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Chapter 351 Murder and Confiscation of Property
"Those behind, hurry up and catch up! We're almost at Fengzhou, don't dawdle!"

"..."

As the war between You and Yun prefectures intensified, the flames of war began to spread for thousands of miles.

Along the official road eastward from Yunzhou, visible ash floated in the air, and a misty fog obscured the sky.

At this moment, countless roaring carriages were lined up in a vertical row and galloping all the way towards Fengzhou.

Leading the procession was the Tian family, a prominent clan from Youzhou, followed by the Duan family, the Mei family, and other aristocratic families.

They had already made arrangements with the noble families who had previously left Youyun and other prefectures to seek refuge in Fengzhou. In particular, the Tian family had been communicating with their in-laws, the Bian family, for many days. The Bian family said they would prepare a house and provisions for them, which made them feel much more at ease.

During the bumpy ride, a member of the Tian family flew through the air and landed on the shaft of the carriage at the front.

"Master of the house."

"speak."

The head of the Tian family, who was meditating, gently opened his eyes.

Upon hearing this, the disciple outside the curtain spoke up: "The Ba family of Youzhou and the Meng family of Yunzhou have also come along and have been traveling with us all the way."

"Trying to get a piece of the pie in Fengzhou? You've got a very good plan."

"Then what should we do?"

"Drive them all away, and leave a group of your own men to guard the official road."

"Yes!"

On the journey, at the command of the Tian family patriarch, these scions of the united aristocratic families immediately split into a group and headed in the opposite direction.

Upon seeing this, the minor families that were chasing at the back all stopped and, while being driven away, turned around and dispersed towards Zhongzhou and Qingzhou.

Upon seeing this, the members of the Mei and Duan families couldn't help but reveal a hint of relief.

There has always been a distinction between close and distant families in different states, and many have even become adversaries due to competition for clan lands and resources.

Although they were fleeing to another state to seek a way to survive, they still had to consider whether having too many people would affect their future, so they naturally did not want other aristocratic families to go with them.

Compared to the other eight states where powerful families were concentrated, Fengzhou was indeed an excellent place to go. However, given the closeness and distance between these families, it was not easy for some smaller families to flee to Fengzhou even if they wanted to.

After driving away the minor aristocratic families that had followed them, the Tian, ​​Mei, and Duan families continued their journey eastward in a grand procession, gradually arriving at the border of Fengzhou.

From packing their bags to their long journey, they had been traveling for up to eight days and were already quite exhausted.

At this time, they should have immediately entered Fengzhou, found a place to stay, and rested.

But in reality, as the carriages entered the border of Fengzhou, these fleeing noble families stopped in their tracks.

Because right in front of them, under a gloomy sky with a light drizzle, countless aristocratic families who had arrived earlier were gathering like a flowing river, unwillingly being driven away, heading towards the border.

"Brother Bian, what happened?"

"Ji You is back, and the Lan family head is dead..."

"?"

The head of the Tian family looked up and saw a carriage behind the crowd of people being driven away, carrying a corpse with a hole in its chest.

Judging from the marks alone, it's clear that it was shattered by a punch.

Around the vehicle frame, some young members of the Lan family staggered over, their faces filled with terror.

Upon seeing the corpse of the Lan family patriarch, they were all enraged and subsequently beaten severely, nearly losing their lives and becoming terrified.

rustling rustling-

In the chilly autumn rain, countless refugees who had fled from Youyun and Youyun provinces watched this scene with astonishment in their eyes.

More than a year ago, after Fengzhou announced tax cuts, almost all the people thought of going to Fengzhou to seek a way to make a living.

A small number of people acted decisively and successfully migrated, but most were controlled by the government and failed to achieve their goal.

Now, thanks to the turmoil, they have finally escaped, but for a time they felt that life wasn't so good.

They were still controlled by the noble families who had fled with them, forced to serve as servants, and even required to continue handing over the meager amount of food they had brought with them during their escape.

But they never dreamed that the immortals who had exploited them generation after generation would now be like stray dogs, being swept out of the house in full view of everyone.

In fact, these refugees are now somewhat confused as to whether Fengzhou does not accept refugees regardless of whether they are immortals or mortals.

However, just as they were kneeling, two figures appeared in front of them.

"Stop kneeling, gather together, and take your families to Fengzhou Prefecture first."

"May I ask you two immortals, what do we wish to do?"

