Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 150: Return to the Dungeon

When Xu Lian arrived at the government office, as expected, he was warmly welcomed by the county magistrate, the registrar, the jailer, and other officials.

Some infiltrators from various sects and demonic creatures had caused chaos by seizing spirit fruits and plundering cultivation resources in Pingyang County, angering the Yi Sect. In response, the Yi Sect had sent a powerful expert to oversee Pingyang County as the new Town Guard Commander.

And now, Xu Lian was the trusted confidant of this new Town Guard Commander, making him a prominent figure in Pingyang County.

In the back hall of the county office, Xu Lian took the place of honor and flipped through the list of troublemakers and the remnants of various demonic creatures.

The officials sat below, their backs straight and their postures respectful, showing their deference.

“Those who besieged the former Town Guard Commander were actually the heads of the Zhao, Zhou, and Zheng families?” Xu Lian asked in surprise.

The county magistrate replied, “Reporting to Manager Xu, the investigation has confirmed it. They were indeed the heads of those three families. They were the only ones who had attained the cultivation level of the Transformation Strength Rank. Now, all the members of these families have been arrested and are being detained in the dungeon.”

Xu Lian frowned. “The heads of these three families openly confiscated Spirit Fruits? Were they out of their minds? Even if they didn’t care about themselves, shouldn’t they have thought about their families and clans?”

The county magistrate said, “I am also puzzled. There’s a strange rumor going around that the heads of these three families have already died and are being controlled as corpse puppets by infiltrators from certain sects.”

Xu Lian nodded. “Although it sounds bizarre, anything is possible in this world full of supernatural phenomena. That could indeed be the case.”

The county magistrate added, “Regardless of whether the heads of these families were controlled by infiltrators, the three families cannot escape responsibility. Imprisoning them is in line with the laws of Pingyang County”.

As Xu Lian continued to leaf through the list, he found that in addition to these three large families, members of some smaller families had also been arrested for taking advantage of the chaos and committing crimes.

This was a list with names and surnames. There was also another nameless list filled with crude drawings of strange and grotesque demonic creatures.

The drawings were so poorly done that they looked like they had been drawn by a kindergarten child. Xu Lian couldn’t help but laugh. “Who drew these?”

The chancellor quickly stood up, looking embarrassed. “They were drawn by me based on the appearance of the demonic creatures. My drawing skills are poor, and I apologize for making Manager Xu laugh.”

Xu Lian picked up the last ledger and opened it. His pupils contracted slightly. This was an inventory of the assets confiscated from the three big families and some smaller families.

In addition to spirit stones and elixirs, there were also some cultivation manuals.

Xu Lian already possessed the Sacred Spirit Record, so most of the cultivation manuals were of little use to him. However, he could give them to Pei Zhaoxi, Lin Wan, Xiao Xixi, and the others.

“Where are these items?” Xu Lian asked.

The county magistrate produced over a dozen storage bags. “Please take a look, Manager Xu.”

Xu Lian took the bags and examined them one by one. The contents matched the ledger, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. What if the officials had conspired to embezzle some of the items and falsified the ledger?

After all, faced with such a wealth of cultivation resources, it was possible that greed had gotten the better of them.

“Is there a problem with the book?” Xu Lian asked casually while taking a sip of tea. “Later, I’ll interrogate the members of these families to see if their assets match this ledger.”

The officials’ expressions changed slightly. When they had confiscated these assets, they had indeed been tempted to embezzle some of them. Fortunately, reason had prevailed over impulse, and they hadn’t touched the resources. Otherwise, they would have been in serious trouble now.

The county magistrate said, “Please investigate thoroughly, Manager Xu. We would never dare to embezzle even a single Spirit Stone.”

Xu Lian sighed. “Not that I want to make things difficult for you, but the higher-ups are keeping a close eye on Pingyang County. On top of that, there’s that mysterious inspector watching over everything. These cultivation resources must be handed over in full. We can’t afford to tamper with them,” 

The county magistrate nodded. “Understood.”

“Then let’s go to the dungeon and take a look,” Xu Lian said, getting up and heading to the dungeon.

The county magistrate and the other officials quickly followed.

When Xu Lian arrived at the dungeon, he found that the people and demonic creatures locked in the cells were all lying limp on the ground.

The county magistrate explained, “The dungeon usually only holds ordinary prisoners. These prisoners are powerful cultivators and demonic beings who could easily escape. To make it easier to control them, they’ve all been poisoned”.

“Well done…” Xu Lian nodded slightly.

He noticed a few familiar faces – Zhao Yuqing, Zhao Yuhe, Zhou Xin, and Zheng Ren. Obviously, they had been implicated and arrested by their families.

When the four of them saw Xu Lian, they reacted differently.

When the Zhao sisters noticed that the officials were deferring to Xu Lian, they were momentarily dazed and unsure of Xu Lian’s status. But then, a glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes as they looked at him pleadingly.

Zhou Xin also felt a glimmer of hope. After all, he and Xu Lian had traveled to Yanfu County together. Although he had once been interested in Jiang Xianyu, he had never had any conflicts with Xu Lian. Perhaps Xu Lian would show him some leniency?

