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Chapter 352 This is blatant robbery!
Master Chen's disappearance had already been noticed at the time, and Lao Qiu had searched for him several times, but all to no avail.

However, the situation at that time was changing rapidly. They were also with a group of children, and if they couldn't find them, they had no choice but to give up and return home first.

After they returned to Fengzhou, Lao Qiu specially entrusted the Lingjian Mountain disciples who escorted them, hoping that they could help find Master Chen's whereabouts after they returned.

But to this day, he has not received any reply.

Upon hearing this, Ji You couldn't help but frown slightly.

He only remembered Master Chen, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, after seeing the child, so he casually asked about him. He never expected to get such an unexpected result, which left him feeling bewildered.

According to Lao Qiu's description, Master Chen disappeared just as the demons of the Immortal Realm emerged from the ruins.

The zombie horde had already retreated and was no longer ravaging the land, so Master Chen should not be in any danger if he leaves alone.

What puzzled him was that the old man was usually afraid of thunder and lived a very cautious life, so why would he suddenly run around in such a complicated environment?

"Although the Master is just a mortal, he is always cautious and careful. I think he will be fine."

Kuang Cheng straightened his back slightly: "We can ask the merchants in various places to keep an eye out. The teacher only knows how to teach and has no other means of making a living. He must be starving and might come to collect relief."

Ji You nodded: "Now we can only look on the bright side."

He picked up the grain register again and then continued to discuss the unfinished matter of selling grain with Kuang Cheng.

As dusk fell and the light rain stopped, a brilliant rainbow appeared in the sky over Fengzhou.

The setting sun's rays shone through the misty vapor, making the entire sky appear as if it were ablaze.

After a short rest, Cao Jingsong and the others were chatting with Pei Ruyi and the others in the courtyard.

When Ji You received Yan Shuyi's letter and learned that Danzong was in trouble, he rushed to Danshan. Meanwhile, the disciples of Lingjian Mountain came to Fengzhou to pick up all the people from Ji Village.

However, Pei Ruyi did not leave with them, but instead moved into Fengzhou Prefecture and kept a close eye on Ji Village.

She knew about the surging tide of corpses and had seen the bursting divine light in the south, but she was not clear about the details. Only now, after Cao Jingsong murmured his story, did she learn the whole picture.

Besides the evil deeds of the sorcerers, she also learned from Cao Jingsong about the passing of her sect leader, leaving her somewhat dazed.

Although none of the younger generation of disciples of the Heavenly Academy had ever seen the true face of the sect leader, they had always admired the old man who was known as the strongest in the world, and felt that he should have left in a grand and spectacular way, and should not have left so quietly.

"I've heard that when one ascends to immortality, there is a celestial light to guide them, and the vast celestial might is visible for thousands of miles. Is that true?"

"We don't know either."

"Why is that?" Pei Ruyi asked, somewhat surprised.

"Because the old sect leader left very peacefully, almost no one has witnessed that legendary scene," Cao Jingsong explained.

At the time, Ji You was unconscious, which distracted them, and they didn't pay much attention to the matter.

However, the death of the headmaster of the Heavenly Academy actually caused a great stir in the academy, and people were still discussing it even after Ji You woke up.

Many people feel that the old sect leader's ascension is different from the records of Qingyun, especially since there was no divine light to guide him, which seems a bit strange.

Pei Ruyi seemed thoughtful after hearing this, but couldn't glean anything from Instructor Cao's description.

After all, for ordinary cultivators, ascension is too far out of reach. In addition, the last ascension was three hundred years ago by the Xuan Yuan Sect Leader. Almost all of the older generation who experienced that ascension have returned to the heavens, and no one knows whether ascension is really like that.

She slowly came to her senses and looked at the different style of immortal robe the instructor was wearing: "So the instructor became an elder after the sect leader passed away?"

“That’s right. I have now moved to the inner courtyard, but the Elders’ Council has granted me permission to continue teaching in the outer courtyard.”

Pei Ruyi was somewhat surprised: "What kind of techniques did the instructor incorporate into the Heavenly Dao?"

Cao Jingsong clicked his tongue: "Not at all."

"Then how were you able to be promoted to the position of elder?"

"It is probably my decades of hard work that have won the respect of everyone at Tianshu Academy."

"?"

As we chatted, wisps of smoke rose from the kitchen of Jizhai, and soon the aroma of food wafted in on the autumn breeze.

Old Qiu's wife, accompanied by the women who helped out of the house, carried food along the corridor and laid out a dazzling array of dishes on the round table in the main hall, instantly making everyone feel hungry. So they got up and headed towards the main hall.

