In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 235 The situation is stronger than the people

"The White Lotus Sect previously only operated in the south and the chaotic north. Its sudden appearance in Ding'an County is probably not a good thing!"

Li Qingyun sighed softly. To the officials of Xia Kingdom, the White Lotus Sect was a professional rebel. Wherever White Lotus Sect followers appeared, the local officials were all terrified and couldn't sleep well.

Xu Zhiwen also frowned and sighed softly, "Now that the Xia Kingdom is declining, there will probably only be more and more ambitious sects like the White Lotus Sect!"

Xu Zhiwen was not a loyalist to the court, but... the emergence of the White Lotus Sect still made him uneasy. Even if the Xia Kingdom was corrupt, it could at least maintain a superficial stability, giving the people a way to survive.

But sects like the White Lotus Sect are plotting rebellion. Once they start, war will break out everywhere, and then…

The people who were caught up in the situation had no way out.

Chen Dao didn't think that much about it. Whether the White Lotus Sect rebelled or not was none of his business. He came to Ding'an County just to obtain advanced materials such as Fire Pattern Fruit.

Therefore, after hearing about the White Lotus Sect, Chen Dao said goodbye to Xu Zhiwen and Li Qingyun, and then was led by the steward Xiang Lao to the guest room.

…………

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The next day.

Chen Dao, Chen Cheng, and the other two stayed at home to wait, while Li Qingyun, unusually, tidied his appearance before leaving his own residence with Xu Zhiwen. They boarded a carriage driven by Zhang He and arrived at the Sun family's residence.

"Please inform the head of the Sun family that Magistrate Li Qingyun has come to visit."

Li Qingyun stepped down from the carriage and spoke politely to the guards at the Sun family's gate.

The guard glanced at Li Qingyun, his expression unchanged.

Even a seventh-rank official is subject to the prime minister's authority. Although the Sun family did not have a prime minister, they were still the most powerful family in Ding'an County. As the gatekeeper of the Sun family, his status was naturally much higher than that of ordinary people. Moreover, he was a martial artist and did not need to bow and scrape to the county magistrate.

"Wait."

The guard glanced at Li Qingyun's official robes, then turned and walked into the Sun family's residence.

"That must be the Fire Pattern Tree, right?"

After the guards left, Xu Zhiwen walked to Li Qingyun's side, looked up at the top of the Sun family's courtyard wall, and saw a towering tree that seemed to reach straight into the clouds. Even more strangely...

In this cold weather, most plants have withered and turned yellow, but this tree has extremely lush leaves, and the leaves are not ordinary green, but bright red, with an eerie beauty.

"Not bad!"

Li Qingyun nodded and said, "This is the Fire Pattern Tree that was seized by the Sun family. This tree is quite unique. Not only is it not afraid of the severe cold, but its leaves are also as red as fire, which is very different from ordinary plants."

"Who do we have here? It's the county magistrate!"

As soon as Li Qingyun finished speaking, a laugh rang out. The two turned to look and saw a young man in brocade robes walking over with a mocking expression on his face, seemingly not taking Li Qingyun's status as county magistrate seriously.

Upon seeing this, Li Qingyun's expression turned grim. He was supposed to see the head of the Sun family, but the person who came was... the second son of the head of the Sun family!

Only his second son was sent to receive them...

Clearly, the Sun family did not value him as the county magistrate.

Xu Zhiwen's heart sank. Judging from the attitude of the people from the Sun family, he could roughly guess that it would be difficult to obtain the Fire Pattern Fruit this time.

"Magistrate Li, please forgive me!"

The young man in brocade robes strode up to Li Qingyun and said with a smile, "My father is currently out and unable to receive Magistrate Li, so I'll have to do it on his behalf! I'm sure Magistrate Li won't mind."

The boy begged Li Qingyun for forgiveness, but there was no trace of apology on his face.

In his eyes, and even in the eyes of the entire Sun family, Li Qingyun, the county magistrate, was nothing more than a clay idol, not worth the head of the family having to personally receive him.

"will not."

Li Qingyun gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I can't see the patriarch, it would be good to see Young Master Sun."

"I knew Magistrate Li was a magnanimous man!"

Young Master Sun looked at Li Qingyun with a mocking expression, quite pleased with Li Qingyun's behavior of disliking him but being unable to get rid of him.

"Since Magistrate Li doesn't mind, then please come in and have a cup of hot tea with me!"

Young Master Sun led Li Qingyun and Xu Zhiwen to the Sun family's living room. While gesturing for the servants to pour tea, he fiddled with the teacup in his hand, trying to figure out Li Qingyun's purpose.

When Li Qingyun first took office as the magistrate of Ding'an County, he had many conflicts with the Sun family. In order to seek justice for those lowly people, he even went to the Sun family to hold them accountable more than once, which made things very unpleasant between the two sides!

But soon... Li Qingyun realized that circumstances were beyond his control!

In Ding'an County, where the Sun family held absolute power, even with his title as county magistrate, the harm he could inflict on the Sun family was at most verbal condemnation!

Over time, realizing that he couldn't do anything to Li Qingyun of the Sun family, he lost his spirit and never came to the Sun family again.

Li Qingyun hasn't stepped into the Sun family's gate for several years now. He suddenly came today, and no one knows what it's for.

Could it be that they're here to seek justice for those lowly people again?

Thinking of this, Young Master Sun stopped playing with his teacup and said, "Magistrate Li, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyun cut to the chase: "I have a favor to ask of you!"

"Oh?"

Young Master Sun became interested. It was a rare opportunity for Li Qingyun to come to the Sun family for help: "Lord Li, please tell us your request quickly. If the Sun family can help, we will not refuse!"

"I will never refuse to help if I can, which means... I will refuse to help if I can't?"

Looking at the mocking, even somewhat ridiculed, expression on the face of the second young master Sun, Xu Zhiwen gained a deeper understanding of the arrogance of the Sun family.

Although his situation was similar to Li Qingyun's in Taiping County, the three major families and martial arts schools maintained a superficial respect for him.

The Sun family, however, showed absolutely no respect for Magistrate Li Qingyun. They only sent their second son to receive him, and that son treated Li Qingyun with the utmost disrespect.

No wonder Li Qingyun spends all his time holed up in his mansion and doesn't even want to go to the yamen to work anymore.

Li Qingyun was naturally aware of the Second Young Master Sun's attitude and was furious, but he suppressed his anger and said, "I have come here to ask the Sun family for some Fire Pattern Fruits."

"Fire-patterned Fruit?"

Young Master Sun was taken aback, then burst into laughter as if he had heard a joke: "Magistrate Li, as the most respected person in the county, should know how important the Fire Pattern Fruit is to my Sun family, right?"