The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 835 - 816: Strongest Fox Spirit 16 (February Monthly Ticket Bonus)

Song Yiren came over shortly after.

He came to discuss matters with Jiang Ziya.

Song Yiren’s intention was that since Jiang Ziya has returned, he should acquire some property.

Jiang Ziya originally wanted to decline, but Song Yiren held his hand and insisted on buying him a house.

He was a warm-hearted person and had a good relationship with Jiang Ziya when they were young. Now, seeing Jiang Ziya still alone at his age, he felt pity for the old man and thought of getting him some property so he wouldn’t have to wander homeless.

Anning saw that Song Yiren was going to pay and quickly said, "Mr. Jiang and I come from the same path, so I should be the one paying."

Song Yiren just laughed and said, "This is my brother, I should pay."

Finally, they agreed that Song Yiren and Anning would each pay half the money to buy a house for Jiang Ziya.

That night, Jiang Ziya stayed at Song Yiren’s home.

Anning sat in the courtyard at night cultivating.

After cultivating for a while, she felt restless and began pacing around the yard.

She knew her unease was because the Heavenly Dao of this place was warning her.

Because she meddled too much, the Heavenly Dao was dissatisfied and warned her not to interfere.

The Fengshen catastrophe was bound to take many lives; otherwise, the Primordial Land would fall apart.

The immortals didn’t understand why there would be a Fengshen catastrophe, but Anning knew the reason.

During the previous Demon Witch Calamity, Gonggong knocked over Buzhou Mountain. Although Nuwa later repaired the sky, it caused considerable damage to the Primordial Land, reducing the Spiritual Energy by an unknown amount.

Buzhou Mountain was a place for Spiritual Energy circulation; its fall made it impossible to repair that part of the Primordial Land.

The Spiritual Energy was decreasing while cultivators weren’t any less, and the Spiritual Energy couldn’t support these gods, immortals, and demons.

Moreover, with the rise of the Human Clan, the supply was even more insufficient.

What could be done at this time?

Of course, many creatures must be eradicated so that there is less need for Spiritual Energy, and if cultivators die, they can return some Spiritual Energy to the Primordial Land, which can sustain it for a longer time.

It’s like storing too much data on a computer hard drive; the computer becomes inoperable unless some data is deleted. The principle is the same.

As for why most of those who die are from the Demon Clan, it’s because they brought the calamity upon themselves.

Now the Witch Clan was long gone, yet the Demon Clan still thrived. If not them, then who else should be eradicated?

Moreover, there were many in the Demon Clan, and their cultivation levels were high, especially the Jie Sect, which was like a myriad of immortals gathering.

It’s like having large files stored on a hard drive; if there’s not enough space, the largest files are deleted first, followed by the smaller ones.

This can be considered the Heavenly Dao’s self-maintenance.

This is the true reason.

But this reason cannot be told to others, so the surface reason is that Heaven lacks personnel, and people are needed to obey orders at the Jade Emperor’s place. But these immortals are unwilling, so the Investiture of the Gods is used. Everyone competes, and whoever loses becomes enlisted and goes to Heaven.

The vast majority of immortals believe it to be this way.

Anning, however, knows that the biggest factor is that the Primordial Land can no longer sustain so many creatures.

She also knows that many creatures will die in the Fengshen catastrophe.

However, she still wants to save some people.

Anning turned around the courtyard a dozen times before sitting cross-legged to communicate with the Heavenly Dao.

Her body’s cultivation is inadequate, but her Divine Sense is exceedingly strong. Plus, she has been granted Merit Golden Light protection by the Heavenly Dao of the many worlds she’s experienced, so the Heavenly Dao is somewhat tolerant of her.

Anning tried to communicate with the Heavenly Dao, promising to find a way to keep the Primordial Land running normally, and asked the Heavenly Dao for more time without suppressing her too much.

In the end, Anning made many promises, and the Heavenly Dao finally agreed.

The pressure on Anning’s body suddenly lightened, her cultivation rose a stage, and her Divine Sense became more condensed.

Anning smiled slightly.

That’s how it should be.

This way, those from the Western Sect won’t have such an easy time taking advantage.

She turned and returned to the room, sitting cross-legged on the couch.

Her body was in the room, but her Divine Soul was already at Buzhou Mountain.

In Dayan Palace, Xiao Yuanzheng was writing letters in his room when suddenly his expression changed, and his Divine Soul flew out.

Anning and Xiao Yuan met at Buzhou Mountain.

Xiao Yuan looked at Anning: "What do you want to do?"

Anning pointed to Buzhou Mountain: "I came to take a look."

