Chương 37: Heading to White Flower City

The two were deep in conversation when a flying sword suddenly descended from the sky. Pei Tang caught it, opened the letter inside, read it briefly, and frowned.

"I need to go to the capital," he said to Fang Cheng. He had said all he needed to say. Pei Tang did not go on. He had spoken more today than he had in the past month. It was time to stop.

"We will end it here. I will take you to the villa to see Steward Tang. He will give you the appointment letter and other items. Do not linger in Lianshan Prefecture. Get to White Flower City as soon as possible." With that, he grabbed Fang Cheng's shoulder and gave a gentle toss. Fang Cheng felt the scenery blur around him, and in an instant, he was standing in the villa's pavilion. Steward Tang was waiting outside the pavilion.

When he saw Fang Cheng appear, he sensed the Fourth Level cultivation within him and broke into a warm smile, clasping his hands in congratulations.

"Congratulations, Young Fang, on becoming a disciple of the Violet Star Emperor."

"You are too kind, Steward Tang." Fang Cheng returned the gesture.

"Lord Pei told me to come to you for some things. I appreciate your help."

"I understand, Young Fang. Please wait a moment." Steward Tang nodded and left. He returned shortly with a storage ring, handing it to Fang Cheng.

"Everything is ready. I also put some Immortal Crystals inside. Not many, so use them wisely." Fang Cheng took the storage ring, unable to hide his fascination. He had never owned one before. This was his first. He probed it with his divine sense. The space inside was about fifty or sixty square meters, and Immortal Crystals were piled into a small mountain, dazzling to behold. He counted carefully: one hundred high-grade Immortal Crystals, and more than a dozen top-grade ones.

"This is 'not many'? Then what is 'many'? Did you just prepay me for several lifetimes?" Fang Cheng could not help complaining. Steward Tang laughed heartily.

"Young Fang, you are the only disciple my master has ever taken under his wing. In all of Great Sheng, you are the second to have joined the Violet Star Emperor's lineage. I would not dare let you suffer any slight. That is why I prepared this modest gift."

"Modest gift?" Fang Cheng's mouth twitched. A bitter feeling rose in his heart. He thought of his years serving the minor immortal above, working like a beast of burden, diligently toiling for over a decade. The total wages he had earned did not even add up to one low-grade Immortal Crystal. Yet this old man, a mere steward, could casually produce piles of high-grade and top-grade crystals. Sigh. It confirmed the consensus:"To cultivate, one must have someone above."

"Steward Tang, you are far too generous." Fang Cheng clasped his hands in thanks again. The old steward waved a hand.

"Young Fang, there is no need for that. Just remember what my master told you and do your duty well. Do not let him down."

"Of course." Fang Cheng puffed out his chest in promise. Then he checked the rest of the ring's contents. First, the appointment letter for White Flower City. He took it out and read:"Effective immediately, the Hall of Eternal Life appoints cultivator Fang Cheng as City God of White Flower City. This document serves as proof of his identity and responsibilities." The date and the Hall's seal were at the bottom right. Fang Cheng looked at the date. It was today's date. He was surprised.

"The Hall of Eternal Life works this fast?" Steward Tang explained, "I filled in the date just now. The appointment letter was prepared days ago."

"I see." Fang Cheng nodded in understanding. Then he asked, "How did you know I would accept the City God position? What if I had refused?" Steward Tang's gaze flickered coldly for an instant, then returned to its warm and friendly state. He smiled.

"My master knew you had a righteous heart. He knew you were like him. He also guessed you would eventually accept."

"Can't argue with that. I do love upholding justice." Fang Cheng did not press further. He continued checking the ring's contents. There were ten flying swords for sending messages and three black sword talismans. He pulled them out. Each was engraved with a single large character: "Pei," "Tang," and "Han." Steward Tang explained that the sword talismans were for locating the flying swords. The "Pei" talisman corresponded to Pei Tang, "Tang" to Steward Tang himself, and "Han" to Underworld Officer Han Bingxuan.

