From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 200 Order
"Deputy Fan, there's a person kneeling at the yamen gate. I heard he's been kneeling there for over ten days. Do you know why?"

Tuoba Hongyang summoned Fan Kongye specifically to discuss this matter.

"Director, I just heard about this myself. I don't know what grievance he has suffered. I'll send someone to investigate."

Fan Kongye knew exactly what was going on, but he couldn't admit it on the surface.

"Ha, that person actually claimed that the Xue family of Yunze Mountain is a demonic cultivation force that trains demonic cultivators and kidnaps people for alchemy, but he couldn't produce a single piece of evidence. He's just slandering the Xue family's innocence based on rumors from the outside world. Isn't that laughable?"

Tuoba Hongyang's expression was a half-smile: "On another note, even the Prefect has heard about the Xue family. A few days ago, when I brought it up, he asked me to investigate it thoroughly..."

Your Excellency the Prefect?!
Upon hearing these four words, Fan Kongye trembled. The matter had alarmed the prefect; this was troublesome.

The Prefect of Yuanli County is the highest-ranking celestial official, in charge of all affairs, large and small, in the entire Yuanli County.

This vast Yuanli County, with its tens of thousands of ordinary people, countless independent cultivators, large and small cultivation families, and various sacred mountains and spiritual lands, is all under the jurisdiction of the county governor. One can imagine how high his status and how great his power are.

In Yuanli County, there are only four alchemy families that are officially recognized as capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills, and the Xue family is one of them.

The Xue family only gives their Foundation Establishment Pills to the Fan and Baili families; this is something all the high-ranking immortal officials know.

Recently, the Xue family has run into trouble, and the Demon Subduing Division has turned a blind eye. Anyone would assume that Fan Kongye, the deputy director of the Demon Subduing Division, is protecting the Xue family.

"Director, I will definitely handle this matter properly."

Upon hearing that the matter had alarmed the prefect, Fan Kongye quickly spoke up.

Tuoba Hongyang waved his hand: "It's nothing, I just mentioned it casually. Vice President Fan, let's talk about something else. How many Foundation Establishment cultivators does your Fan family have now?"

"Including me, there are nine people in total."

Fan Kongye didn't understand why the director suddenly asked this question, so he answered truthfully.

"Haha, your Fan family really produces a lot of talented people, even more than my family has Foundation Establishment cultivators."

On the surface, Tuoba Hongyang praised and envied the Fan family, but in reality, he was implying that the Fan family was more prominent than his own.

Fan Kongye understood the implication in his words and humbly flattered him, saying, "Director, you are joking. My family has just been lucky in recent years, which is why so many of our clansmen have been fortunate enough to achieve the Foundation Establishment stage. Besides, your family is in your mansion, which is like clouds in the sky, far beyond our reach."

Tuoba Hongyang's family in Yuanli County consisted only of his own descendants; he himself came from a Golden Core family in Zhennan Prefecture. Otherwise, he could not have held the high-ranking and powerful position of Director of the Demon Subduing Division.

In the entire Yuanli County, there are only a handful of important figures at the level of county governor and director of the Demon Subduing Division, and each of them has a powerful background.

Tuoba Hongyang didn't respond to this, as he was tired of hearing compliments about his family.

"It's not just your Fan family; there have been more and more Foundation Establishment cultivators in our Yuanli County these past few years. Too many Foundation Establishment cultivators are difficult to manage and can easily cause trouble."

He spoke subtly, but it was indeed the truth.

This was not just his opinion; several other supervisors, including the prefect, held similar views.

"..."

Fan Kongye pondered the meaning behind Tuoba Hongyang's words, lost in thought, a vague sense of foreboding rising within him.

His words seemed to be aimed at the Xue family.

Because of the recent rumors circulating about the Xue family?
I'm afraid it's not that simple.

Tuoba Hongyang said all he wanted to say. He didn't want to say too much, but he wanted to remind his subordinate, the deputy director, to keep a certain distance from the Xue family to avoid getting into trouble.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As the head of the Demon Subduing Division of Yuanli County, Tuoba Hongyang held an extremely high position.

With his high position and power, and having served as director for many years, how could he not know about the Xue family's affairs?
Zhao Qingbin, who was kneeling at the entrance of the yamen, was not the only one who came to the Demon Subduing Bureau to file a complaint.

Some of those who filed lawsuits against the Xue family were stopped by Fan Kongye, while some of the news reached Tuoba Hongyang's ears.

He simply didn't deliberately investigate or inquire; otherwise, he would definitely know everything about the Xue family.

Although he doesn't know the details of the Xue family's capture of girls for alchemy, he knows that the Xue family's methods are no different from those of demonic cultivators.

For so many years, he turned a blind eye and never interfered in the Xue family's affairs.

If the water is clear, there will be no fish.

He knew far too much about the dirty and sordid things happening behind the scenes; the Xue family's affairs were just one example.

To save face for Fan Kongye, he wouldn't bother with the Xue family unless things got too serious.

Tuoba Hongyang came from a Golden Core family in Zhennan Prefecture, and his vision was very different from that of ordinary people, and even ordinary immortal officials.

