21: Chapter 21 The matter of expulsion from the register is not up to me.

Xia Shaoxin understood Liu Xinglong's words even less.

"Do you know why you are required to hand over forty thousand coins worth of Poisonous Insects every year?" Liu Xinglong asked.

"How would I know!"

Zhang Yan said bitterly, "Many years ago, it only required thirty thousand."

"If the Imperial Court knew that the Poisonous Insect production of Dawu Mountain was high, they would increase this quota, and then the Bug Catchers would not be able to survive," Liu Xinglong said.

In fact, it would also affect the income from smuggling.

Xia Shaoxin could not help but be stunned.

He had not expected such complex logic.

Liu Xinglong asked sternly, "Did you discover the secret of Dawu Mountain, which is why you obtained a million coins worth of Poisonous Insects in just a month or two?"

Zhang Yan also looked at him with anticipation.

Xia Shaoxin smiled bitterly in his heart; earning too much was indeed dangerous.

He also blamed himself for being too impatient and not acting steadily; the situation seemed difficult to handle.

The two stared at him intently, but Xia Shaoxin firmly kept silent, sitting there blankly as if nothing had happened.

Without a good response, he could only respond with silence.

Liu Xinglong's eyes revealed displeasure. After exchanging a glance with Zhang Yan, he had to say:

"Originally, we didn't really care if you discovered the secret of Dawu Mountain, but you suddenly produced so much money recently, which easily attracts the attention of those above."

Zhang Yan could not help but interject, "At that time, it will certainly expose our smuggling situation, and it will also affect other Gu Bureaus."

Xia Shaoxin stared into Zhang Yan's eyes and said, "Wouldn't those who buy your goods leak the secret? With so many extra Poisonous Insects on the market, the Imperial Court should have discovered it long ago."

Liu Xinglong smiled, "Some things are very subtle, existing between being exposed and not. Perhaps the officials in the Imperial Court already know, but as long as no one breaks the silence, there is no problem."

Xia Shaoxin did not want to argue about such distant and big matters, so he asked directly, "Lord Liu, just tell me, can I de-register and leave this place?"

Liu Xinglong's expression changed instantly, and he shook his head coldly, "No!"

"You are going back on your word!"

"I have no choice."

Xia Shaoxin knitted his brows and said in a rough voice, "Then what about my silver notes?"

"Take them."

Liu Xinglong threw out five hundred taels.

Xia Shaoxin did not take them, staring at Liu Xinglong in surprise. Not even a day had passed, and he was blatantly taking half of his money?

The Gu Bureau was naturally not an honest place, but it hadn't reached such a rampant level, right?

"There are too many people present today. I need to make them shut up; this money cannot be saved," Liu Xinglong said indifferently.

Sealing others' mouths using my money.

Xia Shaoxin laughed in anger, "Then if I want to de-register, is there any other way that won't affect you? Please, Lord, point me to a clear path."

"Your money must have a legal and clear source," Zhang Yan replied on behalf of the Gu Bureau. "You should hand over a bit more each year, but don't make it too exaggerated; ten thousand or so is fine."

"Heh, wouldn't that mean waiting ten or twenty years?"

"You want it fast? Or, we can help you find a wealthy merchant to acknowledge as a relative, and have him redeem you. This way, it won't arouse suspicion."

Xia Shaoxin had a flash of inspiration and suddenly thought of the Yan family, blurting out, "Is that how the Yan family de-registered?"

Zhang Yan shook his head, "The Yan family saved someone many years ago, and that person later made a fortune. Do you have such an Opportunity?"

Xia Shaoxin pondered for a moment and asked, "Are wealthy merchants easy to find?"

Zhang Yan said, "If you have money, it's not difficult. We can help."

Xia Shaoxin scanned their faces and asked indifferently, "How much money will it take?"

"This matter carries risks and cannot alert the Imperial Court. Besides the de-registration fee, it will cost at least two thousand taels," Liu Xinglong said.

