Nine heads were neatly placed on the ground.
A public servant squatted on the ground, holding several portraits in his hand and comparing them one by one against the heads.
A few moments.
The official received the portrait and turned around to report: "Sir, it is indeed those bandits who were wandering around."
Sitting on the main seat was a middle-aged man in his forties, with droopy eyes, a short gray beard on his lips, and a somewhat troubled expression.
After listening to his men's words, he glanced at the heads, waved his hands expressionlessly and said: "These heads really stink - finish the matter quickly!"
"Yes." Gongzhao said.
The two of them looked at Gu Qingshan together.
The middle-aged man said with a faint smile: "It's really surprising. I didn't expect that a master would come out of such a remote village."
Gu Qingshan cupped his hands and said: "Lord Magistrate, these bandits drank too much. They were all so drunk that they lost their guard. I waited until late at night to take the opportunity to attack, and I was lucky enough to succeed."
The county magistrate relaxed and said slowly: "These people are not very powerful, but they always hide in remote mountains and fields. We have limited manpower and have never had the energy to exterminate them. This is a matter of course. "
He yawned and said with a tired look: "Congratulations, Gu Cunshou, the bounty on the bandit's head is not a small sum, you are going to make a fortune!"
Gu Qingshan paused.
——A windfall?
The money is gone as soon as it comes into your hands, so it would be better to...
Thinking of the various disasters he had seen along the way, Gu Qingshan clasped his fists and said: "Sir, every village within a radius of hundreds of miles is under your control. The success in suppressing bandits in my village is also due to you. I ask you to decide the reward in person. I dare not be good at a humble job."
"Um?"
The magistrate's drooped eyes opened, and the tiredness on his face completely disappeared.
He leaned forward, looked at Gu Qingshan and said, "It's obviously your reward, how can I make the decision for you?"
Gu Qingshan said calmly: "I can never keep money on my hands, so I might as well ask an adult to take charge - after all, villages are often affected by disasters, and there are many places where money is needed. It can be regarded as a humble job to contribute to the local area."
The county magistrate laughed twice, stood up, walked to the heads of those people, paused and took a closer look.
"You see, these two men are bandit leaders. Each of them has dozens of lives on his body. Their heads are the most valuable. As for their subordinates, each of them has committed many crimes, so they are still valuable."
The county magistrate commented with relish.
"That's right, sir." The official said from the side.
He handed over several reward lists to the county magistrate for review.
The county magistrate took a look and asked, "Gu Qingshan."
"Here." Gu Qingshan said.
"People like you who are capable and have a local heart are rare in the area under my jurisdiction. If you have any requests, you can put them forward now." The county magistrate said.
"I no longer want to be a village guard because of my humble position." Gu Qingshan said.
"Oh, I see, you are really a smart man." The county magistrate said meaningfully.
"Please help me, sir." Gu Qingshan cupped his fists and said.
The county magistrate took the reward sheets and silently counted the money in his mind, and then said: "Old Liu, how many patrols are there in our county?"
The official said: "Sir, the last time they went out of the city to do something, they didn't follow the orders. Not only did the matter go wrong, but the people also escaped back in embarrassment."
"A bunch of drunkards and ricebags!" the county magistrate cursed and looked up at Gu Qingshan.
Those guys who rely solely on contacts always don't make the trip.
The village guard in front of me was able to kill bandits, even when the bandits were drunk, but he was still a bit brave and had excellent skills.
——Also knowledgeable and interesting.
Such people are also comfortable to use.
The county magistrate had made up his mind and said, "Gu Cunshou, how about you stay in the county and become a patrol officer?"
Before Gu Qingshan could speak, the official on the side had already urged him: "If you can stay in the county, your life is safe. Why don't you thank the mayor quickly?"
"Thank you, sir." Gu Qingshan said.
——After leaving the village and walking for two hours, I found that the mountain road had already been cut off and there was no way to go.
