Ten-zhang-tall walls rise straight from the earth, towering like mountains and stretching across the land.
From afar, the line of people before the city gate looks tiny as ants, slowly squirming forward. At the gate, elite soldiers clad in Grade-Entering Treasure Armor stand solemnly on either side, eyes like blades as they scrutinize every person entering the city.
The crowd is like two Flood Dragons churning the river, one going in and one coming out, vast and unceasing. Especially that long line entering the city, winding for several li, truly a magnificent sight.
"This is one of the three great commanderies of Qingzhou—Donglai County City!"
Along the way, Su Mu had already heard far too many tales about this mighty city.
It was said that Donglai County City had a permanent population of over one million, and that did not include the Jianghu Wanderers doing trade and escort work, the travelers roaming the four directions, and the strange folk and eccentrics hidden within the marketplaces.
If placed in his previous life, in Huaxia’s ancient times there were only four cities with an attested population in the million range. First was Chang’an of the Western Han; in the second year of Emperor Ping’s Yuanshi reign, its peak population was about one million.
Second was Chang’an in the Tianbao era of the prosperous Tang; at its height it was roughly between one million and 1.2 million.
Third was Bianliang in the Chongning era under Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song; at its peak it reached about 1.5 million.
Fourth was Lin’an in the Chunyou era of the Southern Song; its peak was roughly 1.2 million.
The rest, be it Jiankang of the Southern Dynasties under Emperor Wu of Liang, the Great Capital of the Yuan, or Beijing of the Ming and Qing, all remain in dispute. The much-vaunted Great Capital of the Yuan was called a "city of a million households," but in truth had only between six hundred and eight hundred thousand.
In ancient times, a city that could reach the million level was exceedingly rare, truly a capital of a Dynasty at the height of its power. A city with a million mouths would need at least five thousand shi of grain brought in every single day, just for consumption.
Such capitals at the zenith of a Dynasty were invariably the most prosperous places of their age. In this world’s Great Yan Dynasty, within Qingzhou alone there were no fewer than three such cities. Thinking of this, Su Mu could not help but feel an endless sigh well up inside.
Su Mu and Li Lu followed the flow of people toward the city interior. The long dragon of a line inched forward and only after nearly an hour did their turn finally come.
"Do you have a pass?"
The so-called "pass" was a kind of transit and residence permit in ancient times. The great commandery cities of Qingzhou all required one. As Su Mu and Li Lu had just arrived in Donglai County, they naturally had none.
"If you have no pass, it’s fifty cash per person."
Su Mu, without a word, handed over one hundred cash. The soldier glanced over each of them in turn, then simply stepped aside to let them pass.
The instant they passed through the city gate, a roar of bustle surged toward them like a tide.
The view before them suddenly opened wide. The main street of bluestone was ten zhang across, broad enough for ten horses abreast; carts and horses glimmered and flowed like an unending river.
On either side of the street, pavilions and towers rose with flying eaves and carved brackets. Golden lacquer and red railings blazed beneath the fierce sun. Looking across the city, many tall pavilions stood high; their beams and pillars were richly carved and painted, and the colored tiles refracted five-colored halos in the light.
The air was filled with the pungent spice of foreign merchants’ perfumes, the cloying sweetness of sugar-figure stalls, and an alchemical fragrance wafting from some unknown Pill Furnace. Hawkers carrying their wares on shoulder poles shook Copper Bells as they threaded through streets and alleys.
For a moment, both Su Mu and Li Lu stood there dazed, their eyes reflecting the Man City’s brocade splendor. Even with two lifetimes behind him, Su Mu had never once seen such prosperity in an ancient great city.
Li Lu was even more stupefied. At some unknown moment the bundle in her hands slipped, yet she noticed nothing, until Su Mu reached out and caught it.
"Tch—"
A mocking sound drifted from the third floor of a teahouse. Several young lords in brocade robes shook the folding fans in their hands, looking down from on high with playful, teasing gazes at the newcomers who had just entered the city, including Su Mu.
"Quick, look at those bumpkins from the countryside—their eyeballs are about to fall out!"
"Young Master Tao is right. Of the hundred thousand people entering and leaving Donglai County every day, it’s these rustic peasants that are the most offensive to the eye."
Young Master Tao?
Su Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly. Without betraying a hint of emotion, he flicked a glance up at the third floor of the winehouse. Seated by the window was a young man in splendid attire, whose brows bore two or three points of resemblance to Tao Xingzheng.
Thinking of Tao Xingzheng, Su Mu silently stirred the Fire Sparrow Gang Force, wrapping it around the blood-red mark at his heart, sealing off every trace of his aura.
"Better one less trouble than one more trouble..."
