In an era where everyone is cultivating immortality, the system wants me to become a demon?

Chapter 382 Chen Nuoyi Arrives in Longcheng County! (3K views, please subscribe!)

"Your Excellency, the decree to reduce or exempt Longcheng County's taxes for this month has been issued."

The next morning, County Magistrate Ying Ding came to the court and reported to Su Yuan on the results of his work the previous day and that morning.

Su Yuan nodded slightly and said:

"In addition to this month's tax reduction, has there been any notification regarding the tax reduction of half for the next three months?"

"They've all been notified."

Ying Ding answered without hesitation, then asked with slight confusion:

"Your Excellency, I have never understood why you would reduce the taxes of the people by so much at once?"

"The burden on the people's shoulders has been lightened, but you still have to pay the taxes out of your own pocket. Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

Ying Ding's tone was very sincere, and his beady eyes were full of confusion and thirst for knowledge.

Su Yuan thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Everyone knows that the taxes of the people of Longcheng County have been collected for a hundred years. The hardships of life for the people at the bottom are unimaginable."

“Treat the people well within your means, and many people in the county will no longer have to die from hunger and disease. These people will remember your kindness.”

"Although most of them are just ordinary people, and helping them may not seem to help you much, you must understand a principle: water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

Ying Ding listened as if suddenly realizing something, and immediately said:
"Your words, Your Excellency, are truly profound. After listening to them, I feel as if I have been enlightened and my understanding has been completely clear!"

"Upon returning, I will immediately transcribe these words and contemplate them day and night."

Su Yuan secretly shook his head. He was certain that the flattery in the kid's words was too blatant. Even a fool could guess that the kid was treating his words as nothing.

But regardless of his true thoughts, as long as he outwardly follows his own requirements, that's fine.

He won't stay in Longcheng County for long. When he gets promoted three months later, he will recommend Ying Ding as the next magistrate of Longcheng County.

If he can continue his governing strategy and be lenient enough with the people of Longcheng County, then he will naturally be blessed after the Blue Star Federation annexes the Heavenly Law World.

The corrupt bureaucratic system of the Celestial Law World will eventually be thoroughly purged, and only those celestial officials who are sufficiently honest and have not committed any major errors will be retained.

Whether this young man can seize this opportunity depends on how the people of Longcheng County will evaluate him in the future.

Of course, he only thought these words to himself and would not give them to the person in person.

"County Magistrate Ying, summon a few guards and come with me to the county town. I want to see for myself how the people are living."

"As ordered!"

Ying Ding nodded in agreement and quickly summoned his guards and ordered them to prepare carriages and horses.

However, Su Yuan refused the latter request, as he wanted to walk alongside the people without any barriers.

A moment later, Su Yuan, dressed in official robes and wearing a flat-topped turban, walked on the streets of Longcheng County, accompanied by several subordinate officials.

Longcheng County was originally one of the wealthiest counties in the entire Shengyang Prefecture, and even though it had been repeatedly harassed by pirates in recent years, it still appeared very prosperous.

Among the bustling pedestrians, someone soon noticed Su Yuan's presence.

"The county magistrate is here!"

Someone shouted, and in an instant, the crowd erupted in cheers.

A large number of eyes turned towards Su Yuan's direction, and accompanied by a thunderous roar of cheers, the people excitedly raised their hands and surged towards Su Yuan like a tide.

They only stopped in an orderly fashion when they were close to Su Yuan.

However, the excitement on everyone's faces did not diminish at all, and many people even had red eyes and tears in their eyes!
An aura of loyalty wafts over you!

This scene made Su Yuan feel somewhat ashamed. He had simply done what a normal county magistrate should do, but the public's reaction was far too much.

He burst into tears as soon as he saw me, which is a bit too outrageous... He didn't even hire anyone to do it for him!

It can only be said that it was because the previous county magistrates were too inhumane.

"Silence! Silence!"

Ying Ding quickly stepped forward to maintain order:

"The magistrate is personally visiting incognito today to understand the people's conditions. You should quickly make way so that the magistrate can give you guidance on your livelihood."

Upon hearing this, the crowd parted in a flurry, watching Su Yuan pass by.

Wherever Su Yuan went, the crowd followed.

For the rest of the morning, Su Yuan visited many places in Longcheng County.

Su Yuan gained a thorough understanding of local pork prices, grain prices, salt and iron prices, and other factors that are crucial to the basic survival of ordinary people.

The more Su Yuan learned, the more he discovered the limitations of the Celestial Official system.

The Celestial Official Examination is said to be a civil service exam, but in reality, the threshold is even higher than the imperial examinations of ancient times. The minimum requirement for taking the exam is that you must have the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment.

This system meant that ordinary people had almost no chance of getting ahead; becoming a minor official or a common soldier was considered a great achievement.

The real official positions and power are almost entirely monopolized by cultivation families and sects.

This monopoly manifests in every aspect, such as the currency system used by ordinary people. It is completely different from the spirit coins circulating among cultivation factions; instead, they use a currency called pseudo-spirit coins for daily consumption. Theoretically, five hundred pseudo-spirit coins are equivalent to one spirit coin, but in reality, no one would exchange spirit coins for pseudo-spirit coins.

