Cheng Zongyang fell into deep thought. Finally, he asked, "Are you certain all the great seas have been explored?"

He Shujun said, "I’m just from a small, ordinary family, my lord. These are just rumors I’ve heard from the common folk. I can’t confirm if they’re true, and I certainly have no way to investigate further. If you want to find out, you could ask the Da Yi Commerce Association or the Ji Family. With your status and means, it should be a simple matter."

Cheng Zongyang was speechless.

’What status do I even have?’

He didn’t press further. "Alright, talk to Steward Luo about the rest. He’ll answer any questions you have. I’ll be leaving now."

With that, Cheng Zongyang turned to Luo Dingran and said, "I’ll leave the rest to you. Also, if we have enough Points, try to purchase a few High Tier items. Prioritize elevating our other key people."

"Yes, my lord." Luo Dingran clasped his hands.

Cheng Zongyang nodded, then vanished.

Seeing this, He Shujun’s pupils shrank abruptly. "He truly is an Immortal!"

Luo Dingran smiled. "The lord is not an Immortal, but he possesses means even more powerful than an Immortal’s! This is the lord’s personal world, a different world altogether. Our task is to assist the lord in developing this world and earning more Points for him..."

Luo Dingran then explained some of the basic situation and general knowledge to He Shujun. For the rest, he planned to give him a booklet to read on his own.

After all, he couldn’t personally explain everything from start to finish every time a new Soul Slave was created. So, in his spare time, he had already compiled a Basic knowledge handbook for the Wilderness World.

One would understand the basics after reading it.

His consciousness returned to his body in the outside world. Cheng Zongyang didn’t move, his mind replaying the information He Shujun had provided.

A moment later, he got out of bed and prepared to pack his things to leave the village for the County Town.

Whether Immortals existed or not, he would search for them in the future. But first, he needed to gather more information.

And right now, the best target was the Da Yi Commerce Association.

Half an hour later, Cheng Zongyang went outside and found his father to inform him of his plans. Upon hearing them, Cheng Guanghai said, "No problem. Go tell your mother."

Cheng Zongyang nodded.

Soon, Cheng Zongyang bid his family farewell and entered the underground passage to Tiantuan Village through the warehouse guarded by the villagers.

The underground passage was now fully complete. Everything from ventilation to reinforcement and lighting had been perfected. They had even begun sending some of the Wilderness Rice to a transit station for storage, as the village couldn’t consume it all.

As for supplies from the County Town, they couldn’t be brought to the village yet. After all, the County Town was also facing shortages.

They would have to wait for the Da Yi Commerce Association, the family’s commerce association, or traveling merchants to start trading across different regions before the supply of goods could be restored.

Half an hour later, Cheng Zongyang arrived at the warehouse in Tiantuan Village.

The underground passage was sealed with heavy iron doors, which also had handles. When someone needed to enter or exit, they would pull a cable to haul the heavy iron door open.

"Greetings, Young Clan Leader!"

The two Martial Artist guards were villagers. When they saw it was Cheng Zongyang who emerged, they quickly clasped their hands in salute.

Cheng Zongyang waved his hand. "No need for formalities. How are things in the village?"

One of them quickly replied, "Rest assured, Young Clan Leader. Everything is in order."

"Good. Thank you for your hard work." Cheng Zongyang gave a slight smile and left the warehouse.

Tiantuan Village was currently garrisoned by Zhao the Seventh’s Earth Demon Hall. Members of the Zhenwu Hall were also training here.

When Zhao the Seventh heard from his subordinates that Cheng Zongyang had returned, he was overjoyed and hurried over to greet him.

"My lord!!"

Seeing the familiar face, Zhao the Seventh was incredibly excited, grinning like a fool. He offered a flurry of greetings before saying, "The Second Boss said you’d be arriving in the next few days, so this humble one has been waiting here. You must be tired from your journey."

Faced with Zhao the Seventh’s fervent display, Cheng Zongyang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright, don’t act like we’re a couple reunited after a month apart. It’s making my skin crawl. But I’ve seen the village. It’s well-managed."

Zhao the Seventh chuckled. "Not at all, it was all arranged by the Second Boss. The Gang Leader also comes by often."

The two walked out of the village, one in front of the other, with Cheng Zongyang listening as Zhao the Seventh, half a step behind, recounted the developments from this period.

Overall, things were good and getting better.

The County Town had been completely stabilized, and more and more people were arriving from other places to settle there.

The powers in the city’s districts were all competing to attract people to live in their territories. Only with a larger population would future tax revenue and development improve.

Cheng Zongyang was quite pleased to hear that Zhou Zhendong was handling matters with increasing ease and competence.

This was more important than anything else.