"Take the food first to prepare for winter. Ji Zhai will arrange your livelihood. Just follow his instructions."

"Were those immortal lords driven away?"

Zhang Pingyang and Guo Zixing exchanged a glance: "That's right, in Fengzhou, immortals who don't work are worthless."

The refugees from the two states were bewildered, but then they got up from the ground and followed the two men southward, climbing the mountainside.

At the same time, Cao Jingsong and Ban Yangshu also stopped at the border.

"These aristocratic immortals are used to bullying others in their own clans and think that the whole world is the same. They deserve to be expelled today."

Ban Yangshu nodded: "After that old dog's body is taken out, I estimate that no one will dare to come here for a long time."

After driving the exiled noble families out of Fengzhou, Cao Jingsong and Ban Yangshu quickly returned to Fengzhou Prefecture.

However, on their way into the city, as they passed the Ziyun Manor, which was adjacent to the prefectural city, they saw more than a dozen empty carriages heading towards them, eventually stopping in front of the old manor.

Seeing this, the two exchanged a glance and then stepped into the courtyard.

The disciples of the Immortal Village from the Joint Harvest Brigade, as well as the private cultivators taken in by Ji Village, kept going in and out of the house, carrying out box after box of things and placing them in the courtyard after the entrance.

Inside were gold and silver valuables, spirit stones, and some magical artifacts.

This Purple Cloud Manor was originally the residence of the Lan family, and these things were brought back by them when they fled.

Ji You was squatting in front of these boxes, counting them one by one, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Getting rich again?"

"?"

Ji You turned to Cao Jingsong: "Have those people already been driven out?"

Cao Jingsong nodded: "They have all reached the outskirts of Fengzhou."

"If only we had left the body of the Lan family head, we wouldn't have been so ruthless."

"Why?"

Ji You picked up a gold ingot and tossed it around: "This way, maybe other noble families will come to rent the house."

Cao Jingsong's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "What the hell is renting a house? Those aristocratic families thought they could continue to enjoy their wealth after escaping to Fengzhou, but they probably never dreamed that even the last bit of their wealth would be emptied out."

"This is what they have been doing to us ordinary people for thousands of years. Now that we have only suffered this once, what is there to complain about?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside the door again.

The belongings left behind by other prominent families such as the Bian and Yue families were also delivered at this time and moved into the courtyard one by one, making the eyes of those who saw them light up.

Although these small families cannot compare to ancient clans with a history of thousands of years, they have been worshipped by the people for hundreds of years and their wealth is still quite substantial.

Sure enough, his career plan was right from the start, and the future of this ruthless bandit was truly bright.

"Please take inventory and then send it to my village."

"Yes!"

He Zhang summoned the clerk in charge of the household accounts and had him take stock of the rent left over from the immortal estates.

Everything that had been inventoried was loaded onto a cart and transported to Ji Village by horse-drawn carriage.

Good heavens, they've raided the house!

On both sides of the main road, the eyelids of countless lords and elders from outside the immortal manor twitched wildly, and then they quickly scattered to various corners, busily doing their work in a chaotic manner.

"Uncle, let me fetch you some water. You can rest."

"Little girl, don't cry. Come here, Grandpa will buy you some candy."

"Sister-in-law, the weather is getting colder, and you're pregnant. Let me wash these clothes for you."

The clever high-ranking officials of the Immortal Manor ran around doing all sorts of good deeds, earning praise from the people of Fengzhou.

In fact, since Fengzhou began joint harvesting and joint reclamation, there are very few disciples still registered in these immortal estates.

These immortal estates are now mostly empty, leaving only the estate owners and elders who maintain a slightly aloof demeanor.

After the Lan, Bian, Yue and other prominent families fled here, they actually had some connections with each other.

The Lan family even hosted a banquet, wanting to sit down and discuss philosophy with them.

Having learned their lesson from the previous slap, these manor lords didn't dare go; they only sent some of their nephews over for a drink.

Now, seeing the chilling yet exhilarated Lan family patriarch, and then looking at their entire fortune confiscated, they are extremely grateful that they didn't attend the banquet, and they have become more diligent and kind.

"..." "Have you heard? The Rege Plains have been completely lost. The Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion is completely surrounded. The Xuan Yuan disciples can only activate the mountain-protecting formation and pretend to be dead on the mountain."

