fifth form

Chapter 3186 Methods of Acquiring a Domain

"Cousin, people complain when they have work to do, and they also complain when they don't have work to do. Why is that?"

After leaving Laoshu Hutong, Zhang Xuezhou went to Maoling.

As the construction of Yanglingyi was nearing completion, many craftsmen were left without work and eventually went to Maoling.

Rong Tianding, who replaced Zhang Xuezhou as the supervisor at Maoling, was somewhat bewildered.

He found that no matter what he did, it seemed difficult to find a satisfactory answer. When the craftsmen had no work, some scholars in Yangling County cried out that "the government's chaotic policies have caused the people to suffer." When he had many craftsmen recruited to make pottery figurines, there were still whispers that forced labor was causing the people to suffer.

The construction of the imperial mausoleum at Maoling was not rushed, and Rong Tianding felt that the conditions were already quite lenient.

Even so, some people still harbored dissatisfaction, and there were plenty of people who expressed their discontent in hushed conversations.

“If this were the Qin Dynasty, we would just arrest and bury these people,” Zhang Xuezhou laughed. “But the current Han Dynasty does have some problems, and it’s easy to get no credit no matter what we do!”

"What's the problem?" Rong Tianding asked.

“There are too few upward channels, and many people cannot see hope. Without hope in their hearts, they have no motivation to do things and just try to survive every day,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Whether you can rise to the top is something you have to achieve yourself, not something others can give you. What can you do if you're not good enough?" Rong Tianding shook his head and said.

"What if my cousin hadn't left Chengdu that year, but instead spent ten years slaughtering pigs there?"

"If I were in their shoes, I would definitely complain about how miserable the people are!"

Rong Tianding gave a dry reply.

If he were to inherit the family business of slaughtering pigs, Rong Tianding could almost see his inevitable, numb future.

Perhaps he will marry the daughter of a cloth merchant in the city, or perhaps he will find a pretty but poor woman and have one or two children.

When his wife grew old, and Rong Li could no longer control him, Rong Tianding felt that he might take another concubine.

But this was probably the only thing he cared about most in his life.

Just thinking about it, Rong Tianding felt that he couldn't accept this kind of life.

If he were to live such a hopeless life every day, he would indeed feel very bitter.

“We’ve made it through, but there are still many people who haven’t,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Whether we can break through or not is not up to us," Rong Tianding said.

“Our opinions don’t count; the imperial court can guide us,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

“I’ve heard scholars say that the imperial court governs the country by exhausting and keeping the people ignorant. Can the imperial court really guide people to improve themselves?” Rong Tianding asked doubtfully.

"If someone isn't good enough, you definitely have to replace them!"

The committee members in Xijing City used to be no different, but after a batch of people were imprisoned and died, everyone's attitude suddenly became enlightened, and they were willing to give up the interests they usually guarded.

With the conflict between Daojun and others and the Xiong Kingdom looming overhead, Tian Fen was already considered a capable figure, while there were many other descendants of marquis families who were utterly incompetent yet relied on their ancestors' continuous enjoyment of benefits.

These people's ancestors would have truly fought alongside the Emperor Gaozu in the past, but now, among those fighting alongside the Empress Dowager, there isn't a single scion of a marquisate or noble family; figures like Zhuang Qingzhai are nowhere to be seen.

The Empress Dowager and others may not have cared in the past, but after being attacked and nearly killed, their attitude will inevitably change.

Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that the Empress Dowager, who was eager to try to heal herself, had taken a liking to Zhang Xuezhou's nonsense.

He only described the highest standard; there are those who are slightly below that level who can be promoted, and it may also involve the next level down, or even ordinary people.

The higher up the hierarchy of rules and regulations, the more outrageous they become; but the lower down they are implemented, the more grounded they become, and a large number of people will inevitably be able to achieve their goals.

"What will happen to the original staff?" Rong Tianding asked cautiously. "Will they be willing to be replaced?"

"Dead people don't need to think about so many things!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head. The war between Han and Xiong would lead to the downfall of many incompetent generals, while the court's internal affairs would focus on cracking down on corruption, resulting in wave after wave of people being demoted or losing their heads.

