Under the sky, among the mountains, Wei Shiqi was surprised by the prosperity of Scarlet Star City. He had not seen it for many years. The monster he had created had grown to such an astonishing scale. There were four winding streets and eight streets, crowded with people, rows of houses and shops, and busy traffic. , the capital Bianliang is no better than this. ?Suimeng Novel?,. Updates so fast.
Although all this was expected, Scarlet Star City was expanding so fast, and it was obvious that even he himself had underestimated Dongming City's feedback.
The first immigrants to Scarlet Star City came from nearby villages and towns, and most of them were self-sufficient poor people. Merchants relied on horse teams to transport goods, bought low and sold high, and ran some small businesses with meager profits. The entire outer city was almost a pool of stagnant water, with only a few stones thrown in. , and it cannot stir up many waves. The fundamental reason is that there is neither production nor market.
The rise of Dongming Inner City has changed everything. Gold and silver money are regarded as dung to monks. They pursue exquisite food, gorgeous utensils, and comfortable life. They have rich financial resources and are willing and able to bear a hundred times the expenses of ordinary people. , and Wei Shiqi did not set up inns and restaurants in the inner city, leaving golden opportunities to the outer city and to those worldly mortals. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, food, drink, entertainment, and all the efforts to please the monks. This is a not huge, but bottomless market, enough to feed countless people, and no one can eat it in one bite.
On the other hand, the monks accepted the commission from the Red Star Hall of Merit and hunted monsters in Jietian Ridge and Guimenyuan. In addition to obtaining materials for making weapons, the remaining flesh and blood were inconspicuous to mortals. The rare tonic product was sold to the hinterland of the Central Plains, and the profit was dozens of times higher. After hearing the news, traders poured into Huzigou and purchased it at a high price, bringing unprecedented prosperity and vitality to Scarlet Star City. The most important thing is that the regulations set by the city lord also apply to the outer city. Even the monks with evil intentions dare not violate it. This is a completely free market, with free supply and demand, free buying and selling, and the government only supervises and does not interfere. No one can bully the market, which provides a solid guarantee for transactions.
Cao Jinren was very discerning and had already seen the key. He guessed that Wei Shiqi had done it intentionally and was definitely not an oversight, so he persuaded Chen Suzhen to boldly go ahead and take action. At the same time, he joined forces with Cheng Hou to explore the potential business opportunities in the inner city. Converting it into tangible profits, he discussed with Prefect Xu to build a dock next to the tributary of the Minjiang River in the south west of Huzigou, filling the last shortcoming of Chixing City.
The tax revenue from the dock and the outer city was a huge amount, and Xu Tang took the initiative to divide it into four parts, one part for the city lord, one part for Kunlun, one part for the government, and one part for the release of the capital. In the first few years, Xu Changsheng didn't care about this tax, but a few years later, he began to consider the feasibility of patrolling Red Star City with a chariot.
Wei Shiqi and Ruan Jing strolled through the streets and alleys of Scarlet Star City and saw with their own eyes that the demand and output of the inner city had become the two pillars of the outer city, penetrating into every corner and affecting the lives of countless people. Back then, he was a The seeds sown by thoughts have grown into a towering tree with lush branches and leaves, sheltering tens of thousands of living beings.
After wandering around until sunset, they found a brightly lit restaurant and had a few drinks in a quiet waterside pavilion.
The restaurant is specially opened for monks. Every table, every chair, every utensil, every dish is extremely exquisite. Although the materials used are produced in the secular world, they still have the atmosphere of an immortal family.
Ruan Jing felt very satisfied after stealing half a day of free time. This whole day, from morning to night, Wei Shiqi belonged to her completely and she did not share it with anyone. She sipped the wine in small sips, her eyes covered with a layer of confusion, but paired with her childish little face, it made people just think she was cute, not charming.
However, this was destined to be an uneventful night.
