Beauty helps me achieve immortality

Chapter 156: Ordinary Fish and Rice Raise Golden Elixir

Yimao year, early summer.

The secret realm of Lanqingji in Yongning Prefecture is closed, and the Changsheng Sword Sect, which is the best in the Chu State, has ushered in a new spring.

In the next ten years... the royal family does not need to pass on power or transfer ownership, and the Du family, protected by the Sword of Eternal Life, will still dominate the State of Chu.

At the same time, the turbulent court gradually calmed down.

The Du family lost a empress dowager in the Foundation Establishment stage and an alchemist in the Golden Core stage.

But he received the help of the Zhou family. The Zhou family's grandfather Zhou Yunfeng broke through the golden elixir realm and his life span was extended by another two hundred years, which was enough to curb the decline brought about by Duan Wen's desire to leave the imperial city.

Compared with the turmoil in the court, the cultivation world has set off an even more shocking and huge wave.

The Changsheng Sword Sect rushed thousands of miles and took possession of all the mineral veins in the eight southwestern counties.

The three Jindan elders of the Four Symbols Sect have disappeared, and the sect has completely fallen apart. Their disciples have become independent cultivators without any sect or faction...

The Danxia Sect, which is far away from it, although it has no mineral veins, still retains an area of ​​​​a county for recuperation.

In Qingquan County in the northern desert, the Ice Valley's power is growing, and it has swallowed up the mines in the three counties and markets, and no one can stop it.

A young man named Li with an indifferent expression rode the wind and flew away from the northern desert.

He then went to Tianshui County to look for an opportunity to form a pill.

During this time of turmoil in the world, government decrees were issued from the imperial city and distributed to all parts of the Chu State.

Nanze was removed from its county status and incorporated into Wu'an County.

The prefect of Qingquan County can enter Hanbing Valley and become a guest elder.

The mermaids in the East China Sea are causing trouble, so the garrison has increased its troops by 50,000 to stabilize the county towns and counties along the coast.

However, before the imperial decree reached Donghai...

The isolated island called Shendao Island has drifted to the end of the sea amidst the surging waves.

Countless cultivators watched quietly... This time at the Lanqing Gathering, the leader of the Divine Sword Sect, Lu Qing, brazenly entered the world, but he didn't expect it to end like this.

The Qingyun Wall, a legend of the Chu State for decades, still stood silently on the island. The vast word "kill" written on it was so terrifying that even the slightest glance sent a chill down one's spine.

That is the essence of the sword intent engraved with the cultivation of the Nascent Soul. If you cannot comprehend it but force yourself to stare at it, it will damage your soul.

But what is even more terrifying is the sword energy that comes from the sky!

That day, there was no wind but the tide was rising, and the clouds dispersed on their own, as if they were afraid of the sword light flying from Songshan County of Chu State.

The sharp sword light seemed to be transmitted by the wind and clouds, and seemed to be distorted by time and space.

A little sword intent can make thousands of rivers vast!

There was a loud bang, and thousands of waves were raised.

The Qingyun Wall of Shendao Island was suddenly cut in half, and then there was no sound on the sea.

Everyone understood that the Changsheng Sword was declaring its absolute control over the State of Chu. Lu Qing had previously annihilated Nanze County, but the Changsheng Sword sect did not make any move.

Instead, he waited until the overall situation was settled before taking direct action...completely crushing the divine sword's spirit.

In the southernmost part of the Chu State, yellow sand was flying all over the sky.

A young man and woman in the Qi Refining Stage rode fast horses together and entered the territory of the country.

The woman looked a little haggard, and she whispered, "Husband, is there any news from the sect?"

Miao Jian's face was full of determination. He shook his head slightly and said, "Let's go to Li Country and seek refuge with Senior Brother Qian... He has already established his foundation, and he is accompanied by many former Danxia disciples."

"Okay...I'll stay with my husband."

The young man clamped his legs against the horse's belly, his weak consciousness always paying attention to the movements around him, then he held Shen Su's waist tightly and left the State of Chu where he had lived for more than 20 years.

……

Fifteen days later... the lingering storm finally reached Lanxian Town.

On a narrow path through the mountains, five officers wearing thin armor and carrying swords were pushing each other and chatting and laughing as they hurried on.

It didn't take long before we arrived at this tiny village.

The leader took out the household register he carried with him, and then with a wave of his hand, the four officers behind him began to knock on doors one by one.

"It's time to pay the Ding tax!"

"The town's responsible person should come out and answer the question!"

"Everyone who has men at home, please open the door!"

……

Wang Shuyue listened quietly to the noises in the town and looked at her husband: "Husband, they are here to collect the poll tax."

