Chapter 171 Fengzhou Wonders

The officials in charge of this mission to the demon tribe will naturally not be pro-immortals like King Chong and Wei Li who are full of selfish desires.

Because this kind of people are always unreliable.

According to Kuang Cheng, these people were officials who were squeezed out of the court by the pro-Xian faction, suffered countless oppressions, and were later recalled because of the new policy.

Among them was one named Wang Mingchang, with a head full of white hair and already in his twilight years.

Thirty years ago, he was the governor of Yunzhou. However, he was dissatisfied with the tax system that led to corpses everywhere in his jurisdiction, so he made many memorials and was finally dismissed from office. When he returned home, his right leg was broken. He suffered in pain and resentment for thirty years.

There are many officials like him in the delegation.

Just like Ji You's original words, "Since ancient times, everyone has to die, but I will leave my loyalty to shine in history", they are fearless and some have even given up on death a long time ago.

There were often rumors about Ji You in Shengjing. Although these envoys were mortals, they had all heard some of them.

But when looking at a cultivator from their perspective, it is actually very difficult to develop a sense of trust.

Because in their hearts, cultivators have always been birds of a feather. This is a deep-rooted idea caused by the thousand-year pattern of Qingyun World.

At this time, with the bright moon accompanying the clinking of glasses, a grand banquet was held in Hexing City.

In the brothels and palaces of the aristocratic families, although the genius of the Immortal Sect still looked calm and indifferent, he was actually very satisfied with the warm hospitality of the Yunzhou family.

After all, the noble families in Yunzhou all make their living by producing spirit stones, and their ways of entertaining guests are varied and the quality is far higher than that of the other nine states.

In addition to the strange and bizarre immortal food, the singing and dancing are also refreshing.

So they drank and chatted until the early morning, and then they went home.

The three southern sects returned earlier and saw those who stayed in the inn having breakfast here. Later on, the northern geniuses returned one after another.

The delegation then continued on their journey, and as previously planned, they took a detour to the northwest of Fengzhou, where the feeling of poverty overwhelmed them.

There are no tall cities or pavilions with flying eaves and pointed corners here, only mud houses and thatched houses. Even the yard is made of bundled and piled dead branches. It might be more appropriate to call it a fence.

The contrast between the rich and the poor in the two neighboring places is so obvious that it does give people a strong sense of shock.

"Yunzhou is rich in mineral resources, which has established its extremely important position among the nine states. It can be said to be a gift from heaven. Compared with it, Fengzhou is really dispensable."

"Well, the spiritual wine yesterday was of such high quality that even I have rarely seen it."

Jiang Yan from the Daoist Sect, Jiang Yuerou from the Shanhai Pavilion, and Yan Qiubai from the Lingjian Mountain were riding in the same carriage at this time, talking to each other.

Cultivators of immortality believe in having nothing outside of their minds and living a simple and natural life, but they are still women after all.

Whenever I see something new, I can’t help but make some sharp comments.

Jiang Yan took out a spiritual stone from her sleeve at this time. With a thought, rich and refined spiritual energy poured into her body. "Although things are better in their place of origin, spiritual stones of this quality must be very valuable. This Yunzhou family is really willing to spend money on them."

Yan Qiubai chuckled after hearing this: "Not only that, at the Wang family banquet yesterday, the eldest son of the Wang family's patriarch seemed to have some feelings for Sister Yan?"

Jiang Yan raised the corner of her mouth: "Her realm is average, and her appearance is also average, but he dares to think about it."

"Isn't there any urgency at home regarding the Taoist couple?"

"I have been asked before, but I have some requirements on appearance. After all, when practicing dual cultivation, the person must look presentable. Otherwise, there will be no interest at all."

Everlasting life is the main theme of the development of aristocratic families, and even their children are no exception.

Be it forming an alliance or giving birth to a more talented offspring, it is a serious task for both boys and girls.

Jiang Yuerou heard the voice and said, "I remember there was someone in the team who looked very good."

"who?"

"The one in the Tongxuan realm seems to be called Ji You. I have been in seclusion for too long, and I only learned his name from their conversation last night."

Yan Qiubai immediately thought of the Tongxuan realm master: "That person, I took a few more glances at him before leaving, he is indeed quite good."

