Chapter 161

The next morning, rain fell over Fengzhou, the autumn wind biting cold.

After being washed by the rain, Fengzhou's yellowish city walls revealed their original gray bricks.

Thin streams gathered along the streets, then flowed gently eastward.

At this time, in the eastern guest quarters of Fengzhou's prefecture, Ji You slept until after Chen Shi, opened his eyes, stared for a long while at the lacquered red beams, then rose from bed.

After the eight-hundred-li urgent report spread through Fengzhou, the tension he'd carried all along suddenly loosened, and he felt boundless exhaustion.

After a night of deep sleep, his condition had finally recovered.

Ji You rose, dressed himself, and stepped outside.

He Zhang was in the courtyard, standing with Cao Jingsong and Pei Ruyi, facing twelve young masters of the prefecture—the grandsons of Prefect He.

The eldest was about eleven or twelve; the youngest was only five.

He Zhang had four sons, who had once trained at Xianzhuang for a time, but lacking strong cultivation talent, they had stalled at the Micro Illumination realm, unable to even touch Condensation.

Thus, with the Tian Shu Academy members staying at his residence, he specially invited Cao Jingsong and Pei Ruyi to examine his grandsons' bone structures, hoping to secure his He family's future.

Ji You watched for a long while from the covered corridor, and couldn't help thinking of Kuang the Scholar.

In the second year of Taiwu, before leaving Yuyang County, he too had harbored the ambition of rising to the fourth rank, fathering countless children, and sending his descendants into immortal sects to strengthen his lineage.

"These two children have decent bone structures—worth cultivating. The older one is acceptable too, though he's a bit late in age; he may not achieve much."

"I see…"

But He Zhang was not discouraged; instead, he summoned several of his daughters over—sixteen-year-old maidens in their prime, none older than seventeen or eighteen—who lined up in a row along the corridor.

Cao Jingsong blinked in surprise: "These young ladies are older than the eldest young master you just showed us

"I don't pursue cultivation anymore, but as a concubine for Young Master Ji, my age is still perfect."

"?"

Cao Jinsong suddenly understood, thinking: so that's his intention—no wonder it didn't seem strange.

In this Qingyun world, whether cultivating or not, all families grow through reproduction and marriage alliances; even the princesses of Shengjing and the daughter of Yunzhou are no exception, so naturally we can't escape this custom.

But Cao Jinsong still clicked his tongue: "He has many fiancées."

He Zhang opened his mouth: "A true man ought to be this way."

"But he's always chasing new loves, replacing them one after another."

"?"

Hmph, Old Cao's pockets must've gotten fat again—he's getting impatient…

Ji You was already seated at the courtyard's tea table, pouring himself a cup of tea, his gaze brimming with thuggishness.

When the sound of tea pouring into the cup reached him, He Zhang turned involuntarily and bowed slowly to him.

"Young Master, did you rest well last night?"

"Thanks to the Governor's hospitality, my sleep was fine."

He Zhang came closer and lowered his voice: "Without the Lord of the estate, the Five Immortal Estates now hold only low-level cultivators; they began packing yesterday and plan to evacuate Fengzhou."

Ji You's teacup froze mid-air, his brows snapping shut: "Leave? Then where's my spiritual treasure? What if they take it with them?"

Cao Jinsong had just arrived, his lips twitching involuntarily—he thought the immortal estates deserved this misfortune.

Why did you have to invent a spiritual treasure of all things?

This fellow of yours never misses a chance to beat a tree even if there's not a single jujube on it—now you've invented a spiritual treasure yourselves; isn't that like leading a lamb into the tiger's mouth?

"This morning, some of the immortal estates brought their spiritual treasures…"

"?"

He Zhang clapped twice, and dozens of servants entered the mansion, carrying over ten large chests, which they set on the ground and opened one by one.

The first few chests held spirit stones—numbering in the thousands—while the later ones contained high-quality magical artifacts of various kinds.

Also brought into the mansion were spirit wines brewed from immortal herbs and seedlings, along with rare elixirs hoarded by the immortal estates.

These immortal estates had converted their past tributes into tradable goods, then purchased these items in other provinces.

Alongside these immortal treasures, countless gold, silver, and jewels were delivered as well.

Ji You needed only one glance to confirm: this exceeded all the wealth he'd ever seen in his life combined.

Yet there was no spiritual treasure among them—but clearly, these were the spiritual treasure.

With the Five Immortal Estates of Fengzhou now leaderless, only low-level cultivators remained, all eager to flee first.

But some immortal estates still resented surrendering—even though they knew Fengzhou was no longer what it was yesterday, they refused to let go.

In their view, the other eight provinces were filled with powerful clans, even immortal sects towering above them—they could never survive there.

