Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 381 The Matter of Songshan

Songshan Castle.

After two months of development, it has become incredibly lively.

People from Zhongzhou came from all walks of life, including martial arts practitioners from various sects, merchants, craftsmen, blacksmiths, tailors, cooks, storytellers, and opera singers.

Some of them settled down in Songshan City, while others went to various parts of Dayan, each pursuing their own future.

The shops in the city were controlled by the five major sects, but as more and more people came, Yuan Tiangang consulted with the Empress and designated a piece of land at the foot of the mountain as a market.

The stalls selling medicinal herbs were laid out one by one on the ground, exuding spiritual energy, and the fragrance of the herbs could be smelled from afar.

The stalls selling magical artifacts displayed a row of knives, spears, swords, and halberds, some of which were even gleaming and looked quite intimidating.

Sellers of talismans, array plates, spirit beasts, cultivation techniques... there's nothing you can't buy, only things you can't imagine.

But with more people comes more problems.

Where there is buying and selling, there will be disputes.

You bought my medicine but didn't pay, and the device I sold you was counterfeit. The argument escalated into a fight.

When monks fight, it makes a lot of noise and often disrupts the market.

The foreign affairs supervisors couldn't manage everything, so they put up a sign at the market entrance with several large characters written on it:

"Fighting is fine, paying compensation is also acceptable."

Below that is a line of smaller print: "Tenfold compensation for any damage to a single blade of grass or tree."

From then on, fewer people fought.

It's not that we don't want to fight, it's that we can't afford the losses.

……

Songshan Castle.

Zuixianlou (Drunken Immortal Pavilion)

The restaurant was opened by the Zhongzhou Tianyuan Chamber of Commerce.

The building is seven stories high and decorated in a grand style. The first floor is the lobby, the second floor is for guests, the third floor is for private rooms, and the fourth floor is for private dining rooms.

The floors above the fifth floor are not open to the public, or rather, they are only open to invited guests.

At that moment, an old man with gray hair sat in the corner of the hall, wearing a gray Taoist robe and straw sandals. He held a gourd of wine in his hand and drank it sip by sip.

The old man looked unremarkable, but no one sitting next to him dared to speak loudly.

Because he is an elder of the Kunlun Domain, with a cultivation level of half-step Celestial Immortal, he came to the Eastern Domain this time, claiming it was for "travel".

But everyone knows he's there to scout the location, a frontline figure in the confrontation with Lin Chen.

Lin Chen set rules for the five major sects, and they only compromised temporarily, but that doesn't mean they will compromise forever.

Once...they will...

The old man took a sip of his drink, squinted at the bustling street outside the window, and muttered to himself:

"Interesting...interesting..."

Sitting opposite him was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a white robe and a long sword at his waist. He was the old man's disciple, named Lin Yifeng, who shared the same surname as Lin Chen, but they were not related by blood.

Lin Yifeng asked in a low voice, "Master, what's interesting?"

The old man put down his wine gourd and wiped his mouth with his sleeve:

"This Eastern Region is more interesting than I imagined."

Look at these people, some from the Central Plains, some locals, some cultivators, some mortals, all mixed together, a chaotic mess, yet orderly within the chaos.”

Lin Yifeng thought for a moment: "Is it because of that Prince Zhenbei?"

"Yes!" The old man nodded. "This Prince of Zhenbei is no ordinary man. To be able to intimidate the Eastern Region at such a young age is something that not everyone can do."

Lin Yifeng then asked, "So, between him and you, who's stronger?"

The old man glanced at his apprentice and smiled.

"Compared to him? I'm just a wretched old man, while he is the ruler of this world."

Lin Yifeng was taken aback: "Dominator?"

The old man picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"What do you think? People from Zhongzhou need his permission to come to the Eastern Region. He has many powerful subordinates. What else could such a person be but a ruler?"

Lin Yifeng fell silent.

The old man poured himself another glass of wine, gazing out the window with a deep, unfathomable look in his eyes.

