Chapter 48

The old woman, over forty years of age and having given birth to four or five children, spoke without any reservations when it came to matters of men and women.

However, upon realizing that the young girl in front of her appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen, she reconsidered. The girl was too shy to discuss such topics openly in broad daylight.

So, she followed up on Liuyu’s earlier words and asked, “What is this Ji Mo family? I’ve never heard of them.”

Liuyu, who had only just understood the old woman’s meaning, rarely showed any signs of embarrassment. After a moment, she raised her head and said casually, “…I heard about them while fleeing north. They seem to be a fallen noble family from the Qian Yuan era. Originally settled in the southern Zhongzhou province, their entire clan crossed the northern river during the demon calamity. They were reduced to poverty, but then unexpectedly, one of their ancestors emerged as an eighth-level cultivator, and the family quickly regained their fortune. Now, they are residing in Longque City, looking to recruit people, especially wandering refugees.”

The old woman, fanning herself with her straw hat, listened seriously to Liuyu’s explanation.

Liuyu, having just used her first-ever disguise with the Cicada Paper, now had an ordinary appearance: her face was slightly round, with a slightly flat nose, but this look was much more approachable compared to her previous, overly striking features.

A few others who were resting nearby by the field became curious and asked, “How much monthly pay do they offer?”

Another person, half-skeptical, added, “Will we really get enough to eat? Don’t tell me this is just a scam.”

The Xianli family, such a large noble family, couldn’t possibly offer such terms.

“Why do you believe her just like that?” A young woman sneered, her cheeks sunburned, her gaze sharp as she eyed Liuyu. “She might even be sent by the Ji Mo family to spread rumors. If we follow her to that Ji Mo family, who knows if we’ll even get enough to eat. I bet she’s probably pocketing a hefty sum for herself.”

Upon hearing the young woman’s words, the rest of the crowd’s initial excitement quieted down.

The young woman huffed in disdain, “The Ji Mo family? Who knows where that poor family came from. It can’t be better than the Xianli family, which is stable and reliable.”

The people around her gradually started to agree more with her.

These noble families were known for eating the smaller ones—yesterday a family might have been considered prestigious, but today it could be consumed by another clan.

For these noble families, it was just another strategic move, but for those affected, it meant losing their families and their lives in a bloodbath.

As a result, many refugees preferred to join the larger noble families, even if they didn’t get enough to eat. At least they didn’t have to worry about being caught in the wars and conflicts between the families.

Liuyu didn’t argue, instead giving the young woman an innocent look and asking, “Huh? What’s this about taking money? I don’t understand. I was just chatting with everyone. Why are you so angry? Have you taken any money?”

The young woman suddenly fell silent, no longer speaking.

Behind her, her husband’s voice called out.

“If you keep resting, we’ll be at this until tomorrow! Get back to work! You’re killing me here!”

The young woman was quick-tempered. She shot a glare at Mo Lin, then, gritting her teeth, yelled at her husband, “I haven’t even had a sip of water, and you’re already dying of exhaustion! With your abilities, you should just die from it! I’ll remarry as soon as I get the chance!”

Her loud, angry words mixed with the soft laughter and murmurs from the field.

Mo Lin raised his sweat-drenched face, momentarily dazed.

The colorless city of Xian Du was vast. Aside from the beast fights in the arena, there were also many such fields inside the city.

Sometimes they would plant grain sent by the Xianli family; other times they were taken to neighboring cities, working day and night to build grand sword towers or magnificent jade palaces for the noble families.

He had become quite adept at these tasks.

But at that time, he was still young, filled with anger that burned in his chest every day, with nowhere to vent it. He had dreamed of breaking out of that prison and killing every last noble family under the sky.

When his anger was at its peak, countless dark and frightening thoughts had emerged in his mind. Even now, recalling them, he felt a sense of fear.

He had almost acted on those impulses.

Until—

A large lotus leaf shaded him from the sun.

“Drink some water and take a rest.”

Mo Lin snapped back to reality, looking at the girl standing beside him, holding the lotus leaf to shield him from the sun.

Unlike him, drenched in heat, the girl’s skin, even though darkened intentionally, still carried an air of delicate nobility, cool and soft, as if pampered and cherished her whole life.

Liuyu smiled and lowered her voice, “Just now, Dansui pretended to be lost and gave me a signal. She’s already learned which of the caretakers in the village are responsible for cultivating the spiritual plants. Over the next few days, she and the ghost girl will work together to get close to them.”

