Chapter 398: Dagu Town
The journey was uneventful.
After three days of travel by Flying Ship, Bai Mo finally arrived at Dagu Town.
Even before he drew close, the wind carried over the scent of Demon Beast pelts and medicinal herbs.
Bai Mo was very familiar with it.
In Immortal Arrival City, during the harvest season, this kind of smell was even thicker in the streets and alleys.
As he neared the town, Bai Mo put away his Flying Ship and entered on foot.
According to his intelligence, Dagu Town had been established by refugees. It was a place of mixed surnames, and over two hundred years, it had grown to a considerable size.
As far as the eye could see, the tiled roofs and eaves of the houses were all in the style of mountain folk, and not very orderly.
Only a single main street ran through the center of town, providing a path for people to enter the mountains and leave the countryside.
’This town is overseen by six Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They usually present a united front against outsiders but fight amongst themselves.’
’Not to mention, even if one of them isn’t blinded by greed at a critical moment, I’m afraid their sincere cooperation still wouldn’t be enough to handle any major risks.’
Bai Mo really didn’t have much confidence in Foundation Establishment Cultivators from outside the Sect.
This was likely a result of what he had seen and heard within the Sect.
"Freshly baked buns! Fatty, tender meat that’s guaranteed not to get stuck in your teeth..."
"Jerky! Fine, cured jerky!"
All sorts of vendors hawked their wares on the main street. Ores and medicinal herbs were laid out on the ground, their owners squatting and haggling with customers.
The food stalls mostly sold meat, usually jerky and large Demon Beast bones, filling the air with a gamey smell.
A young man in a greasy turban shouted loudly, pulling Bai Mo from his thoughts.
He hadn’t intended to pay any mind, but he noticed Ah Er, who was following closely at his heels, staring intently at the large meat buns.
Bai Mo walked over, handing over some silver coins to take the buns.
The young man was extremely enthusiastic, and the two were just about to make the exchange.
SLAP!
Suddenly, the sharp sound of a slap rang out.
He turned his head and saw the window of a house by the street wide open. A stubble-faced man was holding his cheek, completely stunned.
He suddenly snapped out of it, his face flushing red.
"Damn you, woman! I paid a fortune in bride price to marry you..."
Before he could finish, he lunged at his wife.
What followed was a series of CRASHES and BANGS, a scene of utter chaos.
With a great commotion, the pedestrians on the street all swarmed over to watch, pointing and whispering.
"Tsk, tsk. That Sun the Fourth is so pathetic!"
"Isn’t he just..."
The nearby shopkeepers were already used to such scenes. They just looked annoyed, blaming the couple for luring their customers away.
Bai Mo glanced over for a moment before looking away. He took the meat buns, gave one to his Spirit Beast, and started eating his own.
When had Ah Er ever seen such a lively commotion?
But seeing that Bai Mo had no interest in watching, it followed along, looking back every few steps.
A well-bred Spirit Beast like it was a rare sight in a town accustomed to Demon Beasts, and it attracted a lot of attention.
Bai Mo strolled leisurely down the main street.
Before long, he saw a fast horse gallop past from a short distance away. The rider cracked his whip and entered a household with high, red-brick walls.
He instantly understood and released a sliver of his aura.
Before he had even finished his meat bun, the master of that household came out to greet him.
A middle-aged Cultivator in flowing, green robes strode out. He had a square, open face, and three long strands of a beard on his chin fluttered with his steps.
If not an immortal-like figure, he at least had a free and unrestrained air about him.
Yet when this Foundation Establishment Cultivator came before Bai Mo, he adopted a very humble posture.
"Might I be in the presence of a distinguished disciple of the Xuandao Sect?"
Lv Qing bowed with his hands clasped and asked politely.
They had received news earlier that a Sect Disciple would be coming.
Behind him, by the gate, many young members of the Lv family walked out in confusion, not yet knowing why their Patriarch had left in such a hurry.
Now seeing him act this way, they were even more shocked.
Bai Mo stuffed the last piece of the meat bun into his mouth.
