Chapter 62 Who on earth changed everything that happened in Black Mountain City? !

Wutong Prefecture is the most remote prefecture in Baoping Prefecture, closest to the northwest.

And Heishan City is the westernmost place of Wutong Prefecture.

Going further ahead, there is a vast wasteland, home to many monsters and wild beasts.

No one knows how many demons are hidden among them or living in the city.

If you go far north from here, you will reach the Great Wall to suppress demons, which is known as the "bitter cold northwest". It is a line of defense that blocks the three sects of demons from invading Aquarius State.

From this we can see that this is a mountain city built on the mountain.

It was almost dusk, the sky was dark and it was drizzling.

The carriage coming from afar stopped far away at the gate of "Black Mountain City".

The low earthen wall was built with great difficulty by piecing together various pieces.

At the entrance, groups of people came and went, forming queues, and were checked one by one under the scrutiny of three or four sharp-eyed police officers wearing old police uniforms.

Most of these people carried iron bows and hunting tools, and almost everyone had some wild game.

Most of these prey were hunted outside Black Mountain City, in the deep mountains adjacent to the northwestern wilderness.

In theory, this world is a dangerous place, and anything you hunt should be considered as your own opportunity, which you can use to supplement your family income, eat meat and practice martial arts.

But everything has its own rules.

In this small piece of land of Black Mountain City, according to the rules set by the "previous garrison",

All prey killed in the mountains must be handed over to the government for confiscation, and then their value will be measured and, after deducting the "tax", they can be exchanged for silver and given to the hunters who went into the mountains to hunt.

Yes,

All "property" in the mountains is subject to taxation by the government.

It sounds incredible.
But why did Xie Qiaoxuan say that by serving in a certain place, in addition to his own salary, he could also obtain considerable resources for cultivation?
That’s because, live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water!

As long as you are strong enough, the rules of the entire city will be set by you.

The big city near the mountain eats hunters;
A big city near water eats fishermen;
After a warrior attains great innateness, every step he takes requires the accumulation of various resources. The flesh, blood, and yams needed to maintain his own blood and qi every day are all very expensive.

Therefore, basically most of the towns are guarded, not only this Black Mountain, almost all Wutong Prefecture, and even Aquarius State,

Most cities would collect "city taxes" from the people, which would be accumulated over time to provide for their daily expenses in practicing Buddhism.

It’s nothing more than greed or not greed.

The power of martial arts is attributed to oneself, resulting in a high concentration of resources.

It also indirectly makes it extremely difficult for the lower-class people to get ahead.

Unless one is born with a mutation, is born with natural talent, and has qualifications above the spiritual level, thus soaring to the sky, otherwise it is nothing but a foolish dream to want to join the powerful class.

At the gate of Montenegro City.

"Sir, why is the tax on game raised again?"

"Before, it was converted into silver at 30%, but now it's 50%. We work so hard every day, and at the end of the day, we can only catch two or three, which is barely enough to live on. If we continue to collect more, we won't be able to survive."

Next to an officer, there was a board erected. When hunters who came into the city to hand in their prey took a look at it and saw that they had to pay an additional share of the money, their faces were immediately filled with despair.

"These are the rules set by the adults in the inner city. What can we as officials do about it?"

"You hunters can at least go into the mountains to search and plunder. Just pay a share when you come in. You won't starve to death."

"Look at the other trades in the city. Which one is not mentioned? They don't have the skills that you have gained from years of hard work in the mountains and forests!"

"Hurry up, don't waste time. Either you build a nest in the deep mountains and forests and live on your own, or you go to the city to pay the taxes set by the town governor. Choose one of the two!"

The officer with the sword on his waist said impatiently, while collecting the prey of the hunters all at once, he calculated the value of the copper coins in the bags one by one, took half of it, and then handed it to each person.

Some of the purses that are slightly fatter will be taken away, and even if the unlucky hunters see it, they can only pretend not to see it.

no way,
Outside the Black Mountain City, in the northwest wilderness, there are demons living there.
It was all thanks to the senior officials in the government offices and martial arts schools in the city, who somehow managed to make those creatures appear only after dusk and at night.

