Chapter 126
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Chapter 126: The Wise Senior Brother
On the fifth day of the seventh month, Wang Chen made his way to Yunshan City to fulfill his grain payment obligation.
Upon his arrival at the Spirit Plant Hall, a long queue had already formed.
At the Gold Sprinkling Field, the grain platform still bore the Infinite Gold Scale, a sight that stirred silent resentment among the farmers.
This year, however, a large scale had been added in front of the grain platform.
All rent for the fields was now calculated by weight!
“Gao San from Wei Hall C Six, twenty acres under cultivation, grain payment of three thousand three hundred and seventy-five pounds!”
“Chen Shahe from Wei Hall D Four, fifteen acres under cultivation, grain payment of two thousand five hundred and thirty-one pounds!”
“Zhang Yuan from Wei Hall A Two, thirty acres under cultivation…”
The steward of the Spirit Plant Hall, with a book in his left hand and a pen in his right, called out the names in a booming voice.
His thick eyebrows and large eyes exuded an air of integrity, a stark contrast to the sly figure from the previous year.
Bags of golden rice swiftly passed over the scale, then were poured into the Infinite Gold Scale to fill the grain storage bags.
This cycle repeated seamlessly, everything in perfect order!
“Wait!”
The steward, who had been diligently recording the counts, suddenly gestured and pointed to a burly cultivator standing nearby: “You, go and bring down the Infinite Gold Scale.”
“Yes!”
The cultivator promptly ascended the grain platform and, with arms wide, lifted the nine-foot-square Infinite Gold Scale.
He then carried it down to the ground below.
The entire Gold Sprinkling Field fell into a hush; all eyes were fixed on the burly cultivator.
The atmosphere grew tense and heavy.
The middle-aged farmer who had just paid his rent began to pale visibly.
The steward of the Spirit Plant Hall then commanded in a deep voice, “Dump it!”
At his order, the Infinite Gold Scale tipped forward, and over three thousand pounds of rice cascaded out, instantly blanketing the ground!
The steward’s gaze sharpened, his eyes as piercing as a falcon’s.
He reached out and grasped a handful of spirit rice, examining it meticulously.
“Audacious!”
In the next moment, the steward’s eyes blazed with fury as he roared, “How dare you adulterate the rice with water? What punishment do you deserve for such an insult to the sect?”
Although the Spirit Plant Hall had revised its grain collection rules this year,
the Infinite Gold Scale had not been discarded but was instead used as a secondary weighing tool.
This spirit tool could measure both volume and weight, accurately weighing up to one hundred thousand pounds of spiritual grains at a time.
No trickery could escape its detection!
The farmer who came for the grain payment, unaware of the actual situation, believed that only the weight was being considered. Thus, he surreptitiously moistened some of the rice to increase its weight. After all, with a million pounds of rice eventually packed into a single grain storage bag, the likelihood of detection was almost negligible.
Now that his deceit had been uncovered, he panicked and immediately knelt down, pleading, “Young cultivator, I admit my mistake…”
“Seize him!”
The Spirit Plant Hall steward barked harshly without allowing any explanation. “Take him down, administer thirty strikes, and expel him from the outer sect!”
Two cultivators tasked with maintaining order pounced on him like fierce beasts.
They apprehended the farmer, sealed his spiritual powers, and produced a water-fire stick.
They then proceeded to strike him, causing him to howl in agony!
However, they refrained from stripping him of his clothes, thus preserving the last vestige of a cultivator’s dignity.
Even so, after thirty strikes, the offender’s cries dwindled to faint moans, leaving him barely clinging to life.
He was then dragged out and dumped outside the Spirit Plant Hall, leaving a long, bloody trail on the ground.
Those who witnessed the scene were struck silent with fear.
Many spiritual plant farmers had not anticipated such a harsh punishment for what seemed like a minor offense!
Yet, some could not hide their schadenfreude.
This was not the first day of grain payment, and similar incidents had occurred several times before.
However, news traveled slowly in the region, and many farmers remained unaware, leading some to attempt the same deceitful tactics, only to lose their lives and livelihoods.
Expelled from the outer sect, where else could he possibly find refuge in the outside world?
At that moment, several spiritual plant farmers in the queue turned pale and subtly retreated.
The steward’s piercing gaze swept over them, and he declared in a deep voice, “The Grandmaster is compassionate and understands the struggles of farmers, but deceit will not be tolerated. If this happens again, you will face the execution platform!”
As soon as he finished speaking, several farmers hastily exited the line.
The steward paid them no heed and continued to call out names for grain payment.
The bloodstains on the ground were swiftly cleaned, and the atmosphere in the Gold Sprinkling Field returned to normal.
Some spiritual plant farmers in line whispered among themselves, discussing the recent events.
