Chapter 72 Population (Vote for me, please follow)
Since Li Zhirui announced that descendants with a Spiritual Root would be rewarded by the clan, many clansmen without the hope of Foundation Establishment have begun taking concubines. The most extreme clansman took more than a dozen concubines within a single month.
Upon hearing this news, Li Zhirui worried about that person's physical condition, concerned that the man's body might collapse before his children had even grown up.
However, Li Zhirui later found out that the man did know moderation and wasn't indulging in debauchery every night, so he didn't interfere with his affairs.
Moreover, Li Zhirui didn't have time to bother about others, as he was busy trying to refine first-ranking Spirit Pills, aiming to earn more Spirit Stones.
For this purpose, Li Zhirui had made a special trip to the Marketplace and sold the refined Spirit Pills for the price of four Spirit Stones each.
This price was not high, and even Li Zhirui felt it was somewhat low! Because these Spirit Pills were refined by him using six different Pill Recipes, which made them not only more potent but also had fewer toxin side effects.
After being busy for more than a month, Li Zhirui had earned over six thousand Spirit Stones. He planned to ponder over the Consolidating Yuan Pill Recipe again, hurry the ripening of a batch of Spiritual Medicine, and then start practicing.
But before that, Li Zhirui needed to fulfil his responsibilities as the Acting Clan Leader.
"Elder Shizhong, it's been over a month, why haven't we seen many commoners coming to Da Rong Island?" Li Zhirui asked with a puzzled expression.
This matter wasn't difficult, just a bit troublesome, so why hadn't they seen any results by now?
Li Shizhong looked somewhat embarrassed and hesitantly said, "Elder Shize and I found many morally upright commoners, but when they heard they'd have to live on the island, every one of them backed out."
Li Zhirui understood immediately; those commoners knew of the dangers on the island, that Water Devils often caused beast tides, and worried about their safety, which was why they were reluctant to live on the island.
"When you're advertising, tweak the phrasing a bit. Don't emphasize living on the island, highlight protection by Cultivators, lands for farming, and the chance for their offspring to become Cultivators."
In this world, the boundary between Cultivators and commoners was rather vague, and almost no one was unaware of Cultivators' existence. Hence, in the eyes of many parents, becoming a Cultivator was indeed a tremendous honor for the family.
Li Shizhong's eyes lit up, and he immediately promised, "Give me another month, and I'll make sure every Secular Clansman has a partner."
Li Zhirui nodded and didn't give any opinion, instead turning to ask Li Shijing, "How's the situation with the guard squad?"
In accordance with Li Zhirui's thoughts, the members chosen for the guard squad were those bonded with Jade Beak Eagles, because the eagles had excellent vision, which allowed them to clearly see things from afar, making it easier to find any Cultivators attempting to sneak onto the island.
"During this past month, the guard squad has discovered a total of forty-eight Loose Cultivators. However, due to insufficient manpower and lower Cultivation levels, not all Loose Cultivators have been apprehended," Li Shijing hurriedly explained.
Li Zhirui heard what Li Shijing implied, which was basically a hope to further expand the guard squad's numbers, but there was nothing he could do—the clan only had so many people, and being able to spare ten individuals to join the guard squad was already the limit.
So Li Zhirui simply didn't respond to the remark and turned to ask Li Shiqi, "The remuneration after the reform should be distributed in these few days, right? What's the clansmen's response?"
Devised by Li Shiqi and approved by all the Elders, the current Contribution Value status within the clan was as follows: thirty points per month for the early stage of Qi Cultivation, fifty points for the middle stage, and eighty points for the late stage.
For Foundation Establishment, the early stage was two hundred per month, the middle stage two hundred and forty, and the late stage three hundred.
As for Golden Core, there were currently no Golden Core Cultivators in the Li family, so this was not a concern.
"Most clansmen have accepted it; they are now very willing to use their Contribution Value, but some are dissatisfied with having to spend half their Contribution Value to exchange for Spirit Stones," Li Shiqi said, relieved by the outcome.
Li Zhirui was fairly satisfied, and he knew this matter could not be rushed; the clansmen needed to gradually accept it.
"The previous reform measures were very successful, but they are not quick fixes. They must be continued to see better results."
Li Zhirui casually summed up with a statement before the tone of his voice suddenly shifted, "As the family develops, it's inevitable that some clansmen will succumb to temptation and harm the family's interests."
"To prevent such situations, the existence of the Law Enforcement Team is essential!"
Most Elders wore unpleasant expressions; after all, Li Zhirui had made it clear he distrusted them. A few Elders' faces subtly changed, with a hint of fear emerging from the depths of their eyes.
"I have no desire to delve into past matters. Let's turn the page on that," Li Zhirui said indifferently, his gaze sweeping over those individuals: "But should anyone transgress in the future, do not blame me for disregarding our kinship!"
"The Elder leading the Law Enforcement Team is Ren Uncle, but as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he cannot concern himself with everything. Therefore, I'll leave the matters of the Law Enforcement Team to Li Zhizhun," he continued.
Li Zhirui entrusting this matter to Li Zhizhun indeed showed his intent to train him; naturally, it wasn't without the thought of taking it easy himself.
Having arranged matters, Li Zhirui couldn't be bothered with the reactions of those Elders and stood up to leave on his own accord. He had recently had some insights into Alchemy and it was time to start crafting the Consolidating Yuan Pill.
——
"The Clan Leader truly is a remarkable person! These mortals, upon hearing that their descendants have a chance to become Cultivators, agreed without hesitation to settle on the island," Li Shizhong remarked as he watched the long line of people in front of him, moved by the sight.
In addition to their hopes for the future, the Li family also offered thirty taels of silver as relocation money to each chosen individual, regardless of gender.
There were those who doubted Li Shizhong's identity, but he dispelled their suspicions by demonstrating his magic in front of them and taking a few of the respected elders on a trip to Da Rong Island.
To prevent the mix of other families' bloodlines, Li Shizhong selected people from more remote villages.
In these rural areas, there were many relatives and acquaintances between villages, which led to the news spreading far and wide, attracting a substantial number of mortals to sign up.
To this, Li Shizhong was willing to accept anyone. Even though the people sent back to Da Rong Island had already met the needs of the unmarried men and women, these mortals could marry amongst themselves and populate the spacious island.
Even though their offspring wouldn't carry the Li family bloodline, they could still marry the next generation of Li family members!
If they had Spiritual Roots, they could form Daoist bonds with Li family Cultivators and essentially become family Cultivators, and their next generation would indeed be Li family members.
Moreover, Daoist partners from within are far more trustworthy than those found outside.
"Elder, all the Flying Artifacts are loaded," a clansman approached Li Shizhong to report.@@novelbin@@
To transport as many mortals as possible in one go, Li Zhirui had ordered the collection of all the family's people-carrying Flying Artifacts, including two second-tier Spirit Boats, five first-tier Spirit Boats, and nine first-tier Flying Artifacts.
They were crammed to the brim, leaving no extra space, resulting in over five thousand people being transported at once!
And this was already the fourth trip.
In fact, the number of mortals the Li family had brought to Da Rong Island during this time far exceeded twenty thousand since they had also purchased many people in the Human Market.
Buying slaves was much cheaper than offering relocation money, although there weren't many of the right age, and having been trained by slave traders, they might have some issues with their mentality and other aspects.
"Then let's go," Li Shizhong boarded a Spirit Boat, and together with other clansmen, activated the magic artifact, heading toward Da Rong Island.
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