Ling Yunzi looked Zhang Yang up and down and asked, "You've already read the account book. You can't be unaware of how much money Qingyun Sect has, right? When those villagers bring medicinal herbs over, I wonder what you'll use to buy them."
"Uncle, don't worry. There will definitely be a way to solve this," Zhang Yang replied with a smile.
The reason he brought Ling Yunzi, a master, out of the sect was partly for self-defense and partly to go to Qingyun Market.
Qingyun Market had been collecting taxes for so many years, yet not a single coin had been given to Qingyun Sect. He didn't know who was in charge of Qingyun Market, but it was time to get an explanation anyway.
Would he still have to worry about having no money then?
After that, whenever they came across a village, Zhang Yang would go down and "offer his regards".
While learning about the situation of the villages, he would also tell the villagers that as long as they found spirit herbs or other things on the mountain, they could go to Qingyun Sect for trading.
Ling Yunzi's expression grew more and more solemn. He had seen everything. There were already seven or eight villages. Did Qingyun Sect have that much money?
He seriously warned Zhang Yang, "Kid, I have to remind you that no matter how you carry out the reform, you mustn't harm those ordinary people. Their lives are already very difficult. If you dare to rob them of their things, I'm afraid none of us will agree."
He now seriously suspected that Zhang Yang had the intention of robbing the numerous villagers around, simply because Qingyun Sect really couldn't afford to pay that much.
Zhang Yang looked at Ling Yunzi and said earnestly, "Uncle, we've known each other for ten years anyway. Have you ever seen me bully ordinary people?"
"No, I haven't," Ling Yunzi nodded.
Sometimes he even felt that Zhang Yang treated those ordinary creatures better than he treated cultivators.
Zhang Yang said with a solemn expression, "Over the years, all the elders have overlooked a very big problem. If Qingyun Sect wants to thrive, relying solely on powerful cultivation levels is useless. Many things in the sect need people to do them. That's why the first step of my reform is to recruit a large number of disciples.
Where will the disciples of Qingyun Sect come from?
First of all, from the villages within the territory of Qingyun Sect. Among them, there are quite a number of people who can cultivate.
Those with good talent will be cultivated as the backbone of the sect. Those with not-so-good talent can plant medicinal herbs and do some miscellaneous tasks for the sect. That's still better than them dying of old age in the villages, right?
So, not only can't we bully the people in these villages, but we also have to protect them well.
The Tao is never far from people. If we distance ourselves from people, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to cultivate the Great Tao."
Ling Yunzi felt a lot more relieved after hearing Zhang Yang's reasonable words.
Suddenly, something occurred to him. The Tao is never far from people?
In these years, because Qingyun Sect was poor, they had adopted an aloof attitude and focused on cultivating in seclusion in the mountains.
In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred years had passed. Ling Yunzi clearly felt that his cultivation progress was getting slower and slower.
Was it because they were too far away from "people" that they were also far from the Great Tao?
"The Tao is never far from people!" Ling Yunzi asked curiously, "Where did you learn so many principles?"
Zhang Yang replied matter-of-factly, "Uncle, I'm probably the only one in Qingyun Sect who often goes to Qingyun Market. Of course, I figured out these principles by myself!"
He thought to himself that if you had experienced that era of information explosion, where you could read all kinds of alchemy scriptures and Taoist books at will, you would probably also know these things.
Ling Yunzi nodded. "Anyway, we can't bully ordinary people."
"Don't worry!" Zhang Yang promised. Suddenly, he pointed in a direction and asked in surprise, "Uncle, this place should also be within the territory of our Qingyun Sect, right?"
"This place is a little over two hundred miles away from Qingyun Peak. Of course, it's within the territory of Qingyun Sect," Ling Yunzi replied.
Zhang Yang exclaimed, "Then why are there people mining in the territory of Qingyun Sect?"
Wasn't this stealing Qingyun Sect's minerals? Who was so bold?
Ling Yunzi asked, puzzled, "What's the problem? Perhaps the nearby villagers discovered the minerals and are digging them."
Zhang Yang rolled his eyes. These sect elders had really damaged their brains from cultivation.
Would villagers mine in the mountains?
Usually, when they went up the mountain to gather herbs, they had to worry about fierce beasts. Encountering a demonic beast could put the whole village in danger of being wiped out.
Moreover, mining required professional tools and financial support, which was simply beyond the ability of villagers.
"Let's go and take a look."
Zhang Yang called out, landed on the ground, and approached the mine.
When they got close to the mine, they found many ragged ordinary people carrying baskets on their backs to transport minerals. Around them were some burly men holding whips in their hands and driving the miners forward. "You useless bunch, move faster! Stop dawdling! I'll beat you to death. If you don't hurry up and work, there'll be no dinner for you today. Everyone must dig out another three hundred catties today. Whoever fails to complete the task will be thrown into the wild to feed the wolves."
Ling Yunzi frowned when he saw the situation at the mine.
Zhang Yang, on the other hand, was looking around the mine. After observing for a while, he asked, "Uncle, have you noticed any masters?"
He was afraid that there might be a master guarding the mine. If so, they might get wiped out.
Ling Yunzi said impatiently, "The strongest one is that man in the brocade robe. He's just started on the path of cultivation. You can even deal with him."
Zhang Yang got an idea. He showed himself and walked towards the mine, shouting, "Everyone, stop! How dare you steal minerals?"
The many vigilant men couldn't help but be stunned and instinctively looked at the man in the brocade robe.
The man in the brocade robe was also stunned and said, "This is a desolate mountain area. I've never heard that it has an owner. How can you say it's stealing minerals? Don't tell me you're also jealous of this copper mine and deliberately looking for trouble. Well, you've got the wrong idea. The Xiao family in Anqing City is not afraid of anyone else."
"The Xiao family in Anqing City?" Zhang Yang was taken aback. He knew Anqing City. It was more than three hundred miles away from Qingyun Sect and was the largest city nearby.
"Then do you know who I am?" Zhang Yang asked.
The man in the brocade robe sneered, "I don't care who you are. If you dare to cause trouble for my Xiao family, be prepared to die. Everyone, attack and kill him. Throw his body into the wild!"
The burly men on guard immediately surrounded Zhang Yang.
"Seeking death!" Zhang Yang raised his hand, and a bolt of heavenly lightning fell from the sky with a rumble and struck the ground.
He was, after all, a cultivator who could fly and had truly embarked on the path of cultivation. He was not comparable to these ordinary people in front of him.
The man in the brocade robe was startled when he saw Zhang Yang use the heavenly lightning spell and shouted, "Stop! There must be a misunderstanding! I'm Xiao Jian from the Xiao family. Our family head is good friends with Taoist Qingfeng of the Qingfeng Sect."
He knew very well that anyone who could use the heavenly lightning spell must be an immortal cultivator.
So, he immediately reported the name of his backer.
"Qingfeng Sect? No matter what sect it is, it can't steal our sect's minerals!" Zhang Yang's expression turned serious. "This is the territory of Qingyun Sect. Everything here belongs to Qingyun Sect. Go back and report to your family head. Within one month, come to Qingyun Sect to give us an explanation and make compensation. Otherwise, we will take measures. Don't say that we didn't warn you in advance!"