Chapter 490: Hiding in secret, dividing the land and building a school

Chapter 490: Hiding in secret, dividing the land and building a school

Chapter 490: Hiding in secret, dividing the land and building a school

Along the way, Shi Nandang and Xiaoqing had a very pleasant conversation, and they felt like they were friends regardless of age difference.

When it was time to leave, Xiaoqing's face showed an expression of particular reluctance.

Seeing this, Shi Nandang shook his head and smiled, and could not help but give another instruction: "Remember, your mission this time is very important to Jiushan Sect and the Sect Leader. If you put in some effort and gain experience in the future, your future will be no worse than that of someone who excels in mathematics."

Xiaoqing blinked, obviously confused.

"The headmaster needs the power of incense. Catching those rebellious monks is only a short-term strategy. In the long run, we still have to rely on mortals like the Hundred Immortals Alliance."

Although Xiaoqing nodded, there was still a confusion on her face.

Shi Nandang said this not because someone else told him so, but because he gained it through observation.

Just as the Supreme Taoist Li Shangxian said, the difficulty in practicing the Cave Heaven Method lies in the fact that the Cave Heaven is hard to find. The Cave Heaven Method itself is not a secret to the four sects.

He felt that his status in the Nine Mountains Realm was awkward, so he naturally tried to figure out what Zheng Fa did and gained a lot.

The purpose of arresting the Hundred Immortals in rebellion was naturally to fill the shortage of workers in the Jiushan Sect, especially in many newly built production lines. Workers did not need any equipment refining skills, as long as their spirits were qualified.

As the production of magical instruments increases, the disciples of Jiushan will naturally be able to obtain various elixirs from Taishang Dao for their practice.

As their cultivation improved, they fed back to Zheng Fa's practice of the Dongtian Method.

But the number of rebels was only a few thousand, and emergency measures could only be used for a short period of time.

So what Xiaoqing and the others need to do is the long-term strategy.

Shi Nandang gave detailed instructions, “You are going to win the hearts of the mortals of the Hundred Immortals Alliance, and even build a school to select talents.”

Xiaoqing nodded heavily.

Shi Nandang knew that there were some things that Xiaoqing probably still didn't understand:

Although the population of the Nine Mountains Realm is growing, it still cannot catch up with the Hundred Immortals Alliance in a short period of time, not to mention the abundance of resources.

In the short term, workers have to be captured, but in the long term, it would naturally be better to select mortals from the Hundred Immortals Alliance.

Not to mention, although the people of the Hundred Immortals Alliance don't have much faith in Zheng Fa, they won't be able to bring much support after entering the Nine Mountains Realm.

But as long as there is long-term education and training, for ten or a hundred years, this situation will definitely change, and the power of incense that can be brought in the future will certainly not be small.

Now it seems that Zheng Fa has regarded the Baixian League as another foundation and is managing it with great care.

Shi Nandang understood very well that even though he was at the stage of transformation and Xiaoqing and others were only at the stage of building their foundation, Zheng Fa actually attached more importance to the task in the hands of Xiaoqing and others, and this task would definitely be a long one, and the good deeds they would do in the future would certainly not be few.

Therefore, he gave Xiaoqing a few more words of advice.

"Is it important to the master?"

Xiaoqing's eyes lit up.

Shi Nandang was speechless. I have been talking for so long, and this is all you heard?
Xiao Qing frowned, looking worried: "But, but I have never been out before, what if I ruin the master's plan..."

"..."

"Master Shi..."

Shi Nandang shook his head and said helplessly: "Don't think too much. This matter is too serious and cannot be influenced by you alone."

Seeing that Xiaoqing was still nervous, he said, "You must have been a temple keeper before, so you were chosen. Do what you did when you were a temple keeper before."

After hearing this, Xiaoqing fell into deep thought and nodded slowly.

When Shi Nandang was about to get off the boat, he disappeared in an instant.

Xiao Qing clung to the railing of the boat and looked around, but she could no longer see his figure. She could only shout, "Master Shi, when I earn some good deeds, I will invite you to the market to eat delicious food and drink Fairy Wine!"

After a long time, a reply with a smile came on the wind:
"it is good."

……

Dozens of miles away, in a hidden valley, a group of people secretly looked at the Shenxiao flying boat where Xiaoqing was.

There were about a hundred of them in total, hiding in a cave.

There are traces of axes and chisels on the cave, which shows that it has just been opened. A bronze mirror is hung at the entrance of the cave, shining with precious light.

But when you look at the mountain wall from the outside, you can only see overgrown vines and jagged bluestones, but you can't see any cave entrance at all.