Fang Cheng could contact any of them anytime. Cultivators who reached the Sixth Realm could use their divine sense to traverse the void and create their own sword talismans. This meant Steward Tang was at least a Sixth Realm cultivator. Fang Cheng put the talismans away and checked the rest of the storage ring. The remaining items were assorted official robes, hats, and other odds and ends. The robes were ugly. They looked like burial shrouds. Fang Cheng figured he probably would not wear them.

"Young Fang, any other questions?" Steward Tang asked. Fang Cheng thought for a moment. There was one thing. He planned to make Qin Hao his temple keeper. From the Everlasting Mountains to Lianshan Prefecture, they had gotten along well. Two lost souls. Qin Hao had been calling him "Brother Fang" the whole way. Now that Fang Cheng had made it, he could not forget his little brother. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Can I choose my own temple keeper?" Fang Cheng asked. Steward Tang nodded.

"Temple keepers are not on the Hall's payroll. City Gods pick their own. The Hall does not interfere, but they also do not pay the temple keeper's salary."

"Oh, I get it. Temple keepers are temporary workers." Fang Cheng nodded slightly. All matters were settled. He did not linger. He said goodbye to Steward Tang and left. This trip to Lianshan Prefecture had not solved the demon sword problem, but the gains were plenty. He had a new backer now, and his future looked bright. The two small goals Pei Tang had set were the only headaches. Goal one: reach the Seventh Realm. Pei Tang had said "higher three realms" without specifying which.

Fang Cheng decided to aim for the lowest. With the Immortal Crystals Steward Tang had given him, breaking through should not be hard, as long as the demon sword did not interfere. Goal two: boost White Flower City's population to a hundred thousand in a year. That one... well.

"Better get down the mountain. Qin Hao is still waiting at the foot." Fang Cheng stopped overthinking and hurried down. At the mountain's base, Qin Hao sat on a large rock by the roadside, staring up at the mountain. His stomach was growling. Even though he had not waited long, he was already starving. Suddenly, he spotted a figure and jumped up in excitement.

"Brother Fang!" Qin Hao waved. Fang Cheng walked over. Qin Hao stood and asked with concern, "Brother Fang, how did it go? Want to get something to eat? I figure you have been too busy to eat." Fang Cheng heard Qin Hao's stomach rumbling and laughed.

"Let's go. We will find the best restaurant in Lianshan Prefecture City and have a feast. My treat."

"Oh no, I could not. You have already done so much for me. How could I let you pay?" Qin Hao quickly refused.

"Do not worry. I have money now." Fang Cheng grabbed Qin Hao's arm and dragged him toward the city. Along the way, he told Qin Hao about becoming City God and asked if he would be willing to serve as temple keeper.

"Of course!" Qin Hao agreed without hesitation. Finally, he was not alone anymore. As expected of his senior, half a day with the Patrol Envoy and he had already secured a City God position.

"Brother Fang, which big city are we heading to?"

"White Flower City, to the south."

"Brother Fang is truly Brother Fang. Slaying an Eighth Realm great demon with a single stroke, heading to a city of a million... Wait. White Flower City?" Qin Hao thought he had misheard. Everyone knew White Flower City was a backwater wasteland. And after the demon invasion, most of its people had died. What was there to do there? Hold a mass funeral?

"Brother Fang, are you sure you are not mistaken?"

"No mistake." Fang Cheng patted Qin Hao's shoulder and started painting a grand picture.

"Those million-population cities have no challenge at all. We are going to chew on the tough bone. White Flower City, with its sparse population. Imagine this. Years from now, White Flower City will be the largest city in the mortal realm. A population of a hundred million, prosperous and thriving, merchants converging from all over, powers and noble clans gathering, countless higher-three-realm cultivators everywhere. What a magnificent scene.

And all of it, all of it will be us two brothers leading White Flower City's people to rebuild their glory and make history." Qin Hao's mouth fell open. If anyone else had said this, he would have slapped them. Was he supposed to take this seriously? But coming from Fang Cheng, it was different. Qin Hao had seen Fang Cheng's glorious deeds with his own eyes and tasted the glorious results with his own mouth. In his mind, Fang Cheng was on par with an Ascended cultivator.

If Brother Fang said White Flower City could rise, then it would rise.

