Chapter 576: New Version of the Contract

A month had passed since the final battle with the Rain Kingdom, and the massive amount of supplies left behind by the Shaman tribe had only just been largely cleared and transported back to Qingming.

The situation had just stabilized when hundreds of rogue cultivators arrived at Qingming every day, most of them being Body Forging cultivators.

These rogue cultivators had heard that Qingming could allow those with no hope of advancement to advance to the Dao Foundation, so they came to try their luck. As more and more cultivators arrived, in the blink of an eye, there were over a thousand people wanting to advance in realm.

Many cultivators didn't come alone; some were fathers bringing their children, some were fierce wives dragging their timid husbands. There were even Dao Foundation ancestors on the verge of death dragging the only descendant in their family with decent talent.

They gathered in the Guest Town, exhausting all kinds of methods to seek a glimmer of opportunity. Some contributed ancestral treasure maps, some contributed ancestral cultivation techniques, and some even offered up amnesty tokens from the Great Li period.

Naturally, all kinds of kneeling and refusing to get up were indispensable.

As more and more people gathered, it soon alarmed Wei Yuan.

After Wei Yuan quietly observed, he sent people to handle the matter. Now, Qingming had fixed procedures for handling all kinds of unprecedented affairs, and the first thing was to register them in the books. Moreover, with each registration, the items that needed to be registered became more numerous and detailed.

After registration, the forms were input into the Human Realm's Renjian Yanhuo, then statistical analysis was performed, and finally, they were summarized into one or several reports. After the personnel in charge of this matter read the reports, they could have a rough understanding of the whole picture.

A day later, the report was placed on Wei Yuan's desk.

This time, there were over thirteen hundred people wanting to advance to the Dao Foundation. The vast majority of them were rogue cultivators with no money and no connections. Otherwise, with a little bit of ability, as long as they could attach themselves to the Cui family, getting a spot to come to Qingming wouldn't be a difficult matter.

After reading the data of this batch of people, Wei Yuan had a rough idea. Recently, Qingming had reached the day for a new Dao Foundation training session, so it was just right to train them together.

It was just that the opportunity to attain the Dao naturally couldn't be given for free. After deep deliberation, Wei Yuan set the basic principles, then perfected them through the Human Realm's Renjian Yanhuo, and finally, they took shape, taking a total of half an hour before and after.

In the Guest Town, wherever there were Qingming personnel, there were cultivators kneeling and refusing to get up.

Some cultivators knelt directly on the Central Street. With someone taking the lead, many cultivators felt this was a good way to attract the attention of Qingming's upper echelons, so more and more people knelt.

In the town, there were not only cultivators but also more refugees, as well as some passing merchant caravans.

At this moment, a group of cultivators knelt on the central avenue of the town, immediately blocking the path of a merchant caravan. The caravan's dozen or so large cargo trucks blocked the road completely, and then the refugees squeezed in, so slowly, the entire town was blocked completely.

Many of the caravan guards were rogue cultivators, so after becoming guards, they particularly looked down on these rogue cultivators. The rogue cultivators were fierce and ruthless, and they didn't like these guards either. The two sides were like dried hay; a single spark would set them off, and in the blink of an eye, they started fighting, resulting in several deaths.

There were also rogue cultivators in a bad mood who took it out on the refugees at will; one Daoist technique down, and several refugees died. The refugees had nowhere to reason, so they could only wail and make all kinds of trouble. Thus, various conflicts occurred all over the town, and it became a mess.

Finally, a biting pressure covered the entire town, and a majestic voice shouted from the sky: "Everyone stop immediately! Violators will be beheaded! Refugees move to the sides and clear the road. Merchant caravan trucks have priority to pass. As for those kneeling on the road, are your ears deaf? Clear the road! Someone, arrest those who still refuse to get up and throw them into the dungeon to let them sober up!"

The rogue cultivators kneeling in the middle of the avenue scattered in an instant; they only wanted to attract attention, not to come to Qingming to sit in jail.

The person in the sky was surprisingly a Dharma Form cultivator, young and handsome, yet extremely majestic and filled with killing intent. The person who came to handle the chaotic situation was Cui Yu, who had seen many big scenes, so with a few orders, he organized the order.

