Longzang

Chapter 1005 Storytelling

In the third month of the third year of Hongjing, Wei Yuan secretly returned from the desolate realm, and the major case later known as the "Lacquer Box Case" officially began.

This case ultimately implicated over 100,000 people, including more than 3,000 officials of various ranks, 8,330 scholars with official titles, and the rest were implicated members of their clans. By this time, the officialdom of the eight prefectures in southern Shanxi had been completely uprooted, with few clerks remaining, and the literary world was utterly wiped out.

Across the eight prefectures, the fierce and ruthless Qingming soldiers were everywhere, capturing people all over the place.

A few escaped the net, but had to go through the sieve of mountain bandits and horse bandits. Only a very few, carrying the seeds of hatred, changed their names and fled to the outskirts of the eight prefectures.

Countless people who were laughing at Wei Yuan yesterday are now either sitting in dark, sunless dungeons or trudging through icy mud, struggling step by step toward their place of exile in the northwest.

The final list in Wei Yuan's hands will include the beheading of four thousand, the extermination of ten clans, and the exile of one hundred thousand. The place of exile will be a remote area on the northwestern edge of Qingming, close to the million mountains of the North, a journey of one hundred thousand miles.

Once the final list was finalized, Wei Yuan entrusted the task to his subordinates. He himself, along with the old Taoist priest Chuhe, spent several days flying around the entire southwestern eight prefectures, jointly surveying the terrain and mountain ranges of the region to determine where to cultivate the land.

This is not as simple as just clearing land; more importantly, some boundary stones need to be uprooted and replanted, while others need to be moved. Many of these boundary stones have remained untouched since they were planted thousands of years ago. While they were often planted as expedients at the time, over time they have revealed various drawbacks.

Just like the location Qingming established, which is less than ten thousand miles away from Hanyang Pass, it will soon cover the pass, causing the boundaries to overlap. Although there are advantages to overlapping, it is still somewhat of a waste.

This time, the old Taoist priest Chuhe plans to readjust the boundary stones of the eight southwestern prefectures, separating boundary stones with mismatched attributes and placing boundary stones with special attributes in their corresponding environments. For example, some boundary stones can gather earth energy and foster metal veins, but if they are planted in fertile plains, the veins will not grow, and the quality of the land will be lowered.

Re-laying the boundary stones will deplete most of their nourishment, causing a short-term decline in the overall strength of the Southwest. However, in the long run, the Southwest's natural resources will recover to their peak in ten years, and after thirty years, the boundary stones will be initially nourished, turning the eight prefectures into prosperous lands with at least a doubling of all resource output. After fifty years of complete nourishment, the Southwest will become a land of abundance.

This matter was extremely important. When Master Chuhe proposed it, Wei Yuan was startled, but after careful consideration, he greatly agreed and took advantage of the opportunity to sweep through the eight prefectures to do it all at once.

If we don't act now, the various arguments and debates will go on endlessly. There will surely be many literati who have never worked in the fields or gone hungry, lamenting the passing of spring and autumn, pitying the environment of a few litters of small animals, and preventing the relocation of the boundary stones.

Regardless of whether this matter is truly reasonable, whatever they say cannot be opposed, criticized, or admitted to being wrong; the only ones who are wrong are the masses who are being fooled.

Wei Yuan is acting now, and by the time someone tries to stop him, it will be too late. The boundary stone cannot be removed a second time in a short period, otherwise it will be damaged. Destroying a boundary stone can easily bring about a backlash against one's luck, and even immortals would not want to do such a thing.

As Wei Yuan and Master Chuhe flew along, they saw that the old Taoist was radiant, and the fine lines on his face had long since disappeared. The wrinkles he had added now were actually added by him using Taoist magic. Otherwise, the old Taoist would have suddenly become a minor Taoist, and Master Chuhe, being easily embarrassed, would have been unable to resist the enthusiasm of the beautiful male and female disciples.

The two flew from county to county, meticulously traversing the land. At this moment, the wind in the sky and earth became gentle, and the old Taoist priest moved with ease between heaven and earth, advancing and retreating at will. With just a thought, he could appear several miles away, and his every move already hinted at the demeanor of a royal lord.

Standing beside Chuhe, Wei Yuan also felt his mind was clear and his Dao heart was transparent. He knew that Chuhe was favored by heaven and earth, and that he himself had shared in some of the benefits.

Wei Yuan sighed inwardly. When Chu He first arrived in Qingming, he was an extremely rare high-level cultivator of the Dharma Aspect realm, a formidable figure who could rival Fen Hai, and his eight immortal swords were incredibly impressive. In a real fight, even the Cat Snake would have few rivals.

