Wu Ming had just arrived. Naturally, the more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make. It was better to remain silent.
Although the elder seemed to have something to ask of him, and it might even be a side mission, he did not stay for long. After asking for directions, he headed for the county.
"This town is filled with Yin Qi. It makes my scalp go numb. It's not a good place …"
After walking for a few miles towards the sun, the fog gradually thinned. Wu Ming heaved a sigh of relief.
At this time, he saw that the surrounding fields were endless. Chickens and dogs could be heard. Not far away, there were a few thatched cottages with smoke rising from the chimneys, but it was fine.
After walking for another dozen miles, he saw a square city wall that was a few miles in circumference. The city wall was covered with greenish-black moss. The gate was wide open, and people were bustling about. Their faces were pale, and it gave off a sense of dilapidation.
"Ten coins to enter the city!"
The soldier guarding the city had a cold look on his face. When he saw Wu Ming's tall and handsome figure, dressed in a jade robe, he did not look like a commoner.
Wu Ming did not have anything valuable on him. Although there were exchanges in the main temple, merit points were precious, so he did not pay much attention to them.
But at this time, there was a small problem.
"I made a mistake. If I had known earlier, I would have worn a green scholar's robe and found a scabbard for the peach wood sword. I could have pretended to be a scholar and had special privileges …"
Wu Ming secretly noted this down. He did not enter the city, but went to the notice column at the side.
On the side of the city gate, there were layers and layers of densely packed notices. The corners were yellowed, and most of them were wanted posters, wanted portraits, and even official decrees.
In the middle, there was a bright yellow notice with the words:
"… Under the rule of Hei Tai, Black Water Town is full of evildoers and wild spirits are growing. I have the responsibility to protect the people and protect the land … However, Yin and Yang are different. I specially recruit capable people from the people, generous and heroic, to help the people out of trouble … Regardless of background or place of birth, as long as you succeed, you will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver and a hundred acres of fertile land …"
At the bottom, there was an unfamiliar year, month, and date. There was also a square, bright red official seal.
"A hundred acres of fertile land? That's almost a thousand taels of silver. That's a lot … But … Black Water Town? "
Wu Ming suddenly thought of where he came from and laughed involuntarily. "If I don't want to go around in circles, I still have to go back to where I started …"
He didn't say anything more as he walked forward and gently removed the notice and held it in his hand.
"Eh?"
"Someone took the challenge?"
In an instant, a group of people surrounded him, looking at him with curiosity, shock, and even gloating eyes.
"Hmm? From the looks of it … I'm afraid that the few people who tried to break the seal before me have met with misfortune! "
Wu Ming's heart skipped a beat, but his expression did not change, and his bearing was solemn.
The two bailiffs immediately came over and took a look. They had seen a lot of people, so they naturally knew that this youth was different from the previous few who cheated. They couldn't help but say, "Langjun, have you thought it through? If County Magistrate C doesn't blame you, no one can save you! "
"Of course!"
Wu Ming replied with a smile. He then entered the city with the two bailiffs. Naturally, the entrance fee was waived.
Hei Tai County was more prosperous than the outside world. The people didn't look hungry or cold, and the streets were clean. There were rice shops, salt shops, tea shops, pawnshops, wine shops, hotels, cloth shops, jewelry shops, brothels … There were also peddlers who picked up goods and walked the streets to sell them.
They didn't speak along the way. When they arrived at the county office, they entered through the side door. Wu Ming was brought to a side room to wait.
At this point, an official said, "Patrol Inspector Wu will be here later. You have to be careful!"
The county magistrate was the head of the county, Baili Hou. Naturally, it wasn't easy to meet him. The Patrol Inspector was in charge of the security of the county, and he was similar to the Director of the Public Security Bureau in the future. The ranks of the Patrol Inspector differed from dynasty to dynasty. There were lower and higher ranks, but they were all officials and couldn't be compared to ordinary officials.
"I know. Thank you for telling me!"
Wu Ming cupped his hands in greeting, but all he got was a supercilious look.
"Hmph!"
The official, who didn't get the tip he expected, snorted and left. Wu Ming immediately knew that he had offended the little brat. If he were to be pestered by him in the future, it would be troublesome.
However, he wasn't a local. He was an outsider, and he was penniless. Hence, it didn't matter to him.
This Patrol Inspector Wu was obviously busy. Wu Ming waited for more than an hour before he finally saw him in person.
Of course, there wasn't any tea or snacks during this period. This was the consequence of offending the little brat.
"Student Wu Ming greets Patrol Inspector Wu!"
Wu Ming saw an official enter. He was seven feet tall and looked to be in his forties. His skin was dark and his eyes were bright. His face was angular and he had a dignified air about him. Naturally, Wu Ming knew that this was the Patrol Inspector of Hei Tai County, Wu Hong.
At this point in time, he couldn't say that he was nameless. Anyway, when other Samsara travelers heard his name, they would only think that it was an alias.
This was what it meant to be fake when the fake was real.
"You are Wu Ming? What capabilities do you have to take up this title? Eh? You went to school? "
Seeing that Wu Ming only bowed and did not kneel down, Wu Hong's eyelids twitched. When he heard Wu Ming calling himself a student, he couldn't help but ask.
