Mysterious Martial Arts: The Record of the Swordsman

Chapter 272 Seeking the Clouds and Climbing the Pavilion

Chapter 272 Seeking the Clouds and Climbing the Pavilion

Just when Xiao Shitou, Tian Qingwen, Zhao Erguan and their group were rushing to Guizhu outside Ruiyan Zen Temple, Hong Wendi had quietly returned to Chong'an County and had been wandering in the city for a long time.

Based on the reminder of Master Hengmin of Ruiyan Zen Temple, he did not enter through the South Gate openly this time. Instead, he deliberately followed a team of freight carriages, climbed under the carriages and sneaked in secretly during the chaos. He did not quietly leave until he was close to the Yuxiu Water Gate and ran straight to the door of the Water Gate Shop.

The shop was already in a mess due to the fight, and it still maintained the messy look of last night. The door panel was also open due to a large hole. Although the useful items in the house were not damaged, he still could not find any trace of the small stone.

Ever since the attack last night, Hong Wendi has noticed many things strange, especially those figures hiding under the eaves and under the trees, secretly watching. It seemed that they had expected that Hanba would appear here, so they sat back and watched, waiting for Hong Wendi to fight to the death with him. There were a few times when they seemed to want to take advantage of the chaos to attack him.

Out of vigilance against the Jingqi Sect, Hong Wendi did not ask his neighbors about the situation. He had already vaguely seen some people of unknown appearance observing him from the two rice and flour shops opposite the Shuimen Shop and the noodle stall where people could rest and drink tea. He had already become suspicious and was about to stand up. Hong Wendi hurriedly pretended to walk through the door casually, turned around and walked into a narrow alley, trying every means to get rid of the prying eyes.

"If there is anything unusual again, we should go back and report it first..."

Hong Wendi naturally knew the priorities of the matter. The most important thing at the moment was to complete Jiang Wen's order to obtain naturalization, and then investigate the rumors about Hanba circulating in the streets and alleys of Chong'an County. If this matter was really related to some supernatural ghosts, the first thing he should do was to report it to his master, and let his master Jiang Wen decide how to deal with it.

As for his obvious attitude of staying out of the matter, the great monk Hengmin of Ruiyan Temple had no objection. When he heard that he had not received any household registration information for three days, he even pointed out that this must be the interference of the Jingqi Sect, and he kindly gave him advice.

The letter he was holding in his hand at that moment was written by Master Hengmin himself.

The monk said that with this letter, not only could Wen Ding meet the prefect, but it might also help him settle the long-pending household registration issue for the boat people.

It only took an incense stick of time to get from the south of the city to the abandoned government office. Hong Wendi searched the wasteland in front of the government office, but still did not find Xiao Shitou and Zhao Erguan playing around. His doubts grew even stronger, but he could only suppress them and walked towards the East Inspection Court.

When he saw Hong Wendi again, the county clerk who was chatting happily with his colleagues in front of the hall suddenly looked embarrassed. He tucked up his sleeves as if he was worried that Hong Wendi would take the silver ingot.

However, Hong Wendi did not think much about it. He immediately presented the letter written by Master Hengmin. When the clerk saw the signature on the envelope, he nodded repeatedly. He was convinced that his previous guess was correct. The other party was indeed a person with connections and background. He hurried in to pass on the message and returned extremely quickly.

Although the East Inspection Court also had flying eaves and pointed corners, it was ultimately small in size. The county's chief clerk, registrar, teachers, and instructors were all crowded together. Even the magistrate of Chong'an County could only sit in the main hall on the north side to manage his affairs.

The clerk took Hong Wendi into the inner corridor and whispered that he had already handed in the naturalization documents. However, for some reason, the county magistrate took one look at it and put it on the table, never mentioning the matter again. He felt that he was powerless due to his low position.

When the two arrived at the main hall on the north side, the first thing they saw was a room full of books and classics. The covers of the books were marked with categories such as reclaimed land, tax increases, wasteland taken over by the government, food and tribute, increase and decrease in salt permits, and the actual status of warehouses. These were obviously the records of land taxes and treasury that had been accumulated in the county for many years.

Behind the desk stood a relatively young seventh-rank civil servant, also sizing up Hong Wendi.

