The Great Qian Dynasty has thirteen provinces.
Each province is different, each province is prosperous.
Like Tianling Province, where martial arts schools flourish, Nanyang Province, which often produces great scholars, and Jiangdao Province, with its extensive waterway network.
The heavy taxes from these thirteen provinces are the crucial pillars that sustain the Great Qian Dynasty.
This is a matter of course.
The survival of both officials and the people, like a boat and water, relies entirely on these taxes.
However.
In places like Qingniu Town, and all the similar villages and towns along the Great Qian border, which do not belong to any province, is it really necessary to impose such taxes?
Any normal person, even a six-year-old child, could conclude that taxes should not be imposed here.
Yet, the Great Qian Dynasty still does it.
The answer is obvious: the lofty Great Qian Emperor does not care about the life or death of these border towns, not even stationing troops here.
It’s almost laughable; the Great Qian army, which should protect the human race, is stationed at the checkpoints leading to the heart of the Great Qian.
Blocking the demons and monsters trying to cross the border.
At the same time, they also block every civilian trying to escape this hell.
Wu Yingxue felt her throat dry, like land scraped by sand, dry and rough: “How could this be…”
“Are the people here really left to survive on their own?!”
The bizarre truth completely shattered her worldview.
The 16-year-old girl suddenly stood up.
She leaned forward slightly, her hands on the rough wooden table, her trembling eyes filled with shock as she looked at Xu Xi.
“How can this be? There are so many people here!”
“Not only are they not protected, but they are also taxed. How can anyone survive under such conditions!”
The sunlight outside shone in, illuminating her fair skin and amplifying her trembling.
Her fingers tightly gripped the table, the force transmitting through her body, causing her red and white robe to flutter up and down with every second.
Crack—
Crack—
That was the sound of the girl’s naive worldview shattering.
That was the sound of the wooden table being crushed by her grip.
In the Great Qian, becoming a martial artist can grant privileges, such as exemption from certain taxes.
At the same time, the martial artist’s own strength is the greatest confidence against demons and monsters.
But reality is often cruel.
The Qi and Blood Martial Arts of the martial world, compared to other supernatural systems, is relatively easy to start, but there are still thresholds. Not everyone can achieve success, nor does everyone have access to good techniques.
In this world, the vast majority of people can only practice the most common “Nourishing Origin Technique.”
This is a widely available technique.
Anyone can find this basic technique, publicly released by the Great Qian government, which simply circulates qi and blood to increase daily strength.
That’s all, just that.
To become a true martial artist, to avoid the heavy taxes of the Great Qian, to possess the strength to resist demons and monsters.
For the people of Qingniu Town, this is an extremely difficult task.
“This world is full of illusions, only pain cannot lie,” facing the girl’s incredulous expression, Xu Xi did not answer directly but reminded her to discover the truth herself.
What you see with your own eyes may be an illusion.
What you hear with your own ears may be a hallucination.
But the pain hidden among people, hidden in events, hidden in desolation, cannot be faked.
Wu Yingxue had been in Qingniu Town for some time.
Although she had never stepped out of Xu Xi’s home, this did not mean she could not observe this unfamiliar border town.
She had seen A Niu happily jumping around after receiving demon flesh from Xu Xi, and she had also seen a mother holding a baby, her expression dazed, uncertain about the future.
Wu Yingxue fell completely silent.
The 16-year-old princess, a lotus rooted in clear water, was seeing the muddy filth for the first time.
“Thank you for your teaching…”
“What I said earlier was truly foolish…”
Wu Yingxue apologized to Xu Xi.
She picked up the demon meat she had spat out earlier with her chopsticks, chewing in silence, swallowing with determination.
A mouthful of rice porridge, a mouthful of demon meat.
She didn’t stop until the bowl was empty.
“Whoosh—!” The dragon-patterned spear was grasped by her smooth, delicate hand. The girl walked alone to the courtyard, thrusting and twirling the spear rapidly, venting her anger.
With the howling wind, the leaves in the courtyard swirled up.
Dancing with the fiery figure.
“Though a bit impulsive and naive, she surprisingly possesses a pure heart,” Xu Xi silently picked up a piece of braised demon meat, his opinion of the girl slightly elevated.
It’s normal for people to make mistakes, especially when past experiences often limit one’s thinking.
Wu Yingxue could recognize her mistake.
And the act of spitting out and re-swallowing the meat.
Proved that she was not just a simple greenhouse flower, nor a hypocrite who only pays lip service.
“But, how should I put it, all crows are black under the sun?”
Xu Xi’s teeth chewed the black meat, the shredded meat sliding down his throat with the help of saliva, dropping into his stomach with a gulp.
Demon meat is indeed hard to eat.
But in the current Qingniu Town, there are no better conditions.
As Xu Xi ate, he pondered the relationship between the Great Qian and the Ten Thousand Mountains.
“This practice of sacrificing a part of the population is almost identical in nature to the Allenson incident in the magic world, quickly drawing parallels.”
“No, to be precise, it’s an even more heinous practice.”
“Deities, to demonstrate the preciousness of miracles, do not frequently create disasters. In my last simulation, a city-destroying tragedy like Allenson City only happened once.”
“Deities create disasters, demonstrate divine power, and bestow divine grace, a process that often occurs once every few hundred or thousand years.”
“More often, the deities of the magic world are indeed protectors of humanity.”
“They maintain the world’s operation, themselves the manifestation of order, coexisting with humans.”
“But the martial world is different…”
Xu Xi put down his bowl and chopsticks, frowning slightly: “In the eyes of demons and monsters, humans are merely food, with no status to speak of.”
“Perhaps there is some agreement between the Great Qian and the demons.”
“Or perhaps it’s just a tacit understanding.”
“In any case, all the people living on the border have long been abandoned by the Great Qian, becoming a reserve of flesh and blood for the demons.”
“Only this can explain the Great Qian’s series of mysterious actions.”
After finishing the meal.
Xu Xi walked out of the room.
The first thing he saw was Wu Yingxue, wielding her spear with fierce momentum.
Then, behind her, the distant yet deeply oppressive black mountains.
One after another, towering ancient mountains stood, clustered together like a colossal black dragon lying on the ground, arching its back to encircle all human territories.
“What a messed-up world…”
