Chapter 251: Injured by Evil Seed

"Fengzhou's grain production is enough, but it is still a drop in the bucket for the poor people of the Nine Prefectures."

"However, this meager grain can always help the people survive the winter. When next year comes, it will inevitably get better and better."

"Ji brother really saved many children as he said before."

Xiang Kuangcheng was in the residence in Shengjing City at this time, surrounded by the steaming heater, flipping through the letters sent by all the Wulü firms in the Nine Prefectures, and then looked up at the gentleman hanging on the wall.

Honestly, he felt that with Ji You's merit, even the two words 'Sage' would be worthy, but he didn't know why he didn't accept the two words 'Gentleman'.

Wei Rui was accompanying him at this side at this time, holding the account book in her hand, carefully verifying the amount of the relief grain trade.

From the establishment of the firm, to the transportation of grain, and then to how to trade, the affairs of Wulü Firm took them a full three months, and the period was full of twists and turns.

There was a case of stealing from the warehouse in Liangzhou, fortunately discovered in time.

As for the matter of noble families coming to find trouble in Lingzhou, they also heard about it, but didn't pay too much attention to it.

Although Zhengxin Xianzi Yan said 'stranger' and 'stranger' all day long, her performance in Fengzhou for those few days couldn't be faked, as if she had already married in.

What her own husband wanted to do, how could Zhengxin Xianzi Yan allow others to destroy it at will.

Sure enough, news came later that the fierce old ancestor went to hold a wooden board the next day and carved the plaque at the door for three full days.

In fact, even the clerks of Wulü Firm were surprised by this, seemingly completely unexpected that the background of the main family would be so deep...

Xiang Kuangcheng put down the letter in his hand at this time, looked at the white snowy day outside the window, and then took out the silver in his bosom, weighing it twice.

In fact, human life is extremely tenacious. A mouthful of grain can make people live for a long time.

After this batch of relief grain was sent out, it could finally help the people survive the cold winter. When they endure until next spring, life will gradually get better.

Thinking of this, Xiang Kuangcheng felt relaxed in his heart, then called Wei Rui to leave the house, went to the East Market to buy many things and went to the Orphan and Disabled Courtyard in the West City.

What Wulü Firm did didn't cause discussion in Shengjing, far less eye-catching than a certain noble family disciple marrying a certain noble family daughter.

Probably because cultivators really don't care about worldly affairs...

Since then, winter snow has drifted until late winter.

After the Heavenly Dao Assembly ended, the situation in the Qingyun world changed, but not much.

The change was that after the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master entered the Boundless Realm, it forced the Heavenly Jianfeng's momentum to gradually decline, so many large noble families in Lingzhou began to alienate the Heavenly Jianfeng and rely on the Profound Jianfeng.

And the Spirit Sword Mountain disciples newly recruited this year, regardless of aptitude, basically chose to enter the Profound Jianfeng.

The current Profound Jianfeng already had the momentum of Spirit Sword Mountain's main peak, and the young Little Appraisal Master already had the dignity of an Abbot.

An Immortal Sect Abbot in her twenties, this matter would make people dazed even if they thought about it. I don't know what weaknesses such a fairy could have.

However, the maid who followed the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master knew best that the Appraisal Master still had weaknesses.

Since returning from the Heavenly Dao Assembly, the Appraisal Master had been a bit afraid of things like sticks.

There was another thing related to it, which was that the direct disciple Shang Senior Xi Yao of the Asking Dao Sect, who had been in seclusion for a year, broke through at the Responding to Heaven Middle Realm.

He didn't even appear in the Heavenly Dao Assembly in order to rush the pass. This time, he didn't disappoint people after coming out. Of course, what was most eye-catching was that he had been pursuing the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master.

And Shang Senior Xi Yao didn't disappoint people either. As soon as he came out, news spread that he was going to visit Spirit Sword Mountain, but was rejected by the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master.

