Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

It had just rained in Cheshire that morning, and the bricks and tiles in the streets and alleys were still wet and dark gray. People stepped through the puddles that had not yet receded, talking and laughing as they opened their doors.

The waiter arrived at the door, his nostrils flared wide as he inhaled a deep breath of fresh air.

"We're open for business! We're open for business!"

Shop assistants from clothing stores, silk shops, cosmetics shops, and metalwork workshops all stood at their doorways, bowing and greeting everyone they met with sincere and familiar smiles.

"Hey buddy, why are you open for business during the day today?" A passerby looked closely and was surprised to find that more than half of the shops on the commercial street were open.

"Hey, it's because our city lord finally figured things out and dismissed those Red Immortal Sect members who patrol every day."

The waiter's face was full of a sincere smile, and his eyes shone as he looked at the passersby.

"Without those skinners in the city, we can naturally open our shops and do business."

"Would you like to come in and take a look?"

"Good, good, good. My baby hasn't had any new clothes in a while. Luckily you're open, otherwise I would have had to find a shop in Chunhua City to buy some."

The pedestrian was ushered into the clothing shop by the shop assistant, and at the end, he glanced at the Wenshu Shanhaige store on the commercial street, which was still closed.

"Hey buddy, this document is from Shan Hai Ge..."

"Sigh, I heard that this old brand was the most harmed by the Red Immortal Sect. Now, 90% of its business has been expanded outside the city, and only the main branch is still in the East City."

The shop assistant casually offered an explanation, and then proceeded to unfold and display the cloth garments that had been piling up in the shop for one or two years.

The colors, textures, and styles are layered upon one another, dazzling passersby and drawing their attention away from everything else.

The main building of the Shanhai Pavilion.

The number of pedestrians coming and going in front of the store is endless; the daily foot traffic of one shop is equivalent to that of half of the Dongcheng Commercial Street.

The entire pavilion has three floors: the first floor for general merchandise, the second floor for treasures, and the third floor for documents.

And it was in the noisiest place that three tables surrounded a small space where two people sat together.

The city lord's guards, disguised as merchants, were hawking mountain produce while using their broad shoulders to block the prying eyes of the passersby.

"Please forgive me, sir."

As Li Zhengming, the city lord of Xia'an City, spoke, he took a small sip of tea instead of wine, his voice so low that it was almost drowned out by the boisterous chatter of the crowd.

"It's still unclear whether the elder in charge of the Crimson Immortal Sect is in the city, so this is the only way we can cover it up a bit."

"It's because I'm an old man who's useless." Wenbin, Wen Shuyan's father, heard the voice and pondered it several times before he understood what the city lord meant.

After realizing what had happened, he immediately apologized, saying, "If my son weren't still outside the city, you only needed to give the order, and we would certainly have gone to visit him."

Li Zhengming remained silent upon hearing this, but instead took a pen and paper, laid them on the table, quickly wrote a few small characters, and handed them to Wenbin.

—Wen Shuyan, is he in Zhongshan?

The old man took the blank paper, looked at the question written on it, pondered for a moment, and then replied:

"Please forgive me, sir. The business of Wenshu Shanhai Pavilion has been under the full control of Shuyan for ten years. I only know that he is outside the city, but I don't know exactly where..."

Li Zhengming wrote another line and handed it over.

—New Village?

"That's...possible. After all, a precious ginseng appeared in that village around the time of the Awakening of Insects. If Shuyan is there, he might be there to trade for more medicinal herbs?"

Wenbin stroked his beard, his tone somewhat bewildered, and reminiscent.

"I haven't seen him for almost a month. Life outside the city is hard, unlike at home where there are people to serve me... I don't know if he's doing well or not."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhengming smiled, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Wenbin.

The old man was very composed. No matter how he looked at him, his eyes and brows were always lowered, as if he was immersed in the past, and his words were full of reminiscence.

"When people get old, they just want their children around so they can see them all the time," Wenbin sighed softly. "But that boy, Shuyan, has been impulsive since he was little and has caused a lot of trouble."

"Master, your son has gotten himself into serious trouble this time." Li Zhengming tapped the table with his finger. "Meng Heng, Huo Yufeng, and Shen Yan of the Crimson Immortal Sect all disappeared after getting into his carriage."

"These three are the future hope of the Crimson Immortal Sect. They are only thirty years old, but they have all reached the third realm... and are about to form their core."

The first floor was bustling with noise, and shouts and footsteps surged in like a tide.

