Chapter 163

On the day of tax offering collection, sunlight fell from the sky, dyed in the bleak autumn day.

At this time, on the Nujiang River, there were immortal ships coming and going from north to south, whistling and flying on the sparkling river surface like golden armor spread out.

On the bow of the ship, the family children in brocade clothes stood with their hands behind their backs, looking at the river banks on both sides.

And on both sides of the river bank, there were grain carts coming and going on the dilapidated and uneven official roads, in an endless stream, driving toward various families, immortal manors, and grain granaries in various counties.

Along with the carts came hundreds of ragged old farmers, tied with hemp ropes, walking with difficulty, their faces full of fatigue and numbness, and finally they were escorted by government runners to the high slope on the west side of the river bank.

"What are they doing?"

"They are all guilty people who failed to pay the full tax offerings, and were punished by the local government and pulled here to receive whipping."

"How much tax offering is this?"

"Only sixty percent."

"This place is rich in resources and vast in land, just reclaim more wasteland and work hard to farm, isn't the tax offering easy to get? Yet they are unwilling to pay even this sixty percent? Isn't this a stubborn commoner?"

"Not bad, what is difficult about farming? We cultivators don't have it easy either, we don't have any leisure time every day, aren't we also diligent and never lazy?"

The immortal ship crossed the river, and it took a day and a night to pass through the three states. At this time, it arrived at Jingxi Ferry, the ship stopped, and some people got on and some got off.

The immortal family children waiting to enter the gate on the ship felt bored, so they naturally discussed what they saw and heard on both sides of the river.

Just at this time, a convoy drove past on the official road, going in the opposite direction to the grain carts.

This convoy was different from the government grain carts. It was pulled by mules, the carriage body looked dilapidated, the top plate was densely covered, and it looked like it was broken and repaired, repaired and broken, and then a few patches were added.

Following the carts, most of them were ragged commoners, the stronger men led the way in front, and the women, children, and old men followed behind.

They seemed to have traveled a long distance, and the only conspicuous thing on their dark faces was their pale lips.

And what they pulled on the carts was not grain bags or fine goods, but all kinds of miscellaneous things, including pottery basins and tiles, as well as farm tools and livestock, and even old quilts.

Not long after this convoy passed, another convoy came in the same direction as them.

This convoy was slightly different from the previous one, because it was more luxurious, the carts were pulled by horses, and the clothing of the people following the carts was also much better.

Especially the few people in the back, there were simple embroidery patterns on their clothes.

Some family children guessed with great interest, saying that the previous convoy should be the migration of a whole wild village, and the latter one was clearly a landlord's household from a city with some reputation.

However, there were different opinions about where they were going.

In the discussion, a few older people walked over, wearing white clothes, and couldn't help but speak softly.

"They are going north, to Fengzhou."

"Fengzhou? The one on the edge of the northeast?"

"Not bad, after this year's tax offering collection, such convoys can be seen three or four times a day, all going to Fengzhou."

In the discussion, both convoys were stopped by government runners at the post station on the official road.

Among them was a fierce man holding a knife, wearing black clothes, with thick beard, who stopped them all.

Then a middle-aged man with a cloth towel on his head walked out of the second convoy and sent a bundle, and those runners let them pass.

The previous convoy also took advantage of them and was let through the pass at this moment.

Seeing this scene, the family children on the ship looked at each other: "Isn't Fengzhou a place where even birds don't shit? That wild village migration is understandable, but that convoy is clearly a mortal landlord's, is this also giving up land and property?"

"Isn't this what you saw with your own eyes?"

"This is really strange, doesn't Fengzhou pay tax offerings?"

"There are some, but very few, compared to the other eight states, it is simply a drop in the bucket, and for thousands of years, the only purpose of commoners' migration is to live, so they have to go where they can live."

Just at this time, a sedan chair appeared on the official road, followed by countless government runners.

When the sedan chair was carried to the tea shed of the post station in front, the local five-foot-tall county magistrate jumped out of the sedan curtain.

Slap, slap, a few slaps were fiercely hit on the face of the big bearded man with a fierce look, resounding on the river bank.

The people on the ship couldn't help but lean over to look, and saw that this pass from Zhongzhou to Fengzhou was immediately under martial law, and the rejection horses made of sharp wooden pillars were immediately placed on the official road.

After this, some scattered people who came to this place were all driven back by government runners holding long knives.

