Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"Shuniang is already seventeen this year, and she’s not exempt from conscription. Trying to bluff our way out of this won’t work," Zhang Yan said one evening as he came to visit Chen Li, his face filled with concern.

He himself wasn’t worried; after all, he was an old hand in Jianghu.

It was Shuniang he was worried about.

If the child were of any use, she wouldn’t be this useless.

"You don’t need to worry too much. Shuniang has reached the third layer in Qi Cultivation, and her cultivation level isn’t low. Plus, she has a magic artifact in her possession. Not to mention we are nearby to look after her. Nothing will happen," Chen Li reassured.

Among Loose Cultivators, those in the middle or later stages of Qi Cultivation are a minority; the majority are in the early stages.

Back when he had first transmigrated, he was only at the third layer of Qi Cultivation himself.

And he dared to go on adventures in the wilderness alone.

"Alas, easy for you to say, but how can I not worry? I don’t even know what kind of corvée labor she will be subjected to? How dangerous is it? This child has been kept under strict control by me, her character is soft, and she has never fought with anyone since she was born, without a single experience in combat," Zhang Yan sighed, looking every bit the worried father with forehead wrinkles deep enough to trap a mosquito.

...

After sending Zhang Yan away, Chen Li thought about it and decided to dutifully perform his corvée labor.

The Returning True Sect was new here and it was time to establish authority; he couldn’t afford to hit the gun muzzle.

Hiding was possible; he could just dive into the forest with Zhou Hong.

But there was no need to take the risk.

He was not alone after all; he had Zhou Hong with him, and a family to care for.

Anyway, it was only three months; it would pass in a flash.

...

The Returning True Sect acted quickly, and that very night, people were going door to door registering the information of the households. A few Foundation Establishment cultivators flew to and fro in the sky, monitoring and capturing any Loose Cultivators trying to evade corvée labor.

Numerous shrewd Loose Cultivators hiding in the wilderness were caught on the spot and forced to return.

...

"Name?"

"Chen Wen, and this is my wife Zhou Hong."

"Cultivation level?"

"Late stages of Qi cultivation, my wife..."

"Specifically. Also, does she not have a mouth? Let her answer for herself!"

"Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation," Chen Li answered, seeing no point in hiding it.

The faces of the three Returning True Sect cultivators, which were originally stern, softened upon hearing this. The registration ended quickly and afterwards, someone took out a strange magic artifact, chanting incantations over it. They aimed it at the two of them and a burst of light flashed by.

"Your information and image have now been recorded by the image-catching magic artifact. Corvée labor will start in five days. Use this time to prepare whatever you need to. Remember not to try to be clever. Just serve dutifully. Unless you flee to another realm, there will be a time when you are caught, and then... heh heh!"

The leading Returning True Sect cultivator warned before preparing to leave.

"Please hold on, respected disciples of the Returning True Sect. May I ask exactly what kind of corvée labor it is? Please enlighten me," Chen Li hurriedly called out, asking.

"It is naturally clearing the wilderness. What else could it be? You Loose Cultivators have it good, just three months of corvée labor. Unlike us..."

"Cough, cough!" another Returning True Sect cultivator gave a reminder.

"Heh, why am I even telling you all this? We have to go; there’s still many more to register!"

Soon after, the group left.

Chen Li closed the door.

Zhou Hong came over, leaning into his embrace, "Clearing the wilderness, it seems like the Returning True realm really intends to relocate the common people here?"

"Almost certainly. In a little more than a month, the secular world will go through the autumn harvest. After the harvest is over, the common people will probably start moving here," Chen Li held Zhou Hong close, "The Returning True Sect has timed this very well. Alas, it just means some tough times ahead."

"As long as I’m with you, I can go anywhere. We’ll just weather it out and it’ll be over," Zhou Hong said softly.

...

Early in the morning, at the market in the shantytown at the foot of the mountain.

The place was packed with people, extremely bustling. Not only were the streets jam-packed, but even the rooftops nearby were full of people.

In the middle of the marketplace.

More than a dozen Loose Cultivators, tied up in bundles, were kneeling in a row on the ground, their faces pale with fright, contorting their bodies and begging for mercy.

Behind each of them stood a Returning True Sect cultivator holding a whip.

"Let everyone watch closely; this is what happens if you try to avoid corvée labor." A loud voice from a Foundation Establishment member of the Returning True Sect echoed, and with the press of his aura, the surroundings instantly fell silent, hushed as if in the presence of cicadas:

"Considering it’s a first offense, ten lashes! Execute the punishment!"

The Returning True Sect cultivators immediately picked up their whips and began to lash with vigor.

The whips were as thick as a child’s arm and had been soaked in water, looking ominously heavy. Each strike produced a sickening thud on impact.

The Loose Cultivators screamed miserably, the pain contorting their faces as they rolled on the ground.

With each lash, their robes turned to tatters, leaving them with open wounds and not a single patch of unbroken skin.

Their cries went from shrill and intense to weak and breathless, eventually becoming faint as a whisper.

After ten lashes, none of the dozen or so Loose Cultivators could move; all had been beaten into unconsciousness, drenched in blood.

The battered figures were quickly dragged away and dumped by the roadside, then another batch took their place...

Chen Li watched the spectacle with a calm expression for a while, then left the crowd and made his way to Luoluo City. As he had guessed, the place was several times busier than usual, and inside the market for Loose Cultivators, the area was teeming and lively.

With corvée labor imminent.

In just one day, the market had been driven to exceptional liveliness.

Chen Li inquired about the current market prices and found they had reached the levels of pre-war and peaceful times.

