Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 136 Cold Light Reflects Snow, Profit at the Forefront

The chaotic battle that erupted last night when the treasure appeared cost the lives of many rogue cultivators who came with high hopes, and also made more people realize that these treasures that emerge from underground are not so easy to obtain.

The heavy city gate of Changning County slowly opened with a dull thud.

The city gate was not as heavily guarded as expected.

On the contrary, dozens of constables dressed in black uniforms were busy setting up makeshift wooden sheds on the open ground on both sides of the city gate.

Most of these constables only had the cultivation level of the third or fourth level of Qi Refining. They all looked calm and composed, with their long swords hanging at their waists and polished to a shine.

Gu Yan changed into a brand-new dark blue long robe, holding a pretentious folding fan in his hand, and sat imposingly on a newly moved grand chair at the city gate.

On the table behind him was a pot of steaming coarse tea and several chipped porcelain bowls.

"My lord, a large number of people have gathered outside the city, most of them injured."

Song Hong came over to report.

Today, she was wearing a neat, light gray outfit, with her long hair tied up high.

She pointed to the indistinct figures moving in the distant woods and whispered, "There are a few tough guys, they seem to be from the Emerald Bamboo Sect. Do we really have to proceed according to plan?"

Amidst the rising steam, Gu Yan took a sip of tea and squinted his eyes.

He tapped the armrest with his folding fan, looking relaxed.

"Yes, why not? We're in business; there's no reason to turn away customers. Go, raise the flag."

Song Hong responded.

A moment later, a simple white flag with black characters slowly rose on the city gate tower.

The flag bears no dragon or phoenix patterns, only eight large, crooked characters, bold and powerful:

"Enter the city, lay down your armor, and start making money."

Below the flag, a huge sign was erected at the intersection.

The terms above are clearly stated: Anyone entering the city must pay five low-grade spirit stones as a city defense fee.

Violation of force is strictly prohibited within the city; violators will be executed.

The market at the city gate offers transactions for elixirs and talismans. For those who are not comfortable with this, the Changning County government can purchase the goods, and they are honest and fair to all.

The moment this rule was announced, the independent cultivators who had been observing from the forest erupted in uproar.

Five spirit stones? That's highway robbery! Before, it only cost two copper coins to enter Changning County!

"Buying supplies? I think they're just trying to take advantage of our misfortune and swallow up the treasures we fought so hard to acquire!"

Shouts and curses rose and fell, but no one dared to be the first to step forward.

After all, the three corpses hanging on the city gate tower last night were still swaying happily in the morning breeze.

Xiao Chen's chilling sword intent could be sensed even from several miles away.

Gu Yan ignored him and continued fanning himself slowly.

Half an hour later, someone finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

A rogue cultivator, covered in blood and with a severed left arm, stumbled out.

He carried a long, narrow object wrapped in rags on his back, with a faint blue light leaking out from the seams of the cloth. It was clearly a fragment of a magical artifact that he had snatched the night before.

"Help me... I need to get into the city! I have spirit stones!"

The rogue cultivator turned around in alarm. Several malicious glances flashed through the woods.

He knew his injuries were severe and that if he stayed in the wilderness, he would definitely not survive the night. Only by hiding in Changning County, which was said to have extremely strict rules, could he have a glimmer of hope.

He trembled as he pulled five spirit stones from his pocket and slammed them heavily onto the constable's wooden table.

The lead constable accepted the spirit stones expressionlessly, handed him a bamboo token engraved with the seal of the Demon Suppression Bureau, and stepped aside to make way.

"Go in. There's a clinic in the northwest corner of the city, and the market is on South Street. Don't break the rules."

The rogue cultivator felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled into the city.

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

In less than an hour, a long queue had formed at the city gate.

These normally unruly cultivators, for the sake of a sliver of security, all obediently lined up to pay their tribute.

When Gu Yan saw the pile of spirit stone bags on the table, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"Junior brother, isn't this money too easy to earn?" Song Hong said in a low voice, her eyes full of astonishment.

"easy?"

Gu Yan chuckled lightly, but his gaze drifted into the distance. "The small fry have entered the fray, and the big fish will be here soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, dust billowed at the end of the official road.

A group of young men and women dressed in bright silver robes rode swiftly on spirited horses.

The young man at the head of the group had striking features, with a proud and aloof demeanor. He carried a long sword with a jade sheath engraved with flowing cloud patterns at his waist.

Wherever they went, the lined-up cultivators scattered in fear and made way.

"Those are inner disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect! The one leading them is Zhao Hai, the Grand Elder's personal disciple!"

A voice among the unaffiliated cultivators gasped in surprise.

