Nan Zhi had not expected that upon her return to Dingyuan, the crowd of people coming to welcome her would only increase.
The people of Dingyuan had heard the news early on and were waiting to intercept her. Some held pancakes, others held water ladles, all of them blocking the way to insist Nan Zhi take a bite or a sip.
Among these people were those Nan Zhi recognized, as well as unfamiliar faces she had never even spoken to.
There was Qi-ge'er the fruit seller, Lady He from the sauce meat shop, the idle Wang Dalang who usually hung around doing errands, Auntie Zhao who sold fried fruit in the east of the city, and the Old Scholar from the north who made a living writing letters for others...
Even Qiao Niangzi, the tofu seller, was there.
These people stood along the road, lining the path to welcome and see her off, their faces filled with joy and excitement.
The children formed a group and followed beside the carriage, running and jumping, singing and shouting. The atmosphere was as festive as the New Year.
Deep down, common folk naturally possessed a strong sense of chivalry.
When someone rid the people of a menace, they would offer sincere praise and feel genuine joy from the bottom of their hearts, regardless of whether the matter directly affected them.
After all, the tiger problem in Wen County had not been a matter of a day or two.
How could the people of Dingyuan not know that there was a man-eating tiger on Wenshan?
A trade route passed right through Wenshan, and for over a decade, every merchant caravan passing through had gone to great lengths to avoid it.
Many sought-after goods coming from Jingxinan Circuit and Yongxingjun Circuit would see their prices double or triple once they passed Wenshan.
Being adjacent to Wen County, many in Dingyuan knew of the tiger in the mountains, but they had only heard stories and felt no real fear.
After all, the tiger remained deep in the mountains and never entered the city.
Now, seeing this mountain-like giant tiger with their own eyes and hearing that Nan Zhi had killed it alone, everyone marveled and praised her, silently gasping in awe.
What a magnificent white-browed giant tiger!
They heard it could even speak human words and mimic people.
A beast like that could surely be called a "demon tiger."
Yet such a demon tiger had been slain by the Nan family’s eldest daughter.
She truly was capable!
The crowd jostled and bustled, everyone pushing forward to the front, terrified of falling behind.
Meanwhile, Zhang Long had long since notified the Dingyuan county yamen. By the time they reached the outside of the Nan residence, the magistrate, wealthy households, and local gentry were already there to meet them. Small sedans packed the already narrow Lingbai Alley until it was completely impassable.
The Magistrate of Dingyuan was surnamed Li, a man in his late forties or early fifties. He sported a thin goatee, had a lean build, and possessed a refined, scholarly air.
Beside the magistrate were the local wealthy gentry, each draped in silk with fine jade hanging from their waists. A few even had powder on their faces.
Even Young Master Wang, who had just been married yesterday, was now standing respectfully beside a kind-looking old man with sharp, glittering eyes.
The old man wore a gold-painted eight-treasure pattern robe, a jade crown, and a crane cloak. Even the hems of his clothes were embroidered with intricate patterns stitched with gold thread.
——This was likely Master Wang of the Wang Family Distillery.
Dressed in their splendid silks and satins, the Wang father and son stood out in the crowd, their wealth so imposing it almost overshadowed the magistrate's authority.
Nan Zhi took a few more discreet looks.
Was selling wine really this profitable these days?
They even sewed gold thread into their clothes?
“What a magnificent white-browed demon tiger. To be this massive, it must have preyed upon many innocent people over the last ten-plus years to grow to such a size.
“This beast! It claimed the mountain as its kingdom, devoured travelers, and occupied Wenshan for over a decade, taking many lives.
“When I heard of this, I was heartbroken. I dispatched Zhang Long and the other constables up the mountain to hunt the tiger, but I did not expect the beast to be so cunning. It actually deluded the constables into becoming chang ghosts, plotting to make them kill one another.
“Fortunately, Young Lady Nan, you arrived in time to save them. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
“Now that this beast has died at your hands, it is truly a case of heavenly justice and righteous retribution!”
Magistrate Li first led the others to examine the tiger closely, clicking his tongue in wonder at the sight of it. Only then did he turn to Nan Zhi and give a deep bow, his voice choking with emotion:
“On behalf of the people of Wen County and Dingyuan, I thank you, Young Lady Nan. Your righteousness in using yourself as bait to lure the tiger and saving my county’s constables deserves this bow!”
The old man spoke with such passion and tears in his eyes that anyone who didn't know better would think he was a truly virtuous official who cared deeply for the people.
——The decision to send Zhang Long up the mountain to catch the tiger had been Registrar Hu's private idea. With a few light words, Magistrate Li had claimed all the credit.
The world of officialdom was not easy to navigate, so Nan Zhi didn't foolishly expose him. Instead, she gave a slight gesture of support to stop his bow.
“Magistrate, gentlemen of the gentry, this beast cultivated by devouring living souls and drove a greater ghost to act as a tiger-chang to delude ordinary people. It deserved to die.
“Even if it hadn't been me today, any other cultivator would have stepped forward to kill it. There is no need for such gestures.”
“Lady Zhi is indeed profoundly sensible, possessing a heart of chivalry and the compassion of a Bodhisattva.
“When the people from the Demon Suppression Division arrive, I will certainly report your merits to them, so they know that our Dingyuan has produced such a capable cultivator.”
