The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 173 - 101: The Black List

Chapter 173: Chapter 101: The Black List

Before he realized it, ten days had passed, and the news of the Great Elder of the Lotus Sect being killed by King Lin Tian had fermented in the worldly society.

At the same time, Xu Qing received a list sent by Su Lianqing.

"Black List?"

After listening to Su Lianqing’s explanation, Xu Qing understood that this was an evaluation mechanism by the Inner Factory for dangerous individuals in the worldly society.

A name that made it to the Black List was defined by the Inner Factory as a highly dangerous person from the worldly society.

If one caused significant harm within the Great Yu Dynasty, they would definitely be relentlessly hunted down or eradicated by the Inner Factory and the Embroidered Guard, regardless of the cost.

Of course, once a name was on the Black List, minor offenses and local surveillances would turn a blind eye.

After all, everyone had just that little salary every month, and it was not worth risking their lives.

In the Great Yu Dynasty’s two capitals and thirteen provinces, there were only about fifty names that could make it to the Black List, sometimes more, sometimes less.

King Lin Tian used to dominate the underworld in Jiangning Prefecture, but when looking at the whole country, there was still a considerable gap.

The feat of killing the Great Elder of the Lotus Sect had now spread, and his reputation had risen significantly more than before.

In fact, it was King Lin Tian who specifically requested Xu Qing to spread the word about this matter.

After all, when you’re out in the world, reputation is what you give yourself.

Killing the Great Elder of the Lotus Sect was very beneficial to his reputation in the worldly society. When he went out to sea in the future, waving his banner would make everyone recognize there was such a person, and they would naturally weigh the consequences.

However, the Black List was confidential information from the Embroidered Guard and the Inner Factory, a lot more private than the imperial report from the Court, and previously Xu Qing had no access to such information. The only one he knew, Households Commander Zuo, was an upright person who would certainly not have such a close relationship with Xu Qing, let alone the fact that he had already returned to Lao Mountain for seclusion.

Of course, the meaning of the Black List was also limited; many names on the list had been heard by Xu Qing.

After all, those who were not well-known in the worldly society could not make it to the Black List.

It was the individual at the top of the Black List that made Xu Qing take a few extra looks.

"Xiong Chan."

This is the current Abbott of the Great Zen Temple, just over forty years old, whose martial arts had already surpassed anyone in the Great Zen Temple. He had mastered all thirteen Absolute Skills of the Great Zen Temple, excelling in punches, grabs, as well as various weapons, and had cultivated the Vajra Body Protection Divine Skill of the Great Zen Temple to the highest realm, becoming a new generation Grandmaster in the worldly society who was widely recognized as having the most hope to lead his peers.

If it were not a time when the Buddhist Law was in decline, with Xiong Chan’s strength and status, he could have fully competed for the position of State Preceptor in the previous dynasty that revered Buddhism.

"How interesting, in the eyes of the Inner Factory, Xiong Chan is actually number one on the Black List. It shows how much the current Your Majesty dreads the Great Zen Temple," Xu Qing deduced the whole picture from a glimpse.

However, he was also inexplicably shocked by Xiong Chan’s martial arts training journey.

"He must have some kind of cheat." In Xu Qing’s eyes, anyone whose cultivation progress could be compared to his own was suspect of having an unfair advantage.

Martial Arts and Daoist Skill, the further you progress, the more difficult it is to advance.

Even though Xu Qing possessed the Golden Light Spell and the Xuantian Visualization Method, without other adventures, Xu Qing did not dare say that he could reach the level where Xiong Chan was, which could be called a Half-step Martial Saint, by the age of forty.

It’s like the college entrance exam in the previous life; it becomes increasingly difficult to get an extra point the closer to the end.

Even a genius, to achieve achievements unreachable by others, could not lack the ninety-nine percent of sweat that constitutes the foundation.