This time, they infiltrated the Xiangli clan, splitting into two groups for action.

Although swallowing the Xiangli clan would grant them the “Complete Book of Immortal Farming,” even Liuyu didn’t dare to say they could definitely take over the entire Xiangli clan this time.

Therefore, their current goal was to first seize Taiping City from the Xiangli clan, allowing the Jimo family to establish a foothold in front of the world, and then plan for the future.

As for the “Complete Book of Immortal Farming,” although such a secret would certainly only be passed on to members of the Xiangli clan, learning some of its techniques from other managers would still be better than nothing.

Dan Sui, after hearing this, wasn’t at all repulsed, and eagerly promised to find a way to create an opportunity for her.

Hopefully, she still had the strength for it.

“Hmm.”

Mo Lin took the water bowl Liuyu handed over and drank, his Adam’s apple moving.

“I was chatting with them earlier. There are ten managers here in total, with Lei Yan being the one in charge of the others. He holds the authority over all personnel in the estate and can also make contact with the main household of the Xiangli clan. Today, he’s probably gone to the main household to meet the steward, Situ Nan.”

Just as they were talking, Mo Lin and Liuyu both slightly moved their ears, their eyes meeting.

They were here.

“—Is this the one called Lin Mo?”

Unlike his previous behavior in the main household where he was kicked around while smiling, Lei Yan, now on his own turf, was surrounded by seven or eight assistant managers. The workers in the fields were completely silent, like they had seen a ghost.

“He looks like an ordinary person, nothing exaggerated. Can he really do the work of ten men?”

“Really,” one of the assistant managers said with a smile, “We tried it earlier. The puppet we bought from the Zhongli family can plow the land at about the same speed, but it costs fifty Dongling jade a day to use, plus maintenance and repair costs. This is far more expensive.”

Hearing this, Lei Yan immediately started calculating in his mind.

He meaningfully said to Mo Lin:

“Since he’s so capable, we should double his pay…”

Mo Lin interrupted, “No need to double it.”

Lei Yan’s gaze shifted to the young woman standing beside him.

She was at best slightly pretty, but her figure was quite remarkable. Even though she wore coarse cloth clothes, it was still obvious she had long limbs, a slender neck…

Mo Lin subtly shifted his shoulder, blocking her slightly behind him.

“It would be best to have a separate room for her. The condition doesn’t matter; we can repair it ourselves.”

When they first entered, Mo Lin and Liuyu noticed that the hired workers were not like the tenants outside. They could only stay in the pigeonhouses provided by the estate. The bamboo beds were stacked layer upon layer, and people were crammed into tiny spaces like birds in a cage.

Even without considering the fact that they would need to meet privately at night, Mo Lin would never allow Liuyu to sleep in such cramped conditions.

Lei Yan’s expression darkened. “You little rascal, I’ve shown some leniency because you have some skills, yet you dare to make so many demands?”

Liuyu’s heart tightened for a moment, but Mo Lin merely smiled.

“Please don’t be angry. My wife and I intend to stay with the Xiangli clan for a long time, so we must consider a few things. We’ll be working a lot during the day, so the noise at night will be inevitable. If we don’t have enough relaxation, we won’t be able to do our work properly during the day. How can we help with your worries?”

His tone wasn’t too high or low, but the other assistant managers could hear him clearly and exchanged teasing, ambiguous looks.

Liuyu rarely exhibited bashfulness, but she wasn’t so unaffected that she wouldn’t show a little embarrassment in public when hearing such words.

She pretended to shyly lower her head.

But behind her, she reached out and pinched Mo Lin’s waist.

Mo Lin remained unfazed.

“…Well, there’s some truth to that.”

As a man, Lei Yan could fully understand.

Moreover, after thinking about it, he figured his little wife wasn’t exactly a hard worker. It might be better to take this opportunity to have a child and add another laborer to the Xiangli clan.

Lei Yan quickly agreed.

He was standing aside, watching Mo Lin plow the land.

Once the land was prepared, Mo Lin used a plow cart, modified by the Zhongli family, to plant the immortal grass seeds one by one. Finally, he used water beads to help the seeds take root, completing the task.

Lei Yan saw his quick actions and was indeed impressed. One person really could do the work of ten, and he couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

By now, it was almost noon. Lei Yan whispered a few instructions to an assistant manager, who immediately passed on the orders to the cook setting up the long table.

The cook seemed hesitant, but after the assistant manager gave him a cold look, all resistance disappeared.