Otherwise, these hunters would have starved to death long ago because they would not even have the chance to kill one or two monsters when they go up the mountain to hunt wild animals during the day.

You have to pay this money whether you want to or not!

The city guard at the gate of Heishan is named Zheng. Those on duty usually call him Zhengtou. His family has been working in Heishan City for generations, and this family tradition is deeply rooted in him.

At this moment, he was yawning out of boredom.

Until the wheels rolled over the muddy ground, revealing several gorgeous carriages about to drive into Black Mountain City.
Only then did he finally wake up.

At this time, some of the subordinates who were not very tactful tried to stop him:

"You must first pay the 'city entry tax' to enter the city."

I haven't finished speaking yet,
He was kicked over by Zheng Tou with a "bang", and he cursed angrily:
"Blind man, open your eyes wide and look carefully. Does the nobleman here need our modest city entry tax?"

If you want to live in this world, you have to learn to judge people!

The carriages and horses of a caravan are completely different from those of a sect or aristocratic family.

Look at these people, four luxurious carriages, eight fat and strong horses, and strong servants. They all look like servants and have practiced some foundation-building martial arts.

The curtains were intertwined, and from time to time a glimpse of the maid's figure could be seen.

Obviously, some wealthy family is going to settle down in this desolate Black Mountain!

Although I don't know why,
But at first glance, it's clear that he has land and connections in the inner city!
Although the officers have more than enough to command people in Black Mountain City and live a comfortable life, it depends on who they are compared with.

To challenge such a person is like an old man hanging himself or drinking arsenic because he thinks his life is too long!
After he finished yelling and cursing, he looked towards the chariot in the front with the word "Thank you" engraved on it. He was about to put on a stern face and apologize to the noble inside with a smile.

At this time, a burst of mocking laughter suddenly came from the front carriage:

"You are so greedy. When did you come to this Black Mountain City to make so much money?"

The voice sounds very young, crisp, and a little lazy.

Zheng Tou couldn't help but mutter in his heart: "Whose young girl is this? What nonsense is she talking about? How can she make money in Black Mountain City?"

Just as he was complaining in his heart, suddenly, a green figure jumped down from the carriage, with a long sword on her waist, looking heroic and dazzling.

The officers standing by had never seen such a young lady before, and their eyes almost popped out of focus for a moment.

But Zhengtou didn't dare to look at the woman's face at all.

because
When he saw the green robe embroidered with the unique patterns of the Demon Hunting Bureau and the token worn on the woman's waist, he no longer dared to look up. At the same time, his body swayed and cold sweat broke out!
The clothes of the Dazhao government cannot be forged or counterfeited.

Who dares to pretend to be?
Those are all capital crimes!

The woman's outfit and style were completely perfect, it was the eighth-grade green and blue dress, the demon-hunting uniform!

In the entire Black Mountain City, there is only one person who is qualified to wear such clothes!
According to the rules of the system,

Black Mountain City has a permanent seventh-rank garrison commander, an eighth-rank military commander, an eighth-rank demon-hunting commander, and a ninth-rank outer city government chief.

About half a month ago,
It seems that the previous garrison commander was arrested on the spot overnight by a big shot from the capital because of the above matters.

The head of the Demon Hunting Department in Black Mountain City has had poor performance over the years and has gone through three successors. One died, two retired, and there is still no successor.

Only Lord Liang, the commander of the 300 soldiers in the inner city, was left. He was as steady as a mountain and as green as a tree.

All the taxes collected in the entire Black Mountain City in these days went to that person, and were shared among him and several bigwigs in the inner city.

Although he is still known as the "Lord of the Town"
But the garrison commander had already flown away and no one knew where he was.

But recently I heard that
The higher-ups are going to airdrop another "garrison commander" to Montenegro to take up the post.

and many more!

