Chapter 357

"It's not selling grain; if he wants to redistribute the produce in his hands..."

"How does he dare?"

Above the misty mountain cliffs of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, the five Hall Masters who received the message couldn't help but look at the Wulu Trading Firm, which was bustling with activity in the city.

In fact, it was only after receiving the message from the Mountain Sea Pavilion that they understood what Ji You was actually trying to do.

And as one of the immortals who also accepted the support of the common people, apart from the calm Zuo Qiuyang and the already secluded You Yingqiu, the expressions of the other three Hall Masters were solemn and ambiguous.

As for those Elders in the Elder Pavilion, their gazes had already become sharp.

"Regarding this matter, he has gone too far. As a disciple of our Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, our Heavenly Tian Shuyuan has a responsibility to call a halt to it."

Lu Fengchuan, Hall Master of the Hall of No Desire, looked at the acting Abbot Zuo Qiuyang on the mountain cliff, his words earnest.

Hearing this, Zuo Qiuyang spoke lightly: "Change is sometimes not purely a disaster without blessing. Ji You suppressed all the immortal manors in Fengzhou back then, but those immortal manor disciples didn't starve to death, did they?"

"Does Senior Brother think what Ji You did is right?"

"I am not standing on his side; I am merely acting on behalf of Junior Sister. The decision made represents her meaning, so naturally, I must look at it more carefully."

And also furrowing their brows were the senior figures of Spirit Sword Mountain.

At that time, Yan Jingxiang, Peak Master of the Profound Jianfeng, and his younger brother Yan Jingrui stood before the Peak Master's main hall, both unable to help but gaze toward that towering Cloud-Top Palace.

In fact, after reading the message from the Mountain Sea Pavilion, Yan Jingxiang immediately took Yan Jingrui up the mountain.

It was just that his daughter did not meet with them; they only saw Yan Chuan, who was guarding the palace.

According to Yan Chuan, the Inspector was at a critical stage of seclusion and would not see visitors.

Thus, they returned to the Peak Master's main hall and, using the high vantage point of the Profound Jianfeng, looked toward the trading caravan that was constantly distributing porridge in Nanfeng City opposite them.

The tax levy system that had been inherited for a thousand years guaranteed the transcendent status of cultivators and ensured that they could remain carefree without engaging in production, not burdened by worldly matters.

But if this matter were truly rewritten, I fear it would have a heaven-shaking impact.

The commoners in Qingyun could obtain grain resources from Fengzhou through labor, without having to rely on local grain harvests for survival.

But if eighty percent of the total grain harvest of the Nine Continents were taken away, it would mean there would never again be enough support.

Even if the aristocratic families could still use the commoners as a threat to snatch the grain used for settling down, everything would no longer be a matter of course.

Most importantly, during these ten years of land leasing, no one could imagine what else Ji You might come up with.

You must know, from the time he entered the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan to the many times he influenced this world, it had only been a mere five years.

More crucially, once the grain harvest was concentrated in his hands, he could win over other aristocratic families, or even Xian Sects, through offerings. Whether it was a fifty-fifty or seventy-thirty split, he had plenty of ways to rewrite the entire pattern of the world and scatter the Nine Continents.

And there was already infighting and snatching between aristocratic families and Xian Sects, so naturally, they would divide and conquer because of this.

The forces that could obtain tax levies from Ji You's hands would definitely use this opportunity to maintain this rule, use the mouth of justice to take the opportunity to develop and grow, and suppress all sides.

From the founding of the Great Xia to the emergence of the Xian Sects, and then to the disasters caused by the thousand-year aristocratic families, such things had long been common occurrences.

Indeed, no matter what method was used, this was a plan that required a span of time, but at the very start, it was already thunderous and caused those who heard of it to change color.

"Peak Master!"

"?"

Just as Yan Jingxiang was gazing at his daughter's main hall, a servant disciple from the peak hurried over, the sword at his waist clattering as he walked.