Magistrate Li cupped his hands toward the north and added:
“Only then can I fulfill the trust the Emperor has placed in me and meet the high expectations of the people.”
“Quite so, quite so. The magistrate is right; Lady Zhi is truly righteous.”
“Now that the demon tiger is gone, the magistrate of Wen County must be overjoyed!”
“I doubt even the people from the Demon Suppression Division have seen a tiger of this size, have they?”
The gentry chimed in one after another, then ordered their stewards to present reward silver and gifts.
There was silk, fine wine, mountain ginseng, Yellow Light Essence, jade, calligraphy, paintings, and stationery—each family sent something different.
——This was something the various households had agreed upon after the news reached Dingyuan.
Although the tiger killed was from Wen County, for those living in Dingyuan, the benefits were numerous.
Besides, a demon tiger that a dozen sturdy constables couldn't handle had died at the hands of this young girl. Didn't that say enough?
A person with true ability was welcomed everywhere.
For the price of a few dozen taels of silver, they could make themselves known to the Nan family. Why wouldn't they do it?
Moreover, in this current world of gods and ghosts, no one knew when they might encounter trouble themselves.
These gifts were not given for nothing.
If any of them faced trouble in the future and came to ask the Nan family’s eldest daughter for help, they wouldn't expect her to go all out just for today's sake, but they hoped she wouldn't just stand by and watch.
——Using a few dozen taels and some gifts to gain the chance to befriend a cultivator; even a fool knew how to make that deal.
Nan Zhi was clearly no fool, and she had realized this as well.
But she didn't refuse. In fact, she wished these gentry would come looking for her every time they encountered a demon.
Those were all living sources of mission experience!
And so, Nan Zhi accepted them gladly.
What? You ask what she would do if these people asked her to do something wicked in the future?
Nan Zhi would say that even signed contracts can be broken if there's a misunderstanding of intent, let alone these unspoken rules of the ancient world that lacked legal binding.
She had only accepted gifts; she hadn't signed a deed of sale.
She could just return the items.
As for what others might say, what did that have to do with her?
Nan Zhi had only ever had one goal: to become an immortal.
No one could stop her.
...
...
The gentry were truly willing to spend money.
Silver was the least extraordinary thing among the gifts.
There were three sets of high-grade stationery: the brushes were yellow wolf-hair brushes, the ink was fine Shezhou ink, the paper was Qingxin bamboo paper, and the inkstones were white porcelain.
There were over a dozen bolts of the most fashionable silk, each featuring embroidery. The patterns of flowers, birds, fish, and insects were lifelike and detailed, as if they might come to life at any moment.
There was wild mountain ginseng as thick as a brush, still bearing leaves, with every rootlet tied with red thread and secured firmly in a brocade box.
There was also a piece of Yellow Light Essence that had almost grown into a human shape. Its quality was excellent and it had been handled perfectly, a treasure that only a veteran herb gatherer could find.
The Wang family was also quite generous.
One hundred taels of silver, plus ten full jars of top-grade Immortal Brew.
Although people outside claimed that top-grade Immortal Brew was worth its weight in gold—which was a bit of an exaggeration—anyone who wanted to drink it still needed both money and status to buy it.
The Zhou family of the gold and silver shop sent three full sets of jewelry, one for each woman in the Nan family.
One set was the "Fragrant Golden Osmanthus" style, with a design and fashion that Chen Jingui would love.
One was "Magpie Bringing Good News," a very auspicious omen, crafted with exquisite detail, clearly intended for Nan Ye.
The final set was a simply styled pink pearl set, elegant in color and without excessive decoration.
The hairpins were simple, and the earrings weren't overly complex. Though the pearls were small, what was rare was that every single pearl was the same size. The pale pink rows were truly lovely to behold.
——Clearly, the gift-givers had put effort into researching the preferences of the Nan family women.
But their information was incredibly thorough.
They had even managed to find out a small detail like Nan Zhi buying pearls in a shop in Wen County before she went up the mountain.
Nan Zhi was the one receiving the gifts, but it was the Nan couple who were losing sleep.
Although Nan Dazhuang looked fierce, he was the most honest of men. In the past, when bullied by thugs, he only dared to curse them behind their backs.
Now, seeing the house suddenly filled with such things, it felt as if he had swallowed a mouthful of scalding tofu—he couldn't swallow it, but he couldn't bring himself to spit it out either.
Chen Jingui had spent years in the marketplace and dealt with countless people; she knew exactly what the gift-givers were planning.
But seeing that Nan Zhi was still eating and drinking as usual, not caring in the slightest, she felt relieved. She turned to comfort Nan Dazhuang:
“Our eldest girl has a good head on her shoulders. You stop worrying blindly.”
Nan Zhi also comforted him, saying these things were just ordinary worldly goods and there would be more in the future.
Only then did Nan Dazhuang set aside his thief-like guilt and anxiety to go apply medicine to Nan Yi, who was recovering in the side room.
Yes, applying medicine.
Although Nan Yi hadn't been injured that day, after he returned home and woke up, he had been pinned down on the slaughtering bench by Nan Dazhuang and Chen Jingui for a session of mixed-doubles beating.
His backside was truly a bloody mess.
The kind that required medicine.
Rate on N.U.
