Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 126 Opening up wasteland

“Shuniang is already seventeen this year, so she’s not exempt from the conscription. You can’t fool her now.” Zhang Yan came to visit Chen Li in the evening, looking very worried.

He wasn't worried at all, after all, he was an old hand at it.

I'm worried it might be Shuniang.

If this child were even slightly useful, he wouldn't be so useless.

"You don't need to worry too much. Shuniang is at the third level of Qi Refining, which is quite a high level of cultivation, and she also has a magic weapon. Besides, we are all nearby and can take care of her. Nothing will happen," Chen Li reassured her.

Among independent cultivators, those in the mid-to-late stages of Qi Refining are a minority; those in the early stages of Qi Refining are the majority.

When he transmigrated, he was only at the third level of Qi Refining.

They even dare to go on adventures in the wild alone.

"Sigh, that's true, but how can I be at ease? I wonder what kind of corvée labor he's doing this time? Is it dangerous? I've kept this child under too much control, and he's so gentle. He's never fought with anyone since he was little, and he has no experience in fighting at all." Zhang Yan sighed, looking like a worried old father, his forehead wrinkles so deep they could trap a mosquito.

……

After seeing Zhang Yan off, Chen Li thought about it and decided to obediently go and perform his corvée labor.

Zhen Huanzong is new here, and it's the perfect time for him to establish his authority. He can't afford to run into trouble.

We can hide, though; Zhou Hong and I can just slip into the woods.

But there's no need to take the risk.

He's not alone now; he has Zhou Hong and their family to support.

Anyway, it's only three months, it'll be over in a flash.

……

The Huanzhen Sect acted swiftly. That very night, people went door-to-door to register residents' information, and several Foundation Establishment cultivators traveled through the air to monitor and capture rogue cultivators attempting to escape corvée labor.

Many clever rogue cultivators hiding in the wilderness were dragged out on the spot and forced to return.

……

"Name?"

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

"Cultivation?"

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

"Be more specific. Also, doesn't she have a mouth? Let her answer herself!"

"Ninth level of Qi Refining," Chen Li said, having nothing to hide.

Upon hearing this, the three True Sect cultivators' originally cold and stern faces immediately softened. The registration was completed quickly, and finally, someone took out a strange magic artifact, chanted incantations, and shone it on the two of them, causing a flash of light.

"Your information and images have been recorded by the image-recording artifact. The corvée labor will begin in five days. During this time, go and make the necessary preparations. Remember, do not try to be clever. Serve honestly. Unless you escape to another domain, you will eventually be caught. When that happens... hehe!"

The leader of the True Soul Sect cultivators gave a final warning and then prepared to leave.

"Esteemed disciples of the True Sect, please wait a moment. May I ask what kind of corvée labor you are undertaking? Please enlighten me," Chen Li hurriedly called out.

"Of course we'll clear the wasteland. Otherwise, what are we supposed to do? It's better for you independent cultivators; you only have to do three months of corvée labor, unlike us..."

"Ahem!" a True Sect cultivator reminded him.

"Hey, why am I telling you all this? Let's go, there are still so many people to register!"

The group left quickly.

Chen Li closed the door.

Zhou Hong came over and leaned against him: "It seems that the mortals from the Realm are really going to migrate here to reclaim the wasteland?"

"It's pretty much a done deal. In a little over a month, it will be the autumn harvest in the mortal world. Once the harvest is over, the mortals will probably start migrating over one after another!" Chen Li hugged Zhou Hong's delicate body and said, "The Zhenyuan Sect really knows how to time things right. Alas, it's just that we're going to have to endure some hardship for a while."

"As long as you're here, I'll go anywhere. I'll get through this." 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 and incredibly noisy; not only were the streets completely blocked, but even the rooftops next to it were filled with people.

In the open space in the middle of the market.

More than ten rogue cultivators were bound hand and foot, lined up and kneeling on the ground, their faces pale with fear, twisting their bodies and begging for mercy.

Behind each of them stood a True Sect cultivator carrying a whip.

"Everyone, look closely! This is the consequence of evading corvée labor!" a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the True Realm Sect shouted. With his imposing aura, the surrounding area instantly fell silent, trembling with fear.
"Considering this is his first offense, he shall be given ten lashes! Execute him!"

The cultivator from the True Sect immediately picked up a whip and began to lash it hard.

The whips were as thick as a child's arm, and when they got wet, they looked incredibly heavy. When one of them struck the body, it made a chilling, muffled thud.

The rogue cultivator let out a shrill wail, his face contorted in pain, rolling on the ground.

After a few lashes, his robes were reduced to tattered strips, and his entire body was covered in lacerations, with not a single patch of unscathed flesh.

The wails went from sharp and high-pitched to weak and feeble, and finally to barely a whisper.

After ten lashes, none of the dozen or so rogue cultivators could move; they were all beaten unconscious, their bodies covered in blood.

These people were quickly dragged away and dumped on the roadside, then replaced by another group...

Chen Li calmly watched the excitement for a while before leaving the crowd and heading towards Luanluo City. Just as he had guessed, the number of people here today was several times higher than usual. When he arrived at the loose cultivator market, it was even more bustling with activity.