Jiang Yan looked at the two of them and said, "If she's good-looking, I'd be interested, but have you ever heard of anyone with the last name Ji among the thousands of noble families in the Qingyun world?"

"?"

"Sister, do you mean that this person is eligible to join the sect?"

Jiang Yan nodded: "That should be the case."

Yan Qiubai opened his mouth and said, "The quota for entering the sect allows one to cultivate to the upper fifth realm, so one's talent is pretty good."

"But the Tongxuan realm is only the first stage of the upper five realms, which is still a bit weak. If it is a child of aristocratic family, it can still be considered. What value does a quota for joining the sect have? You can't just look at appearance. Wouldn't it be no different from ordinary women?"

Amid the discussion, Jiang Yuerou was suddenly attracted by the scene outside the window. She turned her head to look outside and after a while she couldn't help but say, "Look, there are some strange things."

Jiang Yan and Yan Qiubai, who were talking, were startled for a moment, then turned around and saw the weirdness that Jiang Yuerou mentioned.

Because they were traveling on the border between Yunzhou and Fengzhou at this time, they saw countless chevaux de frise made of wooden spikes blocked here, stretching endlessly and appearing on every road, even on bumpy dirt roads.

As the two watched, they suddenly discovered a group of mortals in ragged clothes walking from west to east along a low mountain located on the border of Fengzhou and Yunzhou.

There were several strong men in front, among them were children, women and children, all with frightened faces.

"What are they...doing?"

“Wandering around…?”

The immortals on the mountain rarely care about the secular world below the mountain, especially geniuses like them who are in seclusion all year round.

There were also officials here who saw this scene in the carriage. They saw that after crossing the mountain, those mortals seemed to be suddenly relieved and raised their pale faces towards the rising red sun.

This is the difference in appearance between the people of Yunzhou and the people of Fengzhou.

The people of Fengzhou face the loess and have their backs to the sky, and their skin color is basically dark, while the people of Yunzhou are trapped in mines all year round and cannot see the sun.

And there are many such strange things on the road.

For example, some other refugees crossed here and were caught by the local government of Yunzhou.

For example, another group of refugees were chased by government officials, but they managed to enter Fengzhou before being caught.

Although the officers were furious, their expressions seemed to become somewhat envious as they watched the ragged man walking further and further away on the barren land, and finally turned around and left.

There is also another puzzling scene, which is about immortal cultivators. This is what they saw when they passed by a village.

Under the willow tree outside the village, a cultivator in the Condensation Realm used his spiritual energy to control a thick black iron drill, and stabbed it fiercely into the ground.

As the auger penetrated deeper into the ground, the upward rotating protrusion on the edge brought large amounts of soil to the surface.

After a few breaths, that person was exhausted, and another person took over seamlessly and drilled deeper.

In a moment, what was pulled up turned into mud.

Seeing this scene, the farmers surrounding the scene knelt down one after another, with their heads touching the ground and their foreheads banging loudly.

Ji You also looked at it for a long time, and then whispered: "It's terrible, it turned out to be a joint excavation of the magic weapon Poison Dragon Immortal Diamond and the sword."

The corner of Kuang Cheng's mouth twitched: "Isn't this just digging a well...?"

"This is its nickname, a folk name. Immortals never speak like this. Some time ago, I asked Fengzhou Prefecture to count the uncultivated but relatively fertile land and change it to planting three crops. Irrigation is a big deal. They are so blessed."

“No wonder we need to dig a well.”

“You see, immortal cultivators like them know that they have no chance of ascending to heaven, but because they have some cultivation, they have more distracting thoughts and desires than ordinary people, and need more external things to fill the emptiness in their hearts. This is the reason why the so-called belligerent master and difficult disciples are so difficult.”

Ji You looked out the window calmly: "But these external objects cannot be so that even the people don't have food money, so we have to provide them with emotional value."

Kuang Cheng looked out the window for a long time, and couldn't help but ask, "What is emotional value?"

“Greed and vanity are not high or low, both can satisfy people, and in principle they can replace each other. Material things satisfy greed, while praise satisfies vanity. If we don’t give them taxes, we should give them applause.”

Ji You muttered, "The so-called direct disciples are high and mighty, looking down on the world, but I don't think they will be praised so much. You know, they should have been the scraps of this world before."

