Chapter 625: A Chance Encounter Upon Returning Home

Upon hearing the reward of one Medicine Field per person, Yufu'er stopped stroking her lower abdomen, the middle-aged sturdy woman put down her bronze mirror, and the old farmer shook his three knees and stood up from his sedan chair.

A Medicine Field is the hard currency among the Mighty Martial Artists!

Not just any piece of rotten land can be called a Medicine Field; it must be a geomantic treasure land that grows Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, which is the precious wealth recognized by Mighty Martial Artists... a Medicine Field.

Only with a Medicine Field, producing a steady stream of Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, can one cultivate and improve.

At the level of a Mighty Martial Artist, the effect of head-down, bitter cultivation is limited; one must consume Great Medicine as an aid.

This time, the Golden Immortal Dao is generous; if the skinny dwarf were still alive, there would be five people in total, meaning five Medicine Fields—enough to hollow out the century-old foundation of a small-to-medium sect.

The Medicine Fields they promised must be top-tier goods that have already been cultivated and planted, with the harvest period not far off.

This reward is truly tempting; they are partnering to hold an auction—could it be that they are just playing around in the world, with the goal still being one word... money, to purchase the Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, Great Medicine, and so on required for cultivation?

There are also Mighty Martial Artist divine weapons; the materials required are far more expensive and rare than gold and silver—without money, it won't work.

Daily food, lodging, and cultivation—which one doesn't cost money? They don't have a sect to back them up, so they can only rely on their own hard toil.

Kill one person and you can get a Medicine Field; it is too worth it!

However, the target is Zhu Qinghua, a clansman of the Beixuan Zhu, a descendant of Niu Gong, the single pillar supporting the sky in Beidi.

These few Mighty Martial Artists are high and mighty to ordinary martial artists, killing at will, and can even provoke noble families like the Xi Family and still retreat unscathed, but they absolutely cannot provoke truly big figures.

Once the Beixuan Zhu is angered, there is no need for Niu Gong to step in; any Fucheng Monarch who steps forward could beat them into a state of eternal doom.

"Too risky!"

The middle-aged sturdy woman spoke, her voice as thick as a man's, "I only fear having the life to earn the money but not the life to spend it."

"The Golden Immortal Dao has ill intentions; it is obvious they are using us as cannon fodder, and whether they can fulfill the promise afterward is uncertain."

The old farmer's small eyes flashed with the light of calculation, and he began to count with his hands, "Nine deaths and one life, nine deaths and one life!"

The slick-haired, powdered-faced youth said sternly, "I have considered everything you are worried about."

"Let us analyze the goal of the Golden Immortal Dao: Zhu Qinghua is but a woman, with no other skills besides her identity as a Beixuan Zhu; why must they kill her?"

"It is very simple: the Golden Immortal Dao wants to subvert the Northern Six Prefectures, and it is inevitable that they must face the massive Beixuan Zhu head-on; the first priority is to pry open a gap."

"Zhu Qinghua is the fuse; if something happens to her in Fucheng, it will inevitably trigger a huge uproar."

"The Golden Immortal Dao will secretly fan the flames, triggering infighting among all parties, killing until the blood flows like a river—who will still notice us?"

The youth said confidently, "I have a way to succeed and still clear our names."

Under his persuasion, and with the temptation of the Medicine Fields, the few Mighty Martial Artists were half-believing and half-doubting, and they tentatively agreed.

Yufu'er was the last to leave; she glanced at the youth and warned him, "Don't think I don't know what you are thinking; Zhu Qinghua can be killed, but she cannot be insulted."

"If you do anything, you had better prepare early to be hunted to the ends of the earth."

She understood the youth's temperament well—he was fond of lust and could not live without women; half the reason he accepted this commission was to take the opportunity to taste Zhu Qinghua's charms.

The youth smiled awkwardly, "How could that be? You are four or five months pregnant; I heard that this is when one is most prone to being suspicious."

