Chapter 5

"Hmm." The little girl nodded and said, "Mother asked me to bring it over." As she spoke, she pointed to the side.

Beside her stood a young couple.

The man, in his early thirties, was tall and robust, with a square face and a beard, exuding a rugged and determined demeanor. He carried a three-pronged hunting spear and had several newly skinned, blood-stained animal hides on his back, dressed like a hunter. The woman, a few years younger, around twenty-three or twenty-four, had fair skin and a beautiful face. She held a baby who had not yet been weaned. Despite her simple attire of a bamboo hairpin and a cotton dress, her elegant demeanor was hard to conceal, giving an initial impression of a well-bred lady rather than a poor household.

At her feet were two bamboo baskets.

Inside the baskets were golden mountain apricots, emitting a fragrant aroma. They were likely wild fruits picked from the mountains, intended to be sold in the market for money.

Seeing Li Mu's gaze, the couple smiled kindly.

"Thank you." Li Mu, imitating the ancient gesture of clasped hands, took the mountain apricots from the little girl, patted her head, and smiled, "Thank you, little sister. What's your name?"

"My name is YaYa."

The little girl laughed happily and skipped back to her parents.

The people of this alien planet are truly kind and simple.

Li Mu felt a warm tear in his eye as he marveled.

The kindness of the apricots made Li Mu feel very good about the alien planet.

These two golden mountain apricots were large and sweet, barely enough to stave off hunger. Li Mu ate one himself, and the two young attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, shared the other.

The procession into the city proceeded in order.

Soon, the young couple and YaYa reached the city gate.

The guards at the gate, clearly seasoned veterans, had loose armor and a greedy look. They openly extorted and demanded bribes from anyone entering the city, taking a little from everyone, like plucking feathers from a passing goose.

The couple's two animal hides and half a basket of mountain apricots were taken away. They dared not speak out and entered the city with their child.

Finally, it was Li Mu's turn.

The young attendant Qingfeng was about to state their identity, but the head guard, pinching his nose, sized them up and down, "Damn, where did these three beggars come from? Dirty and smelly, what bad luck. Get lost... don't cause trouble in the city, or I'll break your legs..." Then he ordered his men to push Li Mu and the others into the city.

Li Mu entered the city, looking back at the gate, feeling both amused and frustrated.

Although they had successfully entered the county town, the feeling of being despised was truly unpleasant.

Moreover, a glimpse of the situation revealed the poor state of the administration in the Western Qin Empire.

Taibai County was a mountain town.

Only by entering it could one truly appreciate the charm of this ancient city.

The main roads were paved with smooth, flat green stones from Taibai Mountain, comparable to asphalt roads on Earth. Other roads mostly had steps or winding paths, meandering through the mountains and water, like a scenic garden. Several rivers surrounded the ancient city, flowing from high to low, forming several waterfalls in the city, though the water was not strong, it was clear to the bottom.

Ancient trees with sprawling canopies, some hundreds of years old, dotted the city.

The scenery was beautiful, and it was easy to get lost wandering through it.

About two hours later.

Li Mu, with the two attendants, asked for directions and climbed the mountain, spending half a day to reach the entrance of the county office, located at the highest point of the county town.

Yes, after intense deliberation, Li Mu decided to go with the flow and temporarily impersonate the magistrate of Taibai County.

There were three reasons for this.

First, he had offended the Blood Moon Gang and would surely be hunted down, and he currently had no means to protect himself. Second, through conversations with the attendant Qingfeng, he learned that in the Western Qin Empire, those without household registration would be registered as slaves by the government. The third reason was simpler: Li Mu, a junior high school graduate from Earth, had no survival skills and would starve to death within days if he wandered around.

Of course, becoming a county magistrate right after arriving was also quite satisfying.

At the entrance of the county office, two groups of guards stood watch.

As soon as the three of them arrived at the entrance, a guard walked over, cursing, "Three stinky beggars, this is the county office, no loitering. Get lost if you don't want to die..."

"Are you blind? How dare you insult my young master? Do you think he can't beat you to death?" The violent and dim-witted female attendant, Mingyue, hands on her hips, retorted, "You lowlifes, my young master is the new magistrate of Taibai County. You insolent fools, get over here and welcome the magistrate!"

...

Half an hour later.

"Welcome, Your Excellency."

In the main hall of the county office.

After verifying the appointment letter and the official seal, a group of officials, both civil and military, with varying expressions, bowed their heads and greeted the new magistrate.

Li Mu sat in the official chair, expressionless.

Although he was a novice, he could see that these county office members did not show much respect or fear towards him, the new magistrate. However, the guards who had spoken rudely earlier were a bit scared and were now trembling on the outer edge.