Zhao Qing nodded slightly. Ordinary people had to pay the population tax.

After a moment's thought, he held his wife's shoulders and walked forward to open the gate.

My aunt jumped down from the eaves and whispered, "They should be re-creating the household register. Just answer truthfully."

"Our name won't leave Lin'an County, so there's no need to cause trouble in this town."

Half an hour later.

Zhao Qing's family sat in the yard quietly eating noodles with beef stew made by his aunt.

The five officers slowly wandered into the courtyard, looked at each other, and then sat down directly on the bluestone steps.

I didn't consider myself an outsider at all.

"When I came here a few years ago... you weren't the ones living here, were you?"

Zhao Qing put down his chopsticks, stood up and said with a smile: "Sir, we moved here from the capital of Songshan County..."

The leading officer twisted his body, slowly relaxed his mind, rested his elbows on his legs, and carefully looked through the household register.

Then he asked, "If you are not staying here temporarily, you must be registered in the Lin'an household register. If a family member gets lost in the future... the government will be able to track them down."

Zhao Qing smiled.

I didn't expect that the Lin'an officer was so easy to talk to, although his tone was gentle.

But he was undoubtedly asking his own name and where he lived in Songshan County. He was afraid that after the list was made, it would have to be sent to Songshan for verification.

"My name is Zhao Qing, and these three are my wives."

"Wang Shuyue, Gu Qinghuan, Zhou Xiaoyi."

"This spring, they moved from Nanluoguxiang in Songshan County and went directly to Lin'an County."

He simply gave his name according to the pre-arranged arrangements. His aunt was from a prime minister's family and would not mess up such a simple matter.

Wei Yi had a blank expression on his face, looking at the table full of beef noodles.

He began, "The imperial court has issued a notice to celebrate the Changsheng Sword Sect's permanent presence in Da Chu, and all regions will be exempted from the capitation tax for three years."

"You only need to pay the remaining seven years of Ding tax."

"One young and strong man, two hundred coins per year. Three women, one hundred and twenty coins each per year."

"That's three thousand nine hundred and twenty coins, equivalent to three ounces and ninety-two cents of silver."

As he spoke, he took out the scissors from his bosom and prepared to cut the silver.

The corner of Zhao Qing's mouth twitched.

Collect seven years of Ding tax at once?

Wang Shuyue went into the room to get some change and handed it to the officer.

The other party simply said that he had cut off four taels, and then laughed and said, "Four taels for four people, not much."

"If the imperial court is in turmoil, the common people will suffer."

He looked at the officer accompanying him and said with a smile, "Do you have any more noodles? Brothers, we haven't eaten yet. Let us pay you."

You want to charge me eighty cents more so I can buy noodles, right?

Zhao Qing smiled bitterly: "No more, I'm sorry, sir."

What a joke! It’s not easy for my aunt to cook a meal, how can I give it to others?

After the officers left, Wang Shuyue closed the gate.

Returning to the table to continue eating, she looked at Qing Huan and smiled, "My husband has been in the sect for too long. The imperial court's tax isn't that heavy. In the past, it was paid for ten years..."

"Shuyue saw it once when she was young."

Zhao Qing nodded silently and said softly, "There are 130,000 people in Lin'an... The poll tax alone is 13,000 taels of gold, equivalent to more than 1,000 spirit stones."

Zhou Xiaoyi nodded slightly and put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands.

He whispered, "There are too few people in Lin'an. The court will earn at least two million spirit stones this time."

Two million spirit stones!

Zhao Qing smacked his lips in surprise. Low-level cultivators also had certain demands for gold and silver, and most of the silver and money received from the court was exchanged for spirit stones.

But when I think about the ten-year tax, which is only two million spirit stones...it's actually not that much.

My aunt took a quick look with her spiritual sense, then frowned slightly, shook her head and sighed.

"Wang Deren couldn't pay the money, so a kind-hearted person paid for him."

"I'll go to town and take a look. If there's anything missing, I can fill it in for them."

As soon as she finished speaking, she left the house.

Only half a bowl of meat noodles was left in the porcelain bowl, still smelling of oil. The reddish-brown beef tendon was in chunks and strips, emitting an enticing aroma.

My aunt's cooking skills have improved a lot...

Zhao Qing sighed in his heart, then looked at Shuyue and Qinghuan and whispered, "Don't worry about Xiaoyi."

"The imperial court's spirit stones are to be used to cultivate their own foundation-building masters, and also to support the three golden elixir priests."

"One of them is from the Zhou family..."

He sighed slightly.

Jindan Daxiu! In front is Duan Wenyu, and behind is Zhou Yunfeng.

The imperial court's spiritual offerings were all eaten by ordinary people...