Chapter 194: Those Fools Ruined Me!
As the authorities forcibly confiscated the property of wealthy merchants and powerful clans gathered grain, the situation in Chizhou gradually stabilized.
Currently, only Chizhou has been confiscated; the Black Tortoise Country has not touched wealthy merchants in other places, and the authorities are still stepping forward to negotiate for borrowing or purchasing grain.
After all, Chizhou had previously reached a state where chaos was imminent; rather than killing farmers who only wanted to survive, it was better to kill those unscrupulous merchants who wanted to make a fortune from the disaster.
However, since other places are relatively stable, one cannot act so unscrupulously.
Naturally, different situations cannot be handled using the same plan.
Confiscating only the major households in Chizhou is actually insufficient to quell this disaster.
It can only be said that the current situation has been stabilized for now.
Currently, the disaster victims are gathered along the line west of Chizhou, where the Imperial Court is providing unified relief.
Regardless of anything, with the disaster victims having food to eat, the situation has finally stabilized, and Chizhou, originally like a powder keg, has begun to stabilize once more.
For the majority of people, this is a good thing.
After all, there is finally hope to survive.
Naturally, there are also people who feel a deep hatred for this situation.
Li Zhong is just such a person.
Strictly speaking, he is someone in the middle.
He possesses a spiritual root, which is stronger than ordinary miscellaneous spiritual roots, but the difference is limited; although somewhat reluctant, he can be considered to have stepped onto the path of immortality through a stroke of luck.
Although Li Zhong has taken many detours, relying on his spiritual root which is better than some but worse than others, he still used every means possible to step into the Foundation Establishment Realm.
However, upon entering the Foundation Establishment Realm, Li Zhong's mediocre aptitude also seemed to reveal its end at a glance.
The Golden Core experts seem distant and unattainable to him, a realm he can only look up to throughout his life.
This is not a realm that an ordinary cultivator like him can hope to reach.
But which cultivator is not greedy?
Or rather, who is willing to accept being forever inferior to others?
Li Zhong considers himself very lucky, always able to encounter various opportunities, and he always keenly seizes those fleeting chances.
Whether it is cultivation techniques, the small magical treasures in his hands, or that sliver of opportunity to break through to Foundation Establishment.
This time, Li Zhong also seized what he considered an opportunity—the Black Tortoise Sect.
A sect name that sounds a bit ridiculous.
With core objectives and doctrines that are even more ridiculous.
The sect's core is to rescue the Black Tortoise trapped by the Black Tortoise Country.
Its doctrines even boast about the Black Tortoise immensely, claiming it is merciful and saves the world, but sadly it was ambushed while saving sentient beings.
Basically, stories from other sects were nested like dolls into the story of the Black Tortoise.
As a cultivator who came out of a small mountain village, Li Zhong has not read many books nor heard many allusions, but even he feels these little stories were fabricated without much care.
However, although the little stories lack care, the pie the Black Tortoise Sect painted is very big.
So big that a normal person would look at it and wonder if your brain is okay.
Even bragging isn't done like this.
Simply put, as long as the Black Tortoise is successfully rescued, then this group of ants in the gutter can instantly transform into celestial soldiers and generals.
According to the doctrine, once the Black Tortoise is rescued, let alone the mere Black Tortoise Country, even the Central Province could be directly smashed, allowing one to become a king and dominate.
A normal person hearing these words would probably just shake their head in disbelief.
Therefore, a sect like the Black Tortoise Sect, which is a bit faulty, naturally cannot recruit many normal people; most of those recruited are also a bit faulty.
It is just that group of people who actually believes this brainless little story that the all-powerful Black Tortoise was suppressed by the mere Black Tortoise Country.
Li Zhong often suspects whether those people have incomplete brain development.
So Li Zhong's participation in the Black Tortoise Sect was not actually because he believed those dogshit doctrines.
But rather for those cultivation resources and spirit stones distributed by the Black Tortoise Sect at fixed times and places.
Compared to the ridiculous doctrines and the chance to transform into celestial soldiers later.
These resources and spirit stones are the reason Li Zhong joined the Black Tortoise Sect; after all, the path to the Golden Core begins with a single step.
The Black Tortoise Sect was in a latent period for most of the time, and for a long time, Li Zhong was freeloading off the sect's resources.
However, recently, this group of lunatics seems to be truly preparing to make a move.
