15: It is not very decent for the court to do this!

With his mind made up, Xiao Qingyuan headed straight for Uncle Xiao's Immortal Cave.

The reason he didn't go directly to his grandfather, Xiao Tianheng, was because the Family's public accounts were still in Uncle Xiao's hands.

However, before he even reached the Immortal Cave, he ran into a servant who had come to inform him about a meeting.

Xiao Qingyuan's heart immediately sank upon hearing this.

"Family meeting? Are all Immortals being notified?"

The servant knelt and kowtowed, looking somewhat frightened.

"This one is only responsible for notifying Seventeenth Master about the meeting; this one dare not speak much about matters concerning Immortals."

Xiao Qingyuan frowned and waved his hand.

The servant looked as if he had been granted a great pardon.

Xiao Qingyuan's frown deepened.

"In previous years, the opening of Spiritual Fields would always wait until after the autumn harvest. Family meetings are not convened for minor matters. What could it be about?"

Recalling how his father hadn't even returned for his wedding recently.

Xiao Qingyuan vaguely connected the two events.

A sense of unease grew stronger in his heart.

He immediately quickened his pace towards the Family meeting hall.

The moment he arrived at the meeting hall,

He saw his Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, riding their Magical Artifacts, transforming into streaks of light and rushing over quickly.

He felt another pang of envy watching them.

Speaking of which, he was also in the Qi Refining Stage - Mid Phase.

He could now control flying Magical Artifacts.

"Qingyuan?" Fourth Uncle Xiao Yanhong had a good relationship with his father, and his eyes lit up when he saw him. He immediately leaped down from his gourd.

Then, the flying Magical Artifact suddenly shrunk, transforming into a gourd pendant that he hung on his waist.

"I heard you broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining?"

Fourth Uncle came over and pressed his hand on his shoulder, his Divine Sense about to probe.

Xiao Qingyuan was a bit speechless; why did he always feel a shadow of his grandfather in his uncle? This scene seemed familiar.

However, having had experience, he immediately blocked this unfamiliar Divine Sense outside his body.

During this period, he had been frantically drawing talismans, exhausting his Divine Sense.

He had also luxuriously used Spirit Stones to Cultivate.

His Divine Sense had already become even more solid.

With preparation against an unprepared opponent, his clash with Xiao Yanhong didn't put him at a disadvantage.

He didn't let him see anything.

However, his eyes still lit up.

"Eh? Your Divine Sense strength, kid, is already not weaker than someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining. Impressive!"

Xiao Yanhong, realizing this, suddenly burst into laughter.

He clapped him on the shoulder even more enthusiastically, making him wince in pain.

"Next time, bring your younger brother along more often. That kid Qingyang has mentioned you to me several times."

What could Xiao Qingyuan say?

He nodded with a wry smile, agreeing, and entered the hall with Fourth Uncle.

At this time, in the meeting hall, his grandfather had not yet arrived.

Uncle Xiao sat at the head of the left side, while Third Uncle Xiao Yanrui, who should have been next to him, sat opposite, eyes closed in meditation.

There were no Family Guest Elders.

The respectable Immortal Master stood obediently behind his father, motioning to him with his lips.

Xiao Qingyuan immediately understood, quickly broke away from Fourth Uncle, and stood beside him.

Not long after, Aunt Yan Shi arrived late.

She gave Xiao Qingyuan a look that said, "You brat, just you wait," which counted as a greeting.

And all the Xiao Clan Members, except for the Old Master and Aunt and her husband who were guarding the market, who were qualified to attend the meeting, had arrived.

Only then did the Old Master, Xiao Tianheng, make his grand entrance.

Everyone turned to look, and they saw the Old Master, with a very solemn expression, speak directly:

"To make a long story short!"

"Second Brother has already confirmed the news: the Wei Kingdom court plans to convert counties into prefectures, re-managing Yanggu County, along with a large area on the periphery of the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range, as Foundation Establishment fiefdoms. They will assess land taxes, and it won't be long before people from the Bureau of Immortal Taxation arrive!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions turned very grim.

Even Xiao Qingyuan's heart sank.

Leaving aside the conversion of counties into prefectures, the Bureau of Immortal Taxation itself was a huge problem.

For example, his Xiao Clan Immortal Family, although Qingxuan Town was a fiefdom established by the Old Master in his youth.

