"What did Ji You do after returning?"
"He watched a scholar fetch water for a widow, took a young girl aimlessly wandering around, and harvested wheat."
"Harvested wheat?"
"He said he was harvesting wheat, but I felt there must be a trick. So I lingered around for a few days and found out it was true. He was pretending to harvest wheat, but in reality, he was honing his sword Dao. It is said that the sword Dao is called 'Combined Harvest.'"
Just as the Estate Master of White Cloud Immortal Estate said, although Ji You had the qualifications to establish a Worldly Family in Feng Province,
there were still many dangers ahead.
Because ever since he stepped into the Feng Province territory, the foreign Immortal Villas stationed there had been secretly observing his every move.
These Immortal Villas had operated in Feng Province for decades, already considering this place their private property.
Hand it over to someone else? They couldn't do it.
Some say Feng Province is barren and sparsely populated, which is true.
But similarly, there are few people sharing the spoils here.
What about the other eight provinces?
Worldly Families and Immortal Sects stand in dense clusters, intricately connected. In reality, the resources they can obtain might not be more than what they get in Feng Province.
But if a local Worldly Family were truly established, their share would no longer be theirs. This is a situation all foreign Immortal Villas are unwilling to see.
So they now face a very urgent problem.
If they stand by and wait for Ji You to grow stronger, in as little as ten years or as much as twenty, his Worldly Family will certainly be established in Feng Province.
And if they don't want this to happen, they need to completely eliminate him within this period.
Meanwhile, the golden morning light of Yuyang County spread across Feng Province. Ji You emerged from the Ji Residence, securely closing the gate,
then walked out of the city.
When he came, he said he was going to State Prefecture to register and establish a Worldly Family, and claim the tax share of this place.
And today was the day of departure.
At this moment, a carriage was parked in front of the Yuyang County monument, with Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi standing on either side.
"Leaving now?"
"Yes, let's go now."
Ji You murmured softly, then his gaze shifted slightly, looking at a farmer approaching from the west of the city.
This was Uncle A-Qing from the west of the city. At this moment, he was holding a white porcelain bowl filled with wild vegetables and stewed meat, heading towards the south of the city.
Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi also saw this scene, thinking to themselves that everyone in the world says Feng Province is barren, but the food is actually quite good.
Ji You then lifted his robe and stepped into the carriage.
During this time, multiple dispatches along the way had already been sent, continuously relayed between counties and cities,
and delivered to the hands of the various Immortal Villas.
"Ji You is coming to State Prefecture?"
"That's right, he set off this morning, heading straight there."
"I thought he would wait a few years to establish a Worldly Family. I didn't expect him to come immediately?"
"This year's tax collection is about to begin. He wants to register and establish a Worldly Family now, probably just for the tax. He's too greedy!"
Thirty li west of State Prefecture, the Estate Masters of Qiyun Immortal Villa, Changqing Immortal Villa, and Fuyan Immortal Villa sat in the main hall, their faces filled with anger, the sound of tables being slapped echoing continuously.
And the more than fifty disciples under them all had solemn expressions, whispering among themselves.
No one expected that a mere Tongxuan Middle Stage cultivator, who had only just entered the Inner Courtyard a few days ago, would directly want to establish a Worldly Family.
Yes, it is stated in the qingyun immortal rules that a local person can return to their homeland to establish a Worldly Family after obtaining the qualification.
But the qingyun immortal rules are dead. Does he not think that the dozens of Immortal Villas in Feng Province are also dead?
Greed, truly greedy!
In fact, before this, several Immortal Villas disagreed with taking action against Ji You.
On one hand, they feared the might of Tianshu Academy, and on the other, they felt that Ji You establishing a Worldly Family could also lead to good relations, especially since many Immortal Villas had heard of his inherited Physique.
Especially some Estate Masters with daughters at home even thought they could grow stronger by riding his coattails in the future.
But this sudden news, however, sent alarm bells ringing in everyone's hearts.
"Actually, everyone in the world thought you would surely spend a few years cultivating in the Inner Courtyard, find a Worldly Family's young lady who could assist you to become a Dao Companion, and only then would you have the idea of establishing a Worldly Family in Feng Province. Even I thought so."
"But now that we are heading directly to State Prefecture, our intentions are clearly revealed."
"This year's tax collection is about to begin. Immortal Sects, Worldly Families, and Immortal Gates have all opened their pockets wide. Your arrival at this crucial moment will stir up the nerves of many people."
"Because your establishment of a Worldly Family in Feng Province will seize everyone's share, so from now on, no matter what we do, we must be extremely cautious."
The carriage traveled to Ancheng County, where Cao Jinsong, Pei Ruyi, and Ji You disembarked to rest.
At this point, Cao Jinsong sat on a wide bench in the inn, giving Ji You all sorts of instructions, and saw Ji You nodding obediently, swapping his teacup with his own.
Cao Instructor: "?"
