Green Jade Guard

Spring passed and autumn arrived. Over the span of a year, the Zhou clan had changed considerably.

The population across the single town and four villages under their rule had reached over two thousand. This was partly because abundant harvests made the mortals willing to bear children, and partly because wandering refugees, beggars, and commoners who had fled into the mountains years ago to avoid disaster were coming to settle in their lands.

The Zhao Kingdom's governance over mortals was not particularly harsh. If commoners fled into the territory of a cultivator clan, the imperial court would turn a blind eye.

After all, they too wished for the common people to live slightly better lives.

Of course, if a cultivator clan drove the people under their rule into destitution, causing mass mortal casualties, that clan would face a Penalty from the Immortals' Directorate.

Under normal circumstances, cultivator clans would not mistreat the mortals in their lands. They would even devise ways to improve their livelihoods. This was because the population itself was a vital resource.

First, mortals were the foundation of cultivators. The more mortals there were, the more cultivators would naturally emerge.

Second, although mortals were weak and insignificant individually, they could still exert a mighty force when gathered.

Third, certain special energies of heaven and earth could be gathered from mortals-such as Soldier-Slaughter Qi, Blood Qi, Human Qi, Smoke-Fire Qi, and Emperor Qi.

Naturally, these special heaven-and-earth energies could also be used for cultivation, and the Great Dao contained within them was profoundly mysterious.

Although the Zhou clan lacked cultivation methods for such energies, because the imperial court continuously purchased Human Qi, they did possess a Human Qi gathering method bestowed by the Immortals' Directorate.

However, their population had always been sparse in previous years, so the collected Human Qi had been meager, amounting to less than a single strand. This year, the yield had finally increased.

Many cultivator clans and Sect forces, driven by the demands of their respective cultivation methods, treated the mortals under their rule as mere crops of flesh and blood. Without damaging the fundamental foundation of their lands, they would reap a harvest at regular intervals, using mortal flesh and blood to nourish themselves.

Zhou Minghu returned from the East Village. Within the small bottle in his hand, a turbid white light surged. Faint, clamoring voices echoed from within-this was Human Qi.

After a year of recuperation, his bodily injuries had fully healed, but his Spiritual Qi had only recovered to four strands. Originally, he had possessed twelve strands of Spiritual Qi and held a faint hope of breaking through. Now, that path was completely severed. He could not even compare to Wang Dashi.

A year having passed, Zhou Minghu was no longer despondent. He weighed the Human Qi in his hand. "Adding this bit should be enough to form a complete strand. I wonder what the imperial clan needs this for. A single strand is worth three Spirit Stones. They truly are wealthy and imposing."

Zhou Minghu turned his head toward the space between Qing Peak and Chi Peak. Clouds and mist gathered there, obscuring everything within and making it difficult to discern the truth.

"I wonder how Chengyuan's cultivation is progressing."

That place housed an earth fire vein drawn forth by Zhou Ping, used exclusively for refining the Jade Rock Green Origin Pill. Zhou Chengyuan cultivated the Jade Rock Spirit Origin Art. By cultivating at the pill-refining site where the power of jade and stone ran rampant, he received considerable benefits.

In another seven or eight months, it would be time to pay their tribute again. He couldn't afford a single moment of rest. He was either tending the Spirit Grass at the Golden Vine Pool, organizing hands to craft talisman paper, or leading the clan guards on patrols across the four villages to test newborns for cultivation aptitude.

Quite a few children had been born over the past two years, and one among them had actually possessed immortal destiny. It was a descendant of Zhou Changhe's maternal clan named Lin Fenghe. In terms of seniority, he was Zhou Changhe's nephew.

Back then, the moment Zhou Changhe heard the news, he hurriedly brought the child up the mountain to be raised alongside the Zhou clan's own children. The boy's parents naturally shared in the good fortune; one became a steward of Zhou Family Town, and the other a manager of the Zhou Family Merchant House.

Half a year ago, shortly after Li Mu celebrated his eighty-third birthday, he passed away peacefully from old age. To protect themselves, the Li family completely submitted to the Zhou clan. Thus, Zhou Changhe thoroughly purged and reorganized the Li Family Merchant House, bringing all the subordinate surnames under his command to form a massive new entity: the Zhou Family Merchant House!

Not only did it take over all of the Li family's trade routes, but with Zhou Chang'an's backing, it continuously absorbed other ventures. It already controlled thirty percent of the trade in Qingshui County, bringing the Zhou clan nearly ten thousand taels of silver in profit each year.

Although mortal gold and silver meant little to cultivators, the functioning of the Zhou clan's lands could not endure without wealth.

If Zhu Zhen had not issued a warning, the Zhou Family Merchant House's share of the market would likely have grown even larger.

"Third Master." As Zhou Minghu approached the storehouse, two young figures emerged from the shadows and stood respectfully on either side.

"Place this in the inner chamber. Do not damage it."

"Yes."

One of them stepped forward without the slightest hesitation, carefully taking the small bottle before walking into the storehouse.

Over the years, although the Zhou clan had been grooming loyal household servants, they had never considered anything deeper. After all, the gap between mortals and immortals was too vast.

It wasn't until a year ago, with the advent of the Jade Rock Green Origin Pill, that Zhou Ping resolved to cultivate a group of absolutely loyal deathsworn guards-the Green Jade Guard. They could be used to protect critical locations or serve as hidden shadows for the younger generation, ready to swallow the pill in times of crisis to secure their master's safety.

The two young men before Zhou Minghu were among the very first Green Jade Guards: Zhou Yi and Zhou Er. Alongside four others, they guarded the storehouse.

The total number of these Green Jade Guards remained small. There were only nine.

They had been meticulously selected from the most loyal household servants, while a few were pure-hearted orphans. Constantly indoctrinated with absolute devotion to the Zhou clan, they had long since been thoroughly tamed.

"Third Master, three hours ago, a maidservant wandered near this area," Zhou Er reported.

"Whose household does she belong to?" Zhou Minghu asked.

"She is Madam's personal maidservant."

Zhou Minghu's brows immediately furrowed. A few months prior, another major event had occurred within the clan: a marriage alliance with the Huang family.

Over a year ago, the successful establishment of the market had indeed made the consumption of White Marrow Grass less conspicuous. However, the Huang family soon realized that because the other clans were extremely reluctant to cultivate it, the agreed-upon harvest from the Zhou clan still constituted the vast majority of their supply.

If the Zhou clan reduced their cultivation of the herb again, it would severely impact the refinement of the Green Jade Pill. To pacify the Zhou clan, the Huang family had ceded certain profits, raising the purchase price to sixteen stalks per Spirit Stone, and had even proposed the idea of a marriage alliance.

At that time, the Zhou clan was also covertly purchasing raw materials for the Jade Rock Green Origin Pill, and naturally welcomed a closer relationship with the Huang family.

Thus, with mutual consent, Zhou Minghu married the legitimate daughter of a certain branch of the Huang family, cementing the alliance.

But it had only been two or three short months. Could she no longer conceal her intentions?

Zhou Minghu thought to himself. This so-called marriage alliance was merely a pawn planted by the Huang family within his household. He just hadn't expected that so soon after the wedding, this woman would already be probing into the Zhou clan's depths.

"I will handle this matter."

"Remember, the storehouse is a critical domain. No unauthorized personnel are permitted to approach. If there is a next time, kill them."

"Zhou Er understands."

Zhou Minghu turned and departed. Zhou Yi stepped out from the storehouse, and the two heavy stone doors closed shut once more, their figures fading back into the gloomy shadows.

88.181.249.5

ns88.181.249.5da2