Chapter 162: Ji Stronghold

Robbery is the main job, while immortal cultivation is just a training attended to improve the winning rate of work.

The purpose of the training is to reduce performance risks and make customers easier to talk to.

So Senior sister Pei's words are not wrong, he had to take a detour for a year, but now everything is back on track.

Thinking about it now, that old doctor he met in Ningcheng County, Central Province, really didn't say anything wrong.

Staying in the immortal sect might be able to get a greater return.

Now it's good, there is land, there are cattle and horses, and there is a house.

By then, combined reclamation, combined harvesting, waiting for spring planting a grain of millet, autumn harvest ten thousand seeds, it is definitely a rhythm to get rich.

Of course, some disobedient immortal manors, who don't want to be cattle and horses for themselves, and want to stay and make trouble, then develop them into customers and entertain them well.

It can be said that the future road is booming.

However, Ji You doesn't intend to stay in Fengzhou for long, after all, he still has to go back to boil the old man.

And if his noble family really wants to last forever, it is actually linked to his cultivation realm. The stronger he is, the more stable his noble family will be, and the more customers there will be.

Otherwise, even if this establishment of a noble family is successful, those famous families will not let Fengzhou stay in his hands like this.

Ji You pondered, holding a wisp of mysterious energy in his hand, constantly spinning back and forth in the palm of his left hand, sometimes strong and sometimes weak.

Cultivating the Dao requires gradual progress, and there is one more thing to consider at present, which is endless life.

However...

It's hard to speak, it needs a suitable opportunity.

A pair of white and tender jade feet couldn't help but flash before Ji You's eyes, then he regained his senses and began to write rustlingly on the desk.

At this time, the sky was dark, and the room became much darker. The few people who signed the slave contract were drinking tea, and couldn't help but turn to look when they saw Ji You writing.

"Who is the junior brother writing to?"

Bai Rulong turned his head and looked, opening his mouth confidently: "It must be to his fiancées, telling them that I have a home now, there are thousands of acres of fertile land here, and the cattle and horses are ready, come quickly to be endless..."

Ban Yangshu couldn't help but put his hand on the table: "Rulong, your family is really wide."

Pei Ruyi couldn't help but speak at this time: "I think the junior brother is going to notify the people he knows that the noble family has been established, and prepare the gift money quickly."

Cao Jingsong put down the teacup after hearing the sound, stroking his long beard and nodding: "This guess is reasonable."

Ji You finished writing the letter at this time, glanced at them, thinking to himself what kind of thing, and then handed the letter to the servant in the mansion to send to Yuyang County.

On the fifth day after the news of the Ji family's establishment in Fengzhou land spread, the autumn wind was rustling and the drizzle was like silk.

Rainwater hit the gray tiles, flowing gurglingly, falling from the eaves, just fitting the brick seams on the ground, smashing out small deep pits.

A convoy set off from Yuyang County, arrived in Fengzhou Prefecture after a long journey.

The scholar Xiang Kuangcheng sat in the front carriage, the family of three of Old Qiu sat in the next one, then the Fang family father and daughter, and the last carriage sat Chen Fuzi and several children brought from Yuyang County.

Xiang Kuangcheng, the Qiu family, and Chen Fuzi all came after receiving the letter, while the Fang family father and daughter were not invited, but couldn't help but follow.

After three days of carriage travel, everyone experienced emotional ups and downs, and at this time, although they were tired, their eyes were incomparably bright.

And when the carriage passed through the ten thousand acres of fertile land outside Fengzhou Prefecture, when they saw countless Crescent Moon Scimitars flying back and forth in the fields, their expressions were very similar to those of Wen Zhengxin and Ban Yangshu at the beginning.

"Those immortal masters...?"

"Harvesting wheat..."

"What exactly did the young master do..."

More than ten people looked at each other, and then were led into the mansion by the servants of Fengzhou Prefecture.

Ji You came from the east wing, and saw Qiu Ru rushing over, passing through the courtyard where the ground bricks were not yet dry, splashing water, and then opened her arms to hug his thigh, shouting young master in a milky voice.

