Chapter 260

The Wulv Trading Firm was established last winter and provided relief to many poor farmers within the Nine Provinces.

After the beginning of spring, with the melting of the ice and snow in Fengzhou, those who had received relief and signed employment documents came to Fengzhou to work.

In fact, on the way here, their hearts were still full of anxiety.

On one hand, it was because they were in an unfamiliar place, and it was hard to predict what they would encounter after arriving.

On the other hand, there were those in the Azure Cloud World who went to work outside for a living, and all of them ended up dying in a foreign land.

But when they really followed the Wulv Trading Firm's caravan to Fengzhou, the anxiety disappeared, and the only thing left was astonishment.

Because what they saw was a scene completely different from the other eight provinces.

The land was fertile and the grass was lush, markets were numerous, young children dared to go out on the street without their parents' supervision, and the cultivators walking on the road also had gentle faces, as if they were not from the same world as them.

The government subsequently assigned them housing, six people to a room, with food and clothing provided by the government.

Later, some of them were sent to the farmland, and some were sent to the pastures.

But no matter what they did, the working hours were not long, and they even had time to go to the school to listen to lectures.

However, until they truly integrated into Fengzhou and began to adapt to the rhythm of life here, these strangers still did not know what that Immortal named Ji You wanted.

But good times did not last long; with the arrival of summer, the atmosphere in Fengzhou seemed to have changed.

Some cultivators who were usually gentle suddenly lost their usual gentleness, and the government also suddenly fell silent.

The local people of Fengzhou became cautious when speaking, especially when encountering cultivators, and panic appeared in their eyes again.

It is said that something went wrong with that Immortal Master.

Although the Azure Cloud World separates Immortals and mortals, the bottom-level old farmers also know why Fengzhou has changed so much over the years.

Fengzhou became better not because those foreign Immortals had compassion, but because the compassionate Young Master Ji is becoming stronger, and stronger and stronger.

But ever since the summer, after the news of Young Master Ji coming out of seclusion spread, they gradually heard many discussions about this matter from the cultivators around them.

Some people say that Young Master Ji might never be able to suppress Fengzhou again in the future.

The one most worried is Zhang Pingyang, who comes from the Tianyuan Manor.

He married Lanlan, the daughter of a farmer, and started a family in Fengzhou, having long regarded himself as a Fengzhou person.

The concept that Immortals should be high above and mortals are just ants had actually gradually blurred in his heart.

But after Ji You entered the Sages' Holy Land but failed to break through, causing the surrounding atmosphere to change suddenly, he felt as if he were waking up from a beautiful dream.

Because he also knew clearly that those Manor Masters and Elders who were in charge were not willing to participate in Fengzhou's farming affairs; the biggest reason was that they were suppressed by Ji You and could not stir up any trouble.

And now, he cannot suppress Fengzhou, so Fengzhou will definitely return to its former state.

At that time, the major Immortal Manors will re-occupy, divide the taxes, and continue to be high above.

But he cannot abandon his pregnant wife, and he cannot return to his Xianzhuang.

The peak of this anxiety appeared two days before Ji You returned to Fengzhou.

At that time, many family prodigies who had entered the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan sent messages, wanting to know if Ji You had arrived.

Zhang Pingyang had heard from people in the manor before that Ji You was not popular in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan because of his background; otherwise, he would not have been unable to enter the Immortal Hall despite having entered the Inner Court.

These people paying so much attention to his return was probably also to see him make a fool of himself.

But the things he imagined did not happen.

Ji You's return was not concealed; he entered the city by carriage, rested for a day, and then began to visit the Immortal Manors everywhere, first the larger ones nearby, and then the surrounding ones.

He went to every one of them alone.

And every Xianzhuang visited became exceptionally quiet, especially the Manor Master, who was extremely respectful, looking exceptionally honest and dutiful, except that his hair was a bit messy and his eyes were somewhat fearful.

The sixth Xianzhuang visited was the Qingxu Xianzhuang.

Ji You stayed there for half an hour and then left.

The Manor Master of Qingxu Xianzhuang brought a group of Elders to the door, watched the figure with monstrous momentum and a body like a fireball leave, and reached out to touch his cheek.

Where his palm pressed, there was vaguely a very bright red palm print that was swollen, and at the same time, blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.

In fact, when he heard that Ji You had visited the first few manors, the Qingxu Manor Master had called the disciples back to the manor, and the killing intent had already been gathered.

