The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 25 Summer Tax
On the second day after returning from Shanjifang Market, the village head, Old Man Zheng, walked from the entrance to the end of the village, beating gongs and drums.

As soon as the gong sounded, the old man shouted, "Tomorrow the town's household manager will come to collect the summer tax. Everyone, stay put and prepare silver to register your names and pay the tax. Don't miss the deadline."

After Mr. Zheng gave this notice, the villagers simply decided not to go out. This was the most people in the village ever to go out.

After hearing this, Su Yan decided not to go to the mountain.

He absorbed a wisp of insect essence condensed by the Yinshui Centipede today, and then stood up in his own yard to practice the Golden Ape Posture.

In the past, if Su Yan had become rich so quickly and had made gains from hunting and mountain climbing, he would have been closely watched by many people.

But now, no one dared to disturb him, and some were even a little afraid of him.

A young man carries a tiger through the market.

This posture is not only majestic, but also powerful.

The reason why he was so arrogant was not only because he wanted to process the tiger meat as quickly as possible, but also because he wanted to establish his authority.

Tell everyone in the surrounding area that Su Yan is not someone to be trifled with and to stay away from him.

In this way, Su Yan's reputation spread and no one dared to disturb him.

The Golden Ape Posture Technique rose and fell with the body, and a trace of insect energy transformed into the skin and muscles all over the body.

His breaths were long and deep, penetrating deep into his lungs, pushing the Qi and blood in his body to surge like a great tide.

Suddenly he opened his eyes, his mind became clear, and it seemed as if this skill had been integrated into his bones.

He took a step forward, and a small hole appeared on the ground. Then his body changed and he began to move like a monkey.

A set of monkey boxing, with eight moves in total and many variations, with the qi and blood surging and the skin and flesh turning red.

However, even with this movement, Su Yan's skills were still around for 15 to 16 minutes, constantly tempering his Qi and blood.

Su Yan practiced over and over again, from the rising of the sun to noon, when the scorching sun was like a furnace.

The sweat soaked the shorts, which clung to the body and revealed the sharp edges and corners of the muscles.

"Ordinary people have to wait for a flash of inspiration and cannot afford to make mistakes. But it's different with me."

Su Yan kept swinging his fists. In his mind, the eight styles of Monkey Fist were like a revolving lantern, constantly changing, and gradually merging with the Golden Ape Posture.

"Right is right, wrong is wrong. I can see every move and every form clearly, even more meticulously than a master teacher. In this way, the practice of standing can be accomplished!"

He landed a heavy punch, his back and arms muscles vibrating, and his strength was three times greater than usual.

This stance and boxing technique are combined into one, and if practiced flexibly, it can actually enhance the power of the moves.

[Golden Ape Posture: 41/200 (Minor Success)]

【Monkey Fist 12/200 (Minor Success)】

Su Yan restrained his breath, went into the house and drank the boiled ginseng soup to provide his body with more energy.

Practicing martial arts requires a balance between relaxation and tension. It is not only necessary to give the trained body some time to rest and recover, but more importantly, it is necessary to replenish the energy within the body.

Since Su Yan wants to make faster progress, he has to work harder to make up for it.

Only by replenishing the energy needed by the body with insect essence, precious medicine, and wild beast meat can one continue to practice and improve one's strength.

I rested until the afternoon, and then did some standing meditation again. This time I didn’t do any boxing, but walked like a normal person.

This kind of practice is actually more difficult.

I interrupted the standing meditation several times and had to find the feeling again.

After finishing the standing meditation, he found an open space in the village, drew his bow and shot arrows until the moon was at the top of the mountain, and then he could rest.

After carrying the tiger through the market, his reputation as a martial artist had spread, so there was no need to hide his archery skills any more.

On the second day, the village head, Old Man Zheng, gathered all the households in the village early and set up a threshing ground in the village.

