Chapter 108: Something Different

The pile of files regarding Fuji Town seemed numerous, but in reality, most of them consisted of household registration and tax collection matters. Excluding the rotation records of the veterans stationed at Fuji Town, there wasn't much to read. However, the mission couldn't fail due to details, so Xi Xingji, Qu Qitao, and Shang Qian went through the files together.

Fuji Town hadn't filed any lawsuits. Sixty years ago, there were occasional theft cases, but in the past forty years, there hadn't even been a record of a fight or altercation. Because people lived peacefully, the area was sparsely populated, and not strategically located, the government office withdrew, leaving behind only a garrison with a few soldiers, whose actual purpose was to support veterans returning from the front lines.

However, Shang Qian still noticed something amiss in these files. Since neither Xi Xingji nor Qu Qitao knew much about mortal finance, Shang Qian had taken over the tax files. He flipped through them for a moment, his brows furrowed. "The difference between before and after tax collection is enormous. Forty years ago, the taxes listed were all fish taxes and market taxes. Over the past forty years, the main source of revenue and expenditure has become lingsha, and the amount has increased by dozens of times. Fellow Daoist Qu, do you have the Fuji Town Village Chronicle?"

Qu Qitao immediately dug out a half-worn book from the pile, flipped it open, and quickly looked up, saying, "I have it. Forty years ago, a villager named Wang Taiyuan learned from a great scholar, Xiong Shuyou, and decided to return home to benefit the townspeople. As a result, the townspeople escaped their former livelihoods of fishing and became prosperous. With Xiong Shuyou's help, Wang Taiyuan also opened a free academy for poor students, and Fuji Town began a major reconstruction. The Wang Mansion was also entrusted to act as an agent for the government, paying taxes directly to Longlan City every year."

"But why does this lingsha sound so similar to jiaosha? Could it be that they have found the disappeared merman tribe?"

"That's not mermaid silk, but a man-made imitation," Cai Xiangyuan, who had been quietly sorting in a corner, said slowly. Xi Xingji and Qu Qitao exchanged a glance, then clasped their fists and said, "Please enlighten me, old sir."

"It's not a secret. You can ask anyone on the street." Cai Xiangyuan shook his head, still not facing them, and spoke slowly. "The mermaid silk was originally a tribute. But because the mermaids were hunted and disappeared into the sea of ​​the heavens, no one can find them. Naturally, the mermaid silk has become more expensive and has become a symbol of noble status."

"The ling gauze crafted by Master Wang is able to replicate the beauty of shark gauze. Although it lacks the water-repellent properties of shark gauze, its appearance is identical to shark gauze. Furthermore, the quantity that can be woven is extremely small, so it is naturally sought after by the aristocratic families whose ancestors did not possess shark gauze. Gradually, it has become a valuable commodity, replacing shark gauze."

"This is something everyone can tell. After all, Master Wang revitalized the entire town with Lingsha, so everyone wants to know how it's made. But Master Wang naturally wouldn't hand over the secrets to his fortune so easily. Many of the children sent to study at that academy were trained to learn the secrets of Lingsha, but so far, none have succeeded."

"Looks like we need to actually go and see it," Xi Xingji pondered. Hearing this, Cai Xiangyuan finally looked up, as if remembering something, and said, "Everyone, if you want to go, remember to take a boat. The Liuzhong River has been acting strangely since the Wenyang River dried up and became a separate loop. If you don't take a boat, the entire river will be stained black, and the surrounding villagers will then be unable to even drink their only source of water."

"Someone from the Blackwood Sect came a while ago, claiming to want to eliminate the strange phenomenon. As a result, the river water remained turbid for three whole months. With no other water sources left due to the Feiyi disaster, anyone who attempted to drink the Black River water rotted to death, except for those who made the trek to the vicinity of Longlan City. Please, sir, be considerate of us common people."

It seems that the cultivators' coldness and disregard for mortals has become deeply rooted in people's minds. Shang Qian was the first to nod in agreement.

There was nothing else to check about Fuji Town. Aside from the village chronicles, which recorded the spring bell-ringing festival, which had become a custom after the town's reconstruction, the rest was just useless information. After confirming that nothing had been missed, Shang Qian volunteered to help Cai Xiangyuan pack up the files. The three of them found a tea-serving waiter at the yamen and asked him to notify Lu Gu, then left the yamen and headed for the city gate.

Seeing that the investigation here was almost complete, Luo Xuanyi controlled her body to stop listening to Zhai Feiye talk about his deeds and rushed to the city gate, arriving before the three others.