He did not expect that what came head-on was a huge palm; that palm should have been restrained in strength, yet it made him feel as if a world-swallowing beast was sitting in front of him...

That swaying, sky-ascending aura was majestic and whistling, making him feel that the other party could easily kill him.

"Damn it, the mouths of the first five Immortal Manors are too tight!"

"Manor Master, they must have done it on purpose."

"Whether on purpose or not, this slap has been taken. Go, take out all the sickles in the manor, sharpen them at the door, and I won't go out for these few days."

"Manor Master, be careful with your words; those are not sickles, they are called Crescent Moon Blades..."

The Chief Elder of Qingxu Manor could not help but remind him.

I don't know if it was agreed upon, or if there was an unspoken tacit understanding among these foreign Immortal Manors in Fengzhou.

Before long, the scene of a large number of disciples sharpening sickles in front of every Xianzhuang appeared.

Subsequently, an Elder of the Qingxu Xianzhuang came out with a jade box in his hands and then walked quickly to an inn in the outer city of Fengzhou Prefecture.

At this time, on the second floor of the inn, three people from Yunzhou were sitting opposite each other drinking tea, their expressions somewhat clouded with doubt.

Two of them were from the Ding family; one was Ding Yuan, the younger brother of the Ding family head, and the other was Ding Shaojie, the eldest son of the Ding family. The other person was the business manager of Yunzhou, all belonging to the Spirit Stone Chamber of Commerce.

In fact, after knowing that Ji You came out of the Sages' Holy Land but did not break through, the Spirit Stone Chamber of Commerce made a series of plans.

In their view, Ji You, who had not even succeeded in Merging with the Dao, could no longer control Fengzhou, and the control of Fengzhou would soon return to the hands of the foreign Immortal Manors, and that transport pipeline for the Snow Region Demon Stones would certainly be no exception.

Previously, Ji You ignored them, and they had no way to deal with it.

And now, the predicament was solved without an attack.

They could control the official roads of Fengzhou through these Immortal Manors, thereby obtaining the operating rights of the Snow Region Demon Stones in a disguised form.

But since Ji You returned, the sincerity they had sent out earlier had been sent back one after another...

This was completely different from their previous plans, so much so that the three people in the room were all silent, but the doubt in their eyes did not diminish.

The people of Fengzhou were not sensitive to such things and did not know what had happened in those Immortal Manors, but they could feel the change in the atmosphere.

The cultivators living in the Azure Cloud World were obviously more gentle than before, and the government officials also seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief.

The most obvious thing was their behavior of sharpening sickles in front of the door, as if they were doing it for someone to see.

Seeing this, the people could be sure that they could be at peace again this year.

"Actually, having such an encounter is a good thing. In this way, those Immortal Manors won't act rashly regardless of what rumors they hear in the future until they truly see me."

"Otherwise, I would have to go and coax them specifically every time, and my hands would be exhausted."

At this time, Ji You returned to the Ji Stronghold, looked calmly at the Immortal Manors he had walked along the way, and muttered to himself.

Old Qiu found that the Young Master was in a good mood and felt slightly relieved.

His Young Master had been cultivating in the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan for many years, and the affairs of spring plowing and autumn harvest had always been his responsibility as a family servant.

Through these years of personal experience, he had basically figured out the relationship between the Fengzhou Immortal Sect, the government, and his Young Master.

He knew that if the Young Master really were to become mediocre as the rumors outside said, then the consequences would definitely not just be the stopping of the autumn harvest and the redistribution of taxes.

After all, when the Young Master came here to establish a family, he killed many people on the street, and the feedback would inevitably be revenge involving life and death.

Now that nothing had happened, it really let his hanging heart settle down.

However, besides this, Old Qiu had one more thing on his mind.

"Young Master should get married."

Old Qiu had already met Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caiwei and was always thinking about when the two Young Mistresses who came last year would be able to enter the door.

If it were in the past, there would really be nothing to show for getting married in this poor place.

But life in Fengzhou is getting better and better now, and it has gradually begun to get rid of the title of barrenness, and more and more women are marrying from other provinces. Old Qiu was quite confident, so he suggested that Ji You go to propose marriage.

"Didn't I say last time, this matter is not urgent."

"But according to the tradition of our Yuyang County, if you are satisfied after entering the door for the first time, you should send the betrothal gifts the next day."

"It won't be too late to wait for me to practice for a few more years, but we can have the baby first."

"?"

