She really stepped up

"Okay, I'll teach you how to use this. If it gets low on oil later, just add some."

Seeing that there was no danger in the way the peach tree branch was being charged, Fang Weiyan simply handed the item over to the other person and let them do what they wanted.

Upon hearing this, Tao Lingluo was overjoyed. She felt that this thing was definitely a treasure; otherwise, how could it replenish the power of heavenly lightning in her peach wood?

She was naturally delighted that Fang Weiyan was willing to give her such a gift.

For Fang Weiyan, however, this was just casually giving away a generator; it was nothing special.

In addition, Fang Weiyan was quite satisfied with Tao Lingluo during the previous battle with the centipede demon; she really stepped up when needed!

The Dragon King was actually quite nice; he didn't try too hard to refuse the favor he owed.

After explaining the matter, Fang Weiyan turned and left.

There are still many things to handle in the Jiang Kingdom, so Fang Weiyan needs to pay close attention.

Tao Lingluo happily took the generator and went back.

A moment later, Fang Weiyan returned to the palace.

Fang Weiyan hadn't seen Yunxi much these past few days, and guessed that she must have gone to absorb the Power of Incense Offerings.

After all, once someone becomes Yin God, they will have to put more effort into cultivation.

Back in the imperial study, Fang Weiyan picked up a booklet from the desk and began to read. These were some unresolved matters left over from the Emperor Kaide.

Fang Weiyan glanced at it a few times and felt a bit overwhelmed.

It's full of various legacy issues.

Problems such as the inability of various regions to collect sufficient taxes are also extremely serious.

Previously, the taxes collected in the Wu River area accounted for an astonishingly high percentage, partly because most of the land was no longer in the hands of the people.

Just like Yanhuai City, the total cultivated land area of Yanhuai City accounts for more than 20% of the total cultivated land area of the Jiang Kingdom.

However, of this vast area of arable land, only a small portion is in the hands of ordinary people; the majority is in the hands of local gentry and bureaucrats.

These people will then try every means to evade taxes.

With layers of collusion, evading taxes becomes incredibly easy for them.

Some people even went so far as to register their land under other people's names in order to legally evade taxes.

This explains why the Jiang Kingdom's treasury is becoming increasingly depleted.

"However, this isn't a big problem for me."

Fang Weiyan looked at what was written on it, then shook his head and put the booklet aside.

Currently, it is indeed very difficult for local governments to collect taxes.

However, he is not short of money for the time being, so the taxation can be postponed for now.

Furthermore, from a perspective on Earth, economic systems that rely on land for taxation are bound to be phased out sooner or later.

The economic system of the Jiang Kingdom will have to be reformed sooner or later, so there is no need to think about how to collect taxes from the land.

As for the astonishing yield per acre of arable land, one important point is that such a huge harvest requires chemical fertilizers.

Not everyone who tills the land will have such a harvest.

"This is..."

Fang Weiyan then casually picked up another booklet from below.

Upon seeing what was written inside, Fang Weiyan immediately frowned.

"Are there demons in the city?"

Seeing this, Fang Weiyan couldn't help but think of the first time he came to Yanhuai City.

When he first arrived in Yanhuai City, he heard many people in the city say that demons were rampaging in the city and had eaten many people.

Aren't these demons with that centipede demon?

Fang Weiyan opened the booklet and looked at it. At the bottom of the booklet, the date of the memorial was written.

"And this only happened in the last few days?"

Fang Weiyan glanced at the time, somewhat surprised.

In his opinion, if the previous act of demons eating people was instigated by the centipede demon, who then colluded with some ministers in the city, then...

So, if the centipede demon is defeated and flees, these demons should retreat as well.

But since demons are still appearing, they probably aren't allies with the other side.

However, these demons need to be dealt with.

Even the Jiang Kingdom has become like this; Fang Weiyan doesn't feel safe being alone.

It's strange, isn't it? After the great battle before, weren't these demons at all worried about dying for committing crimes?

Fang Weiyan was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't think too much about it and decided to have the Underworld Administration in Yanhuai City capture and kill these guys.

Just as Fang Weiyan was about to give the order, he suddenly paused in surprise.

He suddenly remembered that the Underworld Administration in Yanhuai City had fought a heavy battle with the centipede demon.

The City God also has civil and military judges. Although not all the Yin God in the Three Departments have perished, their strength has been greatly weakened.

At this point, it seems unlikely that these demons can be captured.

"No wonder these guys dare to be so presumptuous; they've taken advantage of the fact that the Underworld Administration's strength has been greatly weakened."

