noffsinger Chapter 97 The Tax Official Returns
Chapter 97 The Tax Official Returns
The vigorous and pure magical power began to emanate from the body, flowing continuously into the spiritual root from various acupoints such as Tian Shu and Bai Hui, clearing away the impurities within.
The meridians around my body felt warm, as if a beautiful woman's soft hand was moving across them.
"This feeling is truly captivating."
Lu Qingyun stretched happily, a feeling of exhilaration he hadn't experienced in a long time. His magical power flowed freely without any previous blockages.
"At the current pace, I only need to refine a few more [Purification Talismans] to completely cleanse the impure energy in my body."
Lu Qingyun activated his divine sense to sense the condition of the meridians throughout his body.
The bloodthirsty and turbid power that had seeped into the bone marrow from the past when the spirit was stolen from the body has now been mostly cleared away.
The rest is just something to kill time.
Lu Qingyun could sense that the blockage of magical power that was hindering the cultivation of the supernatural power [Ten Thousand Trees] was beginning to loosen.
By then, his ability to protect himself will be even greater.
Composing himself, he heard a cold, sharp voice coming from outside the cave.
"Cloud Talisman Master, are you in your cave? If you miss the crucial blood tax payment, I will report you to the Demon Extermination Guard and have you punished for treason!"
A cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, dressed in official robes, knocked on the door outside the mansion. He looked impatient and his tone was even worse than Zhao Donglai's back then.
Lu Qingyun sensed his own cultivation level.
The cultivation is complete, that's right.
Even if the cultivation level he revealed was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, was this person really not afraid of death?
The Blood Tax, also known as the Blood Sacrifice Tax, requires cultivators at the early and mid-stages of Qi Refining and ordinary people to pay spirit stones according to the number of people in their household or to send a family member as a sacrifice to the front-line formation.
It's utterly ridiculous that someone would collect a blood tax on themselves.
Although the Great Yun Kingdom has many exorbitant taxes and levies, they are reduced or exempted for high-level cultivators and high-level talisman masters.
Once your talisman cultivation reaches the middle grade or your own cultivation reaches the late stage of Qi Refining, you will not have to pay the blood tax.
"Although my cultivation level is not at the late stage of Qi Refining, the exorcism tax I paid is indeed at the level of a mid-grade talisman master. This person is probably deliberately trying to cause trouble."
Lu Qingyun's eyes flashed with a cold light, knowing that there was probably more to this matter than met the eye.
I wonder who is plotting this cultivator behind the scenes.
Having just used Zhao Donglai as fertilizer, it would be inappropriate to kill this tax official now.
Lu Qingyun stepped out of the cave, ready to see what kind of pretext this tax official had set up to dare to collect blood tax from him.
Zhang Zhan stared blankly into the cave with his cross-eyed eyes, looking utterly bored.
This time, he was instructed by Pei Zhao, the Vice Minister of Works, to find a way to teach Yunxuan Daoist of Dongshan a lesson, also known as Lu Qingyun.
Zhang Zhan examined Lu Qingyun's file and discovered that Lu Qingyun was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, a mere level higher than him, and his talismans were only of mid-grade, making him completely unremarkable in Yunxia City.
Simply levying a tax to exorcise demons does not demonstrate Zhang's loyalty to Minister Pei.
Zhang Zhan had long coveted the position of a seventh-rank warehouse official, and now that he had the opportunity to curry favor with Pei Zhao, he naturally wanted to do his best to perform well.
And that's why Pei Zhao approached him.
Although Zhang Zhan was greedy, he was one of the easiest tax officials to bribe, and his cultivation level was relatively high, only one level lower than Lu Qingyun.
"What business do you have with me, fellow Daoist? If I remember correctly, as a mid-grade talisman master, I shouldn't need to pay blood tax, right?"
Lu Qingyun remained expressionless.
"Yunxuan Talisman Master, you entered the city last month. A few days ago, the late tax official Zhao Donglai registered that you paid this month's exorcism tax, but you only paid the amount required for a low-grade talisman master, not the exorcism tax required for a mid-grade talisman master."
