Cultivation Nerd (xianxia)

I couldn't help but stare at the white marble gate; they were giant and looked big enough to fit a large truck, though that was widely useless since there were no trucks in this world.

Nevertheless, with their size, the gate was undoubtedly heavy—something that even a dozen humans would have difficulty opening and closing.

Heavy gates might sound like a good idea against an enemy, but it wasn't that practical when the enemy was close, and you were closing your gates at a snail's pace.

Either the higher echelons in this town were stupid, which was doubtful since if that were the case, they would have perished long ago in the Beast Waves, and the city would have fallen. So, the more likely scenario meant they had people strong enough to easily open and close these doors.

The governor would not do such menial work, nor would anyone in high standing. So that meant only one thing: Cultivator Clans in this city assigned guards who were cultivators themselves.

I glanced at Song Song, but she didn't turn to meet my gaze. She just stared at the top of the wall where some archers had drawn their bows and pointed at us.

"Welp, you're on your own from here on out. I would have given you more information about this town. Still, it isn't like I have ever been here before myself," Song Song said before turning around and walking away. She waved at me and added, "My teacher said that this would probably be the safest place when the Beast Waves come. But there are some internal conflicts; I'm sure you can handle those."

Just like that, she went away and left me behind with some guards who now looked more at ease, though they were still nervous and had their bows pointed at me.

It was useless since their bows did not seem special in any way. I could probably catch those arrows mid-air. They would have difficulty puncturing my skin with mundane weapons even if I couldn't.

"As you saw, I'm here with the Blazing Sun Sect group. Can you let me in?" I asked.

The guards atop the wall did not answer, and I couldn't help but swear under my breath.

I knew we were tight on time, but Song Song could have spared some time to clarify everything and let me in. At least I didn't have to worry about Song Song already causing trouble with the people I would work with to protect this town. So that was a positive, at least.

Without anyone saying anything, the door made a loud clicking sound, and the giant white marble gates began opening. A loud screeching sound rang out as the marble scratched against the stone, and the doors opened inward.

On the other side of the door were a handful of cultivators. Some wore red uniforms, and others wore green. They all had veins bulging along their arms, and their eyes were bloodshot from the strain they had endured as they used all the power they could muster to open the doors.

Each of them was only at the Body Tempering level. However, they still had difficulty opening the door. Even monstrous beasts would have a hard time getting through the gate.

But while the Body Tempering Cultivators were working hard to open the door, a man in his late fifties stood at the front of the open door.

He was tall and stood straight for someone his age. His hair was almost entirely gray, except for a few strands of dark hair here and there. The old guy wore a pearly-white robe, and its cleanliness and material showed that he held quite a high standing to wear something of that quality.

"Welcome to Whitewall Town, honorable cultivator," the old man clasped his palm and fist in respect and bowed slightly.

I reciprocated his gesture and began acting as a cultivator. Since I was still just a Body Tempering Cultivator, I had to play my part and at least show some basic respect. "Thank you for having me."

Usually, I would be more casual with people, but this was not the time or place to act like that.

"The governor was notified of your arrival and sent me to make sure you would be here as soon as possible," said the old man.

This was an indirect way of saying that the governor summoned me. But technically, I outranked the governor purely due to being from the Blazing Sun Sect. While the Sect might have appointed the governor here, he was technically not a part of the Sect any longer.

"Lead the way," I smiled politely.

The man nodded and turned around, walking at a respectful pace. About a dozen guards wearing white armor covered in silver surrounded us, acting as our security.

The stony road we walked through was clean and looked newly built. Many other things stood out, too, like the lack of trash or manure on the streets, which was usually unsurprising in this middle-aged level of society.

Whitewall Town lived up to its name. The buildings were all made of a blinding white limestone. I could almost see my own reflection on the many walls.

In contrast, the people mostly wore yellow clothes, and the officials and others stood out like sore thumbs. But despite its weird costumes, many good things about the town stood out when compared to many others. The merchants did not scream in my face to buy something, and the roads were passable. However, that might also be because I was surrounded by scary-looking men in armor.

The people in armor looked as dazzling as everything else in the town. They did not seem to be cultivators like the guys who opened the gate, which begged the question of how the political scene was in a place like this.

Some shops had red-colored themes, while others had green themes. Clearly, there must be some kind of clan rivalry happening here. Otherwise, there would be no need for shops to needlessly display their allegiance. That was just asking the customers from the other side not to visit.