Fang Weiyan's expression darkened slightly upon thinking of this.

"What trouble have you encountered this time?"

Just as Fang Weiyan was looking at the booklet in his hand with some displeasure, Yunxi walked in.

She was also holding a food box in her hand.

"You went to court early this morning, and I didn't see you after court ended. I had the imperial kitchen make another meal, it's still hot, eat it while it's hot."

Yunxi brought the food box to her, then lifted the lid and took out the plates of food inside.

Fang Weiyan was taken aback when he saw this, not expecting Yunxi to be so considerate.

"I had to leave briefly after court."

Hearing Yunxi's words, Fang Weiyan touched his stomach and realized that he hadn't eaten yet and was indeed hungry.

Fang Weiyan picked up the food box in front of him and started eating. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Yunxi, how is your cultivation level now?"

Fang Weiyan thought about it for a moment, wondering if he could let Yunxi deal with the demons in the city.

If Yunxi's cultivation level is insufficient, he can obtain some Incense Offerings for her.

Tao Lingluo was still thinking about how to charge the peach tree branch, Fang Weiyan thought that Tao Lingluo should first fill the peach tree branch with the power of heavenly lightning.

This way, Tao Lingluo can be used as a trump card.

Having witnessed Tao Lingluo's peach tree branches firsthand, Fang Weiyan was quite convinced of their power.

In addition, Fang Weiyan felt that Tao Lingluo was a good demon and someone he could get along with.

By giving the other party a trump card, Fang Weiyan could feel more at ease.

"Yunxi is currently only in Transformation, and she suffered considerable losses in the previous battle with the centipede demon, so her strength is somewhat diminished."

Yunxi replied softly upon hearing this.

It's already a huge strain for her to maintain her Transformation Stage at this point.

Their strength goes without saying.

Fang Weiyan wasn't too surprised by these words.

The opponent had only recently become Yin God, so how could his strength be so formidable?

"In that case, if I could get you some Incense Offerings to boost your strength a bit, how about you cleanse the demons in Yanhuai City later?"

"Recently, there have been many more demons in Yanhuai City, and they are treating the people of the city as food. I can't stand it anymore."

Fang Weiyan spoke, he handed the booklet beside him to the other person to look at.

Upon hearing this, Yunxi immediately replied, "I am a princess of the Jiang Kingdom, and naturally I am willing to slay those demons. However, my strength is insufficient. If you have a way to help me improve my cultivation, I, Yunxi, will immediately go and slaughter those demons."

Upon hearing this, Fang Weiyan immediately nodded. "By the way, how did you collect the Incense Offerings before?"

Fang Weiyan voiced his doubts: his Incense Offerings was stored inside the statue, and then he took it over for the Yin God here to absorb.

But what about Yunxi?

Where does her Power of Incense Offerings come from?

"It was naturally taken from this Yin-Sinking Plaque."

Yunxi took out a wooden plaque and handed it to him.

"This Yin-Sinking Plaque is an exclusive item of the Underworld Administration, used to collect the Power of Incense Offerings. It also draws some Power of Incense Offerings from other counties and stores them in this Yin-Sinking Plaque. If the Underworld Administration officials in a county perform their duties, they will bestow Incense Offerings offerings upon them."

"This was originally the old rule, but later, as the Incense Offerings declined in various places and the power of the Yin God weakened, they stopped drawing these Incense Offerings."

Yunxi and Fang Weiyan gave a brief introduction to the Yin-Sinking Plaque.

Fang Weiyan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Wasn't this tantamount to levying taxes?

He only found out about this thing now.

How should Incense Offerings be stored in this Yin-Sinking Plaque?

Fang Weiyan perked up; with this, he wouldn't have to go through all that trouble moving the statues.

"That's easy, I'll teach you."

Upon hearing this, Yunxi reached out her slender hand and touched Fang Weiyan's brow.

Fang Weiyan felt a slight chill between his brows, thinking to himself that Yunxi's fingers were so cold.

Before Fang Weiyan could think further, Yunxi withdrew her hand.

"Alright, from now on you can adjust the Incense Offerings however you like."

Fang Weiyan listened to these words, thought about it carefully, and realized that he had indeed learned it.

This feeling is strange, as if he already knew it, and it wasn't something he learned.

"I understand. I'll go collect the Incense Offerings now."

Fang Weiyan examined the Yin-Sinking Plaque in his hand, and then his face lit up with joy. This was a good thing!

After saying that, Fang Weiyan disappeared before Yunxi's eyes without waiting for her to speak.

