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Chapter 260 Transformation into an Evil Seed
The Wulu Trading Company was established last winter and has provided relief to many poor farmers in Kyushu.

After the spring arrived and the snow and ice in Fengzhou melted, those who had signed employment contracts came to Fengzhou to work.

In fact, they were still filled with trepidation on their way here.

One reason is that they are unfamiliar with the place and it is difficult to predict what they will encounter after they go there.

On the other hand, there are also some people from Qingyun Tianxia who go out to work in order to make a living, and all of them end up dying far from home.

But when they actually arrived in Fengzhou with the Wulu Trading Company's caravan, their anxiety disappeared, leaving only astonishment.

Because what they saw was a completely different scene from the other eight states.

The land was fertile and the grass was abundant, with numerous markets. Children dared to go out on the streets without their parents' supervision, and the cultivators walking on the road had friendly faces, as if they were from a different world.

The government then allocated them housing, with six people sharing a room, and the government provided for their food and clothing.

Some of them were then sent to farmland, while others were sent to ranches.

But no matter what they did, the working hours were short, and they even had time to go to school and listen to lectures.

However, even after they had truly integrated into Fengzhou and begun to adapt to the pace of life there, these strangers still did not know what the immortal named Ji You wanted.

However, this good fortune didn't last long. With the arrival of summer, the atmosphere in Fengzhou seemed to change.

Some cultivators who were usually amiable suddenly lost their usual amiability, and the government also suddenly became quiet.

The local people of Fengzhou became cautious in their speech, especially when they encountered cultivators, and fear resurfaced in their eyes.

It is said that something went wrong with that immortal sage.

Although the mortal and immortal realms are separated by the heavens and earth, the changes in Fengzhou over the years are so significant that even the most humble farmers know why.

Fengzhou improved not because those outside immortals had developed compassion, but because the young master of the Ji family, who possessed compassion, was becoming stronger, and stronger still.

However, ever since summer, after news of Young Master Ji's emergence from seclusion spread, they gradually heard many discussions about this matter from the surrounding cultivators.

Some say that Young Master Ji may no longer be able to control Fengzhou.

Among them, the one who was most worried was Zhang Pingyang, who came from Tianyuan Mountain Villa.

He married Lanlan, the daughter of a farmer, and settled down in Fengzhou, already considering himself a Fengzhou native.

The idea that immortals are high above and mortals are nothing but ants had already gradually become blurred in his mind.

However, after Ji You entered the sacred land of the sages but failed to break through his realm, causing a sudden change in the surrounding atmosphere, he felt as if he were waking up from a beautiful dream.

Because he also knew that the lords and elders who made the decisions were not willingly involved in the agricultural affairs of Fengzhou. The biggest reason was that they were suppressed by Ji You and could not cause any trouble.

Now that he can no longer control Fengzhou, Fengzhou will surely return to its former state.

At that time, the major immortal estates will reclaim their positions, divide the taxes, and continue to reign supreme.

But he couldn't abandon his pregnant wife, nor could he return to his fairy estate.

This anxiety peaked two days before Ji You returned to Fengzhou.

At that time, many talented families who had entered the Heavenly Academy sent messages, wanting to know if Ji You had arrived yet.

Zhang Pingyang had previously heard from the people in the village that Ji You was not well-liked in the Heavenly Academy because of his background; otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to enter the Immortal Palace even though he had already entered the inner courtyard.

The reason these people are so interested in his return is probably to see him make a fool of himself.

What was expected did not happen.

Ji You did not conceal his return. He entered the city by carriage, rested for a day, and then began to visit various immortal estates, starting with the more powerful ones in the vicinity and then those in the surrounding areas.

He went to each house alone.

Each of the immortal manors visited became unusually quiet, especially the manor lord, who was extremely respectful and looked exceptionally honest and upright, although his hair was somewhat disheveled and his eyes held a hint of fear.

The sixth fairy village visited was Qingxu Fairy Village.

Ji You stayed there for half an hour before leaving.

The lord of Qingxu Immortal Manor led a group of elders to the door, watching the imposing figure, whose body was like a ball of fire, leave. He then reached out and touched his cheek.

Where his palm was pressed, there was a faint, bright red handprint that was swelling, and blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.

In fact, when he heard that Ji You had visited the previous manors, the Qingxu Manor Lord had already summoned his disciples back to the manor, and the killing intent had already been fully gathered.

