Chen An didn't know Song Lao's thoughts, but he could guess some of it.
However, he was not satisfied with the position of the clan elder.
Having come to this world with some ideals hanging on his shoulders, he naturally needed to have some aspirations.
Complete inner energy? Master the core energy?
Not enough, not at all.
Let's set a small goal for now.
Innate perfection.
Song Lao was unaware of Chen An's ideals and goals. If he knew, he would probably look at Chen An with a crazy look in his eyes.
Chen An had no intention of saying anything.
In the Bai family, he was prepared to take things slowly, waiting until he could no longer endure it before speaking up.
Of course, while goals could be set high, it was necessary to stay grounded for now.
Chen An turned and looked ahead, gazing at the more magnificent mansion, thoughts flashing through his mind.
"This will be your future mansion," Song Lao said, pointing to the courtyard in front of them. "This was the residence of a steward under Miss Qing, who was reportedly dispatched some time ago and likely won't return."
"Most of the things inside should still be there, so there's no need to purchase anything. As for servants and attendants, you can choose them yourself later."
"Any other questions?"
"None."
Chen An smiled and said sincerely, "Miss and Song Lao, you have considered everything thoroughly. I can't think of anything missing for now."
"If you find something missing in the future, you can come directly to me."
Smiling, Song Lao said, "You can still visit Miss regularly, but try not to disturb her with trivial matters. You can come to me for minor issues, no need to trouble Miss Qing."
"I understand."
Chen An nodded, indicating his understanding.
After a moment, Song Lao left in a hurry, indicating he had other matters to attend to.
Watching his retreating figure, Chen An shook his head.
Initially, Chen An thought that the top warriors in this world only needed to focus on martial arts and maintain their strength.
But after actual contact, Chen An realized that it wasn't quite like that.
Ordinary warriors could focus solely on martial arts if they didn't aspire to rule, but for those like Bai Qing who held positions of responsibility, they were perpetually busy.
This was evident during their time in Fengcheng County, where they had to take care of accounts and deal with killing.
Returning to Shangyuan County amplified these responsibilities further.
Upon their return, a heap of tasks awaited Bai Qing.
Managing various districts, quelling riots, and dealing with mysterious matters all required Bai Qing's input.
And she couldn't afford to slack off.
Although the Bai family operated as a whole, it was divided into many factions and branches.
Bai Qing was responsible for managing her branch's financial resources and the livelihood of her branch's descendants.
But this wasn't a simple acknowledgment of responsibility.
Unlike in his past life, in a world where warriors held all power, only those with sufficient strength were capable of handling many tasks.
Even if Bai Qing wanted to delegate, she would need enough warriors under her command to do so.
From what Chen An knew, Bai Qing's lack of manpower was quite evident.
Not only did she lack loyal and capable personnel, but she also lacked individuals with sufficient strength.
In a pessimistic estimation, Chen An's strength probably placed him at the forefront of Bai Qing's manpower.
With that in mind, Chen An shook his head, then turned and walked toward the courtyard.
Compared to the residence in Fengcheng County, this residence was significantly more upscale, with better scenery and a larger area.
This discrepancy was expected.
The residence in Fengcheng was just an ordinary civilian house, whereas this residence in the Bai family was designed and built by master craftsmen, showcasing a different level of elegance and luxury.
The items used here were all high-quality, with hardly anything ordinary.
Chen An estimated that if he were to sell the items from this place, he could fetch a good amount of silver coins.
However, he had no need to do so.
Before bringing him here, Bai Qing had provided him with a settlement fee.
A generous five hundred taels of silver.
Added to the scattered amounts given by Bai Qing previously, Chen An had received around seven to eight hundred taels of silver from her.
This amount was no small sum, even within Shangyuan County.
And that was just the settlement fee.
As per Song Lao, there would be a monthly stipend of around thirty taels of silver.
Thirty taels per month meant an annual salary of three hundred and sixty taels, which Chen An felt was already quite substantial.
Still, Song Lao seemed worried that Chen An might find it inadequate, mentioning that there would be additional rewards in the future.
This only reinforced the idea that warriors were indeed the core talent in this world.
"It's time to bring in a few people," Chen An thought, looking around and feeling satisfied with his new environment.
The decorations and items here were nice, but the neglect of some areas due to lack of prior maintenance had left them covered in dust.
He would need to hire a few people to take care of those areas.
Song Lao kindly provided Chen An with a few addresses and mentioned that he could select some people from there if he wasn't satisfied.
It seemed that Song Lao's primary role under Bai Qing was that of a steward or assistant, rather than a killer.
After wandering around, Chen An was about to leave, planning to explore and familiarize himself with the new environment.
However, before he could step out of the courtyard gate, he noticed someone waiting for him.
It was a young man who looked quite handsome, appearing to be in his early twenties.
As Chen An walked out of the room, the man approached with a friendly smile, bowing to him.
"I am Bai Changyue, nice to meet you, brother."
He extended his hand towards Chen An and said with a smile, "You seem unfamiliar, probably just returned from out of town. How should I address you?"
"I am Chen An."
Chen An looked the young man up and down but couldn't discern anything remarkable about him.
While there were traces of practicing external techniques on him, his specific cultivation level was difficult to determine.
"So you are Miss Qing's guest!"
Upon hearing Chen An's name, Bai Changyue became even more enthusiastic, his smile reaching new heights.
For locals, encountering people like Chen An wasn't unusual, but it was different if they were guests rather than locals.
In the ancestral grounds of the Bai family, there were limitations on the number of guests brought in, typically consisting of talented individuals from various backgrounds.
This person is worth befriending!
Bai Changyue made this judgment and his smile grew even warmer.