Zheng looked at the person who jumped out of the car. She was wearing a pair of golden boots with tiger patterns and stepped on the muddy ground. She didn't care about the dirt at all. She just turned her head to look at the young girl in the carriage, who was suspected to be the "Heishan Demon Hunting Division Leader".

In my heart
Suddenly a bold guess came to my mind.

Just now, the woman turned around and asked the nobleman in the carriage, "When did you make money in this Black Mountain City?" Combined with her suspected identity as the head of the Demon Hunting Department, the people inside,
Isn't the identity about to be revealed? !

At the front of the carriage, an inconspicuous old servant silently controlled the carriage and lifted the curtain at the same time.

At the same time, a corner of the red clothes caught Zheng's eyes, and he was so frightened that he fell to his knees with a plop. A chill ran up to his head, and he immediately knelt on the ground!
The young Feiyi guarded the carriage and got off.

Looking at the dilapidated wall at the city gate, it seemed as if it would fall apart if pushed.
But looking inwards, ring by ring,

You can vaguely see the prosperous scenery of the innermost "inner city" circle.

at the same time,

Song Chaixin glanced at the girl again, who was standing at her side with her hands behind her back, her eyebrows slightly raised, looking around the entire Black Mountain City. She no longer looked at him and had completely let go of her burden.

Thinking of what happened three days ago and the experiences of the past few days, he touched the corner of his lips unconsciously.

Then, he coughed in a serious tone:
"joke."

"I have just taken office. When have I ever collected heavy taxes?" "Nonsense."

"Master Ruan, you are a little confused about the distinction between superiors and subordinates."

Although Song Chaixin is not a good person,
But I have always adhered to the principle of "eat as much as you can, work as much as you can".

For example, the collection of taxes is related to his future practice. He cannot be careless in obtaining the elixirs and resources for the great innate practice and must plunder them.

The Xie family only gave him ten taels of real gold, which was just enough to settle his family business. This also indirectly shows that the old man really doesn't have much foundation. To support such a large family, he must be in debt every day.

Fortunately, he worked hard, and with Xie Qiaoxuan's previous efforts, he won this seventh-rank guard position.

As for the rest of the practice, he has to figure it out on his own!

It is indeed a fate full of twists and turns.

Even if you find a family to back you up, it won't bring you much help in your cultivation.
Oh, life is hard.
But even so.

Song Chaixin felt that he would not be able to plunder these poor mountain people.

How much money can you earn from searching like this? More resources?

And isn’t this life-threatening?
Having experienced hardships in his childhood, he knows best the pain of having nothing.

That's really pushing people into a desperate situation, and they can't even get two ounces of oil out of them.

If we really want to search, we should capture those gangs and powerful families that have established caravans, controlled salt and iron, opened martial arts schools and schools, or are local tyrants.

These people have gained a lot from his small piece of land.

Yu Yin, who was under his jurisdiction, received benefits.

Then
What's wrong with offering some offerings to this garrison commander?
It's only natural!

From this we can see that the previous governor of Black Mountain City was a really greedy guy. It was not enough for him to take the bulk of the money in the city, he also wanted to squeeze more money from those below!

Moreover, he was actually involved with Bai Qiuyi and was arrested by two Xiaoyao Realm masters from Wutong Mansion.

Perhaps, there are still many relationships in the city that have not been dealt with cleanly!

Crushed the ground under his feet.

Looking through the city gate at the outermost part of the outer city, one can see all kinds of potholes and houses, as well as drainage ditches that are soaked with filth and emit a pungent and unpleasant odor, mixed in with the muddy ground, making it look extremely dirty and messy.

Song Chaixin frowned slightly.

At this moment, he finally understood what Xie Qiaoxuan meant when he said that the big city under his jurisdiction was completely different from what he had seen.

These are indeed two worlds, completely different.

No wonder the old man was worried and gave him a master from the Free and Easy Realm to protect him.

The residents of the city, even if there are demons and evil blood cults hiding.

But unless they can destroy and kill all the masters in the entire city, no one will dare to show up.

But here.
I'm afraid it's different.

Thinking back to the time when the mountains are high and the emperor is far away.

