Chapter 99: Undercurrents Surging

Chen Ci arrived at the front hall and discovered the visitor was merely an ordinary Apprentice; the letter delivered lacked the Fuhu Altar's sealing talisman, so thinking it was nothing major, he relaxed slightly.

He took the letter and broke the wax seal; the contents inside were not very extensive.

First, the Essence Refining offerings from the various He Mountain Outer Disciples in Xishan Prefecture could be made with a bit more effort.

Chen Ci glanced over it, his brows slightly furrowed. Nowadays, the weather had turned cold, and there were few traces of wild game in the mountains. At the beginning of the month, Shi Sanniang had only sent two mountain deer and one wild boar; the quantity of Essence Refining extracted was better than nothing. If it weren't for some Miscellaneous Cultivators in the mountains sending quite a bit of Essence Refining in exchange for Longevity Pills, he feared he would struggle to even gather a hundred drops.

One must know that practicing the Five Ghosts Transportation Method now required three drops of Essence Refining per day, which amounted to ninety drops over a month; this was a significant burden.

Fortunately, the tone of the letter held no intent of reprimand, so after a moment of thought, Chen Ci did not take it too much to heart.

It was the New Year, after all; where was he supposed to find Essence Refining? He would just have to wait until after the New Year and the start of spring.

Looking further down, Chen Ci took a glance, then rubbed his eyes and looked again.

He Mountain Outer Disciples across Xishan Prefecture must cooperate with the local County Magistrate to provide relief to the people. If disasters or civil unrest were to arise, not only would they be severely punished, but the Chi Long Main Altar might also unleash its thunderous wrath.

Chen Ci leaned back slightly; surely he hadn't gotten up too abruptly?

A He Mountain Sect disciple, actually having to provide relief to the people?

And it was written right after the demand for more effort in Essence Refining offerings; this joke was truly macabre.

Chen Ci's predecessor had truly stayed at He Mountain. In the vast territory of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, He Mountain Sect disciples were the masters of life and death for the mountain villagers; anyone who killed fewer people to practice their arts could already be considered a great philanthropist within a hundred-mile radius.

Tossing a gold bean to the messenger Apprentice to dismiss him, Chen Ci summoned his three Apprentices inside and asked, "Has there been any unrest in the county recently? Has anything major happened in the prefecture or commandery?"

The three looked at each other and thought for a moment. The eldest Apprentice, Niu Ji, cautiously replied, "Reporting to Master, if we speak of major events, it is that the weather has been cold recently, causing disasters in some places, and grain prices have risen again. Traces of refugees have already appeared inside and outside the county."

Grain prices rose again?

Chen Ci vaguely remembered that grain prices had already risen quite a bit in the previous months, and he had even made a small profit.

"How much did they rise?"

Chen Ci picked up his longevity tea and took a sip.

"The government grain shop sells coarse grain for twenty wen a pound, but there is a daily limit. In the black market, a pound of coarse grain is already selling for thirty wen."

*Cough, cough! *

How much?

Chen Ci suddenly remembered that he had sold a million pounds of grain and lost twenty thousand taels of silver in less than three months!

Damn profiteers, they are all damn profiteers!

"Wait, I remember looking at the harvest in previous years; a pound of coarse grain only cost six to eight wen. How has it risen more than three times in half a year?"

Chen Ci regained his composure. Thirty wen for a pound of grain—poor families probably couldn't even earn thirty wen a day. It was fortunate that this was a cultivation world; if it were a mundane world, they would likely have already risen in rebellion.

Was it still because of that Waterway Superintendent?

But with grain prices in Xishan Prefecture rising like this, it should be the government that is panicking; what did it have to do with him, a He Mountain Sect disciple?

If Chen Ci were short on cash, that would be one thing, but as a disciple of a renowned immortal sect, the He Mountain Light, he would have to donate his entire family fortune to uphold the He Mountain Sect's reputation.

But that wasn't the case now; the Sanyin Temple's storehouse truly held over a million pounds of grain.

After the three clarified the general situation, Chen Ci finally understood the living conditions of the commoners in Xishan Prefecture.

Xishan Prefecture had many mountains and little farmland. Taking Changping County as an example, there were only about twenty thousand mu of high-quality fields that could produce four to five hundred pounds per mu; Sanyin Temple alone occupied nearly one-third of them. The remaining miscellaneous and low-grade fields only produced one to three hundred pounds per mu, which barely provided enough food for sixty or seventy percent of the county's residents for the year.

However, because of the many mountains, the counties of Xishan Prefecture mostly relied on medicinal herbs, ores, and mountain goods for a living. The grain deficit was filled by supplies from Dongshan Prefecture. With the Liuyun River for water transport, there were plenty of grain merchants willing to engage in this profitable business.

