Parasites

On the first day of the second month of the 425th year of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty (1756), a day of inauspicious omens, it is auspicious for offering sacrifices and exorcising evil spirits; other matters should be avoided.

After Kang Dabao broke through the barrier and emerged into the bright spring scenery outside, he felt as if he were still in a dream.

He hadn't expected that less than half a year after receiving Huo Bing's order to leave, he would be able to break through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, which was much faster than the more than a year he had secretly planned before leaving.

This also means that Sect Leader Kang Da started as a mere child, studied under Double Brightness for over thirty years, and has finally become a Late Qi Refinement cultivator.

Putting everything else aside, just considering his cultivation level alone, from now on, Sect Leader Kang Da can be considered a figure of some importance in Pingrong County. He has finally managed to salvage the reputation of the Chongming Sect, once a major Foundation Establishment sect, and clean it up a bit.

After leaving, he didn't pay much attention to the Huo Household cultivator who came to pay his respects and spoke to him in a respectful and enthusiastic tone. He only gave him a few perfunctory replies before Kang Dabao summoned all the stewards and Martial Ancestor for a meeting.

It seems that Sect Leader Kang Da really misunderstood Tanggu before; for cultivators, this mine in the west seems to be truly safe.

Three months have passed, and Kang Dabao has only received fewer than ten reports from the laborers. The Demon Beast that have appeared are only relatively weak species such as Fire Boar and Purple Fire Jackal.

Even among the forced laborers, not many died; less than a hundred people perished.

There was nothing that could be done about it. Kang Dabao's response time was already very fast, but people were just too likely to die in this mine.

It's not just Demon Beast, but also mining accidents, vendettas, robberies, and rape.

By locking up a group of ruthless rogues who were accustomed to using force together and making them work every day, the fact that they suffered only this many casualties after three months was already far beyond what Sect Leader Kang Da had expected.

This period of mining experience had tempered these warriors' temperaments, and oh, it had also worn them down.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, was well-prepared and sent a new batch of supplies, along with brand-new clothes and clean food and water.

Although these were all worthless items, compared to the foremen in other counties, Kang Dabao's actions were nothing short of compassionate, earning the sincere gratitude of these laborers.

Look, this is how pathetic it is to be powerless. They toiled for three months in the dark, dreary mine, wrapped in dirty, smelly trousers, and all they got was this little bit of food. And they still have to thank others.

Kang Dabao's thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant; his own situation wasn't necessarily much better than these laborers. Many of the high-ranking officials acted in a very ugly manner, but they certainly didn't possess his kind and benevolent heart.

Sitting on a lacquered wooden chair by the sidelines, Sect Leader Kang Da took a sip of cold tea and nodded to the managers leading the team.

An elderly Martial Ancestor named Xia An stepped forward, bowed to Kang Dabao, and then loudly announced the names from the roster, "Immortal Master, please allow me to report that a total of 289 Spirit Stone were mined this season, including three Spirit Stones and three fragments of spirit essence from Wu Xiao, Xue Zong..."

The old man named out the twenty laborers who had mined the most, and the martial artists who heard their names immediately stood up excitedly from the ranks.

Kang Dabao glanced at the accounts briefly, not bothering to investigate further, and simply nodded. "Take this travel pass I've personally signed and head home on your own."

Without waiting for the group to kneel and thank him, Sect Leader Kang Da asked the old man, "Which teams have extracted the most Spirit Stone each month this season?"

"Team C did it twice, and Team A did it once," Xia An replied respectfully.

"Then these two team leaders should also go home." Kang Dabao finished his cold tea in one gulp, and before getting up to leave, he instructed, "Select the top hundred men from the remaining group, give them a ten-day leave, and have your team leaders take them in batches to Tanggu County for a trip."

"Thank you, Immortal Master!"

"Immortal Master, your kindness and virtue are beyond repayment!"

"When I return, I will certainly build a shrine for the Immortal Master and sculpt a golden statue for him!"

Among the laborers in the line, the top hundred were overjoyed and wept tears of joy, while those not among them looked on with surprise and secretly resolved to work even harder in the mines so that they could escape as soon as possible.

"Hmm," Kang Dabao nodded and stood up. He walked forward, his eyes gleaming with spiritual light. Two golden rays shot out from them, blasting a ten-zhang-high boulder a hundred paces away into dust.

The lively atmosphere in the arena instantly fell silent. The laborers who had previously harbored some ulterior motives became obedient again, their faces filled with shock and fear as they looked at the scene before them.

