Gu An rode off on his horse, reviewing this attack in his mind.
First, although they were mortals, a lion still used its full strength when hunting a rabbit. He struck cleanly and decisively, not giving them a chance to speak. That was good.
However, he made a big commotion, letting everyone know. That was not good; he needed to reflect on it. He must learn from this lesson in the future: come quietly and kill silently.
Would anyone come to complain about the killings to the very man now guarding Blackrock Commandery—him?
The Black-Scale Horse could cover five hundred li a day. It raced onward, and six hours later Gu An reached Blackrock City, the commandery capital.
Just then, the Blackrock City Lord, along with a crowd of people, had already been waiting at the city gate for a long time. Seeing Gu An riding a divine steed of a rare breed, with an extraordinary bearing, he quickly came forward to greet him.
“Welcome, Immortal. I am the lord of Blackrock City.”
Gu An nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
Seeing that Gu An was not fond of speaking, the Blackrock City Lord continued with introductions.
“Immortal Master Chu resides within the city. The vermilion mansion two streets away is his residence. I can-“
“My surname is Gu.”
Gu An left these words and rode off, leaving the Blackrock City Lord bowing in place. It was a long time before he dared to lift his head. As for the others, they hadn’t managed to get a word in edgewise.
The divide between immortals and mortals had long been deeply ingrained after a thousand years of Qingyuan Sect’s rule.
The crisp sound of horse hooves echoed on the stone-paved road. Although it was afternoon, with pleasant temperatures and bright sunlight, not a single person was in sight. Only the wide road was left for the Black-Scale Horse to gallop freely. There was no need to ask; it was undoubtedly an arrangement by the Blackrock City Lord.
“Never thought I’d be the sort of tyrant people clear the streets for.”
Mocking himself, Gu An arrived at the Chu Mansion.
A maidservant in a white dress was waiting at the entrance. Seeing Gu An, she spoke crisply, “My master is waiting for you inside.”
With that, she led Gu An and pushed open the gate.
The vermilion gate was like solidified sunset glow, the gilded bronze nails shimmering with a dark golden luster. On the three-zhang-high black stone foundation, two stone guardian lions sat as if on clouds, their manes curling. Entering the front courtyard, he saw four or five ancient trees standing tall and lush, their canopies like umbrellas.
He passed through three ornamental inner gates and followed a covered wooden bridge into the main hall. Pillars carved from single lengths of rosewood bore cloud and thunder patterns, with master craftsmen’s seals faintly visible among them. An old man in brocade sat in the central armchair, his skin deeply wrinkled, his hair white, and his face gaunt.
“Here to take over the assignment, Junior Brother?”
“Senior Brother Chu, I have indeed taken on the Garrison Duty task in Blackrock Commandery.” Gu An sensed Senior Brother Chu’s aura; it was roughly at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation.
The man looked so frail that Gu An doubted he had long to live.
In this world, cultivators at Qi Condensation had a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years. But with the wear and tear of wind and frost, old injuries and hidden wounds, they generally only lived to a hundred. Not to mention those who perished halfway; such cases were everywhere.
From what Gu An understood, Foundation Establishment cultivators lived two hundred years, Golden Core cultivators five hundred years, and as for Nascent Soul, they could attain a thousand years of life.
This Senior Brother Chu had spiritual Qi dissipating all around him; he clearly couldn’t even control his magic power. His time was running out.
Seeing Gu An staring at him, Senior Brother Chu showed displeasure and coughed. Gu An snapped out of it and quickly apologized.
“Forget it. I don’t have many days left either. It’s just right for me to return to the sect to recuperate.”
“But Junior Brother is quite impressive. That White Mirror Lake was only just discovered, and you were able to take on this task.”
Gu An only smiled. He did not know whether Steward Zhang would approve of his using his name, but if he claimed it was mere luck, Chu might not bother giving him a proper briefing. Better to let the old man draw his own conclusions.
Seeing that Gu An wasn’t speaking, Senior Brother Chu chuckled lightly and said, “Listen carefully. If you don’t hear clearly, don’t blame me.”
“Blackrock Commandery is small, spanning only two hundred li. Its mountains yield black rock and other minerals, occasionally including Black-Pattern Iron, a First-Grade Lower-Tier spirit iron. You must collect that for the sect.”