"Therefore, you still need to pay the full amount of this month's blood tax. Pay one hundred spirit stones immediately and go to the demon guards to register."
Zhang Zhan cleared his throat, completely ignoring the coldness in Lu Qingyun's eyes.
Although Zhao Donglai, a fellow tax official, had died on the way to a tax inspection not long ago, he was not worried at all about Lu Qingyun, who appeared to be at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
"I clearly paid for a mid-grade talisman master's quota, when did it become a low-grade one?"
Lu Qingyun said.
"I have no idea. As a tax official, I'm only responsible for collecting taxes, not how much you pay. It's all written down in black and white, so clearly. Don't you acknowledge it?"
Zhang Zhan took out the jade talisman and showed it Lu Qingyun's payment information for the previous month.
He glanced at Lu Qingyun, whose expression was indifferent, and thought to himself with disdain.
Actually, demanding spirit stones from Lu Qingyun was secondary; the real killer move was to lure Lu Qingyun to the Demon Extermination Guard, as Minister Pei had already bribed his connections within the Demon Extermination Guard.
As long as Lu Qingyun goes there, he can be completely manipulated and rendered speechless.
In the Great Yun Kingdom, the monthly exorcism tax and blood tax are collected separately. The exorcism tax is collected on the thirtieth day after entering the city, while the blood tax is collected on the thirty-seventh day.
Whether or not the blood tax is paid, and the amount paid, is all determined by the amount of the demon-slaying tax paid this month. Unless one's cultivation level breaks through to the late stage of Qi Refining in that month, there is no exemption.
After he altered Lu Qingyun's previous payment quota, Lu Qingyun's payment of the blood tax was practically a done deal.
As for whether Lu Qingyun can break through to the late stage of Qi Refining?
Zhang Zhan had never thought about this from beginning to end.
Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators are not pushovers; they can be found everywhere.
There are only a few hundred late-stage Qi Refining cultivators in the entire Cloud City.
Even for him, breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refining was a long way off, let alone Lu Qingyun breaking through to the seventh level from the sixth level.
"Your Excellency is so arrogant and disrespectful, turning black into white. What a display of official power!"
Lu Qingyun said coldly.
These tax officials' methods are truly inherited from one another. From Zhao Donglai, who used the fertilizer, to Zhang Zhan, they are all masters of data manipulation.
Even someone with perfected Qi cultivation like him cannot match him.
"Enough with the nonsense, are you going to hand it over or not? If not, we'll see you at the Demon Extermination Guard!"
Zhang Zhan, too lazy to waste words, raised the jade talisman to notify the demon-slaying guards.
Everything that needed to be said has been said.
Once the procedure is completed, even if there is an investigation from above, there will be no fault to be found.
"Take a good look at my cultivation level!"
Lu Qingyun was not nervous at all. He changed the subject and no longer concealed his aura, revealing his cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining.
An overwhelming pressure pressed down on Zhang Zhan, making him feel as if he were bearing a thousand pounds of weight.
"What?! You actually broke through!"
Zhang Zhan's eyes widened, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead, his face filled with astonishment as if he had seen a ghost.
He couldn't help but be taken aback.
Although there is only one level difference between the seventh and sixth levels of Qi Refining, they are worlds apart.
Even Pei Zhaoruo, a high-ranking official of the third rank and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, is only comparable to Yun Xuan, who is at the seventh level of Qi Refining, in terms of official rank and status.
Zhang Zhan was momentarily stunned, realizing that he couldn't collect the blood tax today. His expression changed quickly, immediately switching to a fawning smile, and he winked and said:
"Master Yun, you should have said you were a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator earlier! This is truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple. Even if I were a complete scoundrel, knowing you were a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, I wouldn't dare to contradict you!"
"You're quick to change your mind."
Lu Qingyun was amused by Zhang Zhan's appearance. Just a moment ago, this guy was arrogant and domineering, but now he was as docile as a cat.
It's a pity Zhao Donglai died in his place; it's not appropriate to use him as fertilizer now. Lu Qingyun shook his head and asked:
"Tell me, who exactly instructed you to do this? If you don't give me a clear answer, I guarantee you won't leave Dongshan unscathed."