"Geographical Records of Da Xia" states: Chitan spans seven hundred steps, hidden in the Old Mountain, where clouds persist year-round, and thunder serpents strike the water.

This means that Chitan is concealed within the Old Mountain, always under dark clouds, with occasional lightning hitting the water surface.

It is indeed a magnificent sight.

"Old Mountain" is not a description of the mountain, but rather its name. It is located west of the city named "Noble City", seldom visited by people.

The Emperor Qi granting the Marquis Wu’an Chitan was not just to give him an ancient pond for leisurely fishing.

Jiang Wang’s fief includes this Old Mountain and nine towns near it.

According to the census registry, the combined population of these nine towns is nearly three hundred thousand people, enough to form a city. However, since these towns are scattered around Old Mountain, and transportation is inconvenient, merging them into a city is not practical.

Dugu Xiao took over the management of this area, dealing with matters far more complex than those in Green sheep town. Correspondingly, the power in her hands greatly expanded — it is worth mentioning that the position of the pavilion head in Green sheep town was transferred by Dugu Xiao to a Complete Cycle Realm Cultivator who joined later. This cultivator is earnest and efficient, quickly becoming the second in command in Green sheep town. As for Zhang Hai, who is determined to refine the divine pill, he continues to hold the honorary position, attending to duties, and living idly.

The Wu’an Marquis Mansion is built at the foot of Old Mountain, with the full name inscribed on the plaque as "Wu’an Marquis Old Mountain Retreat".

The Emperor Qi specifically appointed a Master Craftsman to oversee the construction in Xia Territory. After careful site selection, it was completed with significant expense and unique craftsmanship. The residence, overlooking mountains and water, is quite majestic.

The mansion employs some servants, maintaining smooth operations, with temporary funding from the Nanxia Governor’s Mansion for now.

This time, Jiang Wang brought Dugu Xiao to manage the fief, naturally needing to recruit additional staff, and will eventually bear the expenses himself. However, these are matters Dugu Xiao needs to attend to.

By the time Jiang Wang arrived from the city named "Noble City", Dugu Xiao had already organized the cleanup inside and out.

She was a skilled and sophisticated person, seasoned by managing Green sheep town for the past few years. Although new to this place, she handled all the trivial matters smoothly, with no foolish insubordination among the servants.

"Where is Chu Yao?" Jiang Wang asked after a brief tour upon entering.

"Went into the Old Mountain with Lord Lian, supposedly to take a look at Chitan," Dugu Xiao replied.

Jiang Wang remarked in surprise, "Isn’t he quite afraid of Lian Que? How come he went along?"

Dugu Xiao chuckled and said, "Lord Lian called him, and he just followed along. I think he was too scared to go and too scared not to go."

Jiang Wang laughed as well and casually handed over a list to Dugu Xiao: "Governor Su imposed a task on me, appointing me to oversee the official examinations in the South Border, which is quite tiresome. Here is the list of examiners; please investigate them and select some reliable ones as soon as possible."

Though it sounded easy, the task was no simple one, especially since they were newcomers, making it hard to find leads for the investigation.

But Dugu Xiao happily accepted the task: "I will handle it right away."

What could better prove one’s existence than being needed by the lord?

Jiang Wang further instructed: "Meanwhile, collect some local folklore tales from the towns under our governance and summarize them for me later... There is no rush for this; focus on the examiners first."

"Understood." Dugu Xiao nodded firmly. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The towns surrounding the Old Mountain Chitan number exactly nine, easily reminiscent of the Nine Towns of the Long River—perhaps there is some hidden significance.

However, since the entire Chitan is part of his fief, there is no urgency.

After pushing all the tedious tasks to Dugu Xiao, Master Jiang walked around inspecting his residence in South Xia, intending to give some guidance on arrangement, but everywhere had been set according to his preferences, making it hard to find fault. Finally, he insisted on having the lotus vat in the front yard moved to the backyard.

Afterward, he leisurely grabbed a fishing rod and headed to the Old Mountain.

Considering the grandeur of the couplet at the mountain gate of Diao Hai Building, it boldly claims "remove the hook for the moon".

Today, since Master Jiang has free time, why not go fishing in the empty mountain!