From a humble farmer to a great martial arts master

Chapter 136, The struggle for the crown prince is always like this.

three days later.

When Hua Xuanfeng, the head of the Shenxiao Sect, saw the secret letter that Huo Yi had sent back to the sect from the Iron Flag Mansion, he was filled with doubts.

My junior brother?

When did I gain a junior brother?

He was proficient in the Divine Firmament Sword Technique and also possessed a powerful external martial art, which allowed him to kill two innate elders from the Snow Mountain Sacred Realm!

Could it be—a hidden agent left behind by the long-deceased master, the old man?

Or is it some other unknown branch?

The holy site has been passed down for nearly a century, so such things are inevitable.

As for the four sets of Five Elements spiritual items taken away by this cheap junior brother, Hua Xuanfeng didn't think of it as being "deceived." Instead, he sensed a hint of "political struggle."

The battle for sect leadership!

Could they be coming for me?

The current situation of Shenxiao is not very good. Although he is in charge of the Shenxiao Seal, if this junior brother with amazing strength returns, he may try to form alliances and try to sideline him and seize the power of the sect leader.

Moreover, it's still unknown whether the other side has any other trump cards up their sleeve.

In a short time.

Hua Xuanfeng became much more vigilant, spending less time in the Divine Firmament Cave, carrying the Divine Firmament Seal with him, and engaging in increasingly close dealings with the elders from all sides.

This unexpected turn of events—

Ren Qingshan observed and deduced his thoughts from his words and actions through "television," which made him both amused and exasperated, and he felt a deep sense of emotion.

As expected of the sect leader, his fighting spirit is truly high.

I hadn't even considered this possibility in my own mind.

Using the remaining 50,000 units of earth energy in the wild, Ren Qingshan refined another Five Elements spiritual object, successfully breaking through to the sixth level of the Innate Realm.

Bad news: The soil's fertility is completely used up.

Good news: There are still three spiritual items left, enough to last until the ninth refinement.

The earth's strength and the five elements' spiritual substances are like adding flour when there's too much water, or adding water when there's too much flour—they complement each other and are indispensable.

-

We need to find a way to get more money and land.

The northern prefectures, which were suffering from a severe drought, were the best places to buy land.

However, the Crown Prince, Jiang Rong, and Feng Zhenjiang prioritize disaster relief and helping the people, so they are unlikely to let me become a cunning merchant.

Their expressions were already grim when the land title was changed last time.

From the perspective of a martial arts scholar from the Great Zhou Dynasty and a commoner who has transmigrated, Ren Qingshan certainly knows that land annexation is not a good thing.

My conscience won't allow me to do this!

But there's no other way—if I don't practice martial arts, who will protect the Great Zhou if it's in danger in the future?

Besides, dry land is worthless right now, so why don't I use it first?

I pondered all the way.

When they were almost at Qinghe Prefecture, Ren Qingshan still didn't have a good solution, so he could only go back and take a look.

Qinghe Prefecture.

Before even reaching the prefectural city, Ren Qingshan had already noticed the changes.

The river channel has been dredged completely, widened to nearly three zhang (approximately 13 meters), and deepened to ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) — there is no worry about demolition, the whole world belongs to the imperial court, and they can dig the earth however they want.

With the assistance of high-level martial artists, the project progressed extremely quickly.

On the official road, caravans came and went in great numbers.

There were also all sorts of martial artists, seemingly from all over the country.

He had already returned to his original appearance. There were patrolling soldiers on the road who quickly recognized Ren Qingshan. They greeted him with great respect and a smile.

"How is the city doing lately?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ren Qingshan casually asked—"It certainly won't be too bad. Seeing my policies implemented and helping countless people is an unparalleled sense of accomplishment."

"Thanks to the great man, the Qinghe River is almost finished, and it will be connected to the Southern Canal before the New Year."