Seeing this scene, the expressions of the Fang family father and daughter became somewhat desolate.

They could already predict that this Qiu Ru would be an immortal sect disciple in a few years, and no matter what her talent was, she would definitely be rich and noble.

But this wealth and nobility should have originally entered their Fang family along with the conclusion of the marriage.

At this time, Xiang Kuangcheng looked at Ji You and bowed deeply: "Yuyang, no, Fengzhou will no longer have nursing pavilions."

Ji You gave a thumbs up: "Good."

"I heard that you encountered an attack when you entered the prefecture city?"

"It doesn't count as an attack, it counts as an open murder. They just pulled the tiger's skin to make a banner, saying there were bandits in the mountain, but they probably didn't expect that some things are what you say they are."

Ji You picked up Qiu Ru and told Xiang Kuangcheng about that night, which made everyone present feel their scalps go numb even without the description of the details.

Because they felt that his expression was normal when they saw Ji You, and they didn't think it would be so dangerous.

Xiang Kuangcheng couldn't help but grit his teeth after hearing this: "These foreign immortal manors are really unreasonable."

"Human nature is like this, but it doesn't matter, they will be much kinder after being robbed a few more times."

"?"

Qiu Zhong couldn't help but speak at this time: "Young master, what's going on with those harvesting wheat outside?"

Ji You put his finger to his mouth, made a gesture to be quiet: "Although it looks like harvesting wheat, they are actually practicing sword Dao. Don't talk nonsense when you go out. Let's go, take you to see the house I just bought."

After the five major immortal manors moved away, five houses very close to Fengzhou Prefecture were vacated. According to the rules, Ji You had the right to use these houses.

At this time, the group of people followed and came to the Fuyan Shanzhuang, looking toward the gate from afar, only to see the buildings towering, carved dragons and phoenixes, showing the magnificence and atmosphere of this house.

Fengzhou has the least shortage of land, which means these high-and-mighty immortal masters want to build as big as they want.

And if this house were placed in other provinces, the degree of style would be comparable to a noble family, which is no wonder those immortal manors were unwilling to leave even without offerings.

Xiang Kuangcheng took back his gaze at this time and turned to look at Ji You: "On the way here, didn't you already occupy the Luoyue Shanzhuang?"

Ji You nodded: "But this one is bigger, and the governor suggested that I should put the family house in a place closer to Fengzhou Prefecture. This place is closer to Changning Ferry, and it is quite convenient to go back and forth, and I think this is the truth."

"It seems that Governor He also knows the truth that immortal power is supreme, and really wants to attach himself to your noble family."

Regarding Ji You's choice of land, in fact, all levels of officials in Fengzhou have thoughts.

After all, this is the first noble family in Fengzhou, and being closer to whom will naturally be better for their own family in the future.

In other eight provinces, things like relying on thousand-year noble families to make the family stand up are not rare.

So after the five major immortal manors moved away, He Zhang took the initiative to invite Ji You to come here for a turn.

In fact, Ji You understood this thought of He Zhang, and after thinking about it, he felt that this place was good.

This place can reach Changning Ferry in half a day by carriage, and Shengjing in half a day by immortal ship, which is quite convenient.

In addition, although immortal power is supreme is the theorem of the Qingyun world, Fengzhou Prefecture is always the heart of Fengzhou, and the reception of news and reaction speed are always faster than the subordinate Danshui County.

Ji You then walked forward, leading everyone into the house of the original Fuyan Shanzhuang.

Looking inside, there are green cypresses on both sides of the white jade avenue, and walking inward is a garden with lush flowers and plants and a vast pond, connected by a corridor bridge, with a small pavilion in the center of the pond.

The main hall is behind the pond, and the east and west courtyards were originally the residences of the disciples in the manor, but now they are empty.

The Qiu family couple looked at this scene and couldn't help but open their mouths, and the Fang family father and daughter were also trembling in their hearts.

After the Fengxian Shanzhuang moved away from Yuyang, some bold people went in to see it, but compared with here, it was just a humble room.

"Old Qiu."

"Young master."

