“This is Great Chu’s Fulong City.”
That morning, Hua Yan did not make Hua Xiangrong cultivate.
Instead, she brought her to the deck of the Flower Boat once more to look down at the magnificent city ahead.
“This city sits at the foot of the plateau and is the premier stronghold on the border of Great Chu. It was built along the Jade Dragon River — one of the primary rivers formed by the melted snow of the Frostspine Mountains. Fulong City guards the river’s source, being the first major city at its head, which earned it the name ‘Subduing the Dragon.'”
Hua Xiangrong leaned over the railing, poking her small head out to look down.
Just as Hua Yan had described, the winding, rushing river seen from high above truly resembled a white jade dragon with shimmering scales.
The great city ahead stood firmly against the river, towering and majestic, looking for all the world as if it had seized the “jade dragon” by the neck and brought it to heel.
“Great Chu is a sizable kingdom within Shenzhou. Built at the foot of the Frostspine Mountains, its geographical location is quite advantageous. Back when the Righteous and Demon paths still interacted frequently, Great Chu was once extremely prosperous. However, that is all old news from hundreds of years ago.”
“Let us go.” Hua Yan withdrew her gaze. “We are, after all, members of the Demon Cult. It is not wise to be too conspicuous. We will find a secluded spot outside the city to descend and simply walk in.”
……
In front of the towering city gates, Hua Yan handed a bag of Spirit Stones to the gatekeeper.
The guard, holding a long spear, nodded after counting them and signaled for the mother and daughter to follow the flow of the crowd and enter slowly.
“Mother, why did you give him Spirit Stones to enter the city?”
Inside the massive tunnel of the city gate, Hua Xiangrong looked up and asked in confusion.
“Isn’t this a mortal city? Do mortals use Spirit Stones too?”
“When did I ever say that only mortals live in Fulong City?”
Hua Yan turned her head, a look of amusement on her face.
‘That woman Yun Xuechang is truly something… It is one thing to ignore the Frostspine Mountains, but she did not even let the child see Great Chu…’
‘When she was traveling with the child, did she really just keep going without even a moment’s rest? Was she that hurried? Did she make the child meditate along with her? Or did she simply let the child sleep the whole way to Hundred Flowers Valley?’
Thinking of this, she asked directly, “What? When your mother took you to Hundred Flowers Valley, she didn’t let you see the scenery along the way?”
“No.”
Hua Xiangrong blinked her large pink eyes, having decided to say as little as possible to avoid mistakes.
“My mother just took me away from home and said she was going to find someone. Then, with a snap, everything went dark, and with a whoosh, everything was bright again, and we were at Hundred Flowers Valley.”
‘So she really did let the child sleep the whole way? No wonder she hasn’t even seen the Frostspine Mountains. I previously thought it was because Yun Xuechang was too poor to afford a good flying boat.’
‘…On second thought, as the Chief Disciple of the Xiaoyao Sword Sect, how could she be short on a few Spirit Stones?’
Hua Yan pondered inwardly and quickly reached a conclusion.
“Fine, I think I understand.”
“Then let us talk more about Fulong City and Great Chu.”
She led Hua Xiangrong further into the city.
“Great Chu is one of the rare nations in Shenzhou that practices the Co-governance of Immortals and Mortals. Most cultivation sects choose to live in seclusion, only appearing when they open their gates to recruit disciples or during great mortal disasters. Great Chu is an exception.”
“Legend has it that the ancestor of the Zhao family, who rules Chu, was originally a Rogue Cultivator. By chance, he came to this mortal kingdom before it was called ‘Great Chu’ and founded a merchant guild with a group of fellow Rogue Cultivators. Later, the guild grew day by day, and the Zhao family’s influence gradually seeped into the secular world… Eventually, ascending to the throne was a natural progression.”
“Does that mean the current emperor is also a cultivator?”
Hua Xiangrong listened intently, blinking as she followed up with a question.
“Precisely.” Hua Yan nodded.
“Because of this heritage, there are many Rogue Cultivators and small cultivation families spread throughout Great Chu. As for Great Chu’s laws and regulations, they were jointly drafted by the Zhao family and those from the Righteous Path. It is said they managed to achieve equal laws for both immortals and mortals… However, the inner workings of that are far too complex; I have never bothered to learn about them.”
“All right, let us find an inn first and get some proper rest.”
As she spoke, the two of them happened to step out of the gate tunnel.
Their vision suddenly cleared — broad streets, orderly houses, and a bustling crowd flooded their sight.
Wealthy merchants in silk, farmers driving carts, and all sorts of commoners moved among them.
Occasionally, someone could even be seen rising into the air with fluttering robes — clearly a cultivator.
“Mm!”
Hua Xiangrong nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling as she took in this novel and thriving border city.
…..
“I am going out for a while. You stay obediently in the room. Just meditate and practice your spells; there is no need to practice your horse stance. I will be back by evening.”
Inside a high-quality guest room, Hua Yan gave Hua Xiangrong her instructions. Seeing the girl nod obediently, she curled her lips in a satisfied smile.
‘Not bad. This girl has been very well-behaved throughout the journey, and she honestly completes every cultivation task I set. Leaving her alone to cultivate in the room should not lead to any trouble.’