Thirty percent of the taxes had to be paid to the Wei Kingdom imperial Family.

However, on the Family's account books, the declared income was only one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Excluding various tributes and exploitations, paying thirty percent would only be thirty Spirit Stones.

Half of this money went to the Wei Kingdom court, and the other half was distributed as profit by Yanggu County.

However, what if the Bureau of Immortal Taxation came and said your annual income was a thousand? How would they handle that?

At that time, it wouldn't be something that could be settled with a few dozen Spirit Stones.

Don't have it?

Then, sorry, tax evasion and fraud. Either you give up your fiefdom, and your Spiritual Fields are confiscated.

Or you wait for your Family to be wiped out!

"Damn it! What exactly does the court mean?" Fourth Uncle, the most outspoken, slapped the armrest:

"Qingxuan Town was dirt poor before we arrived. We finally managed to build up this Family fortune, and now the court's conversion of counties into prefectures means our clan land is being assigned to a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan? What's next, are they going to confiscate our shops and Spiritual Fields too?"

"Little brother, be careful with your words! The court's decisions are not something we can contend with."

"I just can't stand it!" Xiao Yanhong wanted to slap the chair but was glared back by his father's look.

His tone also softened considerably.

He grumbled in a low voice, unconvinced: "Isn't this just stealing our peaches?"

"Enough! Everyone is angry, but now is not the time for you to complain. Quiet down."

Uncle Xiao said this, but his brow furrowed even deeper.

He turned to Xiao Tianheng above and said solemnly: "Father, where did this Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan come from?

I haven't heard of any old Immortal Clans showing signs of advancing to Foundation Establishment in all these years!"

Xiao Tianheng shook his head upon hearing this and said: "The specifics will only be known after Second Brother returns, but I suspect it's not a local Immortal Clan."

"Then they're parachuting in?"

Xiao Qingyuan thought silently upon hearing this.

"That shouldn't be right?"

"Originally, everyone was pretty much the same, and there weren't any particularly valuable industries around Yanggu County."

"The first-order Spiritual Vein in Yaoxian Valley, north of the county town, has been almost mined dry over the years, controlled jointly by the three major first-rate Immortal Clans."

"Usually, they just grow Spirit Medicine and such."

"Further north is Qingxuan Town, which is not far from the Endless Mountains."

"Dozens of second-rate Qi Refining Immortal Clans form a long arc, guarding the periphery of the market."

"There's no profit to be made."

Thinking of this, Xiao Qingyuan's expression was somewhat inexplicable.

This small territory was simply not enough for a prefecture.

At most, it only accounted for one-tenth of a normal fiefdom.

It's worth mentioning that the resources in this area weren't even enough for the three major Immortal Clans to divide.

How could it accommodate another Foundation Establishment Immortal?

As for developing deep into the mountains, that was even more preposterous.

What, do you like cliffs, swamps, and poisonous gases?

Is the Great Wei so short on land?

Do they really think Foundation Establishment Immortals are worthless?

Even if there were, they probably weren't assigned here... If that were truly the case, Xiao Qingyuan would even sigh, what a miserable Foundation Establishment Immortal.

"Father, your son believes that the cause of this matter might be some change in Jiujiang Prefecture to the south, perhaps somehow angering the Great Wei imperial Family, which then led to this targeting. We Immortals have also suffered an undeserved calamity."

After listening to Uncle Xiao's analysis, Xiao Tianheng shook his head, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. After thinking for a while, he spoke faintly:

"The Great Wei values martial prowess and has always been bad at playing schemes and tricks. Once they act, it's a thunderous strike, so it's probably not a problem with Jiujiang Prefecture."

"The reason for converting counties into prefectures is either preparation for an attack or strengthening defenses."

"So tell me, what is the reason for the court suddenly adding a prefecture?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

But they also had to acknowledge Xiao Tianheng's point of view.

Xiao Qingyuan, however, looked with a strange expression at his Eldest Cousin, whose expression was solemn but whose eyes were actually unfocused.

Sure enough.

The next moment, his grandfather's majestic gaze swept directly over the two of them.

"Qingduo!" Xiao Tianheng suddenly called out his name.

"Grandson is here!" Eldest Cousin jumped, startled by the sound.

"You tell me!"

"Ah?"

"This... the court doing this isn't very dignified!"

"Pfft!"