strictlysupreme Chapter 18 Suppressing Demons
Chapter 18 Suppressing Demons
Upon hearing this...
Qin Jiu felt a chill run down her spine.
A single demon could slaughter the Zhao family, which was a powerful force on par with the former Qin family.
At this time.
This person said that demons had gathered and besieged the city.
Such a niche vocabulary.
He felt that even if a large army were to besiege the city, it might not be able to surround the county town. Just how many demons were there?
It wasn't just him.
This moment.
Everyone else felt a chill.
Ordinary people may not understand the terror of demons, but everyone present is a martial artist. They have mastered the first level of skin refining and can lift a thousand-pound cauldron with a single arm. The second and third levels of refining, and even the internal strengthening, are beyond the reach of ordinary people.
And this kind of anomaly is in the face of demons.
They are nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.
Therefore, who could remain calm upon hearing this news?
"Everyone, please calm down."
At this time.
The man seemed to realize his slip of the tongue and quickly added, "The demon siege I mentioned earlier was not the kind of demon that attacked the four major families in the inner city. In fact, according to the county magistrate's investigation, there are at most three demons of that level."
"The rest are all inferior, or even non-existent demons."
"An ordinary martial artist could kill him."
"This is also the main purpose of the county magistrate in establishing the Demon Suppression Division. He is currently investigating and searching for those demons with Commander Fu, and he is too busy to spare any more time. Moreover, the county government is short-handed, so he asked everyone to work together."
"Feng Yuan, can you stop talking so dramatically!"
Han Zheng reprimanded him with a livid face.
While the others breathed a sigh of relief, they also glared at the person who had spoken.
The latter looked embarrassed.
Qin Jiu felt no relief at all watching this scene.
It only made things heavier.
The demons that wiped out the Zhao family actually included three more of the same level; if they all appeared in the inner city...
Moreover, it seems there is a powerful force manipulating things behind the scenes.
......
The next morning.
Everything in the county town seemed unchanged.
Even though Qin Jiu didn't go out, he still felt a sense of oppression, like a storm was brewing.
It even directly affected the Qin family's guard team.
"Young Master, eleven members of the guard are making a scene and demanding to leave the Qin family. What are you going to do about this...?"
Inside the east wing courtyard.
Wang Yue came over early in the morning to report.
Qin Jiu remained expressionless as he pushed the stance, speaking calmly: "They can't just collect that generous salary when the Qin family is prosperous and stable. Let's put this aside for now. I need to wait for the county officials to come and hear what the Demon Suppression Division needs before making a decision."
Demons besieged the city.
Various factions need to draw personnel to the Demon Suppression Division.
As one of the four major families, the Qin family must also be on the list, so the martial artists selected can only be from the guard team.
The guards who learned of this at that time.
Naturally, he wanted to break away from the Qin family to avoid fighting demons to the death.
But as the saying goes, those who eat the emperor's salary should be loyal to him. In the past, the Qin family's power allowed the guards to live a stable life, which was far less tiring than the escort agencies that used to run errands. Therefore, in recent years, countless martial artists have wanted to take up positions in the Qin family.
Now, when faced with problems, I want to back down.
How could he possibly let them go?
......
It only took about half an hour.
The officials from the county government arrived.
That was Feng Yuan, whom I had seen last night.
He entered the reception room, cupped his hands to Qin Jiu, and said, "Greetings, Patriarch Qin."
"Feng was once a head constable in the Patrol Division, and now he is a clerk in the Demon Suppression Division. He has come here today to inform the Qin family of the specific amount of money and grain they should pay, as well as the detailed requirements for manpower to be transferred."
Please have a seat.
Qin Jiu raised his hand to indicate that they should sit down.
Feng Yuan waved his hand and said, "Patriarch Qin, there's no need to be so polite. I need to hurry to the next house."
"Let me start with the matter of money and provisions."
"The Qin family needs to pay 5,000 taels of silver or 500 taels of gold, as well as 10 shi of coarse grains. If they cannot pay with grains, they can use gold or silver instead, but the price will be 10% higher than the market price. As for manpower, the Qin family currently needs to select one third-level martial artist, five second-level martial artists, and ten first-level martial artists."
"This was formulated based on the business situation of each company in the city, and by the county magistrate who returned to the city last night, as well as Commander Fu. Therefore, I am only providing a brief overview. If you have any objections, you will need to discuss them with Commander Fu."
Feng Yuan said.
He added, "In fact, apart from the Qin family, the Han family, the Qian family, and even the Li family, which absorbed the Zhao family's assets, all paid roughly the same share."
"To use Commander Fu's words..."
"That is the power asset; the more people involved, the more share they need to pay."
"Because the Demon Suppression Division is protecting them."
"yes."
Qin Jiu remained noncommittal.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "How much will the Four Seasons Pharmacy, the Blacksmith Shop, the Canghai Martial Arts School, and those various gangs have to pay?"
"this......"
Upon hearing this, Feng Yuan looked troubled.
Seeing this, Qin Jiu nodded to Wang Yue, who understood and took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and stuffed it into Feng Yuan's hand.
"Butler Wang, what are you doing...?"
Feng Yuan's expression changed.
He quickly waved his hand in refusal.
But in the end, he was no match for the strong internal warrior and could only let the other party stuff the silver into his pocket.
"Please, Patriarch Qin, do not reveal what I am about to say."
Feng Yuan hesitated before saying, "The Four Seasons Pharmacy does not need to pay taxes to the Demon Suppression Division, but it does need to provide pills to the Demon Suppression Division. These are not only healing pills, but also great pills that can enhance martial arts realm, including those needed by internally strengthening martial artists."
"The same applies to the weapon forging workshop."
"They just need to provide weapons for the Demon Suppression Division."
"As for Canghai Martial Arts School, it's about the same as yours, just a little less in terms of amount. As for those gangs, the amount is no less than yours, because they have a large territory and many people, and the things they need to pay are enough to cripple them."
"And all other forces, large and small, inside and outside the city, pay their taxes in the same way as you all."
Feng Yuan concluded.
He hesitated for a moment, then added another sentence.
"Patriarch Qin, if I may be so bold as to add something, you should assign trusted confidants or direct descendants of your own family to the Demon Suppression Division. If they survive this demon-slaying campaign, they will reap countless benefits in the future."
"Oh?"
Qin Jiu wanted to continue asking questions.
But Feng Yuan simply cupped his hands in greeting and quickly left the hall.
"Uncle Wang, what do you think?"
"This matter is strange in every way."
Wang Yue frowned and said, "But whatever their intentions are in establishing the Demon Suppression Division, we can only go along with them. We don't know if Feng Yuan's words are true or false, and no one can predict how the extermination of demons will turn out in the end."
"The only option left is to remain unchanged in the face of all changes."
After he finished speaking, he told Wang Yue to go to the accounting office to get the silver.
Qin Jiu did not touch the grain, but instead had it exchanged for corresponding silver notes.
After Wang Yue left.
Qin Jiu rubbed his temples, then took a deep look in the direction of the county government office in the inner city before slowly closing his eyes.
The talent of Illumination quietly activated.
"Your Excellency..."
"Let me see what you're made of."