Chapter 46 Refugees Bullying Their Master, Shattering the State of Mind

Jiang Cheng stood inside a tavern in the city, a complex wave of emotions surging within his heart.

He had originally been immersed in the old man's wisdom and insights regarding winemaking, and was just about to delve deeper into the discussion when he was interrupted by this sudden dispute, which naturally left him somewhat displeased.

He turned to face the disheveled middle-aged men, a trace of inquiry and dissatisfaction in his gaze, and asked:

"Old man, who are these people? Just how much money do you owe this tavern?"

The old man sighed, a tone of helplessness and bitterness in his voice: "Ah! When have I ever owed anyone money? Although this old fellow is not extraordinarily wealthy, relying on this tavern has at least provided me with food and clothing—how would I ever need to borrow money? They are merely vagrants, and to speak the truth, it is somewhat related to that newly ascended Yellow Emperor."

Jiang Cheng was slightly startled, his mind instantly flashing back to his previous decision to open the gates to the vagrants.

He realized that the reason these vagrants were acting so arrogant was perhaps tied to the policy he had enacted back then.

A trace of guilt and embarrassment welled up in his heart, and he thought to himself: "Could it be that this matter traces back to me?"

After making some inquiries, Jiang Cheng finally understood the whole sequence of events.

It turned out that these vagrants were rogue cultivators from other regions. Capitalizing on the decrees issued by the emperor, they had obtained certain benefits, yet instead of striving to improve themselves, they idled away their days, bullying the local residents and causing no small amount of trouble for the locals.

Jiang Cheng felt an even deeper sense of guilt. He realized that although his policy stemmed from good intentions, it had failed to fully account for practical realities, leading to the current state of affairs.

Just as he was about to step forward to defuse the situation, he heard those vagrants squatting on their benches—sitting in thoroughly casual postures—discussing him: the newly ascended Yellow Emperor of the Xia State.

"Have you heard? That newly ascended Yellow Emperor, they say he used to be a nobody, yet somehow he became the emperor of the Xia State."

One of the vagrants spoke with a hint of disdain and mockery, his tone filled with contempt for Jiang Cheng.

"Exactly, exactly. He even opened up the vagrant policy, allowing rogue cultivators like us to come to the Xia State and enjoy these benefits. Yet he never expected that once people like us arrived, we would instead cause a mountain of trouble for the locals."

Another vagrant chimed in, his tone carrying a trace of smugness and cunning.

"Hmph, in my eyes, he's simply incompetent. He can't even handle such a minor issue, let alone talk about governing a country."

The third vagrant let out a cold snort, his words full of dissatisfaction and provocation toward Jiang Cheng.

Standing to one side and listening to these vagrants slander and mock him, Jiang Cheng felt a surge of anger ignite within his chest.

He had originally acted purely out of goodwill, wanting to help those vagrants, yet he never expected that not only would they feel no gratitude, but they would also unblushingly slander him with such impunity.

He realized that he could no longer allow them to continue bullying the old man and the nearby residents; he had to take measures to resolve this problem.

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, calming the anger in his heart, and then strode toward the vagrants.

His gaze carried a trace of firmness and resolve, and his voice was deep and powerful: "You vagrants, leaning on the emperor's policies to oppress the common people, have gone entirely too far. Now, get out of here immediately, or don't blame me for being unpolite!"

Seeing Jiang Cheng stride over aggressively, the vagrants were initially startled, but their arrogant demeanor quickly returned.

They sneered, and one of the vagrants stood up, looking at Jiang Cheng provocatively: "You? A pretty boy, and you dare to meddle in our business? Do you think we were scared out of our wits?"

Jiang Cheng let out a cold laugh. He knew these vagrants had no inkling of his true strength, nor did they understand his identity.

He decided to dispense with idle talk and directly use his strength to teach these unprincipled vagrants a lesson.

With a flicker of his figure, he instantly appeared before the provoking vagrant. With a gentle wave of his palm, a soft yet immensely powerful surge of genuine qi sent the vagrant flying backward.

The vagrant tumbled through the air several times before crashing heavily to the ground, wincing in pain and unable to crawl back up for a long time.

Seeing this, the other vagrants turned rigid with shock, finally realizing that the young man before them was no ordinary person, but a genuine cultivator.

Fear sprouted in their hearts, yet they were unwilling to admit defeat just like that.

"Who... who on earth are you?"

One of the vagrants asked with a trembling voice, his eyes filled with terror and incomprehension.

Jiang Cheng looked at them coldly, his tone carrying an unquestionable majesty:

"I am the newly ascended Yellow Emperor of the Xia State, Jiang Cheng. Today, I am here precisely to deal with the problem you vagrants pose. From this day forward, you vagrants must abide by the rules of the Xia State and are forbidden from ever oppressing the common people again. Otherwise, do not blame me for being unpolite!"

Hearing this, the vagrants were even more deeply shocked. They never imagined that the young man before them was actually the newly ascended Yellow Emperor of the Xia State.

Remorse and terror instantly flooded their hearts, and they dropped to their knees one after another, begging Jiang Cheng for mercy:

"Your Majesty, spare our lives! We will never dare to do this again."

