Chapter 274 What's the Use of Bowing
Cold Dew surprises late autumn, in the morning I see chrysanthemums gradually turning yellow. The wind sweeps leaves from thousands of houses, and geese follow the sun for thousands of miles.
The sun has not yet come through and the white dew is vast.
A large number of immortal cultivators passed by Zilan County, which is under the jurisdiction of Anyuan City, and were warmly received by the local governor.
They had just come from the northwest, starting from the Dongping Mountains and had been searching all the way here. They were now exhausted and had serious expressions on their faces.
Although Bu Qirong was dead, those dying elders of the Immortal Sect did not give up.
He also ordered them to search the mountain for three consecutive days, trying to find if there were any surviving members of the Bu family, but the result... was nothing.
Afterwards, they investigated the winery, the residence of the head of the Bu family, visited the local government, and checked the county annals.
Countless and complicated messages were collected in a basket and piled up in chaos.
It is still unclear whether this information is useful or not. It is just waiting to be handed over to the elders, and perhaps it can be sorted out.
Jiang Yan, Yan Qiubai, and Jiang Yuerou also rested here. Jiang Chenfeng, Xie Chenyu and others, who were seriously injured, planned to take the fairy ship back to the sect.
While eating and drinking, their fatigue was relieved a lot and their tense hearts gradually relaxed.
But at this moment, the sound of gongs and drums on the street attracted their attention.
So they walked out of the prefect's mansion and looked outside.
On the official road of Zijun City, officials collecting taxes were driving grain carts back and forth, with their killing sticks raised in the air, looking unparalleled in their might.
Some hunchbacked civilians were carrying heavy sacks and coming towards this place, walking towards the carriage under the arrogant gaze of the officials.
It is common for some elderly people to be kicked and beaten for carrying their bags too slowly.
Governor Zilang bowed beside them and said respectfully, "After the autumn harvest every year, our county collects taxes. Half of the grain goes to the national treasury, and the other half goes to our immortal sect to support the immortals."
After hearing this, a Shanhai Pavilion disciple couldn't help but ask curiously: "Can we immortals eat so much food?"
"Some of it will be exchanged for gold and silver and sold back to the people in the market. The other part will be purchased by Yunzhou to support the miners in the whole state, and the spiritual stones will be exchanged for the immortals."
"Another part was exchanged with Zhongzhou and Yuzhou to support the workers of the Spirit Seedling Farm. In short, it will satisfy the immortal masters."
These immortal cultivators have been practicing in the mountains for years without caring about worldly affairs. It was the first time for many of them to know that their daily food, clothing and other necessities came from this, which made them feel fresh and vivid.
Seeing that the immortals were quite interested in this, the governor of Zilang County spoke again: "But this year, the tax for the immortals may be less."
"Why is that?"
"A new business has opened in the city, hiring a large number of our people to work there. They agreed that the taxes would be fully paid on the day of collection, but..."
The Shanhai Pavilion disciple frowned slightly: "Not enough?"
The governor of Zilang County waved his hand and said, "The number is enough, but there will inevitably be losses during transportation, especially since it has rained continuously in the past few days. Many of them have sprouted on the way. It is better to accept them."
"Is there such a thing?"
"This matter has been bothering me for the past few days. I just happened to have the immortals passing by here, so I dared to ask you to make a decision for me."
The governor of Zilang County waved his sleeves and called a young man behind him: "Yesterday my son led some people to argue on behalf of the immortals, but he was beaten and kicked out by the person in charge."
The son of the Zilang County Governor also stepped forward and said, "I don't know whose influence that damned company has taken advantage of. It's really despicable. They even insulted the Immortal Sect. They are simply unruly people!"
In fact, ever since Bu Qirong's death, those elders who were anxious to prolong their lives have been in a state of moodiness, and some disciples have been angry but have no place to vent.
Hearing this, some curious people looked up proudly, wanting to follow to see what was going on, and by the way, to regain some sense of their existence as immortals and balance their Taoist hearts.
Then the prefect Zilang and his son knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, then led the way forward.
In fact, grain is covered with tarpaulin during transportation, so it will not germinate easily even if it is exposed to moisture.
The so-called loss is not due to transportation, but to human factors.
The government officials all knew that the grain carts contained taxes and they dared not easily take their hands from them, but the officials from all over the country could not help but be tempted.
Because in the years before this business was established, they were responsible for collecting taxes from the people, and it was an established rule for them to take a little more and put it into their own pockets.
However, as the number of migrant workers increased, this business bypassed individual investors and directly dealt with public employees. The account books were checked very clearly, so there was almost no chance to make some money.
The prefect of Zilang County was a new official who made three big moves upon taking office, and he had been eyeing this business for a long time.