Ji You raised his head with a solemn expression: "I'm afraid it's poisoned."
"You're afraid it's poisoned? Oh, I'm not afraid it's poisoned?"
"How can a great man be afraid of everything? What kind of immortal cultivation is that?"
Ji You grumbled softly, then frowned slightly, picked up a piece of food, and placed it in Cao Jinsong's bowl: "Disciple was indeed rude just now. Now, I shall show my filial piety to you."
Cao Jinsong's mouth twitched: "You're really going to make me die of filial piety—"
"What's there to fear? There are almost no poisons that can instantly kill a cultivator. And I have plenty of connections in the Dan Sect. Instructor doesn't need to worry. If there's truly poison, I can invite a direct disciple of the Dan Sect for you in just three days."
"Then why don't you eat it?"
Ji You held his chopsticks suspended over the bowl: "Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, Teacher. Naturally, the elder eats first. A Junior should not dare to overstep."
Pei Ruyi listened to their back-and-forth, couldn't help but purse her lips: "Cultivators don't have to eat, and there's no need to die—"
After saying this, Fairy Ruyi thought of another matter and couldn't help but raise her eyes to look at Ji You: "Not eating or drinking is fine, but Junior Brother must remember the most crucial point: this matter can be fatal."
"?"
Hearing this, Cao Jinsong and Ji You couldn't help but become more serious: "What matter?"
Pei Ruyi put down her chopsticks: "Junior Brother, if you see silver rolling on the ground, absolutely do not pick it up."
Ji You stared at Fairy Ruyi, silent for a long time, finally couldn't help but frown deeply, gripping the teacup in his hand: "Wild silver isn't allowed to be picked up? Is there still justice?"
Pei Ruyi sighed: "I know this goes against your Dao Heart, but special times require special measures."
"I'll just pick up the first two or three. If they throw a few more to tempt me, I won't pick them up."
"Once you pick up the first one, you'll never be able to stop."
Ji You's expression gradually became heavy, feeling that what Senior Sister said was indeed true.
Cao Jinsong put down his chopsticks at this moment and couldn't help but sigh softly: "Actually, we could still wait. Your talent is exceptional, and your cultivation speed is extremely fast. When you enter the Integration Dao Realm, or even the Sky Soaring Realm, your chances will be much greater."
"I can't wait."
"Why?"
"Establishing a mountain stronghold is my dream. When the time comes, I will write on the Feng Province continent, 'This road is mine, this tree is mine, if you want to pass, leave your toll.' I will become an astonishingly talented and peerless bandit."
Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi exchanged glances, then said no more.
Ji You, this person, was always so informal, constantly talking about having a clear bandit heart, but in fact, most of his silver wasn't spent on himself.
Just like this time returning to Yuyang County, a portion of the silver he exchanged with Spirit Stones was actually given to the school.
His ability to establish a Worldly Family here is indeed a good thing for the people of Feng Province.
But in Cao Jinsong's view, the current situation in Feng Province was not formed overnight, and he truly didn't need to be too hasty.
When his cultivation was higher, and he was ever-growing, some things would happen naturally.
But now, taking such a risk seems truly not worthwhile.
Ji You was usually the clearest when it came to accounting, but for some reason, he just couldn't understand this principle.
Then the carriage continued its journey, speeding along the dusty road.
As they passed a small village thirty li southwest of Ancheng County, the three of them saw another shabbily dressed farmer by the roadside, holding a bowl containing some dishes and heading towards the farmland.
Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi frowned slightly, following his direction of travel, and saw a newly built grave there.
The grave was semi-circular, but the opening was only half-sealed, with scattered bricks nearby.
When the farmer approached the grave and softly called out 'mother,' a face stacked with wrinkles suddenly appeared from the unblocked grave opening, and a voice replied, 'my child.'
This scene made Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi widen their eyes, somewhat bewildered.
Although they were both from Feng Province, their family backgrounds were quite good; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to become cultivators, so they naturally had never seen such a sight.
"Haven't you seen a 'Pension Pavilion'?"
"?"
"When the elderly at home lose their ability to work but refuse to die, and because they are still alive, an extra tax must be paid. Their children, unable to bear the burden, can only send them here. Every day, when they bring food, they lay a brick,
until the grave is completely sealed, which counts as providing for their old age and seeing them to their end."
Ji You spoke, watching this scene: "And when the last brick is laid, there must be meat in the bowl."
Cao Jinsong and Pei Ruyi suddenly remembered the farmer they had seen at the Yuyang County city gate when they departed,
and couldn't help but turn to look at Ji You.
"Three years ago, I got lost in the mountains due to some matters and was rescued by a group of farmers. I lay in the medical hall for a long time, and then Fang Ruoyao broke off our engagement. You know about this—"
"Later, after I recovered, I often wandered in the mountains and saw many such graves, new and old,
covering the mountaintops. At that time, my expression was exactly the same as yours."