"We hope to avoid alerting anyone as much as possible. The merchant needs to be paid, the people in the Gu Bureau need to be taken care of, and even the Imperial Court needs to be bribed. You already have five hundred taels; earning another two thousand five hundred shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Liu Xinglong looked at Xia Shaoxin with deep eyes.

Hmph!

Xia Shaoxin sneered inwardly.

He glanced at Zhang Yan, who had a numb expression, as if it were none of his business.

He was not very familiar with Zhang Yan; those two were in cahoots.

"Fine, I'll go catch more insects!"

Xia Shaoxin answered readily.

Unexpectedly, Liu Xinglong did not show joy but stared at him fiercely, saying in a deep voice:

"Kid, I know what you are thinking. You people are all very reckless, especially you. After killing Li the Toad, you've become arrogant."

He pointed outside the door and said mysteriously.

"Have you ever thought since you were young, this Li Family Hollow of ours is just a town. If you want to leave, can you escape?"

Xia Shaoxin said seriously, "I have actually observed it carefully. Li Family Hollow has over a hundred archers, over a hundred swordsmen and shield-bearers, and another hundred stationed at the checkpoint outside the town."

Liu Xinglong said with disdain, "A mere few hundred people can trap hundreds of your Bug Catcher households?"

"People come to be Bug Catchers voluntarily; life is much better than farming."

"Not so. The Imperial Court treats you as slaves. Do you know there is a Formation here in Li Family Hollow?"

Xia Shaoxin was stunned.

He had just witnessed a Formation deep in Dawu Mountain, and its power could not be understood by Mortal thinking.

Zhang Yan said, "Besides the Formation, what do you think the Bug Catcher slave status is? A piece of paper? A genealogy book? An official seal? Can it just be cancelled?"

"Then what is it?"

Liu Xinglong took out a letter and showed it to him, with the three characters "Xia Shaoxin" written on the cover.

"As soon as you Bug Catchers are born, you must come to me to register. Inside is a talisman paper with your name written on it, in duplicate, to be sent to the Imperial Court."

"When a Bug Catcher dies and it is reported to the Imperial Court, the Court will destroy the copy they have, and my copy will also be automatically destroyed."

Liu Xinglong took back the envelope, the corners of his mouth slightly curled, "So, now you know, I actually cannot directly help you de-register."

Xia Shaoxin was stunned.

He did not expect that de-registration would have such a complex procedure.

He really thought it was just a matter of a word from the Gu Bureau.

"You Bug Catchers are an important source of tax for the Imperial Court, and there is a fixed number every year. You cannot be let go easily, understand?"

Xia Shaoxin asked, "Are you missing just one Bug Catcher? Can't you just recruit a few more people?"

"The Sect does not allow it. Firstly, being a Bug Catcher harms the harmony of heaven, so we cannot use too many people. Secondly, if there are too many people, the Poisonous Insects won't be enough to go around," Liu Xinglong said.

Zhang Yan added, "Your lifespans as Bug Catchers are affected, but there is no helping it. Cultivating a Bug Catcher familiar with Dawu Mountain is not easy."

Xia Shaoxin said indignantly, "Since you don't want Bug Catchers to de-register at all, why set a condition for de-registration?"

"Everything must leave people a way out, give them some hope, don't you think?" Liu Xinglong said gently.

Xia Shaoxin finally understood that, in fact, all paths were tightly blocked.

He quietly put away the strength pill in his palm.

It wasn't that there were no paths, just that they were very narrow.

Unless all paths were completely blocked, then only one path would remain.

For now, he would just listen to Liu Xinglong's advice and go earn money.

Three thousand taels of silver was nothing; those were just worldly possessions.

"Are you sure that if I give you three thousand taels of silver, you can help me de-register?" Xia Shaoxin stared at Liu Xinglong and said.

"Of course, I guarantee it," Liu Xinglong said very happily.