"Old Monster Li, didn't you say that your Mirage Mirror couldn't even tell the true and false of a Yuanying old monster? What are you afraid of?"

An old woman's voice sounded, that old monster Li was actually a Yuanying cultivator. He looked at the flying boat with a thoughtful look in his eyes and murmured, "That real person... is a god."

"Become a god!"

There was silence in the cave, and only Li Laoguai continued to speak: "I got this mirage mirror in the secret realm. In fact, even if you don't look carefully, you will make mistakes. It has saved me many times in the past."

"Just now, that person casually glanced at me, and my precious mirror was awakened. This person... is definitely not an ordinary Nascent Soul."

After saying this, everyone in the cave looked at each other in surprise.

"Transformation into a spirit?" The old woman's tone was filled with panic. "I told you earlier that we should have escaped earlier, but you were greedy and had to do one more thing before leaving."

"Now even the gods have been attracted."

Old Monster Li frowned and sneered, "We were driven here by Hao Ri Mountain and have no resources left. If we don't rob some resources from small sects, what's the point of going back?"

"You haven't made a fortune?"

"Besides, wasn't my Mirage Mirror not discovered?"

The old woman was silent for a long time before she said unwillingly, "What do you think we should do if we meet a master who has reached the state of transformation? We can run away now!"

"Master Huashen... Stone... Maybe it's a pleasant surprise." Old Monster Li smiled. "If we can go back, I can find out some things and maybe I can make a great contribution and ask for a reward from Haori Mountain."

"what?"

But Old Monster Li looked extremely cautious and was unwilling to say more.

Or maybe he wanted to keep it a secret.

A small part of this group of people were independent cultivators from the Haori Mountain area, and there were also a few small sects that betrayed the Hundred Immortals Alliance. They all had different origins and were not the same kind of people. If he didn't say anything, others didn't ask too much, and just discussed:

"Go back? How do we go back? Can this Mirage Mirror protect us from escaping?"

Li Laoguai also had an unpleasant expression: "No, if I use my magic power, let alone the spirit transformation, ordinary Yuanying Zhenren can see the clues, it's not safe."

"That……"

This group of people looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

At this time, a foundation-building cultivator nearby hesitated and said, "I... I have a way."

"Ok?"

"My family is nearby and I have some connections. If I can disguise myself as a mortal caravan and hide my spiritual power along the way, I might be able to escape."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes lit up.

Even Old Monster Li nodded repeatedly, agreeing: "Although there are some risks, it is still a good idea. However, we are unfamiliar with the place and it is inevitable that we will make mistakes when dressing up. Are you sure?"

The foundation-building monk nodded vigorously: "I used to have a personal servant, who was originally a tenant of my family. Later, it seems that he lived nearby."

After thinking it over, Old Monster Li gritted his teeth and said, "Take me to find him."

With the help of the magic mirror, the two came to a village.

Old Monster Li used his spiritual sense to search from afar and finally found the servant's residence at the end of the village.

"Master?"

A skinny old man with completely white hair was sitting at the door. When he saw the foundation-building cultivator, he was startled and said in surprise.

The foundation-building cultivator looked like a young man, and when the two met, they looked like grandfather and grandson.

"Master, why are you here... I, I'm going to find my family to come back and cook. Meet the Master!"

Seeing that no one was at home, Old Monster Li felt pleased and gave a wink to the foundation-building cultivator.

"Not busy." The foundation-building cultivator understood and said, "I heard from my family that you started some business later?"

"Yes, Master, after you entered the Immortal Sect, I was blessed by your grace and went to work as a manager in the clan's caravan. Now that I am old, I have returned to the village."

"I need you to help me find some cars and some people who are familiar with the trade routes."

The foundation-building monk said directly.

"This..." The old man was stunned for a moment, and from his expression, he understood something. "Master, I haven't been out for more than ten years. I have to go and ask around first."

"be quick!"

"Yes!"

After listening to the two people talking, Li Laoguai glanced at the old man and suddenly took out a porcelain bottle: "Eat it."

The old man shuddered and couldn't help but look at the foundation-building cultivator, but the young master whom he hadn't seen for many years turned his head away.

"I……"

"Ok?"

Old Monster Li released his aura.

How could ordinary people resist the aura of the Nascent Soul?

Soon, the old man swallowed a green pill in the bottle with trembling hands.

"This pill is extremely poisonous. I will give you an antidote every half a month. I will detoxify you after I leave this place."

The old man's face turned even paler.

