Chapter 5 Mortal World Affairs, Immortal Affairs Part 2

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In the blink of an eye, the knights had gone far, vanishing at the end of the road, leaving Zhang Sheng unable to vent his frustration even if he wanted to. Such an incident had thoroughly ruined his mood, so he buried his head and hurried along the way, without speaking a word. Several days later, they finally arrived at Luyuan Prefecture.

Being a local of Yong State, Wei Yuan naturally had a thorough knowledge of the geography and history of the area. Luyuan Prefecture had been established for five hundred years and currently had about one hundred thousand registered households, with an additional fifty to sixty thousand unregistered ones, totaling half a million people – it was a large city.

Arriving at the base of the city, Wei Yuan saw that the city walls were low, built from a mix of yellow earth and strip stones, not even twenty feet tall, with many parts crumbling away, revealing the masonry within. The parapets and watchtowers also bore many signs of disrepair from years of neglect.

Inside the city, there were earth wall and thatched roof houses everywhere, all exuding an air of decay. The people in the streets were mostly dressed in tattered clothing, with pallid complexions and vacant eyes. They moved sluggously, appearing to be worse off than the house servants of Wei Mansion. The roads were muddy and uneven, with pools of filthy water dotted with debris. If it weren't for the fact that the two were riding on Ding Luo, they would inevitably have stepped in the filthy muck.

Zhang Sheng did not hurry and slowly led Wei Yuan through the city district. It was only after passing South City and heading towards West City that the scenery gradually improved.

After a short walk, they were faced with a large mansion!

This grand mansion occupied an entire block, surrounded by a ten-foot high vermilion wall, concealing the interior from view. In the center, there stood a large vermilion-painted gate, which was tightly closed at the moment, with two enormous stone-sculpted Golden Toads by the entrance. Beside each toad stood a robust house servant, eyeing the passersby with a predatory gaze.

Above the gate hung a plaque inscribed with 'Xu Mansion'. The gatehouse was adorned with intricately carved beams and painted rafters, the height of luxury. The gate alone was worth enough to buy the entire Wei Mansion.

Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan out of the city through the west gate, and before long, a verdant Immortal Mountain loomed into view.

This mountain was not large and appeared to be a part of the original extended range. But at this moment, it was lush and green all over, with clouds of mist rising between the trees, making the mountain seem to appear and disappear intermittently. Between two peaks, a waterfall could be faintly seen, cascading down like a flowing ribbon. Below was a clear blue lake with a small island at its center, adorned with jade trees blooming with myriad flowers.

In front of the mountain, there flowed a river, its water as clear and smooth as jade, winding around the mountain and merging with the vast Tong River. Strangely, the upper section of Tong River was originally a yellow turbid flow. Upon entering the domain of the Immortal Mountain, it suddenly became a clear stream, then turned back into a turbid yellow after leaving the mountain, continuing northeastward.

Amidst the interplay of mountains, clouds, and mist, a vast expanse of pavilions and pagodas could be glimpsed, veiled within the scenery – truly a celestial sight in the Mortal World!

A pale yellow bird flew over and circled above their heads before landing on Zhang Sheng's shoulder. "We can save some energy now," Zhang Sheng said to Wei Yuan.

Ding Luo kept moving forward, but with each step they took, the surrounding scenery moved back a significant distance. In no time, they arrived at the banks of Tong River, which flowed gently like a stream of green jade. As if unaware of the river ahead, Ding Luo started walking into it. With one step they were ten feet into the river!

Steady as ever, Ding Luo walked on the surface of the water without causing a single ripple and continued forward, quickly crossing the vast Tong River and arriving at the foot of the Immortal Mountain. What would have taken a whole day to travel, they now accomplished in a mere quarter of an hour.

Once across Tong River, an Immortal Gate appeared out of nowhere before Wei Yuan. While still on the water, Wei Yuan saw smooth grassy slopes on the opposite bank of the river, but as soon as they crossed and set foot on solid ground, the scene before them changed abruptly.