When Wei Yuan began to build several Guest Towns on the border, he already had considerable insight into urban construction; the roads were very wide, capable of allowing three cargo trucks to pass side by side, and the planning was quite advanced. So when the trucks blocking the road passed, traffic immediately resumed.

But as soon as the trucks passed, those rogue cultivators ran to the middle of the road and knelt again.

Cui Yu wasn't annoyed, and said loudly: "Two *li* south of the town, there is a drill ground. Those who want to get the opportunity for Body Forging must go to the drill ground to listen to the requirements. You only have one quarter of an hour; don't be late!"

With this, the rogue cultivators couldn't kneel anymore, and they flew and ran toward the drill ground.

A moment later, the drill ground was crowded with rogue cultivators, likely three or four thousand people. The rogue cultivators gathered here, which immediately made the cultivators in charge of managing the town breathe a sigh of relief.

Rogue cultivators had always been unrestrained and could be said to be the group of cultivators with the worst behavior.

From the time they arrived in the town one after another, all kinds of theft, robbery, fighting, and rape had never stopped, and several people died every day. Even the homes of several officials in charge of the town were robbed, and some were stolen from more than once.

It was just that the rogue cultivators were shallow in knowledge and didn't understand the power of the fortune and *feng shui* Dao of the Taichu Palace cultivators in Qingming. Most of those who stole from Taichu Palace cultivators were unlucky for the next few days, and then, for inexplicable reasons, were targeted by government runners and caught in jail. There were not many who truly slipped through the net.

When the time came, Cui Yu landed on the high platform of the drill ground and said: "Dingxi Military Governor Wei Yuan, Wei my lord, considering that it is not easy for fellow Daoists to cultivate, is compassionate and willing to give everyone an opportunity to continue their Daoist path. However, since everyone is a practitioner, you naturally know that cultivating immortality is an act against heaven, and the opportunity to continue the Daoist path is extremely precious, so it naturally cannot be given for free."

"Now, everyone has two choices. First, pay immortal silver!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many rogue cultivators felt much more relaxed. If it only required money, it would be easy to handle. They feared those who didn't want money but had all kinds of strange requirements. But Cui Yu continued: "If you want to get the opportunity to attain the Dao in Qingming, you need to pay five hundred taels of immortal silver first, regardless of success or failure, and it will not be refunded! If the Body Forging is successful, then you need to pay another fifteen hundred taels of immortal silver! Once the immortal silver is paid, the cause and effect are cleared, and you can leave Qingming freely."

This number far exceeded the expectations of the rogue cultivators. Many rogue cultivators had only handled a few taels or dozens of taels of immortal silver, so they didn't expect that just attaining the Dao would cost five hundred taels, and another fifteen hundred taels after success, so there was an uproar.

Someone in the crowd who was used to fanning the flames and fearing that things wouldn't be chaotic enough stretched his neck and shouted: "Are you crazy for money!? Everyone must absolutely not agree. I think Qingming is a scam. By then, not one of you will be able to attain the Dao Foundation, and you'll be giving them five hundred taels of immortal silver for nothing! Even if someone succeeds, that's just their own good fortune, and it might have nothing to do with Qingming at all..."

Before these few people could finish shouting, a Six-Ren Heavenly Soldier suddenly appeared behind each of them, grabbing them and lifting them into mid-air.

Cui Yu said coldly: "The alien races our Realm Lord has killed alone are more than all the immortal silver you've seen in your lives! Would the Realm Lord covet your little scraps? When the Lord borrows money, it's always five million taels at a time!"

The rogue cultivators were stunned; this was a number they didn't even dare to think about, yet these big figures just borrowed back and forth casually?

Cui Yu continued: "You few took the opportunity to make trouble and disrupt order; the crime is unforgivable, and according to the law, you should be beheaded!"

Several Six-Ren Heavenly Soldiers reached out with their long knives and beheaded the few rogue cultivators who were making trouble, then hung the corpses on the wooden poles erected at the edge of the drill ground.

With this, the rogue cultivators became completely quiet. After all, this was the immortal cultivation world where the strong preyed on the weak. A group of Body Forging and Dao Foundation rogue cultivators had offended a Dharma Form cultivator of the Immortal Palace; even if they died, they had nowhere to reason.

