Chapter 43

(Second update, please give recommendations, and new readers, please add to your bookshelf. The third update will be around 10 PM. I wrote very slowly today, considering some details.)

Deed!

Su Qinnian and the other two exchanged glances. Before they could speak, Ji Yuan Zhenren waved his sleeve, and the sunlight blazed like fragments of time dancing in the air.

When they came to their senses, the Qingyang Hall was in ruins. Su Qinnian smiled bitterly and shook his head. The four of them, including Ji Yuan Zhenren, could see that if they didn't want to speak, there would be no chance to ask.

Flipping through the deed in his hand, it was a stack of old yellow paper, very brittle, clearly stored for a long time.

"Maoyan County, Dachuan Town, ten acres of good farmland, Chixiao Year 4915."

"Zhangwan County, Huanglong Town, fifteen acres of good farmland, Chixiao Year 4887."

...

Half an incense stick later.

"These are not imperial grants. They are the ten thousand acres of good farmland passed down through generations of Wudang," the fat man smiled broadly. "It seems these were the hidden assets of our Qingyang Peak that were not divided among the other peaks."

"Altogether fifty-seven acres of good farmland. Although they are not the tax-exempt fields granted by the Han Emperor to Wudang, and far fewer than the three hundred acres during the peak of Qingyang Peak, one acre of good farmland can yield fifteen to sixteen taels of silver from rice alone. Fifty-seven acres would yield at least eight hundred taels," Qing Yu mused, then frowned. "But times have changed, and people's hearts are unpredictable. After five hundred years and several generations, it's hard to predict how much sentiment remains."

The fat man pouted. "With the deed in hand and the law of the Great Han above, they have no choice. That's eight hundred taels. If we plant the unique Wudang Tiger Tooth Rice, it would yield at least eighty thousand taels a year! Moreover, over five hundred years, how much wealth has accumulated? If used to rebuild Qingyang Palace, it could be renewed within a few years."

Su Qinnian shook his head. It's not that simple. Wealth tempts people, and many take risks, become bandits, and commit crimes. Let alone five hundred years, it's uncertain how many of these fifty-seven acres still exist.

"Tomorrow, we go down the mountain."

Suddenly, Qing Yu said in a deep voice, looking at the setting sun and the rising winter moon.

"Go down the mountain?" The fat man's voice rose, then he nodded. "Indeed, we need to go down the mountain to investigate. Although we have taken over Qingyang Peak, we still lack various supplies, elixirs, and weapons. For example, the Kai Tian Dan for Foundation Establishment, we can barely exchange for two. Not to mention reaching the eighth level of the Gui She Gong, which requires three Kai Tian Dan, and various preparations, such as the thousand-year-old agarwood and ten-thousand-year-old cliff cypress powder for meditation, and bathing in medicinal baths to cleanse the body. All of these require money, and some cannot be bought even with money."

Poverty for scholars, wealth for warriors, this is an eternal truth. Many spend decades studying and learning, but find no way to enter the door.

The Su family was once ranked eighth, and Su Qinnian had seen fifteen years in Chang'an. He understood that without an official background and shallow connections, it is extremely difficult for commoners to achieve success, especially in martial arts. Besides the widespread "Bengma Jing" and "Mahuang Quan" taught by the Han Emperor, how can ordinary people access more advanced and refined Foundation Establishment techniques? Poor families inherit weak constitutions and mixed bone structures, and even if they try to improve, it requires a large amount of money to buy rare herbs, ginseng, and lingzhi, which is almost impossible to afford.

"The three of us will each go down the mountain, one to each county to investigate."

Qing Yu continued. The fifty-seven acres of private farmland of Qingyang Peak are mainly distributed in Maoyan County, Zhangwan County, and Yunyang County, all within the jurisdiction of Shiyan Prefecture, including Wudang Mountain.

"Alright, after years of training in the mountains without seeing the blood of beasts, it's a waste to be a martial artist!"

The fat man shouted, his bones cracking like thunder, his usual clumsy demeanor gone, his eyes sharp, and a formidable aura emanating from him.

Hmm?

Su Qinnian raised an eyebrow. It seems the fat man has made significant progress. From the sound of his bones, the Gui She Gong has clearly reached the sixth level, and he has taken a solid step toward the seventh level, where the bones and tendons resonate like drums.