He was in charge of the security of the county. Any ruffian or robber would tremble in front of him. If he wanted them to be round, they would be round. If he wanted them flat, they would be flat. If ordinary people saw him, they would have to kneel down. If not, it would be disrespectful.
At this point in time, seeing that Wu Ming was polite and calm, he had a higher opinion of him.
Of course, this was also related to the fact that Wu Ming was pretending to be a scholar.
In the past dynasties, as long as it was an agricultural empire, scholars would always be given preferential treatment.
"I have been in school since I was young. I am ashamed that I don't have any scholarly titles. I only know a few words …"
Although Wu Ming had some knowledge, he didn't know what the Four Books and Five Classics of this era were all about. If he said that he was a scholar or a scholar, he would definitely be exposed. Instead, it would be better to say that he only knew a few words.
Anyway, after reading the title outside the city, Wu Ming knew that the words here were similar to those in the Dazhou Dynasty. It was not a big deal.
"Since this is the case, it is very rare …"
Wu Hong nodded slightly, and his face became a little calmer.
Although Wu Ming was not even a scholar, he was born in a scholarly family. He was a scholar and a reserved scholar, so he had to be lenient. This was not a formal occasion, and he was not a seventh-grade county magistrate, so he naturally let him go. "The title is not easy. Once you accept it, you can't refuse it. Have you thought about it?"
"Please rest assured! I have learned breathing since I was young. My father is an old friend of a Taoist priest, so I have some talismans with me. I have some confidence in dealing with such a small ghost … "
As Wu Ming spoke, he saw that Wu Hong still seemed to be a little hesitant. He continued, "This trip is boring because of reading. I thought that instead of reading ten thousand books, I might as well travel ten thousand miles. I came out to broaden my horizons. This time, I came over Black Mountain …"
The last sentence was added when he thought about how the people in Black Water Town were scared to death when they saw him coming out of Black Mountain. He had an idea and added it in.
"Black Mountain?"
When Wu Hong heard it, his expression changed. He stared at Wu Ming for a long time before he smiled and said, "The world is not peaceful now. Since you can travel around, it is clear that you have a special skill. If that is the case, I will report your name …"
"Thank you, Sir!"
Wu Ming bowed deeply. At that moment, the mission in his mind suddenly changed.
[Successfully arrived at Black Platform County and revealed the title. Side Mission: Arrived (Completed)!
[Second Side Mission Activated: Investigate!
Mission Objective: You, who revealed the title of the county magistrate, need to investigate the truth behind the disaster in Black Water Town within seven days. If you succeed, you will activate the main mission! If you fail, you will have one thousand points deducted. If you do not have enough points, you will be killed!]
'Black Water Town?'
Wu Ming sighed in his heart and frowned. 'It really has something to do with that town? But why did you have to go through the trouble of coming to the county town first? '
Wu Hong asked again, "Hmm, you are young and talented. I will leave the people of Black Water Town in your hands. The county magistrate has ordered that there must be an outcome within seven days … Do you have any other requests?"
At that moment, there was a servant serving tea, and the conversation came to an end.
"About this … To deal with the ghost-type spirits, I still need some materials to set up the altar and offerings …"
Wu Ming pretended to be troubled.
However, he was indeed penniless and penniless at the moment.
"I will naturally inform the public account about this. When you leave, take ten taels of silver with you!"
Wu Hong frowned and picked up his teacup.
Wu Ming naturally knew that he was serving tea to send him off. He immediately got up, thanked him, and left.
…..
After leaving the yamen, Wu Ming touched the five taels of silver in his pocket and sneered.
There were ten taels of silver in the account, but the Revenue Officer and other low-ranking officials would immediately shrink by half. This was the rule, and no one could say anything about it.
Wu Hong said that it was ten taels of silver, but in fact, it might have been twenty or thirty taels of silver in the account. There was no need to go into details.
Finally, considering that he still needed him to do some work for him, he gave him a snow-white, high-grade official silver. It was scattered and shimmering with silver light. It was not a small sum, but it was enough for a family of three to live for a year.
'After I announce the announcement, I don't know whether Tu Yanghao and the others will have their tasks changed, or failed, or even be announced again …'
Wu Ming seemed to be wandering aimlessly in the county town, but he did not care about the people following him from the yamen.
The officials were not fools. How could they let him take the money and leave? They would definitely follow him.
It was fine now, but once the seven days passed, or if he showed any intention of escaping, then … Hehe …
"But … the waters of this Black Water Town seem to be very deep …"
Wu Ming did not go out of the town to provoke the two people following him. Instead, he walked slowly, but his eyebrows were furrowed. 'That Wu Hong! His muscles and bones are strong, and his martial arts skills are at least equivalent to Dazhou's Fourth Tier of the Physical Body Realm. He is a Chief Inspector, and he can have at most a hundred subordinates … Even if he loses, he still has twenty to thirty subordinates, and he is an official, which can greatly reduce the power of the spells … Even if he can't, he can still rely on the County Lieutenant. A county has at least three to five hundred soldiers … '
'With such great power, it's strange that it can't do anything to a small town?'
Wu Ming's brows furrowed.
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