After cleaning up a few thorns, Cui Yu continued: "It's not that there's no way out for those who can't come up with immortal silver. You can sign a contract. If you don't attain the Dao Foundation, then you only need to serve in Qingming for fifteen years to regain your freedom. During your service, you might be arranged one or several more opportunities to attain the Dao Foundation; whether there are any depends on your performance."

Read every single word carefully!

In an instant, many rogue cultivators quieted down and began to weigh the pros and cons.

Cui Yu continued: "If you attain the Dao Foundation, you need to sign a blood contract and serve Qingming for thirty years. During these thirty years, you can receive half the salary and resources of a normal cultivator."

Someone in the crowd said: "Attaining the Dao Foundation extends life by fifty years, selling your life for thirty years, and you still have twenty years to be carefree and happy; that's quite good!"

Another person also said: "Serving a big power is different from licking blood off a knife edge in the *jianghu*; not only is there no danger, but they also provide food and housing! Maybe you can settle down, and in a few decades, your family will take root here."

Many people nodded one after another. A few who were used to being thorns wanted to say something, but after speaking only a few sentences, they were grabbed by the cultivators in front, and a series of big slaps were delivered to their faces, knocking out several teeth.

These few cultivators were full of muscles, and their bodies were glistening with oil; one look and you could tell they were extremely talented in body refining.

At this time, several elderly men and women rushed up, knelt on the ground, and wailed, saying that they had no money and didn't want to sell their lives. Since these masters in Qingming were so rich, why couldn't they show some kindness and give their children a chance?

Cui Yu sneered again. Since they came from top-tier noble families, how could they not have means to deal with rascals?

Cui Yu didn't speak. Immediately, dozens of big men rushed out from the crowd, surrounded them, beat them half to death, and then dragged them away directly. Their families rushed up, were also beaten unconscious and dragged away, and so the drill ground became quiet again.

Only then did Cui Yu say unhurriedly: "For such a big matter as continuing the Daoist path, you have to have some ideas of your own. Our Realm Lord was able to gain a foothold in this Western Regions; what kind of fierce person is he? Is he here to do charity with you? These are the conditions; if you want to do it, do it; if not, get lost!"

When he said this, the rogue cultivators didn't dare to hesitate anymore. Immediately, some people stepped forward to sign the contract, only to find that the contract was actually written on jade paper engraved with array patterns, which needed to be activated with blood.

The dozens of rogue cultivators in the front row looked at the contract and instantly felt dizzy.

The contract was dense, and they hadn't reached the end even after flipping through a dozen pages; there were at least a thousand clauses. Moreover, the clauses were all written in ancient language, obscure and difficult to pronounce, literary to the extreme; in many clauses, there were several characters that the rogue cultivators didn't recognize. Let alone rogue cultivators, even students ranked in the middle in the academy would likely not understand this contract.

Some impatient rogue cultivators pulled down dozens of pages in one breath, and only after seeing the fourteen-hundred-plus clause did they reach the end.

The rogue cultivators had never seen such a posture. Those who wanted to ask were met with a stinking face from the handling cultivators, who scolded: "What are you asking? Even if you understand, can you change it? Stay on the side, sign it if you want, don't delay me reading my storybook."

The rogue cultivators had no choice but to bite the bullet, drip blood, and sign their names, from then on tying themselves to Qingming's chariot.

This contract was naturally a masterpiece of the Human Realm's Renjian Yanhuo; let alone fourteen hundred clauses, even another fourteen hundred wouldn't be a problem. Moreover, the crouching dragons and phoenix chicks were exceptionally insidious this time, writing some key clauses extremely small and sandwiching them between two large clauses; if one didn't look carefully, one would think they were just array patterns.

The rogue cultivators already found it difficult to read, and even if there were a few stubborn donkeys, after seeing seven or eight hundred clauses, it was easy for them to get dizzy and ignore these key clauses that were as fine as cow hair.

In the end, only thirty-plus rogue cultivators paid the money, and the rest all signed the contract.

Thus, Qingming from then on had over a thousand Body Forging cultivators working like oxen and horses; it wouldn't be long before two hundred Dao Foundation cultivators would appear among these people, continuing to work like oxen and horses.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 577 =====