Chen An didn't know Song Lao's thoughts, but he could guess some of it.
However, he was not satisfied with the position of the clan elder.
Having come to this world with some ideals hanging on his shoulders, he naturally needed to have some aspirations.
Complete inner energy? Master the core energy?
Not enough, not at all.
Let's set a small goal for now.
Innate perfection.
Song Lao was unaware of Chen An's ideals and goals. If he knew, he would probably look at Chen An with a crazy look in his eyes.
Chen An had no intention of saying anything.
In the Bai family, he was prepared to take things slowly, waiting until he could no longer endure it before speaking up.
Of course, while goals could be set high, it was necessary to stay grounded for now.
Chen An turned and looked ahead, gazing at the more magnificent mansion, thoughts flashing through his mind.
"This will be your future mansion," Song Lao said, pointing to the courtyard in front of them. "This was the residence of a steward under Miss Qing, who was reportedly dispatched some time ago and likely won't return."
"Most of the things inside should still be there, so there's no need to purchase anything. As for servants and attendants, you can choose them yourself later."
"Any other questions?"
"None."
Chen An smiled and said sincerely, "Miss and Song Lao, you have considered everything thoroughly. I can't think of anything missing for now."
"If you find something missing in the future, you can come directly to me."
Smiling, Song Lao said, "You can still visit Miss regularly, but try not to disturb her with trivial matters. You can come to me for minor issues, no need to trouble Miss Qing."
"I understand."
Chen An nodded, indicating his understanding.
After a moment, Song Lao left in a hurry, indicating he had other matters to attend to.
Watching his retreating figure, Chen An shook his head.
Initially, Chen An thought that the top warriors in this world only needed to focus on martial arts and maintain their strength.
But after actual contact, Chen An realized that it wasn't quite like that.
Ordinary warriors could focus solely on martial arts if they didn't aspire to rule, but for those like Bai Qing who held positions of responsibility, they were perpetually busy.
This was evident during their time in Fengcheng County, where they had to take care of accounts and deal with killing.
Returning to Shangyuan County amplified these responsibilities further.
Upon their return, a heap of tasks awaited Bai Qing.
Managing various districts, quelling riots, and dealing with mysterious matters all required Bai Qing's input.
And she couldn't afford to slack off.
Although the Bai family operated as a whole, it was divided into many factions and branches.
Bai Qing was responsible for managing her branch's financial resources and the livelihood of her branch's descendants.
But this wasn't a simple acknowledgment of responsibility.
Unlike in his past life, in a world where warriors held all power, only those with sufficient strength were capable of handling many tasks.
Even if Bai Qing wanted to delegate, she would need enough warriors under her command to do so.
From what Chen An knew, Bai Qing's lack of manpower was quite evident.
Not only did she lack loyal and capable personnel, but she also lacked individuals with sufficient strength.
In a pessimistic estimation, Chen An's strength probably placed him at the forefront of Bai Qing's manpower.
With that in mind, Chen An shook his head, then turned and walked toward the courtyard.
Compared to the residence in Fengcheng County, this residence was significantly more upscale, with better scenery and a larger area.
This discrepancy was expected.
The residence in Fengcheng was just an ordinary civilian house, whereas this residence in the Bai family was designed and built by master craftsmen, showcasing a different level of elegance and luxury.
The items used here were all high-quality, with hardly anything ordinary.
Chen An estimated that if he were to sell the items from this place, he could fetch a good amount of silver coins.
However, he had no need to do so.
Before bringing him here, Bai Qing had provided him with a settlement fee.
A generous five hundred taels of silver.
Added to the scattered amounts given by Bai Qing previously, Chen An had received around seven to eight hundred taels of silver from her.
This amount was no small sum, even within Shangyuan County.
And that was just the settlement fee.
As per Song Lao, there would be a monthly stipend of around thirty taels of silver.
Thirty taels per month meant an annual salary of three hundred and sixty taels, which Chen An felt was already quite substantial.
Still, Song Lao seemed worried that Chen An might find it inadequate, mentioning that there would be additional rewards in the future.
This only reinforced the idea that warriors were indeed the core talent in this world.
"It's time to bring in a few people," Chen An thought, looking around and feeling satisfied with his new environment.
The decorations and items here were nice, but the neglect of some areas due to lack of prior maintenance had left them covered in dust.
He would need to hire a few people to take care of those areas.
Song Lao kindly provided Chen An with a few addresses and mentioned that he could select some people from there if he wasn't satisfied.
It seemed that Song Lao's primary role under Bai Qing was that of a steward or assistant, rather than a killer.
After wandering around, Chen An was about to leave, planning to explore and familiarize himself with the new environment.
However, before he could step out of the courtyard gate, he noticed someone waiting for him.
It was a young man who looked quite handsome, appearing to be in his early twenties.
As Chen An walked out of the room, the man approached with a friendly smile, bowing to him.
"I am Bai Changyue, nice to meet you, brother."
He extended his hand towards Chen An and said with a smile, "You seem unfamiliar, probably just returned from out of town. How should I address you?"
"I am Chen An."
Chen An looked the young man up and down but couldn't discern anything remarkable about him.
While there were traces of practicing external techniques on him, his specific cultivation level was difficult to determine.
"So you are Miss Qing's guest!"
Upon hearing Chen An's name, Bai Changyue became even more enthusiastic, his smile reaching new heights.
For locals, encountering people like Chen An wasn't unusual, but it was different if they were guests rather than locals.
In the ancestral grounds of the Bai family, there were limitations on the number of guests brought in, typically consisting of talented individuals from various backgrounds.
This person is worth befriending!
Bai Changyue made this judgment and his smile grew even warmer.
