Neighbors

044 Neighbors

The operation to hunt down the demon fox lasted for more than half a month. In the northern part of Langya Prefecture, the Demon Hunters clashed repeatedly with the Demon Beast Hunters who had come from the north. In the end, both sides began targeting each other and no longer had the inclination to continue searching for the demon fox.

After secretly fighting several battles, they each withdrew their troops and returned to camp.

The Demon Hunters received new missions and packed up to leave. The Demon Beast Hunters did not stay either. After all, they were not subjects of Great Jin, and if the authorities decided to deal with them, they would not be able to leave even if they wanted to.

So they hurried back north.

Spirit Planter Master Old Luo had brought his whole household with him. Later, a Zhao Family caravan would also arrive, bringing Zhao Dun, Zhao Chuan, Old Lu, and the families of the other guards along the way.

In fact, this extra caravan had been organized specifically to bring them here.

By then, some goods would be sold nearby.

Zhao Siqi received a letter from her mother explaining these matters and telling them to make preparations early.

Ming Shu and Zhao Siqi brought Old Zhao and the others together for a discussion. They decided to bring in several nearby minor families and see whether they could purchase these goods together.

Each family had its own livelihood. Some already had fixed sales channels and suppliers, while others could only send out their own caravans to trade elsewhere.

A great lineage like the Zhao Family had its own trading houses, shops, and caravans in various places.

Besides selling goods, gathering and transmitting intelligence from different regions was also a very important purpose.

Ming Shu had only recently arrived here. Taking this opportunity, he brought Old Zhao and a few small gifts south to visit four neighboring families.

The Liu Family of Liuwei, the Liu Family of Liukeng, the Dongguan Meng Family, and the Huang Family of Huangzhuang had all been rooted in this region for many years.

None of them were large. Each occupied a township. Calling them townships was merely a generous description of their territory; their actual populations and market towns could only be considered relatively large villages.

The reason was, of course, the rampant pirates.

That had caused massive population outflows. With insufficient labor, their production could hardly develop.

The Liu Family of Liuwei also had a salt field, where they dried seawater into salt. It was an important source of income for the family.

However, the only salt field they had left was surrounded by defensive arrow towers and tall walls.

Their tense posture toward outsiders was obvious at a glance. But after observing carefully, Ming Shu discovered that these facilities showed no signs of ever having been attacked.

In other words, they had simply put them on display for everyone to see. In private, they had probably made deals with the pirates. They might even have helped the pirates establish channels for smuggling sea salt.

They had paid enough protection money.

Unfortunately, Evil Dragon Island would soon be the one collecting their rent.

As the new master of nearby Baishi Village, Ming Shu was making his first visit. The Liu Family was still quite courteous and welcomed them inside.

Ming Shu got straight to the point and explained the purpose of his visit.

At the same time, he displayed the powerful backing he had. He could even bring in a Zhao Family caravan.

However, Baishi Village did not currently have enough space for them to use. Ming Shu asked the Liu Family head, who suggested that they visit the neighboring Huangzhuang. A market was held outside the Huang Family's village every month.

It was set up at the market town outside the village. There were also quite a few shops there, including one opened by the Liu Family. Everyone could buy and sell all sorts of things there.

Ming Shu was pressed for time and did not stay for a meal. He hurried off to visit the next family.

The Huang Family head of Huangzhuang readily agreed, lending the site to the Zhao Family caravan. They were generally willing to provide a site free of charge to passing caravans that wished to stay and trade.

They were also willing to bring their own family's goods out for trade.

After a friendly and in-depth exchange, Ming Shu discovered that the nearby minor families all cultivated Dao Sect techniques. At the same time, they passed down their families through farming and learning. The younger generation first studied the Academy system's powers, and only those who failed the imperial examinations returned home to switch to the Dao Sect system.

The two were actually quite similar. The difference was that Academy cultivators needed to obtain an academic rank at every advancement from the beginning, while Dao Sect cultivators only needed to receive registers at the higher stages. At the lower stages, they did not need them.