Still, despite the underlying scene, armored guards like the ones escorting me were walking about in two-person patrols, and the town seemed relatively peaceful.

Though if my guesses were correct, and I hadn't just assumed some dumb shit, then it was only a matter of time before these two clans started a bloodbath against each other. It was just how things were in this world, and every clan had that one psycho who just wanted to see the world burn. Usually, those types of people fit in with the rest of society in my last world since there was not much they could do against the masses. But here, where personal power was achievable at a level where one could impose one's ideals onto others, those personalities were let loose.

As we walked more, we approached an expansive mansion, but nothing extraordinary. There were fences around the mansion, but in general, the place looked like something easily accessible by the average Body Tempering Cultivator. It was clear that the governor did not take security very seriously.

Another thing about this world was that usually those in power also had high cultivation. So security for themselves was kind of useless, though they might have guards for their spouses or children.

As we approached the front gate of the mansion, the gates opened by themselves—kind of like an automatic electric gate. However, something like this was only achievable by using arrays or inscriptions.

The servants working in the garden looked at me, and just like the townspeople, they seemed cautious but not afraid of a cultivator.

As we were about to walk in, the old guy who had escorted me here said, "By the way, sorry about the archers pointing their bows at you. The two clans who live in this town have a sort of rivalry going on. Still, the clans do their duties and cooperate in things like guard duty. That is why none of the archers wanted to be the first to drop their bows in front of someone from the rival clan next to them."

That was comically ridiculous.

As we walked into the mansion, it was well-lit with many candles, and the windows were big enough to allow plenty of light in. However, the place felt empty, with only a handful of servants around.

With every step we took, the sound of our shoes touching the ground and ringing through the house was constant.

There was a large staircase with a red carpet, resembling something from one of those restaurants where the bride walks down. Despite the extravagance on display, the place also had a rustic and simple feeling.

We walked up without saying anything at first, and then I asked, "How did the rivalry even start?"

"Well, they are two clans that live in the same town. There are bound to be some vendettas," the old guy sighed and shook his head. "Though the real cause that made everything escalate was when each of the Clan Leaders' sons competed in a yearly tournament, and one of them crippled the other's cultivation."

That sounded like everyday cultivation bullshit to me.

Though I couldn't see what they were all so butthurt about. After all, this was an easily fixable issue. If these clans were connected by marriage, there would be no conflict for a generation or two.

Sure, it was kind of barbaric as the groom and bride might not like each other. But it was better than hundreds of people dying in a petty rivalry.

My arranged marriage was something like this.

At the time, the Liu Clan had a rival clan, and they started mending their relationship by arranging a marriage. Then, the other clan extended that trust by having my little fiancée visit me when we were young, strengthening the trust between clans when she was safely returned to her clan after her visit.

Now, my fiancée's clan was one of the big supporters of the Liu Clan.

But just as I thought that and walking through the hallways, along the way to wherever the governor was in this mansion, there was a large circular window that gave a view of the whole city, and from there, I could see the thousands of people walking about.

Managing and leading a team of two dozen people was very different from managing a whole town with thousands of inhabitants. It felt like one of those situations where the incompetent son of a rich CEO takes over after his father. I was wholly unprepared and knew nothing about things like these.

I did not linger long near the window as we finally reached a large door. Two servants opened it and bowed toward me, while the guy who had escorted me also stepped by the side and said, "From now on, only you can continue."

"Thanks for the trip," I smiled politely and nodded toward the servants before walking in.

The doors behind me slammed shut as soon as I walked in, almost making me flinch.

The room was extravagant, with a long table that could fit at least twenty people. At the end of the table was a burly man in his fifties. He had a well-combed head of hair slicked back, and a scar ran along his face from the top of his forehead to his nose. Then, it deviated and touched the corner of his lips. But despite his intimidating look, his expensive-looking silk robe showed that he was a man of status and not a brute.

So this was the governor of this town…

He motioned with his hand and signaled me to sit down. I sat opposite him and looked down at the table, which contained a plate of soup, two plates of steak, and other foodstuffs. The steak and soup still felt hot, so they could not have been made too long ago.

"The Sect seems to be looking down on me, sending just a Body Tempering Cultivator here," the governor growled. "Even that lass, Song Song, saw it prudent not to save me face. She came to my front gates and didn't even come to greet me."

I fucking knew something like this was going to happen!

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