Hearing someone's advice, the soldier had no choice but to lower his head and ignore it. After all, he had heard of Master Xu's reputation!
It is said that this Mr. Xu was originally just an apprentice in a pharmacy. But one day, he suddenly had a breakthrough and became intelligent.
Rumors circulate that he received instruction from a master. Not only is he exceptionally intelligent, but his strength is also formidable!
According to some veterans, in the past, they often saw Xu Da Guan Ren (a high-ranking official) appearing naked, carrying a large tiger on his back, or holding the head of a notorious bandit.
Faced with such a powerful figure who has captured tigers alive and killed countless bad guys, how could an ordinary person dare to go against him?
Therefore, in just two short years, he amassed a vast fortune. Even his brother-in-law, Li Gongfu, was promoted to county magistrate, commanding eight hundred county soldiers and becoming his superior!
Soon, dozens of cavalrymen escorted Xu Xian to an inn in the city. The entire second floor of the inn was booked. No guest dared to utter a single word of objection!
At the entrance on the second floor, there were four strong men constantly checking the surroundings and guarding the area.
Seeing this, Xu Xian smiled proudly! In just two years, he had amassed such a fortune, with over two hundred of his most skilled servants. They were all top-quality, robust men from the north.
As for the origin of the warhorse, it was actually a wild horse herd that Xu Xian encountered by chance when he went deep into the desolate mountains to slay demons and monsters. It was a side gain.
"Hey, this is all thanks to you, sir!" Xu Xian couldn't help but exclaim, looking at the servant beside him.
Beside him stood a very ugly old man. The old man was truly ugly; when they first met, Xu Xian was almost horrified by his appearance!
"Hehe, it's all thanks to the lord's trust. Compared to the lord's strength, this little bit of wealth is nothing, nothing at all!" The old man clasped his hands in a fist salute and said with a smile.
The old man was dressed in fine clothes, but not as finely as Xu Xian, at least not in a way that overshadowed him. At first glance, the old man seemed to possess a peculiar quality.
Unfortunately, his face was so ugly that it made people want to beat him up! And that was the truth. Because he was so ugly, the old man, despite his great talent, lived in poverty all the time.
If it weren't for him, they might already be dead! That's why they're so loyal to him! Thinking about this, Xu Xian recalled their first meeting three months ago.
"Ding! Congratulations, host, on breaking through to the fourth rank. Rewards will now be distributed."
"Reward One: The Divine Weapon Yitian Sword, this sword is..."
"Reward Two:..."
...
"Reward Five: The brilliant and exceptionally intelligent young strategist Pang Tong is in mortal danger. Go to his rescue. The final outcome will determine whether you can subdue him!"
...
To be honest, Xu Xian wasn't initially interested in reward five! A great sage who can reach the heavens? There's no such thing as a great sage who can reach the heavens!
However, after thinking about it, anything produced by the system must be of high quality! Since I had nothing better to do anyway, I decided to go and rescue this so-called all-knowing sage.
Finally, he met him in prison! At that time, Pang Tong's words left a deep impression on Xu Xian! Then, he did his best to rescue this person and eventually took him in as his steward.
"My ancestors were short-sighted, making me pursue knowledge and write books to pass down through generations. Who knew that if I wrote travelogues, they would say I was leaking state secrets; if I wrote history, they would say I was using the past to satirize the present; if I annotated military strategy, they would say I was plotting a rebellion; if I wrote supernatural stories, they would say I was leading people to superstition; finally, I rewrote a biography of a famous person, and as a result, that famous person got into trouble, was labeled a rebel, and I was sentenced to life imprisonment along with him... Alas, life is a prison!"
Moreover, this young phoenix Pang Tong did not disappoint him. In just three months, he built up a huge estate for himself!
"Now that you, my lord, have obtained the title of Juren (a degree in the imperial examination system), you are free to refrain from kneeling before officials and to parade with a sword. You have the right to carry a sword. You are quite a celebrity now, so it's time to consider marriage and having children."
"You know, in principle, one can get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen. Now that our lord has established his career, the entire Xu family is still lacking a mistress!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xian's face immediately fell. Why was he trying to persuade someone to marry again? This Mr. Pang is good in every way, but his constant encouragement to marry is a big problem!
Of course, this was actually for his own good! Back then, Xu Xian was just a pharmacy apprentice. It was normal for him not to be able to find a wife when he was thirteen or fourteen!
But at this time, Xu, the wealthy and powerful official, was a well-known figure in Hangzhou, owning 8,000 mu of fertile land, 600 tenant farmers, and 200 fierce and capable servants!
In addition, there are as many as six caravans! Each caravan has at least thirty people! Each time they travel through the deep mountains, they can earn at least tens of thousands of taels of silver!
(There are monsters in the deep mountains, but Xu Xian is so powerful that the monsters dare not touch his caravan, which is why he can make so much money!)
In any case, everyone in Hangzhou knows Xu Da Guanren! Most people just think that he is intelligent and capable, and is a guest of honor of prefects and dukes.
But only those in high positions knew that Xu Xian was incredibly powerful and a ruthless killer! Otherwise, how could he have amassed such a vast fortune?
Therefore, to outsiders who are unaware of the situation, it seems very abnormal for someone to own such a large family fortune, yet remain unmarried and have no concubines!
------------
Chapter Nine: The Emperor's Sword, the Lord's Sword, and the Commoner's Sword
But despite what seemed a bit abnormal, what could Xu Xian say? He couldn't very well say, "Your mistress was destined to be a snake demon long ago," could he?
Fortunately, there are only three days left until the day we met. After three days, everything will be fine.
"Ahem, don't worry, I have a feeling that I will meet my destined one in a few days!" Xu Xian said with a smile.
Actually, he was quite satisfied with Pang Tong. Moreover, he was somewhat relieved; thankfully, he had the system's help. Otherwise, where would he have found such a talented person to assist him?
In just three months, they established six caravans, recruited hundreds of servants, cultivated three thousand acres of fertile land, and recruited hundreds of tenant farmers.
Moreover, he has reclaimed considerable land in some barren mountains, and several manors are currently under construction. To arrange so many things so meticulously—this is truly the work of a sage! Most importantly, this action has greatly increased his fortune!
“Mr. Pang, there’s no need to worry. Please sit here. Since we met you, sir, the Xu family’s business has been getting better and better every day. This is all thanks to you!” Xu Xian said approvingly.
At the same time, they were also considering whether to mentor this gentleman. After all, the system contained various cultivation methods.
Upon hearing this, Pang Tong first smiled, then said self-deprecatingly, "Ah, actually, this is all thanks to my lord. Otherwise, my life would have been just like this!"
If Pang Tong hadn't been so ugly, he probably would have been a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) long ago! He would have become a high-ranking official long ago. It's just a pity that he was stuck at the first step of becoming an official. No matter how outstanding his talent was, he was destined to be poor and destitute!
After all, there was a very important rule for taking the imperial examination: one's appearance had to be presentable!