"Brother-in-law, what brings you here! What time is it now?"
Xu Xian felt a warmth in his heart, stood up, and asked with a wry smile.
I don't trust you!
Li Gongfu rubbed his hands together and said, "You've been in here for over an hour. We only heard a series of banging noises outside, and then there was no sound or anyone coming out. I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I brought some men in."
He then asked, "How are you, Hanwen? Are you alright?"
Xu Xian nodded and replied, "It's alright, I was just a little exhausted earlier. I only sat cross-legged for a short while, and I didn't expect so much time to have passed!"
He didn't tell his sister and brother-in-law about his injury, so as not to worry them. Besides, it wouldn't do them any good even if they knew.
"That's good, that's good!"
Li Gongfu, unsuspecting, nodded happily and said, "Hanwen, you've wiped out all those pirate leaders. You've done a great service! The county magistrate is very pleased and says he wants to thank you properly!"
"No need, I don't like crowds. You can have all the credit, brother-in-law! I'm going back now!"
Xu Xian sheathed his sword and stood there, looking around. He saw that the traces of the previous battle had been cleaned up, and the corpses were gone. It was clear that the constables had taken care of it.
"By the way, brother-in-law, I remember there was a big monk who was quite skilled in martial arts, almost as good as me. It was not easy to kill him!"
Xu Xian quickly pressed on, asking, "Have you seen that big monk before?"
"well!"
Li Gongfu sighed and said, "That monk is the head abbot of Hanshan Temple in the western suburbs of the county. His Dharma name is Yuanyi. It is truly unbelievable that a monk would collude with pirates and wreak havoc on the area!"
"What? He really is a monk? I thought he was a pirate in disguise. And how did my brother-in-law know he was colluding with pirates?"
Xu Xian was taken aback and quickly asked.
Li Gongfu said, "You killed all the pirate leaders upstairs, but who knew that a few henchmen were hiding downstairs trying to escape? We caught them just in time!"
He paused and said, "After severe torture, we learned that Hanshan Temple was actually the largest pirate gang in the entire Qinghai County!"
Li Gongfu sneered repeatedly: "The great pirate Yizhi Mei is none other than the monk Yuan Yi, whom you killed, Hanwen. They seized a large amount of wealth by controlling the pirate gang, and the entire temple was raking in the money!"
"Tonight, they gathered at Binguilou to forcibly control these pirate leaders, and then go further to control the entire Qinghai County pirate group and become the pirate overlord of the sea."
Li Gongfu's words, spoken through gritted teeth, greatly surprised Xu Xian.
It is truly unimaginable that these seemingly respectable Buddhist monks were actually pirates hated by everyone.
Pooh!
Scumbag!
Upon learning the truth, Xu Xian immediately despised the group of monks.
"So, does the magistrate know about this? And what are his plans?"
Then, Xu Xian asked.
"Haha, the immortal master has awakened!"
Just then, a hearty laugh came from the stairs, and soon after, Su Kangnian, the magistrate of Qiantang County, walked up with a radiant face.
"Magistrate Su!"
Xu Xian nodded, which was considered a greeting.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
Li Gongfu bowed respectfully.
Su Kangnian came forward, personally helped Li Gongfu up, patted him on the shoulder, and said affectionately, "Captain Li fought bravely against the pirates, killed the notorious bandit Yizhi Mei, and then killed twenty-four other pirate leaders. His achievements are truly remarkable! I have already sent an official letter to the prefectural government overnight to request commendation for Captain Li!"
"As for the traitors at Hanshan Temple, I have already reported them to the Prefect and am asking how to handle them!"
After saying that, he looked at Xu Xian ingratiatingly and asked with a fawning smile, "Immortal Master, what do you think of my arrangement?"
"Magistrate Su is very sensible, I have no objection!"
Xu Xian chuckled lightly, giving this person a second glance.
Such decisiveness is a testament to his talent.
At the same time, he sighed inwardly, realizing that the abbot was right; no one in this world is simple.
The experiences of the mortal world have indeed broadened my horizons.
"Immortal Master, you have worked hard. I have prepared a small banquet at the yamen and would like to invite you to attend. I wonder what your opinion is?"
Seeing that he had gained Xu Xian's approval, Su Kangnian was very excited, but he asked cautiously.
Xu Xian thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, it's late, I have to go back. My sister must be worried. Maybe next time!"
Thinking of the slightly worried look in his sister Xu Jiaorong's eyes when he left, Xu Xian finally declined Su Kangnian's invitation.
"Haha, no problem, no problem. I'll come and bother you again when you have time, Immortal Master!"
Su Kangnian's expression remained unchanged, and he spoke with a smile on his face.
Let's talk about it next time when we have time!
Xu Xian did not refuse, but turned to Li Gongfu and said, "Brother-in-law, I'll go back first!"