"If even the Immortal Sect is in such a state, wouldn't the aristocratic families in these two states be in even worse shape?"

“Abandoning one’s ancestral land and wandering to other places is indeed more tragic.”

After the barbarian and demon races crossed the upper reaches of the Nu River, their offensive became increasingly fierce, and news of the human race's repeated defeats spread throughout the world.

Now, thirteen more cities have been captured, seemingly foreshadowing the complete fall of the two states.

As for cultivators, they are not particularly concerned about the war. Instead, after putting themselves in the shoes of the cultivators, they begin to think about the future of the exiled families.

"Where do you think those exiled families should go after they lose their ancestral lands?"

"Go to Fengzhou."

"Fengzhou?"

“That’s right. My uncle is an elder of the Yue family. Their clan’s territory is in Yunzhou. A few days ago, they sent a message saying that they have already led their clansmen to Fengzhou.”

“Fengzhou, you know what... it might actually be a good place to go.”

Why would Fengzhou be a good place to go?

“In recent years, Fengzhou’s grain production has been increasing. It is said that spiritual seedlings have been cultivated and planted on a large scale. According to the Qingyun Immortal Rules, aristocratic families who have temporarily fled can settle down through marriage. In addition, Fengzhou is a large and resource-rich place, so it may be even better than before.”

Fengzhou and Youyun are both located in the northern region and are not far apart.

This place is vast and rich in resources, and it has developed extremely rapidly in recent years, making it an excellent choice.

Many aristocratic families who had fled to Shengjing heard the discussions in teahouses and taverns and couldn't help but start to consider whether it would be better to go to Fengzhou.

Given the current situation, it is virtually impossible for the human race to reclaim their lost territory in the short term; they need to make longer-term plans for their families.

However, amidst the discussions, the crowd in the teahouse and tavern was suddenly drawn to the view in front of the north city gate.

Before their eyes, a large number of weary-looking cultivators were pouring into the city.

Some faces were completely unfamiliar to the locals of Shengjing, but were very familiar to the other prominent families from Youyun and Youyun who had fled there earlier.

"Isn't that the Bian family patriarch? Strange, I remember they fled to Fengzhou a long time ago, why are they here?"

"And my in-laws, they even contacted me about two weeks ago, wanting to invite me to Fengzhou for a get-together."

"Look, that person in the car..."

"It's the head of the Lan family... How did he die?"

The crowds poured into the city, drawing the attention of everyone in the teahouses and taverns.

Such a grand and unusual event always makes people want to investigate why. So, several figures left the teahouse and went out onto the street to greet and talk to these people.

Most of them were just making excuses for their friends' inquiries, such as those from the Bian and Yue families, simply claiming that they weren't used to living in Fengzhou.

After all, they still wanted to save face for themselves and didn't want to tell others that they had arrogantly gone to Fengzhou Prefecture to ask for grain and spirit stones, only to have their leader beaten to death with two punches and the rest of them kicked out.

However, there are never any secrets in Qingyun Tianxia.

Besides, so what if the living conditions aren't comfortable? The head of the Lan family can't be so uncomfortable that his chest is about to burst open.

Before long, the real reason began to circulate throughout Shengjing.

"Killed by Ji You's punch?"

"Yes, it is said that they thought Ji You was still unconscious, so they went to Fengzhou Prefecture together and asked them to bring out the Snow Region Demon Stone inventory and 60% of the grain. As a result, they ran into them, and now all the exiled noble families have been driven out."

"So, you acted so decisively?"

"Not only that, it is said that he also confiscated all the valuables that these aristocratic families took with them when they fled."

"Bandits..."

Interesting and novel stories that can spark heated discussions always spread very quickly, and soon they reached the Heavenly Academy, causing everyone to fall silent.

Many years ago, it was rumored that Ji You didn't want to be admitted to the academy at all, but instead wanted to become a bandit after completing his private cultivation.

The reason he later joined the Heavenly Academy was simply out of desperation to save a little girl.

At the time, many people scoffed at this, thinking that this rural private repairman was deliberately trying to raise his own status.

But only now have they realized that those rumors were true.

He truly looked down on the status of a disciple of the Immortal Sect and longed to become a ruthless bandit.

Thinking about their arrogant and haughty demeanor after entering the Immortal Sect, and how they always had to act like immortals whenever they went out, they suddenly felt that the spiritual tea in their hands was not so fragrant anymore.

