Chapter 250: Wulü Firm

After the Autumn Battle ended, the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's recruitment work soon began.

Cao Jingsong, as the instructor responsible for Fengzhou recruitment, went to Fengzhou again after resting for half a month, accompanied by Xiang Fu and Liu Jian'an.

Although they were freshmen last year and didn't join the Management Office, being Fengzhou disciples was like this: if they could work, they had to work, and they couldn't be idle people.

Returning to Fengzhou with them was Xiang Kuangcheng.

He came back to Fengzhou this time to audit the accounts, count the amount of grain sent into the warehouse after the autumn harvest this year, and by the way, according to Ji You's previous instructions, establish an external firm before winter arrived.

Xiang Kuangcheng was just a scholar who couldn't even truss a chicken. Cao Jingsong was afraid he would encounter danger, so he sent him to the Fengzhou government on the way.

After the large-scale joint reclamation of spring plowing, as well as the grain seed selection and breeding of the agricultural officials, coupled with the rare good weather in Fengzhou this year, they all felt that Fengzhou would have a lot of surplus.

But when they saw the numbers, several people were still startled...

Good fellow, this wayward disciple really made money...

After escorting Xiang Kuangcheng to the destination, Cao Jingsong and his party, who had recruitment tasks, left Fengzhou government again and traveled southeast along the official road.

Fengzhou was vast, comparable to one and a half Central Prefectures, but there were actually not many who could have the quota to practice.

Because the biggest threshold for Immortal Sect recruitment was not talent, but aptitude. Those who could be selected to practice were just some descendants of officials.

So Cao Jingsong and his party tossed for several days, and finally only found two with good aptitude in Fengzhou, one was the son of the Shangfang County Magistrate, and the other was the daughter of the Anbei County Magistrate.

In addition, there were two others, who were dependents of the Zhenbei Army, recruited with military merit quotas.

As autumn deepened, the instructors who went to recruit in other prefectures returned one after another with the disciples they had selected.

However, the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's recruitment this year could be evaluated in three words: very failed.

There was only one who was under twenty years old and had reached the Lower Three Realms completion, and he was a descendant of the Elder Pavilion.

His elders were great powers of the Immortal Sect, so it was naturally not difficult to reach the Lower Three Realms completion before the age of twenty. This didn't count as successful recruitment, because they were going to enter the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan anyway.

That is to say, in the second year of Taiyuan, the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan didn't have a single one who was truly under twenty years old and had reached the Lower Three Realms completion through recruitment.

"Is my Heavenly Tian Shuyuan's reputation really rotten?"

"No, I also met other Immortal Sect recruitment instructors and sect-outside walkers on this trip. After inquiring, I found that the situation of other Immortal Sects was mostly the same. The only one that was a bit better was Spirit Sword Mountain, which had two Lower Three Realms completion students recruited into the sect."

On a clear autumn day with autumn leaves falling, Ding Ang sat in the teaching courtyard's tea pavilion and explained to the instructors who had returned.

Wang Jiaoxi Sun stroked his beard upon hearing this: "This is not strange. After all, although Spirit Sword Mountain disciples didn't take the top spot in this Heavenly Dao Assembly, because three disciples entered the Sages' Holy Land, they were still the head of the Immortal Sect in terms of number, and their reputation was huge."

Ding Ang picked up his teacup upon hearing this: "The influence is more than that."

"Oh?"

"Everyone also knows that because of the sacred tool re-selecting its master, Spirit Sword Mountain has led to the secret opposition between the Heavenly Jianfeng and the Profound Jianfeng. So Spirit Sword Mountain is different from us Heavenly Tian Shuyuan. Every year, new disciples recruited only need to choose a peak once they enter, and they can never change it. And this year, these two Lower Three Realms completion students all chose the Profound Jianfeng."

"There is such a thing?"

"Not bad, I thought about it, it should still be because of the Heavenly Dao Assembly."

It has been two months since the Heavenly Dao Assembly ended. As time passed, various details of the Heavenly Dao Assembly duels were gradually spread.

Especially Ji You's duels, and I don't know where the rumors came from, they were clearer than others, simply having a feeling that made people feel like they were there.

Ding Ang held his teacup at this time: "Yan Hao, who was called the strongest of the Heavenly Jianfeng, only took sixteen swords from Ji You and was defeated miserably. And Yan Rui, who came from the Profound Jianfeng, took thirty-two swords. Although he was also defeated, he was unscathed. It is not unreasonable for the Profound Jianfeng to become famous because of this. And that Yan Rui is just a side-branch disciple, not a descendant of the Peak Master."