It may seem like there's intense external pressure and various internal contradictions, but it's precisely in these situations that problems are more easily identified and resolved.

"Will many people die?" Rong Tianding asked doubtfully.

“I think there will be quite a few in the future,” Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"That's getting interesting!"

Rong Tianding murmured.

For the cultivators of the Corpse-Eating School, Rong Tianding was happy to see death, but he longed for rebirth even more.

And this era seems to be moving in the direction that the Corpse-Eating School hoped for.

As death and rebirth alternate, and the transformation between life and death is revealed, the entire nation will flourish. This will present him with the path of life and death, perhaps guiding him to self-realization.

Rong Tianding felt that his cultivation was limited to the Divine Power Realm and it was difficult to improve. However, if the factors of the times were involved, he might have a chance to go further and truly understand Shi Jiao's definition of life and death.

Zhang Xuezhou was forward-thinking about the court's movements and usually made predictions relatively early.

At this point, there was still a long time before everything happened, so Rong Tianding couldn't help but tighten his guard. He would obviously be careful to maintain a proper balance when assisting Zhang Xuezhou, so as not to let Zhang Xuezhou become the one who was replaced.

"The Corpse-Eating School's method of exerting control is very interesting!"

Rong Tianding, who had only been in the Divine Power Realm for half a year, was unable to reach the Sovereign Realm. His spiritual power was insufficient, and he couldn't even touch the threshold of the Sovereign Realm.

However, Rong Tianding sensed from Zhang Xuezhou's words that the principles recorded in the Corpse-like Manual were being put into practice. If he continued to observe and study, the day when the Great Han Dynasty flourished might be the day he would be able to glimpse life and death.

Zhang Xuezhou inevitably compared it to the control of 'fast and slow'.

"If we use the method of observing society to gain insight, how does Shi Jiao use life and death to reach his true self?" Zhang Xuezhou asked.

"The manual says that the world changes like the sea turning into mulberry fields, and life and death are a continuous cycle, which may give rise to an opportunity to realize one's true self!"

Rong Tianding gave a brief explanation.

Although the expression is only a few words, it is extremely difficult to achieve.

"I've asked Shi Wudao about this these past few days. Shi Wudao said he had seen the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty, but also witnessed its collapse and the countless deaths and injuries. Xianyang City was once so prosperous that it was unimaginable, gathering countless treasures from all over the world. In the blink of an eye, the buildings collapsed, the prosperity turned into decay, and was eventually covered by dust, becoming a wasteland overgrown with weeds. He was saddened by all the changes at the time, and thus turned to his true self. I don't know if this old man is trying to trick me or enlighten me!"

"What he said makes some sense!"

"This kind of scene is not hard to imagine. Do we have to witness it once before we can break through our realm technique and become a top-level cultivator?"

Rong Tianding was somewhat difficult to understand.

The contents of the Corpse Master's Manual and Corpse Without Dao's descriptions are extremely similar, but Rong Tianding cannot understand them.

His understanding of the Realm of Self was based on the Corpse Master's Manual, and he also inquired about the Realm of True Self that Zhang Xuezhou was concerned about. The final answers he came up with were very similar.

“Imagination and personal experience are completely different,” Zhang Xuezhou said, shaking his head.

"Oh?"

"With the former, you'll just sit here and think, while with the latter, you can participate, experience the joy of success, and also feel the pain of death and injury. You'll grow through these experiences until you shed the old and embrace a new life!"

This transformation of the Corpse School is not simply a change in the color and texture of magical power, nor is it merely the ultimate application of a magical technique; rather, it will truly generate domain power.

For example, Shi Wudao once spread his corpse energy throughout Chang'an City, an ability that is very rare among cultivators.

Although Shi Wudao was beaten and suppressed repeatedly, making him extremely miserable, Shi Wudao was one of the most troublesome cultivators Zhang Xuezhou had ever seen. It was also very likely that he would survive the battle with the remnant soul of Emperor Jing and even live out a new self.

Zhang Xuezhou repeatedly pondered the content described by the Corpse-Taoist School and Corpse-Wudao, and he felt that he had some understanding of how to acquire domains.