Chapter 202: Feng Province Border (Revised)
After returning to the mountain, the young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain once again entered seclusion to break through to the Boundless Realm.
However, this news did not attract too much attention or discussion, because to outsiders, she had already entered seclusion half a year ago and had never left since, let alone been held in a strange man's arms and kissed so passionately that her lips were bruised.
Before entering seclusion, Yan Shu also specifically wrote a letter to Ji You.
The general content of the letter was that the bite marks he left on her mouth had been seen by many people, and she told him to be careful not to be stabbed to death by someone while walking on the road.
Her tone was full of playful arrogance, but she sounded in good spirits.
Additionally, Yuan Caiwei, the daughter of the Dan Sect, also wrote a letter to Ji You.
The content of the letter was basically sharing her and Yuan Chen's daily life in the Dan Sect.
According to the letter, Yuan Chen, at the behest of Master Yuan Li, had begun attempting to wield the Sacred Artifact, but had not yet achieved success.
Yuan Li said this was because Yuan Chen's Dan Heart was not firm enough to gain the recognition of the Great Furnace, so he confiscated all the manuscripts he had brought from Shengjing City.
After visiting Tianshu Academy, Yuan Caiwei seemed to have grown much closer to him; the content of her letters was no longer as formal as before, and she no longer consistently addressed him as Young Master Ji, often calling him Ji You directly.
There was also a scratched-out mark, as if a mistake had been made, but the two words vaguely visible beneath the erasure were 'Ji Lang'...
"Actually, the feeling of two people suddenly being gone from the courtyard is very obvious, because the small courtyard suddenly became quiet, and there was no longer any sign of life."
Ji You was currently sitting in a bumpy carriage, recalling those two letters, and sighed like a lonely old man.
Kuang Cheng heard his words, and his eyes suddenly became strange: "A good body truly conquers the world."
"What?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking about where the next one would be."
"Where is there another one?"
"I feel it's coming soon."
"?"
After the New Year, Kuang Cheng was not idle either, constantly handling matters concerning the temporary transportation of the snowy region demon stone from Feng Province's old route.
The construction of the official road would take a period of time. The snowy region demon stone is now being transported via the old road on the west side of Feng Province, and the first batch was delivered to Jiuzhou a few days ago.
And when the Yao Race's Spirit Stones re-entered Jiuzhou, the Yao Race also began transporting products from Jiuzhou back to the Snow Region.
Trade is inherently a two-way street and should be commonplace, but a subsequent event caught the special attention of the Suxian Supervisor.
That was that several Yao Race merchants who entered Jiuzhou were collecting landscape painting albums of Feng Province, and they offered very high prices, making them the most valuable items among the return goods, all of which were then taken back to the Snow Region.
It should be known that Feng Province has always been a backup battle line for the Human Race after Hantie Pass was breached. Last autumn, there was an incident where the Barbarian Race invited the Yao Race Alliance, and the actions of these Yao Race merchants immediately raised an alarm.
Could they be familiarizing themselves with the terrain of Feng Province, preparing in advance for breaking through Hantie Pass?
This kind of speculation was extremely dangerous and directly agitated the nerves of many people.
Among them was a Feng Province painter named Wei Hong, who, due to his excellent skills, sold the most paintings and was even specifically apprehended and interrogated by the Suxian Supervisor.
But after interrogation, they discovered that most of the collected paintings were depictions of landscapes: the mountains of Feng Province, the waters of Feng Province, and sometimes even a single tree.
Such paintings, let alone for the Yao Race, even if the painter himself were to try and find the exact location depicted, he might not be able to, indicating no strategic purpose.
Thus, the people of the Suxian Supervisor felt relieved, but at the same time, they were extremely puzzled.
Why did the Yao Race collect these painting albums?
Could it be that the Yao Race yearned for Jiuzhou too much, so they bought these to show their clansmen?
But the problem was, why only the painting albums of Feng Province, the most barren land in Jiuzhou? This was the most incomprehensible part.
