The Great Qian in the Midst of Internal Strife

【The arrival of the tax collector deeply surprised you】

【You never expected that in these increasingly turbulent times, with demons wreaking havoc at the border and the Great Qian Dynasty growing more unstable, a tax collector would still come to demand taxes from people who had nothing left】

【You stopped your martial arts practice】

【You halted your cultivation】

【As winter approached, the biting wind swept through the branches, only to be deflected and scattered by an invisible aura the moment it touched you】

【The young girl, filled with rage, acted far more impulsively than you, declaring that she would use her spear to stab a hundred holes into the tax collector】

【You told the girl to stay behind and went alone to the town gate】

【There, you saw the tax collector, riding proudly on a green-scaled horse, harshly berating the people of Qingniu Town】

【You noticed the familiar faces trembling in fear】

【You knocked the tax collector off his horse, but you knew that this alone was not enough】

【In the eyes of the people of Qingniu Town, in the eyes of these impoverished souls, the "tax collector" still loomed large, a weight pressing on everyone's hearts】

【The simple folk could not grasp lofty principles, nor did they understand concepts of high and low, noble and base】

【You had no intention of spouting empty rhetoric about distant ideals】

【Instead, in a calm tone, you laid bare the cruel reality, telling the people that the tax collector had come to take away what little food they had left, and that they would starve to death】

It is natural for people to be afraid.

Fear, cowering, trembling.

Faced with something "stronger" than themselves, people instinctively shrink back. But when hunger gnaws at their bellies, when their empty stomachs twist in pain again and again.

In the face of that approaching death.

The fear in their hearts begins to fade.

Death is the ultimate void, and those who are already on the brink of death no longer fear anything else.

To survive.

That is all people want.

But now, the tax collector was about to take away their last remaining food—the final rations they had set aside for their children, for their loved ones.

Even as their throats tightened with hunger, no one had dared to touch that food.

Yet this last shred of dignity.

This last act of defiance.

The tax collector wanted to snatch it away too.

Suddenly, as this realization dawned on him, Niu's throat grew dry and burning, as if an invisible flame were scorching him, making him tremble uncontrollably.

His honest, simple face showed a kind of grievance that Xu Xi had never seen before.

And an indescribable rage.

Not only that, but a few others stepped forward as well, moving toward the fallen tax collector.

"I won't allow it! I won't let you take it! That porridge is for my mother, not for you!"

"It's you—I remember you! You ruined my sister!"

"You're the one who stole our grain!"

Those who stepped forward were once farmers who toiled in the dirt, or blacksmiths who spent their days hammering iron.

Among them was even a merchant who had once been well-off but had been stripped of his property and exiled to the border after offending a local official.

And now.

They all shared one identity.

Starving people, on the brink of death, struggling to survive—【people】.

"You, you all, what do you think you're doing?!" The tax collector seemed terrified. He scrambled to his feet, only to stumble and fall again in his haste.

It was a pitiful and ridiculous sight, filled with irony.

The tax collector was no ordinary man.

He was a martial artist, albeit only at the second level of Body Tempering, but a genuine martial artist nonetheless.

In theory, a martial artist should have no trouble overpowering ordinary people. But when the tax collector met the gazes of the crowd, when he saw the pitchforks, hoes, and sickles in their hands.

Suddenly, he was afraid.

Only then did the tax collector, who had always held himself above others, remember one crucial fact.

He, too, was human. He would bleed if cut, and he would die if his heart was pierced. He was not an immortal monster, but a man no different from these so-called "lowly" people.

"Wait, wait!"

The tax collector tried to say something.

But it was too late.

The despair born of hunger, the fury of having their last hope of survival stripped away, surged toward the tax collector.

Someone pinned his arms, someone tied his legs, someone punched him in the head, someone kicked him between the legs.

……

"Sir, is this really alright?"

A familiar voice came from behind Xu Xi.

The girl, unable to contain her curiosity, had sneaked out of Xu Xi's home.

But given the current situation in Qingniu Town.

There was no longer any need to hide.

Wu Yingxue furrowed her brows slightly, her gaze fixed on the tax collector, who was surrounded by the crowd and being beaten no matter how much he struggled:

"If the imperial court finds out, Qingniu Town will likely…"

The girl trailed off, her earlier bravado about stabbing the tax collector now replaced by concern over the consequences of his death.

The autumn wind was cold and biting, making the wounds sting even more. The tax collector's cries grew more pitiful, and gradually, he began to beg for mercy.

He lowered his head, which had never truly been held high, to the very people he had once deemed beneath him.

"Yingxue, that doesn't matter."

Xu Xi understood what Wu Yingxue meant.

He turned his gaze away from the scene and looked at the girl: "The people of Qingniu Town are already on the brink of death. Besides, the border troops of Great Qian have never ventured beyond the pass."

Those who are already close to death.

Do not concern themselves with future retribution.

Wu Yingxue's eyes dimmed slightly: "The progress with the 'Yang Yuan Art' has been slow. If this continues, the people of Qingniu Town might not survive the winter."

Xu Xi replied: "I think I know what to do now."

……

【You revealed the truth behind the perpetual hunger of Qingniu Town's people】

【They swung their fists, weak but determined, each blow landing with force】

【One punch, then another, and another】

【The tax collector was beaten to a pulp, bearing the brunt of years of pent-up rage that had finally erupted in the face of starvation】

【You stepped in to stop the beating】

【It wasn't out of sympathy for the tax collector—his crimes were so numerous that even children feared him】

【You simply wanted to extract information from him about the current state of Great Qian and the latest news about the rebel forces】

【The tax collector, while begging for mercy, told you what you wanted to know】

【Great Qian was in chaos】

【You were surprised to learn that the increasingly dangerous demon tides were not just affecting Qingniu Town—the entire border of Great Qian was under varying degrees of assault】

【This had led to countless desperate people, those fleeing from demons, storming the garrisons at every pass】

【At the same time, within the thirteen provinces of Great Qian, rebellions had broken out in several counties unable to bear the heavy taxes】

【Despite the imperial army's efforts to suppress them】

【Despite the fact that Great Qian's Immortals could move mountains with their strength】

【The precariousness of the situation made you realize that the desire to survive was not unique to the people of Qingniu Town】

【You looked at Niu and the people behind him—their emaciated bodies, the dirty hoes and sickles in their hands】

【And you began to understand how to advance the 'Yang Yuan Art'】