Chapter 49: Buying Property, The Yellow Register

"What a nuisance," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

The Profound Heaven Sect was like ringworm; pulling out a stronghold here or there was useless, causing them neither pain nor itch.

Even if the Great Zhou later quelled the chaos in Guangling Continent, the Profound Heaven Sect behind it hadn't even suffered a scratch, as it hadn't truly entered the world yet.

"The bit of information in the Disaster-Avoiding Almanac isn't enough to report, and it's easy for the Profound Heaven Sect to sense something abnormal. If I'm not careful, they might mistake me for some peerless genius and keep an even closer eye on me."

"If I can't afford to offend them, can't I just hide?"

Zhao Xing put away the Disaster-Avoiding Almanac, deciding to steer clear.

He couldn't be sure when this group from the Profound Heaven Sect would make their move; it could be in a few years, or it could be next month. In any case, he had to be careful, give them no opportunities, and once this storm passed, he would be safe.

And if he truly couldn't avoid it?

"Don't force my hand. If you push me too far, I'll even dig up your mountain gate..."

The Hall Master of the Three Bays Hall was reviewing intelligence.

Because the Protector had raised the priority of capturing Zhao Xing, he attached great importance to this target, spending more energy observing him and summarizing Zhao Xing's living habits, personality, travel patterns, and so on.

Yet, for half a month, the results were minimal.

He simply wouldn't give them an opening!

"This person is so strange. Others follow a fixed routine: the Office of Agriculture, home, and the public fields. But he? He wanders here and sits there every day. There's absolutely no chance to catch him alone. Or, he stays home all day, never stepping out."

"Is he that idle? Does he not need to go out of the city for official business?"

The Three Bays Hall Master was very puzzled, as looking at the data on paper revealed no patterns at all.

The woman acting as the Hall Master's wife walked over, looked at the note, and smiled: "His teacher is Xue Wen, so he doesn't have to do menial tasks. It's normal for him not to leave the city; naturally, he's more idle than other minor officials."

"If he doesn't leave the city, we can't learn more. It's quite inconvenient for our hidden agents to operate inside the city."

"Take it slow. But at least we've learned one thing in this half-month."

"What's that?"

"He likes visiting people."

"..."

The Three Bays Hall Master was speechless. What kind of trait was that?

"At least it proves he's someone who likes to join in the fun. Since we can't find an opportunity now, we can take our time. The Protector also said there's no need to rush," the woman comforted him.

"That's true. I'll report truthfully to the Protector. In any case, the Autumn Equinox Mountain Opening is coming up. Let's stop focusing on him in the city and try to shift our efforts to the suburbs, tightening our forces to avoid being caught by the authorities."

Zhao Xing wanted to buy a house, and a house outside the city at that.

"Why do you want to buy a house? Don't you want to live at home?" Zhao Ruide was somewhat puzzled. "Even if you want to move out, you should buy one in the city. Why buy one outside?"

"Houses outside the city aren't expensive, and I don't plan to renovate. Just having a place to stay is enough," Zhao Xing said. "Agricultural officials have the duty of encouraging farming. If I ever need to stay overnight outside the city, having my own house and plot of land is better."

"Then why buy so many?"

Seeing Zhao Xing remain silent, Zhao Ruide didn't ask further. He knew his foster son always had his own ideas. "I'll go handle it for you."

"Foster Father, make sure to confirm that my name is on the official Yellow Register," Zhao Xing instructed.

"Don't worry." Zhao Ruide nodded.

The official Yellow Almanac and the Yellow Register were hailed as the 'Twin Yellow Treasures' of the Qi-Luck Dynasty.

While the Great Ancestor of Zhou passed down ten thousand laws, he also established ten thousand laws, such as: "Those who are not subjects of our dynasty may not cultivate."

If you don't register your household, you aren't a subject of the Zhou Dynasty, and you can't even cultivate.

Another example: "Land with an owner, do not enter without invitation."

What does this mean?