Kuang Cheng pursed his lips and said, "Fengzhou is going to fully develop agriculture?"

"Fengzhou doesn't have spiritual stone resources like Yunzhou. This is the only way for now. The people can be better off, I can earn more, and the children of the immortal manors will also be satisfied. Let's stabilize it this way first, and then think about industrial upgrading later."

"Can it be upgraded?"

Ji You turned and looked at him: "Build high walls, store up food, and continue to thrive. Then develop customers. Farming is not as fast as robbing."

At this moment, in the second village that the carriage passed, some cultivators used their spiritual energy to drive the thatch and repaired some dilapidated roofs.

Yunzhou and Zhongzhou are adjacent to Fengzhou. Although the government has issued private decrees prohibiting people from moving around, after several months of exploration, some smuggling routes have been opened.

And the people who have fled here always need a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

Kuang Cheng looked at it for a long time: "This...what kind of swordsmanship is this?"

Ji You shook his head gently: "This is not the way of the sword, this is already in the realm of magic, it's called scattering grass to form a roof, that's what they say outside, after all, when you go out, you give yourself money."

At this time, the convoy had already gone northeast along Fengzhou and stopped in front of the next village.

Immortal cultivators can go without food, but if the envoys do not eat, they will definitely not be able to reach their destination.

Jiang Yan, Yan Qiubai and Jiang Yuerou got out of the car together. Because they had talked about Ji You before, they couldn't help but turn their heads and look back at the man who was a femme fatale.

But then, the sound of shuffling footsteps caught their attention.

The three of them turned around and saw that a group of old officials got out of the car and turned to the back.

Like the immortal cultivators, they saw the people fleeing to Fengzhou, the joint excavation, and the roofing made of grass while they were traveling. So they were silent all the way, but at this moment, they gently raised their hands, and dozens of people bowed at the same time.

People from wealthy families practice Taoism, and only poor people choose to become officials.

Apart from their official positions, they were actually once the lowest class of people living in this world.

Jiang Yan was slightly startled, then turned her head to look behind her and found that the person they were worshipping was Ji You. This scene made the other geniuses unable to help but look over.

The emotional value is indeed terrifying, it can almost make people forget that they are professional gangsters.

If Cao Jinsong were here, his chest would probably explode.

Ji You nodded slightly to them, turned around and went somewhere else, looking at the vast Fengzhou like a lone swordsman.

"Ji You?"

"Are you asking about the disciple from the Heavenly Academy who has extraordinary talent, unparalleled swordsmanship, and is like a banished immortal?"

"No, he is not eligible to join the sect."

Among the three southern sects, Gongshu Chou is the only one who has not been in seclusion recently.

At this moment, he was sitting beside the carriage, with an unfathomable look on his face, and he slowly spoke to his junior sister Yan Qiubai...

Jiang Yan was at the temporary tea shed at this time, thinking about what she had just seen, when she saw Yan Qiubai returning from a distance, talking about something with Jiang Yuerou.

Jiang Yan couldn't help but walk over and asked: "What were you talking about? Why was it so heated? Did you forget that the heart of Taoism should be as calm as still water?"

Yan Qiubai raised his head and looked at him: "Sister Jiang Yan, I have made it clear that Ji You is not eligible to join the sect."

"Is there really a Ji family among the noble families in Qingyun World?"

"No, he is actually a rural private cultivator..."

"???"

Jiang Yan was slightly startled, and it took a long time for her to react: "Private cultivation is a capital crime, how can one possibly enter the Immortal Sect?"

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Yan Qiubai blinked: "It is said that when he was discovered, he was still a teenager, but he had already reached the perfection of the lower three realms."

“?!”

Yan Qiubai told him what he had heard from Gongshu Chou since then, saying that one day when a teacher from the academy went to recruit students, he saw spiritual energy rising into the sky.

Jiang Yan was born into a noble family. She had experienced the cultivation in the lower three realms and had seen the young children in her family being guided by their elders to awaken their spirits.

Children have unstable minds and some are rather stupid. They may be stuck at the stage of awakening their spiritual power for many years without any enlightenment, so they need the help of elixirs and spiritual stones.

Even if one is born into a noble family, has endless resources and countless elixirs to use, it is not easy to cultivate to perfection in the lower three realms.

So when Jiang Yan heard Yan Qiubai say this, she found it incredible.