Other instructors nodded after hearing this: "Disciples naturally have a scale in their hearts. The Heavenly Jianfeng of Spirit Sword Mountain has really suffered a major loss this time."

"I actually know this Yan Rui."

"?"

"Everyone also knows that my wife is from Lingzhou. According to the information I understand, this Yan Rui should be worse than Yan Hao. I don't know why he performed so well in the Heavenly Dao Assembly."

Cao Jingsong was sitting by the window resting with his eyes closed, and coughed when he heard this.

Don't know why?

Heh, isn't it because my disciple-in-law is the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master!

There was no divine performance, only superb acting skills.

And the instructor who was telling the story heard the cough, and immediately lowered his voice, looking regular and obedient.

Wang Jiaoxi Cao, who brought out a Heavenly Dao Assembly top-ranked student, was currently in the teaching courtyard with great momentum, and no one wanted to touch his bad luck.

Ding Ang couldn't help but curse 'dog relying on human power' secretly, and then lowered his voice: "There is only one Lower Three Realms completion under twenty years old this year. I am afraid that the Autumn Battle next year will not need to be held."

"This... is really so."

"Not bad, others haven't reached completion, naturally it is difficult to enter Profound Understanding. This quota will definitely fall on that Elder Pavilion descendant. From this point of view, people like Chu He and Fang Jincheng are still a bit unlucky, especially Chu He, who tried his best but failed to get his wish."

Having said this, everyone fell silent, couldn't help but recall the Autumn Battle a year ago, and couldn't help but feel their scalps tingle.

The new students who entered the courtyard were no different from the previous few years. Whether they were noble family disciples or quota-admitted, they all went to the Dao-realization field every day to realize the Little Little Tian Shu.

But just like last year, no one succeeded for a long time.

That Elder Pavilion descendant was also the same, from ambitious to beginning to accept reality.

And the few Fengzhou disciples who newly entered the courtyard were practicing Dao, making friends, and gradually familiarizing themselves with the life rhythm of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan.

Although they were born in official noble families, they were after all descendants of mortals. Especially as descendants of mortals from Fengzhou, they were actually a bit uneasy before entering the courtyard, especially seeing those noble family disciples taking elixirs by the bottle and spirit stones in front of them, it was inevitable that they would feel a bit inferior.

But then they discovered that they had never been belittled or looked down upon, and even some noble families in the capital, hearing that they were Fengzhou disciples, would specifically set up banquets to invite them.

In fact, after the Heavenly Dao Assembly battle, very few people would gossip about Fengzhou.

This barren land that originally had no cultivation noble families was gradually alienating in everyone's hearts because of the existence of one person.

At the same time, there was also a batch of students who were sinking in the outer courtyard of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan who had reached the five-year term and left the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan with endless regrets.

Some had higher cultivation and were invited away by noble families in the capital and the Spirit Stone Chamber of Commerce to become offerings.

In previous years, the number of people going to the Spirit Stone Chamber of Commerce to be offerings was relatively large. After all, joining the Spirit Stone Chamber of Commerce could directly have spirit stones to use.

As for some whose cultivation was similar to when they entered, they were simply ignored, and felt that they had no face to go home, so they would take the initiative to enter the lower-level Immortal Manors.

But this time it was slightly different. These people met a group of people as soon as they left the courtyard. The leader was a big-chested fat man, who handed them a piece of paper.

Everyone knew he was Cao Jingsong of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, and the paper was an invitation from Fengzhou.

Come, be a cow or a horse.

Before long, the time reached the late autumn season, the noise of the Heavenly Dao Assembly gradually dissipated, and everyone returned to the silence of practicing without knowing the years, until the next round of tax offering collection began again.

Rumble rumble——

With the issuance of the decree to collect tax offerings, the tax carriages of local governments also began to travel frequently in the Nine Prefectures, and the sound of wheels rolling from morning to night didn't stop.

The government office runners in the government also began to get busy, walking through the streets and alleys, checking house by house, and moving the sufficient production materials onto the carriages.

Some government office runners found slightly larger households and took more. After taking off their uniforms at night, they went to the flower building.

Then, the fully loaded carriages brought 60% of the harvest that mortals worked hard for a year, and sent them to noble families, Immortal Sects, and various Immortal Manors, supplying these immortals so that they could practice without distraction and stay away from the secular world.

Of course, there were still those who couldn't pay the tax offerings, waiting in fear all day long, and finally, wearing thin clothes, carrying their families, began to exile in this winter when the cold intent came.