The Yellow Registers (the land deed version) of local governments record the property rights of all types of houses.

As long as it is on the Yellow Register, cultivators who know magic cannot break into someone else's home without an invitation, as they will be protected by the mighty power of legal principles.

No matter how heaven-defying your magic is, as long as the Qi-Luck Dynasty system hasn't declined, it's very difficult for magic to harm a law-abiding citizen staying at home.

The premise is being a law-abiding citizen.

There are a few situations where one can bring their magic and enter without being invited.

First, the owner has invited you in.

Second, the government suspects you have broken the law and has formal search and arrest warrants.

Third, the house or land plot has a property dispute, in which case it will be in a 'temporarily invalid state' on the treasure known as the 'Yellow Register'.

Fourth, 'Benevolent Magic'—magic that is beneficial to the homeowner can take effect inside.

Therefore, the things the Profound Heaven Sect followers can do in the city are limited, and it's impossible for them to just snatch someone away in the city.

"Reduce the number of times I leave the city. If I must leave, I must find a place where the property rights belong to me to stay. This will lower the possibility of being abducted," Zhao Xing thought.

Dealing with the Profound Heaven Sect? He couldn't do it right now, nor did he want to invite trouble. But as for ways to hide, he had plenty.

Because in his past life, he had briefly joined the Profound Heaven Sect's camp, so he was well-versed in their operations.

However, there was no logic in guarding against thieves for a thousand days. Even with the Disaster-Avoiding Almanac and the Thousand-Mile Transmission Token, and having made many preparations, it still wasn't completely safe.

"I can't rely on the government to wipe all these people out; I must become stronger myself."

The day after the White Dew assessment ended, Zhao Xing reached the third stage of Qi Gathering.

Afterward, he consumed one Heavenly Origin Pear every two days, and his origin energy growth rate was very fast.

The 10 Qi Gathering Pills gifted by Young Master Zong had a balanced and mild effect, and could be used alongside the Heavenly Origin Pear, so in just eight days, Zhao Xing was already approaching the fourth stage of Qi Gathering.

In the eyes of the Three Bays Hall Master, Zhao Xing loved to join in the fun and visit people everywhere, but in reality, he was following Chen Shijie's advice to spar with colleagues, promote the digestion of origin energy treasures, and increase his Qi Gathering speed.

However, after these few days, the vast majority of minor officials in Zhao Xing's Office of Agriculture couldn't provide him with any pressure to resist.

In terms of agricultural magic, truly few officials could manage to increase the intensity for Zhao Xing.

He originally wanted to find the old agricultural official to spar with, but after considering that the old official was advanced in age, had to guide so many students, and had to handle public affairs, he abandoned the idea.

Finally, Chen Shijie gave a suggestion: "If you want to promote the digestion of treasures through magic resistance, you don't necessarily have to find someone from the Office of Agriculture. How about this? I'll go to the County Office and see if there's anyone suitable."

A martial artist? That was a good idea.

There were three types of martial forces directly managed by the County Office: first, the Martial Squad Room; second, the Police Inspectorate; and third, the Justice Guard. The common people generally referred to these three collectively as the Martial Office.

The catchers and martial disciples of the Martial Squad Room, like the minor agricultural officials, belonged to the non-ranked staff and were not officials. Only a few martial officers were ranked officials.

The Police Inspectorate consisted entirely of ranked martial artists, and their numbers were not large; according to the specifications of the county city, a full complement was thirty to one hundred people.

The Justice Guard managed prisons and also possessed considerable combat power, because after the catchers and martial disciples of the Martial Squad Room were promoted, they could choose to join either the Justice Guard or the Police Inspectorate.

In addition, there were garrison troops at East Lake. Although they were not under the jurisdiction of civil officials, the County Magistrate could request their assistance if necessary.

That afternoon, Chen Shijie found the Martial Office's Wang Long and borrowed someone from under his command.

When they met, Zhao Xing discovered that he actually knew this person.

"Brother Shen?" ===== CHAPTER 50 =====