During this period, there were also some wealthy households, like before, who took out the "personnel" they had prepared, but were kicked to the ground directly.

At this time, the five-foot-tall county magistrate stood on the side with a cold face, his eyes trembling slightly, as if he was trying his best to suppress his anger.

The current imperial court has no clear political decree to prohibit the people of the nine states from running around, but in the past, this kind of thing never happened, because everywhere in the nine states is the same.

But after this year's tax offering collection, he found that many people in the Jiyang County under his jurisdiction began to migrate by village and clan.

He didn't know what had happened in Fengzhou in these few days, but he was not like those stupid pigs under his hands.

Now blocking the road to ask for personnel, it seems that he earned it, but the commoners under his jurisdiction moved away, so where should he collect the tax offering share?

There are many families in Zhongzhou, if they provoke the immortals, it is a death penalty of losing their heads!

So he couldn't wait for any imperial court law, and couldn't care about any political decree, so he hurried to set up a card.

At the same time, a sudden gust of wind and waves came from the river, blowing the two banks to make a sound.

Seeing this scene, the Jiyang County magistrate immediately knelt down with his subordinates to see off the immortals.

Then a mysterious light rose from the bottom of the immortal ship on the river bank, then closed at the bow, and then quickly entered the voyage.

After a day and a night, some of the people on the ship left halfway, some boarded halfway, and finally the rest arrived at the capital of Great Xia, Shengjing...

At this time, Shengjing city was already bustling because of the new enrollment of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan.

Carriages from all over the world gathered here, blocking the main city road, and the wine towers along the street were brightly lit, all of which were filled with the sound of silk and bamboo, and singing girls dancing.

And countless noble families in the capital held banquets in the city, inviting those Heavenly Tian Shuyuan students who were about to enter the academy to eat, so that the breeze around the city was full of wine fragrance.

"How many at the completion of the Lower Three Realms in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan this year?"

"Three."

"Three again?"

"The Lu family in Yunzhou entered one last year, and the one who came this year is Lu Lu Qingqiu's sister, Lu Lu Hanyan. It's strange to say about their family, this cultivation talent seems to be on the women."

"And the other one?"

"The Fang family of the Earth Clan in Zhongzhou, their third young master, had already reached the completion of the Lower Three Realms last year, but the Fang family did not allow him to enter the academy at that time. It is said that it was to avoid Chu He's edge, so it was postponed for a year."

"Chu He..."

On the wine tower, when someone mentioned this name again, everyone couldn't help but smack their lips.

This name was indeed incomparably dazzling at the beginning, but since the beginning of autumn, few people have mentioned it.

"What about the third one?"

"The third one also comes from Yunzhou, the young master of the Puyang family, an ancient family, but this Puyang family has not been famous in recent years, but it is still okay to produce a completion of the Lower Three Realms who is not yet weak and crowned. This Puyang young master has a single name, Xing, which seems to be entrusted with the hope of the Puyang family's revival."

Hearing this, some family children in the capital picked up their wine glasses, and their interest became not very big after hearing that these three were all from famous immortal sects.

At noon, the sun was shining, and countless sedan chairs in the capital went to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan.

Just like every year, high officials in the capital and imperial relatives were tireless in doing things like making friends with such outstanding geniuses.

However, this time, the disgraced Wei Li did not come, and Chong Wang came alone, but his interest seemed not very high.

Especially when he arrived at the Bai Yu Terrace, it was as if he thought of something.

Subsequently, the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan enrollment ceremony was held, and the family children who had changed into Heavenly Tian Shuyuan immortal robes poured into the Dengxian Bai Yu Terrace.

Standing at the very front were two men and one woman, Lu Lu Hanyan from Yunzhou, Puyang Xing from Yunzhou, and Fang Fang Jincheng from Zhongzhou, all in white, with swords tied to their waists.

And behind them were those at the Condensation and Transformation Realm from other states.

Such a standing position, such a face, made everyone feel dazed, as if the first year of Taichu was like a big dream.

So everyone found that some eyes on the high platform couldn't help but gather at the end, that is, the southeast side of the Bai Yu Terrace.

The disciples standing there were also a batch of young disciples.

There were men and women, eight in total, whose clothing and dressing were not as rich as those standing on the inside, and their expressions were also very cautious.

Because they all came from Fengzhou.

And among these eight people, only three had sufficient cultivation, such as Xiang Fu, the daughter of the Danshui County Prefect, Liu Jianan, the son of the Fengzhou Inspector, and Cong Yi, the daughter of the Guiyun County Prefect.