I originally wanted to go around, but halfway there I saw with my own eyes a huge centipede emerging from the ground outside the distant mountains and eating up all the people in a certain village.
As a last resort, he went back and dragged the bamboo raft down the waterway.
——Since the girl can foresee his arrival, she must be familiar with the surrounding environment.
Waterways should be relatively safe.
Sure enough, after traveling on the bamboo raft for half a day, we arrived at the county town.
I have lost my memory, and my eyes are dark at this moment. The best choice is to stay here for a while, gradually become familiar with the surrounding environment, collect intelligence, and make long-term plans.
When the county magistrate saw that he had agreed, he smiled at the people around him and said, "Go, take him down and put down your waist card——"
He looked at the rotten iron sword on Gu Qingshan's body and added: "Take him to get the standard equipment, and give him all the application requirements. Have a good night's rest and come see me again tomorrow."
"yes."
The official took Gu Qingshan down.
The two of them walked out of the door and went all the way to the preparation office. They first signed their names, checked their identities, and received waist badges and a set of standard leather armor.
The official said: "Gu Cun, no, it's time to call you Gu Xunshou. From now on, we are all our own people. I think you are a decent person. I just went to inform my colleagues - I don't have time today. Everyone will pick you up tomorrow night, are you free?"
Gu Qingshan cupped his fists and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Liu. I will hang out with you from now on. I will specially invite you back next time."
Liu Xunshou laughed, shook his head and said: "You are a capable person who can kill bandits. I, Old Liu, like capable juniors. Let's go and choose weapons."
Gu Qingshan's heart condensed.
What does killing bandits mean?
This kind of trivial matter was mentioned repeatedly by superiors and colleagues. Is there something fishy about it?
He thought silently and walked into the armory with Liu Xunshou.
I saw a lot of weapons neatly displayed here, including knives, guns, sticks, sticks, bows, hammers, axes, swords, and some hidden weapons.
Gu Qingshan subconsciously walked to a long sword and reached out to take it.
In an instant, a line of small scarlet characters jumped out of the void:
"No!"
Gu Qingshan was so alert, his hand was almost on the sword, but then he suddenly took it back.
Liu Xunshou's voice came from behind: "Haha, brother Gu, swords are not something ordinary people can play with."
Gu Qingshan looked strange and said, "Is this a sword? I grew up in a mountain village and have never seen such a weird weapon."
He stared into the void and saw lines of small scarlet characters appearing continuously:
"Holding the sword will surely awaken your power."
"The Five Elements are not settled, the world is not stable, and all the Holy Chosen people have lost their strength. If you awaken at this moment, you will definitely attract the attention of the entire Six Paths of Reincarnation, and your smuggling will immediately fail."
"Remember!"
Gu Qingshan finished reading in silence, walked aside calmly, stretched out his hand and held a long knife.
"I'm still used to using knives," he said.
Liu Xunshou agreed: "Of course, the knife is the best to use. Swords are not good for slashing, and most people are not used to using them."
Gu Qingshan put the knife on his waist, picked up a standard long bow, and nodded to Liu Xunshou.
Liu Xun looked at him and felt that he was wearing leather armor and holding a bow and a knife with a rather imposing manner. He praised, "Now you can throw away your rotten iron knife and hunting bow."
The two of them went out and walked through the streets and alleys of the county town until they came to a secluded small courtyard somewhere.
At this time, the sun was setting and it was getting dark.
Patrolman Liu led Gu Qingshan to the door of the courtyard, handed over a door key, and said, "This courtyard is for you to use. You can rest for now. I will pick you up tomorrow."
"Thank you, Brother Liu." Gu Qingshan said.
Liu Xunshou waved his hand and walked away.
Gu Qingshan took the key to open the door, entered the yard, closed the door, and opened his wallet.
——Empty.
Not even a cent of the salary just paid was left.
Gu Qingshan shook his head helplessly.
“What exactly do I owe that book?”
He muttered, walked across the yard and entered the house.
Although this yard is small, it has all kinds of things, including rice, noodles and seasonings.
