Chapter 994 - 843: Do Not Forget Old Friends in Wealth and Honor

As soon as the military order was issued, Manxi's anger immediately dissipated, his expression changing unpredictably.

Although the grand formation is important, to him it's not as crucial as firmly holding the control of the Heavenly Domain in his hands.

After all, the Heavenly Court has said that the financial situation is only temporarily tight, and the owed salaries will be backpaid. The prepaid five-year salaries will be made up later, meaning the formation will be completed sooner or later.

So, this isn't really a problem.

Instead, the military order set by Shi Chun solved a concern that had been troubling him.

He was previously worried that using this method to dismiss Shi Chun and others would displease Xuanji Token Master Mulan Jin. Now it's clear: it's not him antagonizing Shi Chun, but Shi Chun looking for trouble himself.

Thinking of this, Manxi let out a cold snort and shouted, "Good, I accept your military order. If you fail to complete the task, expect severe punishment!"

"Yes," Shi Chun accepted the order calmly.

For him, now it can also only be a matter of doing his best. In his heart, he's actually quite frustrated. The benefits he just fought for are about to be taken away, who wouldn't be angry?

Yet the situation has changed, and he can't openly rebel.

However, he's already planned that if he can't keep his rewards, Manxi won't have it easy either. Does Manxi really think he's playing around by colluding with the Demon Path and keeping demon people by his side? If within a year he can't drag Manxi into the Demon Path, he'll take Manxi's name!

At present, he's naturally still working hard for those thirty million people.

After queuing for a long time, Young Master Nan's group finally entered the Demon Realm, now the Heavenly Domain.

Looking around, it's desolate, but it was expected.

Once inside here, the Mother-child Talisman can contact Shi Chun and others.

It happened that Shi Chun was looking for their help, and so he quickly contacted the Xun Gate nearby and arranged for people to escort Young Master Nan's group.

Wu Jinliang, upon hearing the news, immediately rushed over to Shi Chun's side as well.

This included the Mingshan Sect group, who also immediately got up and went over to meet, considering they had always been under Young Master Nan's care during Shi Chun's imprisonment. Now it's right to return the favor.

In the evening, a group of guests arrived, and hosts and guests finally met and exchanged pleasantries.

The visitors greeted Wu Jinliang more, mostly familiar with Wu Jinliang, having only greeted Shi Chun a few times, eaten together or the like. Whereas with Wu Jinliang, they had played together, with scenes of candidness not lacking.

Moreover, now Wu Jinliang and Shi Chun are equals, both commanders.

Thus, Wu Jinliang's group of foxy friends crowded around, joking and cursing.

"Prince, heard you transformed into a commander?"

"Hiding for twenty years without a word, not very decent!"

"Prince, impressive, heard you beat Feng Yin to the point of fleeing..."

A noisy bunch surrounded Wu Jinliang, punching him here, patting him there, truly well-liked.

Wu Hehe laughed, scanning everyone, and thanks to his tall stature, he spotted Duan Xiangmei with a happy face hiding in the crowd.

Nowadays, Duan Xiangmei is genuinely happy for him, previously couldn't have dreamed that Wu Jinliang would achieve this.

Wu Jinliang then directly pushed aside his group of foxy friends, walking straight to petite Duan Xiangmei, ignoring others' views, he bent down and wrapped his arms around her legs, lifting her onto his waist.

Duan Xiangmei was so embarrassed, she punched him several times, "What are you doing, put me down quickly."

Not only did Wu Jinliang not let go, he blatantly said to his foxy friends, "Brothers, I've got some urgent business here, got to handle it, will catch up with you later. Chun Tian, lend me a cave mansion."

"Ah?" Duan Xiangmei exclaimed, the joy of reunion evaporated, she was nearly going crazy, hitting him harder, "Let go of me, put me down!"

But Wu Jinliang wouldn't let go, no matter how much she shouted, he carried her and flew directly to a cave mansion.

"What a brute!"