Ji You and Kuang Cheng had finished discussing the matter of selling grain and arrived from the backyard ahead of time, where they had already taken their seats.

Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu had just arrived at their room to rest when they gracefully came from the side courtyard.

Next came the Lu sisters.

Since it was their first time visiting Fengzhou, their curiosity remained undiminished.

I wandered around Ji Village in the afternoon despite the light rain, and only went out for another stroll after the rain stopped.

It must be said that the atmosphere in Fengzhou is indeed different from that in the other eight prefectures.

Lu Qingqiu gradually began to understand why Ji You returned to Fengzhou immediately after entering the inner courtyard and established a powerful family through forceful means. He also began to understand why Ji You had been unwilling to get close to the immortal sects and powerful families all these years.

"Senior Sister Pei, during the time I was away from Ji Village, I am so grateful to have you watching over us."

“Since leaving Tianshu Academy, I have taken Jizhai as my home, so junior brother, you don’t need to be so polite with me.”

"..."

"Young Master Kuang, how are things going with your discussions regarding the grain?"

"We will begin shipping out the warehouse tomorrow, and the goods will be counted and then transported out."

"..."

"That's strange, why didn't we see Master Chen, who's always loitering in the corridor, this time?"

"Master Chen is lost."

"?"

As night fell, everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to eat and chat.

Ji You thanked Pei Ruyi and inquired about the Lu sisters' feelings in Fengzhou. She also discussed with Kuang Cheng the specific details of the grain carts leaving Fengzhou the next day.

As we were chatting, a loud "bang" suddenly came from the dinner table.

Old Qiu and his wife came from the kitchen to serve everyone, and one dish was placed separately in front of Ji You.

It was a bowl of soup with a long piece of meat stewing inside, along with ginseng, polygonatum, and lamb kidneys.

The moment this bowl of soup, which could make elephants fly, was placed on the table, it instantly silenced the murmurs of the crowd and drew everyone's attention.

At this moment, Lao Qiu put away the soup plate and quietly placed a spoon into it.

The young master is bringing back more and more women, but there's still no sign of him having children, which is really worrying.

When people are anxious, they tend to overthink.

He lived in Lingjian Mountain for a long time and often saw his young mistress staring at their little baby from Fengzhou. He also learned from Qiu Ru that his young mistress often stroked her lower abdomen.

That means the young mistress wants to have a child.

Then why hasn't she been born yet?
Old Qiu had a sudden inspiration and wondered if his young master was not quite good at it.

Thus, this inexhaustible tonic soup came into being, and you can tell how potent it is just by looking at it.

Ji You looked at the soup in front of her and couldn't help but twitch her lips. Then she turned and exchanged a glance with Qiu Zhong.

He naturally knew what Lao Qiu was thinking.

Before I met Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caiwei, I urged him to find a girlfriend. After I met them, I urged him to have children.

Now that's great, we can start working directly from the "root cause"!

The atmosphere at the dinner table became somewhat strange after the bowl of soup was served, especially among the women at the table, whose eyes darted around.

The two Lu sisters had only nominally suffered the ordeal, but in reality they knew nothing. Seeing this scene, they couldn't help but blush and let their imaginations run wild.

Those who had seen them before, such as Ding Yao, Zhuo Wanqiu, and Wen Zhengxin, were clearly somewhat afraid.

Just then, Ji You suddenly moved.

He picked up a spoon, cut the long, deadly weapon in two, put one piece into a bowl, filled it with soup, and handed it to Kuang Cheng.

He doesn't need any more help; he's just too strong.

If we continue, Yan Shuyi will wet the bed again, and Yuan Caiwei will have to refine elixirs again.

However, he felt that Kuang Cheng needed to catch up, because in his opinion, Lao Kuang and Wei Rui's progress was too slow.

Upon seeing this, Wei Rui's face instantly turned bright red, and she lowered her head, not daring to utter a sound.

"Brother Ji, this is unacceptable."

"Yes, yes, don't be so polite with me."

Ji You refused Kuang Cheng's postponement, then took another bowl, pondered for a long time, and gave the remaining half to Cao Jingsong.

Old Cao was so angry that his beard stood on end. He thought to himself, "You unfilial disciple, I am still a novice!"
What do you want your teacher to do? What do you want your teacher to do?
Ji You pretended not to see Cao Jingsong's embarrassment, sat down and began to pick up some food for herself, and symbolically drank two sips of soup.

After all, it was specially prepared by Lao Qiu, so he couldn't very well refuse to drink it.