Ji You looked at him: "From now on, this is the new Ji family. You will still be the housekeeper. I have already told the governor before that after I return to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, the tax offerings of Fengzhou will be handled by you. You have been the housekeeper of the Ji family for many years, this matter should not be a problem for you."

Qiu Zhong looked up after hearing this, his expression somewhat terrified.

It is true that he was the housekeeper of the Ji family, but that was just a landlord family in Yuyang County, but now what he has to manage is almost the tax offerings of the whole Fengzhou.

But Ji You has no way, just like those who described him as alone, he doesn't have many people he can trust at this time.

And regarding arithmetic, he is not good at it either.

This is why the Qingyun Continent regards "endless life" as almost as important as "immortal cultivation".

Because in this place where interest struggles exist in every corner, blood relationship is always the most direct and reliable bond. No matter how strong a person is, there will always be things they cannot reach.

Xiang Kuangcheng couldn't help but frown at this time: "Brother Ji, although Fengzhou is much more stable now, other immortal manors are still eyeing it covetously. Old Qiu is a mortal, letting him take charge of such a big thing, I am afraid there will be danger."

"It doesn't matter, Senior sister Pei decided to stay, she will watch this place for me, with her cultivation in the Melting Dao realm, there will be no chaos."

"Fairy Pei is not going back to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan?"

Ji You nodded: "She also thought for a long time, and only told me yesterday. I also felt a bit surprised at the time, but thinking about it carefully, I feel it is reasonable."

Pei Ruyi is a local of Fengzhou, born in an official family, and took the quota to enter the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan.

But because she couldn't enter the inner courtyard, and there was no immortal cultivation noble family behind her, she was like Ji You, with nowhere to go alone.

After the five-year period expired, she joined the Management Pavilion to continue staying in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, and went from walking to admissions. Although she was called the head of the outer courtyard, she actually knew in her heart that this didn't mean much.

Especially after the Qiling incident, she felt even more that staying in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan was not good.

So when they traveled long distances and broke into Fengzhou Prefecture, Pei Ruyi figured out where her home was.

Ji You recognized seventy-two adopted sons and daughters in Yuyang County. Although this was a clever move at the beginning, with the change of Ji You's identity, she felt that she seemed to have found a more suitable thing.

She plans to stay in the Ji family as an instructor.

The Qingyun Immortal Rules do not have any clear regulations on whether adopted sons and daughters can practice immortal cultivation.

In addition, this place of Fengzhou is vast and sparsely populated, and no one really follows the Qingyun Immortal Rules all the time, otherwise Night City Mountain would not be full of corpses.

She saw Qiu Ru in Yuyang County a year ago, and knew that after Ji junior brother's long spiritual energy warming, this little girl would definitely walk very smoothly on the road of cultivation.

And other children were also secretly warmed by Ji You, and should be able to achieve something.

For this decision of Senior sister Pei, Ji You naturally welcomed it with both hands, after all, with someone watching at home, he could go to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to boil the old man with peace of mind.

Hearing Ji You's narration, Xiang Kuangcheng suddenly realized: "So, this is also the reason why you invited Chen Fuzi here?"

"That's right, during the few days I returned to Yuyang County, didn't I listen to several lectures by Chen Fuzi? I felt that although he was a bit pedantic, he taught loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness quite well."

Ji You turned his head to look, and saw an old man stroking his long beard, leading a group of children walking leisurely in the house.

This is Chen Fuzi, he should be sixty years old, thin, and a pedantic old man.

Ji Bandit has many masters in his life, such as Cao Jingsong who led him into the immortal sect, such as Qi Zhengyang who taught him sword Dao.

But in fact, the first one who taught him to understand the world was this Chen Fuzi.

At this time, Chen Fuzi walked from the courtyard, pointed at the plaque and looked up: "Ji You, there is a wrong character on your door plaque. Although the 'zhai' of the house and the 'zhai' of the mountain stronghold sound similar, they are not the same character."

"That's right, it's like this, a loan character."

"?"

Chen Fuzi looked at the "Ji Zhai" on the plaque, pondered for a long time and stroked his long beard: "Heh, interesting."