"I'm sorry, Fellow Daoist Xuanyi, I've kept you waiting." Xi Xingji looked apologetic. Seeing Luo Xuanyi shake her head, he smiled in relief and said, "If you've finished your business, then let's talk while we walk."

Luo Xuanyi didn't care whether they spoke or not; she had heard it all, even secretly flipping through some of it. She pretended to listen intently as the four of them once again set up their escape beams and sped towards the ferry at the foot of Wuqiu, the only route to Fuji Town.

After passing several villages, they arrived at the vast, uninhabited outskirts of the city. The vegetation gradually turned from withered yellow to gray, without a trace of animal life. Only the thousand-year-old highway and the abandoned post station gave evidence of the vitality this place once had. They continued their journey without stopping. After a stick of incense, they could finally see the clear waters of Liuzhong River from afar.

In addition to them, there were also sparse black spots on the ground moving towards the river.

As she descended closer to the river, Luo Xuanyi finally saw the ferry crossing, blocked by the hills. This ferry crossing was different from the one she had previously used to leave Changlongpo. Surrounded by a ring of mountains, this one not only had boats moored, but also housed residential buildings and streets on a gentle slope at the foot of the hills. The streets were poorly planned, like a temporary settlement built piece by piece, expanding outward from the center.

This is the ferry crossing for heading to Fuji Town. All the people here are mortals who have not practiced cultivation. Most of them are adults with a group of children. They are lined up by the ferry boat. There is a man in gorgeous clothes who is panting due to the heat. Two people next to him are fanning him, but he is still sweating profusely and keeps drinking water.

"Ah, it's so hot! Hasn't the ice wheel arrived yet?!" Lan Furu complained loudly, watching the shabbily dressed children being led to line up in front of him. He picked up his brush and tremblingly pressed it on the polished inkstone. Finally, he sighed and put down the teapot filled with cold tea. "Give me the brush. Come on, what's your name? Where are you from? Why do you want to go to the academy?"

The skinny little child was so frightened by his question that he was speechless. Lan Furu scratched his head and softened his voice to coax him, "I'm not saying you can't go. Don't worry, just tell me your name slowly..."

"Manager Lan, there's an immortal trying to cross the river."

"Immortal?" Lan Furu's face immediately changed when he heard the attendant's words. He thrust the brush in his hand into the attendant's hand, who was fanning him, and instructed him to register the matters in the order he had specified. He hurried over with the attendant who had brought the news, his voice filled with anxiety. "Have you sent anyone to stop them? What's going on? Are we going to have another black flood?"

The attendant had to jog to catch up with Lan Furu, speaking breathlessly: "No, no..."

"What do you mean? You know what's going to happen!" Lan Furu immediately lifted up the corner of his robe and started running. When he rushed to the street in two steps and saw Luo Xuanyi and the other three, the attendant finally finished the sentence from a distance: "...It's okay! They said they wanted a ferry!"

Is it so difficult to say a complete sentence? Lan Furu cursed inwardly, swallowing the accusation that was about to come out. When he slowed down his pace and walked in front of the four people, he said with a smile: "Since the adults want to ferry, please come this way and get on board."

Luo Xuanyi naturally saw through all the changes he had undergone along the way, but none of them would dwell on such trivial matters. The four of them passed by the children lining up and boarded the ship first.

Lan Furu smiled and rubbed his hands. "It's not a good boat. It only takes an hour to reach Fuji Town, and there are no guest rooms. Please bear with us, adults. I just wonder if you could wait until the children are on board before leaving? They must be quite tired after the journey."

"Of course, please go ahead." Xi Xingji nodded, and Lan Furu was also unambiguous. He turned around and walked down the boat, returned to his seat, and picked up the brush again.

Luo Xuanyi didn't want to sit in the cabin with poor visibility, so she stood on the deck, enjoying the breeze, watching the children, the youngest of whom were only six or seven, walk onto the cabin one by one. Suddenly, she felt a sense of déjà vu. But she quickly regained her composure and shifted her gaze to the river.

After a full hour and a half of registration, all the children finally boarded the ship. With four floors completely packed, the ship shuddered and slowly sailed out of the ferry.

The target is Fu Jizhen.

First update ~ Sorry that something happened suddenly today and I came back late. I will try to write the second update as quickly as possible. If I can’t finish it, I will make it up tomorrow!

The Fu Jizhen chapter has officially begun~