At this time, a shocking piece of news spread.

It is said that the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master personally admitted that she already had a sweetheart.

As soon as this news spread, it immediately caused an uproar.

Although everyone knew that the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master must marry to ensure the continuation of power, they always felt that no man in this Qingyun world could match her.

Even the direct disciple Shang Senior Xi Yao of the Asking Dao Sect was still a head shorter in front of Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi.

But apart from the Immortal Sect direct disciples, other men were even harder to match.

Countless people were curious about the Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master's sweetheart, but discussing it back and forth didn't have any clues, because they found it hard to imagine what kind of man would be missed by the dignified Spirit Sword Mountain Appraisal Master.

"Where is the Appraisal Master?"

"She went down the mountain early this morning."

Ding Yao was stunned: "Why did she go down the mountain suddenly again?"

Zhuo Wanqiu shook her head: "I don't know why either, just that she looked a bit burdened with worries. When she left, she didn't allow me to follow, saying it was just to buy something in the city. But she always took me when she went to buy things. I don't know what she went to buy this time. But Senior Sister Ding, you are looking for the Appraisal Master at this time, is there anything?"

"The Appraisal Master announced to the outside world that she had a sweetheart. The Peak Master and his wife heard it and rushed over immediately. They are waiting to see the Appraisal Master in the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace right now. The Appraisal Master won't have gone to stroll far away again, right?"

"No, the son-in-law is not here now, where can the Appraisal Master go to stroll?"

The two were talking when they saw a figure as if from heaven appearing on the Profound Jianfeng, riding the wind, her skirt flying, and landing in the cold.

The Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master returned to the Profound Jianfeng, looked at Ding Yao, and then looked toward her palace.

A moment later, in the tea pavilion of the Cloud Top Palace.

Yan Jingxiang and his wife sat in the reception hall, looking at their daughter, revealing a difficult expression.

Their daughter disappeared suddenly last winter and stayed outside for a month. When she came back, her mouth was bitten by someone, so they already knew that their daughter had met a little yellow-haired boy outside.

But because the spirit appraisal could block the Heavenly Mechanism, they had never found anything.

Later, their daughter successfully entered the Boundless Realm, and the Profound Jianfeng was full of joy, so they temporarily put this matter aside. Didn't expect their daughter to admit it directly today.

"Shuyi, you tell Father, who is that person?"

"There is no one, just feeling that the person from the Asking Dao Sect is unusually noisy, disturbing my Dao heart's peace, so I made it up casually. It is also to persuade others to dispel their thoughts as soon as possible."

Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi was sitting on the chair at this time, her eyes cold and proud, her expression not like a fake.

Cui'er glanced at the Appraisal Master at this time, thinking to herself that this sentence was fake. The Appraisal Master's bellyband was clearly almost rubbed off the line by someone.

She tried secretly after returning to the mountain. Wanting to rub it like that, the underpants were indeed a bit unpresentable.

Yan Jingxiang and his wife were also quite helpless, knowing that their daughter had been stubborn since she was a child, and coupled with the fact that she had been in a high position for these years, no one could make her say what she didn't want to say, so they left in silence.

Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi's eyelashes trembled at this time: "By falsely claiming to have a sweetheart this time, my ears can be much quieter."

Ding Yao: "?"

Zhuo Wanqiu: "How can the Appraisal Master even deceive herself?"

"I am going to start practicing, you all retreat for now."

"Yes."

As the maid beside her left, the Cloud Top Palace became completely quiet.

Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi was serious for a while. Seeing that the aura outside the palace was getting farther and farther away, she suddenly reached out, spiritual light appeared in her palm, and she took out a book with pictures from the storage gourd.

The cover was written with the two words 'Secret Technique', and the scenes depicted in it were very simple, two or three people in one set.

Lingzhou business was quite prosperous, and everything was sold. Although such good-looking books couldn't be sold on the surface, they could still be bought if looked for carefully.