The troop of horses charged straight to the city gate. Instead of stopping, they raised their whips and tried to smash through the guards.

"Get out of my way! I am a disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect, who dares to stop me!"

Zhao Hai shouted, unleashing his full mid-Foundation Establishment power, startling the surrounding rogue cultivators into retreating.

The constables guarding the gate turned pale and were all forced to retreat by the oppressive aura.

Zhao Hai snorted coldly and was about to ride his horse into the city when he discovered that the spirited horse, which had been galloping swiftly, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, suddenly rearing up and letting out a terrified neigh.

A black figure suddenly appeared in front of the horse.

Xiao Chen held the broken sword in his arms, his body as straight as a pine tree, his gaze cold as he looked at Zhao Hai on horseback.

"Dismount, pay the fee, and remove your armor."

Xiao Chen's voice was calm, yet it was like the clash of metal and stone, causing the blood and qi of the Liuyun Sect disciples to surge.

Zhao Hai pulled on the reins, his gaze falling on Xiao Chen's broken sword. His face darkened. "Who do you think you are? My Flowing Cloud Sect is the superior sect of Changning County. The defense of this place should be under our command. Where is Gu Changsheng? Tell him to come out and see me!"

"I'm here."

Gu Yan stood up from the armchair, rubbed his slightly sore and numb lower back, put on a humble and apprehensive smile, and scurried over to Zhao Haima.

"Oh, isn't this Senior Brother Zhao Hai? What brings you here? I'm injured and couldn't greet you properly, please forgive me."

Zhao Hai looked down at Gu Yan, a deep disgust flashing in his eyes.

Gu Yan's appearance was a disgrace to the inner disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect.

"Gu Changsheng, stop with your nonsense. A ley line eruption brings forth treasures; this is a battle between major sects. What kind of organization is your Demon Suppression Division, daring to set up checkpoints and collect taxes here? Immediately dismantle these dilapidated shacks, hand over the city defenses to my Flowing Cloud Sect, and you may step aside and await further orders!"

As Zhao Hai spoke, he reached out to grab Gu Yan's collar.

Gu Yan swayed slightly, dodging Zhao Hai's hand just in time.

He pulled out an official document stamped with the seal of the Flowing Cloud Sect's Discipline Hall from his pocket, waved it in front of Zhao Hai, and his tone became somewhat helpless:

"Senior Brother Zhao, it's not that I'm being disrespectful. It's just that before I left, Chief Ye Gucheng personally instructed me that Changning County is the sect's gateway outside the sect, and the rules cannot be broken. Chief Ye also said that if anyone abuses the sect's reputation here, I should report it immediately. You see, this..."

Upon hearing Ye Gucheng's name, Zhao Hai's arrogant expression instantly froze.

Everyone knows that Ye Gucheng, the leader of Lingjian Mountain, is a fiercely protective madman who despises those who bully others.

Although Zhao Hai was from the Grand Elder's faction, he did not dare to openly defy Ye Gucheng's will.

Gu Yan pressed his advantage, lowering his voice, "Senior brother, all these rogue cultivators are watching. If the Flowing Cloud Sect breaks the rules, how will they collect offerings from Changning County in the future? You should take your fellow disciples into the city to rest. I've already cleared out the best inn in the city. As for the entrance fee... we're brothers, how about half price?"

Zhao Hai stared intently at Gu Yan, his facial muscles twitching a few times.

His disciples behind him were also indignant, but they dared not make any rash moves.

"Half price? Gu Changsheng, you've got guts."

Zhao Hai gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.

He casually tossed a money pouch onto the constable's wooden table, yelling, "Lead the way! I want the best room!"

"Alright! Senior brother is so generous!"

Gu Yan happily put away the money pouch and winked at the constable.

After Zhao Hai and his group entered the city with great momentum, Song Hong approached them, her brows furrowed: "Junior brother, when did Chief Ye give you this kind of official document? I remember you said that when you left, he only gave you a bottle of pills."

"Official document?"

Gu Yan shook the paper in his hand, opened his folding fan, and smiled.

"This is something I drew on the spot. The seal on it was carved from a radish. Anyway, Zhao Hai wouldn't dare to actually take it to the Discipline Hall for confrontation, so it's enough to bluff him."

Song Hong opened her mouth, and after a long while, she managed to choke out, "With your guts, you'll be tearing a hole in the sky sooner or later."

Even if the sky falls, there's always someone tall enough to hold it up.

Gu Yan's expression turned serious as he turned to look at the distant wilderness.

The fighting there did not stop with the arrival of daylight; on the contrary, it intensified.

A dark red sword light flashed through the forest.

Immediately afterwards, several demonic cultivators, exuding evil aura, were instantly cut in half at the waist by the sword light.

