Greedy as a Snake Trying to Swallow an Elephant

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

With the pacification efforts of the imperial court and the local immortal clans, the entire Nanyang Prefecture gradually regained its tranquility. Grain from other prefectures was continuously transported in, allowing the disaster victims to finally fill their bellies.

Although winter had arrived, the intense heat fortunately dissipated slowly. Coupled with Nanyang Prefecture's location on the southern border of the Zhao Kingdom, the season was not unbearably cold, feeling more like a chilly spring or a cool autumn.

Otherwise, there was no telling how many people would have perished in the freezing depths of the year.

As long as they could endure for another three to five months until the land yielded grain again, everything would return to its original state.

Meanwhile, the Zhou family's territory had expanded several times over. With Baixi Mountain as the boundary, the area within a radius of eight li to the east now belonged to them. To Zhou Ping, from the perspective of his past life, this was an area of fifty square kilometers-already a considerable size.

Every inch of soil and every river within these eight li fell under the Zhou family's name. Moreover, because immortal clans were exempt from mortal tribute, they did not have to pay a single copper of land tax to the imperial court.

In turn, the Zhou family leased the fields to the commoners below them, collecting a rent of only twenty percent. This allowed the farming households to retain more food while ensuring the family secured a steady profit, earning them an excellent reputation in the process.

In other words, the Zhou family was now like an autonomous fiefdom within the borders of the Zhao Kingdom, a self-contained territory.

Throughout Nanyang Prefecture, hundreds of immortal clan forces lay scattered. Some possessed domains that spanned half a county, while others, like the Zhou family, occupied a mere handful of villages. These immortal clans resembled tiny kingdoms, interspersed between the commanderies and counties.

Out in the wilderness, a wild dog stood half a man's height, its eyes flashing with an eerie green light. It sprinted wildly, its body covered in wounds, while a group of men pursued and encircled it from behind.

Before long, the beast was completely cornered. Facing the surrounding humans, the wild dog bared its fangs, snarling and roaring in a terrifying display, its deep growls striking dread into the hearts of the men.

Zhou Minghu shouted a cautious warning, "Everyone, stay alert! Do not let this beast injure you!"

The men instantly tensed, instinctively tightening their grips on their weapons.

The wild dog was already grievously wounded, and it knew that if it failed to break through, it would die here today.

Locking its gaze onto a relatively frail farmer, the beast suddenly lunged. Swift as a flash of lightning, it charged fiercely at the man, its heavy steps causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"Gousheng, watch out!" others shouted frantically, trying to step forward to intercept it.

Watching the bloody maw loom closer and closer, Gousheng froze with terror. He closed his eyes tightly and began to swing his long blade wildly ahead of him.

Seizing the opportunity from the side, Zhou Minghu channeled the spiritual energy within his body into his blade. He imbued the edge with the Golden Light Technique, causing the weapon to burst forth with a brilliant, blazing golden radiance. With a fierce stride, he slashed down directly at the wild dog's flank.

A miserable howl pierced the air.

The wild dog screamed as half its body was nearly severed by the golden blade, leaving a gruesome trail of flesh and blood. It had originally been aiming for Gousheng's throat, but the strike deflected its trajectory by several inches. Even so, its claws still managed to tear into Gousheng's body.

Gousheng let out a piercing shriek. Several bloody lacerations instantly tore across his arm, deep enough to expose the bone, and the flesh began to turn black and purple at a visible speed!

Another claw mark marred his chest in a vivid patch of crimson. Gousheng instantly grew dazed, his face turning pale and gaunt as the venom spread.

The surrounding men seized the opening, driving their blades, spears, and lances wildly into the wild dog.

Even with its torso nearly cut in two, the wild dog clung stubbornly to life, refusing to die instantly. Under the relentless onslaught of iron and steel, it was quickly pierced through like a sieve.

Yet, even then, the beast was not completely dead, continuing to wail and whimper on the ground.

It was only when Zhou Minghu stepped forward and cleaved the wild dog's skull open with a final strike that it finally went still.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhou Minghu knelt beside Gousheng and pressed his palm flat against the claw wounds. As he continuously infused his spiritual energy, a faint black vapor rose from the lacerations, accompanied by a foul, putrid stench of decay that drifted into the air.

Gousheng's complexion gradually improved, and he spat out a mouthful of dark, stagnant blood.

Seeing Gousheng recover, the men nearby turned to Zhou Minghu, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

"Thank you, Third Young Master, for saving Gousheng's life!"