The Little Appraisal Master opened the cover, looking at the secret techniques of dueling in the eighteen rooms, her cold and proud pretty face gradually turned red, and her expression became more and more stern.

The Sages once said that the way to overcome unknown fear is to understand it.

And avoiding it will only cause inner demons.

So the human race back then, even if facing death, bravely stood up and faced the remnant race.

Since returning to the mountain after the Heavenly Dao Assembly ended, Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi discovered that she had started to have inner demons. Sometimes she would wake up suddenly while sleeping, and had to wash her pants herself, so she made up her mind to understand secretly.

Just after understanding, Kuangcheng Yan Shuyi suddenly felt even more afraid...

Or let Yuan Caiwei try it first...

But if Yuan Caiwei tries it first, she might grab her position. The Little Appraisal Master pondered for a long time, feeling that it would be better to let Ding Yao try it first, and tell her how to do it after coming back.

The Spirit Sword Mountain Little Appraisal Master announced that she had a sweetheart, which attracted attention from all sides of the Qingyun world, but because she didn't say who it was, it didn't cause a huge impact.

And apart from this matter, there was also news in the cold winter about the Pill Sect direct disciple trying to control the sacred tool.

The change of power is often accompanied by countless related influences. It is said that after the news spread, many noble family daughters and sect fairies were taken to the Danshan as guests.

However, Yuan Chen still had the temperament of a child, not very interested in noble family daughters, but very interested in corresponding with a rough sword cultivator from Spirit Sword Mountain, making his family very uneasy.

At the same time, some young talents from Liangzhou and Yongzhou also visited Yuan Caiwei at the Danshan during this period.

The Mountain and Sea Pavilion was the Immortal Sect closest to the Pill Sect. It is said that even the direct disciple Holy Son Huo Xingzhong had thoughts, and sent a jade-carved incense burner ornament.

No matter how much combat power the Pill Sect didn't have, it was one of the Immortal Sects after all, and it held a sacred tool in its hand.

And although Yuan Caiwei was not a direct disciple who could control the sacred tool, the world knew that the Pill Sect direct disciple was most afraid of his sister, and listened to his sister the most.

However, Yuan Caiwei didn't see any of them, and also announced to the outside world that she had a sweetheart, which made people feel a bit familiar. "Why is it so coincidental that these noble fairies suddenly have sweethearts?"

"Is it possible that their sweethearts are the same person."

Whenever hearing someone ask, some knowledgeable people passing by couldn't help but mutter in their hearts.

And apart from these things, some big and small things happened.

The noble families under the Mountain and Sea Pavilion and the noble families under the Chen Immortal Clan had small-scale conflicts, with dozens of cultivators dead or injured.

Since the previous grudge, these two major Immortal Sects had not been very compatible with each other, and the friction between them had been constant, which didn't make people feel too surprised.

There was also a group of private cultivators appearing near Qingzhou, who were said to have taken advantage of the night to rob the tax offerings of a small local noble family, causing a city-wide search.

In addition, the Great Xia Dynasty announced the expansion of the army on the Winter Solstice, intending to increase the number of troops by 30%.

The notice was copied by local governments and posted in various places in the Nine Prefectures.

The barbarian race had no unusual movements for nearly a year, and there were only a few small-scale battles outside the northern border, but everyone knew that their idea of entering the Nine Prefectures could not be extinguished, so the Great Xia Emperor's intention to expand the army was not blocked by the Immortal Sect and noble families.

As for the Heavenly Academy, it was quiet.

Because until now, no one could realize the Little Little Tian Shu, and there was only news of people announcing seclusion one after another, intending to rush the realm.

As for Xiao Hanyan and Shi Junhao, the two had been promised by the academy that as long as they entered the Realm of Responding to Heaven, they could become direct disciples; now that they had failed to enter the Sacred Land of the Sages, they could only temper their cultivation bases with the passage of time.

