Master Zeng Li sat cross-legged on a clay kang, holding a string of prayer beads in his hand. He used a string of 108 prayer beads, silently reciting the mantras.
The mantras he recited could turn the virtual into reality. Each mantra character emitted a faint golden light, appearing out of thin air and then being collected into the prayer beads. It looked incredibly magical.
Mi Xiaojing didn't dare to disturb him, just standing there watching Master Zeng Li recite the mantras.
Master Zeng Li was already over sixty years old, but he was in great spirits. He had two black eyebrows and a pair of sharp eyes. He was also wearing a patched-up Bai Nai clothes. Although he was sitting and reciting mantras, his back was straight.
After a while, Master Zeng Li finally looked up.
"Mi Xiaojing, we're going to collect rent in Fenglin Village today. You're coming with us. Go back and get ready. We'll be staying in Fenglin Village for two days."
Mi Xiaojing was confused.
"Master, isn't collecting rent not the responsibility of the monitoring yard? Why do we have to go?"
"You don't need to ask about these things. If I tell you to go, you go."
"Yes, Master."
Master Zeng Li played with his Evolutionary beads.
"These days, there will be a caravan going to Fenglin Village. You can bring some of your mountain goods to exchange for some things."
Mi Xiaojing was overjoyed. Caravans! It was really hard to see caravans here in the Western Evolutionary Sect. Usually, there was only hope in the autumn because the caravans would come to the village to buy grain. At this time, every family had grain, and they could exchange some daily necessities and groceries.
Collecting rent in Fenglin Village was actually a good job for the Evolutionary Immortals of the Western Evolutionary Sect.
Mi Xiaojing immediately said goodbye and rushed back to his room. He had collected a lot of mountain goods.
Mi Xiaojing took two baskets of mountain goods, including many walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, and dried mushrooms. There were also a few dried wild vegetables, which were difficult to exchange for things and mostly kept for their own use.
There were a total of eight ox carts, two of which were filled with mountain goods. They belonged to Mi Xiaojing's senior and junior brothers, as well as some long-term hired workers who collected more things. Among them were many wild game, dried and smoked meat, and dried chickens and ducks.
More than ten people went, with Master Zeng Li leading the way, as well as some disciples of the monitoring yard. Mi Xiaojing also sat on the ox cart.
Fenglin Village relied on the Western Evolutionary Sect for survival. The land here was developed by the masters of the Western Evolutionary Sect and then rented to the villagers for cultivation. Every year, rent had to be collected. The people in the village were actually tenants and hired workers of the Western Evolutionary Sect.
The Evolutionary Immortals of the Western Evolutionary Sect not only had to collect rent, but also had to protect the safety of the villagers. Every winter, there would be wolves or tigers and leopards and even terrifying spirit beasts appearing in the West Mountain and Jing Mountain. The villagers had to rely on the Evolutionary Immortals of the Western Evolutionary Sect to protect them.
In the spring of each year, the Western Evolutionary Sect would send Evolutionary Immortals to develop new land, which would also be rented to the villagers.
In the autumn, when the crops were ripe and the tenants in Fenglin Village had finished harvesting, it was time for the Western Evolutionary Sect to collect rent. The Western Evolutionary Sect was located at the foot of the West Mountain, opposite to the Jing Mountain. A small river flowed through the mountain gate, along the valley bottom of the West Mountain and Jing Mountain, crossed a large area of maple forest, and arrived at Fenglin Village. From Fenglin Village, it continued to converge into the Jingxi Lake. This small river was also called the Jingxi River.
Along the dirt road beside the Jingxi River, the eight ox carts bumped along and arrived at Fenglin Village after about an hour.At the entrance of Fenglin Village, there was an ancient maple tree that had grown for thousands of years. At this moment, it was completely red, like a huge torch standing at the entrance of the village.
The old village chief led a group of young men to welcome them at the entrance. He came to Master Zeng Li and bowed respectfully.
"Master, you've worked hard. All the masters have worked hard."
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"Master" was a respectful title, and "teacher" was the same. Mortals referred to cultivation as "Evolutionary Immortality," and most of them used "Master" or "Teacher" to address their masters.
The group followed the ox carts directly into the village and then entered the village chief's house.
The village chief's house was the largest in Fenglin Village. He was originally the agent recommended by the Western Evolutionary Sect and was a prominent figure in the village. New villagers who wanted to become laborers or tenants had to be guaranteed by the village chief, or they could not become laborers or tenants of the Western Evolutionary Sect.
The village chief's house was divided into a front courtyard and a back courtyard, with two houses in total. They were both one bright and two dark, with a bright hall in the middle and dark rooms on both sides. The front courtyard was very large, and the back courtyard was where the family lived.
In fact, the front courtyard was the rent collection yard. Eight ox carts entered, and there was still plenty of space. There was a livestock shed along the courtyard wall, and the oxen were driven into the shed, where someone cut grass to feed them.
The mountain goods were also unloaded and placed in the dark room, waiting for the caravan to come and exchange for the needed goods.
The village chief's aunt greeted them warmly and set up a large table in the front courtyard for the masters to eat.
Mi Xiaojing had already sat down at the table with several senior brothers. For them, this meal was definitely better than the food in the Western Evolutionary Sect. Mi Xiaojing was also pitiful. He had lived for thirteen years but had never eaten anything good. If it weren't for Master Zeng Li bringing him along for the rent collection, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to come, as he was not a disciple of the Monitoring Academy.
White steamed buns, thin hand-rolled noodles, a layer of red chili oil, and a layer of chopped scallions on top. Braised eggplant, stir-fried peanuts, pan-fried tofu, stir-fried snow vegetables with soybeans... Although they were all cooked in vegetable oil, where could one find such rich dishes in the Western Evolutionary Sect?
The group of masters went crazy and ate like gluttons. Even Mi Xiaojing, who could eat a lot, finished the table of dishes in no time.
Master Zeng Li, however, ate very little. He only ate two steamed buns and didn't eat much else. Looking at his disciples' eating habits, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. With his level of cultivation, he was no longer tempted by food. His profound cultivation allowed him to resist the temptation of food.
Mi Xiaojing almost swallowed his tongue, but he quickly realized that it was not good for his cultivation. After finishing the meal, he kept reciting mantras to suppress the temptation of food.
For Mi Xiaojing, as long as it wasn't bad-tasting, it was good enough. Delicious food was like clouds in the sky. He had experienced it once, but he wouldn't be tempted again.
Of course, if truly delicious food came his way, Mi Xiaojing didn't know if he could resist it. But after reflecting and repenting, he was at ease.
In the afternoon, they collected rent, which was not heavy for the Western Evolutionary Sect. Generally, tenants ate better than the sect's masters because they could eat meat. They raised their own chickens, ducks, sheep, and pigs, and some even went hunting on the Western Mountain Path. The masters of the Western Evolutionary Sect were the ones who suffered, as they couldn't eat meat.