In the interrogation room at that time, only the Tisi of the Suxian Supervisor's Reception Office, the Taiwu 2 Zhuangyuan Lang, seemed to suddenly realize something, and his mouth fell open in surprise, his expression becoming pensive.
【A good body conquers the world.】
Ji You looked at him, thinking to himself that scholars were truly eccentric.
At this moment, the vast Feng Province gradually filled the sight of the two. The official road in Feng Province needed to be repaired, and joint farming was about to begin; the two of them had come for this reason.
At this time, countless carriages loaded with Magical Artifacts were speeding past them, then heading towards Dan Shui County.
Dan Shui County is an important transit station on the chosen route, connecting the east, west, south, and north directions of Feng Province.
No matter how Feng Province develops in the future, the flow of its economy will depend on this road, which is why the saying 'to get rich, one must first build roads' exists.
Ji You was quite concerned about this road, no less than Great Xia and the Suxian Supervisor, so he personally came to inspect the stone materials this time.
When the carriage arrived, the two got out of the carriage and walked into the stone storage area, then drew their swords, 'clang' shattering one piece, then the second, and the third. "Who was responsible for transporting this stone material?"
"On the registration book, the name written is Chen Zhang."
"Call the Dan Shui County Prefect."
Ji You silently recited a phrase, looking at a foundation stone that, under the Sword Qi, did not crack but turned into Crumbs .
Some officials of Great Xia, after so many years of the tax tribute system, had become accustomed to greed; it would be surprising if such a situation did not occur.
So, on the second day, a group of people were added to the iron prison of Feng Province.
Then came the second stop, the third stop, and people were successively sent in.
Although Great Xia officials do not have the status of Immortals, having been in their positions for many years, whether through scheming or being a lackey, they generally have some influence in Qingyun.
Thus, the news that Ji You was inspecting stone materials in Feng Province and arresting batch after batch of people spread out.
In fact, even now, a large number of people still believe that Ji You's claim of 'Human Dao' was merely a cover, and they never expected that he would actually personally inspect the stone materials.
Subsequently, the joint reclamation of Feng Province began.
Last autumn, Ji You, under the guise of tax tribute, once assembled a joint harvesting team. At that time, only cultivators of the Micro-Illumination Realm and below participated in the team.
But after news spread that the snowy region demon stone began entering Feng Province and Ji You was selling Dan Sect Spirit Pills, the joint reclamation team gained many more cultivators of the Condensation Realm.
It was the season of "a few peach blossoms outside the bamboo, and ducks knowing first that the spring river warms."
Every day, the people of Feng Province would see countless cultivators standing in a row as they left their homes. With a cry of "Practice," the Nine-Foot Immortal Wheel in their hands would be manipulated by Spiritual Qi, turning over a patch of earth.
Zhang Pingyang, who was among the first to join the joint harvesting team, had now become increasingly proficient with the Nine-Foot Immortal Wheel, even taking on several apprentices.
He now increasingly suspected that his cultivation was seemingly for this very purpose.
Because he, who had originally faced a hurdle with every step on the path of cultivation, had found a sense of Genius in joint reclamation.
At this moment, a burst of footsteps suddenly sounded.
Since the start of the joint harvesting, the common people no longer feared them as much as before and often brought them tea. The person who came now was a young woman named Lán Lán, the daughter of a farmer from Xunyang Town on the south side of the State Prefecture, who often stood at the field's edge watching him.
Sometimes, when he was tired from practicing and rested, he would inadvertently make eye contact with her when looking around, and then he would see Miss Lán Lán nervously avert her gaze.
At that moment, cultivators like Zhang Pingyang, who had been abandoned by their Families, seemed to also fall into a daze.
What Feng Province lacked least was land, and as long as there was land, the common people could live.
Therefore, after the news of joint reclamation spread, more people from Yun Province and Zhong Province migrated towards Feng Province.