The Immortal Gate was twenty feet high, held up by two giant red jade pillars that were crystal clear and through which one could see, carved with mountains, rivers, birds, and alien beasts. Above them hung a white jade placard inscribed with the words 'Red Tide Sect', each character two fathoms wide!

Such a grand spectacle left Little Wei Yuan, who had never left Ye County, utterly astonished. He looked up at the Immortal Gate and then turned around to glance back. From across Tong River, one could still vaguely see Luyuan Prefecture. The city now looked even more dilapidated and lowly, with its rammed-earth walls exuding nothing but poverty and desolation. The city's residents were listless, their lives mired in mud and filth, their only daily concern to fill their stomachs.

A mere separation by water had turned out to be a division between two different worlds.

At that moment, a young Cultivator emerged from the Immortal Gate with an aura of clean energy and the bearing of a Daoist adept.

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The cultivator took a single step and arrived in front of Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan, his eyes flashing like lightning. He first looked Zhang Sheng up and down, gradually breaking into a smile, and joyfully said, "Indeed, it is Junior Brother Zhang! The last time we met was ten years ago."

Zhang Sheng was also moved, dismounting from Ding Luo, he sighed and said, "It turns out to be Senior Brother Sun Yu. I am ashamed to say that despite the ten years that have passed, I have achieved nothing."

"Not at all! I have long heard that Junior Brother Zhang has taken a distinguished disciple, which truly makes us all envious!"

Zhang Sheng laughed heartily and said, "In truth, it is the will of heaven, I have merely been lucky!"

Having already observed Wei Yuan, Sun Yu now looked him over carefully and then said, "Indeed, not ordinary!"

He then glanced at the house servants the two had brought along, smiling and said, "Junior Brother Zhang has returned to simplicity, surely these years have brought great gains."

Zhang Sheng sighed and said, "My Dao power was sealed, and I could not leave Yong State, I could only rely on mundane things for transportation. However, in these years, with no distractions, I have had some insights."

Sun Yu's eyes lit up, and he said, "We must discuss this in detail later! Our master is already aware that your Dao power has been sealed and, calculating the Heavenly Mechanism, he specifically instructed me to bring a dose of Li Quan Powder. After taking it and cultivating in silence for three days, you should recover."

Zhang Sheng first bowed to the North, saying "My thanks to Master Ning Xi," then pointed towards the Immortal Gate and smiled, asking, "But what's the need for such a grand display for a mere county exam in this remote county, where no more than a dozen people will participate? Could it be that Red Tide Sect is planning to elevate to a blessed land?"

Before Sun Yu could reply, suddenly a radiant cloud of rosy light lit up the sky. Two nine-colored mystical deer pulling a magnificent White Jade Boat descended from the heavens, landing right before the Immortal Gate.

Each of the two nine-colored mystical deer stood three stories tall, surrounded by nine-colored auroras, walking on clouds. The White Jade Boat itself was even taller, reaching five stories high and thirty stories long, dwarfing the city walls of Luyuan City! On the hull was engraved a huge character "Yan," glowing with flowing radiance.

The White Jade Boat landed and went straight into the Immortal Gate, not even glancing at Zhang Sheng—as if treating both of them as air.

Zhang Sheng watched the White Jade Boat disappear into the Immortal Gate, then looked at the three-foot-tall Ding Luo by his side, and his expression soured.

Sun Yu hurriedly laughed and said, "Don't mind them! People from the East Sea have always liked to show off, even coming to take an exam with such extravagance. It's just ostentatious!"

Zhang Sheng was surprised, "The East Sea Yan Family is here to take the exam?"

"About that, this year the number of examinees from Fengyuan County is a bit high... Just compose yourself, Junior Brother."

Without further ado, Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan into the Immortal Gate. As they passed through the gate, the world around them changed in the blink of an eye.

A vast Red Jade Square stretched out before them, filled with mounts and vehicles as numerous as clouds. Various treasure carriages and auspicious beasts emitted streams of fairy energy that entwined in the air, becoming so dense that they formed swirling auroras, flickering into existence and vanishing, in an endless cycle.

The White Jade Boat from the East Sea was moving with difficulty, trying to find a place to dock.