The workers in the fields initially didn’t understand what was happening, but when the meal arrived, they noticed something was off—

The barley rice and bean soup, which was already not much, had been halved.

The workers began to protest.

But soon, the estate’s cultivators suppressed the disturbance.

Liuyu didn’t rush to join the meal line but instead observed from a distance.

This was the largest estate in Taiping City.

The cultivators were overseeing the workers in an orderly manner, though there were only so many elite cultivators. Moreover, the Xiangli clan had already fallen to the rank of a second-class family.

Since Liuyu entered the estate, the highest cultivation level she’d seen was a Sixth Realm cultivator, with four or five Fifth Realm cultivators leading patrols. The remaining cultivators were mostly at the Second or Third Realm.

This wasn’t surprising.

In the struggle between noble families, no one would first attack the other’s estate unless it was for food. So these cultivators were mainly used to suppress their own people.

Seizing this estate wouldn’t be difficult.

Liuyu’s gaze turned to Lei Yan, who was by the field ridge.

“These people are simply ungrateful—”

Liuyu suddenly spoke, causing the irritated Lei Yan to glance at her involuntarily.

“Nowadays, there are plenty of people outside who can’t even afford barley rice. Our family is just a bit tight on funds, so we reduce the portions, and they cause such a ruckus. We should send them outside to see how the refugees live, and I’m sure they’ll be willing to stay with the Xiangli clan even without wages.”

Lei Yan looked up and down at Liuyu, then asked thoughtfully:

“…Where are you from?”

Liuyu smiled and replied, “We are refugees from the western region, Yu Yuan.”

“Yu Yuan,” Lei Yan took the tea handed to him and took a sip, “Why didn’t you head south to the prosperous lands? Instead, you came towards the Demon Ghost Great Wall?”

“We didn’t have enough money to head south, and the further south we go, those noble families might not accept us anymore—just like the Yinshan clan. We heard they no longer take in any refugees, claiming they are the wealthiest in the world.”

Lei Yan replied, “The Yinshan clan… people like them, using others, would never have enough, even with mountains of gold. If they keep taking in people, they’ll eventually collapse themselves.”

Refugees were seen as expendable materials—once dead, they were discarded.

The Yinshan clan might have invited them back as ancestors, but they couldn’t afford to take care of them.

Liuyu smiled but didn’t speak.

“You just mentioned there are many people who can’t even get enough to eat?” Lei Yan lifted his gaze and scrutinized her.

“Who said that? My husband’s village still has a lot of people who haven’t found work. They’re all as capable as my husband, but unfortunately, the Xiangli family doesn’t take in that many people. They’ll have to find a way elsewhere…” Liuyu responded.

Lei Yan’s eyes brightened upon hearing this.

“They’re all as capable as your husband?”

Liuyu blinked and smiled innocently.

“Their village is unique, famous for eating little and working a lot.”

Of course, their strange and unusual limbs helped too.

“…But,” Liuyu paused, deliberately building suspense, “I heard the Xiangli family doesn’t take many people. We split up to head different directions. They’re planning to go to Longque City, where the Jimo family is recruiting, and I’ve heard they need a lot of people.”

“What Jimo family!”

Lei Yan licked his lips, his eyes gleaming.

“The Xiangli family is no better than those fallen families, and Taiping City is far more prosperous than Longque City. You should contact your villagers and have them come to Taiping City!”

—-

Nightfall.

The sky was filled with stars, shining over Taiping City below.

Mo Lin had just tidied up the abandoned courtyard to make it habitable. He was about to enter the house when he saw Liuyu had locked the door.

To avoid alerting the cultivators in the village, she had refrained from using any force to suppress the sound or leaving a message using magic. Instead, she wrote on the muddy ground outside the door with a simple wooden stick:

[Communicating with the clan, please wait.]

The Yinshan clan?

Mo Lin stared at the words for a long time, and the first thought that flashed in his mind was of several faces he’d seen only once, but they had left a deep impression on him.

Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant one.

Inside the room, Liuyu had just washed up with water from a water-storage bead. At this moment, she was untying her hair and dressing in a robe, sitting in front of the communication formation, glaring at the five old men in the formation with a deep, vengeful expression.

“—What are these shabby rooms! I told you, don’t let the children come here, who agreed to this! Who was the one who agreed to this!”

Liuyu calmly looked at her fifth uncle and replied, “It was my mother.”

The old man, so angry his beard was blowing, immediately quieted down.

“What is this place? Liuyu, tell your seventh uncle, is it that mud-legged demon ghost seeking revenge on purpose! Damn that demon ghost, how dare they make the young lady of the Yinshan clan stay in such a place, it’s utterly malicious—”

“None of this matters.”

