The city where Ian Song and his two companions settled is called Snowgoose City.
It's a small city built on solid ground, with a population of just over eight hundred thousand.
Although it's not as bustling or lively as the big Immortal cities, it has a much more peaceful vibe.
Ascended Immortals are extremely rare here—there aren't even ten thousand of them—and most keep to themselves, barely stepping out.
The courtyard Ian bought isn't very big, but it has a front yard, a back yard, three side rooms, and a kitchen—small but fully equipped.
Even such a small courtyard cost a hefty two hundred thousand immortal stones.
In the Barbarian Wastes, that much could buy you a sprawling estate of several hundred acres.
In the Langya Immortal World, the native Immortal clans call all areas outside the Eight Immortal Domains, Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens, and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands the Barbarian Wastes.
"To celebrate moving into our new home, I'll cook tonight!"
Ian smiled and said this to Joy and Cici.
Joy and Cici both absolutely approved of Ian's cooking skills. When they heard he was going to cook himself, their faces lit up with delight.
Thanks to his love for good food, Ian often practiced his culinary skills whenever he had free time. By now, his cooking had reached a whole new level, and the dishes he made always got endless praise from the girls.
He took out all kinds of immortal ingredients and got busy in the kitchen.
In less than half an hour, Ian had whipped up a whole table full of delicious dishes.
The three of them polished off everything on the table, then decided to go out for a walk around the city.
The layout of this little city reminded Ian of the water towns of Jiangnan back on Azureblue Star: bluestone streets, low buildings, crystal-clear rivers, and lush immortal willows lining the banks—everything felt so peaceful and harmonious.
With the city's small population and Immortals often going into seclusion for years at a time, there weren't many people out on the streets.
As the three walked along, they only ran into a few dozen Immortals.
And the Immortals here, when they saw Ian—a newly ascended Immortal—didn't react much at all.
After all, there are so few ascended Immortals in this city that they don't threaten the native clans at all. So the whole 'ascender threat' theory doesn't get much attention here.
After their stroll, the three returned to the courtyard and started a round of indescribable exercise.
Even after a fierce sparring match with his two vampire women, Ian didn't feel tired at all. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his Storage Ring, lit one, took a deep drag, and exhaled slowly.
He'd come to Jasper Splendor Cave-Heaven mainly to stir up trouble.
But after arriving in Snowgoose City and feeling its tranquility, he started to think maybe he'd picked the wrong place. Maybe he should've gone to one of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands instead—he didn't want to disturb the peace here.
Still, since he'd already come, he didn't plan to leave right away.
Half a month passed in a flash.
Besides daily cultivation, Ian liked to go to a nearby teahouse, grab a seat, and drink tea while watching the scenery outside the window.
This city was so peaceful—almost no fighting at all. It was the perfect place to retire.
During those two weeks, Joy and Cici even made a new friend.
Her name was Stella, a native Immortal with early Earth Immortal cultivation. She'd hardly ever left Snowgoose City and was really good at making all kinds of immortal clothes.
Her immortal clothes were a big hit with everyone, so neighbors often came by to order a robe or two. Each piece cost anywhere from thirty to a hundred immortal stones.
With her skillful hands, Stella could make three to five garments a day, so just by making immortal clothes she easily covered her daily expenses.
To welcome Ian and the others, Stella offered to make them each a set of clothes for free.
Ian didn't refuse, but had Joy and Cici bring some immortal vegetables and immortal poultry meat over to Stella's house as thanks.
Worth mentioning, Stella also had a mother whose cultivation had reached late-stage Golden Immortal. She often went into seclusion, hoping to break through and become a Profound Immortal.
Even though it's easier to reach Profound Immortal in Jasper Splendor Cave-Heaven, very few actually manage it.
Ian, who liked hanging out at the teahouse, made a few tea-drinking friends over those two weeks. None of them showed any hostility or disdain just because he was an ascended Immortal.
"Hey Song, up for a round?"
One day, just after Ian sat down at the teahouse, a middle-aged man in dark robes came over to challenge him.
"Forget it! Your board game skills are terrible—playing with you is pure torture!"
Ian refused without hesitation. This middle-aged man in dark robes, who called himself Old Hugh, never did say his real name. As for his cultivation—late-stage Profound Immortal.
That really surprised Ian. In such a tiny Snowgoose City, there were actually hundreds of Profound Immortals living here! He couldn't help but wonder—was Jasper Splendor Cave-Heaven really that overpowered?
Just a random small city, and it had hundreds of Profound Immortals?
Later, he found out Snowgoose City was special—nobody was allowed to fight here, which was why people called it the City of No Strife.
Because of this, lots of Immortals who were sick of fighting came here to retire and live in peace.
And as for why nobody dared break the rules—well, that was because three Ancestral Immortals were living in seclusion here.
Ian felt like he'd hit the jackpot—just randomly wandering into a city and he bumped into three Ancestral Immortals.
"Just one game, how about it?"
Old Hugh begged with a pitiful look.
Ian really didn't want to deal with him. Every time Old Hugh said 'just one game,' he'd end up playing another, and another. Plus, Old Hugh had every bad board game habit in the book—especially taking back moves. The worst part? If he lost, he'd keep pestering you to play until he finally won a round.
Last time, Old Hugh had pestered Ian into playing for three days and three nights straight.
He'd nearly driven Ian crazy.
"Song, really not up for a game?"
"No way!" Ian shot back, firm as a rock.
"What, are you afraid you'll lose to me?"
"Lose to you? Even if I played with one hand, you wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Ha! If I played with both feet, I'd still beat you easy!"
Ian was speechless. Who plays chess with their feet?
"Forget it. Wait for Old Du to get here and bug him instead!"
Old Du was another tea-drinking friend Ian had made.
"Forget it, Old Du's board game skills are awful. Playing with him is pointless!"
Ian couldn't help but laugh. Old Hugh calling someone else bad at board games? He was one to talk.
"Old Hugh, talking behind someone's back isn't nice!"
Just then, a burly man strode into the teahouse—it was Old Du, the one they'd been talking about. He was also late-stage Profound Immortal, with a striking scar on his face. Apparently, he'd gotten it in his first battle. He could've easily healed it, but chose to keep it as a reminder to stay vigilant.
"Old Hugh, up for a game?" Old Du asked.
"Nope!"
Old Hugh answered without hesitation.
"What, are you scared of me now?"
"No way. Even if I played with one hand, you wouldn't win!"
"I'll play with both feet!"
"Pfft!"
Ian had just taken a sip of tea when he heard their exchange and nearly spat it out. These two were just too much.