But Fengzhou was different.

Ji You had founded a clan, yet he remained alone, unlike other clans whose descendants spread like a vast web.

Even without tributes, it was still better than leaving here.

So right now, there absolutely must be a spiritual treasure.

Because if this "spiritual treasure" was never found, Ji You would always have an excuse to act against them.

Pei Ruyi looked at these items and couldn't help speaking: "I never expected, Brother, that after taking a detour for just a year, you've returned to the right path."

Ji You thought: My sister truly understands me; then he turned to He Zhang: "Has the autumn harvest not ended yet?"

He Zhang nodded: "It'll take a while longer."

Ji You suddenly smiled: "Actually, those who want to stay have misunderstood me—I never said they couldn't receive tributes."

Cao Jinsong suddenly looked up: "?"

Ji You's brows lifted slightly: "Of course you can receive tributes—but you must learn swordplay from me, and train eight hours daily."

"What kind of sword?"

"Combined Harvest."

Cao Jinsong: "?"

Ji You tossed the spirit stone back into the chest: "Fengzhou is vast, yet its grain output is abysmal—ultimately because everyone is too destitute to act. From now on, Fengzhou's land will no longer support useless immortals."

Cao Jinsong's eyes widened—he realized: so this wasn't about sword training at all—he was going to force all these cultivators into the fields to cut wheat!

To these immortal estates, this wasn't tribute—it was hush money!

Ji You summoned his sword into his hand: "In recent days, my sword art has advanced—I've conceived a new technique called Combined Reclamation. These two techniques aren't difficult; even low-level cultivators can learn them. The outsider immortal estates are lucky."

He Zhang's teeth chattered upon hearing this.

When immense energy emerges to drive societal progress, it's always about liberating productivity—not about elevating one person or one clan to dominance.

Otherwise, that energy becomes a malignant tumor, triggering more and more fatal diseases.

Yet Fengzhou's government made no grand announcements about Ji You's arrangement—only quietly spreading word.

In truth, the members of these outsider immortal estates in Fengzhou were not like the aristocratic families of other provinces, bound by blood and unified under a single surname.

They were mostly scattered warriors from various families; though under one estate, each had their own agenda.

Facing Ji You's terms, some estate lords and elders naturally couldn't bring themselves to comply—but some low-level cultivators with little status within their estates might well be tempted.

"Learn swordplay from Ji You and get this year's tribute?"

"Yes, I heard it from Fengzhou officials—Zhang Pingyang and others already went today."

"There's such a good deal? Learn swordplay and get tribute too?"

"Not just that—they say they'll give magical artifacts as well!"

"Hah, what a human path—sounds noble, but it's just using a tiger's skin as a banner. Look, as soon as he signed the documents, he started grabbing benefits to rally surrounding forces. Didn't the clans of Yunzhou, Youzhou, and Liangzhou all rise this way?"

"No wonder the Lord said staying might still hold opportunity…"

"Ji You is still just one man—he knows even after killing five estate lords, he can't single-handedly intimidate all the estates. Others follow courtesy before force; his move of force before courtesy is actually a brilliant strategy."

Near Fengzhou's government office, at Tianyuan Estate, several Ninghua-level disciples sat together discussing.

One of them, a thirty-something Ninghua cultivator named Pang Yue, seemed eager to try learning swordplay for tribute.

While they were still talking, a weary figure entered Tianyuan Estate—Zhang Pingyang, the very man they'd just been discussing.

Pang Yue immediately looked up from the stone pavilion: "Younger Brother, you went to Fengzhou's government office? How was it?"

Zhang Pingyang's lips trembled slightly: "Ji You's sword art… is truly immensely powerful."

"So the sword instruction is real?"

"Yes."

Pang Yue opened his mouth: "And the tribute?"

Zhang Pingyang hesitated a long while before answering: "Ji You did promise—those who learn well will receive tribute, though not as much as before."

"Even a little is better—after all, you're learning his sword art. For us cultivators, skill is what matters most; this is far better than before."

"Indeed…"

Pang Yue glanced down and noticed the object in Zhang Pingyang's hand: "Huh? What's that you're holding, Younger Brother?"

Zhang Pingyang slightly hid the object behind him: "Nothing much—it's a magical artifact they gave me… a crescent blade."

"They really gave you a magical artifact? So the rumors were true—but why does it look exactly like a farmer's sickle?"

"Well, all weapons are roughly the same shape—sickles, treasure blades, cleavers, crescent blades—they all have handles and blades. It's not unusual."

Pang Yue nodded, finding his logic sound: "Does Ji You have any other requirements for taking disciples?"

