At the Gongcai Association headquarters, Shen Zhao pulled out a Heaven-grade spirit weapon, three Earth-grade spirit weapons, two Heaven-grade cultivation techniques, and a pile of low-grade spirit medicines he had plundered, and slammed them down in front of Si Yu.
"You…"
Looking at the dazzling array of treasures before her, Si Yu didn't know what to think for a moment.
How long had it been since the Gongcai Association had any income?
For a moment, she was actually overcome with the urge to cry, and she silently put away the treasures on the table, then nodded with satisfaction: "Good, you have passed the Gongcai Association's assessment. From now on, you will be the Eighth District Execution God Officials of our Gongcai Association, and Shen Zhao, you will take on the position of Executive Elder."
With that, she fished out a spirit crystal badge covered in dust from a pile of junk and handed it to Shen Zhao.
"This is the symbol of your membership in the Gongcai Association. With this token, members of the Gongcai Association in the Nine Realms of the Xianwu Continent will take care of you."
Ding Bu'er asked, "So, the Gongcai Association has people from other districts too?"
"Of course," Si Yu nodded. "However, they might not necessarily respect the headquarters. If you truly want to restore the Gongcai Association's prestige, you'll need to achieve some remarkable results."
Ding Bu'er shrugged, "Alright, I shouldn't have asked. What do you think, Shen-ye?"
Shen Zhao toyed with the badge in his hand, looking nonchalant. "What else can we do? Shen-ye worked so hard to get this position. If we don't do something worthwhile, wouldn't it all be for nothing?
They won't listen to orders, eh? No problem, we'll make them listen."
Si Yu said, "There's an urgent matter at hand. If you handle it well, perhaps the Xianwu Continent will regain its faith in the Gongcai Association."
"What is it?"
"A little over a month ago, the Da Yin Empire's Southern Seven Provinces experienced a once-in-a-century flood. Over ten million people were affected, and the Da Yin Empire still hasn't seemed to resolve the issue."
"Millions of disaster-stricken people have arrived near Yuxia Pass, posing a great threat to the security of the Da Yin Empire. If you can resolve this problem, perhaps…"
"This is the imperial court's business. When did the Gongcai Association start getting involved in civilian affairs?"
Ding Bu'er was the first to raise the question.
Si Yu said, "Actually, the Gongcai Association not only handles conflicts and relationships between immortal sects, but also provides assistance to ordinary people in times of trouble.
It's just that after the dynasty was established, the Gongcai Association basically didn't need to intervene anymore. However, if the dynasty is incapable and leads to civilian displacement, the Gongcai Association still has to take on this responsibility!"
Hearing this, Su Yunying's expression suddenly changed, and she looked at Shen Zhao with a hesitant expression.
Shen Zhao smiled and said, "Sorry, I only care about matters of the Jianghu. The dynasty's problems should be solved by the dynasty itself. We don't need to get involved.
Now that the formalities are done, we'll take our leave. Don't worry, we'll deliver the five hundred low-grade spirit stones for the annual fee on time. Goodbye."
After speaking, he left the headquarters without looking back.
Si Yu wanted to call them back and try to persuade them, but in the end, she could only sigh helplessly.
"Young Master Shen, who do you think we should start with? I heard there are a few ninth-rate gangs near Qingyang City that aren't doing any legitimate business. How about we take this opportunity to go and shake them down for some money? Consider it a good start, for good luck."
"You're thinking too small. How much can you squeeze out of ninth-rate gangs? If I were you, I'd start with the Guhe Sect, at least."
"No, no, we have to take things one step at a time. We don't have enough manpower right now. We need start-up funds. Let's start with these small fry, then slowly gather more people.
After we've been around for eighty or a hundred years, and our power has expanded, we'll make our move against those big sects. They'll have to give us face. You have to listen to me on this. I guarantee you won't go wrong."
Shen Zhao smiled and didn't say anything, picking up the wine gourd and taking a small sip.
This wine gourd was something Shen Zhao had "borrowed" when he left the Guhe Sect. He'd also "borrowed" two jars of spirit wine, which were especially fragrant and beneficial for nourishing one's Dan Yuan.
After taking a swig of the wine, Shen Zhao looked at Su Yunying, who had been silent the entire journey, and asked, "Girl, you're usually quite talkative. What's wrong with you? You haven't said a word the whole time."
Su Yunying pondered for a moment before saying, "Shen-laoda, are you really not going to do anything about the Da Yin Empire's Southern Seven Provinces' disaster victims?"
Shen Zhao asked, "What? You want to?"
Ding Bu'er quickly said, "Miss Su, we don't have the ability to get involved in this. Tens of millions of people! This isn't a small matter. Besides, the Da Yin Dynasty will handle the disaster themselves. Why should we wade into this mess?"
Su Yunying bit her lip, her hands constantly fidgeting with her skirt.
Seeing this, Shen Zhao stopped walking and asked, "Tell me, why do you want to wade into this mess?"
Su Yunying said, "Shen-laoda, Master Ding, have you heard of Not Envious of Sheep?"
Ding Bu'er shook his head. "I don't know. Is it a type of sheep?"
Su Yunying's face was ashen, a hint of fear flashing across her beautiful features.
"My family originally lived in a rural village. We had parents and two older sisters. Although life was difficult, we were content, relying on a few acres of farmland.