Pei Ruyi was taking Qiu Ru for a stroll in the courtyard at this time, and could not help but feel her scalp tingle when she heard this.

She had returned from the Heavenly Dao Assembly earlier and heard about the visit of the Little Inspector of Spirit Sword Mountain. It is said that she had wandered around inside and outside the stronghold, listening to people call her Young Mistress Ji and Young Mistress everywhere.

Pei Ruyi imagined it for a long time, but felt that she could not match that kind of picture at all.

And she also found it hard to imagine living in the same courtyard as the Little Inspector of Spirit Sword Mountain in the future, and being able to watch her holding a baby and strolling around...

In the afternoon, a carriage came hurriedly along the official road that had been repaired last year, then entered Fengzhou Prefecture and stopped in front of the Ji Stronghold.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Xiang Kuangcheng stepped down from the shaft of the carriage.

He and Ji You returned from Shengjing together; Ji You was responsible for "greeting" those Immortal Manors, while he went to Danshui County.

The main camp of the Zhenbei Army is in the southwest of Danshui County. When the official road was repaired last year, the Zhenbei Army was responsible for supervising the work, and Xiang Kuangcheng had already been there once at that time.

And this time, the main purpose was to thank the Zhenbei Army for helping Fengzhou clear the Evil Seeds.

Although road construction and clearing Evil Seeds were assigned by the Great Xia, according to Ji You, this emotional value must also be given.

Of course, these soldiers and generals have been guarding the northern border for years, and even if they did nothing in Fengzhou, in Xiang Kuangcheng's view, it was worth comforting.

Xiang Kuangcheng stepped into the courtyard at this time and could not help but ask after seeing Old Qiu: "Where is Brother Ji?"

"Young Master went to the study."

After hearing this, Xiang Kuangcheng went to the backyard, walked to the door of the study, and saw Ji You sitting behind the desk, carefully reading a book in his hand: "How are those restless Immortal Manors now?"

Ji You raised his head upon hearing the sound: "After being cared for, they are all much more honest. There shouldn't be any problems with the autumn harvest. What about the Zhenbei Army?"

"The northern border is not peaceful. They are discussing breaking camp these few days to return to the northern border."

"The Barbarians have been unusually active during this period, perhaps related to the things that have happened in the Nine Provinces in the past six months. With the Zhenbei Army returning to guard, we can also be more at ease."

Xiang Kuangcheng nodded after hearing this, but he still felt worried about the things hidden behind the natural anomalies and the appearance of Evil Seeds.

Having read history thoroughly, he had always been clear that what can truly lead a country, or even an ethnic group, to destruction is rarely because of external troubles, but more because of internal worries.

Kuang Shusheng Xiang came back to his senses at this time: "What is Brother Ji reading?"

Ji You picked up the book in his hand after hearing this: "The county annals I had someone bring from Yuyang County earlier, I want to see if there have been any miraculous things in our county before."

"Miraculous things?"

"Things related to Immortals."

After reading the story of the Night Watchman, Ji You paid more attention to news related to this.

He guessed that the half-scroll of the Heavenly Book he picked up came from a Night Watchman, so the Night Watchman should have been to Fengzhou.

This place is barren and closed, and even the history of those foreign Immortal Manors he had cared for is not very long.

So if a powerful cultivator had truly appeared in Yuyang County, it would definitely be recorded in the county annals.

The facts were not different from what Ji You expected; matters concerning Immortals were indeed recorded in the county annals, such as the Ji family being ruined because they offended an Immortal back then, and the records of himself and Fang Ruoyao being accepted by the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan were all written in great detail.

However, earlier ones were very trivial, and there were few clear records.

Xiang Kuangcheng took one of the county annals and flipped through it twice: "If you talk about miraculous things, I actually knew a few when I was collecting folklore and local legends before."

"I heard from the older generation that our Yuyang County did indeed have very powerful Immortals appear before, and they even had conflicts with others, fighting until the sky was dark and the earth was dim, and the mountains shook."

Ji You looked at him somewhat strangely: "You are clearly a scholar who reads the books of sages, why would you go to collect folklore and local legends?"

Xiang Kuangcheng was stunned for a moment upon hearing this: "Uh, I have a distant friend who is more interested in Fengzhou."

"What else, continue."

"There were also legends before, saying that an Immortal lived in a nearby mountain for a period of time and would come out to gamble a few rounds from time to time."

Ji You frowned: "When did this happen?"

