Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Outside Sword Tower City, a magnificent and imposing Cataclysmic Dragon chariot had been waiting for a long time, resembling a mobile castle floating between heaven and earth, poised to set off.

This magnificent chariot was pulled by a crimson dragon that was a thousand feet long and sixty feet wide. Its body was as fiery as flames, and its scales shimmered with dazzling light in the sunlight, resembling a burning sea of ​​fire that was awe-inspiring.

Upon closer inspection, the sheer size of this chariot, obscuring the sky and sun, is astonishing. It exudes an aura of calamity and overwhelming power, as if an ancient demon god has descended upon the mortal world, wielding boundless destructive force.

Its magnificent and imposing aura is like a manifestation of the laws of heaven and earth, awe-inspiring and awe-inspiring.

When people face it, they cannot help but feel a sense of reverence and worship.

Beside the carriage stood a dragon herder standing respectfully. He was Zhou Qingfeng's personal dragon herder, responsible for raising celestial dragons in Dragon Herder Valley. He was always on standby and would immediately ride his dragon to Zhou Qingfeng's aid should Zhou Qingfeng summon him.

At this moment, he holds the dragon-beating whip and the dragon-binding rope, ready to lead his master on his journey.

Zhou Qingfeng led his personal guards and boarded the luxurious carriage one by one.

The dragon shepherd twitched his wrist slightly, and the dragon-binding rope in his hand trembled gently.

The crimson dragon instantly sensed its master's will and let out a deafening roar. Then, a gale arose, clouds surged, and its massive body soared into the sky like a crimson lightning bolt ripped across the heavens.

In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Dragon Chariot was soaring above the clouds, flying towards the fiefdom 1,600 miles away.

After an incense stick had burned, the imperial carriage circled above the main city of the Zhou clan.

Upon arriving at their destination, Zhou Qingfeng did not allow the Dragon Shepherd to land. Instead, he took a step forward, his physical body levitating in the air, and landed at the city gate, surrounded by dozens of guards.

The Tianlong vehicle took off again and hovered in the clouds, awaiting Zhou Qingfeng's new instructions.

The city wall was a hundred feet high, and the city gate alone was ten feet thick and ten feet high.

The heavy, tall city gate slowly opened.

Two hundred poorly equipped militiamen from the Turbid Realm, armed with standard Turbid-grade magical weapons such as spears, swords, axes, and hammers, ran quickly out of the city and stood on both sides to greet them. However... they looked like a rabble.

At this moment, a general rode a calamity-level armored warhorse, leading forty armored cavalrymen of the Turbid Realm out of the city to greet them. Behind the cavalry were one hundred and eighty-five elite infantrymen of the Turbid Realm.

These elite infantrymen are all equipped with light armor of the Turbid grade, carry a two-handed sword, wield a standard Turbid grade longbow, and are equipped with a quiver of piercing arrows. They are capable of fighting at both close and long range, and their combat power is quite formidable.

The leading general was dressed in calamity-level silver armor, draped in a calamity-level snow-white cloak, wielding a calamity-level deadly silver spear, carrying a calamity-level heart-piercing bow on his shoulder, and dozens of calamity-level armor-piercing arrows in two quivers at his waist.

"Drink!" The silver-armored general suddenly charged forward with his spear, the tip of which was pointed directly at Zhou Qingfeng.

Jin Wei and his dozens of personal guards remained motionless, simply watching this sudden 'assassination attempt' unfold.

Zhou Qingfeng smiled as he watched the other party rush towards him, standing with his hands behind his back, completely still.

As the warhorse charged close, the silver-armored general yanked the reins, the horse's hooves rose high, the general, spear in hand, touched the ground, rolled to the ground, then removed his visor, revealing a handsome and dashing face.

Her face lit up with joy, and she bowed deeply, saying, "Su Shuiyao greets Your Highness."

"Shuiyao? Who changed your name?"

"Hehe, Master said that Shui'er is a nickname and can't be called that all the time. When I come of age, I should be given a good name. So Master and Father discussed it and added the character Yao to my name."

"I see." Zhou Qingfeng suddenly realized, and then praised, "The green waves gently ripple in the sky above Shuiyao, the emerald shadows and the setting sun share the same string, the spring murmurs softly in the depths of the secluded valley, and the gentle breeze carries the fragrance of incense. Shuiyao, what a beautiful name."

"It seems Mr. Liao put a lot of thought into giving you this name."

After saying that, Zhou Qingfeng reached out and held her arm, teasing her with a smile: "Little sister is still so mischievous. After not seeing each other for so long, you want to stab me with a gun as soon as we meet. Isn't that a bit too enthusiastic?"

Su Shuiyao turned her head away and snorted twice: "Hmph, who told you that your brother has been in seclusion for almost ten years and hasn't spent any time with me? He even missed my 18th birthday ceremony. So what if I scare you a little?"