Without big shots like Pei Nanbei, Lord of Aquarius State, or Ye Cang, the demon-hunting general, around anymore, he could finally stop worrying about his biggest secret.

So Song Chaixin mobilized the demon-hunting energy inherited from the 'Great Demon-hunting Lord'.

He focused it in his eyes, and at the same time, his eyes were as fierce as a diamond. Once his Dharma eyes opened, they amplified his demon-hunting energy and helped him to look at the entire Black Mountain City.

It doesn't matter at this glance.

Immediately————

He saw wisps of thick "dusk energy" in this Black Mountain City, scattered in all directions, with four groups of forces, which could be said to be deeply rooted!

hiss.
In this city,
It's not peaceful.

What does the Demon Hunting Bureau do?
Song Chaixin had doubts in his mind.

However, thinking back to the time when Ruan Xiuxiu took over, the Demon Hunting Bureau here seemed to be in a semi-paralyzed state, and few people were willing to inherit it, which was a thankless job.

He then began to understand a little.

It seems that the water inside is quite deep.

but
So what if it’s deeper?

I heard that the 'Great Demon Lord' back then did not have the same extraordinary talent as the 'Prison King Body' that later came along and possessed supernatural powers.

He could have come that far thanks to the Demon-Catching Qigong!

At present, there is only a thin strand of demon-hunting Dao Qi in Song Chaixin's body. Ten strands of it can be transformed into "Zhou Tian Qi Gathering", thus slowly improving the Vajra Body.
There is still a long way to go!
Therefore, it is a demon that others try to avoid.

For him, it is to refine the dusk energy and increase the 'demon hunting' energy, which is the greatest resource!

What, I'm a half-demon? Maybe they see me as one of the same kind?

sorry!
The Great Demon Lord chose me and gave me so many benefits.

By slaying demons and eliminating evil, you can reverse your qualifications and deduce various magical powers.

What's wrong with killing a few monsters?
If he really counted, Song Chaixin would become so ruthless that he would want to kill all the family members who were related to his father's bloodline, young and old, one by one, to extract his old anger!

Are you still afraid of this little bit of karma?

"As the saying goes, a new official starts with three things,"

"For some things, it's one thing for me not to be here."

"Since I'm here"

"Naturally, we have to refurbish it and conduct a thorough investigation."

The new town guard lowered his head.

Zheng, who was kneeling on the ground, swallowed his saliva and felt something was wrong.

"Come on, officer."

Song Chaixin smiled, but didn't smile.

"Take us to the Black Mountain Yasi and let me see him."

"My good subordinate, how do you do things?"

"Let the town lord take the blame?"

"This"

"It's unreasonable."

Song Chaixin also had his considerations when meeting the chief minister first.

because,

The head of the Heishan Yamen is a role between the inner and outer cities. His status is by no means low, but it is not very high either.

Do you have face in the inner city?

It all depends on whether the garrison gives him face!

Choose such a role as an entry point.
Just right!
at the same time.

Black Mountain City decades later.

Feel the memories passed down from memory.

Ji Xia grabbed the edge of the bed, his heart was in turmoil and mixed emotions.

"This"

"How many years ago?"

His sword-like brows were tightly furrowed.

The outer city of Heishan City today is just like that.

But compared to the life as Song Chai Xin in my memory, it is still much better!

And the most intuitive one,
It is the status of a hunter!
The "hunting register" is second only to the corvée register. Ordinary prey killed belong to the hunter, and one only needs to hand over a certain share of the flesh and blood to the government on a regular basis.

If you can hunt down a monster, you will receive additional rewards!
There is a huge difference between this so-called prey which needs to be handed over in full, with a 50% tax and traded in silver and money!
Who on earth changed all this?
"Could it be."

With his eyes tightly closed, as his memory progressed, the young man, whose temperament was increasingly in line with that of the half-demon boy,
A vague guess gradually formed in my mind.

As to whether it is true or false
We will have to wait until this cycle of reincarnation ends and then ask him to go and investigate it personally to find out.

(End of this chapter)