Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Chapter 126: Wise Senior Brother
On the fifth day of the seventh month, Wang Chen went to Cloud Mountain City to pay the grain tax.

By the time he arrived at the Spirit Planting Hall, there were already many people queuing.

Atop the stage in the Spreading Gold Square towered the Immeasurable Golden Measure, which countless farmers secretly despised.

But this year, in front of the grain stage, there was an additional large scale.

The land rent everyone was now paying was all weighed and calculated!

“Bing Six Defense Area, Gao Laosan, twenty mu of Low Spirit fields, delivering a tax of three thousand three hundred seventy-five pounds!”

“Ding Four Defense Area, Chen Shahe, fifteen mu of Low Spirit fields, delivering a tax of two thousand five hundred thirty-one pounds.”

“Jia Two Defense Area, Zhang Yuan, thirty mu of Low Spirit fields…”

The Executor of the Spirit Planting Hall held a register in his left hand and a pen in his right, calling out names loudly.

He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, a face of righteousness, no longer the shifty-eyed fellow from last year.

Bag after bag of glittering rice quickly passed the weigh-in, then was poured into the Immeasurable Golden Measure to refill the grain storage sacks.

Cycling like this over and over again, everything was in perfect order!

“Wait a minute!”

The Executor of the Spirit Planting Hall, who was busy recording, suddenly made a hand gesture, pointing to a burly cultivator standing by the side, “You, take down the Immeasurable Golden Measure.”

“Yes, sir!”

The cultivator immediately ascended the grain stage, spread his arms, and picked up the nine-feet-square Immeasurable Golden Measure.

Then he carried it down to the ground.

The entire Spreading Gold Square fell silent, all eyes fixed on the burly cultivator.

The atmosphere on-site suddenly turned tense and solemn.

And the middle-aged farmer who had just paid his land tax began to turn pale.

“Pour it out!” bellowed the Executor of the Spirit Planting Hall, his voice deep.

At his command, the Immeasurable Golden Measure tilted forward, spilling over three thousand pounds of rice onto the ground.

In the blink of an eye, a thick layer spread across the floor!

The Executor of the Spirit Planting Hall’s gaze sharpened, an eagle-like fierceness in his eyes.

He reached out his hand, drew in a clump of Spiritual Rice, and closely inspected it in the palm of his hand.

“How dare you!”

The next moment, the Executor, glaring with anger, exclaimed, “How dare you mix water into the rice? For such a disgrace to the sect, what should be the punishment?”

Although this year’s grain collection rules at the Spirit Planting Hall had changed.

The Immeasurable Golden Measure wasn’t abandoned but used as a tool for a secondary weighing.

This Spiritual Artifact could measure both volume and weight, accurately weighing up to a hundred thousand pounds of Spirit Rice at a time.

Not even a single ounce of error could escape detection!

The farmer who delivered the grain didn’t know the ins and outs, assuming that the weight was the only criterion now, so he secretly manipulated it.

By wetting some of the rice to increase the weight.

After all, a million pounds of rice would eventually be packed into a single storage sack, and the chance of being discovered was negligible.

Now, the deceit was exposed.

He panicked, immediately knelt, and begged, “Junior Cultivator knows his fault…”

“Bring him here!”

The Executor of the Spirit Planting Hall would not hear any of it and sternly shouted, “Take him away, thirty cane lashes, drive him out of the Outer Sect!”

Two cultivators responsible for maintaining order pounced like wolves and tigers.

They seized the farmer, sealed his mana, and pulled out an eyebrow-length, iron-wrapped Fire Water Stick.

And they began to lash him fiercely, causing his buttocks to bloom!

But they did not strip off his trousers, leaving the cultivator with the last shred of dignity.

Still, as these thirty lashes came down, the cries of the offender went from high to low, he was already half-dead.

He was then dragged outside and dumped at the entrance of the Spirit Planting Hall, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground.

Everyone who witnessed this scene was stunned into silence.

Many Spiritual Plant Farmers had not expected such a severe punishment for a minor offense!

But there were also those who showed a look of schadenfreude.

Today wasn’t the first day for delivering the grain, and similar incidents had already occurred several times.

However, due to the relatively isolated news in the local areas, many farmers were unaware of the situation, so some harbored the same dishonest thoughts, ultimately losing their entire livelihoods.

Driven out of the Outer Sect, where else in the Outer Domain would he find shelter?

Meanwhile, in the queuing crowd, several Spiritual Plant Farmers turned pale and quietly shrank back.

The piercing gaze of the Executor of the Spirit Planting Hall swept across them as he said in a deep voice, “The Sect Leader is kind, pitying the difficulty of farming, but this is no excuse for your deception. If such a thing happens again, please take a walk to the Sins Execution Platform!”

The moment his words fell, several farmers hurriedly left the queue.

The Executor paid them no mind and continued calling out the names for grain collection.

The bloodstains on the ground were quickly cleaned, and the atmosphere in the Spreading Gold Square returned to normal.

Some of the queuing Spiritual Plant Farmers murmured, discussing the incident that had just occurred.

The tones of the crowd were full of disdain and contempt.

Hmph, serves him right!