Su Mu withdrew his gaze and led Li Lu into the crowd. If the Tao Family had the sense not to provoke him again, Su Mu had no wish to stir up extra trouble. But if someone blind to life and death came looking for it, he didn’t mind slaughtering a few more Tao Family youths.
Once she’d somewhat recovered from her shock, Li Lu’s small hands clenched nervously at the hem of her clothes and she drew closer to Su Mu. By their agreement, once Su Mu delivered her safe and sound to Donglai County, his obligation would be done; attending the Drunken Moon Assembly afterwards was Li Lu’s own affair.
"I intend to stay in the Commandery City for a while."
"Thank you..."
Hearing this, Li Lu suddenly trembled all over and secretly let out a breath of relief. A trace of surprise flickered in her eyes as she spoke in a soft voice. Now, here in Donglai County where everything was unfamiliar,
Su Mu was the only person Li Lu knew, and also the only one she could rely on. If Su Mu were to leave straightaway, Li Lu truly wouldn’t know what to do.
As for her father’s original clan, Li Lu would need time to inquire after them. Besides, even if she did find them, that so-called clan might not necessarily be willing to take her in.
And Li Lu was no fool. She knew that Su Mu’s decision had to come from seeing her present plight. She felt deeply grateful to him. In truth, she understood that her father’s death had little to do with Su Mu.
Having Su Mu escort her to Donglai County was already forcing him into a difficult favor. If it had been someone else, they likely wouldn’t have agreed at the start and might even have raised a hand against her.
"Come, let’s first find an inn to stay at. It’ll also give us a chance to scout out the situation in Donglai County."
Su Mu planned to first find an inn in the Commandery City and stay a few days. During these days he would go around to inquire about the situation in Donglai County. He had no interest in that "Deer Cry Banquet" Hai An mentioned that night.
But he was deeply interested in the four clans’ contest after the Deer Cry Banquet. He wanted to use it to see how large the gap was between himself and the people of these Noble Families, and he also wished to witness the style and offensive methods of other Dharma Gate Cultivators.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never lose a hundred battles!
Besides, Su Mu currently had one hundred thousand taels of silver coins on hand, along with many Grade-Entering Blade Soldiers and Secret Manuals he could sell. He had already planned to find a place to settle down and quietly deepen his Cultivation.
In this way he could convert all the silver coins at hand into Cultivation resources to enhance his own strength—for example, to put into practice the Pill Formulas in the Ten Elixir Herbs Manual.
The Cultivation resources needed after advancing into the Middle Third Grade were hard to buy in small places even if one had silver coins, but a great city like Donglai County was a different matter.
Next, Su Mu was also interested in the "Three Wonders of Donglai" Hai An had mentioned. In his previous life he had seen skyscrapers and modern cities awash in neon lights.
But he had never seen such a million‑level ancient Great Commandery City. Su Mu intended to stroll properly, to personally see the temporal Dao charm of this thousand‑year Ancient County.
Su Mu had his own considerations. He felt that Donglai County was a very suitable place and that he could live here for a period of time.
Only, this single sentence from Su Mu fell into Li Lu’s ears with a different meaning: that Su Mu was going to investigate the situation in Donglai County must surely be for her sake.
For a moment Li Lu’s eyelashes trembled lightly, her head lowered even more, and her fingertips unconsciously twisted tighter at the hem of her clothes.
"I... I’ll definitely repay you in the future."
Li Lu whispered in a voice fine as a mosquito’s hum. After speaking, she covertly snuck a glance at Su Mu beside her. Seeing that Su Mu showed no reaction, she quietly let out a breath of relief.
The two wandered along the street for a while and soon stopped outside an inn called "Green Pine Inn."
"Let’s go with this one."
Su Mu had taken a fancy to Green Pine Inn’s location: right at the junction of several main streets, the people flow extremely heavy and the crowd a mixed bag—this was the best kind of place for gathering information.
Immediately, Su Mu booked two rooms at the inn. After giving Li Lu a Money Bag, he ordered hot water to be brought up for washing. Soaking in a hot bath, the dust and fatigue of several days of rushed travel instantly washed away.
Afterwards, the two went to sit in a corner of the inn’s first‑floor hall and ordered a table full of dishes. Su Mu ate the braised meat with an air of indifference while his ears were open in all directions, taking in all the conversations in the hall.
"Speaking of it, five days ago some ’White Robbers of the Waves’ plundered the merchant ships traveling on the Donglai River. The Cyan Fish Gang’s Young Master, Baili Feng, personally led people in pursuit, destroying several pirate ships of those White Robbers of the Waves and killing over a hundred of them. It’s just that I heard those people aren’t simple—seems they have some connection with the Jiao Blood Gang..."