Of course, genuine Dao Sect disciples began cultivating alongside the granting of registers from the very start, making their progress much faster.

Once the site in Huangzhuang was settled, Ming Shu bade them farewell and hurried to Liukeng and Dongguan.

The Liu Family mainly focused on Dao Sect cultivation, while most of the Meng Family focused on Academy cultivation.

The several families appeared harmonious on the surface, but beneath it lay deep-seated conflicts.

They had fought each other with weapons many times in the past. It was only because the pirate threat had grown more severe in recent years that they no longer had the energy to fight over roads, water sources, prey, and other matters.

The Dongguan Meng Family had the tightest defenses. Their outer walls bore the most battle damage. They had truly fought wars against the pirates.

All four families had clan rules forbidding intermarriage between them.

Many years ago, people from each side had died in their armed clashes. That had become a blood feud.

More than ten years ago, whenever they met, they would first fight. They had several clashes every year over the stream they shared.

Even the county office could not control them.

Ming Shu and Old Zhao made a round of visits and sorted out the general relationships among them. They found the situation acceptable. Maintaining the status quo was quite advantageous to them.

As long as the four families did not unite against him, suppressing and blockading his side, everything would be fine. That would give him room and time to develop.

After presenting gifts, explaining their purpose, becoming familiar faces, and agreeing on the time and place for the caravan's trade, Ming Shu took advantage of the night and returned to Baishi Village.

A furry Little White was hiding inside his robes. This was currently his greatest trump card.

With the help of the Life Book, he could undo the seals on Little White. Undoing one layer would restore its first-tier combat strength. It was equivalent to having a powerful bodyguard by his side.

Unfortunately, after undoing each layer of the seal, he had to wait seven days.

So Ming Shu was observing and testing it, seeing whether it still harbored hostility toward him. Once its resentment had faded, he could consider undoing the first layer of the seal.

At the very least, in a critical moment later, he could undo the second layer and restore its second-tier combat strength.

As long as he could still keep its strength under control, he would not have to fear it rebelling.

He trusted that the Life Book's rank was high enough and its abilities powerful enough.

Old Zhao and Xiao Shiyi made a count. Including the people in the valley and the families who would soon arrive, Baishi Village's total population was estimated at three or four hundred.

The food, drink, waste, and lodging of so many people were no small matters. The planning and construction of the small town still needed further adjustments.

The external defensive forces and facilities had to be established first.

Only then could they think of ways to develop their own industries.

Little Zhao would be responsible for overseeing the work, with Xiao Shiyi assisting him. In the town, they would establish a private school and enroll all the children for unified basic education.

Education was essential, no matter the cost.

After the Zhao Family caravan arrived this time, the incorporation of the valley to the north should also be put on the agenda.

And Zhao Siqi, who had finally found some free time, chose to enter seclusion first. Strength was the foundation of confidence.

Another person entering seclusion to improve his cultivation was Ren Yuan. However, Martial Artists relied more on actual application to improve, so three Old Zhaos took turns looking after him for several days.

Without using the power of his demonic spirit, Ren Yuan only had the combat strength of a peak third-tier Martial Artist. Zhao Dun and Zhao Chuan could still barely handle him.

The two old fellows had far more experience and cunning than Ren Yuan. He could not outthink them.

Not to mention Old Zhao's fifth-tier Martial Artist strength. He beat Ren Yuan until the latter could no longer tell north from south.

The internal personnel also needed adjustment. Old Zhao remained the chief steward, while Zhao Dun continued to oversee the guard patrols. Zhao Chuan began training several scouts to gather intelligence and handle other affairs in the nearby areas.

Xiao Shiyi had passed his probationary period and officially taken up the post. Besides assisting Old Zhao with managing the accounts, he also needed to help Little Zhao begin teaching.

Zhao Siqi would bring Lü E along to handle the auditing of the accounts, nurturing her from the ground up.