Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

To the west of Yumen Market, there is a high mountain called Cicada Mountain.

The mountains are thousands of feet high, the terrain is winding, the trees are lush and green, and streams often flow through them, creating a vibrant and lively landscape.

Pavilions and towers, with figures moving about, can be vaguely seen in the mountains, but the thin mist obscures them.

This mountain is the ancestral spiritual land of the Hou family, a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan.

Although the three major families are the actual rulers of Yumen Market, their clan territories are mostly located outside the market.

This is because there is only one first-grade high-quality spiritual vein inside Yumen Market. The central location can barely reach the second grade through a special formation, but it is only enough for one Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Therefore, after discussion, the three families decided to each establish their own foundations and take turns to oversee the market, with each term lasting ten years.

Today is the day the Hou family gathers its spiritual workers once a year to pay their spiritual taxes.

The sun was still high in the sky. By the time Qu Ye arrived, more than forty cultivators had already gathered on the spacious stone platform at the foot of Cicada's Cry Mountain.

The crowd was much quieter than in previous years. No one was chatting or complaining about the poor harvest; everyone stayed quietly in their places.

Several men who raised spirit birds squatted on the edge of the stone platform, talking in hushed tones, their eyes occasionally glancing toward the mountain path.

He also saw Old Liu, who was puffing on his pipe, his eyes lowered, no longer the smiling man he usually was.

It seems they've all heard some rumors.

Qu Ye found an inconspicuous spot to stand and scanned his surroundings.

The center of the stone platform was now empty, and the tables and chairs that had been used to collect spirit taxes had been moved to a corner.

Instead, there was a thick wooden stake, about the size of a bowl and waist-high, wrapped with an iron chain. The surface of the chain was dark red and black, as if it had been repeatedly soaked in something.

"This…"

Qu Ye's eyes flickered slightly, and he roughly guessed the purpose of this item.

Is the Hou family planning to make an example of someone?

But he didn't show anything unusual; he only glanced at it before looking away.

A moment later, the faint conversation that had been going on disappeared, and footsteps came from the mountain path.

Hou Fangping walked at the front, followed by four Hou family disciples, each with a magical artifact hanging from their waist.

Two of the disciples were pushing a ragged middle-aged man, his hands tied behind his back and his mouth stuffed with rags, onto the stone platform, making him stagger.

The man was covered in wounds, barefoot, with the soles of his feet worn raw, leaving a trail of pale red footprints on the stone slab.

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but let out a soft hiss.

"Is everyone here?" Hou Fangping stood next to the wooden stake, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Without waiting for anyone's reply, he nodded to the two disciples holding the man, signaling them to force the man to kneel on the ground.

The man trembled all over, and his knee slammed hard against the stone slab with a dull thud.

"I believe everyone has heard about the loss of the spirit beast." Hou Fangping's voice wasn't loud, but everyone on the stone platform could hear him clearly.

"This man is Chen Wang. You should be familiar with him. He is a Spirit Contract Worker, just like you." He pointed to the man.

"It was he who colluded with the thief, leaking information and helping the other side steal the clan's spirit beast."

"Chen Wang, do you plead guilty?"

The man nodded frantically, making muffled whimpering sounds, his face covered in tears and snot.

Hou Fangping raised his chin, and a disciple stepped forward to pull the rag out of the man's mouth.

Chen Wang immediately cried out hoarsely, "Manager Hou, spare my life! It was my mistake. My son just had his spiritual root tested, and we simply couldn't gather enough spiritual resources, so..."

"Shut up!" Hou Fangping interrupted him, using his magic to silence Chen Wang as if he had been choked.

Then, he turned to the crowd, his voice as calm as if he were discussing an everyday matter:

"You know how the Hou family has treated you. We not only provide you with lodging, but also pay you a fair wage."

"But this person is a traitor who betrayed his master. According to the contents of the spiritual contract, he should be executed."

When he said the word "诛" (zhū, meaning to punish or kill), his tone was completely flat.

The two disciples dragged Chen Wang up from the ground and tied him to a wooden stake. Chen Wang struggled desperately, kicking his legs wildly.

