I Just Want To Slack off In Cultivation

Chapter 29: City Lord Duanmu

Soldiers were guarding the platform. When they saw the group, they hurriedly knelt down and greeted, “Greetings, Immortals and Fairies!”

“Let’s go to the City Lord Residence first.” Chen Huan and the rest had been out on many missions and were used to such scenes. They did not even look at the soldiers as they said to Pei Ling, “City Lord Duanmu is a Foundation Establishment senior. When you see him later, don’t be rude!”

Pei Ling nodded. “Don’t worry, Senior Brother Chen. I’ll take note of it.”

After a while, they arrived at the City Lord Residence. Although Spiraling Mountain City was under the Deep Sea Sect like Deer Spring City, it was clearly much more prosperous. The City Lord Residence was also much more lofty and magnificent than the City Lord Residence of Deer Spring City.

They approached the door to reveal their identities and backgrounds. Before long, a steward came out to welcome them.

As soon as Pei Ling stepped through the door, he felt his body lighten up as if a cool wind was blowing against him, making him feel more relaxed.

Noticing that Pei Ling seemed to have some doubts, Chen Mei explained with a light smile, “City Lord Duanmu is an array cultivator. This City Lord Residence has a Spirit Gathering Array setup. It is a simplified version of the Spirit Gathering Array on Shady Sophora Peak. It nourishes the muscles and bones and is good for cultivation.”

“Thank you, Senior Sister Chen.” Pei Ling thanked her and looked around. Along the way, he saw that the courtyard was huge, and the vegetation was sparse. Occasionally, servants and maids would pass by. When they noticed the steward leading the guests, they all retreated to the side and lowered their heads respectfully.

Before long, the steward welcomed them into a side hall.

The hall was decorated beautifully. There were eight floor-to-ceiling lanterns around it with many performers embroidered on them. After the steward invited the group to take a seat, the maids served tea and clapped softly. The performers jumped out of the lanterns and landed on the floor like real humans.

They bowed elegantly and began various acrobatic performances.

The steward smiled and said, “The City Lord is busy with some government affairs. He will be coming to meet you later. Please take a seat.”

As he spoke, another group of pretty courtesans entered. They held gold and silver basins with fruits and desserts in them as they served the group attentively.

“We wouldn’t dare disturb Senior Brother Duanmu.” Chen Huan hurriedly said, “We are only here to help out. How could we dare trouble him? Senior Brother Duanmu’s letter is here. Please pass it to him.”

The steward said politely, “The city lord said that everyone has come from afar, so I must let our esteemed guests rest in the manor for a few days. As for the letter, the city lord will be here in a while. Please deliver it personally.”

Chen Huan and the others did not really want to leave. After exchanging pleasantries, they enjoyed the service of the courtesans while watching the performance.

After about half a day, it was time to light the lanterns. There was a light cough from outside. The performers suddenly turned into shadows and returned to the lantern.

The courtesans immediately stopped the teasing around. They all became serious and stood with their hands clasped.

The steward said respectfully, “The city lord is here.”

Chen Huan and the others stood up to welcome him respectfully.

After a while, a middle-aged man surrounded by a group of followers entered the hall.

This man looked to be about 40 years old. He was handsome and had a short beard. As he looked around, his eyes sparkled with life, making him seem sharp and capable.

Chen Huan and the others hurriedly stood up and left their seats when they saw him. They greeted respectfully, “It’s been a while since we last met, and the City Lord is even more graceful than before!”

“I’m already old. I’m not as young as you all. Your future is limitless.” City Lord Duanmu was very polite. “I hope you can take care of my son in the sect.”

After the two sides exchanged some pleasantries, Chen Huan took out the letter from the city lord’s son. City Lord Duanmu received it and thanked him, but he did not leave immediately. Instead, he asked with a smile, “Do you have any other missions this time? If it’s near Spiraling Mountain City, maybe I can help?”

“Thank you for your concern, City Lord,” Chen Huan said respectfully. “I would like to seek your guidance. We have two other missions here. One is the flower demon outside the city, and the other is the Purple-Eyed Mink in Mount Spiral.”

“The flower demon outside the city is only at the fourth level of the Awakening Realm.” City Lord Duanmu stroked his short beard and said with a smile, “There’s nothing to be afraid of, so I won’t comment further. As for the Purple-eyed Mink, although it’s extremely fast, you must have come prepared since you have accepted this mission. It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’s getting rather troublesome recently.”

“Troublesome?” Chen Huan was startled. He quickly exchanged looks with Huang Xian and Zhang Zhongqin, cupped his fists, and said, “Please guide us, City Lord!”

City Lord Duanmu said slowly, “Because a man-faced spider at the Foundation Establishment Stage recently came out of the depths of Mount Spiral to lay its eggs, which happened to be near the Purple-eyed Mink’s territory.”

Chen Huan and the others were startled. “Man-Faced Spider?”

“That’s right.” City Lord Duanmu sighed. “After I discovered it, I originally wanted to get rid of it to avoid bringing any possible danger to Spiraling Mountain City. However, an accident happened to me 20 years ago. Not only was my advancement hopeless, but I also fell ill and was unable to use my full strength. Although that Man-Faced Spider was exhausted from producing eggs, I was not 100 percent confident. I could only allow it to build a nest in the periphery of the mountain. However, I ordered that no one under my rule is allowed to approach it recklessly lest they hunt for it.”

Seeing Chen Huan and the others hesitate, he thought for a moment and said, “However, this task of yours might not be impossible to complete.”

“Please enlighten us, City Lord!” Chen Huan hurriedly asked, “But what should we do?”

Although the main purpose of their trip here was for Pei Ling, no disciple of the Deep Sea Sect would complain about having too many spirit stones. The Purple-Eyed Mink’s reward for this mission was not cheap. Since they were already here, how could they stop?

City Lord Duanmu said, “Although I failed to eliminate the Man-Faced Spider, I have secretly observed it for many days. I have a rough idea of its current activity area. In a while, I’ll get the steward to get a map for you. When the time comes, you can work harder and circle around.”

Chen Huan and the others heaved a sigh of relief and thanked the city lord solemnly.

After saying some more pleasantries, City Lord Duanmu excused himself as he had work to do. He left the steward behind to serve them.

This time, they relocated to a waterside pavilion. Delicacies had long been prepared here, as well as two jars of low-tier spirit wine brewed from a unique spirit fruit, according to Chen Mei’s introduction. It was helpful for cultivation.

“City Lord Duanmu is truly generous.” When he saw these two jars of spirit wine, even Chen Huan, who had always acted appropriately earlier, could not help but reveal a smile. He said happily, “I guess I did not fight for this mission in vain.”

This type of spirit wine seemed to be extremely rare. Chen Huan even placed one of them in his storage bag in front of everyone and only opened one for everyone to share.

Pei Ling picked up the wine cup and took a sip. His eyes immediately brightened. The light green wine had a rich aroma, and It was flavorful and spicy as it entered his throat. Then, it was as if a flame had risen in his dantian, and it rapidly spread to his limbs.

In a short moment, the spiritual power in his body had increased by a small amount.

“The Corpse Cloud rental costs ten spirit stones each time, and the reward for the letter and the flower demon mission added up is only that few spirit stones.” Pei Ling could not help but think to himself, “It seems like the reason Chen Huan and the others accepted these two missions was because there are additional benefits to it..”