Gu Qingshan breathed a sigh of relief——
I won't go hungry now.
He cooked a meal by himself, and was amazed at his craftsmanship while eating. After finishing the meal, he cleaned the room, made a pot of tea, lit a lamp, and sat at the table alone, drinking tea slowly.
Everything that happened in the past few days was recalled by him countless times.
Although everything is handled well, the loss of memory always makes people feel a little unable to settle down.
He took out the knife and bow and arrow, placed them on the table and examined them carefully.
At first glance, these two items from the county government were much more sophisticated than the ones he brought out from the mountain village.
I seem to know a little bit about sword skills, but it's still so unfamiliar that I can hardly remember it.
Bows and arrows are more familiar.
But for the sword——
"Now it seems that the weapon I am good at should be the sword, but I am not allowed to use the sword..."
Gu Qingshan said to himself.
His expression suddenly changed and he shouted: "Who!"
No one responded.
But there seemed to be quiet singing coming from the yard outside.
Gu Qingshan extinguished the candles in the room, and the whole room suddenly fell into darkness.
After waiting for a while, nothing happened and no one broke in.
The frost-like moonlight shines on the ground through the window.
All around was quiet.
Only the song occasionally sounded, lingering, sometimes misty and hard to find, sometimes clearly audible, as if it was close by.
Gu Qingshan picked up his bow and arrow, leaned against the wall and looked out the window.
I saw a mist rising from the yard.
Under the plum tree in the corner of the yard, a vague black shadow appeared.
The moonlight shines brightly, but it cannot reveal the shadow.
——The singing just now should come from this black shadow.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingshan simply opened the window and said loudly: "Who are you and why are you singing here?"
The black figure paused for a moment, then said: "Gu Qingshan, I'm here to see you."
Gu Qingshan said: "Do you know who I am? Are we old friends?"
His hands were not slow and he had already pressed the arrow onto the bowstring.
Unexpectedly, the black figure seemed to have no scruples, walking slowly from the yard and standing outside the window.
Now Gu Qingshan could see clearly.
——But it was a beautiful girl wearing a black feathered coat, exuding a majestic aura that should not be expected at her age.
"You seem to have forgotten a lot of things?" the girl looked at him and asked.
"Yes." Gu Qingshan admitted.
The girl listened with a rather complicated expression.
"Gu Qingshan, you are already a little late, and you have lost your memory again..."
The girl sighed and continued: "If it were anyone else, I would have been discouraged, but you... have never been the same as others."
She placed a black orchid on the windowsill and said: "This flower is an extremely precious treasure of our family, and it is something we have gone through a lot of trouble to find. Now I leave it to you, hoping to help you."
"Why are you helping me?" Gu Qingshan asked.
The girl solemnly said: "You and I had an appointment before - now everything has begun. Three of the positive five elements have been established, and the special five elements have not yet been established. When the metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and dark sound are all established, the human world will be stable. Remember, you have to get involved quickly to gain merit."
"How do I participate?" Gu Qingshan asked.
"You will know this kind of thing soon." The girl said.
After saying that, she retreated towards the mist behind her.
The fog suddenly spread to both sides, revealing the scene inside.
I saw more than a dozen beautiful and coquettish women making spells and casting spells one after another, muttering words in their mouths that seemed to be inciting the mist.
Gu Qingshan took a look and asked hurriedly: "Wait! Who are you?"
The girl looked back at him and said softly: "As long as you have me in your heart, sooner or later you will remember who I am."
After saying that, he walked into the mist and disappeared.
Gu Qingshan wanted to ask again, but the women in the fog sang in unison: "The bright white horse is in that empty valley. A bunch of cud is born, and its person is like jade."
After singing this sentence, the fog disappeared.
In an instant, the entire courtyard was empty, and the women just now were like a dream and no longer existed.
Gu Qingshan was stunned for a while, then looked down.
The black orchid lay quietly on the windowsill, emitting a dark and confusing light under the moonlight.
