Chapter 11: City Lord

City Lord Yuan Feng sat behind his desk and tried to focus on the grain requisition report in front of him. The numbers were not making sense. The harvest projections for the southern district showed a fifteen percent increase from last year, but the storage allocation requests were up by thirty percent. Either someone was inflating their estimates to skim off the surplus, or the population had grown more than his census officials had reported.

Both possibilities annoyed him equally.

Yuan Feng set the report aside and rubbed his temples. 

He had been a city lord for 12 years. As such, he had 12 years of experience balancing budgets, mediating disputes between the clan, sect, and guilds, and administering the distribution of grain to the people. He had 12 years of experience in maintaining the integrity of the walls around the city, and 12 years of experiencing the constant corruption that existed within every administrative system.

It was tedious. It was necessary, but it was tedious.

He had reached peak core formation at the age of 43, which was respectable, though perhaps not exceptional. This achievement allowed him to attain the appointment of city lord over Rising Stone Town and its surrounding territories, which included a title, access to many resources and a comfortable home in the city's best neighborhood. However, along with the privilege of being a city lord came mountains of paperwork, an endless sea of paperwork that seemed to consume all of his waking hours.

Yuan Feng's office was located on the top floor of the administration building, a three story structure that sat adjacent to the city square. His office contained a large wooden desk that cost far too much money to purchase but was useful. On the shelves lining the walls were stacks of ledgers, reports, and legal documents. Behind him was a window overlooking the city square where merchants were busy doing their day-to-day business.

As a Core Formations cultivator, Yuan Feng could tune out the background noise in the city if he so chose. Cultivators of this level had refined their spiritual senses to the point that they could tune out distractions, including noise. However, Yuan Feng knew that a successful administrator needed to keep one ear to the ground regarding what was happening in the city. There were many things that you could learn by observing the hustle and bustle of the city that may not appear in official reports.

Someone knocked on his office door.

The knock was in the form of three rapid knocks, which meant one of his officials had arrived with a pressing issue that needed his immediate attention.

"Enter," Yuan Feng stated.

The door opened and revealed Deputy Administrator Liu - a thin man in his fifties that was responsible for the financial management of the city.

When Deputy Administrator Liu appeared at the door looking as serious as he did, Yuan Feng knew that this would likely be an unpleasant conversation. After all, Liu only wore that serious expression when he had news that could possibly upset someone important.

"City Lord, I apologize for interrupting. However, I have a matter that I believe requires your immediate attention," Deputy Administrator Liu bowed.

Lord Yuan Feng waved his hand toward the deputy administrator indicating for him to stand up.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There is a foreign cultivator in the city," Deputy Administrator Liu began. "He arrived in the city late today with Merchant Hua and a youth from Falling Leaf Village. According to the gate guards, he was involved in a confrontation on the eastern road with three spirit beasts. He killed a peak Foundation Establishment spirit beast.”

Peak Foundation Establishment beasts were a threat to the safety of any city. Defeating one would require careful planning and coordination among several skilled cultivators. A single person defeating one, as was the case here, demonstrated a great deal of power.

"What cultivation level?" Lord Yuan Feng asked.

"I do not know, City Lord," Deputy Administrator Liu replied. "The foreign cultivator does not speak our language. Merchant Hua believes that the foreign cultivator is a Core Formation or higher based upon the variety of techniques that the foreign cultivator employed in order to defeat the spirit beasts. The gate guards confirmed that the foreign cultivator also possesses a storage device."

Lord Yuan Feng leaned back in his chair.

An unknown cultivator from another land with the ability to kill a peak Foundation Establishment beast using an unknown technique, and with a storage device to boot. That was certainly disturbing. Not because it presented a danger to the city, but because it was a reminder that there were other cultivators of similar or greater abilities in the world that the city of Rising Stone Town was not aware of.

"Where is this cultivator now?"

"The Jade Phoenix Inn, City Lord. Innkeeper Xu reported he took a room for the night."

"Has he caused any trouble?"

"None reported. According to Innkeeper Xu, he has been quiet and polite. Ate dinner in his room and has not come down since."

"That is good.”

"It is good because many powerful cultivators have short tempers and tend to become violent when they feel slighted in some manner," Yuan Feng explained. "If he is staying quietly in his room, then he is either very self-disciplined or very confident in his own ability to defend himself against any potential threat."

Deputy Administrator nodded.

"Summon the council," Yuan Feng said. "I want their opinions on how to proceed with this situation."

As Liu left, Yuan Feng went back to reviewing the grain report in front of him, but his mind was elsewhere.

Cultivators from other lands were always a problem. They operated under their own rules, followed their own laws, and often had their own agendas. Sometimes they were cooperative. More often they were arrogant young cultivators who were on training journeys and thought that they were entitled to be treated with deference by everyone they met. And sometimes they were true experts who were simply trying to travel safely and quickly to their destinations without causing any problems.

The difficulty was determining whether the cultivator you were dealing with was of the cooperative, arrogant, or expert type, before you made a move that got you killed.

***

Twenty minutes later, Lord Yuan Feng's office was crowded.

Deputy Administrator Liu had returned with three others: Military Commander Zhao, a grizzled old Core Formation cultivator that commanded the city guard; Tax Assessor Wang, a Foundation Establishment cultivator that was able to detect lies due to the nature of his spiritual sense; and Trade Minister Hong, a mortal, but extremely intelligent administrator that was responsible for the city's relationship with the various merchant guilds.

