The road ahead had already been paved by Jiang Chen.
Next, he planned to hand over the management of this batch of slaves to Gouyu and Xue Tong. The division of labor would also be entirely entrusted to them.
He had even granted Gouyu and Xue Tong full authority over the slaves' management. This left both Gouyu and Xue Tong feeling deeply honored, yet also carrying a trace of pressure.
Jiang Chen didn't involve himself too deeply in the matter of the slaves. In fact, he didn't plan to micromanage the entire young master's estate either—everything would be left to Gouyu and Xue Tong.
Two of the three preparation days had already passed. On the final day, Jiang Chen had made all his arrangements. With time still to spare, he decided to take a walk around Peacock Sacred Mountain.
Having arrived at Peacock Sacred Mountain, he was still a newcomer after all.
So, taking advantage of this last day of preparation before entering the main tower of the Glazed King Pagoda, Jiang Chen decided to pay visits to some of Peacock Sacred Mountain's veterans.
The Four Monarchs, for instance. And some key senior figures who were even of the same generation as the Peacock Great Emperor.
Certain high-ranking members of the Peacock Guard as well.
With Jiang Chen's current status, these people should technically have been the ones paying their respects to him. But given that his time was tight and they didn't wish to disturb his preparations, the visit had to go the other way around.
So when Jiang Chen took the initiative to visit them, the old veterans were surprised—and more than a little flustered.
A young master was still a young master. A young master who held the Lesser Feather Token was the designated successor of Peacock Sacred Mountain. In title, he was already a rank above all of them.
If they hadn't gone to pay their respects to the young master, and instead the young master had to come to them—that was a serious breach of etiquette.
As a result, every single one of them began with an apology.
"Young Master, I assumed you would be terribly busy during these three days of preparation and didn't wish to visit the estate. I was terribly rude, and to have the young master come to me instead is truly humiliating." Brightcloud Monarch was an open and straightforward man, and he explained with great sincerity.
Jiang Chen didn't particularly mind any of this. He knew that Brightcloud Monarch was being genuine.
"Brightcloud Monarch, the Great Emperor has often told me that if there's anything I don't understand at Peacock Sacred Mountain, I should come ask you first."
Brightcloud Monarch laughed. "The Great Emperor flatters me too much. But his judgment—truly, it commands my admiration. Back when he privately revealed his intention to designate you as young master, I was short-sighted back then. I couldn't see that far or that deep, and I even expressed some doubts. Now the facts have proven it: I was the one with limited vision. The Great Emperor's foresight is truly remarkable."
Jiang Chen hadn't planned to stay long at this visit. After a bit of casual conversation, he excused himself.
After leaving Brightcloud Monarch's residence, he went on to visit Foxfire Monarch and Stagewatch Monarch in succession. Foxfire Monarch had a temperament like that of a drifting cloud or a wild crane—mildly surprised by Jiang Chen's visit but neither too distant nor too enthusiastic.
Stagewatch Monarch was an easygoing and forthright character. He didn't flatter Jiang Chen, but offered a few words of encouragement.
As with his earlier visit to Brightcloud Monarch, Jiang Chen presented a gift at each stop. The gifts were all medicinal pills.
Pills were what he could best offer at this point.
Of the Four Monarchs, he had now visited three. The last was Plumshadow Monarch, whose residence was the most remote. Peacock Sacred Mountain had many mountain ranges, and each monarch maintained his or her own independent sanctuary.
Plumshadow Monarch's sanctuary was situated in the northernmost region of Peacock Sacred Mountain. It was called the Plumshadow Sanctum, and it was renowned for its abundance of plum blossoms. Plumshadow Monarch herself loved plums dearly, and her temperament carried the same noble aloofness as the flower. She had even adopted the name Plumshadow as her title.
Jiang Chen had met Plumshadow Monarch a few times before, but they had no real relationship to speak of. He only knew that her personality was rather cold.
Jiang Chen didn't expect the Four Monarchs to be excessively warm toward him. After all, he had only been named young master a few days ago. The Four Monarchs had followed the Peacock Great Emperor for over a thousand years and held extremely high standing at Peacock Sacred Mountain. If their attitude toward a newly appointed young master was too deferential, they would struggle with it themselves—unable to set aside their dignity and pride.
So by visiting them proactively, Jiang Chen was really trying to bridge the gap.
He was young. He didn't care about matters of status and ceremony. Nor did he want to sour his relationship with the Four Monarchs right at the start of his tenure.
From the looks of it, the visits had gone reasonably well.
Whether Plumshadow Monarch would be as accommodating as the other three, however, Jiang Chen couldn't be certain.
From what he had learned, Plumshadow Monarch had been the most vocal opponent to his appointment as young master. Not exactly opposed, perhaps, but certainly the one with the most reservations.
Jiang Chen stood at the entrance of the Plumshadow Sanctum, taking in its unique scenery. The region around the sanctum, due to its high elevation and terrain, was blanketed in snow almost year-round—every season except summer. Plum trees of various species bloomed and shed their petals in succession, and different times of year brought entirely different vistas.
Even standing at the sanctum's gate, Jiang Chen found himself momentarily transfixed.
He had to admit—the Plumshadow Sanctum was breathtakingly beautiful. If Lingxiao's Snow Mountain City had stood like a hidden immortal realm amid the swirling wind and snow, then this was something on an entirely different level.
Through the dancing snowflakes, plum blossoms of every variety clung proudly to their branches. The most remarkable thing was that despite this world of ice and snow, the vegetation here remained as green and verdant as ever, brimming with vitality, completely untroubled by the cold and the storm.