Liuyu crossed her arms and stared at the clan elders.

“I just want to know, who opened the secret letter I sent to the Yinshan clan, and why was it denied?”

The secret letter contained the fake genealogy of the Jimo family, created by Yue Niang.

It was fake now.

But once this genealogy was sent to the celestial residence within the royal capital, stamped with the Divine Zhou Seal, it would be a legitimate clan genealogy.

The plan for the Jimo family was progressing step by step, and Liuyu even went as far as working in the fields herself—though she didn’t actually do any farm work—making significant sacrifices. She would not allow this plan to fail at such a simple step.

“My mother told me that Zhan’s cousin entered the celestial residence specifically to handle this matter for me. It definitely wasn’t my mother. So who did it?”

There was a brief silence in the formation.

Finally, her fourth uncle spoke:

“It was the clan elders who decided to suppress it for now, Liuyu. We heard you interfered in the ghost play and the celestial festival in Jiuyou, and even built a stronghold south of the Great Wall to shelter the Jiufang family’s servants—Is this true?”

Liuyu remained silent, her face cold.

Her fourth uncle sighed:

“If you’re silent, that means you admit it. No matter what you plan to do, you need to stop for now. Your parents and we are handling the family matters. Your immediate task is just two things—”

“First, take care of yourself in Jiuyou. Second, focus on your cultivation. All that other nonsense doesn’t concern you.”

A sour feeling suddenly rose in Liuyu’s throat.

These five clan elders were like family to her, raising her like their own. They had always been there for her, especially when she faced difficulties with her cultivation. If she was ever sick or faced hardships, they would move heaven and earth to find rare herbs for her.

The Yinshan clan might have spoiled her, but these elders doted on her almost to the point of overindulgence.

So they never wanted her to get involved in such devious schemes too early. They just hoped she would focus on her cultivation, grow up a little more, and then truly understand the intrigue and calculation within the celestial families.

Who could have guessed that this marriage would interrupt their training of Liuyu?

They couldn’t have imagined that in less than a hundred years, the Yinshan clan would fall under the siege of the celestial families, leaving only Liuyu to uphold the clan.

Liuyu lowered her eyelids and, after a long pause, said:

“I insist on getting involved.”

If she didn’t intervene, the Yinshan clan might end up on the same path as in her previous life.

She had once believed that elders were unshakeable mountains, but after witnessing those mountains crumble before her eyes, how could she retreat into the shelter of her elders and pretend that everything was calm?

“You child—!”

The fifth uncle stared in disbelief, his eyes wide.

Liuyu had been raised by them since she was little. Although she had been spoiled and had a bit of a temper, she had always been reasonable when it came to big matters.

After a moment, he found a reason for her unusual behavior.

“She must have been bullied in the Nine Hells, which is why she’s having such outrageous thoughts. Damn it! That demon ghost made you live in this shabby house while he feasts and enjoys himself in his Extreme Night Palace. The first time I saw him, I knew he had bad intentions, so I gave him a harsh warning. I didn’t expect him to be such a scoundrel. He’s not even worth half of Zhang Hua’s pinky finger! Divorce him! Go home! If anything happens, Fifth Uncle will take the responsibility for you…”

The door latch, which had only been loosely secured, was suddenly struck by a powerful flow of energy, causing it to snap and fall to the ground.

Liuyu turned her head in surprise.

Standing at the door, a young man with a murderous aura had arrived, still dressed in the coarse linen clothes he had worn during the day. He had only removed the disguise mask from his face, revealing his originally cold and brooding expression.

He walked forward, gently placing a wooden basin at Liuyu’s feet.

Liuyu scratched her nose and sized him up from bottom to top.

“…Did you hear everything?”

“Not everything,” Mo Lin stood up straight and saidly, “I just happened to hear ‘not even half of Zhang Hua’s pinky finger’ part.”

Liuyu didn’t hesitate to throw her own family member under the bus.

“That was what my Fifth Uncle said, not me.”

The Fifth Uncle widened his eyes in shock.

Little, white-eyed wolf!

“Ahem—” The Fifth Uncle quickly adjusted his expression and looked down at Mo Lin, “Hmph, it’s just the truth. Let him hear it, no harm done.”

Mo Lin casually glanced over the faces on the communication array, each showing a different expression, then sneered.

“Then please ask Zhang Hua’s half-pinky finger to wash your young miss’s feet.”