Each of the administrators present in the office looked at Lord Yuan Feng in turn and expressed their opinion as to how to handle the foreign cultivator.

"We need to demonstrate our strength and show this foreigner that Rising Stone Town has power and will not be threatened by any outsider," Military Commander Zhao said. “I can bring a squad of guards to the inn, make our position clear. If he's reasonable, he'll understand it's just business. If he's not reasonable, we'll know that too and can respond accordingly."

This was the first opinion to be expressed, and it was predictable.

Military Commander Zhao was a seasoned veteran of battle and a natural warrior, but he had the political instincts of a brick. Intimidation worked on bandits and low-level cultivators. It did not work on powerful unknowns who might take offense and level half your city before you realized your mistake.

"I disagree with Commander Zhao's approach," Trade Minister Hong said. “A foreign cultivator with storage devices and powerful techniques is valuable, not dangerous. We should recruit him.”

This was a slightly less stupid idea.

Recruiting the foreign cultivator would allow the city to gain access to his knowledge and skills in exchange for resources and accommodation. Many powerful cultivators appreciated a steady income and a safe place to cultivate. And if they began to see the place as their home, then they might even assist in defending the city.

However, for the Rising Stone Town to recruit a powerful cultivator, it would be almost impossible.

Great sects, wealthy noble families, and empires were constantly vying for the services of powerful cultivators. Minor towns such as Rising Stone Town could not compete with these entities for the services of a powerful cultivator. Only if the foreign cultivator was desperate, or running from someone, that would bring more danger than it was worth, would they consider joining a minor town administration such as Rising Stone Town.

"We should simply observe him and see if he causes any problems," Tax Assessor Wang said.

This was the most passive solution.

Simply observing the foreign cultivator would give him the freedom to do whatever he pleased.

This approach gave the city little leverage and would allow the foreign cultivator to dictate the terms of the encounter. Lord Yuan Feng had observed that passive observation rarely resulted in anything positive for the observer.

Deputy Administrator Liu waited until the other administrators had expressed their opinions before speaking. "City Lord, I think it would be wise to extend a formal greeting to the foreign cultivator. Any cultivator of Core Formation or higher who enters our jurisdiction should be formally acknowledged by someone of equivalent standing. Specifically, you, City Lord. Extending a formal greeting provides the opportunity to determine the cultivator's intentions in a neutral environment."

Finally, an intelligent solution had been proposed. Yuan Feng nodded in agreement.

"Thank you all for your suggestions," he finally said. "You are all dismissed. Commander Zhao, please inform your troops to maintain their usual patrol schedules and to avoid harassing our guest. Minister Hong, ask one of your agents to discreetly question Merchant Hua about the events that transpired on the eastern road. I would like to know more about those events. Wang, Liu, continue with your normal duties."

With that, the four administrators bowed and exited the office.

The door closed behind them, and Lord Yuan Feng was once again alone with his thoughts.

Idiots. Well-intentioned idiots, but idiots, nonetheless.

Commander Zhao wanted to scare the foreigner. That method works when you have the upper hand in terms of physical strength and/or authority. Lord Yuan Feng had neither. If this foreigner was a Core Formation like Yuan Feng, intimidating him would create unnecessary tension. If this foreigner was a Nascent Soul or higher, then intimidating him would be actively suicidal.

Hong wanted to recruit him. This assumption was that the foreigner needed or wanted something that Rising Stone Town could provide. Powerful cultivators have options. Trying to recruit someone significantly above your level made you look presumptuous at best and desperate at worst.

Wang wanted to wait and observe. That was the coward's approach. Waiting and observing means that you lose the initiative. By the time you have enough information to react to the developing situation, the situation has already spiraled out of your control.

Liu's advice was accurate. A formal greeting, proper respect, and direct evaluation are the ways to treat a powerful unknown. Approach the powerful unknown cautiously, extend the proper forms of courtesy, and gather information through the interaction while showing respect.

Lord Yuan Feng had experience with high-level cultivators. Three years ago, a Nascent Soul elder from the Red Sky Sect traveled through Rising Stone Town on his way to some distant location. Yuan Feng extended a formal greeting to the elder, offered hospitality and support, and the elder left the city after spending only one night.

No problems occurred. No conflict occurred. Proper courtesy had been extended between a city administrator and a vastly more powerful guest.

The secret to success was knowing your limits.

Lord Yuan Feng was a peak Core Formation. That was impressive. He was not weak. He was not the most powerful cultivator in the world, and acting as if he was would result in his death or worse.

Yuan Feng turned and walked to the window. The sun had long since set. The city square below was illuminated by numerous lanterns, casting a warm yellow glow on the cobblestone streets. The guards were patrolling their scheduled routes. The merchants were securing their stalls for the night.

Life in the city continued normally, as it always did.

In that peaceful scene, however, was a foreign cultivator of unknown power. He was potentially dangerous. He was potentially beneficial. He was certainly worthy of being treated with care.

Lord Yuan Feng had made his decision.

He would go to the Jade Phoenix Inn tonight.

He would greet the foreigner formally, ask questions respectfully, and evaluate the situation.

If the foreigner was reasonable, they would have a pleasant conversation, and everything would be okay.

If the foreigner was unreasonable, at least Yuan Feng would know it before the situation became unmanageable.