"That's all I have to say. Whether you go or not is up to you." The Golden Core elder said, getting up to head for the door. "As for me, I'm definitely going."
Left alone in the room, Gui Jia Zun Zhe sat in silence.
His hand gripped the armrest tightly, then released, only to grip again.
It was indeed embarrassing to work for the cultivators of the mortal realm, but if these people were from the Ascending Immortal Domain, then they couldn't be considered mortal realm cultivators, right?
In that case, it wouldn't be so shameful, would it?
Although Gui Jia Zun Zhe had the highest cultivation among the spies, his Nascent Soul stage was attained by relying heavily on external resources, so his foundation wasn't as solid as those who had reached this level through proper cultivation.
In an environment where spiritual energy was no longer accessible, he was more nervous than most.
But what if the worst didn't happen?
Moreover, the idea of working alongside his subordinates to till the land... it still felt humiliating to him.
Gui Jia Zun Zhe wrestled with his thoughts.
His inner turmoil went unnoticed.
The next day, Yuan Jinsheng arrived with a hundred assistants, ready to gather the workers.
Given the sheer number of spies, around 14,000 in total, the city lord's office had temporarily reassigned staff from other departments to help manage the situation and ensure things ran smoothly on the first day.
These assistants came from various roles, including the Trading Center, city management, and the city lord's office itself. Some were disciples of Lingxian Sect, while others were ordinary citizens of Shuishui City.
But all of them were well-versed in the city's rules and the operating style of the city lord's office. They were efficient and reliable, which made them the perfect candidates to manage this large group of Wanwantong spies.
Of the 14,000+ spies, more than 10,000 had signed up for work the previous day. The remaining 3,000 were still holed up in their rooms within the fifty buildings, struggling internally with whether or not to join.
The 10,000+ workers were divided into 101 teams, with each team comprising about 100 people. Yuan Jinsheng and his 100 assistants each took charge of a team.
The massive crowd lined up under the direction of their team leaders and followed Yuan Jinsheng toward the back gate of Fanlong Courtyard.
Fanlong Courtyard had two gates—one in the front and one in the back.
The front gate was the one they had entered through, and it hadn't opened since. As for Yuan Jinsheng and his assistants, they had been teleporting in and out through a special passage, bypassing the need to use the gates.
Today, they were heading for the back gate.
The spies all looked up at the tightly closed front gate as they walked.
They wondered, if they left through this gate, would they finally be outside? Would there be spiritual energy beyond it?
Most importantly, would the suppressive barrier that caused backlash when they tried to attack still be there?
Could they escape once they were through this gate?
Before they could think of any concrete plans, the gate was opened.
It didn't creak open slowly; in fact, it wasn't even a traditional gate at all. It was a barrier of light. All they saw was Yuan Jinsheng standing in front of the light screen. He didn't perform any special action, but the screen flickered and then turned into a flowing wall of water.
Turning back, Yuan Jinsheng beckoned to them, "Line up by groups of five. Groups one through five, step forward!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to every person present.
The crowd of 10,000+ moved swiftly, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all had passed through the back gate.
Once outside, they immediately noticed how vast their surroundings were, unlike the confined space of Fanlong Courtyard, which, although spacious for mortals, was far too small for cultivators. The bright light outside and the vast wilderness felt far more natural and liberating.
More importantly, they could sense spiritual energy all around them, abundant and welcoming, filling the air with a vibrancy they had long been deprived of.
Yet even as they basked in this relief, Yuan Jinsheng remained unsurprised as dozens, if not hundreds, of bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, accurately targeting those who had tried to escape or rebel during their confinement.
The lightning was precise, harming no one but those it was intended for. Each bolt landed squarely on its target.
Standing with his hands behind his back, Yuan Jinsheng watched the scorched and blackened cultivators, a slight smirk on his lips. "I advise you to behave. If you interfere with the work, you'll never get another chance to leave here."
Holding a list of all the captured spies, he shook it in his hand. "Anyone with ideas is welcome to try them. If you really don't want to work, step forward now, and I'll cross your name off the list and send you back to Fanlong Courtyard."
His gaze swept across the 10,000+ cultivators, but not a single one dared to step forward. They all stood silently in place.
The ones who had been struck by lightning quickly used Healing Arts and Rejuvenation Pills to treat their injuries, barely managing to stand upright again.
Seeing no one step forward, Yuan Jinsheng muttered under his breath, "Cowards," and stopped wasting his breath on them. He instructed the assistant team leaders to begin dividing the groups and assigning them to their respective areas for work.
The wilderness beyond Beishan Mountain was vast, so large that Shuishui City couldn't possibly encompass it all.
But Lin Xiao had long had plans for this area, as it was behind Lingxian Sect, making it an ideal location to incorporate into the city's range as a protective buffer for the sect.
However, while this land was now officially part of Shuishui City, it was designated entirely as agricultural land and didn't consume too many of the city's resources for construction or maintenance.
This area, known as the Farmland District, shared the same protective barrier as Shuishui City, but it was separated from the city proper. The two areas were not connected.
Therefore, even if the spies wanted to escape or communicate with the outside world, it was impossible.
Faced with this reality, the spies finally gave up any remaining hope of escape and took out their tools to begin working earnestly.
It wasn't that they were too foolish to slack off, but the assistant team leaders kept a close watch on them. Whether mortal or cultivator, regardless of rank, the team leaders had sharp eyes, catching any signs of slacking off.
Anyone caught slacking off more than three times would be immediately sent back to Fanlong Courtyard and barred from further employment.
Of course, Yuan Jinsheng had learned from his master about the art of managing people.
He knew to offer both punishment and reward.
He told the cultivators that after each day's work, they would be allowed to meditate outside for half an hour before returning to Fanlong Courtyard.