This action also made Li Zhong feel puzzled—could it be that there really is a damn Black Tortoise?
But now, Li Zhong has no time to think about this.
Just like Li Zhong's mediocre aptitude.
Li Zhong also secured a middle-of-the-road position within the Black Tortoise Sect.
This situation is the most damning—because the higher-ups of the Black Tortoise Sect have no problems with their brains, and are very smart.
So Li Zhong's daily routine is roughly to deal with several leaders who are as sharp as wits, completing the tasks they issue.
And then Li Zhong has to lead subordinates who are like pigs, to complete the tasks assigned by the sharp-wits.
It was only after interacting with this group that Li Zhong realized—the phrase "you are as stupid as a pig" is sometimes not an insult, but a declarative sentence.
Currently, Li Zhong's task is to do everything possible to disrupt Chizhou, incite a popular uprising, and recruit forces.
Given the ridiculous doctrines of the Black Tortoise Sect, Li Zhong believes he is unable to recruit forces.
Therefore, what he is completing now is the task of disrupting Chizhou.
And the safest way to accomplish this task is—spreading rumors.
Li Zhong sent out all his subordinates to spread rumors in the places where the Black Tortoise Country is providing disaster relief and where refugees are concentrated.
At the same time, he instructed them to queue up to receive the Black Tortoise Country's relief porridge while spreading rumors.
After all, for that group of pig-like people, eating more of the Black Tortoise Country's relief grain might cause more damage to the country than their rumors.
In any case, drinking an extra bowl of porridge also counts as causing irreparable loss to the Black Tortoise Country.
Li Zhong was currently staying on a tall building within the city, accompanied by an advisor who was not so stupid.
From the building, one could gaze out and see the situation at the Black Tortoise Country's relief point in the distance.
Today's relief efforts were nearing their end, and the refugees remained orderly and organized.
Undoubtedly, today's rumor-spreading plan was also a major failure.
However, the porridge-drinking plan should have been a great success; that group has never disappointed him in this matter.
Just as Li Zhong was preparing to leave, thinking about how to brag about the porridge-drinking incident when reporting to his sharp-witted leaders.
An advisor's slightly trembling voice came from behind him: "Boss..."
"What is it again?"
Li Zhong turned around impatiently and saw a sturdy man wearing black tight-fitting clothing.
That man had a cold face and a fierce gaze, and at this moment, he was placing his large hand on the advisor's shoulder.
Li Zhong instantly felt cold all over; looking at the sturdy man before him, someone at the Foundation Establishment Realm had approached his side, yet his spiritual sense had not reacted at all.
When he looked at this sturdy man, he could not detect a trace of spiritual power fluctuation.
Undoubtedly, this man was definitely a tough opponent.
And crushing him to death probably wouldn't require any effort.
The sturdy man asked aloud: "Are you from the Black Tortoise Sect?"
Li Zhong was greatly alarmed in his heart, but he suppressed his shock and denied it: "I am not..."
A ferocious smile appeared on the sturdy man's face, and a thick blood energy emerged from his body; this blood energy was so dense that it seemed to have been created by absorbing countless living beings.
Seeing this scene, Li Zhong immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
So it is an evil cultivator! I thought it was someone from the Black Tortoise Country coming to arrest people!
He revealed a fawning smile on his face and quickly changed his words: "I am from the Black Tortoise Sect; dare I ask what instructions the senior has?"
The sturdy man sized up Li Zhong: "I am from the Central Province Evil Spirit Sect, and I want to make some deals with you. Would it be convenient for you to take me to see someone in your sect who can make decisions?"
"Naturally!" Li Zhong nodded hurriedly.
Evil cultivators are great! They talk little and are ruthless! And they are certainly not good people; this counts as recruiting forces too, right?
This should be counted as a merit for me, right?
This is at least an evil cultivator with Golden Core cultivation; I don't know how many rewards this wave of merit can exchange for.
As for what purpose this sturdy man actually harbors, that is not for Li Zhong to consider; that is for the group of sharp-wits above to consider.
Li Zhong pondered for a moment but still asked the question in his heart:
"However, senior, how did you know I was from the Black Tortoise Sect, and how were you able to find me?"
Lixingtian heard this and pointed in the direction of the relief efforts:
"When you incite the crowd, do you really have to brag about your Black Tortoise doctrines?"
Hearing this, the expression on Li Zhong's face showed that those fools had ruined him.
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