There was a hint of aftertaste on the old man's face. As he recalled the fragrance of the rice, a smile appeared unconsciously on the corners of his mouth.
"For me, this is the first time in my life that I can eat dry food regularly. Now that the immortal master is gone, there is no food to grow in the fields. It is time for me to go too."
The tax rate in Tianzhou is 10% to 5%, which sounds frighteningly high, but compared to the amazing per-acre yield, the people get more food than before. After all, this is a field that is nourished by spiritual energy, and the yield must be far higher than that of ordinary rice fields.
But spiritual energy is not inexhaustible, and the monks cannot guard the fields day and night. Without the supply of spiritual energy, the fields in Tianzhou today can be said to be barren, and they can only rely on the stored grain in the first few years to survive.
The old man naturally didn't understand these things, but he could see how difficult the world was.
"It's better to be alive than dead." Li Changsheng said, "Just bear with it for a while."
"It's better to die. At this age, there's no need to waste food. Young man, you should also prepare yourself as soon as possible. It's best if you can enter the immortal sect. Otherwise, you will only be able to become a bandit."
As the old man spoke, he rehung the white silk, stretched his neck and kicked his legs, and hung straight on it. Before he died, the white silk broke again.
"Old man, it's better to live than to commit suicide. Everything will be fine. Go back and tell your family, tell everyone, next spring."
A pair of warm hands lifted the old man up, and his cloudy eyes became clear. It was an ordinary face with a smile as warm as spring breeze.
He looked like the wandering Taoist priest in the fishing village many years ago. Very similar.
"I will give you ten thousand acres of fertile land."
"Where's your father?"
“It was washed away by a flood two years ago.”
"Where's your mother?"
"She remarried, and I was afraid of causing trouble for him, so I ran away to the orphanage."
"Then why did you run out again now?"
"Because there is no food in the orphanage, the adults are saying that the immortal master doesn't want us anymore. Without the immortal master, the land can't grow food, and without food, everyone will starve. The immortal master will select some talented children and take them to a place where they can have enough food, but unfortunately I was not chosen."
A Taoist priest in green clothes and a child were sitting in the corner of the alley, watching people coming and going outside. The child was eating the coarse cake given by the Taoist priest in big mouthfuls, enjoying it so much that his eyes were narrowed.
Unlike the children who were happy about eating, everyone outside looked dead silent. An indescribable feeling of depression enveloped the city.
People could feel the monks slowly disappearing. Without the monks guiding the spiritual energy into the farmland, it was difficult to grow enough food with the efforts of mortals. The cultivation of spiritual rice required a lot of manpower and material resources, and it had to be carefully cared for on weekdays.
It is not possible to expect the plant to thrive by simply scattering some spirit stones; it requires the joint efforts of both monks and mortals.
They are responsible for guiding the spiritual energy, while mortals are responsible for taking care of the spiritual rice; both are indispensable.
Because the monks escorted the mortals throughout the Great Migration, many people became dependent on the monks. No matter what the monk's character was, as long as he was a monk, he would be respected and loved by the mortals.
The common people knew who saved them.
This dependence is also the root cause of their confusion. After the monks disappeared, everyone was filled with despair about the future.
Li Changsheng leaned against the wall, looking at the hazy drizzle that kept falling from the sky, and said, "What if the immortal master you mentioned doesn't want you anymore?"
The child suddenly stopped eating and reluctantly returned the half-eaten coarse cake to Li Changsheng, with some saliva still on it.
He said cautiously, "I'll eat less. Can you please stop ignoring us, Master Immortal?"
In his inexperienced understanding, those who wore Taoist robes were all gods, such as the god in front of him. Although his clothes were simple, not as lively as other gods, and perhaps not as powerful as those flying gods, he was still a god after all.
"I'm not a god, just a Taoist priest without any sect or school." Li Changsheng shook his head slightly.
"You are!"
The child's voice rose slightly, and he said confidently: "My mother said that only the gods would give us food. Because they don't need to eat, they will share the food with us."
In children’s worldview, those who don’t have to eat or go hungry are gods, and only gods can share precious food with strangers.
"Can you please stop ignoring us? I will try to eat less and definitely not be greedy."
Facing the child's bright and dark eyes, Li Changsheng showed a gentle smile, reached out and patted his head, and said in a gentle and warm voice: "Okay, I won't ignore you, but you also have to be self-reliant and strong."
“How can I be self-reliant?”
"I will teach you a method. If you can master it, you can help the world. If you can't master it, just eat well and don't starve to death, okay?"
"Um!"
At the entrance of the alley, a graceful figure holding a bamboo umbrella appeared.
With long flowing hair, a light veil on her face, bright eyes and white teeth, she looked like a fairy on the moon in a pure white palace dress. People around her ignored this woman, and everyone who passed by her would consciously make way for her.
If there were any cultivators at the Nascent Soul level here, they would recognize this great person. She was the Taiyin Fairy, who was famous all over the world and was known as the most beautiful woman in Jiuzhou. However, since this fairy's cultivation became more and more advanced, the title of the most beautiful woman was gradually replaced by the Star Lord.
Strength is the root of everything. Taiyin Star Lord can overwhelm most of the powerful people in the world with his aura alone.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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