Now that he has borrowed the power of the immortal, he is naturally impatient.
Seeing them go away, the rest of the people couldn't help but chuckle.
It's lonely in the mountains, so it's inevitable that some people want to be superior, but for others, it's better to do less of these things that can easily tarnish their spiritual heart.
But soon, those who had gone with them came back with complicated expressions, holding a bag of food in their hands.
The Zilang County governor and his legitimate son who followed behind them seemed a little frightened and kept their heads down and remained silent all the way.
Because just now those immortal masters did not enter the door, they just talked with the head of the business on an equal footing for a few words, and then turned around and walked back.
What frightened them was that the person in charge was actually just a mortal.
"Did the company give in?"
"He was very polite. He was so happy chatting with us that he even sold us a few bags of food at a high price..."
"???"
Showing off one's power will affect one's mind, but curiosity will not.
In fact, the human race’s quest for immortality began with curiosity about the way of heaven.
As a result, many people who were curious about this shop went there one after another, and when they saw the sign of "Wuliu Shop", they fell silent instantly.
There were no cultivators in Fengzhou at first, but then suddenly there was one.
Then came Wenshan, Qiudou, and Tiandaohui. After all these things, many people began to know of his existence.
His surname is Ji, his given name is You, and his courtesy name is Wuliu.
Of course, there are also rumors that his courtesy name is Bochang.
At this time, the person in charge of Wuliu Trading Company plucked up the courage to ask them if they needed food, so each of them had an extra bag of food in their hands.
This scene made the prefect of Zilan County and his son terrified.
Afterwards, everyone returned to the prefectural government, and whether they had bought food or not, they all fell silent.
Many things happened in the Dongping Mountains, many of which were beyond their expectations, such as the appearance of the barbarians and the killing of Bu Qirong.
But what people remember most is what happened to Ji You.
It's just that they have been searching the mountain these days, and with all the scattered investigations, they don't have much time to communicate.
It was not until this moment, because of seeing the business from Fengzhou, that people began to think deeply about what had happened on Dongping Mountain.
Ji You, who was said to have reached a bottleneck and would not reach the Tongxuan Realm in this life, suddenly appeared in Dongping Mountain. He then drew his sword and killed the evil species in the Yingtian Realm, and also defeated an elder from the Wujiang Realm who was his fellow disciple.
This is enough to leave people speechless, so much so that many people still find it difficult to accept it.
What was even more speechless was another thing about Ji You...
Bu Qirong was a man whom all the major immortal sects had issued death orders to capture alive, but he was killed by Ji You before his eyes.
They clearly felt that the elders were extremely furious at the time and wished to grind Ji You to ashes. However, before they could make a move, they were stopped by the Little Master of Lingjian Mountain with the power of the sacred weapon.
As the only one of the seven immortal sects who holds the sacred weapon, Xiao Jianzhu, who is famous for his coldness and elegance, made a special move for him. This incident was actually surprising at the time.
What is even more puzzling is the reaction of the elders.
Since Master Xiao Jian already has the status of the headmaster, his say naturally overrides that of ordinary people.
But Qingyun has always been a society that abides by rules, and even the head of a sect cannot openly and arbitrarily interfere in the affairs of other sects.
If Ji You was a disciple of Lingjian Mountain, then even if he massacred an aristocratic family, with the help of the Little Master of Lingjian Mountain, no one would dare to do anything to him. But the problem was that Ji You was a disciple of Tianshu Academy.
But inexplicably, those elders suppressed their resentment.
In other words, those elders all believed that the young master of Lingjian Mountain had legitimate reasons to care about Ji You's affairs.
Later, Ji You fainted on the mountain and was taken away by the young master of Lingjian Mountain. The people of Tianshuyuan had no objection, as if he should be taken away by the young master of Lingjian Mountain.
They were very far away at the time and did not hear Yan Shuyi's words "family affairs", but they all had some thoughts of their own in their hearts.
Some people think that Ji You is a secret agent of Lingjian Mountain.
But some people also think that Yan Shu also took a fancy to Ji You and wanted to recruit him to Lingjian Mountain.
Of course, there are some bolder ideas that seem to be the most reasonable, but once they come to mind, they seem unbelievable.
Only Jiang Yan remained silent with her eyes slightly startled, but she had already confirmed an answer in her heart: "The two women who were accompanying Ji You at that time were your young mistress's personal maids, right?"
Yan Qiubai, who was sitting next to her, opened her red lips and said, "Sister, do you remember it now?"
"When the chariot of Lingjian Mountain arrived at Xianxian Garden, I was only focused on looking at the little master, and I didn't see their faces clearly. But I think even if I saw them clearly, I would not dare to believe it."