And most of those who couldn't pay the tax offerings were those who had added new members to their families, and had elderly parents to support.

In the biting cold wind, the babies in swaddling clothes could only endure the cold and hunger. If they were not careful, they would be frozen purple all over overnight.

Some old and weak people had inconvenient legs and feet, so they simply didn't run, looking at their children and grandchildren with tears, telling them to just live.

But although the Qingyun world was vast and boundless, where could such mortals escape to.

Especially every time this season came, the government office in various places would send out large numbers of people to intercept and capture privately, and there was simply no way to live.

The Tie Niu family living in Zhuxi County, Danshui County, Central Prefecture was like this. They hid here and there before winter came, but finally were caught in the prison, completely desperate.

In fact, Tie Niu was not afraid of death, just lacked the courage to seek death himself. If he followed the flow, a knife on the neck would end it, and he would never come again in the next life.

But the problem was that tax evasion was not a capital crime, but a whipping.

Beaten to the point of skin and flesh, the share that should be paid next year still had to be paid.

His wife was weak, and his son was still in swaddling clothes. Tie Niu wanted to take the beating for them, just didn't know if he could bear it, and didn't know how the remaining wife and children would live if he was lucky enough to be liberated.

Back then, his family advised him not to give birth, saying that one life needs one life, but he didn't listen, feeling that with a bit of strength, he wouldn't walk to the last step, but didn't expect that things were still thought simply.

Under the iron window in the middle of the night, Tie Niu, who was hungry and cold, couldn't sleep.

Just like this, he stared until the next morning. The prison door was opened, and the jailer threw the only bundle he brought when he fled to him: "You can go."

Tie Niu opened his mouth: "Can go?"

"Someone paid for what you owe."

"Then... what about my wife and children?"

Tie Niu didn't believe at all that someone would pay for the grain, feeling that the government office made a mistake, but didn't speak out at the moment, but anxiously asked about the whereabouts of his wife and children.

The jailer looked at him: "They have already gone home, you hurry up and go too, don't be dawdling."

"Thank you jailer, thank you jailer..."

Together with Tie Niu, there were five others who were caught, and at this time, they also walked out of the prison with a dazed face.

Because they were imprisoned in the dark prison for a night, they felt a stinging pain as soon as they saw the sun. After the white mist in front of them dissipated, they found that there were grain carriages constantly entering and exiting here.

But these grain carriages were not from the government, but hung with the flag of Wulü Firm.

Tie Niu rubbed his eyes, gradually getting used to the light under the clear sky, then stepped toward the outside of the city, and after turning through many dirt roads, finally rushed back to the village.

Pushing the door into the house, he saw his wife holding the child, holding a bowl of wheat porridge in her hand. Seeing him return, she immediately stood up and hugged her husband.

Tie Niu patted his wife's back, his eyes following his wife's shoulder to look at the corner of the room.

There was half a bag of grain there, with the name of Wulü Firm written on it.

Tie Niu's eyes were stunned: "This... where did this grain come from?"

His wife hugged the child back to the room and came out of the hall, taking out an IOU from her bosom: "It was Mother who saw us go in, so she went to the firm to borrow it..."

"How dare Mother go to the firm to borrow? These blood-sucking ones, how much to pay back next year?"

"They don't need you to pay back, but you have to work for half a year."

Tie Niu shivered: "Where to work, is it that spirit mine where hundreds of people die every year...?"

His wife held his hand: "Husband, don't be afraid, not to the spirit mine, but to Fengzhou."

Hearing this sentence, Tie Niu's eyes gradually: "How could it be to Fengzhou? The old government officials send people to patrol everywhere every day, isn't it because they are afraid of people fleeing to Fengzhou? In the past, they couldn't go even if they paid money, why can they go now?"

Since the tax offerings in Fengzhou were cut to 30% a few years ago, countless people wanted to flee to Fengzhou, but countless people had their legs broken. Didn't expect that they could go now.

His wife shook her head after hearing this: "Not moving there, but you go with Wulü Firm, and come back after making money. The tax offerings still have to be paid to our local government office, still 60%. Me and the son will be detained here. What the old men want is just tax offerings. Even if you make money elsewhere, they won't stop you."

Tie Niu opened his mouth: "I go alone..."

"Can live, husband, this is a way to live. I have inquired, do you still remember that immortal who appeared in Fengzhou a few years ago? He will give you fields, and there will be people to help you. As long as you work well, it is enough for our family of three to live."

"But... what do they want?"

His wife looked at him with tears in her eyes: "I don't know what they want either, but our little cow can live."

