Chapter 707: Chronicles of Three Mountains, 17 Captains

The little test of Xiling’s skills was just a small episode for Su Mu. Upon leaving Donglai County, many bandits along the way had ill intentions when they saw him alone.

Without exception, these people were all killed by Su Mu, never to breathe again.

While killing the attacking bandits was trivial for Su Mu, he still felt a sense of melancholy. Leaving the Commandery City, bandits still roamed the villages and towns. This Great Yan Dynasty’s world was not very peaceful.

Once again, Su Mu clearly realized that even in a world where one could cultivate individual power, dynasties could not last forever. The Great Yan Dynasty was already in decline, and these bandits might just be an insignificant outward manifestation of the grand dynasty’s decay.

The following morning, Su Mu successfully reached the south gate of Sanshan City, the Commandery City of Sanshan County.

“Finally arrived!”

From afar, Su Mu saw a majestic city emerging amidst the encircling mountains and clouds.

In Qingzhou, Sanshan County’s status was not as great as Donglai County; it wasn’t a grand county, but the Commandery City nestled in the mountains exuded a rough boldness that Donglai County lacked. Each place had its own distinct charm.

Apart from the ten days spent cultivating the “Wine Fighting Scripture,” Su Mu took over ten days journeying leisurely from Donglai County to Sanshan County. For ordinary people or merchant caravans and escort agencies, spending a month or even several was considered quite normal.

It was still early in the day, and about half an hour later, Su Mu finally entered the city.

Compared to the finely polished long streets paved with bluestone in Donglai County, the grey stone streets wide enough for six horses to run abreast had a different, unpretentious ruggedness not seen in the grand County of Donglai.

A faint herbal fragrance permeated the air of the Commandery City with the morning mist. People came and went on the streets, and small and large medicinal herb stores were everywhere, bustling with activity.

From time to time, monks with serene expressions and daoists with beards and topknots passed by, and Jianghu martial artists with weapons at their waists were numerous.

The whole of Sanshan County had a different kind of prosperity compared to Donglai County. On the streets, merchants and escorts mostly appeared hurried, coming and going in haste, as if unwilling to linger in the Commandery City more than necessary.

“I’ll stay here for two days to rest and buy some herbs and wine. It’s also good to gather some information about Qingzhou in advance.”

Su Mu wandered aimlessly through the city for a while. After seeing the novelties of Sanshan County, he decided to find a place to stay and rest.

Sanshan County, with its abundant mountains, produced rich medicinal herbs. Two-thirds of Qingzhou’s medicines came from this county. Furthermore, Sanshan County bordered Donglai County, allowing Donglai’s powerful merchants’ ships to be filled with Sanshan County’s herbs and travel northward to Qingzhou.

The Profound Pattern Pills in Su Mu’s possession were nearly depleted, so he planned to replenish his supply here.

Before long, Su Mu entered a rather bustling tavern.

“Open a room for three days. Serve a table of your best wine and dishes.”

“Alright, please come inside.”

At his words, the waiter beamed. Though the person before him wore humble linen clothes, his voice was full of vigor and confidence, a typical trait of Jianghu martial artists who tended to be generous—the perfect customer.

After a short wait, a table of wine and food was served in an upper room by the window on the second floor. Su Mu picked up a piece of braised beef and put it in his mouth, “Hold on, as I’m new here and not familiar with this place, could you tell me about Sanshan County?”

“If I’m satisfied, this silver is yours as a reward.”

Su Mu casually placed a five-tael silver ingot on the table. Even in a prosperous Commandery City, cultivators were still a minority among the masses, and five taels of silver was a considerable sum for an ordinary person.

The waiter’s eyes shone at the sight of the silver ingot; he knew his judgment wasn’t wrong. “Sir, explaining an entire county in a few words is hard. If you want detailed knowledge, you might as well visit the Wanlin Pavilion in the south of the city. For just ten cents, you can read a vast collection of books and records there, including the customs of hundreds of counties in Sanshan County. Whatever you wish to know, just read it there.”

“Wanlin Pavilion?”

As Su Mu chewed on the somewhat bland braised beef, he asked, “Is this Wanlin Pavilion related to the Wanlin Commerce Association?”

“You are quite insightful, sir. The Wanlin Pavilion is indeed one of the properties owned by the Wanlin Commerce Association in Qingzhou’s city.”

“I see.”

Su Mu easily pushed the silver ingot across the table, letting it fall in front of the waiter, who gulped, took the silver with joy, and thanked him repeatedly.

After eating the dishes and finishing the wine, Su Mu slightly frowned as he carefully sensed the weak changes of the Drunken Immortal Qi within him, noting the effect of ordinary wine on cultivating the “Wine Fighting Scripture” was minimal.

Before noon, Su Mu left the inn and headed to the Wanlin Pavilion in the south of the city.

The Wanlin Pavilion, lacquered brown and inconspicuous, stood six-sided and five stories tall, housing a vast collection of books, poetry, essays, local chronicles, and various local novels and articles.

“Guests, entering the pavilion requires a one-tael silver fee, and you must maintain silence and not damage the books inside. If you need any particular book, you can ask the steward inside for assistance.”

Su Mu paid ten cents and received a bamboo token labeled ‘Forty-Three.’ The first-floor steward reminded him of the rules before stepping aside.

“Two Fourth Grade cultivators and several Fifth-Grade martial artists are on the first floor.”

Su Mu was a bit surprised. When he first heard about the Wanlin Pavilion from the waiter, he had some doubts about the purpose of such a library-like establishment in a feudal dynasty.

Now, Su Mu had some guesses. If Wanlin Pavilion could be established across several counties and in all of Qingzhou, on the surface, it was a non-contentious library, potentially gathering all local information openly. Who would know if it also functioned as Wanlin Pavilion’s intelligence network behind the scenes?