However, they were unaware that this reform, now in Ji You's hands, was only just beginning.

rustling --

In the midst of the cold rain falling on Ji Village, Lu Hanyan was strolling around with her older sister, exploring the entire courtyard.

As for Lu Qingqiu, she had no interest in appreciating the scenery, but subconsciously kept an eye on Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu.

In fact, after entering Ji Village, she had been trying to strike up a conversation with the two men, but they pretended to have never seen her before and she didn't get any information out of them.

However, after careful observation, Miss Lu discovered that they were very familiar with Ji You's residence, and the people in Ji Village would greet them when they saw them, so it was clear that this was not their first time here.

More importantly, Miss Wei, the sweetheart of that young master Kuang, seemed to be quite familiar with them as well.

In the tea pavilion where the rain pattered on the bamboo leaves, Lu Qingqiu was looking around when he heard a commotion, so he turned his head to look.

One carriage after another arrived outside the gate, and then people began carrying boxes into the courtyard.

Ji You appeared with them and went into the main hall after being admitted to the hospital.

Despite the dim light from the rain and the gloomy atmosphere in the hall, Ji You recognized the person approaching at a glance.

One of them was Kuang Cheng, who had come with him. After returning to Ji Village, he had rested for an hour and his fatigue had lessened considerably.

The other person, however, surprised him somewhat.

"Old Qiu? Weren't you at Spirit Sword Mountain? Why did you suddenly come back?"

"Replying to your question, young master, the young mistress said it was not safe on the mountain, so she had someone send us back several months ago."

Where is Qiu Ru?

"It's in the backyard."

Ji You nodded: "It's good that you're here. After the zombie horde, a large number of fertile fields were destroyed, and Qingyun will inevitably face a food shortage this winter. Kuang Cheng and I are talking about distributing the food."

After hearing this, Old Qiu turned slightly to the side and said, "Young Master Kuang told me after he came back that I have prepared everything, including the grain register. Please come with me, Young Master."

The three of them passed through the back door of the main hall and then arrived at the study.

Upon entering, one finds that the grain registers of Fengzhou have been neatly stacked, and next to them is another file, the newly made Yellow Register of Fengzhou.

In the past six months, the population of Fengzhou has increased by more than 100,000.

Eighty percent of them were refugees who had fled from Yunzhou and Youzhou. After the outbreak of the zombie horde, people from the other six states also took advantage of the chaos to escape and even participated in the autumn harvest in Fengzhou.

Now that they have all registered in Fengzhou, they can be considered to have settled down completely.

"Although some of the refugees from Kyushu have risked their lives to escape to Fengzhou, many others are still in exile. After the zombie horde destroyed the farmland, they will probably have a very difficult winter."

Kuang Cheng, holding the grain register, looked at Ji You: "I think we can use the previous method of signing labor contracts to hire people to work in Fengzhou and then distributing relief grains there again."

Ji You looked up at Kuang Cheng: "I have a question."

"question?"

"Due to the disaster, the Great Xia Dynasty has not received any offerings this year. Now, not only are the common people short of food, but the aristocratic families are also in a state of food shortage. Although cultivators can go without grains for a long time, they cannot go hungry forever, especially since each family has hundreds or thousands of members."

Kuang Cheng frowned slightly after hearing this: "Do you think the relief grain will ultimately not reach ordinary people?"

Ji You nodded: "That's highly likely."

The two were chatting when a burst of laughter came from outside the door.

At this moment, Qiu Ru was playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) with a group of teenagers in the yard, and they kicked the ball all the way to the door of the study.

Old Qiu was right at the door. Seeing them coming, he immediately chased them away, telling them to go play somewhere else and not to disturb the young master's discussion of official business.

However, upon seeing this scene, Ji You couldn't help but pause slightly and put down the case file in her hand.

"Old Qiu?"

"Master, what's wrong?"

"Where did Master Chen go?"

Ji You suddenly remembered that since everyone in Ji Village had returned from Lingjian Mountain, why had he never seen Master Chen?

Upon hearing this, Old Qiu turned around and said, "Young Master, Master Chen disappeared when the Young Madam escorted us down the mountain."

"You got separated?"

“It was chaotic on the mountain at the time, and I don’t know whether he disappeared on the way down or on the mountain. But I think it’s probably not that he got separated from his family, because he took his two bundles and a gourd with him when he left.”

(End of this chapter)