Chapter 119: The Chaos of the Common People, the Power of Faith and Vows

"Half a pill?"

Having initially assumed dragon meat to be extremely precious, Lu Sheng was deeply disappointed—and somewhat embarrassed—to learn that five hundred pounds of it could only be exchanged for half a Marrow-Cleansing Pill. After all, he had assumed this meat could be traded for a great many pills.

"Half a pill is already quite good!" Lu Hongyuan said, seemingly oblivious to Lu Sheng's embarrassment. "A creature as massive as a flood dragon can yield over a million pounds of meat. If you were to trade it all, you could obtain a thousand Marrow-Cleansing Pills! Dragon meat is actually the least valuable part of a flood dragon; getting so many Grade Three pills for it is only possible because it is exceptionally rare."

"Fair enough." Upon hearing Lu Hongyuan's explanation, Lu Sheng thought it over and accepted the reality. While the flesh of a Tier Four beast was indeed rare, the value of Grade Three pills was not insignificant. Moreover, if forced to choose between the two, most people would prefer the pills—beast meat could only replenish vitality, whereas Grade Three pills could enhance one's cultivation. Only something with the unique properties of flood dragon meat would drive people to pay such a high price.

"Very well. I will offer one thousand pounds to exchange for one Marrow-Cleansing Pill. With this, Lu Yunfeng should stop pestering me."

Having made his decision, Lu Sheng took out a thousand pounds of dragon meat and placed it in a storage bag for Lu Hongyuan to trade. He then placed another thousand pounds into Luo Liheng’s storage bag and said to him, "Didn't you want to be a compiler? While I am in seclusion, the responsibility of compiling martial arts will fall entirely on you. I expect you to have advanced to at least the Sixth Grade by the time I emerge. Otherwise, even if you eat my dragon meat, you will be spitting it back out!"

Lu Sheng glared at Luo Liheng, recalling his earlier claim of consuming twenty to thirty pounds a day—a clear deception. Watching his anticipated ten thousand pounds of meat dwindle to one, and burdened with such a heavy task, Luo Liheng sighed. "Advancing from the Seventh to the Sixth Grade requires the compilation of one hundred martial arts and one thousand martial techniques. Are you saying you intend to remain in seclusion for two or three years?"

According to the rules of the Martial Treasury, each advancement required specific tasks. A Seventh-Grade compiler needed to compile one hundred martial arts and one thousand martial techniques, all of which had to reach the Earth Grade, Lower Tier. Although one martial art often encompassed several techniques, meaning the thousand techniques did not need to be compiled individually, with Luo Liheng’s current abilities, it would take him two or three years to complete the task alone. Hence, his lament.

"Two or three years?" Lu Sheng snorted. "For this seclusion, I will need at most two or three months! If your task is not finished by the time I come out, you know the consequences."

After threatening Luo Liheng, Lu Sheng turned his attention back to Lu Hongyuan. "If I promise the people of Jinling County some benevolent policies, such as a three-year tax exemption, would the process of establishing my fiefdom go more smoothly?"

Lu Hongyuan was momentarily stunned, seemingly surprised that Lu Sheng would sacrifice such significant benefits. He immediately praised the idea. "A brilliant plan! The people of Jinling County will surely be more eager to petition for it to become your fief."

Most of the residents in Jinling County were members of the Bingzhou Lu clan or those connected to them, but after hundreds of years, many of those bonds had faded. Benevolent policies would certainly make it easier to garner support.

"Then, could I have them express their gratitude to me daily so the Imperial Court can see the public will? Perhaps that would make the establishment of the fief go even more smoothly." Lu Sheng revealed his true intent. He wanted to use this method to have the people of Jinling County contribute power of merit to him. Since he could not engage in combat for the time being, and the conferment of a title would take time, he had hit upon this plan to acquire merit.

"No! Absolutely not!" No sooner had Lu Sheng voiced his scheme than Lu Hongyuan vehemently opposed it. "This is not just for now—it must never be practiced in the future! After the Chaos of the Common People, the entire Da Jing Imperial Court strictly prohibited such behavior."

Lu Hongyuan looked at Lu Sheng with suspicion. "If you hadn't been brought back by the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains, I would suspect you had obtained some secret method to utilize the power of faith and aspiration! Do you not know the origin of that chaos?"

Lu Sheng had heard of the turmoil sparked by the Common People Sect in the 432nd year of the Da Jing Dynasty, which marked the beginning of the empire's decline, but he did not know the actual cause. Only now, from Lu Hongyuan’s words, did he catch a glimpse of the truth.

"Power of faith and aspiration? What is that? Are you saying the Common People Sect used the gratitude of others to collect this power?"

Seeing Lu Sheng’s genuine ignorance, Lu Hongyuan explained, "It is a form of power drawn from the gratitude and worship of others. It is said to be an omnipotent energy. Back then, Lu Chuanying, the leader of the Common People Sect, used this power to reach a high level of cultivation in a very short time. However, because this power contained the volatile emotions of others, Lu Chuanying eventually lost his sanity, leading his sect to incite rebellion. The Imperial Court lost several Grandmasters, and the Lu clan itself suffered a heavy blow, beginning its decline. Ever since, the Imperial Court has strictly limited such organized displays of gratitude and worship toward any single individual. Many cults, like the Fire God Sect of the Western Regions, have always been ruthlessly suppressed in the Central Plains."

Sensing he might have overreacted, Lu Hongyuan added, "However, organizing a few gatherings so the Court can see the popular will is acceptable, provided it is not done too often."

Lu Sheng nodded thoughtfully. "Then let us organize a few sessions. In any case, the Imperial Court must see the will of the people of Jinling County."

He pivoted his strategy to buying the hearts of the people, while internally pondering the relationship between aspiration, merit, and karma. *According to Lu Hongyuan, aspiration is omnipotent but tainted by the emotions of others, which clouds one's true nature. The merit I use, however, has no such concerns. Perhaps aspiration is a form of primordial energy, just less pure than merit.*

*Regardless, my plan to have people thank me daily to gain merit has been shattered for now.* To avoid suspicion and the pressure of the entire Imperial Court, he could not use this method.

*Perhaps I need to find other ways to acquire merit.* Lu Sheng thought back to his original intention when he went to the martial arena that morning. *Perhaps I can disguise my identity and leave the Martial Academy to slaughter beasts; that would surely yield a vast amount of merit and karma.*