After climbing into the carriage, Qian Zhenhao took Xiao Mo to the city lord's manor.
As soon as they entered the manor gates, Xiao Mo saw an extraordinarily luxurious courtyard.
A pathway paved with bluestone slabs passed through three moon gates, with gilded bronze crane lamp stands on either side.
The steps were made from a single piece of jade, their edges polished smooth, while soft green moss grew in the cracks.
Several hundred-year-old osmanthus trees grew in the courtyard. Golden-wire birdcages hung among their branches, each housing a Huamei. Judging by its eyes, this particular Huamei seemed to have only just developed spiritual intelligence.
Pure-gold bells hung beneath the dark-tiled eaves and chimed whenever the wind blew.
The railing around the covered corridor was made of century-old sandalwood, polished by the years to a warm sheen. Every piece of wood was worth a fortune.
Red carp swam in the pond at the center of the courtyard. None of them were ordinary fish; they were Spirit beasts with a measure of Spiritual Energy.
Round water-lily leaves floated on the surface. The water lilies themselves were also eighth-grade Spirit Medicine.
The carved doors of the main hall were covered with plain silk gauze. Through it, Xiao Mo could see bamboo-thread lanterns hanging inside, each designed to gather spiritual energy.
Landscape paintings on silk hung on the walls; they were unmistakably the work of famous artists.
Looking over everything in the city lord's manor, Xiao Mo asked Qian Zhenhao, "Fourth Brother, did all of this originally belong to the former city lord of Maple Leaf City?"
"Of course not." Qian Zhenhao smiled. "Only some of it belonged to the former city lord. Most of it was collected by your Fourth Brother over the years. What do you think? Not bad, right?"
"It