Seeing this person arrive before him, Yan Jingxiang turned and spoke: "Speak."

"Reporting to the Peak Master, the sect's outside walkers report that the Mountain Sea Pavilion, the Chen Clan, and the Asking Dao Sect have all dispatched a large number of Elders and disciples down the mountain."

"Then let us wait and see what happens."

Yan Jingxiang spoke softly and exchanged a glance with his younger brother Yan Jingrui.

The reason they were not too anxious was that they knew, even if Spirit Sword Mountain and the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan remained motionless, the other three Xian Sects would not be able to sit still.

At the same time, disciples of the three Xian Sects poured into the prefectures and commanderies where they were located, and jointly issued imperial orders to the families under their control, demanding a halt to the various prefectures' snatching of the Wulu Trading Firm using the commoners.

At the same time, there was another clause in the imperial order, which was to require the subordinate families to immediately distribute the collected grain to those refugees according to sufficient shares, then keep what they needed, pay compensation according to the grain price, and immediately return all the rest.

They would not allow Ji You to succeed in this matter, so they were bound to take back those signed Fish-Scale Registers.

But after the human disaster, the six major Xian Sects, except for the Pill Sect, had all suffered heavy losses. When they were unclear about the stance of the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan and Spirit Sword Mountain, they did not want to take risks, so their attitude could not be described as anything but gentle.

This was their sincerity, and also a probe.

But likewise, their sincerity was intended to exchange for the same sincerity from the other side.

The imperial orders from the three sects came unexpectedly, causing many aristocratic families to be stunned.

Because Ji You was already at his wit's end, and their own granaries were almost overflowing, it was the perfect opportunity to completely trample him down. They didn't understand why the Xian Sects would suddenly issue an imperial order.

If it were the Heavenly Tian Shuyuan, that would be one thing, but the ones demanding the return of the grain were actually the Mountain Sea Pavilion, the Asking Dao Sect, and the Chen Clan. This matter made people feel even more incomprehensible.

"Elder Shang, that Ji You is already at his wit's end. Why must we return the grain?!"

"Do as you are told, and remember to be humble in your attitude!"

"?"

Although many aristocratic families did not understand why this decision was made, they discovered that the expressions of those who came from the Xian Sects were all very urgent.

More crucially, they discovered that the grain carts that had been pulled up the mountain by the Xian Sects were all pulled down, and some carts were even fully loaded with magical artifacts and elixirs.

Although they hesitated, the pressure from the Xian Sects was real.

Thus, aristocratic families gradually began to order a stop to grain collection, and at the same time, they began to refill the grain that had been unloaded from the carts into the granaries back into the sacks.

At this time, under the gloomy sky, a fast horse was galloping all the way from Qingzhou toward Fengzhou.

At the beginning of winter, the weather was already very cold. As the horse galloped, the feeling of the cold wind hitting the face was no less than being cut by a knife, but the fast horse still showed no sign of slowing down.

After a day and a night of non-stop galloping, the fast horse finally arrived at Fengzhou City.

Afterward, a person flipped off the horse's back and hurriedly entered Ji Village.

This person was an assistant from Qingzhou, but he was not responsible for grain distribution at the Wulu Trading Firm; he was responsible for observation.

What Ji You was doing had a huge impact on Qingyun, but he was stationed in Fengzhou and was all alone, unable to take care of the Six Prefectures, so he had arranged for eyes and ears before the matter started to observe the movements of all parties.

Huff, huff—

Days of galloping had left this assistant exhausted, and even the sound of his breathing seemed very weary.

But he did not slow down, still galloping all the way through the residence, and met Qiu Zhong when he entered the second courtyard.

"Uncle Qiu."

"What is it?"

"I want to see the Proprietor."

Qiu Zhong became a bit more serious, then took him to the main hall of the second courtyard.