"Vajra Body Protection Divine Skill cultivated to the highest realm, that would be on the level of Master Red Moon of the past, still falls a bit short compared to the highest realm of the Golden Light Spell." Xu Qing felt an ambition to catch up with Xiong Chan, while concurrently worrying about the resources for his future cultivation.

"First, take care of King Lin Tian’s matter, and get a hold of his share of the Spiritual Fox’s flesh and blood," Xu Qing had officially started cultivating the Golden Light Spell and felt its effects, which made him even more eager to continue the cultivation.

With this thought in mind, he rode his Fire Cloud Horse and went to Yingtian Prefecture to find his old mentor, Inspector Wu Xun’an, to discuss the matter of suppressing bandits.

This agreed-upon deal must be carried out excellently, to give Heavenly King Brother peace of mind before he departs.

Now when he goes out, there is no need to bring too many people; with his current strength, ordinary guards are simply a burden, not as convenient as him riding the Fire Cloud Horse.

If he really encountered a master like King Lin Tian, with the endurance and speed of the Fire Cloud Horse, he still had a chance to shake off the opponent on the main road.

He has a Scholar’s badge, and he doesn’t need to go through special procedures at the Government Office, avoiding lots of trouble.

This is also one of the privileges of a Scholar.

In this era, talking about studying abroad, but without a Scholar’s badge, it’s a particularly troublesome thing, and the guidance is generally to a specified place.

However, it’s also the middle to late period of the Dynasty now, finding people to forge road passes or badges is a common occurrence.

To put it simply, no matter how good the system is, it still needs people to implement it.

But if one can take the official route, naturally there’s no need to take shortcuts.

Xu Qing rode swiftly all the way, and in just one day, he arrived at Yingtian Prefecture, which was much faster than travelling by convoy.

After he practices Refining Internal, his endurance will greatly increase, and the distance he can cover back and forth each day will definitely be better than many fine horses. But in comparison to a special breed like the Fire Cloud Horse, it will undoubtedly be less.

However, the expenses to raise a Fire Cloud Horse are greater than supporting several martial masters; Xu Qing could afford one or two, but any more would be too much for him to bear.

Normally, a Dynasty that could form a large cavalry to campaign in the Northern Desert would have to be in a time of ascension in national strength.

It’s also a matter of efficiency.

In an ascending period of national strength, out of ten taels of silver, at least three could be spent effectively. In a declining period, whether out of a hundred taels, three taels are truly utilized is a question.

Xu Qing is currently managing a small venture, where unity is strong and easy to supervise. Once his venture grows, he will inevitably face these issues. The way he undercuts the Great Yu Dynasty today is how others will undercut him in the future.

But not expanding is out of the question.

With a larger size, even if efficiency is poor, it’s still much stronger than when it was small.

Xu Qing arrived in the city, rested at the post station, and then went to see Inspector Wu Xun’an.

"Gongming, your arrival is most timely. This matter with Black Wind Village has really left me with a headache."

In Xu Qing’s letter, he had already hinted that he had a way to deal with Black Wind Village, but the specifics needed to be discussed in person.

The Court has also taken notice of Black Wind Village.

Especially since King Lin Tian was listed on the Black List, the task has been assigned to Inspector Wu.

Normally, one could turn a blind eye to the affairs of Black Wind Village, but now that there’s a need to establish a checkpoint in the waterway at the foot of Qixia Mountain, this matter can no longer be ignored.

How can one tolerate snoring by others beside one’s own couch?

King Lin Tian sees the situation very clearly. Although the Court is in decline, it is still mightier than any other - a starving camel is still larger than a horse. If it truly came to blows, even someone as skilled in Refining Internal as he would not be able to withstand it.

His move is also one of retreating in order to advance.

However, he doesn’t trust anyone else. If it weren’t for Xu Qing acting as a mediator, King Lin Tian would also be in a quandary.

After all, to give up such a great foundation for nothing is hard to justify to his subordinates.

He wants to go to sea, and without money, that is impossible.

Xu Qing smiled: "This student has come precisely to relieve his teacher of worry."