Back then, the Azure Netherworld Herb Garden was a mess because of Wei Yuan's cultivation. But after the introduction of the weeding technique, it has now been transformed into a vast spiritual field spanning hundreds of miles. Not to mention anything else, the Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng produced each year is enough to meet the daily needs of millions of Body Forging cultivators and tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators in Azure Netherworld, with a large surplus to continue cultivating in the field as a strategic reserve.

In terms of age, the medicinal garden currently has tens of tons of Five Elements Ginseng that are over a hundred years old and can be used as raw materials for the Dharma Image Pill.

Clearing land, breeding, and raising chickens—each is a path to heaven, each a great contribution to the world. Out of respect for the land, the immortal rooster has now shut its ears and eyes, no longer hearing terms like "white-cut chicken," "spicy chicken," or "Kung Pao chicken." However, the immortal rooster doesn't shy away from eggs, believing that anything that can't hatch a chick isn't a chicken at all, and eating them is fine.

Therefore, the egg industry in Qingming is now exceptionally developed, but the broiler chicken industry, to avoid using the term "roasted chicken," mostly uses alternative names. For example, roasted chicken cannot be called roasted chicken; it must be called "grilled bird," which sounds more elegant, but in reality, it's the same thing. Although the thing is still the same, the price is much higher.

Now, the old Taoist priest, Chu He, has re-laid the boundary stones and unknowingly embarked on another path to heaven. Looking at the old Taoist priest beside him, who was desperately pouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into him, Wei Yuan even felt that the old Taoist priest might break through his cultivation barrier before he even reached the Imperial Realm.

On the way, Master Chuhe said, "I have surveyed the terrain, and the actual acreage should be much more than what is recorded in the accounts, no less than 30 million mu. These powerful families are truly hateful."

Wei Yuan said, "Their purchase records only show 20 million mu, a full 10 million mu short. Haha, they only said 20 mu when they bought 30 mu, not only did they lower the purchase price, but they also paid less tax. All these fields need to be recounted and then distributed before spring plowing."

Chu He said, "This isn't Qingming. The surveillance array is missing, so there are bound to be idle, lazy, and slacking people here. What should we do?"

Wei Yuan said, "The land is rented, not given. The first season's land rent will be used to offset the rations distributed. In the following seasons, a fixed land rent will be collected first, and any extra will be kept by the individual. This way, there shouldn't be many lazy people. Let's get through the first year or two first. Once everyone has enough to eat, we can open schools, and once they can read and write, they will understand that everything depends on themselves."

Chuhe Zhenren looked at the mountains and rivers ahead and said, "There are only four counties left. I can handle them myself."

Wei Yuan nodded and said, "Alright, tomorrow is the temporary Dao Foundation Ceremony, and I need to go back and make some preparations. If I don't go back in advance, Xiao Yu will scold me again."

"Wait a moment!" Master Chuhe suddenly called out to Wei Yuan, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "That matter... was it still a little short in the end?"

Wei Yuan nodded and said calmly, "There's a huge shortfall. The deadline has passed, and no matter how much luck we get, it's too late to make up for it. I was too soft-hearted and didn't check carefully. I didn't expect some little devils to be so rampant."

Chuhe sighed and said, "Actually, things have gone far enough. We've done our best and left the rest to fate. With the re-arranging of the boundary stones nearing completion, I suddenly had a sudden inspiration and felt a connection with heaven and earth. I vaguely sensed that there was a hidden danger behind this matter. Perhaps someone is waiting for you to unleash your killing spree."

Wei Yuan nodded thoughtfully and said, "As long as the other party makes a move, there will be clues to follow. Now I have laid out my weaknesses, let's see if he can hold back."

Chu He pointed to the earth, which was already showing signs of new green, and said, "The time is ripe, and all things will come to life. The time is now in our hands. Even if we do nothing but wait quietly, the world will naturally revive and all things will grow. If the enemy does not move, it will actually be most advantageous for us."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "I understand."

The old Taoist priest stopped trying to persuade him and watched Wei Yuan fly towards the direction where the sun was setting, disappearing into the warm red sunlight and the depths of the sky full of clouds.

……

Ji Guo and Zhang Sheng were reading in the study of the Guantun County Government Office when someone suddenly knocked on the door.

At this moment, the guards outside remained silent, yet someone knocked on the door?
Moreover, even with her keen swordsmanship, she couldn't sense anyone outside. Her divine sense went there, but there was only emptiness.

Zhang Sheng remained calm and composed. He got up and opened the door, where he saw a wealthy old man standing outside. The old man had a kind face and was stroking his beard. He smiled and said, "My surname is Bai, my given name is Zong, and my courtesy name is Kaishui. I have come here today to tell you the story of the birth of the Buddha Sword."

(End of this chapter)