The next day.
Qing Qiu Fang Zhu and old Mr. Zhu toured the small town and selected the largest courtyard, apart from the academy, to serve as the storefront for Ju Bao Fang. Ju Bao Fang, living up to its name as the largest mountain shop in the Great Shang Dynasty, leased the courtyard for ten years, paying Lin Zhao a full 10 Jin Ziz money as rent. By early morning, spirit boats and cargo ships had landed before the mountain gate, followed by cartloads of goods entering the town to stock Ju Bao Fang.
The Snow Domain Heavenly Pool was truly becoming more lively by the day.
Lin Zhao, however, found himself with little to do. After the four demon race encampments retreated, there had been no further movements except for replenishing troops, food, and equipment. The coffin carriers had also vanished, and all the twelfth-realm Wū Lǐ meat had been consumed. His leveling progress had come to a standstill, which was not a good thing.
In the afternoon, a group of his own people ascended the mountain.
On the stone bridge in the small town, Lin Zhao, carrying two long swords on his back, welcomed them.
Leading the way was a short-haired beautiful female knight, Luo Man of the Crimson Moon Knights. Upon seeing Lin Zhao, she immediately spurred her horse onto the stone bridge, canceled her mount status, and rushed into Lin Zhao's embrace, laughing happily and calling out, "Gege~~~"
"Damn it..."
Lin Zhao extended one hand, pressed it against Luo Man's pretty face, and then with his other hand, pushed her charming face against the bridge railing. As she flailed her arms and kicked her legs, he grinned at the crowd below and asked, "You've finally all arrived?"
"Yeah."
Chen Xue, holding a gleaming flow gold artifact spear, smiled and said, "The number of players in the national server is truly too large. In the past few days, a large number of second-turn players have flooded into Bai Di City. The resources of Bai Di City have been practically depleted. A Level Earth boss that just spawned is gone in under two minutes, with hardly any profit left. The area around Xi Jian Jiang is similar. Large-scale demon race boss strongholds are currently beyond the players' capabilities, and even the smaller boss spawn points are crowded."
"To the north of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, there's still some profit to be made."
Lin Zhao continued, "Mid-tier cultivators of the five realms are all assessed as Flow Gold or Earth-level bosses. Those in the Star River realm are considered Heavenly-level bosses and up. As for the NPCs who offer quests, there are two camps on the mountainside of Bei Shan, where you can pick up some regular quests. For S-rank or higher, it depends on luck whether you can get them."
Ding Chi chuckled, "You are the lord of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, can't you order the NPCs there to give us quests? I think this is something worth trying."
"That's right, that's right!"
Zhang Jun, Lu Han, Shen Lan Zhi Ren, and others all nodded in agreement. Even a figure like Bu Su Li Ren was among the crowd, nodding repeatedly. "With just one word from my Elder Brother Bai Yi, which NPC in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool would dare to disobey?"
"Li Ren, have you joined the alliance?"
Lin Zhao greeted him with a smile.
"Yes!"
Bu Su Li Ren cupped his fist in a practiced gesture and said, "Bu Su Li Ren, greetings to the Alliance Leader!"
Lin Zhao waved his hand, too lazy to bother with the kid.
"A Zhao."
Zhang Jun said, "Just tell us, can you order the NPCs in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to give us quests?"
"I'll try."
Lin Zhao said, "If I don't try, you all will surely not give up."
For a moment, Chen Xue, Lu Li, Mo Chen Xue, and the others widened their beautiful eyes, waiting to witness a miracle.
"Xu Zhi!"
Lin Zhao let out a low shout, and immediately a beautiful sword immortal descended from the sky. In the eyes of Chen Xue, Luo Man, and the others, Xu Zhi's level, rank, attributes, and everything else were all "???". An eleventh-realm peak sword cultivator was simply beyond the current stage of players to covet. Even looking at her was a sin.
"My lord, what is it?"
Xu Zhi asked softly.
"These are all my friends."
Lin Zhao gestured to the crowd and said, "Can you give them some quests?"
"?"
Xu Zhi blinked her large, watery eyes, completely failing to understand what Lin Zhao meant. She frowned and replied, "Mu Zha is currently building the River God Shrine by the Bai Yu River. If your friends wish to help, you can have them go assist with moving bricks or something."
"..."
Lin Zhao chuckled, "Did you all see that?"
Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, Lu Han, and the others were speechless. As expected, the back door was not an option. The system had likely guarded against this long ago. Otherwise, as the lord of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool and a player, wouldn't Lin Zhao be able to control everything on this map? This was fundamentally impossible and would surely have major restrictions.
"Alright."
Lin Zhao said, "All of you go to Bei Shan to pick up quests. If there are no quests, go level up. The Jiu Zhang Yuan area is fine for that. If any Great Demons of the Upper Five Realms appear, quickly run back to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Don't fight them head-on."
"Okay."
Chen Xue nodded with a smile, "I'll take them."
As she spoke, she brushed past Lin Zhao and patted Luo Man's behind, "Let's go!"
Lin Zhao released his grip.
Luo Man pouted at him, acted cute for a moment, and then left.
Mo Chen Xue, carrying her staff, glanced at Lin Zhao and gave him a smile, "Going now?"
"Go on, go on."
Behind her, Shen Lan Zhi Ren walked side-by-side with Yuan Qi Man Man. Yuan Qi Man Man had heard what Mo Chen Xue said to Lin Zhao but wasn't overly excited. He simply nodded at Lin Zhao with a smile and said, "Alliance Leader, we're off to level up."