Wenbin listened intently, and after a long while, it seemed as if he finally understood what was being said.

His expression changed drastically, and he immediately retorted, "Lord City Lord, you are wise! How could Shuyan have such courage and ability?"

"The three immortals of the Crimson Immortal Sect could probably kill him with a single breath..."

As the old man was speaking, Li Zhengming leaned close to his ear and whispered two words—

Red snake.

After saying that, he sat back down, staring intently into Wenbin's eyes, not missing a single change.

"My lord..." Wenbin's face was full of fear, and it took him a long time to sit back down in his chair.

Forcing himself to regain his composure, the old man's face revealed a natural predicament: "Snakes aren't easy to deal with at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain..."

"That ginseng from Xincun seems to have excellent effects," Li Zhengming said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "I'm even thinking of sending someone to try their luck..."

"It's all luck, it's all luck," Wenbin immediately chimed in.

"Since Wen Shuyan hasn't returned yet, I won't bother you any longer."

Looking at the old man's apologetic smile, Li Zhengming felt a strange mix of emotions.

It's like discovering a dead old tree, but upon closer inspection, you find new buds sprouting inside.

He stood up.

The guards understood immediately and quickly cleared the goods off the table.

"Sir, there's no need to see me off."

"Take care, sir." Wenbin, leaning on his cane, still rose to see him off.

As they walked to the entrance of Wenshushan Haige, the old man stood on the steps and watched Li Zhengming and his group disappear into the crowd before turning around.

The city lord and his entourage all possessed cultivation, and their return to the mansion was extremely fast.

Li Zhengming, with a sullen face, dismissed the servants and walked into the side hall.

Inside the hall stood a white-robed scholar with a similarly somber expression, Zhao Qingyan.

The city lord had almost never seen this young man with such an expression. He sat in the main seat and asked, "What's wrong? I felt like I was eating cotton at the Wen family's house. Where did you get your comeuppance?"

Zhao Qingyan remained silent, served Li Zhengming tea, and only spoke after Li Zhengming had drunk it:

"It's my aunt."

"Pfft—!" Li Zhengming spat out his tea, nearly coughing up blood as well. "What did you say?!"

"My aunt came to Yongningzhou, but she said she was going to Chunhua City to visit Chunhua Marsh." With someone to share her sorrows, Zhao Qingyan's lips curled up.

"Why did that god of death come to Yongning? Could it be that the internal strife in Zhongzhou has reached your Zhao family as well..." Li Zhengming straightened his body, his brows furrowed.

"No matter how much the fighting goes on in Central Continent, it doesn't really concern us much." Zhao Qingyan sat down. "But you, City Lord, haven't even made contact with the Serpent God yet, and you've already attacked the Crimson Immortal Sect..."

"Since Zhongshan has killed Meng Heng with swift and decisive measures, I, as the lord of this city, must make my stance clear as soon as possible."

"Compared to the four paths of seclusion, even a fool would know to choose Zhongshan."

"It's not all bad that your aunt is coming over now."

Li Zhengming looked up at the ceiling and suddenly felt much more at ease.

With no Golden Core cultivators above the Third Realm stationed in Xia'an City, the only way to contend with the Crimson Immortal Sect's elder, whose whereabouts are unknown, is to rely on the cumbersome city defense array.

Now look what's happened, that killing machine from the Zhao family has arrived.

Zhao Qingyan is in Xia'an City, so she will definitely come to see her nephew.

"Qingyan, go and prepare two things," Li Zhengming suddenly said.

"Please speak," the scholar in white said, rising to wait respectfully.

"Give the order that the entire city begin to worship the Red Serpent God statue, and make sure it looks exactly like this." Li Zhengming took out a Red Serpent ice sculpture from his pocket.

It looked exactly like the snake god he had created using his aura-gazing technique and tea.

However, compared to the past, this snake god statue has clearer textures, as if it had been meticulously carved.

Zhao Qingyan's eyes flickered, still puzzled.

"Also, Xia'an City will resume the worship of... Zhongshan God." Li Zhengming said again, "You should hurry up and prepare, and also answer the people's questions. From now on, everyone will be called the same person, Zhongshan God."

"Huh?" Zhao Qingyan asked in surprise.

The snake god who was once granted an imperial decree was named the Snake God of Zhongshan.

Now, how did it become...?

He looked up at the city lord, only to see a stern face that commanded respect.

"Go and do it."

"promise."