"Don't think you are not afraid of death just because you are old." Old Monster Li was still worried and snorted, "Your surname is Xie, you have two sons, one daughter, and four grandchildren..."

"...I don't dare! I don't dare!"

Old man Xie said in a low voice with tears in his eyes.

Old Monster Li chuckled and said, "As long as you send us off properly, I can also give some immortality to your sons and grandchildren in the future."

Old Man Xie nodded repeatedly with a look of longing on his face as he watched the two men leave.

……

"Father! Father!"

Old man Xie was in a daze when he heard his eldest son calling him. He then came back to his senses and looked at his son.

"what?"

"Dad, what are you thinking about?"

Old man Xie shook his head, knowing that this was a life-threatening matter, and he dared not tell anyone.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, his son didn't ask any more questions, but just said: "The immortal from Jiushan Sect has come to town!"

"Nine Mountain Sect?"

His eldest son whispered, "Dad, you don't know? Our master family... seems to have betrayed the Jiushan Sect, and now they are all gone!" Old man Xie's face trembled: "Betrayal?"

His eldest son hurriedly comforted him: "Dad, don't be afraid. I heard that if you are not a relative of an immortal, the Jiushan Sect will not care."

Old man Xie nodded slightly, and his anxious heart was slightly relieved.

But there was a knock on the door suddenly. Old man Xie shuddered all over and looked at the person outside the door. He felt a chill through his bones.

A young man was standing at the door. He was wearing a long gown that looked like a Taoist robe, with nine mountains embroidered on the corners.

Old Man Xie had never seen this long gown, but after the young master became an immortal, he once wore a similar set of clothes and returned home!

The Jiushan Sect is here!

The young man looked at him curiously, then smiled gently and said, "Am I being too abrupt?"

Old man Xie hurriedly said, "No! No! Who are you?"

"I am a disciple of the Jiushan Sect. This area is now under the jurisdiction of the Jiushan Sect. I am here to inform you that at noon the day after tomorrow, each family will send a few people who can make decisions to go to the town."

"At noon the day after tomorrow! Okay, I understand!"

The disciple from Jiushan smiled and nodded, and actually went door to door, carefully notifying everyone one by one before leaving the village.

Everyone in the Xie family watched the disciple leave from afar, and continued to discuss the matter excitedly when they returned home.

"The Immortal! The Immortal came to our house in person, talked to us, and smiled at me!"

A little grandson was jumping up and down, very happy.

Old man Xie closed his eyes, and the corners of his eyes above his cheekbones twitched.

"Master, when you go to the town to see the immortal the day after tomorrow, can you take me with you?"

"I also need to go!"

boom!
Old man Xie suddenly hammered the table, causing the ceramic bowls on the table to fly up an inch.

"Immortals...what's so good about immortals?"

Everyone in the Xie family looked at him, not knowing why he was angry. They could only watch Old Man Xie walk into the room silently with his body hunched over.

……

Although he didn't want to see the immortals from Jiushan Sect again, Old Man Xie didn't dare not go to the town. Instead, he had to go there on time.

At noon, tens of thousands of people gathered in an open space in the town.

Old man Xie was squeezed in the crowd. Because of his old age, his eldest son was worried about him, so he followed him.

The crowd was densely packed. Old man Xie was old and his back was bent, so he couldn't see what was ahead at all.

Suddenly, a large glowing painting floated above their heads.

The painting is five meters long and three meters high.

Old man Xie looked up and saw a shadow of a painting inside. Looking more closely, wasn’t it the stage in front?

He was also familiar with this stage. In the past, when he went to the market, there would be opera troupes coming to perform.

On the stage, several disciples wearing Jiushan Taoist robes were standing. A disciple who looked like a young girl walked out. It was Xiaoqing.

Her figure appeared tall and big in the light curtain. Xiaoqing also looked up and her expression suddenly became shy. She tightened her face and said:

"Fellow villagers! We are disciples of the Jiushan Sect. From now on, this place will be under the jurisdiction of our Jiushan Sect!"

The audience was completely silent, as if they were all stunned by this magical power.

"No matter what the rules were here before, from now on, there are only the rules of my Jiushan Sect here!" Xiaoqing swept his eyes across the crowd, "No matter who it is, even my Jiushan Sect disciples, no one can violate the rules of my Jiushan Sect!"

"The rules of my Jiushan Sect are posted on the wall at the entrance of the market. You can go and see them and remember them."

"If any of you violate the rules, my Nine Mountains disciples will take care of it!"

"If a disciple of Jiushan violates this rule, the sect's law enforcement office will take care of it!"