Tie Niu hugged his wife's shoulder: "I go, I go to Fengzhou. Did they say when to go?"

"Go in a few days, Second Uncle and the others will also go with you, you can keep each other company on the road, so I can rest assured."

"What kind of work to go in the middle of winter?"

"I don't know either..."

"Forget it, let fate decide. I will do it well. When I make money, I will definitely come back. No matter how difficult, I will come back."

His wife raised her tearful eyes to look at him: "I am not afraid that you, a heartless person, won't come back. They said over there, if you don't come home to support your wife and children, they will break your legs over there too."

Tie Niu hugged his wife tightly after hearing this: "I will come back even if they don't break my legs..."

The tax offering collection soon entered winter. The cold current crossed the city wall that towered into the sky along the northern border, blowing cold the Nine Prefectures, so that all things withered.

Among the people of the Nine Prefectures, there were actually not many who couldn't pay the tax offerings, because such people couldn't live to this day in this world at all.

But whether they could live through the winter after paying the tax offerings was an unknown. Because many poor families, after paying the tax offerings, found it difficult to support their families with the surplus.

In previous years, some people would choose to resist, life and death by fate.

Some people would go to the firm to borrow grain, borrow one and pay back three, pay back five, and finally couldn't pay back, so they became servants for life, sold their sons and daughters, and worked like cows and horses.

However, with the fall of the first snow, a batch of low-priced grain began to flow into the Nine Prefectures.

Some were simply half-sold and half-given. Those who couldn't take out a penny directly signed a work order.

In fact, this matter moved some people's interests, because some firms were specifically doing grain borrowing business.

These firms that borrowed grain to the people were basically relying on some of the most bottom-level small noble families, and these noble families were basically families that had begun to decline a long time ago, and could only do these businesses to continue their wealth.

And the grain they borrowed was actually the tax offerings collected a long time ago.

Some noble families didn't need so much, so it would flow into their hands to operate. A side branch of the Lingzhou Lu family was doing this business.

They originally intended to take advantage of this winter to squeeze another pen from the mortals, but didn't expect to encounter such a thing.

"What background is that firm?"

"It is a newly opened firm, which appeared in autumn. There is not much information that can be found, only knowing that it comes from the north."

"People from the north also dare to come and intervene in my southern business?"

The old patriarch, who had tempered the years and finally achieved Merging with the Dao, was dignified without anger, his tone containing displeasure: "Can you find out who the person in charge is?"

The Lu family steward bowed upon hearing this: "It is a businessman from Shengjing. After checking, no background can be found."

"Go, go and meet this firm."

The dignified old patriarch stood up, took several good hands of the Lower Three Realms completion in the family, went out of the house, and then arrived at a newly opened firm on the long street of the Lingzhou government city.

Immediately, a burst of energy passed through the hall. The old patriarch waved his hand and smashed the door plaque with the two words 'Wulü', sternly scolded them to leave quickly, not to appear here again, and said that if they came again next time, what would be broken would not be as simple as a door plaque.

This old patriarch's move was considered cautious, afraid that there was someone behind him, so he didn't hurt anyone when he came for the first time.

In fact, this matter didn't need to be so cautious. In his view, how big a backer could people doing this business have.

Sure enough, the clerk at the counter looked terrified. Seeing this, he directly crawled on the ground, shivering with fear, not even daring to speak.

Seeing this scene, the old patriarch returned satisfied.

It was just that what he didn't expect was that early the next morning, the old patriarch had just gotten up from the bed, and saw several carriages flying in the air, landing in his residence.

Facing him was an ancestor of the Lu family's main branch, who waved his hand and slapped him to the ground, looking at him with sharp eyes, telling him to carve a plaque himself and send it over quickly.

When leaving his residence, the Lu family ancestor couldn't help but look fearfully toward the three sword peaks by the sea.

Spirit Sword Mountain usually doesn't care about worldly affairs. Even if there are noble family fights and casualties, they rarely intervene. He couldn't figure out why they would specifically pay attention to such a small matter as selling grain this time.

What is even more terrible is that the person who came, he inquired, was said to be the personal maid of the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master.

It is said that both Central Prefecture and Fengzhou are having heavy snow, and even Lingzhou, which rarely snows, has snowflakes constantly falling at this time.

The Lu family ancestor stood in this snowy day and felt a trace of coolness, but this coolness came from the heart.

(Transition chapter, seeking monthly tickets, also recommend a book by a book friend in the group "Ascending to Immortality, Starting from the Alchemy Boy", book friends who are short of books can go and support it, the portal is placed below)

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 251 =====