Chapter 91: Chapter 89: The Great Cangling County, an Expanse of Three Thousand Li

Song Ciwan walked out of the Yellow Mansion Cave Mansion, holding the white goose.

The sky had grown dim, and a light snow drifted through the air.

Towering Wangjiang Mountain was shrouded in a blanket of white mist. Amidst the flurrying snow, the mountain trees remained as verdant as ever.

Treading on the light snow, Song Ciwan descended the mountain.

Along the way, she encountered a few other Cultivators who were also renting cave mansions on the Yellow-grade mountain. Among them were Martial Artists and other Cultivators. Some were heading up the mountain, others were heading down.

This time, without needing to deliberately use the Side Door Taoist Skill, Measurement System, to gauge them, Song Ciwan could roughly sense the strength of their Cultivation!

—This was the magic of Spiritual Sense.

Of course, the perceptions from her Spiritual Sense were relatively vague and not as precise as the Measurement System. Furthermore, if someone possessed a sophisticated concealment technique, her Spiritual Sense could be fooled.

However, compared to the Measurement System, Spiritual Sense was far more subtle and untraceable, making it ideal for everyday use.

The sensation of perceiving the world through her Spiritual Sense was marvelous. It was as if she had spent her life watching the world from behind a curtain, and now, she had finally learned how to pull it aside!

At the foot of the mountain, the Steward Hall inscribed with the words "Wangjiang Cave Mansion" was as bustling as ever.

Cultivators bustled back and forth, and at first glance, they seemed no different from the mortals rushing about their daily lives in the secular world.

’But on second thought, these Cultivators have yet to become Immortals or saints. The Cultivation Realm has never truly been separate from the Mortal Realm. Since that’s the case, they are all still part of the mortal coil. In that sense, isn’t this constant hustle and bustle a sign of life itself?’

This time, free from the pressure of needing to break through, Song Ciwan could observe everything in the Steward Hall with a more leisurely eye.

She soon discovered that this Steward Hall didn’t just manage the leasing of cave mansions; it was also responsible for posting bounties from the Government Office.

Pinglan was a county capital. The Great Zhou World contained the Nine Provinces, and each province had nine counties, for a total of the Eighty-One Counties.

A single county often governed dozens of cities—all of this was information Song Ciwan had gleaned from a book called the *Great Zhou Chronicles*.

During her travels with the Escort Team, she had often browsed this book. Through it, she had not only learned about the sights along her route but also glimpsed the true vastness of the world.

’Just how large was the Great Zhou?’

The concept of the Eighty-One Counties was still somewhat abstract. But if she looked at it from a different perspective, considering just Cangling County: it alone contained seventy-two cities. A thousand years ago, during the warring states period, its total area would have been equivalent to that of a large country!

The people of Cangling County often spoke of the "three-thousand-li-expanse of Cangling"...

In fact, in Song Ciwan’s previous life, the country she had lived in, the Huaxia that filled her with pride, had a territory of just over three thousand li!

And yet, in the Great Zhou, Cangling County, with its three-thousand-li expanse, was merely one of the Eighty-One Counties!

And among them, there were surely some major counties even larger than Cangling.

From this, she could begin to imagine the staggering scale of the Great Zhou.

And beyond the Great Zhou, according to the *Chronicles of the Land and People*, there were the Nine Celestial Demon Countries and the vastness of the Four Seas. And beyond that... The *Chronicles* said no more, but Song Ciwan had a feeling. ’There must be other, unspeakable lands out there, existing somewhere in this boundless world.’

’In such a vast world, Cangling County is my starting point.’

She stood in the Steward Hall of the Wangjiang Cave Mansion, waiting in line to return the Token for Yellow Mansion Cave Mansion Number 136, all the while watching the other Cultivators nearby accept and turn in various bounty quests. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

About half of the posted bounties were for investigating strange occurrences.