"We all left our photos to prove our mission. If there is still injustice, I will tell you how to seek justice!"

Most of the people in the audience were villagers, but they didn't feel much when they heard this.

But some people had dealt with the previous immortal sect, and after hearing this, they couldn't help but exchange glances.

Old Man Xie felt very complicated when he heard this. He couldn't help but sneer at the corner of his mouth, but then he quickly straightened his lips.

Xiao Qing didn't say much. This kind of thing would not be easy to convince people in a day or two. She simply said:
"I came to you today for only one thing!"

"Re-sign the land deed!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a buzz in the audience.

Even Old Man Xie couldn't help but prick up his ears.

"Each household will be allocated 10 mu of land according to the number of adults in the household!"

"The original land deed will not be invalidated. If the number of acres is insufficient, it will be supplemented by the number of adults!"

Xiaoqing's words made the people in the audience even happier.

This is the plan that the master made after counting the number of fields currently in the hands of the Jiushan Sect -

All the sects and families in the past had fled, and the land they left behind was large in area and high in quality, but it had become ownerless.

The Jiushan Sect has no shortage of food, and only by distributing these fields as soon as possible can they win the hearts of the people.

She heard the discussion in the audience gradually die down, then she spoke:

"For each household with less than 50 acres of land, the tax rate is 20%!"

"From fifty acres to a hundred acres, the tax is three tenths!"

"Over a hundred acres..."

Old Man Xie listened to his breathing becoming more and more rapid, and almost thought that he was poisoned...

After all, he had been a manager and had seen the world, so he understood as soon as he heard it that this tax system was aimed at the big families and even implicitly encouraged people to split up their families.

But the problem is that the tax rate is too low!

In the past, those big families who took half of the 100% harvest would be considered as virtuous families.

"Ten percent tax? Seriously?"

Someone in the audience shouted.

Xiaoqing raised her eyes and looked towards them, only to see suspicion, desire and even a dreamlike look in everyone's eyes.

"Really?" Xiao Qing said with a stern face, "This tax system will also be written at the entrance of the market!"

"The reason I've called you all here today is to count the population and the number of acres of land each household will be allocated. As for where exactly they will be allocated, I'll have to ask you to make the decision!"

It was not until the whole evening that Old Man Xie returned home accompanied by his eldest son.

They were originally tenant farmers and had no land of their own, so this time they were given land according to the number of adults.

With him, two sons, and two grown-up grandsons, the family suddenly had fifty acres of land!
"Our own land!"

At the dinner table, his youngest son muttered to himself, repeating himself over and over again.

"If I finish the work in a year, I can get 80% of it?"

"Is it really 80%?"

"How can you finish eating it?"

As Old Man Xie listened to his younger son asking his older son questions, his emotions became more and more complicated.

After the eldest son repeatedly assured him that he had not remembered a single word wrong, his youngest son sat down on the wooden stool and muttered to himself:

"This... this is like a dream..."

At the dinner table, everyone else was also delighted.

Only Old Man Xie remained silent.

"Master, why are you frowning?"

His favorite little grandson clung to his calf, with a childish look of concern on his face.

"..." He touched the back of his grandson's head and asked softly, "Do you want to go outside?"

"Outside?"

"Just not in the village."

"In town? Grandpa, are you going to take me to town to play?"

"It's very far away. I won't come back."

His little grandson frowned and bit his fingers:

"A very far place? Dad told me that we would have fields in the future and would not be hungry anymore. If we go to a very far place, will we still have fields?"

"..."

"Won't you be hungry?"

Old Man Xie paused for a long time before he said softly, "What if I could become an immortal?"

"Become an immortal? Then I'll go!"

The little grandson jumped up and shouted happily.

After several days, Old Man Xie still hadn't found suitable vehicles and men. The main reason was that everyone was busy taking care of the crops and no caravans were going out.

His little grandson ran in.

"grandfather!"

Seeing that he was running so fast that he was about to fall, Old Man Xie quickly supported his shoulders and asked, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"It doesn't have to be far!" His little grandson breathed a sigh of relief.

"what?"

"You don't have to go far to become an immortal!" the little grandson shouted.

Old man Xie still didn't understand, and then he heard his grandson quickly say: "The immortal wants to build...build..." in the town.

“…What to build?”

"Build a school!" His eldest son rushed in, his face full of ecstasy, "Everyone in the village is talking about it. We'll send our kids to school for free!"

"As long as you study well, you will not only be able to read and write, but also be able to do math and be selected by the Jiushan Sect to practice Taoism!"

(End of this chapter)