Xiang Kuangcheng shook his head: "A very, very long time ago, I don't know the specific time."

"Are there no recent ones?"

"Recent ones? But the only Immortal who has appeared recently is Brother Ji."

Ji You fell into deep thought after hearing this, thinking to himself that although the stories Xiang Kuangcheng told were vague, it sounded like there had indeed been suspected Night Watchmen in Fengzhou.

Then the source of his half-scroll of the Immortal Book might really lie here.

It's just that without details, it's hard to verify.

After a long while, Ji You closed the county annals.

In fact, he was not necessarily trying to trace the source of the Immortal Book; he was just curious about things related to himself.

Because the saying of losing something is actually a bit untenable; he just wanted to know if the matter of that half-scroll of the Immortal Book was truly that simple...

After kindly comforting those dishonest Immortal Manors and confirming that the autumn harvest could be carried out as scheduled, Ji You and Xiang Kuangcheng left Fengzhou together and returned to the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan.

Because Ji You entered the Sages' Holy Land but failed to break through, he had disappeared from everyone's sight for a period of time.

After all, there is an old saying in the Azure Cloud World that each generation produces its own talents.

In the past, there were also people whose cultivation speed was extremely fast, but due to their own talent limitations, they entered an eternal bottleneck and gradually faded out of everyone's vision in this way.

Now, what the Inner and Outer Courts are most concerned about is the disciple from the Elder Pavilion who entered the academy after the Heavenly Dao Assembly last year, waiting for him to break through and enter the Profound Understanding Realm.

But the autumn harvest matter seemed to pull those shifted gazes back again.

If it is said that during last year's autumn harvest, those Immortal Manors in Fengzhou feared Ji You who returned from the Sages' Holy Land, then the deterrent power of him, who had not even entered the Merging with the Dao Realm, on the Fengzhou Immortal Manors should have vanished; people do not know why those Immortal Manors did not even resist.

Cao Jingsong naturally knew the reason, and could not help but speak while looking at the returning Immortal Manors: "Did you take action?"

Ji You shook his head: "I just greeted them."

"That must have been very painful too..."

Cao Jingsong did not doubt Ji You's hand strength now.

Ji You looked towards the southwest across the wall at this time: "The people from the Administrative Office haven't returned yet?"

"Not only that, but a few days ago, even the three Administrators went out, and several Elders also left the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan. I think my monthly salary won't be issued this month."

Ji You was thinking when a burst of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

Wen Siyuan from the Administrative Office came here, and after pushing the door, he bowed slightly: "I just heard people discussing in the courtyard that Ji Shidi Ji has returned. I didn't think it would be true."

Ji You spoke immediately after seeing him: "Senior Brother Wen came just in time; I have something I want to ask."

"Ji Shidi Ji, just say it."

"What did the Administrative Office go out to do this time?"

"This... I don't know either. The locations and tasks of the Senior Brothers in the Upper Five Realms sent out by the Administrative Office are confidential. I came here this time because there is a letter for you, which has been here for three days."

Wen Siyuan reached out and took out the letter, handing it to Ji You.

There was only a simple line of small characters on the letter, writing the name of the Chunhua Inn and the room number.

Ji You originally thought this letter came from Spirit Sword Mountain; he did not expect it to be sent from Shengjing City.

The only person who would send him a letter in Shengjing should be Xiang Kuangcheng, but Xiang Kuangcheng had just parted ways with him.

Moreover, there was no signature on this letter, and it did not look like Xiang Kuangcheng's style.

After observing the font, Ji You felt it looked familiar, so he got up and left the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan.

After arriving at the inn, according to the room location left, Ji You came to the guest room on the second floor and reached out to push the door open.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were sitting in the inn, and stood up immediately after seeing him.

"Young Master."

"Young Master."

Neither of them wore the sword robes of Spirit Sword Mountain, but had changed into ordinary dresses; their beautiful figures supported the fabric, making them look exquisite and perky.

After Ji You closed the door, he looked at them: "Why did you come to Shengjing?"

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu looked at each other: "Young Master sent a letter earlier asking the Inspector about Dou Yuankong's matter. The Inspector felt that sending a letter was not safe, so she specifically sent the two of us here."

Ji You's eyes gradually became solemn upon hearing this sentence.

Because listening to their tone, this matter was indeed very serious.

"What exactly happened?"

"The Seven Great Immortal Sects tracked Dou Yuankong's whereabouts all the way and discovered people who could transform into Evil Seeds."

(End of chapter)