Footsteps sounded outside the small pavilion, and people came to see Wei Shiqi one after another. First it was Chen Suzhen, Cao Jinren, Xu Tangzhifu, then Cheng Hou, then Xun Ye, Wei Rongniang, and finally the direct line of Kunlun and the collateral branch Chang A disciple stationed in Dongming City.
Groups of people came in, offered a glass of wine, and said a few words, most of which were Wei Shiqi's questions. They answered, sat for a while and then left, showing awe and alienation in their polite manners.
Either to encourage, or to give advice, or to warn others, Wei Shiqi's tone was calm and honest like a gentleman. Even so, they were all cautious, as if they were following an edict, trying to figure out the meaning of his words word by word.
In fact, there are no subtle meanings, it just means literally, if you do well, if you do not do well enough, if you do very badly, that's all.
Although Wei Shiqi has been practicing in seclusion at Jietian Ridge for many years, nothing that happens in Dongming City can be hidden from him. 'Dong' is the city where the heavenly treasure was conceived. The ghosts are his eyes and ears. Chu Tianyou said that his secrets have infinite magical effects. As soon as he thinks about it, Dongming City is in front of his eyes.
On the contrary, Scarlet Star City was out of control, like a wild horse running wild, which gave him an unexpected surprise.
After everyone dispersed one by one, Ruan Jing finally couldn't help but laugh and said: "Are they... coming to take credit, or to show their loyalty?"
"It doesn't matter. They came to show their attitude. No matter what they think in their hearts, the etiquette on the scene cannot be lacking."
Ruan Jing became curious and asked: "Of these people, who do you think is doing one thing on the surface and another behind the scenes?"
Wei Shiqi was noncommittal, "As long as I am here, they can only act according to the rules and no one dares to go beyond them. If I am not here, it will be difficult to say."
"Such a huge inheritance has not been achieved for thousands of years. How can you let it go? If not here, where else can you go?"
Wei Shiqi raised his head and looked to the north. There were thick clouds and the starry sky was dark. He said lightly: "Don't you want to go to the upper world to see it?"
"Take me with you?" Ruan Jing became excited, her hands trembled, and she poured wine on the table.
"Take you with me. Only you and I can go."
"...Is it because of the mountain and river vitality lock?"
"Yes, only by refining the mountain and river vitality locks and locking the vitality can one ascend to the upper world. If it were anyone else, they would not be able to withstand the erosion of the power of time. Their physical bodies will be defeated and no one will survive."
Ruan Jing's thoughts were spinning very fast, "Then how did the legendary ancient monk ascend to the upper world?"
"I'm afraid they have some unknown secret technique, which has long been lost in this world."
Ruan Jing's heart was filled with ups and downs, she was both happy and a little uneasy, "What will happen here if we leave?"
"I want to leave Dongming City to Qin Zhen."
"...What about Yu Yao?"
"She has other plans." Wei Shiqi hesitated and murmured, "If she is willing..."
Ruan Jing fell silent. She had an ominous premonition.
There were still food and drinks, but Wei Shiqi didn't indulge himself. He drank the entire jar of wine, which was a bit interesting, so he left it at that. Ruan Jing asked for a pot of hot tea and poured him a cup. The hot steam was fumigating, exuding the fragrance of jasmine.
The night is as green as water, and the sound of pipa can be heard in the distance. An old voice sings: "Flowers are falling on the treetops, flowers are blooming, and people are coming and going on the road. Worry in the morning and evening is the same as old age. There are three times in a hundred years." "
After pausing for a moment, the voice sang again: "I heard that the body is strong and strong, but the white teeth of the head are hard to catch up with. It is estimated that a hundred years and a thousand years will be gained, how many hours can it last."
The singing slowly ended, the sound of the pipa stopped and returned to silence. Ruan Jing listened intently and couldn't help but be fascinated for a while.
In the complete silence, the energy of the mountains and rivers in the two people's bodies were locked together to warn them, making them uneasy.