But that Waterway Superintendent at Yingchou Ravine taxed even these grain ships, which were vital to the people's livelihood, at five hundred taels of silver per ship. The grain merchants couldn't even dream of making a profit; if they made a few more trips, they would likely lose their ships.

"I heard from the Huang Family Caravan that no grain merchants have come via water transport to Xishan Prefecture for a long time. The prefectural government sent people to inquire, but they couldn't even see the Superintendent's face. They only said there was an imperial decree from the Liang Kingdom, and no one else was allowed to interfere with how the taxes were collected."

Niu Ji said cautiously, "These are all things the little one has heard, but because it is far away, I cannot be certain of the specific truth."

"Hmm, I understand. Go and carefully inventory the grain in the storehouse; it will be of use soon."

Chen Ci pondered for a moment before ordering, "Take my calling card and go find the Changping County Magistrate. Tell him to collect grain from the wealthy families in the county. If there is any trouble, they can all come to me. You may all go and get to work."

"Yes, Master."

After the three had left, Chen Ci tapped the tabletop, his expression somewhat grave.

This matter was not right.

If this so-called Waterway Superintendent were only stopping ships in the water to collect passage fees from merchants, it would make sense—it's just robbery for profit, naturally picking the soft persimmons to squeeze.

But how much is a ship of grain worth? To tax it like this—who would believe it wasn't intentional?

Deliberately causing grain prices in an entire prefecture to skyrocket, potentially inciting civil unrest—this didn't make sense. This wasn't just robbery; it was clearly a slap in the face to the Xishan Prefectural government, and perhaps even a slap in the face to the Nine Springs Temple.

But it was even more likely a slap in the face to the Fuhu Altar, while the Longhu Shan Jiuzhuan Guan stood by, silently eating melons and watching the show.

Otherwise, Hutou Daoren wouldn't have sent letters to the He Mountain disciples in every county, saying in the front that Essence Refining offerings needed more effort, and in the back that they must cooperate with the county government for relief, acting like a schizophrenic.

Essence Refining.

Upper Grade Dao Foundation.

I fear this is inseparable from these two matters. And since Hutou Daoren, with his Qi Refining cultivation aiming for an Upper Grade Dao Foundation, could do nothing against that Waterway Superintendent and had to endure it, I fear that monster is also an expert who has established a Dao Foundation.

Chen Ci subconsciously glanced at the White Bone Heart-Lock Hammer at his waist, his expression turning ugly. Could this item be destined to be used here?

To openly scheme against a He Mountain disciple preparing to strike for an Upper Grade Dao Foundation—Chen Ci would never believe that the Waterway Superintendent had no one behind them. Now that he was already on the Fuhu Altar's pirate ship, he couldn't say they would share in the glory, but they would certainly share in the ruin.

"Troublesome. I hope I'm just overthinking it."

Chen Ci let out a breath: "But Hutou Daoren must have someone behind him too, otherwise that Superior Grade Qi Refining Method of his wouldn't have been picked up off the street. And as for the refining method of this White Bone Heart-Lock Hammer... I hope the backer on my side is strong enough; please don't let them be a weakling."

For now, it was better to finish the task ordered by his cheap senior brother; thinking too far ahead was useless.

"What? The county government says each wealthy family is only willing to donate a hundred shi of coarse grain?"

One shi is one hundred and twenty pounds. Ten thousand pounds of grain seems like a lot, but in the past, it would only be worth seventy or eighty taels of silver, and even now, it's no more than three hundred taels.

Are they trying to brush off a beggar?

Chen Ci laughed in extreme anger: "Did the Changping County Magistrate say this was my intent? Did he use my calling card?"

Niu Ji clearly felt his Master's anger, knelt on the ground, and said in a low voice, "Master, I heard those wealthy families complained that even a landlord has no surplus grain, and they were in a difficult position, so they sent away the people sent by the county government."

A landlord has no surplus grain? Does Master Chen's household have surplus grain?

Difficult to handle, I say let's not handle it!

"In this world, it is precisely because of these stingy landlords and wealthy misers that the common people live so bitterly; at a time like this, they are actually still thinking about making black-hearted money."

Chen Ci was heartbroken: "This kind of money, of course, can only be—cough."

What, you ask how much Lord Chen is donating?

Don't think that those who donate grain are so remarkable; these are all opportunities.

If they donate, it is equivalent to Lord Chen also donating, understand?

No, Essence Refining, exerting effort. Senior Brother Hutou has a brilliant insight!

Chen Ci stroked his chin, feeling that he had grasped the spirit of the higher-ups, so this matter would be easy to handle.

"Go to the county government office and bring me the list of those who donated grain."

Chen Ci cleared his throat and gave the order: "I have a great use for it!"

(End of this chapter)