He had an ordinary look and a sad expression on his face. He was wearing a robe with a square patch with cloud patterns sparsely arranged on his chest, and colorful four-sided ruyi cloud patterns around his clothes. In his hands were "A Petition for Investigation of Fire Hazard" and "A Brief Letter on Taxes and Labor Service in the County" submitted by the people of the county, and he seemed to be very worried about them.

"Your Excellency, the person has been brought here."

After the county official said this, he pushed Hong Wendi forward and stepped back, closing the door behind him.

After the hall door was closed, the North Hall suddenly became much gloomier. The bookcases emanated a faint smell of termites, which made people feel uncomfortable all over. Only the young county magistrate in front of him was still wandering around without any worries, as if he had found some sense of security.

"Your name is Hong Wei, right? I have read your naturalization documents and Heng Min's letters. It seems that I have misunderstood..."

Then he sat down heavily behind the desk, raised his head and thought for a long time in annoyance, and finally put down the document in his hand. It seemed that he could not find a solution to the problem among the myriad of issues.

"Ah, I didn't mean to make things difficult for you. It's just that you and the Jingqi Sect are birds of a feather, and I was quite angry, so I put it aside."

The magistrate of Chong'an County in front of Hong Wendi, Guan Shengjun, whose courtesy name was Zhongshi, was appointed magistrate of Guangshan County in Henan Province in the 11th year of Shunzhi. Because he devoted himself to education and was known for his best administration during his tenure, he was transferred to be the magistrate of Chong'an County the year before last. He somehow came to this place where people from all over the country lived and bandits were entrenched.

In fact, Guan Shengjun was also very puzzled. According to the news he heard at that time, he was supposed to go to Luoding, Guangdong to serve as the governor of this scattered state. However, due to some strange circumstances, because of the establishment of the vassal state of Geng family, King of Jingnan, he was deliberately arranged in Chong'an County.

Chong'an County is located on the border of Fujian and Jiangxi. It is a bridgehead for the Central Plains to enter Fujian. Its strategic location is naturally beyond words. However, what he did not expect was that there were so many malpractices left over by the previous prefect. Even the county government office was abandoned for some reason, and he had been in a state of panic for many years.

Even though he has always been known for his hard work and has great ambitions in his heart, he is helpless here. After hitting a wall everywhere, he is now turning his head to do some miscellaneous tasks such as collecting archives and genealogies. He only plans to use his own salary to compile a county annals during his tenure and get the job done.

Chong'an County Magistrate Guan Shengjun searched the table for a while and found the naturalization documents of the boat people. He glanced at them and took them in his hand, nodding slowly.

Ever since Guan Shengjun took charge of Chong'an, the people from the Jingqi Sect were the ones who gave him the most headaches among all the complicated matters.

These people ostensibly observed vegetarianism and kept to themselves, but in reality they had long been in collusion with one another and opposed the government at every turn. What's worse, they often coerced the wealthy families who lived in the corners of the city and the people with great achievements in the county to force him, the magistrate, to sign their names, which was truly chilling.

For example, the matter of refugees becoming naturalized citizens had actually long been controlled by people planted by the Jingqi Sect in the county government.

Any documents of people who joined the Jingqiu sect would appear on his desk in a moment, and gentry would often come to urge him to return them, which was very annoying; as for those who were not members of the Jingqiu sect, even if he, the county magistrate, had already approved and promised them, the naturalization documents would also disappear, like seeing a ghost in broad daylight.

At the beginning, Guan Shengjun would question the situation angrily, but as time went on, he noticed more and more abnormalities and could only swallow his anger. Apart from handling Chong'an official business every day, he could only hide at home to train cranes and plant plum trees, without leaving the house.

What made Guan Shengjun so fearful was not only the power of the Jingchu Sect, but also the fact that the people of Chong'an seemed to have a natural uneasiness and resistance to the government. Even though he had repeatedly stressed that he would never speak empty words, and was almost like learning from Shang Yang's example of moving a tree to establish trust, in the end, few people were willing to listen. Instead, they still believed in the misleading words of the Jingchu demons.

"Master Guan, I have heard about the Jingqi Sect in the city from Master Hengmin. It is rare to see such a serious disaster."

Hong Wendi was somewhat puzzled as to why the county magistrate in front of him would shut himself up and complain to a commoner like him. However, as he had followed his father who was arrested everywhere and lived in hiding since childhood, he suddenly realized that the people in government offices also had so many things that were beyond their control.