Standing in the queue, Wang Chen had witnessed the entire process of the incident from beginning to end.

He truly had no words to say.

Wang Chen dutifully paid over 1,600 kilograms of rice.

Compared to the same period last year.

This year, the food he kept was enough to have white rice meals every day until next spring!

After receiving ten contribution points from the sect, Wang Chen left the Spirit Planting Hall.

If nothing unexpected occurred, he would never set foot in this place again in his lifetime.

Wang Chen strolled around Cloud Mountain City.

Just as Han Dashi had said, the rice purchasing prices in the city’s grain shops had indeed fallen quite a bit.

While things like pills, talismans, and spiritual materials, in general, were all rising in price!

Wang Chen found a rice mill and had all his rice processed into white rice.

He used part of the rice bran to cover the costs, and exchanged the rest for rice.

Although this wasn’t very cost-effective.

But Wang Chen was no longer raising chickens!

Next, he purchased three thousand kilograms of fresh monster beast meat.

Because the price of rice had fallen, the market price for the beast meat had become a bit cheaper as well.

Wang Chen wasn’t exactly alone, with a little foodie hanging around his waist.

Stocking up while the meat was cheap was definitely a smart choice!

Finally, when Wang Chen arrived at the Yueyue Pavilion, it was already past 11 a.m.

As he sat in a private room just having ordered his dishes, the guest he had invited for the day arrived.

The Vice Hall Master Cao Xiu from the Outer Sect’s Punishment Hall!

Wang Chen and this inner sect Senior Brother, whom he got to know through an “accidental fight”, had mutual favors between them, and it was only reasonable that Wang Chen should invite him again to express his gratitude.

After some pleasantries, the two sat down, and delicious dishes were served in succession.

The Yueyue Pavilion was one of the most famous restaurants in Cloud Mountain City and was proficient in preparing spiritual dishes.

Of course, the prices were also quite high.

The feast before them would cost several dozen Low Spirit at the least.

After three rounds of drinks.

Cao Xiu asked with a smile, “Junior Brother Wang, are you inviting me to eat for some other reason today?”

Wang Chen nodded, “Senior Brother has a keen eye.”

Actually, it wasn’t anything big, the thin bond between the two couldn’t withstand many instances like this.

This time Wang Chen invited him to eat mainly to understand the inner door situation.

He said, “Senior Brother, I plan to go to Sunset Peak tomorrow to re-register in the Immortal Register, and I would be grateful for your valuable advice!”

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiu immediately responded, “That’s easy, I, your senior brother, will spare no effort in giving you guidance.”

Cao Xiu had parachuted from the Inner Sect to the Outer Sect’s Punishment Hall after the human hunting case was resolved.

He had been mixed up in the Inner Sect for over a decade.

While he couldn’t claim to know the Inner Sect as well as the back of his hand, he had more than enough knowledge to guide Wang Chen.

Vice Hall Master Cao was also very happy to resolve doubts for his junior brother!

The Cloud Sun Inner Sect was divided into the Nine Peaks, each representing a lineage.

Besides the main peak, Cloud Dragon Peak.

There were another eight peaks: Supreme Mysterious, Mingxiu, Changyang, Lonely Sword, Flying Feather, Lingyuan, Green Wood, and Sunset.

And the hierarchy within the Inner Sect was even more strict than in the Outer Sect.

The highest in status were undoubtedly the three Golden Core True Persons stationed at Cloud Dragon Peak.

Among them, Sect Leader Ji Guantao was in charge of internal affairs, Left Law Protector Mu Qingqiu was responsible for external matters, and a Supreme Elder was in constant seclusion.

Following them, there were various lineage elders, true disciples, and normal inner sect disciples.

As for the heads, executors, and administrators of the Inner Sect’s various halls.

They constituted another system.

Their status was often determined by their cultivation level!

Additionally, the strength of the eight peaks of lineages such as Supreme Mysterious varied, with some being stronger and some weaker.

Supreme Mysterious was the strongest, Sunset was the weakest, but the number of inner sect disciples in the Sunset lineage was the largest!

The largest number of people but the weakest strength?

Upon hearing this, Wang Chen couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

Noticing his expression, Cao Xiu chuckled, “Yes, Sunset is the weakest, because the Sunset Peak lineage has only three Purple Mansion elders, always ranking at the bottom in the annual Nine Peaks debate!”

“Junior Brother Wang…”

Cao Xiu personally poured Wang Chen a cup of spiritual wine and said earnestly, “You are very fortunate to have been able to enter the Inner Sect, whether the Sunset Peak lineage is strong or weak, you won’t lack opportunities to seek the true path!”

“Let me give you a few words of advice now.”

“If it doesn’t concern you, stay out of it; if you know it’s wrong, speak less; if you can endure, then endure; cultivation comes first!”

“Once you understand these words, you will be able to stand firm in the Inner Sect.”

Wang Chen fell silent for a moment, then raised his cup to his senior.

“Your wisdom, Senior Brother!”

——-

The second update is here.

PS: I’m sweating, what are you all wildly guessing? My daughter is taking her middle school exams these days, so updates may be unstable.