The forced labor is imminent.

In just one day, the market became incredibly hot.

Chen Li inquired about prices in the market and found that they had already caught up with the pre-war peacetime levels.

He took the opportunity to sell off his goods.

They didn't sell to shops either. Because the popularity was created in a short period of time, although the selling price of shops also increased, the purchase price was very low, not much different from before, which was a huge loss in terms of price.

He chose to sell his goods to the stall owners in the market. Normally, it might be difficult to sell in large quantities, but today the market was so bustling that these stall owners sold almost everything they put on display!

……

"I have a large quantity of magical artifacts and robes, selling them cheaply. How many can you take?"

"Price? Of course it won't be expensive for you. You're selling it at 90% of the price now... No, no, that's too low. At most, it'll be 75% off, otherwise I'll lose a lot of money. I might as well just set up a stall and sell it myself."

After each successful transaction, Chen Li would leave the independent cultivator market, change his appearance and attire, and then search for a new target.

He worked non-stop, busy from morning till evening, without eating or drinking anything all day.

Fortunately, the gains were also substantial.

All the magical artifacts, robes, talismans, and other stock in his possession were cleared out. Even the seven expensive storage bags were all sold. As for whether the stall owner would use them himself or sell them, Chen Li didn't know.

It has to be said that the rogue cultivators after the war were really rich, and many of them kept their wealth hidden.

In the end, Chen Li simply sold all the unsellable spiritual herbs and materials in his storage bag to the shops at a low price. These things had limited room for appreciation and took up most of the space in his storage bag, which was really an eyesore.

Walk out of the last shop.

Chen Li felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and he felt completely relaxed.

……

night.

In the quiet underground room.

On a wooden table, spirit stones were piled up like a mountain, shimmering with a mesmerizing light under the dim light of an oil lamp.

A large number of mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones were mixed together, with an occasional high-grade spirit stone also mixed in.

Chen Li first picked out the top-grade spirit stones and set them aside; there were eight in total.

Then they selected 2853 mid-grade spirit stones.

As for low-grade spirit stones... he could only give a rough estimate, around 3.

"Phew!" Chen Li let out a long sigh, realizing for the first time that even counting spirit stones had left him exhausted and his mouth dry.

He counted on his fingers.

"About 3900 mid-grade spirit stones... which is equivalent to 39 high-grade spirit stones. Thinking about it that way, it's not that many." Chen Li thought to himself, recalling the Thick Earth Spirit Gathering Array that cost as much as 21 high-grade spirit stones at the last auction.

He couldn't help but shook his head.

"Compared to those Foundation Establishment families, my little bit of money is really not worth mentioning."

……

Five days flew by.

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 taxation and therefore did not need to perform corvée labor.

"So early, have you eaten yet?" Chen Li asked.

"I've already eaten!" Zhang Yan didn't stand on ceremony and found a seat to sit down. "I've inquired and found out that our street is divided into Group 3, and each group will be led by a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Is he a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the True Sect, or a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a vassal force?" Chen Li asked.

"I don't know. We independent cultivators are just following orders anyway, we don't care who it is."

On the other side, Zhou Hong also pulled Zhang Shuniang aside for a private chat, stuffing talismans into her hand: "After all, clearing land is still somewhat dangerous, and there will always be times when you can't take care of everything. Take these golden amulets for protection."

"Aunt Zhou, what is this? I can't accept it." Zhang Shuniang's face flushed red, and she refused to take it no matter what.

"These golden amulets were just drawn casually by your uncle. They're for his own use and aren't worth much."

"Ah, Uncle can draw golden amulets now? This is a first-tier, ninth-level amulet!" Zhang Shuniang exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, your uncle only recently learned it,” Zhou Hong said with a smile, a hint of pride in her expression.

Zhang Yan was about to refuse on behalf of his daughter, but upon hearing this, he swallowed the words that were about to come out.

How long has it been? And you can already draw golden amulets?
He still vividly remembered the time when Chen Li humbly asked him for advice on arrow-avoiding talismans; it all seemed like yesterday.

In the blink of an eye, he was still himself.

Or just an ordinary talisman master who can only draw lightness talismans.

Chen Li, however, has already soared to great heights, becoming a top-tier talisman master.

Sigh, it's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy.

Fortunately, he was used to being criticized, so he pretended not to hear it.

……

After chatting for a while, everyone went outside.

The streets were now packed with people, bustling and noisy. The wandering cultivators, carrying their bundles and bags, their faces full of worry, hurried to the meeting point at the street corner. When they arrived, a long queue had already formed.

Next came another round of identity verification and ticking.

Then comes the tedious waiting.

They waited until it was fully light.

A female Foundation Establishment cultivator dressed in a light green robe flew over and descended from the sky: "Is everyone here?"

She looked to be in her early twenties, with a thin face and lips. Her appearance was only above average, and she had a detached expression with a hint of coldness on her face. She was clearly the kind of person who was difficult to get along with.

"Uncle Bai, everyone has arrived." The two Zhenhuan Sect cultivators who were registering quickly stood up and bowed.

"Now that everyone's here, let's set off," she said indifferently.

(End of this chapter)