Zhou Qingfeng smiled helplessly. He was so focused on his cultivation that he completely forgot about Shui'er's coming-of-age ceremony. However, as the eldest brother, missing his sister's coming-of-age ceremony was indeed wrong and would be very sad.

Moreover, Zhou Qingfeng also felt a little regretful that he hadn't been able to send his blessings to A-mei on her coming-of-age ceremony.

"I'm sorry, Shui'er, it was my fault. Please forgive my oversight."

"I will definitely give you a coming-of-age ceremony."

If you make a mistake, admit it; if you get hit, stand up straight.

Besides, why put on airs or act pretentious in front of family?

Su Shuiyao glanced at her brother apologizing in public, and her dissatisfaction vanished instantly. She immediately took Zhou Qingfeng's arm, her eyes welling up with tears, and suddenly burst into tears, hugging Zhou Qingfeng tightly.

"Ten years have passed, brother, I miss you so much! I thought you would come for my coming-of-age ceremony. I waited for a whole day and night, but you still didn't come. I'm so angry~~~"

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng chuckled and coaxed a child, "Oh, don't cry, don't cry. Why are you still like a little baby? You're a grown woman now, you can't cry, or people will laugh at you."

Upon hearing this, Su Shuiyao wiped away her tears, turned around, and shouted, "All troops, listen to my command! Cover your ears and turn your backs!"

The forty armored cavalrymen, one hundred and eighty elite infantrymen, and two hundred militiamen of the reserve guard all covered their ears and turned around. Jin Wei and his thirty-six guards also covered their ears and turned their backs.

Then Su Shuiyao hugged Zhou Qingfeng and burst into tears, her tears and snot streaming down her face, soaking Zhou Qingfeng's collar. Zhou Qingfeng was both amused and exasperated, and reached out to pat Su Shuiyao's back to comfort her.

He felt a great warmth in his heart because of this.

These past years, I've kept myself in my heart, and the feeling of being cared for by my family... it's not bad.

The negative effects of years of arduous practice were all expelled from the body under the onslaught of family affection.

Zhou Qingfeng took Su Shuiyao's hand and smiled slightly: "Alright, wipe away your tears and accompany your brother for a stroll."

"Okay, brother." Su Shuiyao wiped away her tears and revealed a bright smile.

The two walked into the main city side by side, leaving behind a group of people who covered their ears and stood with their backs turned.

As they walked, Su Shuiyao explained to Zhou Qingfeng, "Brother, the city wall of our main city is built along the edge of our fiefdom, covering an area of ​​ten li, a hundred zhang high, and ten zhang thick. The bricks and stones of the city wall are all made of turbid-grade materials."

"Because our Zhou family's fiefdom is on the frontier, the land is fertile and rich in resources, so bandits are rampant. Bandits often come in groups to plunder, and demons and ghosts also frequently come to harass us."

"To ensure that crops are not damaged and that people can live and work in peace, erecting high walls along the boundaries of the fiefdom will greatly improve the security and stability of the fiefdom."

"Furthermore, we have divided the area into residential, industrial, agricultural, and commercial zones, which are largely complete. We just need to proceed in an orderly manner according to the plan."

Upon reaching a certain spot, Su Shuiyao smiled and pointed to the farmland, saying, "This area is an agricultural zone, entirely covered with nectar, where spider lilies, flesh-and-blood ginseng, and various yin-type medicinal herbs are planted, and it is irrigated by hundreds of serfs."

Then Su Shuiyao began to take Zhou Qingfeng on a tour of the fiefdom, allowing him to experience the changes that had taken place over the past ten years.

“Brother, this is a residential area, currently totaling three hundred households, each with a cultivator. These people have all come here to settle down because of the prestige of our Zhou family, hoping to make a good future here.”

After admiring the residential area, Su Shuiyao led Zhou Qingfeng to the industrial area.

“Brother, this is an industrial area. Currently, there are only three workshops exclusively operated by our Zhou family: one is a weapon-refining workshop, one is an alchemy workshop, and one is a brewing workshop.”

"There are only two requirements for recruiting for technical and management positions: one is to have the skills that match the position, and the other is that you must be a local resident and not a person from out of town."

"The three workshops cost a total of 300 million magic coins. They usually refine some turbid-grade pills, turbid-grade magic weapons, and turbid-grade fine wines for sale. After four consecutive years of losses, they have turned a profit this year, with a net profit of 10 million magic coins."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. Continue to increase investment, pour manpower, material resources, and financial resources into it, and make the workshop bigger and stronger. This will become one of the main sources of income for our Zhou family in the future."

Su Shuiyao spread her hands: "Brother, it's no use telling me this. Father controls the money tightly now. He's a real miser. He only takes in money and doesn't give it out. If you want to get money from him, I'm afraid only your word will work."

“And every time I ask him for money, he beats me. He beats me and calls me a spendthrift woman. I’m so angry. In this family, Dad only listens to you. You should try to persuade him sometime.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng couldn't help but chuckle.