Zhou Minghu wiped the sweat from his brow and said slowly, "It is a small matter. Furthermore, burn that dog demon's carcass completely to eradicate any lingering danger."

Hearing his command, the men immediately scattered to gather dry wood and debris.

Zhou Minghu stepped forward to sever the dog demon's claws and fangs, wrapping them carefully. Though contaminated with poison, these parts still qualified as a basic type of spiritual material. They were incredibly low-grade, but many a mickle makes a muckle. When the time came to pay the next tribute to the main family, these items could be turned in to offset some contribution points; they could not be wasted.

If the family possessed the methods of artifact refining, they could even forge these materials into low-grade mortal weapons, multiplying their profit several times over.

He let out a long sigh, waiting until the dog demon's carcass was reduced entirely to ashes before turning back toward Baixi Mountain.

This was already the fourth demon beast Zhou Minghu had slain in the past two months.

Demonic creatures like this were still manageable. They were merely ordinary beasts that had gnawed on infected corpses, causing their fangs and claws to carry a dreadful corpse poison. As long as one remained cautious and defensive, they were not difficult to deal with.

What was truly terrifying were the ghosts and vengeful spirits. In some sunless, yin-chilled lands where too many had died, these entities would manifest, and they were exceptionally troublesome to handle.

He had encountered one such entity before and had nearly lost his life. Had the vengeful spirit not been restricted to that dark, freezing patch of ground, he likely would not have escaped.

In the end, he had been forced to bring a massive amount of firewood to burn the entire mass grave, clearing the canopy to let the sunlight break through before the matter was barely resolved.

Upon returning to Baixi Mountain, he found Zhou Ping watering a small tree and walked over.

"Father, the dog demon that came from the east has been dealt with."

Zhou Ping nodded slightly and replied, "There is no need to put yourself in danger constantly. Let the clan soldiers handle such matters."

"Those beasts all carry corpse poison. If they are not eliminated in time, the commoners will lose their lives. With our current population so sparse, I cannot rest easy leaving it to them," Zhou Minghu said respectfully.

"Sigh." Zhou Ping let out a long, weary sigh. "Even so, you cannot always risk your own life. Go and rest for a while."

"Your son understands."

Zhou Minghu bowed respectfully and walked toward the storehouse.

Zhou Ping set down the watering jug, sat on a nearby boulder, and gazed into the distant eastern sky.

"The imperial court truly refuses to suffer even the slightest loss."

When the immortal clans grew too large, it naturally hindered the imperial court's ability to harvest resources. Consequently, the court would employ every method available to recoup its losses from the clans.

For instance, of the eleven demon beast incidents that had occurred within the Zhou family's territory over the past two months, only three had originated locally. The remaining eight had all been driven over from the east!

Throughout Nanyang Prefecture, the number of demon beasts and ghosts was simply overwhelming. The imperial court lacked the energy to deal with such numerous yet weak threats, but they could not leave them entirely unchecked.

Thus, the court secretly ordered the various prefectural offices, county magistracies, and township officials to herd the rampant beasts within their jurisdictions toward the territories of the immortal clans, forcing those clans to handle the burden.

Furthermore, these beasts were foolish and ignorant. If they were merely being driven by human crowds, they naturally did not dare to turn and attack their herders.

Had Zhou Ping not read accounts of other prefectures during his time at the Azure Cloud Sect, he would have remained entirely in the dark regarding such hidden practices.

This was precisely why he had only claimed such a small piece of land. It was not just because his family's foundation was shallow, but also because their border with Qingshui County was narrow, which limited the number of beasts that could be funneled into their domain.

After all, the imperial court could only manage to drive over the beasts along the borderlands.

Yet, among these creatures, there were also those that had achieved a higher level of cultivation, reaching the Qi Condensation realm. If those beasts ran rampant, even ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators would find them difficult to combat.

It was for this very reason that even the Pingyun Huang Clan to the east, despite boasting thousands of members, only dared to occupy one-seventh of Qingshui County during this expansion.

The Huang Clan had stood proudly for over a century; they naturally knew that the imperial court's concessions were not so easily digested. If one grew too greedy, a heavy price would inevitably follow.

Zhou Ping had also heard rumors that in certain counties, some newly arisen immortal clans had been so audacious as to seize the majority of a county seat in one go. It was a sheer act of courting death.

With the current influx of rampant beasts alone, there was no telling how many of those upstart clans would decline and perish.

And once an immortal clan fell into ruin, the territory they had painstakingly stabilized would simply revert to the imperial court. Meanwhile, the infamy of oppressing the common folk would be borne entirely by the fallen clan.

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