Building a sect from scratch.

Chapter 167 The Good People Sect, Taiyin Sect

Not only the patriarch of the Xiling clan, but even Coral was stunned with a face full of question marks.

It should be noted that the Quanxian people did not have "taxes," so they could not understand the importance of collecting taxes.

The Quanxian clan rarely lived in close proximity. Generally, settlements were only formed when raising young Quanxian children. This is why a clan typically only had one or two settlements – in order to raise the next generation.

Although the Springborn are born with intelligence, they still need time to develop and grow. Most Springborn need at least twenty years of growth and learning before they are able to survive independently in the harsh marine environment. In fact, they generally reach physical adulthood in their thirties or forties, and those between twenty and forty are still considered teenagers!
During these twenty years of study, they generally lived in the settlements of various tribes.

The Quanxian tribe has no concept of family—which brings us to the topic of their reproductive methods.

Unlike humans, the spring-born are unique life forms nurtured in the ocean, born naturally from the vicinity of their settlement.

In the beginning, a newly born spring spirit is merely a thumb-sized egg nurtured by heaven and earth. It gradually grows larger after absorbing enough spiritual energy. Only when it emits light can it be considered truly alive. At this time, the egg will drift in the ocean, unconsciously attracted by the nearest aura of its kind, until it is discovered by other spring spirits and taken back to their tribe.

Afterward, the glowing eggs are placed in the brooding nest built by the tribe. About a year later, the newborn chicks will crawl out of the nest, which is considered their birth.

The Quanxian tribe can swim as soon as they are born and can also communicate with their spiritual senses, albeit not very skillfully. At this time, they are sent to the tribe's school to learn cultivation knowledge and hunting skills. During this period, all their living and food needs are provided by the tribe.

The portion that the tribe was responsible for was taken care of voluntarily by other members of the tribe, some of whom regularly fished for food, and others wove silk for clothing every day.

They don't emphasize blood ties, but they do have special close relationships. For example, Koizumi, who is in the same class, calls each other brothers and sisters and is very close, just like Coral and Silver Frost.

Therefore, in this special social structure, the Quanxian people do not have the concept of "tax".

Of course, this does not mean that they do not understand the reason for the existence of "taxes". According to their thinking, humans are too fragile and can only live together in groups. They use "taxes" to unite the group and survive in the harsh environment, which is not incomprehensible.

But how could the Quanxian clan, so powerful, need "taxes"?

The Quanxian people practically don't even have the concept of "old age"!

“Raising young children is a major event in a tribe, but even if everyone is willing to make sacrifices, there will always be unfair things happening, right?”

Fang Xianyu could only explain it using a logic acceptable to the Quanxian tribe: "Whoever contributes more is never cared about, and there will always be disputes. Even if most Quanxian don't care, this unfairness cannot be ignored. Therefore, taxes can play a role at this time—whoever contributes more can receive subsidies, which can be spirit stones, food and drink, or daily necessities. Merit should be rewarded, isn't that justified?"

Elder Lu Ying hesitated upon hearing this, but seeing the thoughtful expression on the Xiling clan chief's face, he swallowed his words with a sense of helplessness. It seemed that explaining principles like protecting local industry and agriculture and regulating sovereign power to the Quanxian clan was futile.

"You're right! Your Taiyin Sect is indeed not as cunning as some humans!"

The Xiling clan chief sincerely praised, "I know that your human race needs 'taxes' very much, but the Taiyin Sect doesn't collect anything like head taxes, so you must make up for it elsewhere. Collecting taxes from other races is better than collecting taxes from your own people! You are a good sect leader! In order to prevent our Quanxian clan from suffering losses, you even took the initiative to let us collect your taxes as well! Fellow Daoist is indeed a good person!"

Fang Xianyu gave a stiff laugh: "Haha... I'm getting embarrassed by your praise, fellow Daoist..."

To be fair, if the Quanxian tribe hadn't been so powerful, able to overpower others with sheer force, their simple and honest minds would probably have been so easily fooled that they didn't lose all the scales on their tails...

Elder Lu Ying's lips twitched almost imperceptibly before she interjected, "Besides the tax issue, we have a small request."

"Fellow Taoist, please speak!"

"The Taiyin Sect places great importance on education. We have heard that the Quanxian tribe not only has a very professional training method for cultivation, but also preserves a very large historical record. Therefore, we would like to send some of our disciples to the Quanxian tribe to 'study abroad', or we can consider exchange programs and set aside a certain number of 'exchange student' slots. In this way, your tribe can also send students to study at the Taiyin Sect's schools. We will welcome them at any time!"

This proposal was actually what the Chinese people needed, but Fang Xianyu didn't care. The cultivation method of the Quanxian clan was actually closer to that of the demon clan and was not suitable for humans. She had already told Lu Ying this. However, Lu Ying and the Chinese people he represented also frankly stated that what they valued was not the cultivation method, but the history preserved by the Quanxian clan.

There's nothing more to say then. As the sole partner, it's rare for China to make such a clear request, so Fang Xianyu certainly wouldn't be so bored as to refuse. In a win-win situation, we should at least fulfill the small wish of our ally!
"This...come to our tribe to learn..."

The Xiling clan chief hesitated for a moment before saying, "That's not a problem. However, our tribe lives underwater, which may not be suitable for human life. And if Xiaoquan's cultivation level is too low, he may not be able to conjure up legs to walk on land..."

Elder Lu Ying smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist, please rest assured. We are not planning to send the children to exchange and learn. Instead, we are sending some cultivators who have already achieved some level of cultivation. Firstly, they can be equipped with water-repelling magic treasures and spiritual artifacts to survive in the sea. Secondly, they can also have a certain degree of self-care ability. After all, we are here for exchange and learning, not to have others take care of our children!"

Upon hearing that Xiaoquan didn't need to come out first, the Xiling clan chief was immediately relieved and readily agreed, "Of course, no problem!"

"Then thank you very much, fellow Daoist. However, to express our sincerity, we plan to build a large water city on the southern coast of Zhongzhou, preserving a certain amphibious environment. This will not only meet the human standard of terrestrial survival, but also make the Quanxian people feel at home!"
"Therefore, we intend to establish both the planned free trade market and the schools that will facilitate future exchange programs in this city on the water. It should be closer to the Xiling Clan and more convenient there!"

Now, not only was Coral dumbfounded, but even the patriarch of the Xiling clan was deeply moved. She repeatedly praised, "Your Taiyin Sect are indeed all good people!"

……

(End of this chapter)