Zheng Ren, on the other hand, was filled with despair and fear. His situation was already dire, and now that he realized that the person in charge might be the young man he had offended, he felt completely hopeless.

Xu Lian pointed at the Zhao sisters. “They are so beautiful. It’s a pity to keep them in such a dirty cell. Give them a separate cell, clean and tidy, with decent meals… and make sure the food is delicious.”

The officers exchanged glances.

The jailer in charge of the dungeon quickly replied, “Yes, sir!” and immediately called the guards to make the arrangements.

Xu Lian entered a private room and interrogated the core members of the three major families and checked the cultivation resources ledger. He confirmed that everything was fine.

When he asked why the heads of the three families had seized the spirit fruits, they claimed to know nothing and kept pleading their innocence…

Next, Xu Lian interrogated the core members of some smaller families. After verifying the ledger, he asked a few casual questions, such as why they had taken advantage of the chaos to plunder cultivation resources. Of course, they denied everything and claimed their innocence.

Then, Xu Lian had the guards bring out a few demonic creatures and subjected them to severe torture. The creatures howled in pain, unable to speak human language. Those that could speak were usually stronger and had already been killed by the White Fox Town Guard Commander. The ones in the dungeon were small creatures with low intelligence.

Finally, Xu Lian went to the cell where the Zhao sisters were being held.

“Brother Xu Lian,” Zhao Yuhe called out sweetly, clinging to his arm, her intentions clear.

“Hey,” Xu Lian responded, enjoying her coquettishness. He offered his other arm to Zhao Yuqing, giving her a meaningful look.

Zhao Yuqing had no choice but to hug him with a blushing face and start acting flirtatious as well.

Xu Lian smiled. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I’ll make sure you’re safe. You’ll stay in this clean and tidy cell, eat well, and after a while, I’ll find a reason to release you.”

With his promise, the sisters were overjoyed.

Zhao Yuqing hesitated before asking, “What about our family members?”

Xu Lian thought for a moment. “Based on the higher-ups’ intentions, they’ll probably confiscate your family’s assets and execute the clan.”

Hearing this, the sisters turned pale.

Xu Lian felt a pang of compassion. In reality, he had the final say on how to punish the people and creatures in the dungeon… By exaggerating the severity of the situation, he could ensure that their favorability would skyrocket once he saved them and their family.

This was the principle of “first suppress, then exalt”… This was exactly how the favor mechanism worked.

Xu Lian wore a worried expression. “Although the higher-ups are determined, I’ll do my best to find a way to protect you and your family.”

The sisters’ eyes filled with tears as they looked at him with gratitude. Their meeting at the Spiritual Essence Tower had been a mere coincidence – just buying pills and sharing a meal. Yet he was willing to go this far for them, showing his sincerity.

After leaving the dungeon, the county magistrate asked Xu Lian when he planned to execute the prisoners.

Xu Lian simply said, “Wait for my instructions,” and left. Of course, he took the confiscated assets from the three major families and some smaller families with him.

In total, the assets amounted to over twenty million Spirit Stones. Added to the twelve million he already had, Xu Lian now possessed over thirty million spirit stones, making him the “richest man in Pingyang County”.

In addition, there were elixirs and other cultivation resources that, if converted into spirit stones, would be worth several million more.

When he returned to First Street, Xu Lian took out the cultivation manuals of the three major families and some minor families. He copied all of them. Although he already had the Sacred Spirit Record and these manuals were of little use to him, it was always good to have more techniques. Who knew when they might be useful?

After copying them, he gave the manuals to Pei Zhaoxi, Lin Wan, and Xiao Xixi.

The Pei and Lin families were thrilled. These were the cultivation techniques of prominent families, which would greatly help their development. As a son-in-law, Xu Lian was truly exceptional, always thinking of the Pei and Lin families when it came to benefits.

Xu Lian thought for a moment. Lin Wan, Xiao Xixi, and Jiang Yunyan were all cultivators, so their life spans would naturally be longer than ordinary women. Pei Zhaoxi had also reached the Skin Refining Stage and was on the path of cultivation. Only Caixia, Yu Qingning, and Miao Yueyue were ordinary women.

That night, he went to Residence No. 4 and gave Jiang Yunyan some special attention. Then he discussed with her the possibility of teaching Caixia, Yu Qingning, and Miao Yueyue how to cultivate. He didn’t expect them to become powerful, but at least they could learn the basics and extend their lifespan.

Jiang Yunyan, who was in a good mood with her favorability rising to 75/100, agreed without hesitation.

Thus, all of Xu Lian’s women would now be cultivators.

Moreover, he decided that from now on, he would only pursue relationships with extraordinary women like fairy maidens or geniuses. Only then would they have a chance to walk the path of immortality together. Otherwise, facing the aging of his beloved ones after just a hundred years would be too heartbreaking.

Watching every beauty fade with time would be a sorrow too great to bear.

“My future goal: women with extraordinary talent!”

Xu Lian thought to himself that the White Fox Town Guard Commander might be the best choice… She was probably an incomparable genius.