Chapter 55: Making a Dojo in a Snail Shell

The newly ordered lamb head meat and flour cakes were served.

Zhang Gui picked up a piece of unleavened flour cake, soaked it in the lamb miscellaneous soup, and stuffed it into his mouth,

"This cake made of pure white flour weighs half a catty."

"Selling for one copper coin a piece during the New Year, usually one copper coin can buy two."

"One tael of silver is worth one hundred copper coins, so you can buy one hundred catties of dry food."

"But a Refined Pill that is worth thirty catties of grain, I heard it also sells for one tael of silver."

"The difference is more than three times, I can't afford to eat it."

The divine pills that are truly 'swallowed into the abdomen, my life is decided by me, not by heaven' are worth a fortune, but the lowest-grade grain essence only has a profit of three times.

And it is easy to buy and easy to sell.

But common people can't afford to eat it no matter what.

From this perspective, Zhang Gui can be considered to be telling the truth, but it made Zhang Jiujiang show an expression of anger at his lack of ambition, "Look at your useless appearance."

"Dagui, are you still the you from before? You're not!"

"You are no longer the Zhang Gui who failed his studies, didn't care about business, and was lazy, but the Zhang Gui who entered the Dao at sixteen!"

"Even if our Pingyang Zhang family's 'Zongheng Book' is worthless among Dao-entering cultivation methods."

"Even if the Zongheng Flying Kicker Art you practice is also a worthless cultivation method in the 'Zongheng Book', it can only be cultivated to 'Upper Bing' at most..."

Seeing his little partner's envious, jealous, and hateful face that was the opposite of what he said, Zhang Gui really couldn't help but interrupt,

"Zhang Jiujiang, are you praising your brother me, or belittling me?"

Zhang Jiujiang laughed, beckoned to the boss for another jar of plum wine, and drank it himself, "Don't worry about whether I'm praising or belittling you."

"In short, you are also a disciple of the Pingyang Zhang family; it's said you are an illegitimate son without a 'generation character', but what is the difference between you, me, and Zhang Jiuqing?"

"It's just that before, your mother sold shrimp paste, and my father sold dead fish."

"Now my family has a study seed Zhang Jiuqing, but you have also become a cultivation seed."

"Even if he is a few grades higher as a 'talent of the commandery', and you are a few grades lower as a 'talent of the county'."

"But isn't such a future enough for the clan to allocate three taels of silver every day to buy 'Refined Pills' to cultivate you?"

"That's true." Zhang Gui nodded with a difficult expression, but then stopped speaking.

Seeing this, Zhang Jiujiang sighed, "It's not that I'm saying, your father is really enough, and the clan's attitude toward you is indeed tooth-grinding, making people unable to open their mouths."

"But Dagui, you can't be too thin-skinned as a person."

"The situation is stronger than people, your own future is important!"

Zhang Gui's eyes widened, a look of realization appeared on his face, his eyes turned red, and he nodded heavily, "Good brother, you have awakened the dreamer with one word."

"I was a bit trapped in the situation and couldn't distinguish between light and heavy."

"Tomorrow, tomorrow I will first go find that uncoordinated father."

"If he doesn't help, I'll break into the main residence and forge a future for myself!"

Seeing his little partner's spirited appearance, Zhang Jiujiang's expression brightened, "Good, good, good, worthy of being my good brother."

"Come, brother, I'll toast you."

"But the adults in the main residence, unless the sky falls and the earth cracks, will absolutely not handle official business on the second day of the first month."

"You can't even think of this, it seems your brain is still covered."

"Jiujiang, can't you be more coordinated for a while, and let me squeeze out some tears?"

The two brothers laughed loudly, and the two coarse porcelain bowls filled with wine clinked together...

Keeping watch for the New Year on the thirtieth day exhausted everyone.

On the night of the first day of the first month, unless the brothers were all night owls, the gathering dispersed.

Because of the 'Crow Wind', Pingyang Town became a bit colder, and it began to rain.

Zhang Gui said goodbye to his little partner and walked in the cold drizzle, slightly tipsy.

But his eyes couldn't help but look in the direction of 'Wangbei Manor'.

He originally thought that the looting of people last night would inevitably break out after a day, causing a huge uproar.

But he didn't expect it to be calm until now.

Making Zhang Gui slightly nervous, while also inexplicably looking forward to a fast horse suddenly rushing into the town and telling of his 'great achievements'.

But unfortunately, Pingyang remained as usual until he silently disappeared into the night rain.

The next day, the second day of the first month, the custom is 'sons and daughters visit the maternal grandmother'.

The maternal family of Zhang Gui's mother had all died, so he had nowhere to go, but he insisted on telling Caiyang Duojie that he missed his uncle and wanted to go to Mushroom Valley to see.

As a result, his mother was tearful and clamored to go with Zhang Gui.

But she was rejected by Zhang Gui, saying that the wind in the Xuanzhi Mountains was strong and the road was slippery, and that he had achieved success in cultivation and had no taboos, but his mother was just an ordinary woman, so it was better to stay at home honestly.

This made Caiyang Duojie feel something was wrong, but before she could question him, Zhang Gui had already slipped out of the house and walked away.

Before long, he walked onto the commandery road.

There were sparse pedestrians on the road.

Seeing the blurred outline of 'Wangbei Manor' from afar, the surroundings were empty.

Zhang Gui withdrew his gaze, turned leisurely onto a small path, and flew into the mountain forest.

It was approaching noon.

Suddenly, he noticed that the volume of his 'Capital' elemental rules and Zhenlong Kingdom's judicial divine power began to rise very slowly.

Surprised, he stopped and confirmed it again and again; it wasn't an illusion just now, Zhang Gui thought in his heart:

"What does this mean? A pie falling from the sky!"

"The night before last, in order to teleport the ten thousand people from Wangbei Manor to Giant Serpent Head Island, I burned all my family wealth."

"Even counting those large silver pumpkins in the Rong family's counter, I finally succeeded."

"Now, firstly, there is no gold or silver;"

"Secondly, I didn't actively initiate the exchange between gold and silver and the capital element, so how could there be an increase?"

"Ah, could it be that the new citizens of the 'Upper Stone Corpse Capital' have already started their life as oxen and horses and become capital slaves?"

"Is Old Song so strong? Could he be an old relic pearl with political points over ninety-five?"

"I must hurry and go see."

Setting off again with a joyful face, he quickened his pace, and after rushing to Mushroom Valley, he teleported to Giant Serpent Head Island.

Guiyang Palace was empty.

Zhang Gui didn't care and walked leisurely onto the street.

As soon as he appeared, the people on the street, who were originally somewhat sparse, instantly seemed to freeze.

Zhang Gui immediately revealed eight teeth, "Everyone don't be nervous, do what you need to do," and hurried toward the Prefecture Government Office.

It was called the Great Office of the Zhenlong Imperial Court's 'Upper Stone Corpse Capital', but because of the marvel's specifications, it was actually just the scale of an 'Upper County' county office.

And the population managed was even less than that of a 'Lower County'.

However, it seemed that Song Huawen didn't mind the name not matching the reality here.

Sitting upright in the main hall, while handling official business, he was speaking in vernacular to his subordinates,

"The pearls and jade words left by the Great King are truly opening up a situation that the sages never thought of."

"Just say, 'vigorously support the private economy, let the subjective initiative of individuals mobilized by capital replace administrative requirements'."

"The country is relatively small for the time being, but it can still make a dojo in a snail shell."

"First accumulate in the form of state acquisition, and when the day of 'going out' comes, completely revitalize the economy', this statement is truly thought-provoking."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 56 =====