Chapter 740: Evil Cultivator

You didn't know about the changes in your family, and it's not your fault. But tell me, brother Liu, have you ever considered how you'll repay all the favors you've received? A county magistrate's annual salary is so little.

Wang Tianwen said meaningfully. Judging by the current situation, if Liu Xian were to become an official, he would most likely be a corrupt one.

He has already accepted so many benefits before even becoming an official. Once he does, what will he do when the wealthy merchants who gave his family favors come to him for help? Will he help them or not?

Before this, whenever wealthy merchants or influential figures were mentioned, Liu Xian would express disdain, claiming that officials exploited the common people and that he would be an upright official when he took office. Because of this, Liu Xian and Sun Jiawen couldn't get along.

But now, Liu Xian can't say such things; he feels guilty.

Liu Xian frowned deeply. What Wang Tianwen said was true. The value of the land, estates, furniture, and fine silks his family acquired amounted to over ten thousand taels. Even if he became an official immediately, it would take decades to repay.

He now completely understood the meaning of the saying, "While vermilion gates reek of wine and meat, frozen corpses lie by the roadside." His family ate well and dressed well, while their neighbors still ate husks and wild vegetables, living in dilapidated thatched huts.

"Brother Tianwen, you have many ideas. Please give me some advice."

Wang Tianwen shook his head and said, "I can't help you with this. Ultimately, it's a matter of money, and I have no way of getting you a large sum of silver."

Before coming to the Central Plains, Wang Tianwen brought several thousand taels of silver, but he hadn't used much of it. He had achieved辟谷 (abstinence from grains), so he didn't need to eat, and his pháp y (spiritual robe) kept him warm in winter and cool in summer.

Liu Xian's parents, brothers, and sisters all wanted to live a good life, which was not wrong, but their method was incorrect. Wang Tianwen wasn't a bodhisattva; where would he get a large amount of silver for them? Rob the rich to help the poor? He wouldn't do such a thing.

Ultimately, it was greed at play.

Liu Xian sighed, his brows still furrowed.

He understood this principle perfectly well. Now, tens of thousands of taels of silver were needed to solve his family's problems. The question was, where would he get such an amount?

"Oh, by the way, my third uncle has been quite busy lately. You can stay at my house for a few days. In a few days, I'll take you to the county town to find him, and he can explain how commerce operates."

"No problem. I don't have anything important to do anyway."

Wang Tianwen agreed with a smile. He planned to spend his three-month vacation traveling around Qufu Commandery.

Seven days passed quickly. Liu Xian accompanied Wang Tianwen on excursions, enjoying the scenery and composing poetry.

One morning, they were enjoying tea and chatting on a mountaintop, admiring the distant beauty. Each composed a poem.

"Brother Tianwen, the scenery here is quite good, isn't it? Let's compose two more ci poems. I'll go first..."

Liu Xian hadn't finished speaking when Wang Tianwen looked into the distance. A huge cloud mass was flying rapidly from high in the sky.

"Brother Tianwen, let's talk later. Someone is coming."

Before long, the cloud landed in front of them.

Standing on the cloud were seven men and two women: three Foundation Establishment cultivators and six Qi Refinement cultivators.

"Oh, Brother Jiawen, is that you?"

Wang Tianwen uttered a soft exclamation, his gaze falling on Sun Jiawen.

"What? Tianwen, do you know each other?"

A red-robed elder in his early fifties, who was at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment cultivation, asked in confusion.

"Master, Brother Tianwen here is my classmate."

Wang Tianwen clasped his hands and politely said, "I am Wang Tianwen. Greetings, fellow Daoists."

"This old man is Zhao Feng. Daoist Wang, are you interested in joining us to eliminate some evildoers?"

"Evildoers? What kind of evildoers?"

Sun Jiawen briefly explained. It turned out that a group of evil cultivators had gathered at the border between Pingjiang County and Dongyang County. The area was mountainous and densely forested, making them difficult to detect. They ambushed and killed passersby to cultivate demonic arts. Zhao Feng had been ordered to eliminate this group of evil cultivators.

"Brother Tianwen, it's our responsibility as cultivators to slay demons, vanquish evil, and protect the common people. Care to join us?" Sun Jiawen asked with some excitement.

It was his first time venturing out for experience, so he was understandably enthusiastic.

"No, I'm just a student. I believe Daoist Zhao can handle it."

The Great Yan Dynasty had cultivators serving in county yamen specifically to deal with such matters. Wang Tianwen had no official position, so he wouldn't proactively get involved.

After all, his family had instilled in him from a young age the principle of not easily helping outsiders and not being an overly good person.

If his family had ordered him to go, Wang Tianwen would naturally not have hesitated.

Of course, the government itself could solve the problem. There were cultivators in counties, commanderies, and prefectures. Wang Tianwen believed that even if he didn't go, Zhao Feng and the others could eliminate the evil cultivators.

"It's just a few evil cultivators; this old man can handle it. Since Daoist Wang is unwilling to go, so be it. Each person has their own aspirations. Let's go! The sooner we go, the sooner we return."

Zhao Feng chanted a spell, and the white cloud instantly accelerated, flying rapidly into the distance.

Before long, they disappeared into the horizon.

Liu Xian frowned slightly, hesitating to speak.

He couldn't easily comment on matters concerning cultivators; he was merely a commoner now.

"Brother Tianwen, will they be alright?"

Liu Xian hesitated slightly, asking with some concern.

"I believe they can handle it well; nothing will happen. If they really need more hands, they can ask for help from above."

Liu Xian nodded. Knowing that evil cultivators were causing trouble, they no longer felt like composing poetry. After sitting on the mountain for a while, they descended.

Night fell, shrouding the earth in darkness.

Liujia Village was quiet. Wang Tianwen sat cross-legged on his wooden bed, meditating and regulating his breath.

A large expanse of white ethereal light enveloped his body, and wisps of white mist entered his nostrils.

Suddenly, a deafening roar reached his ears.

Wang Tianwen frowned slightly, the white ethereal light on his body quickly dissipated, and he opened his eyes, his gaze somber.

He released his divine sense and found several cultivators' auras rapidly approaching his location at high speed.

Wang Tianwen suddenly thought of Zhao Feng and the others. He secretly thought, "This is not good," and quickly rushed out of his dwelling.

Zhao Feng and Sun Jiawen frantically fled on a green flying shuttle, their expressions panicked.

To be honest, the evil cultivators had three Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the zombies were a bit troublesome. Everything had been going well, but then two Qi Refinement cultivators from the county yamen suddenly betrayed them, ambushing them from behind. One Foundation Establishment cultivator died on the spot. Seeing the situation turn dire, Zhao Feng fled with Sun Jiawen.

Behind them was a black cloud several zhang wide, from which eerie wailing sounds faintly emanated.

Zhao Feng's face was tinged with black qi; he had been poisoned by corpse venom, and the magical power in his body was rapidly draining away.

"Gagaga!"

A strange ghostly roar erupted, and three massive skulls flew towards them, opening their mouths to spray countless black threads, forming a huge black net that enveloped Zhao Feng and his apprentice.

Zhao Feng quickly chanted a spell, and the green flying shuttle glowed brightly, its speed more than doubling. He then conjured two red talismans, which transformed into two thick, fiery red pythons that lunged at the black net.