Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 54 In the face of natural disaster, there is no room for sentiment.

orchard.

Xu Chuan watched silently from the shadows, showing no intention of intervening.

"Perhaps I overestimated the danger this time, since not a single person has died." Xu Chuan pondered inwardly, then shook his head and chuckled, "Not entirely. If my Xu family hadn't been prepared, although the Xu family mansion would have been safe, many guards would probably have died, and the orchards and farmland would have suffered huge losses."

On second thought, I realized that the ominous interpretation of the hexagram was generally correct.

He had thought there might be several peaks in the acquired realm, but he didn't see any of them.

"I wonder how the other places are?"

Seeing that only a few people remained, Xu Chuan suddenly stepped forward and shouted, "Stop fighting!"

"Daddy?"

"Master of the house."

Xu Mingyuan and Xu Mingxian walked to Xu Chuan's side, while the other guards bowed respectfully.

"Where is your stronghold? Take us there."

"Yes, yes, we'll take you there immediately."

Seeing that they had a chance to live, the last two immediately knelt down and kowtowed, leading the way for Xu Chuan and the others.

They left not long ago.

The encirclement and killing operations in other locations also ceased, marking a resounding victory.

More than half an hour later.

They arrived at a large mansion in Huanxi Village, about fifty or sixty li east of Dongxi Village.

In the corner of the hall, there were piles of grain, some fruits and vegetables, and some wild game.

"Master Xu, please spare our lives, considering how cooperative we have been. We were also captured by those bandits."

They are powerful, so we have no choice but to obey them.

The two men kowtowed repeatedly, humbled to the point of dust.

"In the face of natural disasters, there is no room for sentimentality."

"Anyone who offends the Xu family shall die!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a flash of silver light appeared.

A sword strike draws blood.

Two blood flowers.

"Move everything back."

"Yes, master."

The guards remained unmoved, showing no pity whatsoever.

If they hadn't been in the Xu family's territory, they might have been just another skeleton lying on the roadside during this drought, or perhaps one of these bandits.

Natural disasters are merciless; all they can do is protect themselves.

As for those who infringe upon their interests, they will fight to the death even without Xu Chuan's orders.

The guards somehow found several carts, loaded everything onto them, and returned to the Xu family.

The Xu family guards barely slept all night.

While moving and disposing of the corpses, they found a considerable amount of silver on the bandits, totaling more than ten thousand taels.

No one dared to keep any for themselves; they all handed them over.

Among them were several internal energy cultivation manuals and some Qi and blood pills.

"The Art of Animal Taming?"

Xu Mingwei flipped through it and found it quite interesting. "Xueji should like it."

Not long after, Xu Mingshu returned riding a white tiger, wanting to claim credit from Xu Chuan, but was told he wasn't there.

"Xueji, take a look at this."

Xu Mingshu glanced at it casually, "These records of the habits of so many ferocious beasts are quite interesting. Big brother, let me look at them for a few days and I'll return them to you."

"Take it. I guess you're the only one in the Xu family who would need it."

"Thank you, brother. I'm a little tired, so I'll go back to sleep now."

"Hmm." Xu Mingwei nodded slightly.

Soon after, Xu Mingxuan returned, followed by Xu Chuan, Xu Mingyuan, and Xu Mingxian.

Xu Mingyuan accompanied Xu Mingwei in handling and registering the stolen goods.

The rest went back to sleep.

The next day.

The Xu family patrol team returned to a three-shift system.

All the guards also received a month's wages as a reward.

None of them complained.

They could see that the greatest contribution came from the young masters and Miss Xueji, while they were merely playing a supporting role. Following such a powerful family, they were willing to do so even without the reward.

Xu Mingwei showed the completed register to Xu Chuan.

Xu Chuan glanced at it casually, but there was nothing special about it. He then asked about "Beast Taming Techniques".

Hearing that Xu Mingshu had borrowed it, he stopped asking questions.

"This harvest, plus our existing grain reserves, should be enough to sustain our Xu family for another year and a half."