The Demon Extermination Bureau exists to "exterminate demons," that's true.

Ultimately, however, the purpose was not to protect an ordinary person, but to maintain the order of the imperial court.

Only by protecting the vast majority of ordinary people and maintaining their basic living order can the imperial court function stably.

Below the Celestial Dynasty, there is a clear hierarchy, with one layer pressing down on another.

Only when ordinary people can live safely can they farm, produce resources, and get married and have children.

A large population base is necessary to give rise to individual cultivators and cultivation families.

Cultivation families who occupy spiritual lands will cultivate spiritual plants, refine pills, and forge weapons, generating various cultivation resources. They will also pay substantial taxes on these occupied lands to the imperial court.

The "mountain occupation tax" paid annually by those sacred mountains and spiritual lands accounts for at least 30% of the revenue from the spiritual plants and other resources they produce.

At the very top of the imperial court are the royal families of the Qian Yuan Immortal Dynasty. They don't need to do anything; they simply rely on the rules and order to enjoy inexhaustible resources for cultivating immortality.

Tuoba Hongyang, the head of the Demon Subduing Division, was a middleman in the imperial court.

The imperial court gave him generous treatment and various rewards, and he also had ways to secretly collect spirit stones.

Therefore, he was also a member of the class supported by ordinary people.

As a mid-level official in the imperial court, he was a "tool" for managing his subordinates and also belonged to the vested interest group, which is why he maintained the rule of the imperial court.

That said, Tuoba Hongyang felt that the Xue family of Yunze Mountain had not done anything particularly cruel, after all, he had seen far more cruel methods.

In his view, the Xue family's practice of capturing people to refine pills was essentially the same as using the resources of ordinary people, and no different from the practices of most cultivators.

Such demonic cultivation methods are not very harmful as long as they do not disrupt the order at the lower levels.

The Demon Subduing Division usually targets rogue cultivators without any background; they kill one if they find one, and kill two if they find two.

The Xue family is different. They are at the same level as the Foundation Establishment families in Yuanli County and can refine Foundation Establishment Pills.

Tuoba Hongyang had previously ignored the Xue family, until recently when too much news about the Xue family had been circulating outside.

For hundreds of miles around Yunze Mountain, rumors were circulating about the Xue family training demonic cultivators to capture people, causing everyone to live in fear, especially those with girls around ten years old, who stayed by their side at all times, afraid that the Xue family would capture them.

This disrupted the order at the grassroots level, which Tuoba Hongyang could not tolerate.

This alone is not enough to warrant punishment for the Xue family. It's just a rumor; as long as the Xue family remains silent and bides their time for several decades, people will eventually forget about it.

The Xue family's mistake was that they were too high-profile.

This method of consistently producing Foundation Establishment Pills is enviable, but it is only supplied to the Fan family and the Baili family.

Fan Kongye's family boasts a total of nine Foundation Establishment cultivators, more than even Tuoba Hongyang's family. To some extent, this constitutes a "presumption of power." Yuanli County also does indeed produce more Foundation Establishment Pills.

Their Foundation Establishment Pills came not only from the four alchemy families in Yuanli County, but also from rewards from the imperial court.

Tuoba Hongyang didn't understand why those Foundation Establishment families were so keen on producing so many Foundation Establishment cultivators. Was it meaningful?

He had a Golden Core cultivator in his family, so he felt that no matter how many Foundation Establishment cultivators there were, they couldn't compare to a Golden Core cultivator. That was the real big shot who could command the wind and rain.

The fate of the Xue family is certainly not something that Tuoba Hongyang can decide alone.

This involves a Foundation Establishment and Alchemy family with a history spanning countless years. It was not something that a single Director of the Demon Subduing Division could decide. The Prefect, the Commander of the County Camp, the Director of the Forest Supervisor, and other high-ranking officials all participated in the discussion.

Judging from their tone, Tuoba Hongyang knew that the Xue family's fate was precarious, which is why he reminded Fan Kongye.

As for Zhao Qingbin kneeling at the yamen gate, it was merely a pretext for the Demon Extermination Bureau to launch an investigation into the Xue family.

Given Tuoba Hongyang's methods, if he truly disapproved, he wouldn't have made Zhao Qingbin kneel at the entrance of the yamen.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Yunze Mountain.

After leaving the Demon Subduing Bureau, Fan Kongye flew straight here.

He flew to the sky above Yunze Mountain, his divine sense spreading out and covering an area of ​​eight miles in radius, before descending towards Yunze Peak.

Under his divine sense, he discovered Xue Fanyu, Xue Weiwu, Xue Yimiao, and Xue Wanqiao, who had recently established his foundation.

As expected, four Foundation Establishment cultivators!
Fan Kongye arrived at Yunze Mountain as a guest. Logically, he shouldn't use his divine sense to explore, as this was Xue family territory, and using his divine sense would reveal many hidden "secrets."

Using one's divine sense on someone else's turf is tantamount to slapping someone in the face; it is a highly provocative and impolite act.

He arrived at the entrance of the Xue family's main hall, and soon all four Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Xue family were present.