This season lasted until the New Year. With red lanterns hanging high, the festive atmosphere in the city gradually became rich.

The wine restaurants and leisure courtyards in the city were all booked, and the dancing girls and singing girls in the flower buildings were also invited away by major noble families in the capital.

Feasts were held, and the fragrance of wine overflowed.

Xiang Kuangcheng had been busy since early morning, tidying up the courtyard, cutting vegetables and boiling soup. Ji brother was not here this year, so he intended to invite Cao Jingsong and the others to eat at home. Of course, Wei Rui was definitely indispensable.

It is said that Miss Wei also proudly announced to the outside world a few days ago that she already had a sweetheart, but didn't say who it was.

However, this matter didn't attract attention.

Because there were very few people in Shengjing City who didn't know that Wei Rui liked Xiang Kuangcheng of the Immortal Supervision Bureau...

Not long after the sun went down, Wei Rui arrived at Xiang Kuangcheng's small courtyard in advance. She was dressed very obediently, and after entering, she put on an apron by herself and helped Xiang Kuangcheng prepare meals.

New Year is a day for family reunion. Xiang Kuangcheng had always felt that Wei Rui might not be able to come, so he was a bit surprised when he saw Wei Rui.

In fact, Wei Rui was also worried that her family wouldn't let her come, but didn't expect her father and grandfather not to stop her.

Pondering back and forth, the two felt that it was still because of Ji You.

Noble families in the capital all liked to make friends with Immortal Sect geniuses, and the one they regretted the most in these years was Ji You.

Although Xiang Kuangcheng was a scholar, he was Ji You's close friend.

The matter of making acquaintances is actually not a stable relationship; it is far less reliable than a true friendship.

Although before this, many people laughed at Ji You for being a rural private cultivator, no one would ever question his character, and they knew that if they could make friends with such people, if something happened, he would really dare to go up.

Under these circumstances, the relationship between Xiang Kuangcheng and Ji You seemed a bit unbreakable.

In fact, this was also why Cao Jingsong could point fingers at everyone in the courtyard.

Generally speaking, an outer courtyard instructor only plays a role in leading students into the door. Many geniuses rarely keep in touch with the instructors in the outer courtyard after entering the inner courtyard.

But the difference in Ji You is that even if he comes out of the Sages' Holy Land and really reaches the Responding to Heaven Realm, he will still respectfully call Cao Jingsong an instructor.

Soon, Cao Jingsong and the others brought some wine and arrived at Xiang Kuangcheng's courtyard.

Without Ji You, old Cao was actually not used to it.

The uncomfortable part was that he used to feel that the monthly salary was not enough to spend, but now he couldn't spend it, he really couldn't spend it.

Bai Rulong expressed deep agreement with this, incomparably missing the feeling of being able to touch silver when reaching into the money bag.

After eating for half a while, the wooden door of Xiang Kuangcheng's small courtyard was suddenly knocked, and then a maid-dressed girl and three officials from the Immortal Supervision Bureau entered.

Because it was the New Year, maids could actually rest, let alone those officials.

Seeing these people who came to visit suddenly, everyone stopped drinking and throwing chopsticks.

That maid was Zhu'er, the personal maid beside Wei Rui, who walked quickly into the courtyard and whispered in Wei Rui's ear.

Wei Rui was slightly stunned, then looked at Xiang Kuangcheng.

"What's wrong?"

"Dou Yuankong has been found, he didn't die..."

"?"

The morning of the first day should have been a time for visiting relatives and friends, but the Dou Mansion was full of solemnity.

Princess Changle's carriage drove along the long street full of snow water at this time and stopped at the Dou Mansion gate. As soon as she got off the carriage, she saw Wei Rui and other Great Xia officials.

And at the very front of the crowd, there were also several officials from the Immortal Supervision Bureau led by Xiang Kuangcheng.

