Chapter 114: Chapter 113: The Black Bear King Also Fell into the Pit
Everyone thought that after they took down the White Wolf King, the Black Bear King would come attacking soon after.
As it turned out, they waited for several days with the array ready, but the days remained peaceful and the nights were brightly moonlit. The artisans worked with peace of mind during the day, and at night, there were only the sounds of chirping insects and whistling wind. Apart from the occasional roars of tigers and howls of wolves from deep in the mountains, there wasn’t a single trace of Demon Qi at the front of the mountain.
Because Gu Zhao and the others had wiped out nearly all the bandits around Cuiluo Mountain, even the wild rabbits in the mountains seemed to have grown more lively.
"The Spirit Official Hall is already finished. The Four Imperial Lords Hall behind it, along with the God of Wealth Hall and Wenchang Hall on either side, are all under construction simultaneously. With so many hands on deck, things are moving quickly."
Gu Zhao made a rare visit to the construction site to inspect his future property. Accompanying him were the Silk Embroideress and Zhuo Qingyan, as well as Elder He, who was holding the blueprints and explaining things nonstop.
Each of the large palace halls was its own small construction site. A group of sturdy men worked under the direction of the master craftsmen, while some women helped out where they could.
They were all people from the mountain strongholds who had never done anything wicked and had nowhere else to go. They were staying at Daluo Palace to become Firework Taoists in the future, so naturally, they now formed the main construction workforce.
"Perhaps news of the temple construction has spread. In the last few days, quite a few merchants and artisans have come here looking for business or work," Elder He explained. "I’ve had my men screen and hire some of them, which should speed up our progress."
Gu Zhao nodded. "Let’s build the main precinct first. It’s the public face of Daluo Palace."
In the design renderings Gu Zhao had provided, the entire Daluo Palace complex was integrated with the terrain of Cuiluo Mountain’s front slope, occupying a vast area with its buildings spread out rather than clustered together.
Beyond the Cyan Dragon Mountain Gate to the far east was a mountain path. After ascending one hundred and eight steps, one would reach the Spirit Official Hall.
Behind the Spirit Official Hall was the front courtyard. Further back was the Four Imperial Lords Hall, and behind it, the middle courtyard. Beyond that was the Jade Emperor Hall, followed by the rear courtyard, and finally, the Three Pristine Hall.
Flanking the front courtyard were the God of Wealth Hall and the Wenchang Hall, where worshippers could pray for wealth and official positions.
Flanking the middle courtyard were the Medicine King Hall and the Yuelao Hall, where worshippers could pray for good health, marriage, and children.
Flanking the rear courtyard were the Salvation Hall and the Thunder Ancestor Hall, where worshippers could pray for deliverance from all calamities and protection from all evil spirits.
Each successive hall was larger than the last. The final one, the Three Pristine Hall, was the tallest and largest edifice in the entire complex. Together, these buildings formed the main precinct of Daluo Palace, the primary area for most worshippers to visit, tour, burn incense, and pray.
Beyond the main precinct, there were also side courtyards, connected to the main area by mountain paths.
These side courtyards were divided into god halls and Ancestor Halls, enshrining secondary deities and the patriarchs of various sects. Examples included the Quanzhen Courtyard, the Chunyang Courtyard, the Celestial Master’s Institute, the Shangqing Courtyard, the Northern Emperor Courtyard, and the Houtu Courtyard.
The side courtyards were like a host of stars surrounding the moon of the main precinct, forming a scattered yet orderly whole that constituted the entire Daluo Palace architectural complex.
And on the periphery of the architectural complex were the Four Symbols and the Twenty-Eight Star Constellations.
...
Gu Zhao finished his tour of the construction site and was about to head back. Just then, Li Erping, a former hunter, came striding quickly up the mountain, leading a group of people.
Seeing Gu Zhao and his companions, Li Erping hurriedly greeted them, "Young Master Gu!"
Gu Zhao nodded. "And these are...?"
"These are artisans from the villages and towns to the west. There are also some men who want to earn money doing manual labor, so I brought them all up," Li Erping replied.
