Worries

036 Worry

Zhao Siqi bustled about all night. After a short rest, the Butcher and Hunter, taking advantage of the lull in the wind and snow after dawn, packed their supplies and hurried back against the clock.

After seeing them off, Zhao Siqi turned around and realized Ming Shu had disappeared somewhere.

The wounded were first arranged to rest. The rest, under the division of labor by Zhao Dun and Zhao Chuan, began inspecting the traps outside the manor. Old Zhao also led people to repair the eastern courtyard wall.

Zhao Siqi searched the manor for a long time. When she finally found Ming Shu, he was actually meditating and cultivating on top of the arrow tower.

It was her first time climbing up there. Looking out, everything was a vast expanse of white. If one ignored the bloodstains and mess from the recent battle nearby, the outside presented a tranquil and beautiful scene.

The vast white snow covered the entire village, the rooftops, tree branches, and fields, all adorned with pure white snowflakes as if wrapped in silver.

The morning sun rose from the eastern sea, casting its rays, making the snowfield sparkle with a crystal-clear brilliance, as if the whole world was enveloped in soft light.

The fields and forests after the heavy snow were covered by a quilt of pure white. Occasionally, a few birds would take flight from the distant woods, trying to escape the fate of being preyed upon.

Shaking off the accumulated snow and icicles from the treetops, a slight breeze blew, and Zhao Siqi shivered, pulling her neck in.

She hadn't expected Ming Shu to be cultivating so quietly. At the same time, he was still keeping watch.

"The family head himself is on watch?" Zhao Siqi said with a smile to Ming Shu.

"It's fine now, you don't need to worry." Ming Shu confirmed repeatedly that there were no people with Demon Beast Spirits lurking nearby. As for other humans lurking, he wouldn't be able to detect them.

The Fate Book within him now only reacted to Ghost Spirits, Demonic Spirits, and Demon Beast Spirits. It didn't react to mortals or cultivators.

"I'm not worried. Are you tired? Do you want to go down and rest?"

"I'm not tired, thank you."

"What's with the formality between us? No need for thanks." Zhao Siqi's hands were cold, and she gently massaged Ming Shu's temples. "Were you injured last night?"

"I'm fine." Ming Shu stopped cultivating, stood up as well, and held Zhao Siqi's cold little hand. "If those pirates were only after money and didn't kill people, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. I also wanted to make a fortune off them!!"

"And we're so poor right now, we can't afford to buy peace! If they don't leave us a way to survive, we'll make them pay a sufficient price." Ming Shu carefully calculated; he didn't have many cards in his hand.

However, they should be able to get through the New Year now, and then he could consider other situations. The pirates definitely had more strength than this, but it would likely take them time to mobilize reinforcements from elsewhere.

Moreover, with over thirty of their brothers captured, wouldn't they also have to be wary of him killing the prisoners?

He wasn't being merciful; he just wanted to make the best use of everything. He was currently lacking effective labor. They would soon start planting Spirit Rice and Spirit Medicine, and they also needed to expand the town, all of which required a large labor force.

These guys were strong and healthy, perfect for the job. He would squeeze them dry.

After dawn today, Old Zhao had selected a few pirates who weren't seriously injured and put them to work.

First, they repaired the courtyard wall that had been damaged.

The New Year would be here soon. The New Year marked the first year of the new emperor's reign, and many significant events were likely to occur.

The wheels of the era were turning, and everyone was helping to push the accelerator, with no one hitting the brakes. It was unclear how many people would be swept up in it.

He should focus on the situation around him. To the north was Langya Prefecture, and adjacent to Baishi Village was the Chen Family of Lotus Hill. To the south was Donghai Prefecture, which had several neighboring families: the Liu Xu Liu Family, the Liu Keng Liu Family, the Dongguan Meng Family, and the Huang Zhuang Huang Family.

In the vicinity, the sea provided benefits, making fishing and boiling sea salt very profitable livelihoods. Unfortunately, in recent years, rampant piracy had led to a decline in population.

Scenes of desolation were everywhere. Many places where several families used to live together were now occupied by a single family, and it was highly likely that these remaining families had secretly colluded with pirates to drive out their rivals.

Those families that could no longer stay had to migrate elsewhere with their families. And it was highly probable that they were all migrating south.

The Central Plains region was already overpopulated. After a thousand years of stable development, a large number of people had been forcibly relocated to the border regions through policy measures, as they could not continuously expand outward.

Instead, the South, due to a large influx of voluntary migrants, had experienced a period of great development.

During the previous dynasty and the early years of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty, the South, especially the region south of the Azure Dragon Great River, could not compare economically or industrially with the Central Plains.

However, that was hard to say now.

Many emerging families there were eager to challenge the established powers of the Central Plains.

In recent years, various major families and their alliances had clashed countless times in various fields within the Great Jin.

From grain, porcelain, cloth, tea, to even writing brushes, ink, paper, and books, they had engaged in multiple rounds of competition. Even the number of candidates and their results in the imperial examinations, both north and south, were used for comparison.

"We've all suffered greatly from the bullying of bandits these past few years. Many families here have had their fields and houses destroyed by bandits, leaving them with just an empty shell, which was still better than nothing. More often, families were wiped out. They also had to pay the bandits with grain, wine, and cloth to ensure the bandits wouldn't harass them nearby," Zhao Siqi clarified the issues.

The pirates, relying on their superior military strength, wanted to take over the livelihood of the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty. The common people normally paid these things to the Immortal Dynasty in exchange for order and stability, and protection during critical times.

Now, it was clear that the Immortal Dynasty's power could no longer provide protection in this region. People either had to move elsewhere or find a new authority to worship and offer tribute to.

And Ming Shu's Zhang Family, if they wanted to develop stably here in the future, would have to face this problem.

It seemed like a monumental issue for the young couple at the moment, no wonder Ming Shu had hidden himself away to ponder. The pressure was indeed immense.

Noticing Zhao Siqi's somber expression, Ming Shu comforted her, "You don't need to worry. The Sky-Toppling Observatory and the Zhao Clan's arrangement must have seen a glimmer of hope. Aren't we fine now? Just a few pirates."

"Once we become powerful enough, we'll raid their nests. I want to see how much treasure they've accumulated."

"Let's focus on celebrating the New Year peacefully first. Honestly, I haven't truly celebrated the New Year in many years."

"Okay, my husband, I'll arrange it for you right away so you can have a memorable New Year! Are there any customs you absolutely need to observe?"