Chapter 257: Man on Creek, Fish in Cave (I)
Milin Prefecture had flat terrain and fertile land, with a population of 560,000. For a prefecture established less than twenty years ago, this was indeed a large population.
The Yu Family was the largest and the only landlord in Milin Prefecture. The land was entirely privately owned by the mortal descendants of the Yu Family, including the tenant farmers and sharecroppers working on it. Even an ordinary concubine-born son of the Yu Family could own vast tracts of land and take numerous wives and concubines.
The only thriving area was Milin City, which lay beneath the main peak of the Milin Yu Family. However, it was still blood-soaked, like a man-eating beast lurking quietly on the surface of the earth.
Yu Mugao sat silently in the luxurious grand hall at the highest point, with a group of cultivators below him, waiting quietly for him to speak. However, Yu Mugao remained silent, simply gazing at them.
Yu Xiaogui had gone to Xianyou Peak to attend Xiao Chuting's ceremony, causing unrest among the eastern families. Yu Mugao had been interrupted from his cultivation, and as he looked at the submissive brothers, sons, and nephews below him, he could feel his anger nearly bursting from his chest. However, he had to suppress his rage forcefully.
"The common people are displaced, even forced to eat their own children for survival while my family's descendants are having fun—drinking wine, playing games, singing joyously, and whipping tenant farmers. The butchers bring out dog heads, with human flesh laid out below them…"
Yu Mugao slowly stood up and walked out of the grand hall. Looking at Milin Prefecture under the night sky, countless recurring thoughts surged in his mind. He felt a chill down his spine and asked himself silently, "Is this an immortal clan or a domain of demons and devils?"
A deep sense of powerlessness swirled within him. Yu Mugao was a ruthless and sinister figure, yet he never had the desire to torment the people or overindulge his clan. Now, he had to watch this nightmare unfold before his very eyes.
However, Yu Mugao was not the main culprit and was not solely to blame. The Yu Family was already like this when it came into his hands. Even if he wanted to change it a little, the forces of opposition would involve an entire group of interests, which were led by his father and even the ancestor in the cave dwelling.