For example: in Wuyue Square to the south, a Scholar, despite being perfectly healthy and uninjured, had suddenly gone blind.

In Bai Gui Square, an old man had reported frequently seeing a floating figure at night, lingering beneath the willow tree at the square’s entrance.

In Bright Moon Square, a Musician Courtesan named Yu Chunfeng was so alluring that she had caused the young masters of several families to fight over her, a rivalry that had recently escalated to the point of costing someone their life...

It was worth noting that these incidents had all occurred within the city walls; there were currently no bounties for matters taking place outside the city.

Aside from investigations into such strange phenomena, there was also a hodgepodge of other bounties.

These included requests for collecting certain Spiritual Materials, providing specific information, or even soliciting answers to various questions.

Although these were said to be issued by the Government Office, they didn’t seem like official government business to Song Ciwan.

’Perhaps private individuals can also use the Government Office’s channels to post their own requests?’

Song Ciwan mulled this over quietly as she observed, and soon, she reached the front of the line.

The goose in her arms made her quite memorable. As she handed over the Token for Yellow Mansion Number 136, the Steward in charge of registration suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "It’s you! You broke through!"

Song Ciwan was currently in her "Xin Mian" disguise and had deliberately let her aura show as being at the Early-Stage Qi Refining.

Reaching the Qi Refining Stage was no small feat, especially for someone who looked as young as Xin Mian. The Steward’s initial shock quickly melted into a broad smile. He let out a soft exclamation, "Ah, so it’s a senior! Please, Senior, take this. Here are the three Fuyuan Pills you left as a deposit."

Beaming, he respectfully and enthusiastically handed a Jade Bottle back to Song Ciwan.

The "Xin Mian" that Song Ciwan was portraying was very approachable. She smiled, put away the Jade Bottle, and said amiably, "It was just a fortunate breakthrough. You’re too kind, Fellow Daoist. My name is Xin Mian. We can consider ourselves peers; just calling each other Fellow Daoist is fine."

This friendly gesture was not in vain; the smile on the Steward’s face instantly became more genuine.

He said with great delight, "So, it’s Brother Xin Mian! My name is Xie Yunxiang. Brother Xin, don’t be in a hurry to leave. I’m off duty at three this afternoon. We were fated to meet today, so we must share a drink! I’ll be your host tonight at Bright Moon Square. You absolutely must not refuse, Brother Xin!"

He saw that Xin Mian had achieved Qi Refining Cultivation at such a young age, was a new face in town, and seemed approachable—all excellent reasons to try and befriend him!

As it happened, Song Ciwan also wanted to learn more about Pinglan City, and this Steward Xie was the most convenient source imaginable. She readily agreed, "Since fate has brought us together and you are so kind, Fellow Daoist, how could I possibly refuse!"

Xie Yunxiang let out a hearty laugh, his face beaming with delight.

In reality, he was already in his thirties and, based on appearances alone, was quite a bit older than Xin Mian.

But in the world of Cultivators, accomplishment always came first. Whoever had the higher Cultivation was the senior. That was why he repeatedly referred to himself as "this little brother" when speaking to the younger Xin Mian. And when Xin Mian accepted his invitation, he seemed even more pleased than Xin Mian was.

Song Ciwan could understand his delight. She quietly stepped aside to wait for Xie Yunxiang, continuing to discreetly observe everything happening in the hall.

The hall was filled predominantly with Martial Artists, most of whom were at the Organ Refining Stage. Their Qi Blood was ample and fully developed.

Breaking through to the Innate realm, however, was no simple task. Most of those at the Organ Refining Stage had likely achieved it in their twenties or thirties, but they might spend the rest of their lives stuck there, never advancing further!

At three o’clock, Xie Yunxiang handed over his duties to the other Stewards of the Wangjiang Cave Mansion. He then invited "Xin Mian," had "him" board a Puppet Carriage, and the two set off directly for Bright Moon Square.