With the sudden drop in temperature, stoves were lit in all the living quarters of Ji Village, and the main hall of the second courtyard was no exception.

As Qiu Zhong lifted the cloth curtain in front, a wave of warmth suddenly rushed toward them.

The assistant walked into the front hall and cupped his hands before Ji You: "Proprietor, the grain from the sixth granary has just been delivered. Those aristocratic families suddenly stopped, and a large number of Elders and disciples from the Xian Sects have come down the mountain and entered the city."

"It seems I have been discovered, even faster than I imagined."

Ji You knitted his brows and looked at Qiu Zhong: "Send word out, tell all the shopkeepers and assistants who went to lease land to quickly send the remaining Fish-Scale Registers back to Fengzhou."

Qiu Zhong cupped his hands: "I will go immediately."

"Wait."

"Does Young Master have any other instructions?"

"Tell them to be careful."

Old Qiu nodded, then stepped toward the outside of the house.

And at this time, Cao Jingsong and the others sitting on the other two sides of the stove couldn't help but stare straight at him.

In fact, they didn't know what Ji You was trying to do at first, until those contracts and Fish-Scale Registers were constantly brought back, did they understand his plot, and they had been trembling in their hearts for several days.

This wasn't blood-sucking; this was simply skinning them alive.

Rewriting the tax levy system of Qingyun—such a thing was simply unthinkable for people like them.

They realized it belatedly, only then understanding that they seemed to be witnessing history.

Especially Wen Zhengxin, Ding Yao, Zhuo Wanqiu, and the Lu sisters, who couldn't help but feel their hearts in a mess.

There were countless geniuses in the world, and noble young masters were as numerous as ox hair. They had seen countless elegant and imposing figures, but this was the first time they had seen someone whose every gesture was an act of overturning the world. The feet inside their boots couldn't help but curl up.

"..."

"The grain distribution and porridge serving in Fengzhou hasn't ended yet?"

"No, several more carts of grain were transported here a few days ago. They've only distributed maybe twenty percent, and everything is still far from over."

"I didn't estimate that the grain harvest in Fengzhou would be so terrifying..."

"What's the use of having more? There are millions of aristocratic families in the world. Even with more grain, how could they not swallow it?"

In the Taiping Building in Shengjing City, countless cultivators held tea cups, leaning on the railings and looking into the distance at the city, discussing it heatedly.

They were still paying attention to the scene of Ji You "struggling powerlessly," and even after watching for a month, they were still tireless, even happier than passing the New Year.

Especially Fang Jincheng, who had already imagined many grand dramas such as Ji You's face turning pale, Ji You howling at the sky in incompetence, and Ji You regretting his actions, and he was grinning from ear to ear every day.

In his view, this scene was undoubtedly the most satisfying, even making his Dao heart clear up a bit.

Zhao Yunyue was also leaning on the railing, and seeing this, she couldn't help but speak: "Actually, if he could put away that arrogance and come forward to bow his head and admit his mistake to the aristocratic families, perhaps there would still be room for relaxation."

"Bow his head?"

"After such a long time of grain distribution, the needs of most aristocratic families have already been met, and the rest is just suppression of Ji You's arrogance. They just want to let Ji You know exactly how much he is worth."

Actually, what Zhao Yunyue said was indeed correct; the grain collected by the aristocratic families was indeed almost enough.

But they still had no intention of calling a halt; to put it bluntly, it was just to teach Ji You a lesson.

So as long as Ji You could stand up and admit his mistake, and bow his head to the immortal families of the world, even if he couldn't end this predicament of being stuck in a quagmire, he wouldn't be squeezed so viciously.

But until now, Ji You had not come forward, let alone bowed his head to admit his mistake, to let those aristocratic families show mercy.

Zhao Yunyue looked at the trading firm with its surging crowd and couldn't help but speak softly: "Struggling to hold on for the sake of face and refusing to bow his head, isn't he already a laughingstock of the world? It's truly stupid."