The rogue cultivators, who had been scrambling for a broken bronze cauldron, all screamed in terror upon seeing the red light:

Chapter update reminder: Chapter 136 Cold light reflects snow, profit comes first, read here.

"It's the Blood Swordsman from the Blood River Sect! That ruthless killer is back!"

"Run! Run!"

Hundreds of rogue cultivators fled frantically across the wilderness.

The crimson light did not pursue the weak; it merely swept away the bronze cauldron and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

A commotion broke out among the crowd at the city gate.

Gu Yan watched this scene, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes.

The bigger the trouble the clone causes over there, the higher the value of Changning County as a safe haven.

"Next one, hurry up! Fellow cultivators who don't have enough spirit stones can use treasures to pay!"

The constables' shouts rang out again.

As rumors of the Blood Swordsman's appearance spread, the queues to enter the city grew even longer.

Some independent cultivators even started bidding against each other in the queue just to compete for a spot to enter the city.

At this moment, the city gate of Changning County became the only path to heaven.

Gu Yan returned to the armchair and continued drinking the pot of tea that had gone cold.

Changning County was originally a poor and remote place, and the Demon Suppression Division's warehouse couldn't even gather a few hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

In just one morning, the spirit stones brought in as tribute had already filled three large cloth bags.

Moreover, most of the rogue cultivators who entered the city were carrying treasures they had looted from outside the city.

Once they entered the city, they were forbidden from using force or looting. To survive, seek medical treatment, or sell their stolen goods, they all had to converge on the market established by Gu Yan.

"Sister Song, inform the people at the market to start spreading the word. Tell them that the Demon Suppression Division of Changning County is holding a treasure appraisal event tomorrow night to thank all the fellow Daoists for their support. We can help appraise any fragments of magical artifacts that are inconvenient to carry or whose identities are unclear. The prices are fair, and we will never leak the information."

Gu Yan shook his folding fan, his gaze leisurely.

"Also, go tell Senior Brother Xiao. There might be an uninvited VIP tonight. Zhao Hai from the Flowing Cloud Sect is just the vanguard. The Emerald Bamboo Sect, the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, and those third-rate evil cultivation sects will probably all send their elites below the Golden Core stage to test the waters. Tell him to sharpen his sword."

Song Hong nodded solemnly, then turned and left.

……

South Street, Changning County.

This place was originally a market for buying and selling livestock and farm tools, but now it has been completely transformed by the people of the Demon Suppression Bureau, who have erected rows of neat wooden sheds.

Each wooden shed had a sign hanging in front of it, with the words "Medicine Exchange", "Talisman Recycling", and "Weapon Repair" written on it.

Several old men dressed in simple long gowns sat behind the wooden shed. They were the only independent cultivators in Changning County who knew how to appraise objects, and they had been hired by Gu Yan at a high salary to make a good impression.

"This piece of mine is a fragment of an ancient bronze bell, and your Flowing Cloud Sect only offers three hundred spirit stones? You're robbing me!"

A rogue cultivator shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Take it or leave it. Fellow Daoist, this fragment of yours is still tainted with the Blood River Sect's Corpse-Dissolving Poison. In the entire Changning County, apart from the specially made clean water of our Demon Suppression Division, if you carry it with you, your entire arm will turn into water in less than three days."

The old man making the appraisal didn't even look up, his tone indifferent.

The rogue cultivator paused for a moment, then carefully examined the area between his thumb and forefinger, where it was indeed faintly turning black.

He turned pale with fright and dared not haggle any longer, hurriedly handing over the broken pieces.

"Sell! I'll sell! Please, sir, give me a bottle of clean water!"

This kind of scene plays out constantly in every corner of the market.

Gu Yan sat atop the county government building, looking down at the bustling scene below, marveling at the power of rules.

In this chaotic wilderness, power determines everything.

In the orderly land that Gu Yan established, information and rules are the true scythe.

He didn't care about those second-tier or even third-tier magic weapon fragments.

His goal was to get these rogue cultivators to willingly hand over their blood-stained spirit stones and exchange them for cheap supplies produced by the Demon Suppression Division.

Gu Yan closed his eyes, looked inward at himself, and found that incense was also gathering.

As the situation within the city stabilized, the panicked common people discovered that despite the upheaval outside the city, the small Changning County remained as peaceful as ever.

This heartfelt gratitude transformed into invisible white threads that pierced through the void and continuously flowed into the towering structure within Gu Yan's dantian.

The white jade bricks and tiles on the tower became increasingly lustrous, and the balance between divinity and demonic nature reached a new critical point.

Gu Yan felt the surging divine and demonic energy within his body, and then, with the help of this power, he discovered that deep beneath Changning County, there was another truly enormous thing awakening.

