Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 102 - 82: First On The List, Warning Again Of Avoiding Danger (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 102: Chapter 82: First On The List, Warning Again Of Avoiding Danger (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Following Chen Shijie around for a while, he had met almost all the officials. It was time to see his family at last.

"Brother, brother!" As soon as Zhao Xing came down from the viewing platform, Zhao Zheng charged in like a bull, only to be stopped immediately by the guards maintaining order.

"These are my family members," Zhao Xing said. The officials’ and civilians’ viewing areas were separated, and unless there was prior notice, it wasn’t easy to let people through.

"Go register in the front and then come back for a body search..." One of the bulky guards spoke sternly, but before he finished, a team leader walked over, "These are family members of Minister of Agriculture Zhao! No need to register, let them through!"

Zhao Xing’s time on the platform hadn’t been for nothing; many of East Lake’s military personnel now recognized him.

They just saw him chatting and laughing with his superiors—how could they not take notice?

"Thank you." Zhao Xing cupped his hands and smiled.

Zhao Ruide, Zhao Zheng, and Mrs. Cai were then allowed to enter.

"Brother, you are incredible." Zhao Zheng looked at his brother with admiration, "So many high-ranking officials on the platform, all smiling at you."

Zhao Xing didn’t bother to explain to Zhao Zheng; those officials weren’t smiling at him directly. It was mostly Old Chen’s influence.

After becoming a ranked official, his senses became even sharper. He realized Old Chen was far more than just an ordinary Ninth Grade.

"Did you wait long outside?" Zhao Xing patted Zhao Zheng’s head.

"Yes, for a long time. I peed three times before you came out!" Zhao Zheng said somewhat aggrieved, "Just when you finally came out, you were surrounded by so many people. I called out to you from outside, but after two shouts, I suddenly couldn’t speak. I thought I had gone mute, but after a while, I could talk again..."

Only then did Zhao Xing realize they were affected by Li Wenzheng’s spell of ’silence.’

Zhao Ruide asked, "How are you, any injuries?"

"No, I’m fine."

"That’s good to hear."

They exchanged a few simple greetings, then fell silent.

Mrs. Cai usually had a lot to say, but seeing Zhao Xing in this massive event, looking entirely different from before he entered the mountain, she didn’t dare to speak much either.

Although very tired, she still perked up, holding Zhao Zheng with a smiling face.

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and took out a silver note from his pocket, "Godfather, Mrs. Cai, this time I made a significant profit in the mountains. I’ll leave this silver note for the family."

"Five hundred taels?!" Mrs. Cai’s eyes widened.

Zhao Ruide remained calm, "What’s this for? The family doesn’t lack money; you should just keep it."

"I made enough money in the mountains to sustain my cultivation. Please keep it," Zhao Xing insisted, handing the silver note to Mrs. Cai when Zhao Ruide didn’t take it.

"Gulp~" Someone audibly swallowed.

In the past, Mrs. Cai would have taken it happily, but today she felt different.

Even though her fingers twitched and her eyes were fixed on the silver note, she hesitated to take it.

"I do have more," Zhao Xing said, pulling out another silver note worth five hundred taels from his pocket, "See, I’m not lying."

Seeing Zhao Xing’s insistence, Zhao Ruide had no choice but to nod and signal Mrs. Cai to accept it, "Then let her keep it for you."

"Yes, yes, I’ll definitely take good care of it!" Mrs. Cai, no longer tired, hurriedly secured the silver note close to her.

....

While Zhao Xing’s family was chatting.

In a fisherman’s house by East Lake, another ’family’ was also having a conversation.

"The Yin God of East Lake Spirit Mountain has graded the officers," the Master of Sanwan Hall said, removing his fishing basket and speaking to his ’wife’ who greeted him, "The ones we had our eye on, two have died and three are crippled."

"That’s not bad; it reduces some pressure," the middle-aged woman smiled, undoing her ’husband’s’ sweat-soaked shirt and wiping him with a towel.

"Reduces pressure?" The muscular man spread his arms and huffed, "Quite the opposite, our pressure has increased."

"What do you mean?" The woman twisted the towel and replaced it with a clean one.

"Li Chengfeng is at Gathering Essence Ninth Rank, which isn’t much. But Zhao Xing surprisingly leaped from Gathering Essence Fourth Rank to being ranked, and he alone got forty-two shares of Spiritual Beauty!"

"Just that one person increased the task difficulty several times." The Master of Sanwan Hall looked vexed.

They were supposed to capture those with good potential, but too much potential was also problematic.

It meant the cost would be higher as well.

"Dozens of shares of Spiritual Beauty?" The woman was startled, "Doesn’t that mean there will be a Superior Qi Fortune Spiritual Treasure? That’s really troublesome."

The Qi Fortune Spiritual Treasure would make capture significantly more difficult. If it could be easily caught, it wouldn’t be called strong Fortune.

To counter such ’good fortune,’ they would have to pay a higher price.

"Yes, isn’t it frustrating?"

"In this situation, it’s unlikely to be our job," the woman frowned, "The protector also wants to catch Chen Shijie, right? If the higher-ups want to send more people, it would just be a side task for them."

"It’s not that simple. Once or twice is fine, but not a third time. Nanyang County has already taken action once, and now they’re very vigilant. When I went to East Lake Mountain, I felt danger everywhere," the middle-aged man frowned, "Besides, if the task isn’t completed, we have to stay in this wretched place."

"We can’t use any magic, and I have to suppress my blood and energy daily, suffering from Yin Spirit fire scourge day and night..."

"The protector has to ride horses and carts between several counties, so stop complaining," The woman caressed the man’s chest, "Should I help you relieve the fire scourge?"

The man grabbed the woman’s breast with one hand and held her head with the other, "Make it quick. The protector should be arriving soon."

"Don’t worry, I know what to do." The woman tossed the towel aside and knelt.