Xiang Kuangcheng also saw the "loan character", and turned to look at Ji You at this time: "With such a big stronghold, Brother Ji might really need a stronghold mistress who can suppress it, otherwise the backyard will inevitably catch fire."

"One who can suppress it, I have confidence in her."

Just at this moment, the sky that had just cleared up suddenly had faint thunder, and it seemed that it was going to rain again.

So everyone looked up at the sky, and then looked down, and saw Chen Fuzi had quickly walked to the corridor, leaning behind the corridor pillar to prepare to hide from the rain.

However, sometimes thunder does not necessarily mean rain, so Chen Fuzi poked his head out from the corridor and stared at the gloomy sky for a long time.

Ji You looked at Chen Fuzi: "Is your courage still as small as before?"

Xiang Kuangcheng nodded: "Always like this."

Then the housekeeper of the Governor's mansion came here, saying that the Governor was hosting a banquet in the mansion, inviting several people to go to Fengzhou Prefecture as guests again, to express his feelings.

So everyone left Ji Zhai and arrived at He Zhang's mansion.

Qiu Ru couldn't stop eating, she was young, but her appetite was incredibly strong.

She loved chicken legs very much, but she only ate one each time, and then tearfully left the remaining one for the young master, but when she left it, her mouth was about to cry from greed, and the struggle in her heart was vividly displayed.

Cao Jingsong looked at her and couldn't help but speak: "It seems that Qiu Ru has also reached the age of enlightenment."

Pei Ruyi opened her mouth after hearing the sound: "After the junior brother and the instructor return to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, I will teach her to feel the innate spiritual energy and help her enlighten."

A child's strong appetite represents the rapid stage of growth and development, and the body is relatively stable. At this stage, the innate spiritual energy in the body is the most active, and the body is enough to withstand the infusion of external spiritual energy, which is most suitable for enlightenment.

In other noble families, children are basically enlightened at this age.

The little girl suffered and suffered with Qiu Zhong since she was a child, and she didn't even taste the taste of meat, but her starting point at this moment is not inferior to those noble family children.

"But I don't want to practice immortal cultivation."

"?"

Qiu Ru blinked, looked at the aunts and uncles, and spoke in a childish tone: "Those who practice immortal cultivation are bad people, I want to be a bandit with the young master, and eat and drink spicy food by then."

At this time, everyone at the table couldn't help but turn to look at Ji You, who was seriously eating, and their eyes were very strange.

Ji You looked up at them, thinking to himself what's wrong? This is what I taught well since childhood, look at this ambition, and then gave the chicken leg to Qiu Ru: "Eat, from now on you are the first female fierce bandit in Fengzhou."

Qiu Ru's saliva was splashing, and the ideal of being a fierce bandit was deeply imprinted in her heart.

After the dinner ended, everyone left the table, and Xiang Kuangcheng was called by Ji You to the east wing where he was currently staying.

His room was not tidy, but it couldn't be said to be messy, because everything in it was documents and registers, scattered on the bed, on the desk, many of which had been flipped through.

Ji You picked a few and handed them to the scholar's arms.

"What is this?"

"All the official documents, yellow registers, and records of immortal manors choosing land to form manors in Fengzhou over the years."

Xiang Kuangcheng was slightly stunned: "Did Governor He send this?"

Ji You nodded: "He said that although I only established a noble family here, it is better to understand the tax offerings and immortal manor matters clearly, so that even if I am far away in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, I can have a number in my heart."

Xiang Kuangcheng couldn't help but look up and laugh helplessly: "Nowadays, Great Xia officials have truly become tools serving the immortal family."

These literature materials cannot be disclosed to anyone according to Great Xia law, except for the governor, only the Ministry of Revenue and the current Great Xia Emperor can consult them.

But this clear regulation is now like a decoration.

Xiang Kuangcheng reached out and opened the yellow register in his hand, looked at it carefully, and then his brows slowly wrinkled.

The so-called yellow register is the household registration based on which taxes are collected. The number of heads recited after the autumn harvest in Yuyang County every year comes from this.