"No need for formalities, you may all leave..."

He did not want to dwell on their attitudes.

Because he felt guilty.

After all, Li Mu was impersonating a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, a man of vast knowledge and well-versed in the administrative order of the Western Qin Empire. As a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which translates to "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "a person who has traveled through time or space"), Li Mu was largely ignorant of the administrative norms of this world.

"Huh?"

The group of officials and guards were a bit confused.

What was going on?

Was he just letting them leave?

Wouldn't the new magistrate want to understand the current state of the county office?

"Your Excellency, since the previous magistrate, Mr. Lu, resigned to seek the Dao a year ago, Taibai County has been without a magistrate for a year. The backlog of unprocessed documents in the county office is mountainous..." A middle-aged man, slightly plump and resembling a magistrate, bowed and smiled, "I have prepared a record of all the events, documents, official letters, and cases that have occurred in the county over the past year. Your Excellency can review them now..."

Li Mu waved his hand, interrupting him, "Who are you?"

"I am Zhou Wu, the deputy magistrate of this county." The plump middle-aged man smiled.

Oh, the deputy magistrate, that's like a vice-county magistrate.

However, hearing that the previous county magistrate had resigned to seek the Dao was quite strange.

Li Mu nodded calmly, "I am very tired from the long journey. We can discuss official business later... you may all leave."

He was determined not to engage too much with these people.

Otherwise, he would surely make a mistake.

The group of officials looked at Li Mu with varied expressions, some disappointed, some pleased, some disdainful, and some silent, bowed again, and left in order.

"Hey, wait, that Zhou... Zhou Wu..." Li Mu suddenly pointed at the deputy magistrate.

Zhou Wu's heart skipped a beat, his expression changed, and he turned to look at Li Mu.

"Um, I... I'm a bit hungry. Have someone prepare some food and send it to the back office." Li Mu tried to sound natural, "It should include wine and meat."

"Ah." The disdain in Zhou Wu's eyes was barely concealed, and he gave a strange smile, "Very well."

Then the group of officials left the main hall.

Soon, a burst of laughter echoed from outside.

The attendants Qingfeng and Mingyue were so embarrassed that they covered their faces.

Clearly, the young master's performance on the official chair had already become a laughing matter among his colleagues and would soon spread in the upper circles of Taibai County. This was a disgrace before the new magistrate could even start his work.

Li Mu, with his legs crossed on the official chair, looked indifferent and even chuckled.

Being a county magistrate was just for survival; he did not care about power.

After all, he was an alien.

He had come to this planet to cultivate martial arts. Everything that had happened so far proved that the old mystic's words were true. The先天功 (先天功, which translates to "先天功" in English, but in this context, it means "Innate Skill") and the真武拳 (真武拳, which translates to "真武拳" in English, but in this context, it means "True Martial Fist") could indeed have the power of immortals and could be cultivated on this planet.

As long as he could master these two great skills—no, even just a slight mastery, their power would be enough to dominate this low-level martial arts planet. Even the emperors of the three great empires and the leaders of the nine great divine sects would tremble before him. What was a small county magistrate then? At that time, wealth, beauty, and high office would be within his reach.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Li Mu, imagining a bright future, could not help but laugh wildly in his chair.

The attendants Qingfeng and Mingyue looked at him with speechless expressions.

The young master was too unambitious, actually laughing like a madman.

...

About half an hour later, Deputy Magistrate Zhou Wu sent a table of delicious food, complete with wine and meat, and all kinds of mountain and river delicacies.

Li Mu and the two attendants could not control themselves and started eating right in the main hall, devouring the food like they were starving ghosts, almost bursting their bellies. The guards watching from the side were stunned.

After the meal, the head of the county office's defense, Ma Junwu, came to request an audience, asking for instructions on the defense arrangements.

The administrative structure of a county in the Western Qin Empire was simple and clear. Below the magistrate, there were three deputy-level officials: the deputy magistrate in charge of county affairs, the chief clerk in charge of finances and taxes, and the military commissioner in charge of military affairs.

The military commissioner was equivalent to a police chief on Earth.

Below the military commissioner were three head guards: the head guard in charge of the county office's defense, the head guard in charge of criminal investigations, and the head guard in charge of the militia, corresponding roughly to the internal security, criminal investigation, and militia units on Earth.

Head Guard Ma Junwu, responsible for the county office's defense, had to seek instructions from the magistrate.

"No audience."

Li Mu refused the request without hesitation and had the attendant Qingfeng deal with it.

He himself immediately hid in the back office.

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Second update, wow, the collection and all the data are going crazy. This is the best performance of a new book among all of my books. I can feel everyone's enthusiasm, and I will work hard. Thank you to everyone who has supported me!