Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

After the shock and awe came reconstruction.

Chen Ye gave the remnants of the old regime no chance to recover, immediately issuing an order for a thorough cleansing.

Dozens of anti-bandit squads, composed of elite veterans and newly promoted junior officers, combed through the mountains, forests, and desolate villages around Luojing several times over.

All bandit gangs and mountain thieves were annihilated. The leaders were beheaded and their heads put on public display, while their accomplices were sent to the mines to serve their sentences.

In a short time, the bandit scourge that had plagued the region for years was completely uprooted, and peace quickly returned to the area around Luojing.

After the iron fist came the velvet glove.

Chen Ye implemented drastic tax reforms, lowering levies and abolishing the numerous harsh and exorbitant taxes established by the Great Liang Court.

At the same time, he opened up trade routes and encouraged commerce.

The common people who had survived the ravages of war, having now received land and a stable environment, could finally catch their breath.

Green shoots emerged from the barren fields, and the long-lost cries of street vendors once again echoed through the alleys.

The once-moribund Luojing City was finally brimming with life again.

However, for the nobles of the former dynasty who had survived Chen Ye’s initial purge and still possessed their family fortunes, watching Luojing’s daily revival was like having a fishbone stuck in their throats.

This land was supposed to be theirs, but now they were being lorded over by Chen Ye, a peasant. How could they possibly tolerate this?

Inside a secret residence, several lavishly dressed, middle-aged men gathered together, their expressions grim.

"This boy’s methods are brutal, yet he has a deep understanding of the people’s hearts. If we let him continue like this, we’ll have no place left to stand!" a Patriarch with the surname Wang said in a low voice.

"A direct confrontation is out of the question. Du Yong is a cautionary tale," another man said, shaking his head and sighing. "Chen Ye himself is a monster who can take on ten thousand foes, and now he commands a great army. Who could possibly touch him?"

"If we can’t use force, then we’ll use a softer approach," the Patriarch Wang who had spoken first said, a vicious glint in his eye.

"Brother Wang, you mean..."

"My Wang Family has a daughter from the main line, sixteen years of age and incomparably beautiful. Tomorrow, I will send her to the Jiedu Envoy’s Mansion."

Patriarch Wang sneered. "Then we’ll prepare ten thousand taels of silver coins and a number of Exotic Treasures. I refuse to believe a man of his low birth can resist!"

Upon hearing this, everyone’s eyes lit up.

’That’s right!’

’If we can’t kill you, we’ll corrupt you!’

’Let him drown in pleasure and wear away his ambition. Then we can slowly plant our people among his staff and usurp his power.’

’Once he becomes a good-for-nothing who only knows pleasure, won’t Luojing be our domain once again?’

Instantly, everyone voiced their support, each man calculating which daughter to send and how much of their family fortune to offer up.

「The next day, inside the Jiedu Envoy’s Mansion.」

Chen Ye gazed at the row of kneeling beauties—some plump, some slender, each with her own unique charm—and then at the mountain of gold, silver, and jewels piled beside them. His face remained expressionless.

Wang Xing stood to the side, staring at the floor as if minding his own business, but inwardly he was cursing, ’These old foxes are so damn rich.’

"My lord, this wealth is but a small token of our appreciation to reward the grand army. As for these women... they all admire your divine might and have come of their own volition. I implore you to take them in," said the very same Patriarch Wang.

His face was wreathed in smiles as he bowed and scraped, his attitude the very picture of reverence.

"A token of appreciation?" Chen Ye chuckled. He walked over to one of the women and lifted her chin with his hand.

The young woman’s delicate body trembled. Her tear-streaked, pitifully beautiful face was enough to stir pity in any man’s heart.

"What’s your name?"

"This humble girl is named Wang Ruolan," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

"A fine name." Chen Ye nodded, released her, and turned back to his command desk. "Wang Xing."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"The gold, silver, and jewels will all be added to the treasury to repair the city walls and compensate the wounded and fallen Soldiers. As for these women..."