"I came here this time because I wanted to see for myself what kind of person this Prince of Zhenbei really is."

……

Songshan City, North Street.

There's an alley here called "Ranxiu Alley," where all the residents are wandering monks from other places.

A rogue cultivator is a cultivator who does not belong to any sect.

Some couldn't make it in the Central Plains and wanted to try their luck in the Eastern Regions.

Some had offended major sects and fled to the Eastern Regions for refuge, while others were simply curious and wanted to see a new world.

There are all kinds of people.

In the innermost room of the alley lived a middle-aged hermit named Wang, known as "Iron Hand Wang".

When he was in Zhongzhou, he was a blacksmith who specialized in crafting precious artifacts and was quite skilled.

However, because he offended a local minor sect, he was hunted down for three months and eventually escaped to the Eastern Region via a teleportation array.

After arriving in the Eastern Region, he returned to his old profession and opened a blacksmith shop in the Sanxiu Alley, specializing in repairing weapons and crafting magical artifacts.

Business is not bad, because there are more and more cultivators in Songshan City, and weapons need to be repaired when they break, and treasures need to be repaired when they break.

At this moment, Wang Tieshou was sitting in the shop, holding a broken sword in his hand, studying it with a frown.

This sword was sent by a disciple of a top-tier sect, who said it was broken in two by Li Bai's finger.

Wang Tieshou looked at the broken edge and gasped. The edge was as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been cut open like tofu.

What level of cultivation and how sharp of sword intent must one possess to create such a cut?

He put down the broken sword, shook his head, and sighed.

Li Bai.

That person is someone we can't afford to mess with.

The people behind him are even more formidable.

……

The changes in Songshan City are not just about the increase in population.

The cultivation levels of the local cultivators are also rising rapidly.

In the past, spiritual energy was scarce in the Eastern Region. Reaching the Grandmaster level was the ceiling for cultivation, something even Celestials dared not dream of, and Land Immortals were legendary figures.

Now, with the teleportation array open, his cultivation level has skyrocketed under the influence of various resources and martial arts foundations from Central Continent.

According to statistics from the Foreign Affairs Bureau, since the teleportation array was opened, the number of people who have broken through to the Grandmaster level in Dayan is equal to the total number of people in the past ten years.

There are already more than a dozen people who have broken through to the Grandmaster level.

Even among the celestial beings, there were two or three.

Of course, it is still far behind Zhongzhou, but the momentum is good.

……

Xiaosongshan, side hall of the Foreign Affairs Bureau.

Yuan Tiangang and Li Bai sat facing each other and drank, but Yuan Tiangang drank tea while Li Bai drank wine.

Li Bai crossed his legs, took a swig of wine, and sighed, "Sigh, another ordinary day."

Yuan Tiangang said calmly, "Isn't tranquility good enough? Do you want to fight every day?"

Li Bai shook his head: "I don't want to fight, but I can't be this bored every day."

Every day is just registration, registration, registration, like a petty clerk in a government office. I'm supposed to be a poet and sword immortal, after all!

Yuan Tiangang smiled and said, "We still need to eat."

Li Bai took another swig of wine, wiped his mouth, and said, "That's true. By the way, Lao Yuan, any news from Dugu Qiubai?"

Yuan Tiangang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Not yet, but no news is good news."

"That's true!" Li Bai nodded. "By the way, hasn't Lord Guan been in seclusion for a month?"

Yuan Tiangang nodded: "Yes, before he went into seclusion, he said that he would not leave until he broke through to the Celestial Immortal realm."

Li Bai whistled: "A celestial being...that's quite a hurdle, the ceiling of this world, haha!"

Yuan Tiangang glanced at Li Bai: "Have you recently broken through to a higher level?"

Li Bai chuckled, put down the wine jug, stretched out his palm, and a ball of sword energy condensed in his palm. It was white and misty, but so sharp that it made one's skin tighten.