But that year, our hometown suffered a drought. The crops in the fields yielded nothing. Our family and the villagers all survived by eating tree bark and wild vegetables.
We thought the government would provide relief, but unexpectedly, a large number of refugees also flooded into the nearby towns. They smashed the homes of wealthy families and attacked the government, emptying the granaries.
Later, we were too hungry. To allow us to eat a full meal, my parents betrothed my eldest sister to a wealthy family in the neighboring village as a concubine, in exchange for a few bushels of rice.
That night, my sister and I ate our fill for the first time since the disaster. But at the dinner table, I saw a strange look in my usually kind parents' eyes.
It was sinister and chilling. That night, I was roused from my slumber by my second sister, and we snuck outside our parents' window to eavesdrop on their conversation."
"My father told me that this disaster will likely last for a long time. The rice my elder sister exchanged isn't nearly enough to get us through the famine. So, he planned to knock me and my second sister unconscious, cook us, and sell us in the market to trade for food.
I heard that the meat of girls under sixteen is fresh and tender, very popular with the wealthy officials in the city. They say that after eating a bite of White Rice Meat, you won't envy fresh lamb. That's the saying of Not Envious of Sheep."
Su Yunying's eyes were already red as she spoke.
Ding Bu'er roared in a low voice, "What a sin! What a sin! Those are their own daughters! Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could they do this to their own daughters?"
Shen Zhao sighed, "We are both cultivators; we haven't experienced the agony of prolonged starvation. The will to survive can bring out the darkest sides of people. What's humanity worth in the face of survival?"
Shen Zhao sighed heavily again, as if thinking of something.
Su Yunying continued, "When my second sister and I heard this news, we were terrified. We took advantage of our parents' inattention and quickly fled the house.
But as soon as we left the village, other villagers found us. They went crazy, trying to catch me. To keep me from being implicated, my second sister bravely acted as a decoy to cover my escape..."
I watched with my own eyes as my second sister was captured by the villagers. They bound her up like a piglet, ignoring her cries and pleas, and took her back to their home.
I suppressed my fear and sorrow, remembering my second sister's words. She told me to go to the Zhao family next door to find my eldest sister. Her married family had plenty of surplus grain and could feed me.
When I arrived at the Zhao family's house, I didn't see my eldest sister. They told me she was asleep and then led me to eat.
What was strange was that the Zhao family was clearly wealthy, not a poor family, but there wasn't a single servant among the dozen or so people in the house.
They were very happy to see me and were busy making me food to calm me down. When the food was served, I saw various meat dishes on the table.
My eldest sister's husband, her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and her younger brother, along with a dozen or so people, all sat at the table, but my eldest sister was nowhere to be seen.
They kept urging me to eat and asked if the food was to my liking. For some reason, I had no appetite looking at the rich dishes on the table, and even felt a little nauseous.
But their family ate with great delight. Seeing that I hadn't eaten, they kept putting food on my plate. Finally, they almost threatened me to eat it.
Watching their family with those eerie smiles, I felt a chill run down my spine. At the same time, I sensed that my elder sister had met with an accident.
\n\n
Just then, a Taoist priest arrived at the door. Seeing the dishes on the table, he roared in anger and flipped the table over, without a word proceeding to slaughter the Zhao family.
\n\n
Watching the bloody scene, I huddled in the corner, too afraid to make a sound. After the Zhao family was all killed, the Taoist priest came over to me, squatted down and told me:
\n\n
The dishes on the table were all White Rice Meat. Once eaten, you couldn't be considered a person anymore. Moreover, they also planned to find a chance to eat me as well.
\n\n
Hearing this, I already understood that my elder sister might have been slaughtered and cooked as Not Envious of Sheep when she got married during the day.
\n\n
Today's dishes might all be my elder sister's… But I didn't understand. The Zhao family clearly had so much grain, why would they still eat people?
\n\n
The Taoist priest told me that some people were just like that by nature, and couldn't be fathomed with common sense. He then asked me if I was willing to follow him and become a cultivator.
\n\n
I agreed without even thinking about it. However, in less than two years, my master passed away due to a hidden injury from his early years. Before he died, he still couldn't let me go…"
Speaking of which, Su Yunying quietly sobbed, unable to continue.
Shen Zhao and Ding Bu'er also fell silent for a long time.
Su Yunying wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, saying, "Shen, I don't want to become the empress for the sake of fame and status. It's more about wanting to have the strength to prevent such tragedies from happening.
Da Yin Empire is suffering, and the people are so innocent. I don't know how many people are resorting to cannibalism. I want to help them as much as I can, but I know that with my current abilities, I can't do anything."
Shen Zhao sighed softly, "I understand your experiences and feelings. So, what do you plan to do?"
"I... I don't know... I just want to save as many people as I can..."
Su Yunying replied with a blank expression, as she truly had no experience in dealing with such a large-scale disaster.
Shen Zhao glanced at Su Yunying, then turned and left without saying a word.
Seeing that Su Yunying hadn't followed, he impatiently replied, "Aren't we going to help the disaster victims? Hurry up, my Empress!"
Su Yunying, hearing this, immediately stopped crying and smiled, quickly following.
Ding Bu'er then complained, "Why so much nonsense? Old Ding here is really unlucky to be following you as my boss."
But despite his words, he still followed.
-----------------------
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