Uncle used to be a wealthy landowner, but he didn't start from scratch. He inherited fertile land from the Su family ancestors, making him a pure-blooded small landlord.

By his generation, his uncle's father, also known as Old Master Su, had passed away before he could teach his uncle ruthless methods such as extorting money, colluding with officials, and swindling.

He only learned half of what was presented on stage, but not a single bit of the behind-the-scenes tactics. Moreover, he had never lacked food or clothing since childhood, and was served by a large number of servants. He was a kind and charitable person who helped poor families.

Over time, the Su family's wealth dwindled, and their decline was not far off.

Even without the incident in Yumi City, the Su family would still have perished. After all, in this world, the kind-hearted can only struggle at the bottom. If they want to live well, they not only have to talk about loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness, but also have to be ruthless and cruel in secret.

The fertile land owned by the Su family was all purchased with legal funds, and the land nominally belongs to the Su family.

However, in reality, they could only be used to grow grain and could not be left uncultivated. If fertile land was left uncultivated for more than two years, it would be taken back by the local government. Moreover, if the land was passed down from father to son and from son to grandson, an inheritance tax had to be paid.

This is nothing compared to all of Zhou Qingfeng's fiefdoms.

Within his fiefdom, Zhou Qingfeng could do whatever he wanted. He was the true king of his fiefdom; even a needle falling from the ground was his to possess. His words were the rules and the law.

However, Zhou Qingfeng wouldn't act recklessly. After all, constantly changing orders, imposing exorbitant taxes, and issuing all sorts of bizarre laws would only ruin the fiefdom. At that point, all the free people would run away, and what use would the fiefdom be?

"Where is Uncle?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.

Su Shuiyao said, "Father is currently leading a group of accountants to check the accounts. He's busy every day. He's basically in charge of internal affairs, while Zhiqi and Master Chen are just there to offer advice and carry out the plans."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly: "Alright, let him get busy first. There's no rush. Anyway, I'll be staying here for a while longer. There's plenty of time. Shui'er, come on, let's go shopping in the commercial area."

"Good."

For the next month, Zhou Qingfeng spent most of his time in the City Lord's Mansion, taking the opportunity to have detailed conversations with his uncle, Zhiqi, and Master Chen to gain a thorough understanding of the current development of the main city and to have a clear picture in mind.

Zhou Qingfeng has reviewed all the important matters in the main city, but there is one more crucial matter that he needs to decide personally: the naming of the main city.

The main city is now referred to as Zhou Clan Main City. The name is easy to remember and understand, but it is too tasteless. It looks like an unknown city created by a small family, and it even uses the surname as a prefix for the city.

Therefore, Zhou Qingfeng convened the core management personnel to discuss and select several city names as candidates: Runan City, Pei City, Huainan City, Yong'an City, Hejian City, Linru City, Hedong City, and Qinghe City.

Old Man Su chuckled and said, "Qingfeng, in my opinion, let's call it Yong'an City. Yong'an means eternal peace and safety, a lucky name that symbolizes our family's safety and well-being."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly: "Okay, Uncle, from now on, we'll call this city Yong'an City."

The Zhou family of Yong'an officially establishes the city today, announcing it to the world.

From then on, people of the Zhou family could refer to outsiders as members of the Yong'an Zhou clan, who were vassals of Jianta.

“Hold the utensils, Master Chen.”

Upon hearing this, Zhiqi and Master Chen immediately stepped forward to face Zhou Qingfeng, clasped their hands in a salute, and said, "Here."

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with a smile: "You two have worked hard. Yong'an City wouldn't have gotten back on track so quickly without your efforts. I, the Duke, want to reward you. Speak up, what do you want? Just say the word."

Zhiqi knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "It is an honor for Zhiqi to serve Your Excellency. I dare not ask for any reward."

Zhou Qingfeng, upon hearing this, would not take it seriously. This person had stayed in this wretched place for ten years, working diligently and conscientiously, all for the sake of a bright future. Since that was the case, then he would grant him a bright future.

"Zhiqi, in recognition of your hard work and great achievements, I, the Duke, hereby bestow upon you a million coins, a bottle of evil-grade pills, a superior evil-grade magic weapon, and a set each of evil-grade spells and physical techniques. You may take this decree to the Zhou family treasury to collect your reward."

"Starting today, you are being transferred back to my side. You will soon be reporting to the Censorate with me, and you will be given another important position."

Upon hearing this, Zhiqi's eyes reddened. After enduring ten years of hardship in this remote and impoverished place, he was finally rewarded: "Thank you for your reward, Your Excellency. I will serve Your Excellency, the Zhou family, and Yong'an City with all my heart and soul, even unto death."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly and raised his hand, saying, "Get up."

He nimbly stood up and stepped aside.

Zhou Qingfeng looked at Master Chen and asked, "Master Chen, what do you want?"

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