Outside the village, Cheng Zongyang looked at the once-again lush and verdant Wilderness Rice and the medicinal fields nearing harvest, feeling a sense of contentment.

’The County Town is finally completely stable.’

Zhao the Seventh arranged for a carriage and accompanied Cheng Zongyang toward the County Town.

Upon entering the County Town, Cheng Zongyang didn’t go to the Celestial Break Gang’s headquarters, but went home instead.

Zhang Chuchu, who was assisting Zhou Zhendong with logistics, wasn’t home. The maids who were there were overjoyed to see Cheng Zongyang return. Meanwhile, Zhao the Seventh sent someone to notify the others.

Half an hour later, a group of people arrived together.

Zhou Zhendong, Li Lu, Zhang Chuchu, Li Yihuo, and Xu Dong. The various Hall Masters did not come.

In the living room, after a round of happy greetings, Cheng Zongyang listened to Zhou Zhendong report on the past month’s developments.

He had Zhou Zhendong give the report because he wanted to gauge his understanding of their overall affairs.

The Cheng Family’s development was primarily commercial. The Celestial Break Gang, however, was responsible not only for business but also for all the mundane affairs of the West City District. This involved the daily lives of the district’s residents—their food, clothing, housing, transport, births, aging, sickness, deaths, population changes, security, and governance.

It could be said that the Celestial Break Gang had far more to manage than the Cheng Family.

After Zhou Zhendong finished explaining the Cheng Family’s overall development situation, Cheng Zongyang had a clear picture. Li Yihuo and Zhang Chuchu both nodded in agreement.

As for Li Lu, he was about to report as well but was interrupted by Cheng Zongyang, who said with a smile:

"Brother, you’re in charge of the Celestial Break Gang, so I won’t ask for too many details. As long as the overall direction is right, I won’t meddle in the minor issues. I came back this time to speak with the people from the Da Yi Commerce Association. Where are they now?"

Hearing this, everyone looked at Zhou Zhendong, who said, "Young Clan Leader, they are currently staying at Cheng’s Inn. They arrived last night."

Cheng Zongyang looked at Zhou Zhendong. "Did you notice anything?"

Zhou Zhendong understood Cheng Zongyang’s meaning. His brow furrowed in thought for a moment before he shook his head.

"No. After I returned last night, Yuanli came and told me they wanted to see me. I was then told to have you return. They didn’t say much else. They’ve been in the inn all day today and haven’t gone out. All their food and drink have been delivered personally by our people."

Cheng Zongyang nodded slightly. ’They’re certainly being mysterious.’

"Should I make arrangements for tonight?" Zhou Zhendong asked.

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Yes, arrange it. I’ll speak with the two of them."

And so, Zhou Zhendong personally took Zhang Chuchu to handle the arrangements, leaving Xu Dong behind to be at Cheng Zongyang’s disposal.

Li Lu and Li Yihuo, however, stayed behind.

Li Lu’s hesitant expression left Cheng Zongyang speechless. "Brother, we’re not strangers. If you have something to say, just say it."

Li Lu gave a couple of sheepish laughs. "It’s about the Celestial Break Gang. The County Town is basically stable now, and more people are coming from other places to settle down. Shopkeeper Li keeps saying it’s not the right time to open the brothels and gambling houses. But I’ve seen a lot of people going to the other districts for entertainment."

Cheng Zongyang retorted, "And what reasons did Shopkeeper Li give?"

At this, Li Lu looked at Li Yihuo and said with an embarrassed smile, "Shopkeeper Li, how did it go again? I can’t remember all that."

Li Yihuo was exasperated by Li Lu’s "tattling." If Cheng Zongyang hadn’t put him in charge of all commercial decisions before he left, Li Lu would have acted on his own long ago.

He immediately clasped his hands toward Cheng Zongyang and said:

"Boss, my argument to Gang Leader Li was that the West City District isn’t completely stable yet. Many rules and regulations haven’t been fully established, and adding these establishments would only create chaos. Furthermore, this policy helps us filter out the idlers and troublemakers.

In the initial phase, we need law-abiding citizens who want to live and work in peace. Only this type of populace can bring stability to the district, ensure a steady future tax income, and reduce the workload for the gang’s Hall of Justice.

Only by doing this preliminary work well can we distinguish ourselves from the other districts later on. Only then can the West City District build a reputation for being stable, peaceful, and prosperous. In the future, people will see the West City District as the most stable, secure, peaceful, and prosperous district of all.

Only then will the properties in our territory become more valuable. When our territory has the best commercial environment, opening brothels and gambling houses according to the model you originally envisioned, Boss, will be a completely different matter than it is now.

Of course, there is one more crucial point: we need to show the Da Yi Commerce Association that the West City District is their best choice, not a dirty, chaotic, and poorly-managed place!"