"Sinful indeed!"

"Now that he's an official, it's trouble, the happy places can't be visited freely anymore."

"Can sneak in, as long as not caught."

"He's tall, easy to spot, right?"

Old friends after twenty years didn't blame him; instead, each laughed like a fox having stolen chickens, joking and whistling.

"Wu Hehe hasn't changed a bit, still the same." Young Master Nan remarked to Shi Chun beside him.

Shi Chun reached out to everyone, "Ladies and gentlemen, please come in."

A group of people with mischievous expressions immediately composed themselves and became serious upon facing Shi Chun.

When the group arrived at the entrance of the Southern Commander's cave residence, they stopped again.

The one leading the stop was Young Master Nan. He raised his head and looked at the inscription "Dingnan Prefecture" above the cave, scrutinized it, and then glanced around, clicking his tongue and saying, "Your place is indeed desolate; it's either a shack or a cave. There's no sign of the grandeur direct from the Heavenly Court."

A distinguished guest laughed behind, saying, "The abundance of spiritual energy here can't be casually compared with other estates. In decades, this place will surely rise in prominence."

"Let's hope so," Shi Chun responded politely and again extended his hand, inviting everyone inside to take a seat.

Although the interior was simple, it was clean and tidy, with Shi Chun's subordinates serving tea to the guests.

"It's a poor countryside with modest conditions. I hope everyone doesn't mind," Shi Chun gestured for them to enjoy.

After politely moistening their lips with tea, Young Master Nan placed the teacup down and laughed, "Brother Chun, I heard that during the Battle of Great Pardon, your side went crazily into the fight amidst a million troops, causing rivers of blood to flow. The feats you've achieved are spread everywhere now, almost like myth."

Another distinguished guest chimed in, "Indeed, I heard Brother Chun displayed great prowess, not only killing Su Jikuan, the one considered the best below Heavenly Immortals in Divine Sect, but also took down Luo Que from Little Xuan Sect—who had mastered two divine skills. Is it true?"

Yet another guest asked, "Yes, share with us, tell us the story..."

This was actually the real reason most people came, wanting to hear the firsthand accounts from the protagonist, so they would have stories to chat with other friends later, enjoying the pleasure of correcting errors which brought them a sense of achievement.

Of course, some came with the intent of probing the reality.

Naturally, Shi Chun obliged, sharing all he could, responding to various questions, but he didn't mention the matter of enlisting them for bringing in population, just kept them company chatting, since he wasn't familiar with them—leaving that task for Wu Jinliang to address later.

Once Wu Jinliang returned after tidying himself up, the group surrounded him, suggesting he take them on a tour—indicating talking with Shi Chun felt less relaxed compared to conversing with Wu Jinliang, and holding oneself back diminished the fun.

Eventually, Shi Chun and Young Master Nan were left alone inside the cave.

Without others around, Young Master Nan spoke more freely, jokingly pointing at Shi Chun's belt adorned with nine cloud symbols, "Why not wear a heavenly robe? Brother Chun has indeed gone through hardships to reach this pinnacle, now with ninety percent of virtuous merits, just one step away from achieving completeness of merits and gaining eligibility to wear the crimson and purple robes of immortality. If fortune smiles, do not forget us."

Shi Chun waved his hand, using this talk to segue into the main topic, "I'm afraid this position won't last long before someone brings me down."

Seeing he wasn't joking, Young Master Nan asked in surprise and suspicion, "What do you mean?"

Just as he finished speaking, Feng Chi's voice was heard from outside, calling out, "Sir."

Shi Chun replied, "Enter."

Feng Chi stepped in, nodded to Young Master Nan, and then reported, "Sir, the skilled craftsmen organized by the Heavenly Court, assigned to us, have arrived and wish to see you."

Shi Chun instructed, "Have them send a few leaders over to talk."

"Yes," Feng Chi complied.

After Feng Chi left, Young Master Nan asked again, "What's actually happening?"