"Hmm." Xu Chuan replied casually, then thought for a moment and added, "It's been more than half a year since the drought first appeared, and it should be over in a month or two at most."

"Will it rain?"

Xu Chuan shook his head. "I don't know, but the Great Wei Dynasty probably won't stand idly by."

"Otherwise, a large number of disaster victims would have stormed the county town."

“Those powerful families in the prefectures, considering their own interests, will surely work together to get the imperial court to send celestial officials to resolve the issue.”

"Drought is more harmful than flood. Floods can be mitigated by opening up river channels and diverting water, but drought will inevitably lead to the extinction of all things and widespread famine."

Upon hearing this, both Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan expressed their strong agreement.

Water is the source of life and the root of all things.

Without water, no living thing can survive.

Even if they fled, if there was a severe drought within a thousand miles, where could they escape to? They would still end up starving to death on the way.

“But Father, the nearby water sources are almost dried up,” Xu Mingwei said.

"The fruits and vegetables in the farmland and forests have all been harvested. If it is really difficult, then the water supply to the medicinal herb fields will be temporarily stopped. With gauze covering them, the autumn dew will condense at night, and they can barely survive."

"There's even less need for the mountains and forests."

"We also sent people to dig a deep well over Bihan Pool. The water level in Bihan Pool hasn't dropped at all, which means there should be a water vein underground in that area. If we're lucky, we might succeed."

"The water in Bihan Pool can also be used. Ordinary people would freeze to death if they touched it, but top-notch martial artists can still transport the water down. After letting it stand for a day and a night, it can be boiled and drunk normally."

"Yes, Dad."

Both of them deeply admired Xu Chuan's wisdom.

Having experienced this severe drought, Xu Chuan gained a deeper understanding of the Great Wei Dynasty.

They did not pay much attention to the management of the counties and prefectures.

As long as the foundation of the dynasty is not shaken, it's fine.

Otherwise, how could no one have come to the rescue after months of drought?

The requests for help from various counties have probably already reached Yuehu County City like snowflakes.

The fact that Yuehu County City suppressed these messages most likely means that they did not pose a threat to the county city's rule or interests.

Simply put, the official positions in county towns and prefectures had a great deterrent effect on the common people.

But it has little deterrent effect on powerful families.

"Immortal cultivation and martial arts are one, with martial arts just being a formality. The Great Wei royal family definitely takes immortal cultivation as its foundation, and the imperial official system is only for the convenience of managing local areas."

Xu Chuan sighed inwardly.

Therefore, for the Xu family, whether or not someone holds an official position is of little significance.

If the opportunity arises, it would be no problem for a member of the Xu family to hold an official position, and he could also appropriately seek some benefits for the family.

Not taking the position won't result in a significant loss.

As long as the Xu family has enough resources, local officials cannot easily take action against them.

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Qingjiang County.

The major aristocratic families are all having a hard time.

Their own deep wells have almost all dried up, and they are searching for water everywhere.

County government.

Both Magistrate Wu and County Lieutenant Fang looked worried.

"No, people are starting to die in the county town. If this continues, many powerful families and wealthy merchants will rebel. If things get really out of hand, we two will probably not escape death."

“Brother Fang, we’ll make a trip to the surrounding counties tomorrow to invite our colleagues to join us in seeking help from the county seat.”

“Alright, that’s settled.” County Commandant Fang gritted his teeth and said, “If this continues, even if the powerful families don’t rebel, we’ll rebel ourselves.”

"There are many cultivators in the county seat who can use magic to bring rain, but there are very few traces of cultivators in the major county towns."

"The bigwigs in the county town are making our lives unbearable, so we'll make them suffer too."

That's a ruthless person!
Magistrate Wu looked at County Lieutenant Fang across from him, secretly pondering his next move.

　The third round of the PK will begin next Monday or Tuesday. Fellow Daoists, please lend me a hand! Remember to read the updates these two days!!!

　　I will still add an extra chapter on Monday and Tuesday to repay all my fellow cultivators for their heartfelt support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)