Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 99 Dividing the Family

"Ye Ci? Oh, yes—yes—"

Faced with Zhang Guan's unpredictable temper, Magistrate Fang replied blankly, "He is a retainer of the Shen family and has some reputation in the county."

"oh----"

Zhang Guan let out a long "Oh," and then asked, "The Shen family's retainer—the Shen family is known as 'Shen Half-City'?"

Realizing that Zhang Guan's true purpose was to lure out the Shen family, Magistrate Fang's heart suddenly pounded, and he murmured in response, "Yes—there is such a saying, but General Zhang, shouldn't you consider the consequences? It might not be good to use force."

Some things are self-evident, and both parties can understand each other's meaning.

Zhang Guan glanced at him: "What? Who do you take me for? I was just asking. What about the other families?"

Magistrate Fang was startled by the sharp gaze and quickly said, "Don't worry, don't worry, the wealthy households in the county are all very obedient. They will give gifts as usual, as you can see at the welcoming banquet."

*******

evening.

A series of muffled whooshing sounds came from inside Tingzhu Pavilion.

Ye Ci's clothes were very thin, and his body was soaked with sweat, as if he had been washed with water.

Without new techniques, he cannot develop the Embracing Elixir Strength, but that does not prevent him from practicing the Embracing Mountain Seal.

"call-

'

Another muffled whooshing sound filled the air, making everyone's eardrums feel blocked.

After practicing for a while, Ye Ci felt his arms trembling slightly. He stood up and regulated his breathing.

The transformation of internal energy has been achieved, and the qi and blood are in perfect harmony.

Now my body can obviously handle a lot more.

Previously, I could only use the Mountain Embracing Seal three or four times in a short period of time, but now I can use it five or six times in a row.

"With each time you reach your limit, your body's tolerance for the 'Holding Mountain Seal' will increase."

"Now that we don't have the Core Formation Technique, we can take this opportunity to improve our proficiency with the Mountain Embracing Seal."

Ye Ci exhaled a breath of stale air, intending to rest for a while.

"Wang De is dead. My brother-in-law said he used to have a good relationship with you."

This time, Huangguoshu didn't go through the main gate; instead, he jumped down directly from the base of a wall.

"How did you get in?"

Ye Ci glanced at him.

"Chasing the moon to perfection."

Surprisingly, Huang Guoshu did not show much pride on his face.

Since Murong Yanyu and the others left, this young man has also felt that the world is not good, and he has become unusually calm.

"Wang De's father bumped into Zhang Guan's carriage and was killed in the street. The county did not care, but instead quickly took the body away."

Therefore, Ye Ci and the others did not see these when they returned to the city.

Huang Guoshu recounted what had happened during the day.

"Wang De was just a commoner, and an apprentice at that. No one stood up for him. The man who killed him was Duan Wu."

Duan Wu?

Ye Ci silently memorized the name.

"My brother-in-law sent me to remind you that the common people cannot fight against the officials."

"Where is your sister-in-law?"

Speaking of which, Jiang Ding'an hasn't come for quite some time.

"He went to work as a镖局 (bodyguard agency). He doesn't like Xiao Hua, so he doesn't want to stay at the martial arts school. Besides, business in the county has been good lately, and some wealthy families are secretly sending their families away, so they definitely need bodyguards. Ping An镖局 is an old brand, and everyone will give them face."

However, my brother-in-law has been unusually serious lately, spending all his free time practicing martial arts. He also wants to reach the Transformation Realm as soon as possible and go to the sect in the prefectural city.

In fact, Ye Ci could also go to the prefectural city.

After mastering the Transformation Realm, with Qin Lie's letter of recommendation in hand, he can now leave Songjiang County and head to the Green Wood Sect.

Ye Ci still longed for the Green Wood Sect.

The cultivation resources and methods of the Great Qian are superior to those of the Southern Barbarians. This is because, apart from dealing with the Southern Barbarians, the Great Qian is actually surrounded by enemies on all sides, yet it still manages to stand firm. In terms of martial arts, it naturally surpasses those barbarians.

Huang Guoshu chatted briefly with Ye Ci, and soon after, he regained his youthful spirit, deliberately stomped his foot to show off, and with a flash, stepped onto the wall again and left.

"This kid has also mastered hidden strength."

Ye Ci saw through his background and was somewhat surprised.

He's a genius.

"Offering of leaves".

Just then, Shen Xin rolled up her sleeves, revealing her delicate arms, and came over carrying two food boxes, looking rather strained.

Ye Ci stepped forward and took the food box, carrying it to the dining room in the west wing. Inside the food box were all kinds of fine meat.