Some of the confused laborers then realized that the seemingly kind and approachable County Magistrate Kang was not a weak and easily bullied dough; he was a highly skilled cultivator who could easily crush them to death.

"Without the power of a Vajra, how can one demonstrate the compassion of a Bodhisattva?" The laborers felt that the old man seemed to have said nothing before he left, yet he had said everything.

After leaving the group, Sect Leader Kang Da recalled the power of the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, and felt quite satisfied.

After breaking through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, the "Azure Wood Treasured Light Guide" he practiced further enhanced the spiritual power around his body.

If Kang Dabao were to face Foundation Establishment seed from a major Lineage like Ge Yangfeng at this time, with his Minor Accomplishment Realm Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes, he would not be as powerless as before.

As for killing ordinary Rogue Cultivator of the same level, it should be effortless.

In high spirits, Kang Dabao turned around and went to find the person in charge of the mine that the Huo Household had arranged there.

Anyone with eyes to see knows that this Spirit Stone mine, officially belonging to Tanggu County, is actually the private property of the Huo Household of Tanggu. Huo Bing, that old fellow, has always been this greedy.

The reason why the supervising cultivators were only there to go through the motions was because the Huo Household was unwilling to share the profits from the Spirit Stone mine.

In addition, since everyone's monthly collection of spirit ore is roughly the same, even if they collect an extra ten or twenty pieces, there's no way to shield them from surveillance so they can line their own pockets. Therefore, they naturally don't care.

However, Sect Leader Kang Da had other ideas. He had put a lot of effort into motivating the laborers to work so hard, not to show his loyalty to that old bastard Huo Bing.

It doesn't matter that Kang Dabao doesn't have the means to block surveillance; it would be better to just drag the people monitoring him down with him. They definitely have the means.

The person in charge of the mine in this area, appointed by the Huo Household, is also a son-in-law of the Huo Household. It seems that the Huo Household has very few descendants left; they only feel at ease using a son-in-law in such a crucial place.

"This..." The mine manager looked troubled. Yes, only a fool wouldn't be tempted by such a large amount of Spirit Stone! But in the end, this son-in-law of the Huo Household shook his head and did not agree to the proposal of the Sect Leader Kang Da.

"To be honest, Magistrate Kang, this Spirit Stone of yours is no ordinary hot potato; I dare not take it." The son-in-law gave a wry smile. "I'm the fourth person to be in charge of the mine. My family chose me because I'm timid. The three braver brothers-in-law before me are still hanging at home in the drill ground, drying in the wind!"

"Oh?" Kang Dabao, who was originally full of confidence, was slightly surprised, and then used words to encourage the person in charge several more times.

Unexpectedly, the latter shook his head more and more violently as he listened, his face growing increasingly fearful. In the end, he actually changed his expression, Method Formula to seal his hearing, and pushed Sect Leader Kang Da out the door.

Kang Dabao stood outside the door, his face grim. Before coming, he hadn't expected the person in charge to be so resolute and to refuse so decisively.

But upon closer reflection, it makes perfect sense.

Huo Bing, this old Foundation Establishment, is naturally insignificant in the eyes of his peers, but he's certainly qualified to scare those spineless sons-in-law under his command.

However, this would render all of Kang Dabao's prior preparations futile.

The thought of having to continue working for free at this Spirit Stone mine made Sect Leader Kang Da feel uneasy, and he decided to hold another meeting with the laborers tomorrow.

Since their current efforts to dig are of no benefit to us, it's best not to work so hard, lest the Huo Household benefit from it.

But now that their enthusiasm had been aroused, Kang Dabao couldn't suppress it any longer.

"Then let them work only four hours a day, one day on and one day off." Sect Leader Kang Da returned to his simple stone chamber, stroking his bald chin as he pondered, when the Huo Household cultivators who had visited that morning arrived again.

Before Kang Dabao, who was welcoming the man in, could even speak while frowning, the man opposite him laughed and said, "County Commandant Kang, others might not dare to take your job, but I do."

Thanks to chinaheng for the 100 coins.

Thanks to Elbert_Newton, Start with Frost Arrow, and Card Money for their Extended Net Moon.

Thanks to ironman2018, Jianghu artist Fan Xiaosi, Bai Ju, Junzi Xianzhao, and Zhang Dada 005382 for their two monthly passes.

Thank you to the following users for their monthly tickets: Never Abandon Never Give Up 100, Book 1234, Is Qi Xiu Really a Baby Thief, Gone with the Wind ly, and Purple Like Red.

Thank you for reading, subscribing, voting, and commenting.

Thank you everyone!