That person was able to cultivate privately on his own to the point where he could be admitted as an exception.

She had only heard of such stories in folk operas.

Jiang Yan was surprised for a long time, and finally came to her senses and said, "So he is a rural private cultivator. Isn't that worse than being admitted through quota? Being admitted through quota at least means that this person is from an official family or the military, while a rural private cultivator doesn't even have such a family background."

Yan Qiubai opened his mouth: "But he has a noble family."

"Didn't you say he was a private cultivator in the countryside?"

"This Ji You was born in Fengzhou, right here. Not long ago, he entered the inner court and established his own family here. He also reduced Fengzhou's tax rate to 10% this year. So people from Yunzhou and Zhongzhou flock here every day. This is what we saw during this trip..."

It is well known that Fengzhou is poor and has no aristocratic families.

However, it is also known to everyone that the descendants of foreign noble families in Fengzhou have once again set up a fairy village and collected offerings.

Jiang Yan couldn't help but wonder: "He established a local family and controlled the taxes. Why wouldn't those foreign immortal villages stop him?"

"He stopped them, and then he killed eighteen Tongxuan and beheaded a Rongdao. He entered Fengzhou Prefecture covered in blood, carrying a bunch of heads..."

“?!”

Jiang Yan looked at him in confusion, thinking to herself, why don't you take a look at what you are saying.

In fact, they have been sitting in the mountains and meditating to gain enlightenment since they were young.

It might take at least a year, or even three to five years. Although I would hear some new things every time I went out of the customs, they had never been as outrageous as what I heard today.

It was acceptable for a rural private cultivator to be admitted to the hospital, but it was completely hard for her to believe that he had killed countless people of the same realm and even crossed the border to kill those of higher realms.

Not to mention that crossing the border to kill people is beyond imagination, Ji You's image is clearly that of a harmless scholar, so how could he be such a cruel person?

But seeing that Yan Qiubai didn't show any sign of joking, Jiang Yan turned to look at the figure beside the car.

Jiang Yuerou raised her head at this time: "I remember now. When I came out of retreat a year ago, I did hear various disciples talking about a rural private cultivator who entered the Heavenly Academy. It turned out to be him."

Yan Qiubai nodded.

"No, it seems that Chu He, the second son of the Chu family, also entered the Heavenly Academy in the same year. His Seven-Aperture Exquisite Body is innately close to the Heavenly Dao. Chu Xian was even personally taught by the Xuanyuan Immortal Mansion. How come Ji You was the one who entered the inner courtyard in the end?"

"During the Tianshu Academy Autumn Fight, Chu He only fought him once, and both of his hands were chopped off by him."

“…”

Some people don't look fierce, but they sound fierce.

It's like he's not very powerful when he's wearing clothes, but very powerful when he's undressed.

Judging from the story told by Yan Qiubai, the jade-faced man was the one who went against the current and killed everyone.

As Gongshu Chou generously explained his doubts, Jiang Chenfeng, Huo Hong and others also heard about it and couldn't help but frown.

Only Xie Chenyu, Chu Butian, Qian Jun and others, as well as Shi Junhao and Xiao Hanyan from Tianshuyuan did not react.

In the early years of Taiyuan, they did not have a long period of seclusion, especially the last two, who almost watched Ji You kill his way into the inner courtyard.

However, the only thing that has not been mentioned is the inheritance of physical constitution, mainly because Gongshu Chou never mentioned it.

Because after the autumn fight in Tianshuyuan, he was called to the Yunding Tianque of Jianzhu. When he was going down the mountain, Ding Yao specifically reminded him of this matter.

However, although he didn't know the reason, Gongshu Chou still solved the case himself.

Junior Sister Ding Yao must have feelings for Ji You and wanted to pass on the lineage to him herself, otherwise she wouldn't have avoided Master Jian and specifically explained this matter.

"The Tongxuan Sword cut down Rong Dao. This is indeed impressive, but it is not worth bragging about."

Jiang Chenfeng picked up the teacup and said, "Those immortals in the Rong Dao realm were able to break through by taking pills and enduring hardships. Their bodies are already old, so it can be said that they are very weak. It can't be considered a cross-border murder. I don't find it surprising."

Jiang Yan looked at her cousin: "Rong Dao is always higher than Tong Xuan."