He then explained the details of the deal made with King Lin Tian, but Xu Qing also added a sum of money for himself as a brokerage fee. It’s all Court money, if he doesn’t take it, someone else will.

After discussing with his teacher, Inspector Wu then went to consult with Assistant General Liu and others.

Assistant General Liu, knowing that he needn’t collide head-on with such a high-level expert, couldn’t be happier.

As an old warhorse on the battlefield, he dreads encountering these formidable masters the most. After all, their martial strength is too ferocious, and to break the situation usually means to slay the general and capture the flag.

Assistant General Liu is that "general."

Hearing that there was a campaign to suppress Black Wind Village, his legs went soft on the very day; thankfully, he had Xu Qing’s letter hinting at this, which allowed him to sleep well these past few days.

The matter is not difficult to handle, the key is that both sides must have trustworthy people.

Xu Qing’s role is temporarily irreplaceable.

Inspector Wu’s function, generally, is a bit stronger than a mere stamp.

"Waging war is good," said Inspector Wu, calculating the profits; from this military expedition, making twenty thousand guan would not be a problem. That’s why they say, there’s no thrift in war. Even the smallest battle turns out to be an affair of mountains of gold and seas of silver.

Xu Qing, in his past life when he studied history, learned that Qian Long spent tens of millions of silver taels to conquer Da and Xiao Jinchuan. How many people lived in Da and Xiao Jinchuan altogether?

Just tens of thousands.

If it were possible to directly hand out the money, giving these tens of thousands of people one thousand taels each, as soon as they receive the money, they would all run down the mountain that very evening.

But that’s not how the accounts are calculated.

Xu Qing couldn’t help feeling emotional; those tens of millions of silver taels, the higher-ups could probably rake in hundreds of thousands of taels each, truly making a fortune!

He, busying himself here and there, is only earning their pocket change.

It doesn’t compare!

It has to be said, Da Qing had many ways to make money; when he studied history, he came across a case where a treasury guard, taking advantage of being on duty, stuffed silver into the grain chute, and over thirty years, embezzled a total of two hundred thousand silver taels.

It sounds absurd.

After all, in the end, he’s just a treasury guard.

So if the top embezzles, the bottom will only be more corrupt.

Xu Qing alone cannot purify the morals of the worldly society; he can only go with the flow.

Commoners despise corrupt officials, but often they also hate that they cannot become one of them. The Confucians aim to use moral reputation to constrain and educate people’s hearts, yet the fame from Ming Sect can make Confucian Scholars equally greedy.

With fame comes profit; at the root, it’s bound to fail.

Hence, "Returning to the Good" is necessary.

Having a bottom line is always better than having none.

Even the crummiest order is better than chaos for ensuring the safety of most people’s lives.

Knowing that this battle must be won, Assistant General Liu and the others have unprecedented enthusiasm, and the mobilization of troops and grain supplies proceeds swiftly.

In fact, among the military provisions "grain" refers not primarily to the feed for horses, but to straw.

Xu Qing grew up in the countryside as a child, when many people used straw for heating.

Especially now, as the weather hasn’t warmed up yet. The nights are cold, and without straw to spread on the ground or to huddle with, many soldiers would fall ill after just one night.

Moreover, as a warming material, straw is also low-cost.

Currently, not many households in the cities can afford bedding.

Therefore, in common folks’ weddings, to have a dowry of a set of bedding is considered quite prestigious locally.

Xu Qing’s next business venture is to break into the textile industry. Firstly, this industry has a large demand for manual labor, with many women workers, and controlling a female worker in the rear is also tantamount to controlling the strong men on the front lines in the future.

If one supports a family, naturally a strong interest community is formed.

And the organizational discipline of workers is naturally stronger than in other industries.

For example, Qi Jiguang liked to recruit miners when he was recruiting soldiers.

Additionally, once the textile business is up and running, coupled with King Lin Tian’s fleet, making money becomes all too easy.

Thus, resources for his cultivation would be much easier to acquire.

After all, there are very few things in this world that money can’t buy.

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