"Go, kill more demons!"
"Mhm, mhm!"
One by one, they departed, leaving Lin Zhao alone on the stone bridge. Just then, a figure floated gracefully from the direction of the mountain-top villa. It was Dong Cang. Dressed in an apricot-yellow gown, Dong Cang appeared graceful and elegant. Her apricot tree had long been transplanted to the edge of the bamboo forest in front of Tian Ran Ju, just as it always had been. Bathed day and night in the spiritual energy from the lotus pond and the azure treasure cauldron, the apricot tree's cultivation seemed to have increased considerably, making it a fairly strong apricot spirit. However, Dong Cang's gentle nature meant she lacked any sharp edges.
"Dong Cang."
Lin Zhao looked up and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Ah?!"
Dong Cang hurried down, her pretty face blushing slightly. "Young Master, more and more martial artists and merchants are coming and going to the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, but the inns here are a bit expensive. So, the human merchants have built a new town ten miles south of the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, by the official road, called Ting Ma Town. The local residents bring fresh fruits, vegetables, and poultry to sell in Ting Ma Town every day. So I want to go to Ting Ma Town to purchase some daily necessities for the villa."
"I see..."
Lin Zhao frowned, "Is it safe for you to go alone?"
"It's fine."
Dong Cang smiled, "The area around Ting Ma Town has had Great Shang cavalry patrolling for half a month now, and our Snow Domain cavalry also have patrols descending the mountain. The journey is quite safe. Besides, Dong Cang is now a seventh-realm apricot spirit, very powerful. Ordinary rogue cultivators can't do anything to me..." Da Feng Novel Network.
"Understood."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly, "Go. Come back early. Be careful."
"Yes!"
After Dong Cang descended the mountain, Lin Zhao rode his horse to the mountain gate and looked at Tang Guang Jun, who was slurping a bowl of Yang Chun noodles. As usual, the noodles were stolen, as were the scallions and garlic, and even a sprig of cilantro had been subtly "borrowed" from Mrs. Widow's doorstep with a wisp of sword intent. Yet, it tasted incomparably delicious.
"Tang Guang Jun."
Lin Zhao called out.
"Yes, Junior Brother Mountain Master!"
Tang Guang Jun immediately put down his bowl, standing ramrod straight, more solemn than when he entered the martial temple. "Please instruct me, Mountain Master!"
"..."
His attitude truly made Lin Zhao uncomfortable.
"Dong Cang has gone down the mountain to Ting Ma Town to purchase supplies."
Lin Zhao said calmly, "Keep an eye on her. Don't let Dong Cang be bullied."
"Yes!"
Tang Guang Jun cupped his fists, "Leave it to me. Please rest assured, Mountain Master!"
Lin Zhao turned and left.
In truth, he had always wondered what Tang Guang Jun's cultivation realm was. Even Xu Zhi and Mu Zha couldn't fully see through him. Either he was a master beyond the twelfth realm, or he was genuinely just a gatekeeper. However, Lin Zhao had a feeling that Tang Guang Jun was indeed working for the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. Especially during the previous battle at Luo Yan Mountain, Feng Quan hadn't shown up. And the last time Fu Sheng attacked the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, Tang Guang Jun had appeared on the蛟龙舟 (Jiaolong Zhou), which made Feng Quan hesitant to go all out.
All these signs indicated that Tang Guang Jun was merely concealing his strength. While everyone else in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool paid him no mind, Lin Zhao had always been watching him.
As he watched Lin Zhao's retreating back, Tang Guang Jun felt a surge of excitement. Finally, his junior brother had begun to "use" him. This time, he had to ensure Dong Cang's safety both going up and down the mountain. He would even create difficulties if none existed, to show his junior brother his sincere heart!
However, an apricot spirit, a little girl, who would dare to trouble her?
Thinking of this, Tang Guang Jun couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. The opportunity to earn merit seemed slim!
...
Evening, Ting Ma Town.
Merchants bustled through here, and several rows of inns had already been built to accommodate traveling merchants, wandering swordsmen, and government officials. In addition, there were many stalls selling vegetables, fruits, and other produce from the countryside. Hunters also sold game such as muntjac, rabbits, mountain lords, and mountain snakes, as well as various furs, making the newly formed Ting Ma Town already feel quite vibrant.
Dong Cang, dressed in an apricot-yellow gown, carried a basket and walked through the stalls, inquiring about prices and checking the freshness of the produce. She looked like a pure and unblemished country girl, attracting considerable attention. Many martial artists cast admiring glances her way. However, Ting Ma Town was guarded by a hundred-strong Great Shang cavalry and several dozen cultivators from the Fusang Great Wall, so no one dared to cause trouble.
Every martial artist had a scale of justice in their heart. If someone's scale was a bit narrow, a slight misstep in such a place could lead to them being subjected to "righteous action."
After a while, Dong Cang had purchased a basket full of vegetables and some wild game, which she placed in a storage bag given to her by Xu Zhi. She then left Ting Ma Town with her basket, heading straight for the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool.
...
"Rustle, rustle..."
In the woods, a twelfth-realm rogue cultivator in a fiery red Daoist robe watched Dong Cang's retreating back, couldn't help but stroke his chin, his palm already slick with saliva.
Eighth chapter completed, brothers, please vote for recommendations!!!!