From this, it can be seen that Qing Yu is likely not far behind. With such cultivation, as long as they don't venture deep into the wilderness and follow the imperial roads, and are cautious, traveling through a county should not be a problem.

The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse.

In Qingyang Palace, old trees twisted, and rocks piled up, casting a large, dark shadow, like ghosts lurking, cold and eerie.

Qingyang Hall was desolate, a bonfire crackling, the flames flickering, almost extinguished by the wind.

After leaving the outer courtyard, even the fire basins and charcoal for winter heating were no longer supplied, and the servants' quarters refused to extend credit.

Su Qinnian and the other two were sitting in silence, none of them speaking, as they all understood that the other peaks were pressuring them to hand over the inheritance.

Although the head of Tianzhu Peak, Ning Tong Daoist, had spoken, and there was a voice from the Jinding Taihe Palace, the three mad Daoists of past generations did not involve themselves in worldly affairs unless a heaven-sent person or a demon king appeared. Even the inheritance of a lineage was not as important as the principles of Wudang's Taiji Yin-Yang and the fate of the world.

In fact, after that day, there was no more sound from Tianzhu Peak.

At dawn, the fire was extinguished, and the smoke lingered. After breakfast, Su Qinnian and the other two left Qingyang Palace.

Unlike Qing Yu and the others who went directly down the mountain, an hour later, Su Qinnian arrived at a frozen clear lake.

Xiaoyao Valley!

Entering the valley again, Su Qinnian felt an immense sense of peace, as if he had known he would come. Jingdu Daoist stood by the lake and threw a green, sword-like iron plaque from a distance.

Receiving the plaque, the back was engraved with a Taiji Bagua, and the front had two ancient characters, exuding a fierce aura.

"Slay Demons!"

Although he had taken over Qingyang Peak and become one of the lineage inheritors, ranking as an elder, Su Qinnian understood that, like scholars, a position without power is like walking on thin ice, always at risk of falling into the abyss.

He was still a criminal sentenced by the imperial Ministry of Justice, officially documented and stamped, a death row inmate on probation, not allowed to leave Wudang Mountain unless he accepted the Slay Demon Order.

A Slay Demon Order lasts one and a half months. If a probationary death row inmate does not return within one and a half months, the law enforcement Daoists from the Zhenwu Hall on Tianzhu Peak will come down the mountain to confirm their fate or capture them, or even execute them as a warning.

Moreover, if one accepts the Slay Demon Order and fails to slay a demon within one and a half months, they are not allowed to leave the mountain for the next year.

This made the probationary death row inmates in Xiaoyao Valley extremely cautious. There have been cases where someone accepted the Slay Demon Order but failed to slay a demon and begged bitterly for the next year, only to be executed when their probation period ended.

From a distance, some probationary death row inmates who had not yet entered the mountain looked at Su Qinnian with evasive eyes, as if reliving the past.

On the shore, Jingdu Daoist glanced at Su Qinnian, then focused on the green iron longsword on his back. After a moment, he turned and left.

This made Su Qinnian inwardly frustrated. Whether it was the four of Ji Yuan Zhenren or Jingdu Daoist, did martial artists always act so mysteriously, speaking in half-sentences? Where was the straightforwardness of scholars? Su Qinnian knew that the sages said, "There is nothing that cannot be spoken of," but there were many considerations and reservations.

However, he could only think this. Even Su Qinnian himself had some secrets he could not reveal. Although he was upright, for his own safety, some things were truly inconceivable, and he could only keep them in his heart until he had the power to protect himself.

...

Walking down the mountain path again, Su Qinnian saw the snow covering the branches, and the pines rooted in the cliffs, feeling a sense of nostalgia. He soon stopped, as two familiar Daoists stood side by side in front of the Sword Release Stone.

"Su Qinnian!"

A young Daoist spoke, calmly. "Do you remember us?"

"Of course, I remember," Su Qinnian replied calmly. "You two were the ones who guided me into the mountain and into Xiaoyao Valley."

"That's good. Now, come with us again." (Second update, please give recommendations, and new readers, please add to your bookshelf. The third update will be around 10 PM. I wrote very slowly today, considering some details. I'll try to update earlier.)