These officials in the capital all heard that the Dou family had found Dou Yuankong and came to express their concern, while Xiang Kuangcheng and the people from the Immortal Supervision Bureau came to understand the situation.

Because when Dou Yuankong disappeared back then, Minister Dou had reported the case to the Immortal Supervision Bureau.

Soon, the gate of the Dou Mansion was pushed open by the steward.

Everyone followed in and entered the East Cross Courtyard.

In the dim room, Minister Dou's figure could be seen from outside the door, his back hunched, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

And on the bed shrouded in shadows, a skinny figure was lying on the bed, gasping for breath.

"My lord."

"How is it?"

The official from the Immortal Supervision Bureau looked at Xiang Kuangcheng: "All those involved have been asked. The person was found in a farmer's house in Qingzhou. It is said that Dou Yuankong had been staying in this farmer's house for two months, and had been used as a cow or horse. When he was rescued, he didn't look like a human anymore."

Xiang Kuangcheng looked into the room: "Why was it discovered only now?"

"It was the tax offering collection a few days ago. government office runners went to this farmer's house to check and noticed it. Later, it was reported to the top. Someone went to check and confirmed it was Dou Yuankong."

"How is the person now?"

The official from the Immortal Supervision Bureau turned his head and looked: "Lost an arm, full of old wounds, there is one point that needs special attention, it is his shoulder..."

Xiang Kuangcheng frowned after hearing this, then led people toward the middle of the room. Minister Dou was trying to keep his spirits up, chatting with his colleagues around him. Seeing Xiang Kuangcheng, a trace of venom flowed in his eyes.

"Get out!"

The reason Dou Yuankong was driven out of Shengjing was because he plotted against Ji You, but failed, and was scared to leave the capital.

And the source of the conflict between Dou Yuankong and Ji You was because the Wei Rui he liked liked Xiang Kuangcheng.

So in Minister Dou's eyes, Xiang Kuangcheng was also the culprit who caused his son to be in this state today.

Xiang Kuangcheng looked at Minister Dou at this time: "Kuang came here for official business. I think Minister Dou should also want to know what happened to your son outside."

The officials on the side were also persuading.

Minister Dou then gritted his teeth and turned his head, giving Xiang Kuangcheng a path.

Seeing this, Xiang Kuangcheng walked closer and looked down for a long time. Dou Yuankong lost his right arm, leaving only an empty sleeve.

After being silent for a long time, Xiang Kuangcheng untied his outer garment and pulled his inner garment to the side. His eyes instantly became gloomy.

Where Dou Yuankong's left arm was broken, there was half a five-finger claw mark, deep into the flesh, the fingertips were sharp, and the traces were purple-black.

Seeing this scene, the whole room instantly became quiet. Everyone opened their eyes wide, and even the sound of breathing became incomparably obvious.

"Is it an Evil Seed...?! "

"Impossible. After the Qiling incident last time, the seven Immortal Sects, fearing continued chaos, had already sent great powers to clear all Evil Seeds. It is impossible for any Evil Seeds to survive."

Xiang Kuangcheng pondered for a long time: "Where is that farmer's house?"

The official from the Immortal Supervision Bureau opened his mouth upon hearing this: "Northwest of Qingzhou, Shitang Village, Sanli County, Wanhe County."

Sanli County was the poorest county in Qingzhou. The whole county was in the rolling mountains, and the origin of the name Sanli was because there were only three li of flat land in the whole county.

Xiang Kuangcheng raised his eyes: "You return to the Immortal Supervision Bureau immediately to report to the Supervisor, and ask the bureau to send people to investigate. This matter can be big or small, and it must be investigated clearly."

"Yes."

Dou Yuankong lost an arm, and the claw marks of the Evil Seed appeared on his shoulder, which was soon reported. This matter caused a lot of discussion in the Immortal Supervision Bureau.

At noon that day, a supervisory team was sent to Sanli County, Wanhe County, Qingzhou.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 252 =====