And the remaining ones, most of them had people in their families participating in the army, relying on the Great Xia to get the quota, some were better at the Dim Illumination Realm, and the worst had not even been enlightened.

The Heavenly Tian Shuyuan is also under the name of the Great Xia Sacred Sect, so such students are also to be accepted.

However, in previous years, such disciples would not receive too much attention.

Because the world knows that the Lower Three Realms and the Upper Five Realms are completely different realms, and to break through, it requires a large amount of elixirs and spirit stones to pile up.

In other words, cultivation is a game exclusive to famous families.

But what is surprising is that these Fengzhou disciples suddenly found that the eyes on the high platform gathered toward them, and even the five hall masters who were extraordinary were the same.

"Why are they always looking at us?"

"They are not looking at us..."

Xiang Fu couldn't help but speak, murmuring.

After the enrollment ceremony ended, the outer courtyard of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan quickly became lively.

Lu Lu Hanyan, who came from Yunzhou, was wearing a fine gauze snow-rolled long skirt, and just after leaving the Bai Yu Terrace, she saw Lu Lu Qingqiu coming with a group of sisters.

"Lu Hanyan."

"Sister."

Lu Lu Qingqiu looked at her: "You entered the completion of the Lower Three Realms?"

Lu Lu Hanyan nodded: "I thought I wouldn't catch up, but father finally took the spirit core of a mine to help me condense to completion."

Hearing this, Lu Lu Qingqiu couldn't help but purse her mouth, then reached out and patted her sister's shoulder.

Although their Lu family is based on the spirit mine business in Yunzhou, the cultivation talent in the family is only in the middle and upper reaches among the major families in the nine states.

In recent years, both her and her sister's talent have been considered pretty good, and they have been entrusted with high hopes.

Because if someone in the family can enter the inner courtyard of the seven great immortal sects, or find a good husband, it will be a great help to the family.

It's just that she didn't get her wish, and now this responsibility has fallen on her sister.

Just at this time, Puyang Xing, who was standing on the stage earlier, walked over and bowed to Lu Lu Qingqiu: "Puyang Xing, see Ding Shijie."

"Ji Shidi Puyang, welcome to the academy."

"Thank you, Ding Shijie, I came here just to say hello, so I will leave first."

Puyang Xing arched his hand to say goodbye, then turned and walked toward the Enlightenment Field, meeting Fang Fang Jincheng on the way.

The two looked at each other, their eyes cold, and the atmosphere was not as harmonious as when they saw Lu Lu Qingqiu, but instead showed some gunpowder smell.

Looking at it this way, this year's inner courtyard battle was also buried with foreshadowing from the enrollment.

At this time, there were four disciples of the Qin Zhangshi Pavilion on the Enlightenment Field, who were cleaning the Enlightenment Field.

Because after all, it is autumn now, there are many fallen leaves, and new disciples have already entered the academy, so they need to come over to clean from time to time.

"It will be fine in a few days."

"When everyone first enters the academy, they are all like this, all getting up early to come to the Enlightenment Field, and then studying hard and cultivating diligently, everyone feels that they are the proud son of heaven, and will not be weaker than others."

"Then someone will be far ahead, and everyone's Dao heart will be broken, and then it will be quiet."

When the Qin Zhangshi Pavilion disciples were murmuring, Puyang Xing and Fang Fang Jincheng had already sat down and entered meditation abruptly.

Lu Lu Qingqiu looked at the Enlightenment Field and couldn't help but speak softly: "This Puyang family has been silent for a while. It is said that the cultivation talent of the family bloodline is becoming thinner and thinner. I didn't expect that they would produce a completion of the Lower Three Realms who is not yet weak and crowned."

Lou Lou Siyi looked at him and couldn't help but speak in a low voice: "This person seems to have the intention of making friends with your Lu family."

"This is also normal. That Puyang family is now declining. It is said that even a few side branches of the clan are excluded by all parties, so they need to form alliances everywhere."

"Sister, this Puyang Xing and Fang Fang Jincheng seem to be my strong enemies." Lu Lu Hanyan couldn't help but speak softly.

Lu Lu Qingqiu looked at her: "What's wrong?"

"Father told me when he came that I must enter the inner courtyard, so I naturally have to understand Puyang Xing and Fang Fang Jincheng. This Fang Fang Jincheng has been extraordinary in talent since he was a child, and should have entered the academy with sister, but now it is said that he has already condensed three mysterious lights, and that Puyang Xing can also be considered a genius."