Unexpectedly, a huge hand came towards him. The hand seemed to be holding back its strength, yet it made him feel as if a ferocious beast was sitting in front of him...

The swaying, ascending aura was powerful and howling, making him feel that the other party could easily kill him.

"Damn it, the first five immortal manors are too tight-lipped!"

"Master, they must have done it on purpose."

“I didn’t mean to get slapped. Go and get all the sickles in the village. Sharpen them in front of the door. I won’t be going out for the next few days.”

"Master, please be careful what you say. That's not a sickle; it's called a crescent moon scimitar..."

The chief elder of Qingxu Manor couldn't help but offer a reminder.

Whether it was pre-arranged or there was some unspoken understanding among these outsider villages in Fengzhou, it is unclear.

Before long, a scene appeared in front of each immortal manor where a large number of disciples were sharpening their sickles.

Subsequently, an elder from Qingxu Immortal Village carried a jade box out of the door and then quickly arrived at an inn outside the city of Fengzhou Prefecture.

Upstairs in the inn, three people from Yunzhou were sitting opposite each other, sipping tea, their expressions filled with suspicion.

Two of them were from the Ding family: Ding Yuan, the younger brother of the family head, and Ding Shaojie, the eldest son of the Ding family. The third person was the manager of the Yuyun Prefecture's business affairs department, all of whom belonged to the Ling Shi Chamber of Commerce.

In fact, after learning that Ji You had come out of the Holy Land of the Sages but had not broken through to the next realm, the Spirit Stone Merchant Guild made a series of plans.

In their view, Ji You, who had not even succeeded in merging with the Dao, would find it difficult to control Fengzhou, and the control of Fengzhou would soon fall into the hands of the outside immortal manor, and the transport pipeline for the snowfield demon stone would certainly be no exception.

Previously, Ji You ignored them, and they were at a loss for what to do.

Now, the predicament has crumbled on its own.

They could control the official roads of Fengzhou through these immortal estates, thereby indirectly gaining control of the Snowfield Demon Stones.

But ever since Ji You returned, the sincerity they had previously shown has been returned one after another...

This was completely different from their previous plan, so much so that all three people in the room remained silent, but the doubt in their eyes did not diminish.

The people of Fengzhou were not sensitive to such matters and did not know what had happened in those immortal estates, but they could sense the change in atmosphere.

The cultivators living in Qingyun Heaven were noticeably more amiable than before, and the government officials seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as well.

The most obvious sign was their act of sharpening sickles in front of their door, as if they were doing it for someone else's benefit.

Seeing these things, the people can be certain that they will have peace and stability again this year.

"Actually, this is a good thing. As a result, no matter what rumors those immortal manors hear in the future, they should not act rashly before they actually see me."

"Otherwise, I would have to go out of my way to coax them every time, and my hands would get tired."

At this moment, Ji You returned to Ji Village, his gaze calmly sweeping over the immortal estates he had passed along the way, muttering to himself.

Old Qiu was relieved to find that the young master was in a good mood.

The young master spends most of his time cultivating at the Heavenly Academy, so the tasks of spring planting and autumn harvest have always been handled by him, the servant.

Through his own experiences over the years, he has basically figured out the relationship between the Fengzhou Immortal Sect, the government, and his young master.

He knew that if the young master was really going to become just another ordinary person as the rumors suggested, the consequences would be far more than just the autumn harvest being stopped and taxes being redistributed.

After all, when the young master came here to establish his family, he killed many people in the streets. The retaliation would inevitably be a matter of life and death.

Now that nothing has happened, he was truly relieved.

However, besides that, there was another thing that Lao Qiu was thinking about.

"It's time for the young master to get married."

Old Qiu has already met Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caiwei, and he keeps wondering when the two young mistresses who visited last year will finally get married.

In the past, people in this poor area really didn't have much to offer when it came to getting married.

But life in Fengzhou is getting better and better, and it has gradually begun to shed its reputation for poverty. More and more women are marrying into the area from other prefectures. Old Qiu is quite confident, so he suggested that Ji You go and propose marriage.

"Didn't I say last time that this isn't urgent?"

"But according to the tradition of our Yuyang County, if we are satisfied after the first visit, we must send out betrothal gifts the next day."