Officials of each province and county will conduct statistical verification of the population in their jurisdiction every five years, or when changing the year number.

All registered and verified people are recorded, and then released to each province and county as a list, converted into per capita by tax rate, and every head count is an offering in the eyes of immortal sects, noble families, and immortal manors.

And corresponding to the yellow register is the so-called immortal register.

Millions of people work hard on the yellow register, supporting the immortals high above in the immortal register, so that they can practice immortal cultivation without distractions, and then laugh and ascend.

"May I ask Brother Ji, which year is this yellow register?"

"It is this year's."

Xiang Kuangcheng was stunned for a moment, then remembered that the year number had been changed this year, and the yellow register had to be re-compiled.

Then he picked up the one he had read before and looked through it again.

This is the one from three years ago, that is, the first year of Taiwu, and his expression gradually became solemn after looking through it.

Because according to the population comparison recorded in the yellow register, in just three years, the four million people in Fengzhou had plummeted by almost 20%.

And if you look closely, you will find that some villages registered in the records disappeared together, and there was not even half a person left, which happened without natural disasters.

Ji You looked through this yellow register last night and felt shocked.

For the past half year, immortal cultivators have always been muttering about the coming of troubled times, and the abnormality of human luck.

But for the commoners, this world has always been a troubled time, or even a doomsday.

"I know you have investigated the case of Wei Li embezzling tax offerings, and you must have seen the yellow registers of other provinces. I want to know, is this normal?"

Xiang Kuangcheng frowned: "In the tax offering case, I investigated the yellow register of Central Province, and the number of commoners is also plummeting. Over the years, the flames of war have been everywhere outside the Cold Iron Pass, and the population of noble families has become larger and larger, so both taxes and offerings have become heavier. Perhaps because of this, the people are having a hard time living?"

Ji You thought for a long time and picked up another one and handed it to him: "There is one more thing that I care about more."

"What thing?"

"The number of immortal manors in Fengzhou also exceeded my expectations."

Xiang Kuangcheng opened it and looked, and found that there have always been immortal cultivators choosing land to form manors in Fengzhou, but the number has not changed much.

It has been increasing, but the total number has not changed, which actually means a decrease in quantity.

Before the autumn battle, Xiang Kuangcheng returned to Yuyang County once, and brought news that the Fengxian Shanzhuang had moved away. Later, they returned to Fengzhou together, and when passing through Danshui County, they heard that the Luoyue Shanzhuang had moved away.

But now it seems that the Fengxian Shanzhuang and the Luoyue Shanzhuang are not isolated cases.

If it weren't for this, then Ji You's establishment of a noble family in Fengzhou might have been even more difficult.

"When the Fengxian Shanzhuang moved away, I didn't feel anything strange, but later when the Luoyue Shanzhuang moved away, I felt it was too coincidental. Later, after seeing these registers, I found that it was not just these two."

Xiang Kuangcheng pondered for a long time: "Could it be that they were afraid of Brother Ji's prestige and moved away early?"

Ji You's mouth trembled after hearing this: "I was a pitiful worm who was annulled a year ago, Brother Kuang, do you think this is right?"

"But I don't understand, why does Brother Ji think this matter is strange?"

"Because someone once told me that when there are too many coincidences, this matter is not a coincidence."

Xiang Kuangcheng couldn't help but shake his head, and seemed unable to figure it out.

He is not an immortal cultivator, so he knows even less about immortal cultivator matters, let alone immortal manors.

Relatively speaking, he is more concerned about the decrease in the number of commoners in Fengzhou.

Five years ago, there was a big blizzard in Fengzhou. The commoners peeled tree bark to fill their stomachs but still couldn't fill them, so they had to exchange children to eat. The scene made him shudder even now.

Ji You's position is different from his, his experience is also different, and his thoughts are naturally different.

He cannot see the Heavenly Secrets, and only feels that this world is really strange.

Commoners have been dying, and immortal cultivators have also disappeared in groups.

If you compare this world to a whole, it is full of cracks at this moment, full of fragmentation, but I don't know why it still exists well.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 163 =====