"Genius, what can a genius do..."

Lu Lu Qingqiu and the three murmured, then turned to look at the deep part of Nishan, the ten thousand acres of forest sea with golden leaves.

Back then, Chu He entered the academy with glory, under the name of the second son of the Chu family, and was called a genius among geniuses.

But in the end, everyone knew that the so-called genius was just a threshold to see that person.

"Sister?"

Lu Lu Qingqiu looked at her: "I will try to invite him tonight and let you see a real genius."

Lou Lou Siyi looked at Lu Lu Qingqiu: "Will he come?"

"Free meal, shouldn't not come..."

"That's true..."

Lu Lu Hanyan couldn't help but speak at this time: "However, the princess of Chong Wang's mansion invited me to attend a banquet tonight..."

Lu Lu Qingqiu looked at her sister and a sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth: "Zhao Zhao Yunyue? No matter, let's eat together in Hongding Tower, I will be the host."

After speaking, the eldest lady of the Lu family took her sister back to the courtyard, wrote a letter, and sent it to the Qin Zhangshi Pavilion.

Outer courtyard disciples cannot enter the inner courtyard, and communication is also done by sending letters through the Qin Zhangshi Pavilion.

And the disciple responsible for sending letters in the Qin Zhangshi Pavilion happened to have a letter to be handed to Ji You, so he entered the mountain with his waist token and passed through the ten thousand acres of forest sea.

At the same time, to the west of the intersection of the six peaks of the inner courtyard, in a purple bamboo forest full of spiritual energy, a man with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes was sitting on the ground, having been in meditation for a long time.

Some disciples of the five great halls who were resting couldn't help but look over, watching his spirit and energy surging and spiritual light flowing, and couldn't help but whisper.

From his appearance, they felt that this person was as handsome as a scholar, and he didn't look sharp at all, but rather elegant.

But no one would forget that he was the ruthless man who killed eighteen at the Realm of Profound Understanding, killed the Realm of Merging with the Dao with a low realm, and killed his way through Night City Mountain.

The most critical thing is that he is now the youngest family head in the Azure Cloud world, although he is still alone at this time.

"It is said that because of him, Fengzhou only collected one percent of the tax offerings this year?"

"Not bad, now that the Ji family has registered, there are no other immortal sects and families in Fengzhou, so the tax offering matter is entirely up to him to decide."

"Those who went to Fengzhou to establish immortal manors probably didn't expect that Fengzhou would suddenly pop up such a wild private cultivator, breaking the quota to enter the academy, killing Chu He and establishing a family..."

"Don't talk about those immortal manors, even you and I who are in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, who could have thought of it back then?"

"One percent tax offering, he acts like this, he is really fearless."

"Saying he is fearless, actually it is not."

"Oh?"

"That one percent tax offering was not all put into his own pocket, he still took it out and distributed it to those foreign mountain manors. I think he is still afraid, but the distribution of tax offerings is uneven, and I don't know what the basis is. My family has a side branch disciple in Fengzhou, and he won't say..."

"Regardless of Fengzhou, tax offerings, etc., this Ji You's aura is becoming more and more mysterious..."

In the discussion, Ji You slowly opened his eyes, the golden light in his eyes restrained, and the aura around his body calmed down.

Then he exhaled a breath, looked around, and found that the whispers gradually disappeared.

He had been back from Fengzhou for five days, and Ban Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and Bai Bai Rulong had also returned with them.

Also returning to the capital was Kuang Cheng.

And Ding Shijie Pei stayed at Floating Smoke Manor to enlighten Qiu Ru, while Old Qiu was stationed at He Zhang's mansion, handling the collection of tax offerings.

Except for the imperial court's share, they only collected one percent of the immortal sect's share this year.

Half is used to pay the humiliation fee, and half is left for land reclamation and sowing next year.

And during these days, he mainly did three things: one was to flip through the general outline of Dao techniques in the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion to familiarize himself with the insights on Heavenly Dao laws left by the sages of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan.

Another was to go to the lecture hall to listen to the inner courtyard instructors explain some insights about the Heavenly Dao, as well as theoretical analysis of the application of laws.

Compared with the free-range mode of self-cultivation in the outer courtyard, this is the foundation of the inner courtyard of the seven great immortal sects.