Looking at the vagrants kneeling on the ground, Jiang Cheng felt a sense of helplessness and melancholy.

He knew that the reason these vagrants had become so arrogant was also because his policies were insufficiently refined, allowing them to exploit the loopholes.

He resolved that in the future, he must craft policies with greater caution, fully accounting for all possible scenarios to prevent similar issues from arising again.

He waved his hand, intending to dismiss the vagrants, but the very next second, one of the men seized the opportunity to lunge forward, drawing a binding artifact rope and directly casting it over Jiang Cheng.

Seeing this, the tavern old man standing nearby wanted to step forward to stop them, but those vagrants had already rushed over, pointing at Jiang Cheng and shouting arrogantly:

"You're the emperor? Well, your daddy here is the emperor's father! Can you perform a few parlor tricks? What a piece of trash... Pah! Daring to meddle in our business, you probably have no idea about the recent status we vagrants hold. Brothers, tie him up tight for me!"

Jiang Cheng stood in place, fury burning fiercely in his chest.

He had originally only wanted to quietly comprehend the old man's winemaking insights, yet he never expected them to be so audacious as to completely disregard him.

Not only that, but these vagrants were actually using his banner to wantonly oppress the common people and harboring delusions of seizing official positions and benefits through improper means. It was utterly hateful to the extreme.

"You vile wretches, taking the emperor's benevolence and turning it into your tool for tyranny... You, you all deserve to die."

Jiang Cheng was so angry that his words became somewhat incoherent, the surging wave of anger temporarily depriving him of the appropriate vocabulary to express his outrage.

His heart was filled with contempt and disgust for these vagrants, and he longed to bring them to justice immediately.

"Merely relying on possessing a fraction more ability than ordinary mortals, in this remote corner, thinking yourselves far from the emperor's reach and acting like tyrants—today, I shall make you understand that my benevolence is not here to serve as an accomplice for scum like you!"

Jiang Cheng rebuked angrily. His heart felt an extreme sense of indignation at the actions of these vagrants, and he resolved to teach them a profound lesson.

Remembering that his own kind intentions had instead become an accessory to these vagrants' criminal deeds, Jiang Cheng felt a stab of regret.

He realized that although the starting point of his policies had been good, he had failed to consider that these vagrants might abuse their power and inflict even greater suffering upon the common people.

The next second, a formidable pressure erupted from Jiang Cheng's body. That pressure swept outward like a tempest, instantly shattering the binding artifact rope and enveloping those vagrants within it.

They only had time to emit a single scream before that terrifying pressure pulverized their flesh and blood into a messy pulp, bursting them on the spot and showering those nearby in flesh and blood—a scene of utmost gruesomeness.

The smiles on the faces of those vagrants had not yet fully solidified before they transformed into bloody mud, their lives ending abruptly in a single instant.

Gazing at this spectacle, Jiang Cheng felt weighed down by guilt and self-blame.

He looked toward the old man, feeling profoundly ashamed and at a loss for words.

He knew that although his actions just now were somewhat radical, they were nevertheless performed to safeguard the interests of the common people and put an end to the vagrants' tyranny.

He intended to draw a pouch of spirit stones from his robe, toss it to the old man, and then quietly depart from this place.

Yet seeing the old man stare at him in stunned silence, he ultimately turned back and said to the old man: "Old man, rest assured, no one will ever come here to bully you again. I will dispatch guards to increase patrols in this area and ensure your safety."

Hearing this, the old man was moved to tears of gratitude, never expecting that Jiang Cheng would personally step forward to resolve the issue.

He grasped Jiang Cheng's hand with trembling excitement, expressing his gratitude repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! You truly are a benevolent emperor, and we common folk are blessed."

This encounter granted Jiang Cheng profound new insights into his state of mind. He realized that a single benevolent thought of his had ultimately harmed many innocent people.

Thinking of how vast the entire soaring city was, he suspected there were likely many others suffering similar plights.

Jiang Cheng harbored a resolute determination in his heart to thoroughly reform the laws and restore the city to its former peace.

Upon returning to the imperial palace, Jiang Cheng immediately issued a decree revoking the authority of local officials over vagrants across all districts. Only those possessing genuine ability and talent would henceforth be permitted to secure local official posts and benefits, and material provisions would no longer be distributed unconditionally.

When this decree was proclaimed, it brought joy to some and sorrow to others. The vagrants rose up in widespread resistance, nearly sparking a major disaster before being swiftly suppressed by the cultivators.

Having learned a bitter lesson from this ordeal, Jiang Cheng decided to focus heavily on educational initiatives and rewrite the rules, finally restoring the city to its former tranquility.

He knew deeply that only through education and the perfection of institutions could the vagrant issue be fundamentally resolved and the people enabled to live in peace and stability.

Just as Jiang Cheng was devoting himself entirely to the reform work, he suddenly sensed the supreme boundary of his Grotto-Heaven Realm beginning to loosen, as if a breakthrough path to the eleventh grotto-heaven had finally revealed itself.

Joy bloomed in his heart, for he knew this was the auspicious omen of a mental breakthrough.

Although this experience had been fraught with twists, turns, and hardships, it had yielded unexpected gains in his cultivation, paving a smooth path for his future journey in the martial dao.