With the surrounding mountain strongholds cleared out, the route from Xiuyue County to Wuhe County was now largely safe. The nearby villages and towns began to prosper, and many common folk, hearing there was work to be done here, started leaving their homes and coming to seek employment.
Gu Zhao, for his part, was not short on money. The funds from selling just a few sets of Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood furniture in the modern world were more than enough to build the entire Daluo Palace here.
"Make sure their lodging is arranged, and don’t skimp on the food," Gu Zhao added.
"Absolutely!" Li Erping nodded repeatedly. "Taoist Yan Song has arranged everything. The first thing we built was the... uh... the worker dormitories. And we have more rice, flour, and cooking oil in the warehouse than we can even eat!"
Li Erping pointed at the artisans working nearby, his expression a mixture of ruefulness and pride. "Look at them! Every single one has put on weight!"
The artisans nearby who heard this grinned good-naturedly, their gazes turning to Gu Zhao, filled with a mixture of awe and gratitude. They knew this was the man who would be the future Palace Master of Cuiluo Mountain’s Daluo Palace.
Although those two old Mages—no, old Daoists—seemed to be of high seniority and deep cultivation, they were both extremely respectful toward this young man who rarely made an appearance.
Gu Zhao waved his hand dismissively. He was used to being the center of attention by now.
Ever since construction began on Daluo Palace, he had not only ordered vast quantities of green bricks, black tiles, paint, and hardware from the modern world, but had also brought over a large supply of daily necessities and food that weren’t so advanced as to give him away.
As a result, the artisans only felt that the Mages of Daluo Palace possessed vast Divine Techniques; they had no inkling that the people of Daluo Palace were not of this world.
Although these items were impressive, they weren’t beyond the comprehension of this world. Even Zhuo Qingyan and the Silk Embroideress merely assumed it was a secret of Gu Zhao’s sect, which made them feel that this so-called Taoist Sect of his was truly unfathomable.
Gu Zhao looked at the surrounding artisans, then at the group of people behind Li Erping. ’Maybe Daluo Palace will be completed even faster than I expected.’
’In that case, the battle with the Golden Wind Sect will have to be put on the agenda.’
’Before that, I have to deal with Three Extremes Mountain first,’ Gu Zhao mused. ’I didn’t expect the Black Bear King to be such a coward. His son and his second brother were both dealt with here, yet he hasn’t made a move.’
’The trap is all set, and he’s not going to jump in?’
’But you can be a thief for a thousand days; you can’t guard against one for a thousand days. If he still doesn’t show up, we’ll have no choice but to take the fight to Three Extremes Mountain once we’ve finished absorbing the Evil Qi from the White Wolf King.’
But just at that moment, the Five Thunders Order in Gu Zhao’s Sea of Consciousness suddenly twitched, then began to thrum with excitement.
Gu Zhao understood this feeling. It meant that Evil Qi—something that could fill its belly—had appeared nearby.
Gu Zhao’s head snapped up. He looked toward the crowd behind Li Erping and saw among them skilled artisans over fifty, adolescent boys doing odd jobs while learning a trade, and sturdy, able-bodied men in their prime.
Two men among them caught Gu Zhao’s attention.
One was a dark-complexioned, sturdily built man, but he had a guileless smile on his face and seemed completely unthreatening.
The other was a man with a sallow face and a thin build, but his exposed arms were muscled. His eyes were clear, and he also had the look of an honest man.
The two men were standing close together and obviously knew each other, but they didn’t particularly stand out in the crowd.
The only reason Gu Zhao noticed them was because of the Five Thunders Order’s reaction, which alerted him that the dark-complexioned man was a walking pile of experience points, carrying a massive amount of Evil Qi.
As for the sallow-faced man beside him, it wasn’t that he had no Evil Qi, but the amount was negligible compared to the burly man. With a feast right there, the Five Thunders Order couldn’t be bothered with such a tiny snack.
Gu Zhao’s gaze swept over the two men as he walked past, brushing shoulders with them without a change in expression.
’With that much Evil Qi, there’s no doubt who this is.’
’He’s walked right into the trap.’