"My child is none of your concern."

Yufu'er's expression was cold, and she left with a cold snort.

"Hall Master, we are in a time of trouble, and Fucheng still needs you to hold the fort," a young martial master from Zhou Family Village advised Zhou You earnestly.

Their group was riding in a carriage, leaving Fucheng and heading toward Gongliang City; this time, they were returning to Zhou Family Village.

The cause of the matter was that a few days ago, someone came from Zhou Family Village with news that the Great-Grandfather was critically ill.

At his advanced age, having endured all these years, the time had finally come.

Zhou You immediately decided to take Tie Niu and a few youths from Zhou Family Village back to the village to see the Great-Grandfather one last time.

After all, the Great-Grandfather had helped his career greatly, and it was only right to fulfill his duty as a junior.

But most people opposed it; Gongliang City was close to the front line and could face a large-scale invasion by the Witch People at any time, and although Zhou Family Village... furthermore, he now carried the honor and survival of the six thousand disciples of the Daqian Martial Arts Hall and could not easily make a mistake.

Zhou Family Village was located in a remote area, and there was no guarantee it would not be attacked.

Even the youth from Zhou Family Village advised him tactfully, expressing his willingness to represent Zhou You in returning to the village to show filial piety. How could they know Zhou You's thoughts! "Before the Great-Grandfather passes away, he must pass the family mission to Zhou Laiwei in person, and Tie Niu must also be there to witness it."

"After Zhou Laiwei takes his position, that great matter can be accomplished, and Zhou Family Village can move to Fucheng, far away from the blade-front of the Witch People."

As Zhou You thought, he planned; the properties under his name included countless fertile fields, either purchased at low prices or donated by others, which conservatively estimated could accommodate ten Zhou Family Villages, making it easy for the main clansmen to live a good life.

The relocation plan was imperative; if they continued to stay near Gongliang City, one day they would face destruction.

In this day and age, it is hard to leave one's homeland; their residences, clan fields, and even ancestral graves were all there, and without a person of weight to preside over it, it would be difficult to break ground and move.

Zhou You did not force everyone to leave; he would give an opportunity to those who were willing to trust him, and those who were unwilling could stay.

He was not a soft-hearted fool who always thought that not a single person could be missing; it was enough to move a portion of the Zhou Family Village clansmen away and leave behind a branch of the bloodline.

After all, the clansmen of Zhou Family Village did not have a blood relationship with him but were descended from the servants of his ancestors.

Preserving the reproduction of this branch was also to provide loyal and reliable manpower for the future.

The Tyrant Martial Arts Hall of Yan Mountain was able to develop and grow, and the Yan Family clansmen played an important role; at any time, the help of fellow clansmen from one's hometown was indispensable.

The common situation was that once one person succeeded, they would immediately take care of fellow villagers and relatives, and the people around them would all be of the same origin.

Tie Niu was scouting the path ahead; after half a day, he returned and gestured to report to Zhou You.

"Hmm, there are traces of a caravan passing by ahead; the scale is large, and they are not transporting goods."

"The direction they are going is Gongliang City; that's right, besides us, who else would go to Zhou Family Village?"

Zhou You thought for a moment; perhaps there were martial artists heading to the front line to make contact with the Witch People, sparking small-scale skirmishes.

In the territory bordering the Witch People, similar situations happened every day, and the killing was constant.

Thinking of this, Zhou Family Village was also about to face danger.

"Tie Niu, speed up; we must reach Zhou Family Village before sunset."

With Zhou You's urging, everyone put in effort to drive the livestock, and the speed of the team's advance suddenly increased.

He suddenly felt a palpitation in his heart and looked in a certain direction, realizing it was the direction Tie Niu had just observed the caravan leaving in.

The interface gave no prompt, likely because the trigger conditions were insufficient; in any case, he had a vague intuition that this group of people shared some kind of connection with him in the dark, and he would certainly encounter them in the future.

(End of this chapter)