That was something that even the severed finger of the Deity of Sunset Valley resonated with.

That is the core of this grand strategy.

As evening approached, the setting sun cast long shadows across Changning County.

The city was already packed with nearly a thousand cultivators.

Everywhere you look, there are stalls, vendors hawking their wares, and people haggling over prices.

The once dull mountain county is now bustling like a fairy market.

Beneath this prosperity, however, undercurrents surge and waves churn.

Zhao Hai, accompanied by disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect, stood on the top floor of the Heavenly Inn, his face grim as he gazed towards the market.

"Senior brother, Gu Changsheng is making so much money he's practically rolling in it. His storeroom probably already has tens of thousands of spirit stones saved up. Should we...?"

One of the disciples made a throat-slitting gesture.

Zhao Hai slapped the other person on the back of the head.

"Fool! Do you think Ye Gucheng isn't killing fast enough? It's true that Gu Changsheng is a good-for-nothing, but there's a madman behind him. We've broken the rules by using money. The Grand Elder instructed us that what we want is that thing underground, not these scattered spirit stones."

Zhao Hai's gaze passed over the city wall and looked towards the City God Temple in the south of the city.

"Tonight at midnight, once the stone tablet appears, we'll make our move. As for Gu Changsheng... we can kill him later after we get what we need."

Meanwhile, in a dilapidated house in the south of the city.

Several monks shrouded in black robes were whispering secrets.

"The elders of the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons are already on their way. The array in Changning County is a defective product left behind by the Flowing Cloud Sect, and it won't hold. Tonight, when the treasure appraisal meeting begins, we'll create chaos and burn down the warehouse."

In the darkness, all sorts of wicked plans are brewing.

All of this was clearly reflected in Gu Yan's vision of the paper industry.

He sat in a side hall of the county government office, with a map of Changning County in front of him.

He casually picked up a paper horse he had cut out and gently placed it in the south of the city.

There is that blank stone tablet he left behind.

"If you want to kill me, you'll have to see if your teeth are hard enough."

Gu Yan picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

The tea soup is bitter, but the aftertaste has a cool sweetness.

……

It's almost midnight.

The once bustling market in Changning County gradually quieted down.

An extremely oppressive spiritual pressure slowly seeped out from the depths of the earth.

The ground of the entire county town began to tremble slightly, and the stone tablet with the Xuanwu pattern carved on it in the City God Temple in the south of the town emitted a dazzling dim yellow light.

At this moment, whether it was a prestigious disciple like Zhao Hai who held himself in high esteem, or those evil cultivators hiding in the shadows, they all felt a blockage in their spiritual energy.

Gravity has increased several times!

"They're here!"

Zhao Hai gave a low shout, drew his sword, and rushed out the window.

However, the moment he landed, forty-nine huge red paper lanterns suddenly rose from the four city walls of Changning County.

The lanterns swayed in the wind, emitting a hazy red glow.

Each lantern is painted with a strange face that looks like it's both crying and laughing.

"What kind of formation is this?!" Zhao Hai was shocked.

He discovered that his divine sense could not penetrate the areas shrouded in red light.

The once familiar streets slowly transformed into a maze-like, unfamiliar place under the distorted red light.

Gu Yan's voice drifted from the direction of the county government office, resounding throughout the entire city with the help of the array.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the treasure appraisal meeting is officially beginning. However, Changning County has its own rules. Tonight, anyone who disrupts the seating arrangement will be invited to sit among my pile of paper figures."

A brilliant red light shone brightly.

At this moment, the entire Changning County seemed to be detached from the real world, transforming into a strange and unpredictable kingdom of paper.

The scene before Zhao Hai's eyes suddenly changed.

He was no longer on the street, but standing in a boundless wasteland.

On the desolate plain, thousands upon thousands of paper effigies stood densely packed together, their stiff limbs twisting as they stared at him with empty eyes, emitting a shrill laugh in unison:

"Removing armor... making money on the ground..."

Zhao Hai felt a chill run down his spine, and the exquisite jade sword in his hand was so heavy that he couldn't pull it out.

Meanwhile, high up in the county government office, Gu Yan held a paper map of Changning County in his hand.

With a light touch of his finger, the red light on the picture went out in one spot.

"The first batch of disobedient guests have already taken their seats."

Gu's tone was calm.

The night wind whipped up his long robe, and under the red light, his always-smiling face looked even more ferocious than that of a demonic cultivator.

That night, in Changning County, he was the master, and all the other beings were guests.

Follow the brushstrokes of a monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain and embark on an adventure in "Immortality: Starting as a Paper Craftsman to Gain Experience".