Ban Lan had not spent these past days idly. He had learned much about the Hao Clan from Bai Guo, and gathered plenty of information from his fellow cultivators. Once he put it all together, it was not hard to see that the Hao Clan usually had no interest in ruling settlements in remote regions.
After taking over certain backward areas, they would simply grant the local leaders a title and symbolically collect some taxes. As for even poorer villages, even if they wanted to pay taxes, the Hao Clan might not be willing to collect them.
Those places produced little, yet could receive even greater benefits from the Hao Clan. Naturally, the Upper Layer rulers of those regions gained the most, while the lower-class people always received the least.
Ban Lan felt that if the Hao Clan demanded they be incorporated into its territory, that would not be a bad thing. At most, the Hao Clan would send over a tax collector once a year, while they could use this opportunity to obtain more advanced techniques and tools from within the Hao Clan. These things could speed up the growth of the settlement.
He Li asked, "Sir, may this subordinate ask—will we gain merit for doing this as well?"
Ban Lan said, "Naturally. Whether it is the merit of spreading the teachings or the merit of enlightenment, both can earn us a great deal of merit. That is far more than what one gains from joining a sect or acquiring techniques."
He had already seen it. After bringing so many benefits to the village this time, he had received a rather generous sum of merit. This showed that those above encouraged him to do such things.
And as long as he had enough merit, he could exchange it for