The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 57 - 53 Cultivation

Chapter 57: Chapter 53 Cultivation

King Lin read the letter, laughed out loud, and immediately crushed it into powder. He declared to the crowd, "Normally it’s only us brothers who take hostages, but now the tables have turned."

"The chief is right, we of Black Wind Village should not succumb to threats. Though I am not talented, I am willing to lead our men to rescue Brother Niu Peng."

Niu Peng, known as Brother Niu Peng, ranks fifth in Black Wind Village.

King Lin waved his hand, signaling the speaking leader to quiet down, and sighed, "We can’t ignore our own brothers. Let’s not talk about rescues. How easy is it to storm into the Government Prison? I already know what the other party wants, mere external possessions, just give it to them."

He wasn’t foolish to attack the heavily guarded Government Prison, that would escalate the situation completely, as if the Officials had no dignity left?

Since the other party is interested in a deal, then let’s deal.

King Lin asked the spy, "Where is the person who delivered the letter?"

"Outside."

"Let him in."

...

...

"What is your name?"

"Guo Li."

"Guo Li, sounds familiar. Could it be you are the brother of the newly appointed arrest officer, Guo Zhuang, of Qingshui County?"

"I didn’t expect King Lin to have heard of us, the Guo brothers." Guo Li responded, neither servile nor overbearing, feeling somewhat proud inside.

A few months ago, who were they in the eyes of such a formidable bandit leader like King Lin?

Now, the Guo brothers had made their own reputation in the underworld of Jiangning Prefecture.

King Lin slightly smiled, "I know who backs you. This time, I’ll give him face. Relay a message for me, I like him. If he faces troubles later on, just send a message at the tavern down the mountain. I can’t handle heavenly affairs, but earthly matters, I’ll exert as much strength as I can."

While talking, King Lin clapped his hands, and someone came out with a snake-catching bag, slightly opening the bag for Guo Li to peek inside.

Guo Li was pleased, inside were the silver ring snakes that the Young Master wanted, all five of them, each hissing and with venomous fangs looking ferocious.

Remembering the Young Master’s instructions, he said, "In a few days, the case will be decided. The result is exile to Lingnan and penal servitude. As per the rules of the worldly society, to prevent revenge later, give the man but not his skills. If King Lin agrees, the deal is done."

King Lin nodded, "Being in the hands of the Government and keeping one’s life is already good. I understand these rules. You go back and tell him, we won’t act in Jiangning Prefecture, we will not create trouble for him."

Guo Li didn’t expect things to go so smoothly, he breathed a sigh of relief and with a salute said, "King Lin is generous, I will take my leave now and report back."

King Lin laughed heartily and took out a gold ingot, about ten taels, and gave it to Guo Li.

Guo Li initially refused to accept it, but King Lin’s overwhelming presence forced him. He had to catch the gold, and upon examining it, saw five fresh finger imprints vividly marked.

He was shocked, the finger strength of this man was terrifying.

"Guo brother, you are a guest coming from afar, this small gift is a token of my respect."

Guo Li, both shocked and fearful, bowed again and was escorted down the mountain by the spy.

At the foot of the mountain, the spy chuckled, "If you see me in town eating and drinking, do not expose me."

Guo Li nodded, dazedly returned to the city to Li Mansion to report, and upon seeing Xu Qing, he relayed the whole matter.

Xu Qing studied the gold ingot with the finger prints and slowly spoke, "Guo brother, King Lin is indeed an extraordinary figure. It’s been a tough journey for you. Here’s a silver note of one hundred taels, take it back to steady your nerves."

King Lin casually rewarded Guo Li with ten taels of gold, Xu Qing also could not be stingy. After all, Guo Li risked his life to go up the mountain to deliver the message.

Though Guo Li had volunteered for this task.

After all, the Guo brothers were always following Xu Qing for easy wins.

Without a devoted attitude, Xu Qing’s future rise would be hindered, and their status as followers would significantly diminish.

In fact, for influential figures, what’s most valuable is not their capability but their unquestionable loyalty and pure-hearted allegiance!

Guo Li: "Young Master, I only ran around, didn’t do much, this money is too much for me."

Xu Qing: "This journey was life-threatening, isn’t Guo Li worth a hundred taels in my eyes?"

Left with no choice, Guo Li reluctantly accepted.

Xu Qing did not return the gold to Guo Li, and added: "In a while, my uncle will be assuming office at the Inspection Office. At that time, the Patrol Room will need a new leader, and Guo Li you should take this position."

Guo Li was instantly overwhelmed with excitement.

The leader of the Patrol Room in the Inspection Office differed little from the arrest officers in the County Government. Securing this position would significantly elevate his status in Guo Village.

Afterward, Xu Qing asked Guo Li to go home and rest.

Although this business went smoothly, Xu Qing was somewhat troubled.

Because the Qi Fortune manifested as black mist, appearing and retracting intermittently. Clearly, the dealings with King Lin posed some potential risks.

Rejecting the goodwill would definitely cause the black mist to intensify; accepting the goodwill wouldn’t completely dissipate it either, leaving residual concerns.

"Judging from this man’s finger strength, he truly is a formidable master. Moreover, he seems to quite appreciate me," Xu Qing thought to himself, contemplating that King Lin’s actions bore a resemblance to Chao Gai from Water Margin and Shan Xiongxin from the end of the Sui Dynasty; his character seemed to echo theirs.

Qin Shubao also benefited from Shan Xiongxin and still became Prince Yi, ascending to Lingyan Pavilion.

Alright, Xu Qing consciously skipped over Song Jiang who had also benefitted from Chao Gai.

He was by no means a timely rescuer, Brother Gongming!

But given that Qin Shubao had national and familial vengeance and was also handsome, he matched Xu Qing’s persona very well.

After some thought, Xu Qing decided to be passive, not to refuse, nor take responsibility.

Once he had fully digested the Silver Ring Snake and his strength increased, it was uncertain who would hold the initiative.

Having practiced with a processed Silver Ring Snake, obtaining a fresh one allowed Xu Qing to quickly master the genuine Silver Ring Firming Pill.

With the Silver Ring Firming Pill, his progress in the Eight Diagram Wandering Palm also improved rapidly.

As for Niu Peng, he was naturally disabled by Guard Wang. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have agreed to Xu Qing handling this.

After all, Niu Peng fell into their hands, creating deep enmity.

However, both Guard Wang and Guard Ma gained the cultivation method for the Bull Demon Strong Fist and the supplemental medicine from Xu Qing, which was invaluable for martial arts practitioners like them.

As for the constables escorting Niu Peng, they were originally Zhao Xiong’s men. Issues en route wouldn’t harm anyone.

Indeed, it’s common for bandits sentenced to exile to be intercepted midway - a usual practice.

Officials normally turn a blind eye to such events, who knows if one day they might be forced to resort to the mountains?

The line between the lawful and the outlaws isn’t so clear-cut.

When Qin Shubao was an official, his elderly mother celebrated a significant birthday, and all the outlaws in Shandong came to show their respect.

...

...

Having acquired the supplemental medicine, Xu Qing focused on cultivating the Eight Diagram Wandering Palm, and his physique visibly developed during this period, with his martial skills also improving by the day.

One day, just after the Double Ninth Festival, Yan Shan approached him, starting with:

"Brother Xu, would you consider being the timely rescuer for the scholars of our county?"

Xu Qing: "..."