He took the opportunity to sell his goods.

He didn’t sell to shops, as the spike in activity meant that, although the selling prices had risen, the buying prices were still severely undercut, not much different from before, and selling now would mean a loss.

He chose to sell his goods to the stall owners in the market.

It’s usually difficult to sell in large quantities, but today the market was so bustling that whatever the stall owners displayed, they sold out!

...

"I have a large stock of magic artifacts and robes to sell at a cheap price. How much can you take?"

"Price? Of course I won’t rip you off, I’ll give you 90 percent of your selling price... No, no, that’s too low, the most I can do is 75 percent off, otherwise I’m at a big loss, and it would be better to set up my own stall to sell."

After closing each deal, Chen Li would leave the Loose Cultivators’ market, change his appearance, don a different outfit, and then look for another target.

He ran nonstop, busy from morning till evening, without a single bite to eat all day.

Fortunately, the harvest was huge.

His stock of magic artifacts, robes, talismans, and the like had all sold out, even the seven expensive Single Storage Bags, and as for whether the stall owners used them or sold them, Chen Li had no idea.

It must be said that Loose Cultivators post-battle really are wealthy, many of them concealing their riches well.

In the end, Chen Li simply sold various unsalable spiritual medicines and materials at low prices to the shops. The potential for these items to appreciate was limited and they took up a lot of space in his storage bag, which was rather inconvenient.

Emerging from the last store,

Chen Li felt as if he had shed a heavy burden, feeling light all over.

...

Nightfall.

In the quiet room underground,

a wooden table was piled high with Spirit Stones that glinted with a mesmerizing light under the dim glow of the oil lamp.

A large number of Mid-grade Spirit Stones and Low-grade Spirit Stones were mixed together, with the occasional Top-grade Spirit Stone included.

Chen Li first picked out the Top-grade Spirit Stones and set them aside, a total of eight.

He then sorted out the Mid-grade Spirit Stones, counting 2,853 in total.

As for the Low-grade Spirit Stones... he could only roughly estimate their number, at over 30,000.

"Phew!" Chen Li exhaled a long breath, realizing for the first time that even counting Spirit Stones could leave him feeling mentally exhausted and parched.

He did a quick calculation.

"Roughly 3,900 Mid-grade Spirit Stones... converting to Top-grade Spirit Stones that’s 39. Thinking about it that way, it doesn’t seem like much," Chen Li mused to himself, recalling the Thick Earth Gathering Spirit Formation from the last auction that cost a whopping 21 Top-grade Spirit Stones.

He shook his head.

"Compared to those Foundation Establishment families, this little money of mine is really nothing."

...

Five days flew by in a flash.

Early in the morning, while it was still barely light,

Chen Li and Zhou Hong had just finished breakfast when Zhang Yan brought Zhang Shuniang to their door.

Wang Qing’s family was exempt from conscription, so they didn’t have to serve.

"So early, have you had breakfast?" Chen Li asked.

"We ate a long time ago!" Zhang Yan didn’t stand on ceremony, finding a spot to sit down: "I’ve inquired already, our entire street has been assigned to Group Ding Three, and each group will have a Foundation Establishment cultivator leading the team."

"Is it a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Returning True Sect, or one from a dependent power?" Chen Li asked.

"I’m not sure, us Loose Cultivators all just follow orders anyways, doesn’t matter who it is."

Meanwhile, Zhou Hong was whispering to Zhang Shuniang and slipping talismans into her hands, "Clearing wasteland is still somewhat risky, and there’s always times when you can’t be looked after. Here, take these Golden Light Body Protection Talismans for self-defense."

"Ms. Zhou, what’s this for, I can’t accept it." Zhang Shuniang blushed, stubbornly refusing to take them.

"These few Golden Light Body Protection Talismans were casually drawn by your uncle. They’re for household use and aren’t worth much."

"Ah, Uncle can draw Golden Light Body Protection Talismans now? That’s First Order Ninth Grade talismans!" exclaimed Zhang Shuniang in surprise.

"Yeah, your uncle just learned how to do it recently," Zhou Hong said with a smile, pride shining through her expression.

Zhang Yan, who had been about to decline on his daughter’s behalf, swallowed the words he was about to speak upon hearing this.

It hadn’t been long, yet he could draw Golden Light Body Protection Talismans now?

He vividly remembered the days when Chen Li humbly sought his advice on how to create Arrow-Evasion Talismans, as if it were only yesterday.

In the blink of an eye, the roles had remained the same.

He was still just a Talisman Master capable of creating simple Featherweight Talismans.

And Chen Li had soared high into the sky, becoming a top-notch Talisman Master.

Sigh, comparisons are really odious.

Fortunately, he was used to being outdone, and decided to act as if he hadn’t heard anything.

...

After the group chatted for a while, they headed out the door.

By now, the street was teeming with people, bustling and noisy. The Loose Cultivators, each carrying their belongings and looking worried, hurried to the gathering point at the street corner. By the time the group arrived, a long line had already formed.

What followed was a series of identity checks and ticks.

Then came the tedious wait.

Not until the sky was fully bright,

did a female cultivator in a tender green robe, presumably having reached Foundation Establishment, fly over and descend from the sky: "Is everyone here?"

She appeared to be in her twenties, with a thin face and thin lips, above-average looks but an indifferent expression, and a hint of coldness on her face, clearly not an easy person to get along with.

"Senior Bai, everyone is here already," said the two Returning True Sect cultivators in charge of registration, standing up quickly and greeting with a bow.

"Since everyone is here, let’s set off," she said, her tone indifferent.