Their tones were laden with scorn and disdain.
“Ha! Such greed deserves misfortune!”
Standing in the queue, Wang Chen observed the entire incident from start to finish.
He truly had nothing to say.
Wang Chen dutifully submitted over sixteen hundred pounds of rice.
This was in contrast to the same period last year.
This year, the reserved grain was enough for Wang Chen to enjoy white rice at every meal until the spring of next year!
After receiving ten sect contribution points, Wang Chen left the Spirit Plant Hall.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would never set foot in this place again in his lifetime.
Wang Chen wandered around Yunshan City.
As Han Dashih had mentioned, the price of grain at the city’s shops had dropped significantly.
Meanwhile, items like elixirs, talismans, and spiritual materials were generally increasing in price!
Wang Chen found a rice-pounding workshop and had all his reserved rice hulled into white rice.
He used part of the rice husks to cover the cost, converting the rest into rice.
Although this wasn’t the most economical choice, Wang Chen no longer kept chickens!
Next, he bought three thousand pounds of fresh magical beast meat.
Since the price of rice had fallen, the market price for magical beast meat had also decreased somewhat.
Now, Wang Chen wasn’t alone; he had a little glutton hanging at his waist.
It was definitely wise to stock up on meat while prices were low!
By the time Wang Chen arrived at the Moonlit Pavilion, it was well past noon.
He sat in a private room, having just ordered his dishes, when his guest for the day arrived.
Vice Master Cao from the outer sect punishment hall!
Wang Chen and this senior brother from the inner sect were not strangers, as Vice Master Cao had greatly assisted him, and out of both obligation and gratitude, Wang Chen felt it appropriate to invite him again to express his thanks.
After some pleasantries, the two took their seats, and delicious dishes were served one after another.
The Moonlit Pavilion was one of the most renowned taverns in Yunshan City, famous for its exquisite spirit dishes.
Of course, the prices were quite steep.
The spread of food and drinks before them would cost at least several dozen spirit fragments.
After three rounds of drinks,
Cao Xiu smiled and asked, “Brother Wang, since you’ve treated me to a meal today, is there another matter at hand?”
Wang Chen nodded, “Brother, your insight is sharp.”
In truth, it wasn’t anything major; the fragile friendship between them couldn’t withstand too many tests.
This time, Wang Chen invited him to dinner primarily to learn more about the inner sect.
He said, “Brother, I plan to go to Sunset Peak to re-establish my immortal registry tomorrow. I kindly ask for your guidance!”
As soon as Cao Xiu heard this, he said, “No problem, I will share everything I know.”
After the human hunting case, Cao Xiu had been transferred from the inner sect to the outer sect punishment hall.
Having been in the inner sect for over a decade, he didn’t know everything perfectly, but he had enough insight to guide Wang Chen.
Vice Master Cao was also more than willing to clear his junior brother’s doubts!
The Yunyang Inner Sect was divided into nine peaks, each representing a lineage.
Aside from the main peak, Taihao Peak, there were also the peaks of Shangxuan, Mingxiu, Changyang, Gujian, Feiyu, Lingyuan, Qingmu, and Sunset.
The hierarchy in the inner sect was stricter than in the outer sect.
The highest ranks were undoubtedly held by the three Golden Core true masters stationed at Taihao Peak.
Among them, Grandmaster Ji Guandao managed internal affairs, Left Protector Mu Qingqiu handled external matters, while a Grand Elder remained in closed-door cultivation most of the time.
Next in line were the elders of each lineage, true disciples, and regular inner sect disciples.
As for the leaders, stewards, and managers of the various halls in the inner sect, they formed a separate system.
Their status was often determined by their cultivation level!
Additionally, the strengths among the eight peaks varied significantly.
Shangxuan was the strongest, while Sunset was the weakest, but the number of inner sect disciples from Sunset Peak was the highest!
The highest numbers but the weakest strength?
Wang Chen paused upon hearing this.
Cao Xiu noticed his expression and smiled, “That’s right, Sunset is the weakest because it has only three elders from the Purple Palace, and it ranks last every year in the Nine Peaks Discussion!”
“Brother Wang…”
Cao Xiu personally poured a cup of spiritual wine for Wang Chen and said seriously, “You are already very fortunate to enter the inner sect; whether Sunset Peak is strong or weak, you will always have the opportunity to seek the truth!”
“Now, let me give you a few words of advice.”
“Since it doesn’t concern you, stay out of it. If you know it’s wrong, it’s better to say less. If you can endure, then endure. Cultivation comes first!”
“When you understand these words, you will be able to stand firm in the inner sect.”
Wang Chen fell silent for a moment, then raised his cup in salute.
“Brother, your wisdom is admirable!”