Bear paws, tiger bones — a gluttonous feast.

The Shen family has never mistreated Ye Ci.

Now, in addition to taking supplements, he also eats a lot of meat every day.

In fact, this only helps to consolidate qi and blood, and does not significantly increase strength.

It's not that my strength doesn't increase at all, but rather that there's no such thing as mastering the Transformation Realm.

Since there is no concept of achieving great success, it means that the potential for growth is limited, and it is impossible to attain the elixir of immortality.

As for the reason, Ye Ci guessed that the Embracing Dan Strength was a kind of power beyond limits, belonging to another level, which is why it increased lifespan. The related techniques were also controlled by the imperial court and sects.

However, there is still a significant difference between a beginner and an experienced master of the Transformation Realm, the difference being whether one can master every bit of strength and use it flexibly.

But Ye Ci felt there were differences. For example, with the blessing of his own Baoshan Seal, it was no ordinary Transformation Force.

Watching him devour the sumptuous meal in a flash, Shen Xin finally spoke.

"Master Ye, ever since the general entered the city, Qiu Tang has spread some rumors that the court is asking some soldiers to return to farming. These soldiers don't want to farm; they want to become wealthy—the general has tacitly approved of this."

"Some things are almost explicitly stated: the county should give them at least half of its assets. I heard that Qiu Tang has proposed a solution: everyone should divide the Shen family's assets together. Let's see how the four major families handle it."

Ye Ci asked, "How will Master Shen handle this?"

Shen Xin sighed and said, "My father deliberately went along with Qiu Tang's wishes and used his connections to talk to him. The way of doing business is not something that just anyone can do. Even if the Shen family gives up its assets to those people, they may not be able to obtain long-term benefits. Therefore, my father wants to share the family's annual profits with them."

Ye Ci nodded. Shen Wanzhou had indeed said that some people in the prefectural city had long ago divided their wealth from the Shen family.

Since there are mutual interests at stake, that official will also try to dissuade Zhang Guan, but that will only be dissuasion.

Of course, even if the general really didn't want to confiscate the Shen family's property, if there were too many people sharing the spoils, it would definitely affect the Shen family's financial resources, and sooner or later it would also affect Ye Ci's cultivation resources.

However, Master Shen's true intention was probably to keep Qiu Tang calm and probe his bottom line.

"What did Qiu Tang say?"

"He said that he had influence before the general entered the city, but now that the general has entered, the decision should be made by the general."

The general decides?

All troubles stem from misinterpretation.

Since mastering the Transformation Realm, Ye Ci had considered killing Zhang Guandu.

But back then, he was just a soldier and had no idea about Zhang Guan's background.

He pondered: In the Great Qian Dynasty, the official system does not equal strength. Qin Lie is only a captain but has the strength of a Dan cultivator. However, it seems that Qin Lie is not popular. Could Zhang Guan, a general who rose to power through his father, only have the strength of a Hua Jin cultivator?

But this can only be speculation.

"A banquet will be held at the Commandant's residence tomorrow."

Speaking of hosting banquets, she began to reminisce about Qin Lie: "Actually, Commandant Qin used to host banquets too. He would always find ways to ask wealthy families for money, but he never asked for much."

"This banquet turned out to be a disaster. In an attempt to curry favor, the old man offered to pay for it, but Qiu Tang refused."

"They really don't know what's good or bad!"

Shen Xin sighed: "Also, there's something the old man hasn't told you."

"What is it?"

"My brother wants to divide the family property. I heard it's Qian'er's idea. Since the four major families want to overthrow the old man, they might as well let the old man divide some of the family property first, so that at least one lineage can be preserved."

Ye Ci pondered, no wonder Shen Wanzhou had rarely visited these past few days, and had seemed worried during their meetings.

However, it would seem rather cold-hearted to start a family division at this time.

"What did Master Shen say?" Ye Ci asked.

Shen Xin shook her head in silence.

For no reason, Ye Ci pictured a pretty girl holding a wooden box in her mind. She usually dressed plainly and didn't wear makeup, unlike ordinary girls.

Ye Ci suddenly wanted to talk to this woman and ask her what she really thought.

Unfortunately, she moved away.

"By the way, Master Ye, I heard that someone from Qiu Tang sent a message inviting you to the banquet as well."

"Yes."

"I've prepared a set of clothes for you; I'll have someone deliver them to you later."

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Shen."

Seeing that Ye Ci had finished eating, Shen Xin did not linger any longer. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she packed up the food box and left Tingzhuxuan.