Chapter 042: The Feng Family Arrives by Water

*Cough, cough, cough.* “Big brother, why are you all staring at us? Do you want me to bring you some soup?” Qingzhen looked at his elder brother and the others in surprise.

“Hurry up and get lost,” Qingjin said irritably, shooing Qingzhen and little Qinghu away.

Zhou Ji couldn’t help but laugh.

“Qingjin, your life has been quite eventful since you were young, hasn’t it?”

“It’s chaotic, not eventful,” Qingjin replied, rubbing his aching head.

Everyone burst out laughing, even Ning Qi and old Zhao. Old Zhao felt a hint of sympathy for his old friend, Shen Fangxu.

Afterwards, everyone got busy with their own tasks. Ning Qi and old Zhao went to repair the pottery kiln, while Qingjin took Qingzhen and Zhou Ji to set up traps. The night passed peacefully, and the second and third days were uneventful as well…

On the morning of the fourth day, ten cultivator guards from the Feng family and five hundred able-bodied men arrived.

They had traveled by water—a relative from the Feng family owned a boat on the Wei River and had given them a free ride, taking them from Yinzheng straight to the dock outside Meishan County. Setting out early, they managed to reach Panshe Ridge before breakfast.

With their arrival, breakfast was delayed a bit; after all, it wouldn’t do to let them go hungry while the locals ate first. Besides, with so many newcomers, all the wild rabbit and small pheasant had been stewed in the pot, so everyone got a big bowl of meat soup, with generous chunks of meat visible. The new cultivator guards even received ninth-tier carp meat.

The reason was simple: the newly arrived guards had seen the large water pit in the village, still teeming with lively ninth-tier carp. Since they’d seen them, it wouldn’t do to let them go without tasting. The six-whiskered black carp was originally a high-value grass carp, so Qingjin and his group had brought three thousand jin of fish meat to Meishan. The remaining two thousand jin of live fish had been released into the big water pit to keep company with the leftover grass carp.

As they feasted on carp meat, the new guards were convinced that Qingjin’s group had truly prospered—good food, decent lodging.

Just like the five Shen family guards, each new guard was given a small courtyard. The houses were made of stone, but they were spacious, suitable for bringing family to live together in the future.

The air in the Eastern Wilderness was fresher than in the heartland of the human territory, with a breath suffused with spiritual energy.

The veteran Shen family guards helped look after the newly arrived relatives from the Feng family.

“This place has a good environment and great food, but there are plenty of fierce beasts. Everyone needs to be careful in their work. When we first arrived, a living person was snatched away by a fierce bird,” said Zhao Lei, the eldest Shen family guard.

“Yes, yes, on our way escorting the mortals, we spotted fierce beasts in the surrounding mountains three times. The stench of blood and fiendish energy could be smelled from far away,” replied a Feng family guard.

“There’s even more variety of fierce beasts in the big lake beside us. Don’t go near the lake alone; if you get dragged into the water, there’s nothing we can do to save you,” Zhao Lei warned again.

“But if we don’t go near the water, how do we get the ninth-tier fish meat?” asked another Feng family guard. The Qingjin siblings had sent home plenty of grass carp meat before, and now the big water pit was stocked with so much carp meat.

How was there so much ninth-tier beast meat here?

Zhao Lei chuckled at the question. “The real reason, you might not believe. Our young lady raised a brood of little fish, you know?”

The Feng family guards stifled laughter, “Isn’t that the batch that nearly ate that Ren family kid down to the bone? Didn’t the Shen family kill off those fish under Ren family pressure?”

“The ones killed were a different batch, bought separately—not the ones our young lady raised. Her batch is still in the big lake. They chase the lake’s fierce beasts onto shore every day for our young lady’s meals.”

The Feng family guards were dumbfounded, jaws agape.

You could do that?

“So the grass carp meat sent home by the young master and young lady was obtained this way?”

“Yes,” Zhao Lei confirmed.

“That’s unbelievable,” the Feng family guards exclaimed in shock. “It’s practically a miracle.”

“Don’t say things like that; the Dao Court would be displeased,” Zhao Lei quickly intervened. “Anyway, this new territory is decent—good food, good lodging. Just be careful and diligent when patrolling and on duty, or you might lose your life. Otherwise, there’s not much else. There are few people and few matters, so life is quite leisurely.

On this peninsula, poisonous insects, wild beasts, and fierce beasts are rare. When we have nothing to do, we open up vegetable and grain plots in the front and back yards. Just ask for seeds and you can plant for yourself. When the crops and vegetables grow, dig a cellar and store them away.”

“Really?” The Feng family cultivators were astounded.

“My vegetable and grain plots grow beautifully. Not only us—many mortals also plant plenty in front and behind their homes. Whoever plants it, owns it. The young master and young lady never fuss over such matters,”

“After hearing your words, Zhao Guard, I feel like bringing my whole family here,”

“Wait until next year. Once we settle in, we’ll be allowed to bring our families,” said Zhao Lei. He had no children himself, but his parents were still alive, and his brother, who had his own family, was temporarily taking care of their parents. As far as he could see, the young master and young lady would have no trouble establishing themselves here.

Meanwhile, the new mortals were settled in by family, each given a courtyard. Well-fed and with new houses, they suddenly felt that life wasn’t so hard after all, and there was hope.

“Coming to the Eastern Wilderness to pioneer isn’t so frightening. The people who arrived earlier said every household has surplus grain now,” a woman whispered to her husband.

“I’ve heard that the work isn’t heavy, just requires high standards and quality,” her husband replied softly.

“That’s much better than the old days—working from dawn till dusk and still not eating enough. Once I regain my strength, I’ll give you a few more sons.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

Many mortals harbored such thoughts, though Qingjin and the others weren’t yet aware that their territory would soon see a baby boom.

The Feng family contingent was quickly settled in, the process surprisingly smooth, which improved Qingjin’s mood. Now the territory had over eight hundred people. The count of able-bodied men excluded those over fifty and children under twelve.

But these were still part of families, naturally migrating with able-bodied relatives.

After setting up their homes, many mortals voluntarily sought the steward for work assignments. Old Zhao was busy arranging people and distributing supplies. Qingquan and Jiuquan were pressed into service and dragged off for tasks.

Before Jiuquan left, he brought a boy named Zhang Ping’an to Qingjin to act as a runner.

This youngster was even younger than Deng Xiaolai, second only to him in sensing spiritual energy, and had already reached the first stage of Qi Refinement.