However, just as he put the soup into his mouth, he saw Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu sitting diagonally opposite him looking embarrassed. Even after dinner, when they helped Ji You get water to wash up, they did it together, as if they felt that one person couldn't manage.

Ji You felt like she was being treated like a pervert who raped people indiscriminately, so she slapped them both.

Under the deep darkness of night, Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu rubbed their buttocks as they left the room, their red lips lightly biting.

The Lu sisters stayed in the second room of the east wing. After three days of travel and a whole afternoon of leisurely strolling around, they went to bed early as soon as they got back to their room.

In the utter silence, their breathing was exceptionally even, as if they were lost in a dream.

However, not long after, Lu Hanyan opened her eyes slightly and began to move her body quietly.

But before she could get up, the second young lady of the Lu family noticed that her older sister was looking at her with bright eyes, so she remained silent for a while and then lay back down.

Lu Qingqiu knew that his younger sister was trying to offer herself as a concubine whenever she had the chance.

Under normal circumstances, she certainly wouldn't have stopped her, because she might have already gone first.

But after meeting Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu, she always felt that Ji You's harem was more complicated than she had imagined.

Born into a family of spirit stone enthusiasts, she was used to thinking things through before taking any action and felt that she should observe the situation carefully before making a decision.

As the stars and moon revolve, dawn gradually breaks.

Ji You got up early, washed up, and went to the courtyard. After stretching, she walked towards Kuang Cheng's room.

Kuang Cheng had already gotten up and was drinking tea in his room when he saw Ji You. He came out of his room and into the courtyard, looking energetic and clearly having had a good rest.

This disappointed Ji You somewhat.

What a load of rubbish! He clearly drank soup yesterday, but he still slept alone.

"The governor's steward came early this morning and talked with me for a long time. He said that the carriages were ready, the selected personnel had all boarded the carriages, and the grain could be transported."

"You've been busy with all this so early in the morning?"

Kuang Cheng turned to look at Ji You: "Otherwise, what are you busy with?"

Ji You smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll give you a pain reliever for your lower back after Caiwei comes over."

"?"

Kuang Cheng didn't understand, and then he saw Ji You turn and walk towards the door, so he followed and walked all the way to the front of Fengzhou Prefecture.

Governor He Zhang received the notice to transport grain yesterday, and got up earlier than them, having already prepared all the grain carts.

Hundreds of horse-drawn carriages lined up in a row on the road, creating a spectacular sight.

As workers entered and exited the granary, the first twelve carriages were loaded and began to slowly move along the official road under the whips of their drivers.

Along with the vehicle, there were also some refugees who had fled from elsewhere.

They weren't kicked out; rather, these people all had previous business experience and were now employed by the Wulu Trading Company.

Ji You called this the manager system.

The Wulu Trading Company was originally built to provide relief to disaster victims and was not for profit; it had only one purpose: relief.

But now the opportunity is good, so Ji You feels that Wulu Trading Company will be more useful at this moment.

"Manager Xu, do you still have grain in your warehouse?"

"Reporting to the Immortal Lord, the immortals of the Chen Clan came by the day before yesterday, and now there isn't even a single grain left in my grain storehouse."

"Stop talking nonsense and figure something out quickly."

"This... I really have no other choice."

As the weather grew colder after late autumn, the internal strife among humans gradually subsided, and the things that had been fought over and won were now mostly settled.

However, after a long struggle, many people began to realize that they had run out of food at home.

As a result, prominent families from all over the country began to search for grain stores and purchase and stockpile grain.

Cultivators can abstain from food, but they can't do it for too long. The most crucial thing is that the young disciples in the family who haven't reached the peak of the lower three realms still need to eat three meals a day.

The problem is that after a man-made disaster that could wipe out an entire clan, most of the grain depots in Qingyun Tianxia have no grain reserves left.

Even if there were any, all that grain had been taken away by the immortal sects who had planned ahead, and now it's practically impossible to buy even a single grain.

Some businesses had already quietly closed down while they were busy seizing the inheritances of those extinct families.

These aristocratic families can't be said to lack foresight; it's just that they've been worshipped by the masses for so long that they haven't engaged in production. Many of them don't even know how fruits, vegetables, and grains grow, so their reactions are naturally a bit slow.

Before long, prominent families from all over the country began to gather in Shengjing.

The Great Xia has always been a tool for cultivators to govern the people. They are in charge of all matters related to taxes and tributes. Now that there is a food shortage, they can only think of them.

During the Cold Dew season, Dou Xiong, the Minister of Revenue, was summoned to the palace and then ordered to work. In the Juxian Garden, he met the immortals from various states.

