Heretical Cultivator (Second Update)

"You didn't know that things had already changed at home, so I don't blame you. But Brother Liu, have you ever thought about how you're going to repay all these benefits you've received? How much salary does a county magistrate earn in a year?"

Wang Tianwen spoke meaningfully. If things continued at this rate, Liu Xian would most likely become a corrupt official once he took office.

He had accepted so many benefits before even becoming an official. Once he took office, if the wealthy merchants who had given his family benefits came knocking and asked him for favors, would Liu Xian help them or not?

Before this, whenever wealthy merchants and powerful nobles were mentioned, Liu Xian had always looked down on them. He had said that officials preyed on the common people, and that once he became an official, he would certainly be an incorruptible one. Because of this, Liu Xian and Sun Jiawen had never seen eye to eye.

But now, Liu Xian couldn't say such things anymore. He felt guilty.

Liu Xian's brows furrowed deeply. What Wang Tianwen said was true. The farmland, manors, furniture, silk clothing, and other possessions his family had acquired added up to more than ten thousand taels. Even if he immediately became an official, it would take him decades to repay everything.

He now thoroughly understood the meaning of the saying, "The vermilion gates reek of wine and meat, while frozen corpses lie by the roadside." His family ate well and dressed warmly, while their neighbors still lived on coarse grains and wild vegetables in shabby thatched huts.

"Brother Tianwen, you have plenty of ideas. Give me some advice."

Wang Tianwen shook his head and said, "I can't help you with this. At the end of the day, it's a matter