Ling Yunzi glanced at Zhang Yang for a while and asked, "You've already looked at the account books. You surely don't not know how much money the Qingyun Sect has, right? Those villagers went to collect herbs, and I wonder what you used to buy them with."
"Uncle, don't worry. There will definitely be a way to solve this problem," Zhang Yang replied with a smile.
The reason why he brought Ling Yunzi, a skilled warrior, along was, on the one hand, to protect himself, and on the other hand, to go to Qingyun Market.
The Qingyun Market has collected taxes for so many years, but it has never given a single penny to the Qingyun Sect. He has no idea who is in charge of the Qingyun Market. In any case, an explanation must be given.
Are you still worried about not having enough money then?
Next, whenever he came across a village, Zhang Yang would go down to offer some "concerns" or "visits".
When learning about the situation of the village, it will also be informed to the villagers that if they find any rare herbs or other items on the mountain, they can go to Qingyun Sect for trading.
Ling Yunzi's expression grew increasingly serious. He observed everything carefully. This was already the case of seven or eight villages. Did the Qingyun Sect have that much money?
He spoke seriously to Zhang Yang, "Kid, I have to warn you. No matter how you reform things, you mustn't harm those ordinary people. Their lives are already very difficult. If you dare to take their belongings, I'm afraid no one here will approve of it."
He now firmly believes that Zhang Yang has the intention of robbing many villagers around, and it's really because the Qingyun Sect can't come up with such a large sum of money.
Zhang Yang looked at Ling Yunzi and said seriously, "Uncle Shi, at least we have known each other for ten years. Have you ever seen me bully ordinary people?"
"No, that has never happened." Ling Yunzi nodded.
Sometimes he even felt that Zhang Yang treated the ordinary creatures better than he treated the monks.
Zhang Yang said solemnly, "Over the years, all of you elders have overlooked a very significant issue. For the Qingyun Sect to thrive, relying solely on strong cultivation is not enough. Many things in the sect require people to do them. This is the first step of my reform, which is why I am recruiting a large number of disciples."
Where did the disciples of the Qingyun Sect come from?
First of all, there are these villages within the Qingyun Sect. Among them, quite a few people are capable of practicing the cultivation.
Those with good natural abilities will be given special training to become the backbone of the sect; for those with poor natural talents, we'll have them tend to the cultivation of medicinal herbs and handle some miscellaneous tasks for the sect. At least this way, they won't end up dying in the village like ordinary people!
Therefore, we must not mistreat the people in these villages, but instead, we should protect them.
"Truth is not far from people. If one wants to cultivate a great path, it won't be that easy even if one tries."
Ling Yunzi listened to Zhang Yang's detailed explanation and felt much more at ease.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind: Isn't it far away?
Over the years, the Qingyun Sect, due to their poverty, adopted an aloof and detached attitude, devoting themselves entirely to secluded meditation and cultivation in the mountains.
This has been happening over the course of several hundred years. Ling Yunzi clearly felt that his cultivation was getting slower and slower.
Is it because it is too far from "people" that it is also far from the main path?
"The truth is not far from us!" Ling Yunzi asked curiously, "Where did you acquire such profound knowledge of principles?"
Zhang Yang said naturally, "Uncle, it seems that only I from the Qingyun Sect often go to the Qingyun Market? These truths, of course, were all discovered by myself!"
He thought to himself, "If you had experienced that era of information explosion, where you could freely read all kinds of religious scriptures and philosophical works, you might have been able to understand these things as well."
Ling Yunzi nodded: "In short, we mustn't bully ordinary people."
"Don't worry!" Zhang Yang assured. Suddenly, he pointed in a direction and asked in surprise, "Uncle Teacher, this place should also be within the territory of my Qingyun Sect, right?"
"This place is about two hundred miles away from Qingyun Peak. Of course, it's within the territory of the Qingyun Sect." Ling Yunzi replied.
Zhang Yang shouted loudly, "Then how could there be anyone mining within the territory of Qingyun Sect?"
Isn't this the theft of the minerals from Qingyun Sect? Who has such audacity?
Ling Yunzi was completely bewildered and asked, "What's the problem? It's probably that the nearby villagers discovered the minerals and are now digging them out!"
Zhang Yang rolled his eyes. These senior members of the sect really seem to have damaged their brains through their cultivation practices.
Will the villagers mine for minerals in the mountains and forests?
Usually when going up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs, one has to be wary of wild beasts. But when encountering an evil beast, there is a risk of the entire village being destroyed.
Moreover, mining requires specialized equipment and financial support, which is simply beyond the capabilities of the villagers.
"Let's go and have a look."
Zhang Yang gave a shout and landed on the ground, heading towards the mine.
As they approached the mining site, they saw many ragged common people carrying baskets to transport minerals. Around them were some strong and muscular men, holding whips and driving the miners: "You bunch of losers, hurry up and work faster. If you keep dawdling, I'll beat you to death. If you don't work quickly, there won't be any dinner for you today. Everyone must dig out three hundred kilograms today. Anyone who fails to complete the task will be thrown out into the wild to be eaten by wolves."
Ling Yunzi saw the condition of the mine and furrowed his eyebrows.
Zhang Yang, however, was looking around the mining site, examining it for quite a while before asking, "Uncle, have you noticed any skilled individuals?"
He was extremely worried that if there were experienced people in charge of the mine, they might be defeated by others at that time.
Ling Yunzi said impatiently, "The strongest one is that man in the golden robe. He has just embarked on the path of cultivation, and even you were able to defeat him."
Zhang Yang counted to three. He emerged from the shadows and walked towards the mine, shouting, "Everyone stop! What nerve! How dare you steal the minerals?"
The numerous vigilant men couldn't help but freeze in astonishment, their gazes naturally turning towards the man in the brocade robe.
The man in the brocade robe also froze and said, "In this desolate mountain range, no one has ever heard of a master. How could there be the concept of stealing minerals? Could it be that you also envy this copper mine and have come to deliberately cause trouble? Well, you've made a big mistake. The Xiao family in Anqing City is not afraid of anyone else."
"Xiao Family in Anqing City?" Zhang Yang was momentarily stunned. He knew about Anqing City; it was over three hundred miles away from Qingyun Sect and was the largest city in the vicinity.
"Then do you know who I am?" Zhang Yang asked.
The man in the golden robe sneered, "I don't care who you are. If you dare to cause trouble for the Shao family, you'd better be prepared to die. Everyone, start fighting and kill him. Then throw his body out into the wilderness!"
The vigilant men around immediately surrounded Zhang Yang.
"Self-destructing!" Zhang Yang raised his hand, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, crashing down and striking the ground with a loud bang.
He is at least a flying monk, having truly embarked on the path of spiritual cultivation. He is far beyond the capabilities of these ordinary people.
The man in the golden robe saw Zhang Yang use the thunder technique and was startled. He shouted, "Don't do it! There must be a misunderstanding! I'm Xiao Jian from the Xiao family. Our master and the Taoist priest Qing Feng from the Qingfeng Sect are good friends."
He was well aware that only a cultivator with the ability to cast the Heaven Lightning Spell could do so.
So, right from the beginning, the person in charge's name was given out.
"The Clear Wind Sect? No matter what sect it is, you can't steal my mine!" Zhang Yang's expression turned serious. "This is my Qingyun Sect territory. Everything here belongs to the Qingyun Sect. Go back and report to your lord. Within one month, come to the Qingyun Sect and give us an explanation and make compensation. Otherwise, we will take action. Don't think you can ignore this!"