"Still one step away from the peak of the terrestrial immortal realm."

Yuan Tiangang nodded: "Soon."

Li Bai sheathed his sword and took another swig of wine: "Old Yuan, how strong do you think Guan Yu would be if he broke through to the Celestial Immortal realm?"

Yuan Tiangang said calmly, "Above the Celestial Immortal are the True Lords, above the True Lords are the Saintly Venerables, and above the Saintly Venerables are the Great Emperors. The road ahead is long!"

Li Bai rolled his eyes: "Can you stop being such a spoilsport? I've finally gotten excited."

Yuan Tiangang laughed: "I'm not trying to spoil the fun, I'm just reminding you not to be complacent."

Li Bai waved his hand: "Alright, alright, I know, you really don't know how to have a conversation."

Yuan Tiangang picked up his teacup and said nothing more.

Outside the window, the teleportation array lit up again.

A new generation is taking shape, gradually solidifying from blurry light and shadow into living, breathing people.

They stood in the teleportation array, some looking around blankly, some excited, and some trembling with nervousness.

The foreign affairs officers went up to greet them and began the registration process.

Everything is in good order.

Li Bai looked out the window and suddenly asked, "Old Yuan, do you think things will go wrong if our lord goes to Dongli?"

Yuan Tiangang put down his teacup: "With your cultivation and trump cards, my lord, you have few rivals in this world. What could possibly happen in that small place, Dongli?"

Li Bai thought for a moment and said, "That's true, but I'm afraid... my lord is too reckless."

Yuan Tiangang smiled faintly: "Our lord is afraid of death!"

Li Bai chuckled: "That's true, he's so greedy for women and pleasure, he can't bear to die."

Yuan Tiangang smiled as well: "It's good that you know."

Li Bai took another swig of wine, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the distant sky.

As the sun set, the sky turned a fiery red, as if it were on fire.

"Lord Guan, oh Lord Guan," Li Bai said softly, "please come out quickly, I'm exhausted carrying this all by myself."

The setting sun cast his long shadow on the ground, like a drawn sword.

……

In the capital city, in the backyard of a prince's mansion, in a small courtyard with bamboo groves.

Guan Yu has been sitting here for a month.

It neither eats nor drinks, neither moves nor shakes, just sits there like a stone statue.

However, the aura emanating from his body grew stronger and stronger, like a volcano about to erupt.

Occasionally, birds would fly by, but they would be driven back by that aura and circle around it from a distance.

At this moment, his true energy was circulating wildly in his dantian, like giant dragons churning.

But a Celestial Immortal's breakthrough is not just a matter of true qi.

It is the rule of heaven and earth.

It is the power of heaven and earth.

Land immortals act within the rules of heaven and earth.

Celestial beings are those who begin to touch upon the rules, utilize the rules, and even change the rules.

This is a qualitative leap.

Guan Yu's consciousness sank into his dantian, sensing the invisible yet real threads in the world.

Those threads are the rules.

Some are thick, some are thin, some are bright, and some are dim.

They intertwine to form a vast net that envelops the entire world.

Guan Yu reached out his hand, trying to grab a silk thread.

It's unattainable.

He tried again.

We still can't catch it.

He didn't give up, the third time, the fourth time, the fifth time...

……

Zhongzhou.

Deep inside an unnamed, desolate mountain.

A figure sat cross-legged, surrounded by dense array runes that shimmered like stars.

It was Dugu Qiubai. His clothes still had dried bloodstains, but the wounds under his skin had healed, and his new skin was bright white.

In the battle against the Corpse Refining Sect, he escaped unscathed from the hands of a Celestial Immortal and the Old Monster of the Heavenly Corpse, though he was seriously injured.

Not only did he survive, but he also turned misfortune into blessing, touching the threshold of becoming a celestial being on the verge of life and death.

"Soon!"

Dugu Qiubai muttered to himself, opened his eyes and glanced at the east, then closed them again.