Hearing Hong Wending mention Hengmin of Ruiyan Zen Temple, Guan Shengjun was also quite gratified and said: "Fortunately, there are still Hengmin monks in the county who are upright and upright, and have inherited the advanced traditions. Otherwise, I would have no one to use in my pocket———"

After saying that, Guan Shengjun patted Hong Wendi on the shoulder and said in a deep voice.

"Guan was in trouble and embarrassed by his fellow villagers, but he still had a heart to serve the people. After much inquiry, I heard that the source of Jingchu's rise to power and the decline of the government was actually related to a murder case during the Jiajing period. It's a pity that the documents of that year were abandoned in the county government office and have not seen the light of day for many years, and it is still difficult to find the cause..."

Guan Shengjun looked at Hong Wendi with burning eyes.

In the letter sent to him by Great Monk Hengmin, he clearly stated that although the young man in front of him was not yet twenty years old, he was as agile as a monkey and had superb fighting skills. Not only could he fight against a group of martial monks alone, he also claimed that he could escape from the hands of the drought demon. He earnestly requested the prefect of Chong'an to treat him well.

Since last year, Guan Shengjun has thought about finding out the truth more than once. He knows that the knot in his heart is hard to untie, and only by clearing the blockage from the root can he solve the difficult situation he is facing. But now the county officials and constables are not trustworthy. Even if they themselves have not joined the Jingqi Sect, they always have relatives and friends who have unclear contacts with the Jingqi Sect. Once the news is leaked, it will bring disaster.

It's not that Guan Shengjun didn't have his suspicions about Hong Wendi, but the naturalization documents submitted by Hong Wendi had been withheld by him for three days, but he didn't attract any overt or covert urging from the Jingqi Sect. What's more, he had to rely on letters of help from Ruiyan Zen Temple, which was at odds with the Jingqi Sect. This basically ruled out any suspicion on Hong Wendi's identity.

The last thing to worry about is the ability and willingness of the person in front of me...

"Hong Wei, the county government office has been abandoned for many years. It is said that there are often thick clouds and fog, and ghosts and spirits are everywhere. It is extremely dangerous to step into it——"

Chong'an County Magistrate Guan Shengjun explained the matter in an earnest manner, but then proposed his own terms of exchange.

"But if you can retrieve the criminal case files from the Jiajing period for me and help me find out the truth, a naturalization document will be a piece of cake. I can also guarantee you a qualification to enter the county school through the military examination. Although your achievements will not be as good as those in the civil examination, it will be enough to bring honor to our family!"

Hong Wendi remained silent and did not answer, while Guan Shengjun waited patiently.

In fact, Hong Wendi had no interest in the military examination that Guan Shengjun mentioned. After all, his real identity was a wanted criminal of the imperial court. If he really went to study martial arts, he would be walking into a trap. However, if he could just retrieve the criminal case files and immediately approve the naturalization documents for the boat people, it would be a shortcut to success.

"Sir Magistrate, although Hong Wei is in the wilderness, I have no choice but to do this. However, my junior fellow apprentice is now lost in the city. He used to be on good terms with Zhao Erguan, but now he may be abducted by the Jingqi Sect. Can you help find him?"

Hong Wendi is a meticulous person. He has been influenced by Jiang Wen and has naturally learned a lot of skills in using other people's strengths to his advantage. He plans to use the power of the government to do something for himself. Guan Shengjun pondered for a moment, asked some questions about Xiao Shitou's appearance, and also spoke in a deep voice.

"…Since it is a young child that is missing, I am not completely helpless. Let me order the yamen runners to check every household in the county on the threat of "collecting and mutilating people". "

Guan Shengjun was entrusted with this important task, so he was certainly not a good-for-nothing. Even if the Jingqi Sect had ill intentions, they would not dare to cover up the truth with one hand. After a little thought, he came up with this method without exposing his identity.

Seeing that Hong Wendi was polite and graceful in his words and deeds despite his young age, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for his talent and patted Hong Wendi on the shoulder solemnly.

"Hong Wei, you can go without any worries. If this matter is really related to the Jingqi Sect, it can at least serve to alert the enemy. I promise that I will never let these evil people do whatever they want..."

(End of this chapter)