"I also looked at it for a long time before I was sure that I was not mistaken."
The image of Ji You holding a sword appeared in Jiang Yan's mind, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
After escaping death in the valley east of the Falling Eagle Gorge, she once asked Yan Qiubai that if Yan Qiubai didn't want to marry Ji You, she would go.
In fact, she was telling the truth. Ji You was only at the Tongxuan realm before, which didn't make her really moved to the point of actively seeking a son-in-law.
Even though his fighting ability vaguely surpassed Tongxuan, his background as a private cultivator in the countryside was still criticized.
But that time in the valley, the fighting power displayed by Ji You directly exceeded her imagination, making her feel that there was no need to hesitate.
She knew about Ji You and Yuan Caiwei, and knew that it would be difficult for her to become the legal wife. However, she recently heard that Danzong was in contact with Shanhai Pavilion and intended to marry her daughter to the Holy Son of Shanhai Pavilion.
This made Jiang Yan feel that with fewer competitors, her chances were still pretty good.
But she never expected that even Yuan Caiwei might not be able to be his legal wife, because the Little Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain was also Ji You's Taoist partner.
However, Jiang Yan did not blame Yan Qiubai for not telling the truth.
Because even she, a disciple of the Wendao Sect, didn't dare to talk about this matter easily, let alone Yan Qiubai's disciple of the Lingjian Mountain...
"I have always thought that the young master of Lingjian Mountain is cold and arrogant, like a true goddess descending to the earth. But now it is different. I remember that when the Tiandao Conference was held, the Tianshu Academy and Lingjian Mountain seemed to be arranged in the same courtyard?"
"Sister Yan, it's better not to speculate until someone personally admits it..."
They were both silent, but Yan Qiubai knew what Jiang Yan was going to say.
If they were really a Taoist couple, then it might not be a coincidence that they were arranged in the same courtyard in Tiandaoyuan. It was because the master of the house wanted to stick to her husband.
But when she recalled the cold and arrogant image of the judge in her mind, she felt that it didn't fit...
After the Cold Dew, the temperature drops sharply and it becomes extremely cold.
The people still lived a poor but stable life, preparing for the winter after paying all taxes, while disciples from various sects returned to their sects one after another with all the information about the Bu family.
At the same time, people returned to the academy one after another.
The first to return to Nishan were Qin Rong and Ji Jingyao. They went to hunt down the barbarians, but they were no match for them and had to hand over the matter to the Zhenbei Army.
The group that returned later was the one led by Elder Fang and Elder Ge who continued to search for clues about the Bu family.
The news of their return to the mountain had spread to the inner and outer courtyards early on, so as soon as the convoy entered the city, a large number of disciples from the inner and outer courtyards of Tianshu Academy came to greet them.
But in fact, a large number of them wanted to take this opportunity to find out whether there were really natural treasures in the Dongping Mountains as everyone said.
Coincidentally, a carriage from Anyuan City also arrived here, crushing the water gathered by the cold autumn rain.
Although it was heading in the same direction as Elder Fang and his party, the carriage looked particularly lonely.
The other carriages also seemed to deliberately keep a distance from it, leaning to the left.
At first, the disciples of Tianshu Academy standing at the door thought that the car and Elder Fang and his party were not in the same car, but they did not expect that they were parked at the door of Tianshu Academy together.
The first person to get off the car was Elder Fang. His face was pale and his steps were unsteady, which made everyone in front of the door realize that he was injured and they couldn't help but open their eyes wide.
Everyone in the Tianshu Academy knew that Elder Fang was a powerful being without boundaries, and they couldn't help but start discussing who had the power to hurt him.
While everyone was discussing, the carriage that had returned alone also raised its curtains, and then Ji You jumped out of the carriage, attracting everyone's attention.
The disciples who returned to the temple with Elder Fang naturally knew what had happened. When they saw Ji You again, their expressions were inevitably a little complicated.
On the stone steps, Elder Fang looked at them with a sinister look, his eyes were full of anger and a concealed fear.
That day in the dense forest, Ji You's magic powers were broken and he suffered backlash, while Ji You's waist and abdomen were also penetrated by his own energy.
But he knew in his heart that if he tried his best he could definitely cripple Ji You, but Ji You could take his life.
At this time, Ji You also looked at him coldly, his eyes full of provocation.
This is not because he got a little cocky after testing his combat power, but mainly because Elder Fang's money bag is really too good...
It smells so good that even another fight might be worth it.
However, those disciples who stayed behind in Tian Academy were not aware of the truth and felt puzzled after seeing this scene.
"Is Ji You really taken to the Dongping Mountains?"