"Reporting back to the immortals, the Great Xia's national treasury is already empty."

"No?"

"The war in the northern border is intense, and the Great Xia treasury has been depleted by more than half. Now, taxes cannot be collected, and the treasury is already empty. Where can we store grain?"

The immortals, who were supported by the people, had never worried about food. It was only when disasters struck all at once that they realized their children might starve to death, which they found hard to believe.

However, just as the granaries across Qingyun were running low on grain, the Wulu Trading Company in major cities quietly opened and put up signs for selling grain around the same time.

In addition to grain, they also sell spirit seedlings.

This is good news, because there is food again, and even spirit seedlings. As soon as the news came, the sense of urgency in the hearts of the immortal sects and families was instantly reduced.

It was only at this moment that everyone remembered the joint land reclamation and joint farming that Ji You had carried out in Fengzhou a few years ago, and thought to themselves that he had really gotten away with it.

However, these aristocratic families were utterly bewildered by the prices listed by the merchants, and nearly cursed in the street.

"He could have just robbed it, but he still gave it food."

"This...this is robbery."

"Priority is given to exchanging magical artifacts, secret techniques, and spirit stones, but you have to queue up to buy grain with silver? He's really daring!"

"Humanity has suffered such a great calamity, beset by internal and external troubles. We should be united in our hatred of the enemy and overcome this difficult time together. How could he possibly want to take advantage of the crisis to amass wealth?"

"This Ji You is far too audacious. Does he think the Immortal Sect would allow him to do this?"

"That's right. We mustn't get angry now, or the Immortal Sect will certainly not let him off the hook. In a few days, he'll realize the consequences and will have no choice but to return the grain!"

The opening of Wulu Trading Company to sell grain did not cause a buying frenzy; instead, countless aristocratic families calmed down and began to observe quietly.

Since the aristocratic families had no grain reserves, the immortal sects naturally wouldn't have any either. In their view, Ji You's method of selling grain, which was no different from robbery, was simply impossible to continue.

But to their surprise, things didn't go as they had imagined.

Not long after the shop opened, news of Lingjian Mountain disciples going down the mountain to buy grain quickly came from the south, causing a stir.

According to the message, Xuanjian Peak, who purchased the grain, took out countless magical artifacts, spiritual treasures, and even some spells from the warehouse and bought up all the grain from several merchants in Lingzhou.

This news stunned the cultivation families, who never expected that Spirit Sword Mountain would directly accept his outrageous pricing.

The three stewards of the Imperial Household Department were also concerned about the food issue, and they were all taken aback when they heard the rumors.

Sure enough, I hadn't misheard the 'family matter' that day.

Good heavens, that high and mighty little appraiser is going to tear a hole in his own immortal sect for him.

However, they soon received an imperial order from Zuo Qiuyang to go down the mountain and purchase grain from the Wulu Trading Company.

So the three managers of the Imperial Household Department immediately went down the mountain, leading a large number of their disciples to Shengjing City, where they bought up all the grain from the surrounding shops.

Even though Wulu Trading Company belongs to Ji You, and Ji You is a disciple of Tianshu Academy, they still refuse to give discounts and even seem to want to raise prices. Their insistence on making a profit is giving them a headache.

Following Lingjian Mountain, Tianshu Academy also accepted the price, leaving all the powerful families of the six states completely baffled.

If it weren't for the fact that Lingjian Mountain and Tianshu Academy had always been at odds, they would have suspected that Ji You had joined forces with these two immortal sects to bleed them dry and then split the profits 50/50.

But in reality, the price Ji You set was not high at all.

He had fully considered the Qingyun family's ability to pay, knowing that this price was just a drop in the ocean compared to those immortal sects that had been exploiting the world for thousands of years.

As expected, after Lingjian Mountain and Tianshu Academy purchased grain, many small families couldn't help but make a move as the price of grain continued to rise.

However, after discussing the matter, many other prominent families did not rush to make a move.

"Grain prices have started to rise again. It seems that Ji You wants to make up for all the offerings that cultivators have consumed over the years."

"Don't worry, he's just trying to bleed us aristocratic families dry by setting such a high price. But it's not just cultivators who are starving. Have you thought about how the people of the other eight states can afford such a high price?"

"Does the head of the family mean that once we've spent a fortune to buy enough grain, he'll release a batch of cheap relief grain?"

“That’s right. Just think about his style of doing things. Back then, he risked cutting off the supply of spirit stones and angering the world in order to provide disaster relief. How could he not have relief food? So why should we be in such a hurry?”

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)