At this time, a large number of migrants had gathered at the Yun Province border. Under a tea shed on the right side of the checkpoint, about ten people were sitting, the youngest of whom was also forty or fifty years old. Each of them had sharp, hook-like eyes, but their clothes were somewhat tattered. After eating by the roadside, they turned to look at the border checkpoint.
"Brother Tie Xiong, are we really going to do this?"
"Ermin, do you want to be a rogue cultivator your whole life, hiding every day? The Immortal said that as long as someone dies in the Ji Residence, no matter who dies, we can get a worshipper's status and no longer be rogue cultivators!"
"Brother Tie Xiong is right! We're already here, why hesitate? Let's do it!"
The group slammed their teacups on the table and headed towards the checkpoint.
Then, one by one, they were called into a small room for inspection.
Back in Shengjing City, Ji You had requested that Great Xia abolish the government's decrees in Yun Province and Zhong Province regarding unauthorized migration, so the checkpoints in Yun Province had actually been removed.
The current checkpoint, in fact, was set up by Feng Province.
As the people entered the small room one by one, most entered Feng Province through the back door, while a small number returned with struggling expressions.
Seeing this, the rogue cultivator named Tie Xiong frowned slightly: "I don't know what they inspected, but it seems some might not pass. Brothers, be careful."
Zhao Ermin pondered upon hearing this: "Perhaps they'll ask about our native place and what we did for a living before. Just say what we did before going up the mountain."
"Understood."
"Go."
Tie Xiong said nothing, then saw Brother Ba Bo, who was walking ahead, enter the small room inside the checkpoint.
The others watched from behind. Before long, they saw Ba Bo pass through the small room and enter Feng Province, though for some reason, his eyes seemed a bit complex.
Seeing this, Tie Xiong and Zhao Ermin exchanged glances, thinking that the inspection was indeed quite strict.
However, since Ba Bo could pass, it meant there was no risk.
Besides, there were no cultivators guarding this checkpoint, so even if they didn't pass, there shouldn't be any risk.
So, one after another, everyone went through. Finally, even Zhao Ermin went through, then turned to look at him, his eyes somewhat unreadable.
Tie Xiong revealed a slight smile, signaling his brothers to rest assured, then stepped into the small room.
Inside the room, there were actually only three constables: two sitting in the room, and one guarding the door.
"Name."
"Su Laosan. That's what everyone in the village calls me. My parents died early and never gave me a proper name."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty-four."
Tie Xiong thought to himself that the opening questions were just like this, so it seemed the stricter ones would come later.
At this moment, the constable looked up: "There's something I need to explain to you beforehand. You should think it over carefully."
Tie Xiong held his breath: "Please ask, Sir."
"Our Feng Province is very close to Hantie Pass. Outside are the Yao Race and the Barbarian Race. Perhaps one day, when war breaks out, Feng Province will be the first to bear the brunt. At that time, many Yao Race soldiers and Barbarian Race soldiers might flood into Feng Province, and people will die. Are you still willing to come?"
Tie Xiong was slightly taken aback.
The constable wasn't surprised; after all, many people had this expression: "The lord above said he would try his best to prevent this from happening, but he also said he couldn't guarantee it. He said a person's life should be held in their own hands."
Tie Xiong's brow furrowed: "Did you ask everyone this?"
"Yes, we did."
"Then why did so many people still go through?"
The constable glanced at him: "It's better than living like livestock. The lord above said that lives are their own, and you should have the right to choose."
The constable standing by the door glanced at the faintly glowing Magical Artifact in his hand: "Even if you're a rogue cultivator, you can still live by farming here."
If Feng Province were to have a war, then for the people of Feng Province, it would be their fate.
But for the people of other provinces, this was not their fate. Yet, how could they know that Feng Province was actually a reserve battle line, or what the Yao Race and Barbarian Race were?
How could the Tong Xuan Realm possibly protect the whole world? So the best method was to tell them, let them choose for themselves: to die for life, or to live for death.