“Over the past three years, demon beasts have occasionally appeared in the commandery, all at the early Qi Condensation stage. They pose no threat to Junior Brother.”
“There are one or two rogue cultivators, fairly honest. No need to bother with them.”
“There is also the Lin Clan of Red Maple Mountain. Two hundred years ago, a Foundation Establishment elder of our sect was nearing the end of his life. He spent his savings to buy the spirit land at Red Maple Mountain from the sect and establish the clan. It has a First-Grade Middle-Tier spirit vein.”
“Currently, Red Maple Mountain has nine Qi Condensation cultivators: one at the late Qi Condensation stage, two at the middle stage, and six at the early stage. They produce Red Maple Tree sap and have also opened up eighty mu of spirit fields, yielding some output.”
“They are usually compliant, but keep a close eye on them: how many cultivators they have, their cultivation levels, and any changes in the spirit land’s output.”
“The sect’s spirit tax depends on those figures. Be thorough.”
Senior Brother Chu paused and asked, “Did you hear clearly?”
Senior Brother Chu patted his storage bag, and a token flew out. He brought the two tokens together, and both simultaneously shot out a stream of spiritual power. The tokens bloomed with spiritual light, and the handover was complete.
“I’ll be leaving shortly. Will you be staying here?” Chu recalled his token and looked up at Gu An.
“No need to trouble yourself, Senior Brother Chu. I plan to build a hut by White Mirror Lake and live there. I’ll leave now.” Gu An wasn’t sure what Senior Brother Chu meant, but he had no intention of staying here anyway. He shook his head in refusal, turned, and walked out of the main hall.
As Gu An passed along the corridor, dusk settled over the chaofeng beasts decorating the upturned eaves. A rockery of ornamental lake stones formed a landscape in miniature, and fresh water gurgled through a hidden channel.
It didn’t look like a cultivator’s dwelling, but rather like the mansion of a secular prince!
Walking out of the vermilion gate, Gu An saw the Blackrock City Lord again. This time, there wasn’t a huge crowd behind him. Perhaps seeing that Gu An disliked it, he had dismissed them.
“Immortal Master Gu, a mansion has already been built for you in the city. Would you like to-“
“No need. Find someone to take me to White Mirror Lake, and have some people build a small courtyard by the lake. That’s all.”
Gu An cut off the Blackrock City Lord’s words. He had no time for pleasantries. Right now, he only wanted to get to White Mirror Lake and put his precious spirit fish in. The earlier he started raising them, the earlier he could harvest.
That way, the spirit fish could repay the debt of gratitude they owed him sooner!
The Blackrock City Lord naturally dared not disobey. He quickly called over a black-armored general and gave a few instructions.
The black-armored general returned to the ranks and, in a few words, split the group into two teams. One team of black-armored soldiers rode off, ordered to find the best stonemasons and carpenters. The other team was ordered to come before Gu An; they were responsible for leading the way, taking the Immortal Master to White Mirror Lake.
Gu An released his Black-Scale Horse, bid farewell to the Blackrock City Lord, and fell in behind the black-armored soldiers, galloping off into the distance.
White Mirror Lake lay only seven or eight li from Blackrock City. Even at the soldiers’ pace, they reached it in less than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
The small lake stretched some five or six li, roughly circular in shape. Mountains enclosed three sides, with open grassland on the fourth. A small island lay at its center.
It was already evening. The setting sun melted into gold, and the evening clouds merged like jade. The dying sun and sunset clouds were reflected in the water, rippling with the waves. A few sparse willow trees on the shore swayed in the wind, as if welcoming something. Some aquatic plants in the shallows, unwilling to be left out, raised their heads above the water.
A few birds occasionally skimmed the water’s surface, causing tiny ripples. The ripples carried the last golden scales of the sunset toward the center of the lake, then settled into stillness. In the twilight, White Mirror Lake shed all its warmth, as though preparing to welcome the night.
A spirit lake, a small island. As far as the eye could see, it was all his territory. He could do whatever he wanted!
Gu An took a deep breath, feeling utterly relaxed. In his previous life, he had always carried a deep longing for farm life, always wanting to go back to his hometown, build a house, and live a quiet pastoral life. He never expected this dream to be realized in the world of cultivation.