Hou Fangping drew a short blade from his waist and channeled his spiritual energy into it.

"This is what happens when you betray someone."

The short blade fell, piercing Chen Wang's abdomen.

As blood splattered, a "poof" sound came from Chen Wang's dantian, and his magical power instantly dissipated, turning him into a mortal.

Chen Wang stopped struggling, his eyes glazed over.

Years of accumulated knowledge and skills have vanished into thin air; there is nothing more despairing for cultivators than this.

Looking at Chen Wang, who was lying there like a dead dog, Hou Fangping slowly cleaned the blood off his hands.

With a wave of his hand, two disciples stepped forward and dragged Chen Wang away.

A moment later, a scream came from the distant woods, then quickly stopped.

The spirit workers' breathing became heavier; some turned their heads away, while others stared down at their toes.

Qu Ye's expression remained calm, but a chill crept into his heart.

Seeing the reaction he wanted, Hou Fangping nodded in satisfaction before walking to the table and chairs in the corner and sitting down.

He pulled another piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and began to read it aloud to the crowd.

"Next, let's talk about some reforms to your spiritual contract work."

Qu Ye pricked up his ears.

"Not many, just three points."

"First, effective immediately, all Spirit Contract Workers shall have fixed work areas and shall not enter other Spirit Beast Fields, Spirit Fields, or Spirit Herb Gardens without authorization."

"Secondly, from now on, spirit contract workers are prohibited from entering the core area. As for transporting spirit materials and cleaning animal pens, family disciples will accompany them, and the time of entry and exit will be recorded throughout the process."

"Third, if a person fails to meet the spirit tax quota three times in a row, their spirit contract will be voided, and they will be forced to leave the family. There will be no exceptions and no leniency."

Ok?

Qu Ye was somewhat surprised.

He had thought the Hou family would increase their supervision and control over the Spirit Contract Workers, but he didn't expect that these were the only rectifications.

After thinking about it, he suddenly understood.

The public dismantling of Chen Wang's dantian and subsequent execution already demonstrated the Hou family's tough stance.

What the Hou family needs is for the Spirit Contract Workers to provide stable value, not to drive most of them away.

The first two points are enough to ensure that spiritual workers have difficulty obtaining high-value information.

As for the loss of ordinary spirit beasts... that is the responsibility of the corresponding spirit contract worker.

After Hou Fangping finished reading, he put the paper away.

"That's all. If you have any objections or want to terminate the contract, you can raise them now."

The crowd looked at each other, and apart from an elderly cultivator who stepped forward to resign and prepare to enjoy his later years, no one else moved.

Hou Fangping paused for a moment, and seeing that no one moved, nodded: "Then let's start paying the spirit tax and line up."

The crowd began to move, forming a crooked queue.

Qu Ye was in the middle, and in front of him was an old man who raised spirit bees.

When it was the old man's turn, he placed a cloth bag on the table.

Hou Fangping opened the booklet, glanced at it, frowned, and made a mark on it. The disciple behind him put the spiritual essence into a wooden box and handed over a few spirit stones.

"This is the second time, Lao Zhang."

Old Zhang took the spirit stone, his hand trembling slightly, tucked it into his pocket, lowered his head, and quickly left.

Qu Ye quickly stepped forward, took out sixty spirit essences from his storage bag, and neatly arranged them on the table.

Hou Fangping glanced at it, ticked the booklet, and didn't say much. The disciple behind him handed him ten spirit stones.

Qu Ye put away the spirit stones, then took out the wooden box containing the bee corpse from his storage bag and placed it on the table.

"Manager Hou, the queen bee's corpse."

Hou Fangping opened the wooden box, poured his magic power into it, and after a short while, closed the lid: "The bee corpse is fine. Take the two spirit stones back."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I happen to have the new queen bee with me. You may take it."

Qu Ye bowed respectfully, took out two spirit stones, and received the two queen bees—one dead and one alive—from Hou Fangping.

The new queen bee was curled up, clearly still asleep, and needed the spirit pollen to awaken her.

"Now, things should be peaceful for a while longer..."

Qu Ye left the stone platform and turned to walk down the mountain.