And the last thing he did was to enter the Void Mountain to cultivate and directly observe the evolution of the Heavenly Dao.

However, he went to see it five times in a row, but he didn't see Yan Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi.

He knew that this girl was breaking through, and said she wouldn't come out until she entered the Boundless Realm.

Her state of mind is actually the same as Ji You's now, both pursuing stronger, to resist those invisible undercurrents.

However, even knowing she was in seclusion, Ji You would still feel worried if he didn't see her for many days.

Just at this time, a Qin Zhangshi Pavilion disciple entered the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.

"Ji Shidi Ji, your letter."

"?"

Ji You reached out and took it, finding there were two.

One came from the outer courtyard, and one came from Nanhua City at the foot of Lingjian Mountain, signed by Ding Zhuo Wanqiu.

The high and mighty Little Xiao Jianzhu of Lingjian Mountain could not let people find out that she often wrote to a disciple of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, so the letters were all sent by Ding Yao or Zhuo Zhuo Wanqiu down the mountain to Nanhua City.

The spirit sword he received before the autumn battle was also sent this way.

The one signed by Ding Zhuo Wanqiu was basically sent by Ding Yao down the mountain, and the one signed by Zhuo Yao was basically Zhuo Zhuo Wanqiu.

Ji You reached out and opened the letter, and saw the opening remarks: Bold stranger, etc.

The Little Xiao Jianzhu of Lingjian Mountain is really a tsundere monster.

"Bold stranger, I am at a critical point in breaking through these days, don't come out halfway, hope you are honest."

"Breaking through is different from enlightenment. I need to discard distracting thoughts to make the Dao heart clear, and I cannot enter the mirror with spiritual sense, so before breaking through, I won't go to the Void Mountain."

"After breaking through, I will go down the mountain to travel. If I happen to travel to Shengjing, I will meet you by the way, chat for a while, and then leave."

Ji You saw this and thought to himself that I understand.

Doesn't this sentence translate to 【I will go to find you to play after I break through】.

He pinched the letter paper, the corners of his mouth raised slightly as he continued to read, but as he read, he slowly held his breath.

"If I happen to travel to Shengjing, I want to see what that woman Yuan Yuan Caiwei has seen."

The Little Xiao Jianzhu's letter was like her personality, ending abruptly, summarizing it in one sentence: Closed-door cultivation, don't disturb, prepare what I want to see.

Ji You's mouth trembled, thinking to himself why she was still thinking about it.

See what Yuan Yuan Caiwei has seen?

It seems that the subsequent cultivation should still focus on boiling the flesh.

Then he opened Lu Lu Qingqiu's letter, the content of which was brief, saying that she would host a banquet in Hongding Tower at the hour of the dog tonight, inviting three or five friends and new disciples who entered the academy this year, inviting him to gather.

The content of this letter note in his eyes was six words: Treat to dinner, come quickly.

Ji You put away the letter note, looked at them, thinking to himself what kind of thing, then handed the letter to the servant in the mansion to send to Yuyang County.

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

Rain fell on the gray tiles, flowing gurglingly, falling from the eaves, just fitting the brick seams on the ground, smashing into a small deep pit.

This is the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest.

Most of the disciples in the forest were sitting in meditation, with spiritual light surging around them, their expressions peaceful and relaxed.

But seeing this scene, Ji You's brows were knitted.

Most of the disciples who entered the inner courtyard of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan these years were the same as him, sensing the Little Little Tian Shu, and every day in the Purple Bamboo Zen Forest, one could see disciples borrowing the Little Little Tian Shu to cultivate.

However...

From beginning to end, the only one he saw in the Void Mountain was Yan Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi, and no other fellow disciples.

This doubt had actually existed in his heart for a long time, but because he was in the outer courtyard before, he didn't remember it often, so he didn't investigate too deeply.

But at this time, he could already confirm that the Little Little Tian Shu he sensed was not the same as most people's.

However, what made Ji You feel comforted was that he had asked Ban Ban Yangshu about this.

Ban Ban Yangshu said that in the Little Little Tian Shu, it was a vast void, hidden with the laws of heaven and earth, and there was nothing else.

Almost...

Ji You couldn't help but murmur.

Thinking to himself, it was just a mountain, some chaotic Heavenly Dao laws like a ball of thread, and a tsundere fairy with white and tender jade feet.

All cultivated to the Realm of Profound Understanding, what else can be done? Can't admit now that I have cultivated off track.