"Have you heard? The Pill Cauldron Pavilion’s Second Pavilion Master has just taken on a new female disciple. They say her constitution is extraordinary, apparently someone that Second Pavilion Master brought back while traveling."
"Those several shops of the Li Family in East City caught fire again in the night... Rumor has it that other families may be involved in this matter..."
"Speaking of the Li Family, they really have been unlucky in recent years. I heard that just days ago several direct‑line descendants were expelled from the clan by Patriarch Li..."
In the inn’s hall, many diners sat three or five to a table, drinking wine, eating meat, chatting about everything under the sun. All manner of big and small affairs in the Commandery City became topics of conversation at the table.
In the corner, Su Mu listened quietly. Before he knew it, the table of dishes was finished, so he asked the waiter to bring another table of food. The diners at the surrounding tables cast a few glances over at them, but their gazes only lingered briefly on the pair before they withdrew.
Donglai County was one of Qingzhou’s three great Commandery Cities, with many kinds of Cultivators in the city. Martial Artists might not exactly walk everywhere, but they were commonplace enough. Even ordinary folk were long used to it. That Cultivators had larger appetites was nothing strange.
After nightfall, the market streets were ablaze with lanterns, the night bazaar extremely prosperous. There were even more pedestrians on the streets than in daytime. This was precisely the time when Noble Family Descendants of the Commandery City and members of the great powers came out to enjoy themselves.
"Worthy indeed of being a great commandery of Qingzhou."
Whether in the land of the Qingyun Three Counties or in the county towns he’d passed along the way, most places shut their doors tight at night. Even if there was a night market, it only opened once every two or three days, and for just one or two fixed hours at that.
To see lanterns blazing until dawn like in Donglai County City, Su Mu had only seen it here in Donglai County.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
Only after these three days of gathering information did Su Mu finally gain a rough understanding of Donglai County City.
In Donglai County, the first entity one absolutely could not provoke was the County Mansion—for instance, the prefect in charge of all military affairs, administration, justice, and taxation in One County, who could also appoint and dismiss officials below the county level.
Including the Prefectural Governor, the various officials of the Commandery City—such as the County Minister, the commandant, and other big figures of the County Mansion and Government Office—were not to be provoked.
Outside the Government Office, the major powers in the Commandery City were "one pavilion, two gangs, and four families."
The "one pavilion" was the Pill Cauldron Pavilion. The Pill Cauldron Pavilion was not only rooted in Donglai County; in many county towns within Qingzhou’s three great commanderies they had branch pavilions. The Pill Cauldron Pavilion took Pill as its name and medicine as its foundation, with alchemy and trade in various medicinal materials as its root, and Pill Masters gathered within its halls.
From ordinary hemostatic salves to all manner of Elixirs needed by the five major types of Cultivators for their Cultivation, everything was readily available. You must know: the higher a Cultivator’s Realm, the more they rely on the aid of Elixirs. The connections and influence of Alchemists need hardly be mentioned. Even the Government Office in the Commandery City was reluctant to lightly offend the Pill Cauldron Pavilion.
The "two gangs" were the Cyan Fish Gang and the White Whale Gang. Donglai County depended on the Donglai River for water transport; whether grain or all kinds of goods, it was all so. Both gangs originated from the "Donglai Cao Bang." Previously, the "Donglai Cao Bang" had been too powerful and was jointly split apart by the Government Office of the Commandery City and other forces, and thus the current Cyan Fish Gang and White Whale Gang came to be.
The two gangs controlled seventy percent of Donglai County’s canal‑transport business. Their gang disciples were spread throughout Donglai County City and the various counties within the commandery, and they had many powerful members.
Following the two gangs were the "four families," the great Noble Families of Donglai County: the Tao, Li, Lin, and Zhou families. These four were prominent lineages of Donglai. Their descendants and disciples were spread all over Donglai County—upwards into the Great Yan Court and the Commandery City offices, downwards into the county and town Government Offices, all with members of the four families. Most of the city’s grain, flour, cloth, and other big and small businesses were controlled by the four.
Among the four, the Tao Family ranked first. It was rumored that Upper Three Grades patriarchs in their clan had continued unbroken for generations, and that there was always an Upper Three Grades Great Cultivator sitting in town for the Tao Family, like a Sea‑Calming Divine Needle.
"The Pill Cauldron Pavilion... I’ll first make a trip to the Baicao Hall under the Pill Cauldron Pavilion’s name. The Ten Elixir Herbs Manual happens to have a Qi and Blood Pill that assists Qi Blood Cultivation. I’ll buy some medicinal materials to practice my hand first, then try refining Profound Pattern Pills to assault the Secret Realm."