As she got closer to observe carefully, Xiao Yuan followed along.

The two observed for a long time, then Anning said, "The great formation is broken and has not been repaired; no wonder the Spiritual Energy of this world is decreasing."

As she spoke, she began to repair the great formation.

Xiao Yuan assisted her in repairs.

In this way, Anning and Xiao Yuan visited Buzhou Mountain every night for more than ten days to repair the great formation.

Ten-odd days later, the great formation was fully restored.

Anning’s Divine Soul detached from this world and entered chaos again.

She drew a stream of chaotic energy into the great formation at Buzhou Mountain, allowing it to gradually transform into Spiritual Energy.

Suddenly, the Spiritual Energy around Buzhou Mountain became increasingly abundant.

Anning could sense the Heavenly Dao’s joy.

"It’s done."

She clapped her hands.

Xiao Yuan smiled: "In this way, my martial nephews can preserve their lives."

Anning’s Divine Soul returned to Chaoge and sent a message to Feng Anan, indicating that she could take action.

Feng Anan received the message and discussed it with Shi Antian.

A few days later, Emperor Shang went hunting and had a chance encounter with a fierce tiger; Shi Antian risked his life to save Emperor Shang.

After returning to the palace, Emperor Shang appointed Shi Antian as the Upper Doctor.

At this time, some beauties in the harem began to stir up trouble.

Emperor Shang, being lustful, had continually added beauties to the harem over the years, filling it to the brim. Those from good families and higher ranks could live in their own courtyard, like Noble Consort Feng Anan, who resided in Shouxian Palace.

However, many of lower rank were crammed together, which naturally led to conflict over time.

Plus, with a bit of instigation, it boiled over.

Because of this, Emperor Shang punished many people.

With fire in his heart, he went to Shouxian Palace to speak with Feng Anan.

Feng Anan served Emperor Shang a cup of tea, stood behind him, and massaged his shoulders while smiling: "Why should the Great King worry about this, isn’t it just a matter of space? Build more palaces, and wouldn’t that solve the problem? The Great King is magnificent; the beauties of the world should belong to the Great King. In the future, the number of beauties in the palace will only increase. I’ve observed, and indeed, there isn’t enough space. It would be better to build more rooms now than let the sisters quarrel and cause the Great King to lose face."

The Emperor Shang felt that she was right.

"My beloved consort speaks wisely."

He stood up: "We shall conscript more laborers to build palaces."

Feng Anan quickly tugged at the Emperor’s sleeve: "Great King, I have not finished speaking."

The Emperor Shang laughed: "Speak, I am listening."

Feng Anan whispered: "The commoners live in hardship. If you conscript laborers, they will surely be unwilling. It would be better to hire workers instead. The Great King spends some money, the commoners contribute some effort; the Great King gains palaces, and the commoners gain some wealth. Isn’t it perfect for both parties?"

The Emperor Shang frowned: "That has never been done before..."

Feng Anan quickly said: "It is only because the Great King is benevolent that I dare to speak so. I have lived among the commoners and know their struggles, so I speak on their behalf."

As she spoke, Feng Anan began to cry: "Every time laborers are conscripted, many die, and I can’t bear it."

Seeing Feng Anan cry, the Emperor Shang hurried to comfort her: "Alright, the lonely king will consider it, beloved consort. Do not cry; seeing you cry pains the lonely king’s heart."

When Emperor Shang went to the court, he discussed the matter with several ministers, and Shi Antian was the first to agree.

Such a benevolent act had little opposition; after all, anyone who opposed it would be reviled by the commoners.

Thus, the matter was settled. However, after it was settled, Emperor Shang realized he truly had little money.

In the past, he never spent money on anything; he just had others supply him, and even palace construction was done by the commoners. But now, hiring people, he realized how poor he really was.

Emperor Shang was puzzled, wondering how he could be so impoverished as a Great King and sovereign of the world.

He returned to speak with Feng Anan.

Feng Anan said: "The world has many vassals, and those vassals all have fiefs. They keep most of the output from their fiefs and offer little tribute, so naturally, the Great King has less. Although the Great King is the sovereign, how much land truly belongs to the Great King? Without considering the marquises of east, west, south, and north, even just the larger vassals like Marquis Jizhou, Marquis Lv, and Marquis Cheng, they occupy the Great King’s lands, enjoying the sustenance of the Great King’s subjects. Which one of them has less money than the Great King? Not to mention the court officials and noble families in Chaoge hold much of the surrounding lands. How much tax do these noble families pay...? Nine-tenths of the wealth is divided among the vassals and nobility, leaving less than a tenth for the commoners. Think about it, Great King."