Zhang Pingyang shook his head: "No requirements—just register your name. All of you can go."

"Perfect! I'll go tomorrow. This Ji clan just formed, isolated and unsupported in Fengzhou—they need people. I'm already Ninghua; if I go early, I might even become a honored guest!"

"Yes, yes—an honored guest!"

For someone like Pang Yue—a mere fringe member of a clan—coming to Fengzhou had been reluctant.

The Tianyuan Immortal Estate he now belonged to wasn't even his Pang family's property; its lord was merely a Tongxuan Upper Realm cultivator.

Compared to staying here, he felt joining Ji You offered far greater prospects, for it was a prestigious clan, and one could cultivate Ji You's sword Dao.

That was the sword Dao that had slain the lord and elders of Manshan Zhuang.

On the second day, Pang Yue departed with several fellow cultivators from Tianyuan Xianzhuang for Fengzhou Prefecture and did not return until dusk.

At this moment, other cultivators from Tianyuan Xianzhuang—like Pang Yue the night before—sat in the pavilion, discussing whether the disciples of the Xianzhuang could still receive offerings.

Soon, a figure entered the Tianyuan Xianzhuang, arriving under starlight and moonlight, stepping into their view.

"Senior Brother Pang Yue, you went to Fengzhou Prefecture? Is the rumor true?"

"It's true…"

"What are you holding?"

"A magical artifact—the Crescent Moon Saber…"

For the next three days, light rain fell continuously over Fengzhou.

Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and Bai Ru long boarded an immortal vessel and arrived at Changning Ferry, then switched to carriages bound for Fengzhou Prefecture.

They had previously vowed that when Ji You established his clan, they would join as offered cultivators—now they had come precisely for this purpose.

But as their carriage drew closer to Fengzhou Prefecture, their gazes grew blank, and this stunned expression lasted the entire journey.

For every field of ripe wheat they passed, an immortal cultivator stood wielding a sickle, frantically harvesting the grain, muttering something: "Sword Dao · United Harvest!"

Countless elderly farmers stood helplessly at the field's edge, trembling with fear.

What's going on? Have the immortals become so impatient this year that they've taken to the fields themselves to collect offerings?

Before Wen Zhengxin and the others even entered the prefectural city, they spotted Ji You in a drizzling field.

Beneath the autumn rain, Ji You stood in the midst of the fields, watching a sickle glide just above the earth, reaping countless mature wheat stalks.

Around him gathered a group: Cao Jingsong, Pei Ruyi, and officials from the prefectural government overseeing various affairs.

These men stared at the cultivators wielding the "Crescent Moon Sabers," performing the "United Harvest," their expressions deeply complex.

"Junior Brother Ji!"

"?"

Ji You turned his head, eyes brightening: "Senior Sister Wen, Senior Brother Ban, Ruilong?"

The three stepped down from the carriage and walked toward him, their eyes fixed on the cultivators in the fields: "What… is going on?"

"Foreign Xianzhuangs have taken deep root here; some clearly intend to stay and refuse to leave."

"Truthfully, they're not wrong—I'm alone, and I can't possibly hold the entire Fengzhou region. Now that the official offerings are gone, these people will inevitably begin secretly plundering the land, becoming true bandits who plague Fengzhou."

"So I'm giving them an opening: they may still receive offerings. We've become landlords now, the people won't suffer so much, and it's a triple win."

Wen Zhengxin opened his mouth: "So you're threatening them to work the fields? How are they so obedient?"

Ji You gave Wen Zhengxin a strange look: "Work the fields? They're cultivating. Look—they're practicing my Sword Dao: 'United Harvest.' That's what they tell others when they leave."

"?"

"Cultivators have pride. Don't go around saying they're farming."

At that moment, a sixty-year-old Fengzhou official approached and bowed: "Lord Ji, I've discovered a crop that yields three harvests per year, and its value exceeds that of grain."

Ji You's face lit up instantly—he thought, Just as I was thinking of it, it appears: "In spring, have them practice 'United Plowing.' Let's test-plant a few mu."

Wen Zhengxin, Ban Yangshu, and Bai Ru long stared at Ji You, then at the sixty-year-old official, thinking: Living Yama.

Then they turned to look at the cultivators practicing "United Harvest," thinking: Living oxen and horses.

But… could this really work?

Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu exchanged glances, a quiet unease stirring within them.

Ji You, Master Cao, and Ruyi had killed many on Yecheng Mountain—enough to intimidate these Xianzhuangs for a time.

But forcing them to farm under the guise of sword practice might be acceptable once or twice; long-term, it would inevitably cause chaos.

Especially these cultivators in the fields—though merely peripheral members of their clans, they still carried noble blood. Even if they themselves didn't mind, how could their clans endure seeing their kin treated like beasts of burden?