"Cousin, you may not know that when I was in the Tongxuan realm, I also defeated a senior brother in the Rongdao realm in the sect."

"There is such a thing?"

"Cousin, you have been in seclusion for a long time and rarely take action. Little do you know that in front of us, some fake Rong Dao are actually just stronger Tong Xuan upper realms. It is an extremely sad thing to refine the realm over time."

Just as he finished speaking, there was a loud noise suddenly coming from the northwest, like thunder.

In an instant, a powerful force was like a giant dragon breaking through its restraints, rising straight into the sky with great momentum, and piercing through the clouds for thousands of miles in the blink of an eye.

Immediately afterwards, flickering flames shot up into the sky, illuminating half the sky red, which was magnificent and shocking.

Seeing this scene, the previous discussion about Ji You came to an abrupt end.

Everyone couldn't help but raise their heads. Even the envoys put down their bowls and chopsticks, and their faces instantly became serious.

The source of the loud noise was the Frost Iron Pass in the north.

Ji You turned to look at Kuang Cheng: "You stay and go southwest from now on, but don't get close to Hantie Pass. If you see something wrong, run away."

"Brother Ji..."

"I will ensure my own safety and try to return safely from the Snow Region. Remember to save money. It is said that there is nothing delicious in the demon tribe. I will definitely be very hungry when I return."

After hearing this, Kuang Cheng took a step back and bowed deeply: "Brother Ji, have a safe journey."

Ji You nodded slightly, then stood up and got on the carriage.

The magic weapon inlaid on the carriage continuously released powerful energy, and the horses pulling the carriage instantly became excited, neighing excitedly and galloping all the way to the border.

As time went by, everyone finally arrived at the border.

What appeared before our eyes was a towering, pitch-black city wall that looked like a dormant giant beast, giving people an endless sense of oppression.

This is not a wall built by ordinary people at all, but one that was erected by the sages of the time with all their might after the decline of the ancient descendants. It stretches endlessly, like an insurmountable natural moat, isolating other races from Kyushu for a thousand years.

Before the carriage reached the city wall, more than a dozen spiritual energy appeared on the carriage, rising up suddenly like arrows from a bow, straight into the sky, and galloping towards the top of the city.

Ji You followed closely behind, his immortal robe fluttering in the whistling wind. After a long time, on the top of Luoyue Pass, he felt a gust of bitter cold wind blowing in his face.

Looking down, there was an endless fog before my eyes, covering everything, and beneath the fog was a bottomless darkness.

At this time, on the west side of Luoyue Pass, smoke and fire were rising, and the sounds of fighting were everywhere.

Seeing this scene, Ji You's face couldn't help but become much more solemn.

When heading to the Demon Tribe this time, it would be best not to encounter any barbarian cavalry, so the Immortal Supervisor specially chose a day when the barbarians temporarily stopped fighting, hoping that they could sneak outside the pass secretly.

Even if you encounter barbarians on the road, at least it won't be fatal.

But no one could have imagined that the barbarians would attack from the Ten Thousand Mountains so soon.

This means that if they leave the country at this time, there is a high chance that they will be affected by the war and may even encounter barbarian troops.

The money was not wasted. The longevity peach bought from the Office of the Director was worth it. This was really worth it.

Ji You felt the powerful aura in the distance, and his sword intent began to move slightly.

If it is raining, you can wait for it to stop; if it is windy, you can wait for it to die down, but humans don’t have much time left to wait.

The attitude of the demon tribe is unclear. They neither rejected the barbarian delegation's request to visit the Snow Region, nor did they reject the human delegation's visit to the north. This shows that they are hesitating.

Ji You didn't know why he hesitated or what he wanted, because no one could see through the Demon Emperor's heart.

But what is certain is that alliance or non-alliance is just a matter of thought.

Ji You turned his head and looked at the barren land behind him in the fierce west wind, then stood up and landed under the wall.

At this time, the envoys, the demon tribesmen who were returning north, and the immortal cultivators who had not climbed up the wall just now all got off the carriage. Seeing him rushing over, their eyes were full of questions.

"What happened outside?"

"Nothing happened. It's safe. You can leave immediately."

Everyone in the team looked up at the long burning cloud and remained silent for a long time.

(End of this chapter)