Looking at Chu Di before him, Meng Fan was quite approving of his attitude and chuckled softly, "May your wealth increase? I like that! It seems Brother Chu already understands me quite well."
Chu Di quickly replied, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. I only know that it is not easy to meet Your Majesty. Today, I am honored to see Your Majesty's countenance. Your Majesty seems to be a celestial being, different from us mortals in every way. This is just my feeling!"
Meng Fan truly admired Chu Di's eloquence; it was impossible to hate him.
"Brother Chu, you flatter me. An immortal touched my head and granted me longevity. But the path of immortality is beyond my reach. After shattering the void, how can I possibly be called an immortal now? Young Master Chu, your words are too kind!"
Chu Di was shocked. Didn't Meng Fan's words mean that his sect was a lineage of immortals?
"The enemy of Chu is short-sighted and lacks ambition, and has no extraordinary destiny. He can only struggle in the mortal world all his life. He cannot understand the Path of Shattering, and cannot stand at the height of the Holy Son to see the scenery of this world. It is truly a pity!"
Meng Fan was quite pleased with Chu Di's flattery. He thought Chu Di was a clever guy who was very good at interpersonal relationships, and he couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.
Meng Fan sensed a hint of resentment in his words and said, "Brother Chu is eloquent and wise beyond measure. He is highly valued in this dynasty. It is truly remarkable that he has achieved so much at such a young age. He is a man of great talent. Are you not satisfied yet?"
Chu Di smiled bitterly: "In this world, martial prowess is paramount. What good is power if one cannot reach the pinnacle of the world?"
Chu Di can indeed be called a genius. At the age of twenty-something, his cultivation has reached the peak of the Innate Realm. Although his family background is indispensable, if someone else had the same family background, they would not be able to achieve such excellence.
Chu Di's achievements are comparable to those of the imperial family and those holy lands, not to mention that he has access to far fewer resources than those people!
Meng Fan nodded slightly and said, "A person's achievements are immeasurable; what limits them is only their environment. Since Brother Chu is so insightful, why not shed your burdens and go out into the wider world to broaden your horizons? With your talent, you would surely be like a dragon entering the sea if you went to those holy lands."
"Your Majesty's insight is brilliant, but Chu Di has discovered a broader and brighter path, and his desire to venture out has faded."
"Oh? What extraordinary connection do you have, Brother Chu?"
Chu Di's gaze was firm as he said, "Holy Son! The Holy Son is the path."
Meng Fan smiled and said, "Brother Chu wants to join my sect?" He had long guessed that Chu Di wanted to join, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered the Sweeper Monk for so long.
"Just like Zhao Feng, I hope the Holy Son will grant my wish!"
Meng Fan asked doubtfully, "Brother Chu seems to have a plan. Do you know that after joining my sect, all your actions should prioritize the sect? Even if it means betraying your own dynasty, it would be reasonable!"
"Since Chu Di has made his choice, he must have been mentally prepared. Furthermore, I believe that the Fire Maple Dynasty will not be an enemy of the Holy Son, but only a friend."
After a pause, Chu Di continued.
"Since Chu Di dares to come to see the Holy Son, he must be absolutely certain of victory!"
This piqued Meng Fan's interest, and he said, "Brother Chu, do you know that whether you join or not is entirely up to me? How can you be so sure?"
Chu Di smiled mysteriously and said, "Holy Son, would you mind accompanying me to a certain place?"
Meng Fan was stunned for a moment, and he probably guessed why Chu Di was so confident!
He turned to look at Shen Wanqian and said, "Brother, why don't you go and broaden your horizons?"
Shen Wanqian certainly wanted to know. With his abilities, he had found out what major events had happened in Sunset City of Zhanzhou in the past few days and knew about the existence of the Gold and Silver Sect. That was a sect with many grandmasters. Those who had not shown themselves were even more unknown. The strength of the Gold and Silver Sect was simply unbelievable!
As the group continued on, their carriage stopped outside an abandoned mansion, which was surrounded by experts from the Six Doors.
Chu Di stepped forward and gestured to the two guards to open the courtyard gate. After they entered the courtyard, dozens of figures stood in various corners of the courtyard.
Chu Di stepped forward and opened the inner room again, and immediately golden and silver light shone out of the room.
Meng Fan inhaled the familiar scent and felt a sense of delight!
"Junior Brother Chu, how did you manage to gather so much cash in such a short time?"
It's impossible to estimate the exact amount of cash here by sight alone; even Shen Wanqian couldn't mobilize so much cash in just a few days.
Upon hearing the title he had longed for, Chu Di laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but I have diverted all the tax revenue from the entire Zhan Prefecture this year, and it has been transported to the prefecture capital at breakneck speed these past few days. This amount to a full 1.3 million taels!"
Shen Wanqian was astonished by Chu Di's extravagant actions! He asked in confusion, "Young Master Chu, you actually diverted tax revenue from Zhanzhou. Do you know the consequences of doing so?"
Taxes are the foundation of a dynasty; anyone who dares to embezzle tax revenue will face the extermination of their entire family, numbering nine generations!
But these enemies of Chu must have thought of a way to deal with it. They said quietly, "It's very simple. As long as I eliminate Meng Yuhai and those officials who are attached to him, I will naturally make up for the tax revenue!"
"But isn't confiscating property a matter for the imperial court? How did the proceeds from the confiscation end up in your hands?"
Chu Di laughed and said, "Haha, I was the one who confiscated your property! However, it doesn't matter if I didn't use it to pay back the taxes. The reason I wanted to pay it back was simply because I didn't want my father to have any negative comments about him in court!"
Surrounded by trusted confidants, and Meng Fan being his senior brother, since Meng Fan dared to bring Shen Wanqian along, he didn't need to worry about anything.
Meng Fan patted Chu Di on the shoulder, his eyes full of approval, and said, "Not bad, not bad, Junior Brother Chu is quick-witted, killing several birds with one stone."
Chu Di knew that Meng Fan had seen through his little tricks, and couldn't help but laugh awkwardly, "It seems that Junior Brother's little schemes can't hide from the Holy Son."
"It's alright, as long as it doesn't harm the people's interest, it doesn't matter where the money comes from."
While in Sunset City, Chu Di had already devised a plan and began investigating Meng Yuhai. The imperial court's power was immense, and their targeted investigation uncovered many clues!
For example, many officials from other provinces suddenly seemed like different people; officials serving in the capital spoke cautiously for Meng Yuhai at crucial moments; and even many forces in the martial arts world seemed to have intricate connections with Meng Yuhai, some being leaders of righteous sects, and others being bandits and robbers living in mountainous areas.
The findings of these investigations enraged the few people in the court, who then dispatched a large number of people from the capital to various parts of the dynasty!
When Chu Di came here, it can be said that the court gave him a lot of power. He first diverted the tax silver from Zhanzhou to help him enter the Jin Yin Men (a powerful and influential group in China), which can be said to be his important purpose!
Secondly, his biggest trump card is that after joining the Gold and Silver Sect, he can use the sect's power to destroy Meng Yuhai.
Thirdly, after joining the Gold and Silver Sect, he was free to roam the world, and could legitimately leave the Fire Maple Dynasty to explore the outside world, and the Dynasty would never dare to complain!
He currently has the power in Zhanzhou to do many things, but I won't go into the details!
In short, it can be said that he entered the Golden and Silver Gate without spending a penny, achieving his wish. In his words, he used the court's money to do the court's business, which is very logical!
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