As a result, the lives of ordinary people became infinitely similar to those of the impoverished masses in Su Yuan's previous life, leading to absurd scenes where aristocratic scions could fly and disappear into the earth, while the lower classes could not afford to eat.

As for how to change this situation, Su Yuan didn't have any good ideas.

It's nothing more than him reducing taxes during his term, and then gradually adjusting people's livelihoods after the Blue Star Federation annexes the Celestial Law World.

But is it appropriate to say this in public?

So, amidst everyone's anticipation, he could only utter something that was essentially meaningless:
"Pig farms must raise pigs well!"

"Grain and meat prices must be regulated to a reasonable range; arbitrary price increases are absolutely prohibited!"

"Restaurants and inns must never use substandard meat; everything must be cooked to order!"

"Officials must work diligently and must not shirk their duties or cheat!"

To Su Yuan's surprise, the people listened intently to his words, as if they had heard something extraordinary.

So... Longcheng County couldn't even control the basic grain price in the past, right?

Su Yuan shook his head speechlessly, ending his trip to the grassroots to understand the people's conditions.

At night, Su Yuan closed off the entire bedroom, pushed all the tables and chairs aside, and cleared out a clean and spacious open space.

This county magistrate, who was kind and approachable during the day and loved the people like her own children, suddenly flicked her wrist, and a massive amount of blood gushed out from the blood-red bead in her sleeve, outlining strange and intricate patterns on the ground.

A moment later, a large array filled with a sense of blasphemy and evil appeared in the bedroom.

After setting up the Holy Church Blood Sacrifice Array, Su Yuan rummaged through the Calamity Moon Pearl again and found a pair of slightly worn black leather boots, which he placed in the center of the array as anchors.

The anchor will not disappear when the Blood Sacrifice Array takes effect and can be used repeatedly.

What is the origin of these leather boots?
It's very simple; these are the shoes Chen Nuoyi wore when she had just left her family and was so poor that she had to work odd jobs everywhere.

Although the shoes were originally made of good materials, they were severely damaged after several months of high-intensity wear and tear... Moreover, their owner did not wash them before handing them over to Su Yuan after wearing them for the last time.

Of course, don't misunderstand. The reason why Chen Nuoyi wasn't asked to clean the little leather boots wasn't because Su Yuan had some inappropriate fetish, but because it was for the sake of the ceremony.

After all, if the smell and residue from the shoes are washed away completely, the connection between them and Chen Nuoyi herself will be weakened.

As for why I specifically chose these shoes?
Of course, it's also for the needs of the ceremony!
The item that can be used to summon a specific being cannot be just any personal item; it must be a personal item that has been worn and used for a long time.

Among all of Chen Nuoyi's personal items that meet the requirements, these old shoes are the most cost-effective choice.

It's definitely not some strange quirk.

After setting up the large array, Su Yuan took out a communication headset, put it on, and made contact with Captain Zhang.

After confirming that Chen Nuoyi had successfully arrived at the Guanlu Ship, Su Yuan threw a large piece of flesh and blood made using the 'Transformation of Corruption' into the great formation, activating the Holy Sect Blood Sacrifice Great Formation.

As a crimson light enveloped the entire bedroom, the large chunks of flesh and blood offered as a sacrifice vanished rapidly.

A figure slowly appeared within the blood sacrifice formation.

As the light faded, a girl with blue hair, golden eyes, bright eyes and white teeth, and a pretty face that was slightly round with a touch of baby fat was revealed.

Who else could it be but Chen Nuoyi?

“Noyi…”

Su Yuan subconsciously smiled and was about to greet his vice leader, whom he hadn't seen for over a month.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he saw the girl's delicate nose twitch slightly, as if she had smelled something.

The next second, her beautiful eyes suddenly fell on the pair of old shoes at her feet.

A faint blush appeared on the girl's pretty face. With lightning speed, she grabbed the pair of little leather boots and put them into her personal storage magic item. Then she glared at Su Yuan.

This scene made Su Yuan feel inexplicably awkward.

No, what's with that distrustful look in my eyes?

You don't think I'm going to do anything to your shoes, do you?

No way! It's really not that bad!

However... it's best not to explain this matter, otherwise it will only make things worse.

“Um, Nuoyi…”

Su Yuan spent a great deal of effort to suppress the slight strangeness in his heart and prepared to continue the greeting he hadn't finished earlier.

However, Chen Nuoyi rushed to Su Yuan first, touched Su Yuan's forehead, then touched her own forehead, nodded, and said:
"Hmm, no fever."

Su Yuan: "..."

No, are you still agonizing over the issue of me raising my employees' salaries?

How long has it been!
What about trust between people?
Seemingly sensing the meaning in Su Yuan's eyes, the girl explained somewhat shyly:
“Su Yuan, of course I believe you. It was Qi Hanyue and the other Yuan Sect cadres who touched your forehead just now.”

"After confirming it myself, I'll be able to send the message back to them shortly."

(End of this chapter)