"It's not too late for me to train for a few more years, but I can have the baby first."

"?"

Pei Ruyi was strolling in the courtyard with Qiu Ru when she heard this and couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

She had heard about the visit of the Young Master of Lingjian Mountain after returning from the Heavenly Dao Society. It was said that she had wandered around inside and outside the stronghold and heard people calling her Madam Ji or Young Mistress everywhere.

Pei Ruyi imagined it for a long time, but felt that it just didn't match that scene.

Moreover, she found it hard to imagine living in the same courtyard as the young master of Lingjian Mountain in the future, and being able to watch her stroll around with a baby in her arms...

In the afternoon, a carriage hurried along the official road that had been repaired last year, then entered Fengzhou Prefecture and stopped in front of Jizhai.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Kuang Cheng stepped down from the carriage shaft.

He and Ji You returned from Shengjing together. Ji You was responsible for "greeting" those immortal estates, while he went to Danshui County.

The Zhenbei Army's main camp is located in the southwest of Danshui County. Last year, when the official road was repaired, the Zhenbei Army was in charge of supervising the construction, and Kuang Cheng had already visited it once at that time.

The main reason for this trip was to express gratitude to the Zhenbei Army for helping Fengzhou eliminate the evil spirits.

Although the road construction and the elimination of the evil species were both assigned by the Great Xia, according to Ji You, this emotional value should also be given.

Of course, these soldiers and officers have been stationed in the northern border for many years. Even if they did nothing in Fengzhou, Kuang Cheng still felt they deserved his condolences.

Kuang Cheng stepped into the courtyard and, upon seeing Old Qiu, couldn't help but ask, "Where is Brother Ji?"

"Young Master has gone to his study."

After hearing this, Kuang Cheng went to the backyard. When he reached the door of the study, he saw Ji You sitting behind his desk, carefully reading a book in his hands: "How are those restless immortal estates now?"

Ji You looked up when she heard this: "They've all behaved much better after I showed concern. There shouldn't be any problems with the autumn harvest. What about the Zhenbei Army?"

"The North is not peaceful. They have been discussing breaking camp and returning to the North these past few days."

"The barbarians have been unusually active lately, which may be related to the events that have occurred in Kyushu in the last six months. With the Zhenbei Army returning to garrison the area, we can feel more at ease."

Kuang Cheng nodded after hearing this, but he was still worried about what was hidden behind the strange phenomena and the appearance of the evil seed.

Having studied history thoroughly, he always knew that what truly leads a country or even an ethnic group to its demise is rarely external threats, but rather internal strife.

Kuang Shusheng then came to his senses: "Brother Ji, what are you looking at?"

After hearing this, Ji You picked up the book in his hand: "I had someone bring the county annals from Yuyang County to see if any strange things have happened in our county before."

"Something miraculous?"

"It's about things related to immortals."

After reading the story of the Night Watchmen, Ji You paid more attention to related news.

He guessed that the half-scroll of the Heavenly Academy he found came from the Night Watch, so the Night Watch must have been to Fengzhou.

This place is barren and isolated, and even the foreign fairy villages that he cared about did not have a long history.

Therefore, if a powerful cultivator truly existed in Yuyang County, it would certainly have been recorded in the county annals.

As Ji You had predicted, the county annals did indeed record matters concerning immortals. For example, the Ji family was destroyed because they offended an immortal, and the story of Ji You and Fang Ruoyao being admitted to the Heavenly Academy was also written in great detail.

However, the earlier ones are quite trivial and rarely have clear records.

Kuang Cheng picked up one of the county annals and glanced at it: "Speaking of supernatural things, I do know a few when I was collecting folk tales and local legends."

"I heard from the older generation that a very powerful immortal did appear in our Yuyang County in the past, and he even got into a conflict with others, fighting so fiercely that the sky darkened and the mountains trembled."

Ji You gave him a strange look: "You are clearly a scholar who reads the classics, so why would you collect folk tales and local legends?"

Kuang Cheng paused for a moment upon hearing this: "Um, I have a friend from afar who is quite interested in Fengzhou."

"What else? Keep talking."

"There was a legend that an immortal lived in a nearby mountain for a period of time and would occasionally come out to gamble."

Ji You frowned: "When did this happen?"

Kuang Cheng shook his head: "A long, long time ago, I don't know the exact time."

"Isn't there a nearest one?"