They were scanned by divine sense and rushed over, each with a dark face and a very unpleasant expression.

Using your divine sense at someone else's house? Anyone who didn't know better would think an enemy was attacking their door.

Xue Fanyu's face was gloomy, and his words were filled with dissatisfaction: "I was unaware of Lord Fan's personal arrival. Please forgive my lack of proper welcome. But, Lord Fan, what urgent matter requires you to summon us with your divine sense?"

Xue Weiwu, standing beside him, was the strongest member of the Xue family. Half a year ago, he broke through his bottleneck and reached the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. He was only one minor realm lower than Fan Kongye, who was at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.

Xue Weiwu was outspoken and wore his words on his sleeve. He said directly, "Director Fan, isn't this going too far? Who uses their divine sense in someone else's home? What have we done to offend you?"

Fan Kongye came with a grudge: "You promised Foundation Establishment Pills a year ago, but you haven't given them to us yet. Now you're going back on your word and want to raise the price?"

The person who came to the Fan family last year was Fan Kongye's grandson, "Fan Xingya".

The Fan, Baili, and Xue families discussed the matter for several days before reaching a mutually satisfactory conclusion.

Later, Fan Kongye heard that the Baili family had successfully obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill, but the Xue family was still delaying in giving them their Foundation Establishment Pill.

This made him very unhappy.

The Xue family first delayed for several years, and then delayed again after reaching an agreement, which suggests that they had long harbored dissatisfaction with the agreement between the three families.

Currently, the Xue family has four Foundation Establishment cultivators, including Xue Weiwu, who is in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

As strength increases, so does influence, which Fan Kongye can understand.

He understood, but he was still very unhappy.

When Xue Fanyu heard Fan Kongye's question, he wanted to say something, but ultimately he didn't.

The fact that his family's "main medicine" had defected was simply unspeakable. To say it would only invite ridicule—that a Foundation Establishment family could allow a Qi Refining "main medicine" to escape right under their noses.

If Fan Kongye were to tell such a ridiculous story, he might use it as an excuse.

So Xue Fanyu could only suffer in silence, unable to express his bitterness.

"Lord Fan, please give us a little more time. We will stick to our original agreement and give you a Foundation Establishment Pill for every three thousand spirit stones."

Xue Fanyu made a concession: the price that had been agreed upon last time to be raised to four thousand spirit stones, he was willing to give up one thousand spirit stones and restore it to the original price of three thousand spirit stones.

"How long?"

"This……"

Xue Fanyu couldn't say for sure; the "nightmare" was truly beyond his expectations. His family had just found a suitable candidate for the next main ingredient, and it would take at least twenty years of training to refine it into a pill.

"Ah."

Fan Kongye knew this was Xue Fanyu's excuse for delaying.

A rift has appeared in the trust between them.

Fan Kongye didn't actually have a huge need for the Foundation Establishment Pills from the Xue family. As the deputy director of the Demon Subduing Division, he had access to Foundation Establishment Pills through official channels.

The Foundation Establishment Pill from the Xue family is only one source.

Therefore, the Fan family was able to have nine Foundation Establishment cultivators. Their family had no shortage of Foundation Establishment Pills recently; Fan Kongye even kept one for future use.

"There's something else. There's someone kneeling at the entrance of the Demon Subduing Bureau for over ten days, trying to file a complaint against you. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Fan Kongye could handle such a trivial matter, but given his recent strained relationship with the Xue family, he was unwilling to do anything for them.

"I've heard about it, I'll try to find a solution..."

When Xue Fanyu mentioned this matter, a murderous glint flashed deep in his eyes.

That family was just an ordinary landlord family, whom Xue Fanyu considered like ants on the ground, easily crushed with a single step.

First, the old man from that family came and was killed by the Xue family. Then his two sons came and were also killed by the Xue family.

Unexpectedly, the old man's grandson, Zhao Qingbin, was a rogue cultivator who had been diagnosed with spiritual roots and embarked on the path of cultivation.

Zhao Qingbin did not come to Yunze Mountain to find the Xue family, but went to the Demon Subduing Division of the Prefectural Government.

This was indeed a headache for Xue Fanyu.

If Zhao Qingbin hadn't been kneeling at the entrance of the yamen, Xue Fanyu would have already sent people to deal with him. His kneeling there, refusing to budge, prevented the Xue family from finding an opportunity to act.

"I heard from the director that it alarmed the prefect."

Fan Kongye, mindful of the long-standing bond between their families, reminded Xue Fanyu.

what?
Xue Fanyu trembled all over, and said incredulously, "Did Director Tuoba say that? It alarmed the Prefect? ​​What does that mean? What are Director Tuoba's thoughts? What is the Prefect's intention?"

Xue Fanyu's confidence, which had just been boosted by the improvement in his family's overall strength, crumbled upon hearing the words "Prefect."

A single sentence from those important figures is enough to make them ponder deeply and tremble with fear.

"The director didn't say much. I just reminded you to keep a low profile and not to upset those people."

Fan Kongye only speculated and didn't say anything more.

(End of this chapter)