yin energy and corpses as nutrients."

"My lord, those I killed were all people who committed crimes and deserved to die." Ouyang Rong hurriedly explained.

Pei Shaoqing put on his official airs, "Every person in Great Zhou is a subject of the Emperor. Only the government has the authority to judge their crimes. Besides, how can this official be sure whether you killed good people or bad people?"

"From now on, I am willing to offer three-tenths of the medicinal herbs I grow to you, my lord!" Ouyang Rong's heart was bleeding as he said this.

He never expected that even after hiding in the mountains,

he still couldn't escape the exploitation and oppression of the government.

Pei Shaoqing laughed, "Now this official is certain that you only killed bad people. After all, those willing to be on good terms with this official are, one and all, good people."

He casually issued him a certificate of good citizenship.

"Yes." Ouyang Rong smiled very reluctantly.

Pei Shaoqing asked curiously, "Who is Brother Ouyang's master? Growing medicinal herbs is a difficult task."

Ouyang Rong's face changed, and he did not answer.

"If it's inconvenient to say, then forget it. This official is not one to force others." Pei Shaoqing said understandingly.

Ouyang Rong's expression eased slightly, "Many thanks, my lord."

"Brother Ouyang, how did you tame that wild boar that has already gained intelligence?" Pei Shaoqing asked again.

Ouyang Rong revealed a faint smile, "Brother Boar likes to listen to me play the zither. Although he is of a different species, he is a kindred spirit of mine. There is no such thing as taming; we are good friends."

"That is indeed an interesting story." Pei Shaoqing laughed.

"My lord! My lord!" Chen Zhongyi ran over, overjoyed, holding a medicinal herb as red as fire, "My lord, look! This kid also planted a patch of Zhuque Grass. This grass can restore a certain amount of internal energy when eaten raw, and it is the main ingredient for refining Chiyang Pill."

Pei Shaoqing was equally overjoyed. He looked at Ouyang Rong and said, "Brother Ouyang, I am judging the matter, not the person."

He really hadn't expected such an unexpected joy.

"I know, I accept the punishment, I accept it." Ouyang Rong's mouth twitched, and he closed his eyes in pain as he spoke.

Half an hour later, Pei Shaoqing led his men away.

"Lord Pei, walk slowly!" Ouyang Rong's eyes filled with tears as he waved his hands vigorously and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Pei Shaoqing was very moved. Brother Ouyang was truly a man of deep feeling. No wonder he could be friends with a pig; after such a brief time together, he was already shedding tears at his departure.

"Brother Ouyang, no need to see me off. This official will come to visit you another day." He also waved his hand from afar in response.

He had decided that this newly made friend was a keeper!

Watching Pei Shaoqing's back disappear, Ouyang Rong fell to his knees with a thud and struck the ground with his fist.

"You beast! My Soul-Guiding Flower! My Zhuque Grass! You didn't even leave me a single stalk!"

"You corrupt official! You corrupt official! Sob sob sob!"

The wild boar leaned over and nudged him gently.

"Brother Pig, you are a pig, but that man surnamed Pei isn't human either!" Ouyang Rong cried out while hugging the pig's head.

Pei Shaoqing, returning with a full load, was in a great mood.

He even quickened his pace on the return journey significantly.

After reaching the main road, he rode his horse back to the city.

"Gee up! Gee up! Gee up!"

At the same time, the four men who had successfully kidnapped three Sanyin Nu had already left the city and were galloping on the main road, wanting to escape before the Jing'an Guard could pursue them.

"Hahahaha! It was too easy! We went in, snatched them, and left; no one could stop us at all."

"This time, the Master will surely reward us heavily!"

"By the time they go to report it to the authorities and the Jing'an Guard comes out in pursuit, we will have already left Tongzhou."

The four men galloped on their horses, beaming with joy.

Then, at a turn in the road, they encountered Pei Shaoqing and his group on their way back to the city, and their laughter came to an abrupt halt.

(End of chapter)