Junior Brother's sword Dao is peerless, but he's still only in the Tongxuan Realm.

Fengzhou has no immortal sects, no great clans—Junior Brother stumbled upon a lucky opportunity—but he's still far from fully suppressing the entire region.

Not to mention the Chu family, a thousand-year-old clan, but even ordinary clans have Wuxiang Realm elders as their foundation.

They weren't doubting Ji You could reach the Wuxiang Realm—they feared that after establishing his family, he'd become entangled in worldly matters, corrupting his Dao heart and neglecting his cultivation.

Meanwhile, Bai Ru long stared at Ji You, utterly stunned.

"The rain… never seems to fall on Senior Brother Ji—it just avoids him."

"?"

Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu froze, turning to Ji You.

He wasn't holding an umbrella, yet stood atop the ridge, his clothes still dry.

But what's strange about that?

Cultivators can shield themselves with spiritual energy—they easily repel wind and cold, so blocking rain isn't remarkable.

But soon they realized: the key wasn't "doesn't fall on him"—it was "avoids him on its own."

When cultivators used spiritual energy to repel rain, they simply bounced the droplets away—where the water went was uncontrollable.

But the rain falling near Ji You wasn't bounced—it flowed smoothly aside, curving along a graceful path before landing on the soil.

The two stared, then activated their spiritual sense, probing the subtle energies around him—and saw a mysterious force slowly circulating, encircling his entire body.

The rain was blocked by this force, then bent by it, sliding gently into the village soil.

"Is this… a technique?"

Wen Zhengxin glanced at Ban Yangshu.

Ban Yangshu nodded: "Yes."

Wen Zhengxin turned away, recalling the whispers he'd heard in the courtyard days ago.

Someone claimed that during the battle at Yecheng Mountain, two Xianzhuang lords had joined forces to attack Ji You—but every strike failed to land, as if some unseen force had deflected their weapons.

Others might have found this vague, but those who'd witnessed the Autumn Duel would feel the same unease.

Junior Brother Ji's surrounding technique resembles the art Chu He used to counter his sword Dao.

"Most in the Tongxuan Realm merely glimpse fragments of the Dao's mystery—they observe its wonder but cannot master it. True Dao techniques require the Rongdao Realm."

"That's not absolute. Chu He's family technique can be used even in the Tongxuan Realm."

"But that's their ancestral art—how did Junior Brother Ji awaken this?"

The two stared at the gentle wind circling him, utterly baffled, their gazes shifting to Pei Ruyi and Cao Jingsong.

They too were watching Ji You beneath the rain, their expressions unreadable.

On the day of the battle at Yecheng Mountain, Cao Jingsong had noticed the aura surrounding Ji You—but back then, he was too busy fighting to pay attention.

And in recent days, his focus had been entirely on establishing the clan, so he'd overlooked this.

But this morning, as they walked to the fields beneath autumn rain, they finally noticed—and now they were just as confused.

As Cao Jingsong had said before: the Dao is myriad, understood only intuitively, never explained—they had no idea what Ji You had cultivated.

Then the group left the fields, stepping through the drizzling rain toward Fengzhou Prefecture.

Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and Bai Ru long officially registered as Ji Family offered cultivators. With Pei Ruyi, his clan now had three Rongdao cultivators, one Tongxuan, and one at the peak of the lower three realms.

This composition was already formidable in Fengzhou—after all, even the boastful Xianzhuangs had only their lords reach the Rongdao Realm.

"Today's a happy day—I waive three years of offerings from Senior Brother Ban, Senior Sister Wen, and Ruilong."

"Junior Brother, the term 'offered cultivator' means you're supposed to pay us."

"What?"

Ji You frowned instantly: "That's absurd? Don't worry—we won't have such inhuman rules."

Ruilong Xiandi muttered: "Now that I think about it, I'm worse off than those working in the fields. As an offered cultivator, I have to pay money—I'm less than an ox or horse."

"The problem is, I have no money. But I can't exploit the people like those Xianzhuangs, feeding on blood offerings. We'll take it slow—there'll be ways to make money. Don't forget, we still have so many clients here."

"?"

Bai Ru long looked around, bewildered: "What's a client?"

Pei Ruyi opened his mouth without expression: "He means he wants to take you on a robbery."

"Rob whom?"

"Including but not limited to: Xianzhuangs, clans—even Immortal Sects."

Bai Ru long's eyes widened, turning to Ji You: "Can I still back out?"

Ji You looked up at him: "If you back out, you immediately become my first client."

Hearing this, Ruilong Xiandi held his breath.

(Requesting monthly tickets)

(End of chapter)