He nodded first, then told everyone to wait. After waiting for about an hour from the time the sun rose, a commotion began to rise from outside the village.

The old head of the village welcomed the group in with a smile, his hunched body bent even further.

"Master Hufang, all the households in Yunqian Village are waiting in the threshing ground."

"Yes, there isn't any other mess going on in your Yunqian Village."

The head of the household department was a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and a beard, wearing a dark blue robe. He was about forty years old. Behind him were two clerks, each holding a registration book, and seven or eight servants.

Beside him were three or four yamen runners wearing indigo military uniforms and carrying machetes at their waists.

The leader was a captain of the police force. He was tall, had eagle-like eyes, prominent temples, and a stern face. He was a martial artist.

"Captain Xu, please keep order here."

Fang Xueyun bowed to the captain of the police, Xu Guan, very politely.

In terms of their positions in the yamen, they are of the same level, but warriors are respected, not to mention that the chief constable's subordinates really have real power.

"Don't worry, Fang Hufang."

After everyone stood up, Xu Guan had already swept his eyes over everyone in Yunqian Village, and seemed to linger on Su Yan for a moment.

Then the village head, Old Man Zheng, stepped forward and said, "The head of the household department and the head of the police are here. Please be quiet. When you are called, come forward and pay your silver. The summer tax is eight cents, and the fire consumption tax is two cents, which is one tael of silver. Children under ten years old are not counted."

The head tax in the Dali Dynasty was collected in summer and winter, but other miscellaneous taxes were less.

It was not because the imperial court was merciful, but because there were many warriors, and local tyrants and sects each controlled one area.

Every level of exploitation requires a share of the profits. If the Dali Dynasty was allowed to collect taxes, then ordinary people would have been squeezed dry. Wouldn't everyone just have to eat for free?
Therefore, there were mountain money for entering the mountains, water money for going into the river, and so on, which were distributed to each family.

Some powerful sects can even dominate the affairs of a county or a prefecture, and even the imperial court cannot interfere.

This is what it means when warriors are the gods and rule the world together.

The clerk beside Fang Xueyun stepped forward, expressionless: "Those whose names are called, come up and pay. If you don't have silver, you can use grain to pay."

Zheng Daqing

The village head stepped forward, handed over some silver, and the family and their son were counted as two heads.

The clerk weighed the silver, checked its quality, put it into the box he brought, and checked the names on the list.

The clerk called out names one by one, and the people from Yunqian Village came forward one after another to pay their taxes.

Xie Yuzhu also lined up and paid the tax. His son Xie Bao was just a teenager, only nine years old, so he didn't have to pay taxes yet, otherwise it would not be easy.

"Su Dahe and Su Yan"

"Sir, Su Dahe unfortunately fell off a cliff a few months ago."

The old man in the village's expression changed slightly, and he whispered the situation to the clerk.

After hearing this, the clerk raised his eyes slightly, nodded, and crossed out Su Dahe's name. It was normal for someone to die in the mountains.

I guess the people here wouldn't help others fake their death, otherwise it would be a serious crime.

Someone carefully looked at Su Yan's expression, only to see that he looked normal. He stepped forward and prepared to put the tax money into the wooden box.

Suddenly, a large hand blocked his way. "Don't worry. I heard that my little brother was carrying a tiger through the market a few days ago and actually killed it."

Xu Guan's eyes were filled with curiosity. Su Yan met his gaze and nodded, saying, "Luckily, he was killed. I wonder what orders Captain Xu has for you?"

"According to the Dali Law, warriors do not pay taxes. If you have achieved a minor level of success in skin refining, you will be considered a warrior. Are you one of them?"

Xu Guan's eyes were full of curiosity, and a strange look flashed in Su Yan's eyes.

"I don't know what Xu Guan is up to, but I'm afraid it's hard to avoid him. I didn't do anything about Niu Han, and I'm not afraid of him. Let's see what he does."

(End of this chapter)