"On the flat land in the east of the city, a huge arena is being built, and His Highness the Crown Prince has personally named it—the Number One Arena in the Martial World! His Highness plans to hold the first Martial World Tournament in my Qinghe Prefecture. All martial artists of the Great Zhou Dynasty are welcome to participate. They will be grouped according to their martial arts level, and the top-ranked members of each group will receive generous rewards—registration requires the payment of grain."

"The prefect of Yanshan was anxious and came to investigate the situation in person, clearly wanting to stop it, but His Highness the Crown Prince firmly suppressed him, and he returned home in disgrace."

The soldier smiled and told him everything.

Even a blind man would know that if Qinghe Prefecture could really get this done, it might become the most prosperous place in the northern border!

Furthermore, its connection to the Grand Canal made it even more important than Yanshan Prefecture.

Ironically, this severe drought brought good fortune to Qinghe Prefecture.

And the source of all this is the person in front of us.

"Oh? The Prefect of Yanshan? What's his name? What's his background?"

Ren Qingshan's mind raced, and he immediately sensed a business opportunity—he never imagined that there would be a competition for political achievements among the prefectural cities of the Great Zhou.

This is of course a good thing.

Qinghe Prefecture is now surrounded by powerful figures, with countless eyes watching. If they won't let me take over the land, then I'll just go somewhere else. Going to Yanshan Prefecture isn't out of the question.

I, Ren Qingshan, am now a golden brand and the embodiment of wisdom!

As for vanity projects, they are nothing more than cleverly disguised projects, and there are plenty of ways to do them.

The soldier told him the truth.

Ren Qingshan soon learned that the prefect of Yanshan was named Lei Nanchen, a southerner who was serving as an official in a different region. He was a martial artist with a good reputation, but he was rather ugly. If the martial arts examination hadn't disregarded appearance, he probably would have failed the palace examination.

A lucky version of Zhong Kui?

Silently labeling this person in his heart, Ren Qingshan bid farewell to the soldiers and left.

"My lord, Qinghe Prefecture is this way!"

The soldier saw him walking in the opposite direction and shouted a warning.

"I know! I'm going to visit brothels in Yanshan Prefecture, want to come along?"

Ren Qingshan was in a great mood and shouted in a flirtatious manner.

The soldiers watched his retreating figure, then glanced at their comrades, their eyes filled with smiles.

Hey, that's what a capable person is like.

How cool!

Half a day later.

It was evening.

The Yanshan Prefecture government office.

Lei Nanchen was eating when his subordinates came to report that a guest named Ren Qingshan had arrived at the neighborhood.

Upon hearing the name, Lei Nanchen immediately stood up, still holding half a chicken leg in his hand, and hurriedly ran towards the door. As he crossed the threshold, he suddenly felt that it was not dignified. Just as he was about to put down the chicken leg, he felt that this posture would make him appear more respectful and eager to seek out talent, so he immediately continued to run towards the door.

"Aoyama! Brother Aoyama!"

"Your presence is an honor to our humble abode! We are deeply sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"

The people in the yamen stared in disbelief at the prefect. Although the prefect was usually impulsive and quick-tempered, it was rare to see him so eager today.

Seeing his appearance, Ren Qingshan smiled faintly.

"Prefect Lei, you're too kind."

"I was just passing by, I was hungry and had no money on me, so I thought I'd come and mooch a meal."

To be fair, this one is indeed ugly—he looks like a big-eared TuTu.

But men aren't afraid of being ugly.

As long as you're willing to share land, we can all be good friends.

Upon hearing this, Lei Nanchen's eyes flickered slightly, and he vaguely understood Ren Qingshan's intentions. His smile grew even brighter as he eagerly took Ren Qingshan's arm.

"please!"

"Please come in, sir!"

"Although I, Lei, am not wealthy, Yanshan Prefecture is rich in produce, far surpassing Qinghe. I will certainly prepare a sumptuous feast to entertain you, sir!"

Ren Qingshan looked at him with a smile.

To be honest, from this angle, Lei Yanzu is actually quite handsome.