"Brother Fang is truly Brother Fang. Slaying an Eighth Realm great demon with a single stroke. I can already see it. No, I can see it now. Years from now, there will be a grand square in the center of White Flower City. On the square will stand a ten-zhang-tall throne, carved with dragons and phoenixes, and on it will sit none other than you, Brother Fang, majestic and awe-inspiring. You will look down upon all living beings like a celestial god, and standing by your side will be me, Qin Hao.

A loyal guard, guarding a cauldron beside you, with two big balls boiling inside, spicy flavor. Yes. That is exactly right. We are in an era of unprecedented calamity. Demons stir in the shadows, and chaos is coming. Though we are cultivators of White Flower City, we must look beyond, to the entire mortal realm, and even the celestial realm. The times are moving, the path is winding, and history spirals upward. We will be the pioneers and leaders of this great era." Qin Hao painted the picture with relish.

His stomach stopped growling. He was already full on the dream he had sketched. Fang Cheng's scalp tingled, his head full of black lines. He realized Qin Hao had also memorized the Cultivation Manual, and his imagination was even stronger than Fang Cheng's. Now the roles had reversed. Fang Cheng was not painting the picture anymore. Qin Hao was describing an impossible utopia.

"Uh... Xiao Qin, we are getting off track. Let us just go eat."

"Eat? Forget eating. Brother Fang, I suggest we leave immediately. Time waits for no one. While the demon calamity has not yet arrived, let us build up White Flower City so that when chaos comes, it can shelter the homeless and the cultivators." Qin Hao's face was full of urgency. Though he was a small cultivator, he could see the mortal realm would not stay stable for long. When the demon calamity struck, there would be rivers of blood and fields of corpses.

"Uh... either way, we still need to eat. We have not reached the level of fasting. If we do not eat, we will starve." Fang Cheng tried to reason with him.

"You are right. Only with a full belly can we lead the era." Qin Hao nodded in agreement. He and Fang Cheng walked into Lianshan Prefecture City, looking for food. No fancy restaurants. They settled for a street stall selling baked buns to fill their stomachs.

"Buns are not enough. Let us get something better. We have money now." Fang Cheng showed off his storage ring, letting Qin Hao see the crystals inside. Hisss... Qin Hao gasped, his eyes widening. As expected of Brother Fang. But...

"The first principle of building a city is to boost the economy. With money, everything follows. So we cannot waste these funds. We have to use them to attract investment and build White Flower City's economic market. I know this area well. Before I became a cultivator, I was a big sweet potato merchant. After I lost my Land God position, I was planning to get back into it. That is why I joined the caravan as a guard, to raise startup capital." Fang Cheng was surprised.

He had not expected Qin Hao to be an economic expert. But still...

"Using Immortal Crystals to plant sweet potatoes seems a bit extravagant, even if sweet potatoes are delicious."

"No, Brother Fang, I was just using that as an example." Qin Hao explained.

"Agriculture is the foundation. It is what keeps people alive. But it does not make money, unless we manipulate grain prices, which goes against sustainable principles. It would just fill our own pockets and would not make White Flower City prosper. To make money, we need other industries. As for which ones, I will need to inspect White Flower City first before deciding."

"Fine. You are the expert. You call the shots." Fang Cheng did not want to dwell on it. City-building was not his passion. If he could, he would just lie around all day and do nothing, be a leech. Right, demon sword?... No, no. He could not think like that. He was a chivalrous hero. Upholding justice, helping the weak. That was the ideal he had believed in since childhood. While Fang Cheng was brainwashing the demon sword, Qin Hao led him to a bun stall.

Qin Hao spent only a dozen or so copper coins to order four baskets of meat buns, asking the owner to wrap them in paper and split them into two portions, to eat on the road. Time was precious. And so, with two baskets of buns tucked in his robes, Qin Hao set off on his great journey to White Flower City, his heart full of hope, his stomach not hungry at all. Fang Cheng walked beside him, also holding two baskets of buns, chewing on one as he went. He slapped his forehead.

"Almost forgot. Need to ask the owner for two free cloves of garlic. Takes the grease out and adds flavor." As for Fang Cheng's heart, there was no hope in it. He only wished the demon sword would learn to be a good person.