Shi Chun pointed outside the cave, "Let's start with these craftsmen from the Heavenly Court. Isn't it time to establish governance and develop a city in this wilderness? The Heavenly Court allocated thirty billion to each division; initially, I thought it was quite generous and contemplated that the Heavenly Court indeed had deep pockets. But when it came to distributing salaries, I realized something was amiss..."

The discussion omitted Mulan Jin's reminder, as it was clear that Mulan Jin didn't want this to be known.

When the subject of introducing a population of thirty million annually was brought up, Young Master Nan frowned too. After listening to the complete story, Young Master Nan slowly commented, "Hearing you say this, it indeed seems directed at you all, but it's understandable. With four commanders' positions, you occupy three. Who calls the shots in the Heavenly Domain, you or Manxi? Whoever it is will need to resolve this issue."

Shi Chun responded, "Precisely because of this, precisely because there's no room for compromise, that's why I set that military directive."

Young Master Nan, with a solemn expression, replied, "Three million within a year isn't child's play; it's a monumental task. Are you truly confident?"

Shi Chun blinked and said, "I'm actually looking for Brother Nan's assistance, and here you are."

Young Master Nan quickly waved his hand, promptly refusing, "This sort of thing, even if I wanted to help, I might not be capable. If you needed even tens of thousands, I could possibly gather people to assist, perhaps even a hundred thousand, but three million—do you understand the scale? I couldn't possibly muster that in one year. Besides, if I brought tens or hundreds of thousands here, you wouldn't maintain your position effectively, nor provide for them—what's the point in relocating them?"

Shi Chun expressed doubt, "Really? Even with over a billion in resources, can Brother Nan not manipulate the clouds and rains, control them from the palm? Is population introduction truly so challenging for Brother Nan?"

Young Master Nan chuckled bitterly, "It's not just difficult for me; even those much higher than me find it tough. Population is... How should I put it? Saying it's not valuable—it truly isn't, sometimes a few thousand gold is enough to buy a life. But saying it's valuable—it truly is. How do I explain this to you...

Well, people aren't considered valuable, but without people, money isn't valuable either. For instance, if the Heavenly Domain consisted of Brother Chun alone, no matter the wealth, it wouldn't be useful. Money doesn't generate money; 'money generating money' operates on the basis of having people. The value people create accumulates, and this amassment from small to large signifies the greatest value of people. Only when there are enough people do various possibilities arise.

Various places expend energy to maintain order to create an environment to retain people. Unless a mighty authority imposes migration, no one would let others use abnormal means to extract a vast population from their territory."

Shi Chun somewhat understood the difficulty he spoke of, paused, and then asked, "Brother Nan, being very knowledgeable, do you have any methods to attract a large population you can share?"

Young Master Nan pondered, "I wouldn't say 'teach'—this isn't my expertise either. But typically, according to the rules, it's about the 'force' of influence and the 'benefit' of interests—guidance by power or attraction by profit. Behind you, there shouldn't be such power, or you wouldn't be asking me. For the attraction of interests, the spiritual energy here will naturally draw people in, eventually; then there's creating a good environment and order, but all that requires time, and what you lack is exactly time—a year isn't enough even to start. Population numbers need ordinary folks to fill in; if given a decade, you can't even grow proper trees; ordinary people wouldn't likely want to come."

Even as he spoke, he shook his head repeatedly, feeling genuinely helpless about the matter.

Sinking into thought, Shi Chun slowly stated, "So, Manxi has set us up with no leeway?"

"Ah, the same logic holds—anyone in his place would do the same. If it were you, you would seek ways to deal with you all... But, hearing you describe the Heavenly Domain's current situation, I feel... this Manxi... I researched his background thoroughly when you were to participate in the battle. Before its restoration, we only speculated about the post-restoration conditions due to the long time elapsed. Now with the resurgence of spiritual energy, it's practically like dreams coming true—the benefits are vast, but given Manxi's background, it might be on the weaker side."