"Definitely."
"I didn't expect him to come back safely. I just don't know how many times he can be so lucky..."
"But do you find it strange that they didn't come back together?"
"Did I offend Elder Fang? The look in Elder Fang's eyes just now seemed as if he wanted to chop him into pieces."
"This Ji You is already an eyesore in the eyes of the Elders' Pavilion. How did he offend Elder Fang? He hasn't even broken through the Rong Dao realm yet. Is he going to be able to live in the future?"
"He is just like this..."
When the affairs of the Bu family attracted many immortal sects to come, life in Mount Ni was relatively peaceful.
Some people are in seclusion, while others are eating, drinking, and having fun, hanging out in various gathering places.
However, because the news of the natural treasure appearing in the Dongping Mountains was spread like wildfire, many people were secretly paying attention to it.
So when Elder Fang and his party returned, many people were watching.
At this time, Fang Jincheng walked to the side of Princess Zhao Yunyue of Changle and said, "I'm sorry, the master is tired from the journey and I'm afraid he is in a bad mood. I will report the matter of the Immortal Appreciation Meeting later."
"No problem. After all, the matter of my Chongwang Mansion is a small matter. It naturally depends on Elder Fang's time. My father and I are not in a hurry."
The growth of the Sixian Bureau made life difficult for all the pro-immortals, and the pressure on the court was also quite great.
Also, because he no longer had control over taxes, and the Lingshi Chamber of Commerce that he cooperated with was also continuously reducing production, the connection between him and the Immortal Sect became increasingly thin.
So King Chong took great pains to collect a lot of good things such as elixirs, magic tools, and weapons, and planned to invite some immortals to hold a banquet.
The purpose was to put pressure on the emperor's nephew, hoping to regain control of taxes from the Sixianjian.
But a banquet like this would be completely meaningless if the attendees were not of high enough status, so Zhao Yunyue set his sights on Elder Fang.
On the one hand, it was because she and Fang Jincheng had a good relationship, and on the other hand, she heard that Elder Fang loved teacups very much.
It just so happened that King Chong had collected a set of tea utensils that had been nurtured in the spiritual light for decades, which was considered to be what he liked.
But seeing Elder Fang's furious look, Zhao Yunyue felt that it was not appropriate to mention this matter at this time.
So she turned around and looked at Ji You in front of the door.
The feud between Elder Fang and Ji You originated from Fang Jincheng and Lu Hanyan, and then reached its peak in the Tiandaohui preliminaries.
But in her opinion, Elder Fang was, after all, a powerful figure among the elders of an immortal sect. It was a bit of a debasement for him to openly hate a disciple who was only at the Tongxuan realm.
At this moment, everyone heard a cold snort.
Elder Fang waved his sleeves and left. With a gloomy face, he stepped into the air and disappeared into the vast forest with a whoosh.
However, what no one expected was that Elder Ge, who came later, also stood in front of Ji You like Elder Fang.
Just when everyone thought that Ji You had offended two elders at once, Elder Ge suddenly raised his hand, bowed slightly to Ji You, and performed a slow salute.
The disciples who were watching were stunned for a moment, their eyes widened as they looked at Elder Ge's bent back.
Because no matter it is an immortal sect or an aristocratic family, the status of elders is higher than that of teachers, and even higher than that of students.
According to the rules, only disciples have ever saluted elders, and there has never been a precedent of elders saluting disciples.
At this time, Elder Ge slowly stood up.
When Bu Qirong and the eight evil creatures came to kill him, it was Ji You who drew his sword and saved his life. Although he knew that Ji You's original intention was not to save him, he still needed to thank him.
He originally wanted to give Ji You some money instead of bending down like that.
The reason for changing his mind was because Ji You’s fighting power was too terrifying.
The most important thing is that he only now realized that Ji You was not a rural private cultivator with no background.
If his background were to be made known, the entire Tianshu Academy would probably be shocked. So when Elder Ge performed the ceremony in public, he did have some intention of currying favor with him.
In his opinion, an elder bowing his head and showing respect must be more sincere than paying money.
Who would have thought that the next moment, Ji You just gave a perfunctory smile, then turned and left without paying any attention.
"You don't even give me money, you just do some empty things."
"What's the point of bowing to me...?"
At the same time, the three heads of the Office of Administration and the Palace Master in the Inner Courtyard were all looking towards him.
They saw the white-robed swordsman who had disappeared for a long time, and at this moment he gave them the feeling of a tiger returning to the mountains.
They knew that Ji You killed the Bu family. Some agreed and some disagreed. But in fact, the immortal sects including Tianshuyuan were still investigating secretly and did not regard Bu Qirong's death as the ending.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