Yunxi was also taken aback when she saw Fang Weiyan suddenly disappear. She carefully checked the surroundings and indeed found no trace of Fang Weiyan.

A strange look appeared on her face. She knew that Fang Weiyan Fang Weiyan somewhat unusual, but the way he was behaving now made her feel that Fang Weiyan was becoming more and more extraordinary.

Earth, Cloud-Stilling Temple.

After Fang Weiyan returned to the Daoist temple, he took the Yin-Sinking Plaque and went to the main hall. People were still coming and going to offer incense.

After Fang Weiyan entered the main hall, he slightly turned the Yin-Sinking Plaque in his hand, and the statues in the hall immediately emitted a rich aroma of Incense Offerings, which then floated towards the Yin-Sinking Plaque in Fang Weiyan's hand.

Others couldn't see the Incense Offerings clearly, but Fang Weiyan could see them perfectly well.

Seeing this, Fang Weiyan was delighted; this thing did seem quite useful.

In the blink of an eye, the incense Incense Offerings on the statues in the main hall were completely absorbed.

Upon seeing this, Fang Weiyan immediately turned and left, intending to spend some time absorbing all the Incense Offerings from the other places.

After absorbing the Incense Offerings, the wooden plaque in Fang Weiyan's hand now had a warmer, more lustrous feel.

It looks like it's transforming into something resembling jade, which is rather mystical.

After descending the mountain and deciding on the cities he wanted to visit, Fang Weiyan immediately set off.

Transportation in Huaxia is already quite convenient, but the country is so vast that it takes Fang Weiyan a lot of time to travel around.

For places that aren't too far away, taking the high-speed rail is actually more convenient.

After all, you need to leave two or three hours in advance to get to the airport. There will be some delays on the way and at check-in, and the airport is located in a relatively remote area.

After landing, it will take a little longer to get to the destination.

As a result, Fang Weiyan spent the rest of his time traveling around using various modes of transportation.

He planned to collect all the Incense Offerings so that Yunxi's cultivation could improve, ensuring his safety in Yanhuai City first.

Thanks to Fang Weiyan's efforts, after three days, Fang Weiyan finally managed to completely drain the Incense Offerings from the several places where Incense Offerings was burning brightly.

Fang Weiyan didn't go to places like those where he didn't usually burn incense.

At this moment, the Yin-Sinking Plaque in Fang Weiyan's hand had also turned purple.

This is because the absorption of too much Incense Offerings has caused a qualitative change.

The Incense Offerings inside has been upgraded to purple-grade Incense Offerings, but the quantity has been reduced considerably.

Fang Weiyan could see that inside the sign was a cloud of purple mist, which was constantly swirling and extremely mysterious.

Having obtained all the Incense Offerings, Fang Weiyan then returned to Yanhuai City.

He was still a little worried about the situation here after being away for a few days.

Yanhuai City.

Fang Weiyan, holding the wooden sign, was the first to find Yunxi.

Here, for you.

Fang Weiyan took out a wooden plaque and handed it to the other party.

Yunxi took the jade pendant, subconsciously looked down, and immediately froze.

"Purple... purple?"

Yunxi stared in astonishment at the purple Incense Offerings burning before her.

She never expected that the Incense Offerings Fang Weiyan brought back would actually be of purple grade!

"Yes, there are quite a lot of them, so the Incense Offerings turned purple."

Fang Weiyan nodded upon hearing this. At first, the Incense Offerings he absorbed was only light blue, then it turned blue, and then purple.

Yunxi raised her head; she knew how difficult it was for the Incense Offerings to condense into a purple color.

This requires a country with extremely strong national power and a huge population. Only after such a massive amount of Incense Offerings are gathered can such a high level of Power of Incense Offerings be generated.

Yunxi's face was filled with complicated emotions. "What a waste..."

"Ah?"

Fang Weiyan looked at Yunxi with some confusion upon hearing this. Wasted? What wasted?

"This grade of purple Incense Offerings is such a waste. The average cultivation level of the Underworld Administration in the Jiang Kingdom is currently only at the Transformation. Purple-grade Incense Offerings is actually meant for those Yin God with extremely high cultivation levels. It's a waste for us Transformation Stage cultivators."

"Furthermore, in the process of upgrading the grade of Incense Offerings offerings, a considerable amount of Incense Offerings is wasted, which is also a waste."

Yunxi's face was full of complicated emotions. She didn't know that Fang Weiyan was able to bring back so much Incense Offerings, so she gave him a wooden plaque.

If she had known the other party could obtain such terrifying Incense Offerings, she would have given them more wooden plaques!