’Honestly, the bun was average, but it was heavily salted, which gave it a unique flavor.’
Swallowing the food in his mouth, Bai Mo said:
"Bai Mo of the Xuandao Sect."
Seeing the respectful look on Lv Qing’s face as he was about to speak, Bai Mo guessed the polite pleasantries he was about to offer and cut him off directly.
"There’s no need for pleasantries."
"The Sect has ordered me to patrol the Dagu Town area. Seeing how peaceful and serene it is here, I assume there are no issues?"
Lv Qing had intended to invite Bai Mo into his residence for a detailed discussion, but seeing Bai Mo’s attitude, he reluctantly dismissed the idea.
"Reporting to the Immortal Master, as for a beast calamity, we have also heard some scattered news and have been paying close attention."
"It’s true that Dagu Town is peaceful and has not been attacked by Demon Beasts, but recently, we have seen some unfamiliar Demon Beast droppings nearby..."
Bai Mo’s brow furrowed on the spot.
"Are you certain?"
Lv Qing said cautiously:
"How can we be certain? However, people from the town have recently been encountering many unfamiliar Demon Beasts in the mountains and have been killing them to try the meat."
"We dared not be negligent, so we could only dispatch men to stand guard at the foot of the mountain."
Bai Mo pondered for a moment.
"Forget it. Call the other five fellow Daoists. We will all take a trip to the mountainside."
"I will wait for you all outside the town."
With that, Bai Mo flicked his sleeve and walked toward the other end of the street, in the direction of the dark and imposing Celestial Barrier Mountain.
Ah Er watched, stunned.
It never imagined its master could be so commanding. Its thoughts raced as it lifted its head, puffed out its chest, and followed with a gallant and spirited air.
Behind them, Lv Qing glanced at Ah Er’s departing back before looking away.
Relying on his family’s inherited Beast Observation Scripture, he could easily tell that this Spirit Beast had an extraordinary foundation.
’It was either born that way—a naturally superior breed—or it was nurtured to this state later on.’
’But either way, it was the kind of creature one might see only once in fifty years.’
’As expected of someone from the Sect. Their foundations run deep!’
Lv Qing straightened up and looked at the disciples of the Lv family behind him.
"What are you all standing around for?"
"A few of you, get on your horses and ride hard! Go and summon the other families!"
Here in Dagu Town, it was their six families who held the real power.
If Bai Mo wanted to get things done here, he still had to go through these families.
’When dealing with these people, you can’t be too nice.’
Bai Mo thought to himself, recalling the instructions he’d received from the Foreign Affairs Hall disciple before he left.
’Dagu Town pays tribute to the Xuandao Sect every year without fail and has to deal with its disciples from time to time.’
’In these dealings, there are inevitably all sorts of petty schemes to curry favor and borrow the tiger’s skin.’
Bai Mo had no intention of getting involved in their struggles.
’The other end of his patrol route was different. Black Mountain City’s steward was a disciple dispatched from the Sect.’
’He was a native of Black Mountain City, a marginal figure in the Sect who was never highly regarded. Feeling his path of cultivation had reached its end, he had volunteered for the external post.’
’However, that person had already celebrated his 120th birthday and was at an age where his qi and blood were in decline.’
Before he even reached the foot of the mountain, Lv Qing and the five other Foundation Establishment Cultivators caught up to him, having spurred their horses into a gallop.
The others initiated a few pleasantries, but Bai Mo quickly steered the conversation to the Demon Beasts.
One of the elders laughed and said:
"In the direction of Celestial Barrier Mountain, directly facing Dagu Town, three Great Demon Beasts are entrenched. Even with our combined strength, we can’t do anything to them."
"Although they hinder the townspeople from entering the mountains, at a time like this, they’ve actually become a barrier, shielding us from disaster."
"In this old man’s opinion, there’s probably no need to worry too much..."
Bai Mo didn’t speak, merely listening to their words.
Perhaps Dagu Town had been peaceful for too long; the others mostly shared this same mentality.