Chapter 113 City Lord's Mansion
Draining the fine wine in his cup, the old man smacked his lips in satisfaction before suddenly recalling something.
As the waiter came to serve dishes, the old man held his cup midair and frowned. "This Immortal Spirit City can so easily mass-produce century-old spirit herbs. Are there truly no great sects coveting them?"
The waiter glanced about cautiously, then lowered his voice. "Honored guest jests. Such matters are not for common folk like us to know. However…" He leaned in closer. "Just last month, I personally saw an elder of the Moonlight Pavilion from neighboring Huiyue City bring disciples here for trade. In front of the City Lord's Mansion, he waited respectfully for half an hour."
"Moonlight Pavilion?" The old man drew a sharp breath. That was one of Qingzhou's top sects, with its master said to be a Heavenly Human Realm expert.
Even they were so deferential to Immortal Spirit City…
Seeing the old man's shock, the waiter added proudly, "And that's not all. A few years back, the Profound Sword Sect tried to forcefully purchase our spirit herbs. The very next day, their elder came personally to apologize. They say even his life-bound flying sword was broken."
The old man inhaled sharply.
The Profound Sword Sect was equal in strength to Moonlight Pavilion, and sword cultivators were notoriously hot-tempered, loving their swords as their lives. To make such a man break his sword, then come to beg forgiveness…?
…This Immortal Spirit City must run far deeper than he imagined.
Could it really be as he had suspected before coming here…?
This place… could it truly be connected to that one…?
"Then…" the old man's voice unconsciously tightened. "Who exactly is this City Lord?"
The waiter smiled mysteriously. "No one knows the City Lord's true name."
His eyes glowed with reverence. "But those fortunate enough to have seen the City Lord say she is a fairy-like woman."
"A fairy-like woman!?"
Just then, a faint fragrance of flowers drifted in through the window, and pedestrians in the street halted in awe.
The waiter's eyes lit up. "What luck! That is the City Lord's carriage!"
Master and disciple quickly craned their heads. In the distance, eight snow-white spirit steeds galloped through the air, drawing an elegant cloud carriage.
The curtain swayed slightly, revealing the faint outline of a graceful figure.
Wherever it passed, cultivators bowed low, and even the roadside spirit flowers stirred without wind, blooming toward the carriage.
The old man felt a sudden pang of familiarity strike his heart.
When he came to his senses, the carriage was already gone, leaving only the fragrance of flowers throughout the city.
The waiter refilled their cups with a smile. "Now you understand, honored guest? It is no wonder Immortal Spirit City enjoys such peace today."
He saw the old man staring blankly in the direction the carriage had vanished, but said no more and quietly withdrew.
…
The City Lord's Mansion of Immortal Spirit City sat at the convergence of spiritual veins in the city's heart. Spanning a thousand acres, with vermilion walls and gilded roofs, it was magnificent and imposing.
The tall main gate was flanked by two lifelike white-jade qilin, their eyes inlaid with spirit crystals that gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
Beyond the gate stretched a broad square paved with jade-green bricks. Spirit patterns faintly flowed between the seams, clearly part of a high-level formation.
Past the square lay the main halls.
The palatial buildings rose in elegant layers, with soaring eaves and carved beams, each detail exuding refinement and luxury.
Bronze wind chimes hung from the eaves, ringing crisply in the breeze with sounds that seemed to wash the soul.
Along the corridors before the halls, maids carried jade trays and scrolls, moving gracefully back and forth. Though busy, they never seemed flustered.
All across the mansion, cultivators in uniform attire patrolled steadily. With command tokens at their waists, their auras were composed, and their eyes sharp as hawks, ever watchful for anomalies.
From time to time, messengers hurried past clutching jade slips, faces solemn, clearly bearing urgent news.
Though vast, the City Lord's Mansion radiated order and efficiency. Each person held a role, moving swiftly yet methodically, like parts of a precise machine keeping the mighty city running seamlessly.
Deep within the City Lord's Mansion, Ji Lingxiu pushed open the carved wooden doors. Sunlight streamed through the lattice windows, spilling across the desk piled high with scrolls and documents.
She rubbed her brow and let out a helpless sigh.
"I only came here to clean up my senior brothers' messes…"
The farce from ten years ago still felt fresh in her memory.
Her two unreliable senior brothers had somehow acquired a secret art that could accelerate the growth of spirit herbs, making them reach a hundred years of potency in a short time.
That alone would have been manageable, but relying on their master's backing, they openly sold these century-old herbs—treasures rarely seen even in hidden realms—so long as one had coin. The news spread, and cultivators from across Qingzhou swarmed to Immortal Spirit City, which at the time had been nothing more than a small town, until it was packed to bursting.
Naturally, opportunists seeking to take without paying appeared as well, and chaos ensued.
Bothered beyond endurance, and having just learned of their true lineage from their master, the two senior brothers shamelessly came begging for her aid.
Recalling their panicked and flustered expressions, Ji Lingxiu could not help but smile faintly.
She had never before seen those two in such disarray.
As a princess of the former dynasty, she had grown up immersed in the principles of governance. Managing a small town was naturally well within her grasp.
"Uncle Wu, Elder Yao," she called softly.
Two figures appeared silently behind her.
"Hang the worst troublemakers on the city walls," she ordered lightly. "Remember to leave them alive."
With the deterrence of two cultivators in the Longevity Realm, the chaos quickly subsided.
Afterward, she built a governing framework centered around the spirit plant clans—patrol squads, trade bureaus, mediation offices—establishing one department after another.
Of course, there were still occasions where subordinates called in more powerful backers.
In such cases, when even Uncle Wu could not resolve the matter, she would politely invite the offenders into the valley.
And then… there was nothing more to say.
In short, she dealt with every issue methodically.
Unknowingly, the once-small town grew into one of Qingzhou's foremost Immortal Spirit Cities.
And she, almost without realizing it, had been pushed into the position of City Lord.
"City Lord," a maid reported softly, "the new batch of spirit herbs has been loaded onto the carts and is ready for delivery to the Moonlight Pavilion."
Ji Lingxiu returned to herself, picked up her brush, and signed the document.
Sunlight lit the side of her face, revealing a faint, resigned smile.
Outside, the prosperous Immortal Spirit City bustled with life, yet all was orderly.
Who could have imagined that this city, which even the great sects feared, had begun with two unreliable senior brothers and one junior sister who could no longer bear to watch idly?
Of course, Ji Lingxiu had never neglected her own cultivation over the years.
Born with a clear sword heart and talent no less than her eldest brother Xiao Chen, she had been taught by her master an unparalleled immortal art— the Four Symbols Sword Array, a formation that could be executed by a single person.
However, cultivating this sword array required the blood essence of four divine beasts. By chance, when her second senior brother returned recently, he obtained Azure Dragon's blood within a secret realm, finally allowing her to bring the array to full fruition.
Now she had already reached the peak of the Returning Origin Realm, only a single step away from the Longevity Realm, and among her senior and junior siblings, she was the strongest in cultivation.
Well—except for Xingcai, that troublesome girl.
…
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