“Take this talisman. Use it to contact me if anything happens; just channel your Spiritual Power into it.”
To be safe, Hua Yan tossed a jade protective amulet to the girl.
Seeing her tuck it securely into her robes, Hua Yan finally turned to head downstairs.
“Manager, my daughter and I are new here and wish to purchase some jewelry and clothing. I wonder if there are any excellent shops in Fulong City you could recommend?”
Behind the counter, the manager, who was doing accounts, looked up at the sound of her voice.
When he saw the red-haired woman, he was momentarily stunned.
‘This lady looks so young, yet she is already the mother of a child? I took them for sisters. She must be a cultivator, without a doubt. Seeing how she is dressed so luxuriously and has such an outstanding temperament, with such a clever and cute little girl beside her, she might even be the eldest miss of some Great Family.’
“Ah, yes, of course there are!”
Being a manager who ran an inn in a major city, he was no stranger to such scenes. He immediately set down his abacus and bowed in response.
“For jewelry, Linglong Workshop and Ruyi Hall are the absolute best places in the city. For clothing, I highly recommend the Heavenly Clothing Pavilion. These shops are all in the market district in the east of the city. I wonder if the Fairy requires someone to lead the way? Or would you like to use the inn’s carriage to take you there?”
“That would be for the best.”
“Wang Er! Come here quickly!” the manager shouted for his worker.
“Drive the carriage and take this Fairy to the East Market. Go straight to Linglong Workshop! Use the best carriage in the shop!”
A young man in green clothes and black shoes ran out from the inner room in response.
“Right! Coming! Fairy, please — “
……
“This is far enough. I will find my own way back later.”
The carriage came to a steady halt. Hua Yan did not wait for the young man’s assistance and stepped down gracefully on her own.
She casually rewarded him with some silver and stood in place, watching the carriage drive away.
Hua Yan glanced at the exquisitely decorated jewelry shop nearby but did not enter.
Instead, she turned and merged into the crowd.
Before long, she stopped in front of an imposing pavilion.
Three large characters were written on the plaque: Heavenly Clothing Pavilion.
After confirming it was the right place, Hua Yan stepped inside.
“Oh, welcome, Miss. May I ask what you are looking to buy?”
There were many customers in the building, and almost everyone had a female attendant following them, enthusiastically introducing and promoting the wares.
A free attendant with sharp eyes spotted Hua Yan as soon as she entered.
The lady’s appearance and aura made the girl’s eyes light up.
‘Goodness, such a beautiful and noble lady must be a generous spender!’
“Take me upstairs.”
Hua Yan’s tone was flat, clearly indicating she was familiar with the layout.
“Certainly! I wonder, Miss…”
Before the attendant could finish, she saw a wisp of spiritual light condense at the tip of the woman’s finger.
The attendant’s smile instantly vanished, replaced by solemn respect.
The Heavenly Clothing Pavilion was divided into nine floors.
The bottom three were for commoners with some wealth, the middle three were for high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy daughters, while the top three could only be entered by cultivators.
If the person before her were just a daughter of a wealthy family, she could have led her around the middle three floors and earned a commission.
Since she was a cultivator, the attendant would not have that fortune.
The attendant sighed inwardly but became even more respectful.
“Then please follow me.”
“Mm.”
The attendant led the way while Hua Yan followed.
The two of them passed through various sets of stairs, going all the way to the third floor of the Heavenly Clothing Pavilion.
This floor was completely different from the ones below.
There were no clothing racks; only individual pieces of shimmering inner armor and light Dharma robes were suspended in the open.
The attendant stopped here and bowed as she withdrew.
“Is this Fellow Daoist looking for a high-quality treasure robe?”
A female cultivator emerged from behind a counter and stepped forward with a beaming smile.
‘Hmm, Foundation Building cultivation, and a new face. I wonder which sect she is a disciple of.’
Sensing the fluctuations of Spiritual Power from Hua Yan, the female cultivator speculated inwardly.
However, as soon as Hua Yan spoke, it gave her heart a sudden jolt.
“I have heard that your esteemed shop is skilled in the Five Elements Embroidery. I wonder if that is true?”
The female cultivator’s expression instantly turned stern, and her tone became cautious as she asked tentatively, “You overpraise us. Our shop is only skilled in the Four Seasons Flower Embroidery: Spring Peach, Summer Lotus, Autumn Chrysanthemum, and Winter Plum. I wonder which one you are asking for?”
Hua Yan pursed her lips into a smile and said slowly, “The flower I want is not within the four seasons. Its name is the Night Epiphyllum. I wonder if anyone in your shop recognizes it?”
“Naturally, someone does.” The female cultivator’s expression softened as she made a gesture of invitation. “Please follow me, guest.”
With that, the female cultivator led Hua Yan further up, all the way to the top floor of the Heavenly Clothing Pavilion. There was not a single piece of clothing to be seen here; only an elegant tea room met their eyes.
After pouring a cup of steaming flower tea for Hua Yan, the female cultivator waved her hand to activate a soundproofing formation. She then turned around and gave a solemn salute.
“I am A-Xian of the Hundred Flowers Valley. Greetings, Senior. Might I ask… how I should address you?”
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