Chapter 191: Participate
Fan Guzhou smiled.
’The numbers don’t add up because the Longevity Sect players have been smuggling goods to sell themselves.’
He didn’t say a word, but Tang Lingxiao more or less understood what was going on.
Fan Guzhou suddenly asked him, "Mr. Tang, what would the process be to open a general store in Liu Xian City?"
Tang Lingxiao was a bit surprised. "You want to open a shop in Liu Xian City? A ’general store’ is...?"
"It means we’ll sell everything—food, supplies, and even some novel items we plan to market."
’After all, Liu Xian City has mortals too.’
It’s just that the Major Sects don’t allow disciples from other Sects to stay in the city for long periods. Opening a shop would likely not be easy.
Longevity Sect disciples could smuggle themselves in, but opening a shop was a much higher level of difficulty.
But Tang Lingxiao said, "Actually, opening a shop in Liu Xian City isn’t difficult, as long as you have enough Spirit Stones. Of course, as for the price..."
"To get approval to open a shop, you need one top-grade spirit stone. For the rest—renting a space and paying various taxes—you’ll need at least five top-grade spirit stones to start."
Even though Fan Guzhou had prepared himself, the price still made his pupils contract.
’No wonder it’s so hard for people from ordinary Sects to even go to Liu Xian City.’
Even though it was just for opening a shop, this price was the entire lifelong wealth of many Sects.
’Who would be willing to spend that much just to open a shop?’
Seeing Fan Guzhou’s hesitant expression, Tang Lingxiao found it incredible. "You’re actually thinking about it? And... your Sect has that many Spirit Stones?"
’Even if they did, Fan Guzhou is just a Sect Disciple. Would they let him handle all these Spirit Stones?’
As soon as Tang Lingxiao said it, he felt he had been a bit presumptuous. He added, "You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to."
Of course, Fan Guzhou didn’t answer. He just nodded and expressed his thanks to Tang Lingxiao. "Thank you for the information, Mr. Tang. You can rest for a day before you leave. We’ve just finished a new inn, so you can rest there before you set off."
Tang Lingxiao naturally agreed.
He walked out of the place where he had met Fan Guzhou and onto a strange, wide street, feeling slightly astonished.
The last few times he came, the Longevity Sect didn’t have this kind of aesthetic. Now, it had completely changed.
Not far from where he stood was a crossroads where four wide streets intersected. Each road was even marked with horizontal lines.
The players hadn’t used concrete to build the road, but rather a type of stone slab from the Yunzhou Continent.
They were laid seamlessly and beautifully, with a faint cyan tint that gave off a vernal feel.
And they had the strength of concrete.
In the very center stood a huge pavilion, which was now the Longevity Sect’s main building.
In front of the main building, a giant stone statue of Song Jiulai stood tall, surrounded by four large fountains.
This was the first time Tang Lingxiao had ever seen a landscape feature like a fountain. He couldn’t quite grasp the logic behind this structure.
’The Longevity Sect disciples sure are full of ideas, though.’
Around the main building, besides commoners, there were also Longevity Sect disciples coming and going.
He overheard bits of a peculiar, excited discussion.
"Holy shit, they actually managed to make a battery. Are they starting on a generator now?"
"Of course. We tested so many materials to find what we needed for the battery. No one bothers us here, and we can look up all sorts of information and ask for help from the outside world. If we couldn’t even pull this off, everyone might as well quit this game. But we still can’t make a true insulator yet, so we’ll have to make do with a shoddy, low-spec version for now."
"Once we get the generator working, steelmaking and all that... gunpowder will be a piece of cake..."
"Once we have all this, our tech level will skyrocket. The problem is we have too few people right now. Most of our Sect is still out hunting demon beasts. It’s just us leading a bunch of clueless people, so it’s going to be a grind for a while."
Tang Lingxiao was a little confused as he listened.
They were walking in a hurry, but their expressions were euphoric, as if they were doing something great.
Not hunting demon beasts, not cultivating, but busy like this all day long.
’What on earth are they so busy with?’
"First Senior Brother, First Senior Brother..."
Suddenly, a little girl’s call came from the side. Tang Lingxiao turned to see a little mortal girl tugging on a young man’s sleeve.
Her expression was troubled. "Did you learn the pinyin the teacher taught today? I’ve recited it several times, but I can’t remember it."
"I’ve memorized it!" The young man was named A Wu, the First Senior Brother of the Longevity Sect. His main task now was to study together with the mortal children.
He patted his chest. "If you don’t get it, I’ll teach you a few more times."
’How strange.’
Tang Lingxiao could tell at a glance that A Wu was a Cultivator.
’To get along so harmoniously with a mortal girl?’
Tang Lingxiao had visited several times and knew that the disciples of the Longevity Sect liked to mix with mortals, but to be so unconcerned with the difference in status was... astonishing.
He went to the inn to rest. The main hall here was also different from before. The first floor had been completely converted into a reception area; food was not served there.
The person in charge of reception was a mortal, a beautiful young woman. There was still a bit of reverence on her face when she looked at Tang Lingxiao, but the cowering fear from before was gone.
"Hello, Immortal Tang. This is your room number plaque."
The woman handed over a wooden plaque, on which a series of local Yunzhou numerals was carved.
Three-oh-two.
’Quite convenient.’
Tang Lingxiao nodded, took the wooden plaque, and went upstairs.
The rooms now were built with concrete, not wood like before.
They were paved with the special stone slabs, creating a uniform and very beautiful style.
Most importantly, they were soundproof.
It was even effective against Cultivators because other materials had been mixed in. Even a Cultivator like Tang Lingxiao found that the sounds from outside were somewhat muffled.
Tang Lingxiao’s eyes narrowed slightly. Usually, such buildings were maintained by an Array or a Magic Treasure.
’What did these Longevity Sect disciples use? There’s no fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, yet it blocks out so much sound?’
’How did they do it?’
Tang Lingxiao then noticed a long wooden bench in the room, but it was covered with brightly colored, soft cushions.
It was very comfortable to sit on.
On the table in front of him, there was fresh fruit and even a complimentary bottle of Spiritual Wine.
Cultivators like them spent the whole year rushing about outside; it was rare to enjoy such things.
Inns in other places didn’t offer this kind of comfort.
As Tang Lingxiao sat down to meditate, the tranquil atmosphere made a rare sense of tranquility stir within him.
Compared to the clamor that was once everywhere, his tense emotions finally had a place to unwind.
Thinking about their food and drink, and now how even these worldly comforts were arranged for such ease, Tang Lingxiao suddenly felt that these Longevity Sect disciples truly knew how to enjoy life.
’But this is of no benefit to one’s cultivation.’
’The path of cultivation is one that defies the heavens. How can one’s cultivation progress if they are too comfortable?’
But this was another Sect’s business, so it wasn’t Tang Lingxiao’s place to say anything.
In this atmosphere, Tang Lingxiao gradually closed his eyes and meditated through the night.
Meanwhile, spurred by the information he’d received, Fan Guzhou went to find Su Huanli, a senior disciple of the Feique Sect who was still at the Longevity Sect, to talk about the competition.
Su Huanli looked somewhat surprised. "You want to go?"