"The most recent? But the only immortal to appear recently is Brother Ji."

After listening, Ji You fell into deep thought. He thought to himself that although Kuang Cheng's story was vague, it sounded like there had indeed been people in Fengzhou who seemed to be Night Watchmen.

So perhaps the source of his half-scroll of the immortal book truly lies here.

However, without details, it is difficult to verify.

After a while, Ji You closed the county gazetteer.

Actually, he didn't necessarily want to trace the origin of the immortal book; he was just curious about things related to himself.

Because the explanation of losing something was somewhat far-fetched; he simply wanted to know if the matter of that half-scroll of the immortal book was truly as simple as it seemed...

He extended his warm regards to the dishonest immortals and confirmed that the autumn harvest could proceed as scheduled. Ji You and Kuang Cheng then left Fengzhou and returned to the Heavenly Academy.

Ji You had disappeared from everyone's sight for some time because he entered the sacred land of the ancients but failed to break through his realm.

After all, there's an old saying in Qingyun Tianxia: "Talented people emerge in every generation."

In the past, there have been some people who cultivated at an extremely fast pace, but due to limitations in their own talents, they entered an eternal bottleneck and gradually faded from everyone's sight.

The most pressing concern for both the inner and outer academies right now is that elder disciple who entered the academy after last year's Heavenly Dao Assembly, waiting for him to break through to the Profound Realm.

But the autumn harvest seems to have drawn those diverted gazes back.

If last year's autumn harvest made the immortal villages of Fengzhou fear Ji You, who had returned from the sacred land of the sages, then his threat to the immortal villages of Fengzhou should have vanished without a trace, since he had not even entered the realm of Dao Integration. No one understood why those immortal villages did not even put up a fight.

Cao Jingsong naturally knew the reason, and upon seeing the returning Immortal Manor, he couldn't help but ask, "They've made their move?"

Ji You shook her head: "It was just a greeting."

"That must hurt a lot too..."

Cao Jingsong had no doubt about Ji You's current strength.

Ji You looked southwest over the wall and asked, "The people from the Head of the Affairs Office haven't returned yet?"

"Not only that, but a few days ago even the three managers left, and several elders also left the Heavenly Academy. I don't think I'll get my salary this month."

Ji You was deep in thought when she suddenly heard footsteps outside the door.

Wen Siyuan, the head of the academy, arrived here, pushed open the door, and slowly bowed: "I just heard people talking in the courtyard that Junior Brother Ji has returned. I didn't expect it to be true."

Upon seeing him, Ji You immediately said, "Senior Brother Wen, you've come at the perfect time. I have something I'd like to ask you."

"Junior Brother Ji, please speak freely."

"What is the purpose of the Director of the Imperial Household Department's trip this time?"

"This... I don't know either. The location and mission of the senior brothers in the Upper Five Realms sent out by the Dean of Affairs are kept secret. I came here today with a letter from you, which has been sitting for three days."

Wen Siyuan reached out, took out the letter, and handed it to Ji You.

The letter contained only a single line of small print, listing the name of Chunhua Inn and the room number.

Ji You originally thought the letter came from Lingjian Mountain, but she never expected it to be sent from Shengjing City.

In Shengjing, the only person who would send him a letter was Kuang Cheng, but Kuang Cheng had only just parted ways with him.

Moreover, the letter was unsigned, which is not in Kuang Cheng's style.

After observing the font, Ji You felt it looked familiar, so he got up and left the Heavenly Academy.

After arriving at the inn, Ji You went to the second-floor room according to the assigned room location and pushed open the door.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu were sitting in the inn when they saw him and immediately got up.

"Uncle."

"Son."

Neither of them wore the sword robes of Lingjian Mountain, but instead changed into ordinary dresses. Their beautiful figures made the fabric bulge, making them look exquisite and pert.

After closing the door, Ji You looked at them and asked, "Why did you come to Shengjing?"

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu exchanged a glance: "Young Master wrote to the Master earlier to ask about Dou Yuankong. The Master felt that sending a letter was not safe, so he specially sent the two of us over."

Upon hearing this, Ji You's expression gradually became serious.

Judging from their tone, this matter is indeed very serious.

"What happened?"

"The seven major immortal sects tracked down Dou Yuankong's whereabouts and discovered someone who could transform into an evil seed."

(End of this chapter)