Chen Ye paused, his gaze sweeping over the nervous beauties below.

"The mansion happens to be short on maids for sweeping the courtyards, doing laundry, and cooking. Let them do that."

As soon as he said this, the smile on Patriarch Wang’s face froze.

He had intended to sway Chen Ye with feminine charms, but he never expected such an outcome.

Hearing this, the women broke into a commotion, and some even began to whimper and cry.

Wang Ruolan, in particular, looked at Patriarch Wang with tear-filled eyes. "Father, I don’t want to do laundry and cook..."

Steeling himself, Patriarch Wang said to Chen Ye, "My lord, these women are delicate; they can’t carry heavy loads or do manual labor. How could they possibly perform such menial chores? If the mansion is short on maids, I can have some sent over immediately."

"There’s no need." Chen Ye cut him off and then said flatly,

"Didn’t you just say they all admire me and came here of their own free will? If that’s the case, it’s only natural that I put them to work. As for not knowing how... no one is born knowing everything. They’ll be fine after they learn."

Hearing Chen Ye’s words, the Patriarch nearly ground his back teeth to dust. But circumstances were beyond his control, so he could only swallow this bitter loss and depart resentfully.

When the news spread, the scheming Noble Families of the old dynasty were all dumbfounded.

Not only that, but Chen Ye also sorted through the ledgers and letters seized from the confiscated mansions of the Du Family and others, gaining a crystal-clear understanding of which Noble Families in Luojing City were allies and which were mortal enemies.

He then used the conflicts between these Noble Families to play a game of divide and conquer.

He won over the more compliant ones by granting them certain commercial advantages, then let them suppress their rivals.

As a result, the old nobles began fighting amongst themselves with such intensity that they couldn’t be disentangled.

Meanwhile, Chen Ye seized the opportunity to reclaim various monopolies. With a stable source of tax revenue, Luojing’s development progressed by leaps and bounds.

「In the blink of an eye, a year passed.」

In the Great Yong Capital City, when the dignitaries who had once predicted that Chen Ye would be sent packing in disgrace within three months saw the report on Luojing, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

The report stated that Luojing’s commerce was now thriving, its population was thirty percent larger than before the war, and the granaries held enough food to supply the entire city’s army and populace for three years. It had become a land of wealth and prosperity.

How could a peasant possibly govern a ruined capital into such a state within a single year?

Where did he acquire such masterful skills?

And within the Meng Mansion, Meng Yi stroked his beard and smiled as he listened to the genuinely impressed reports from his younger relatives.

Just as the Great Yong Court Hall was being shaken by Chen Ye’s accomplishments, on the training grounds of the Jiedu Envoy’s Mansion...

Chen Ye stood bare-chested. Beneath his bronze skin, muscles coiled like dragons, and every breath he took released a wave of scorching air.

He didn’t use any special moves, just threw a simple punch.

WHOOSH!

The force of the punch stirred the air, compressing it until it let out a dull bang. A moment later, a massive boulder weighing several thousand jin shattered on impact, crumbling into a pile of rubble.

For the past year, aside from handling official duties, Chen Ye had devoted all his time to arduous Cultivation.

And the results were quite gratifying.

First, his Army-breaking Captain Profession Level had reached Level 4. Second, his various Skills had soared, and his strength had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering transformation compared to a year ago.

Chen Ye could feel that his next Profession change was not far off.

This slightly eased the sense of urgency in his heart.

He knew full well that with Luojing stabilized, the remnants of Great Liang were no longer a significant threat. The real danger would come from Great Yong.

After all, his performance had been far too dazzling, and it was bound to arouse the apprehension of certain people.

However, Chen Ye was not afraid. On the contrary, as his power grew, a subtle idea began to form in his mind.

Chen Ye continued to train diligently. Finally, one day half a year later, after he had squeezed out his last ounce of energy to complete a session of extreme Cultivation, the long-awaited notification popped up before his eyes.