Yan Province had one hundred counties. The imperial capital, Yan City, lay in the center of them all.
There was also a vast region outside Yan City, known as the outer city. Ordinary people or people with low cultivations did not qualify to stay within Yan City.
If one wanted to enter Yan City, one had to be at the Primal Core Realm at the very least. Primal Core Realm cultivators held reasonably high statuses in other places, but there were hundreds of millions of them here.
Primal Core Venerates could pick up jobs of only the lowest position in Yan City, odd jobs like pouring tea and water, clearing the garbage, or welcoming guests.
Even so, countless Primal Core Venerates wanted to come to Yan City, were willing to enter the city regardless of how hard they had to work.
It was not just people in the Central Great Realm who wanted to do this. Countless Primal Core Venerates in the Great Thousand Realms all rushed to this place, attempting to enter.
Some would even remain in the outer city for decades, all to make sufficient contributions to gain the rights to enter Yan City.
Why was that?
Naturally, there was a reason. It was because the common currency in Yan City was Primeval Heavenly Pills.
That was to say, even if one served tea and water or cleared the garbage, doing the humblest jobs, the benefits would be more than what they could get by working for a Rank 6 sect.
In the outer regions, only Rank 7 sects could refine Primeval Heavenly Pills. Moreover, the regular disciples would receive only a limited number of Primeval Heavenly Pills.
They might as well do miscellaneous work in Yan City. Perhaps they might obtain more benefits.
Just based on this point, many cultivators might miss the big picture for this benefit. Just think about how bustling this Yan City would be.
To cultivators, it would be like a holy city.
To merchant associations, that would be even more incredible. The common currency here was Primeval Heavenly Pills. By doing business here, the profits were naturally higher.
Compared to the other two dynasties’ tightly managed imperial capitals in the Central Great Realm, the more open Yan City was more bustling and prosperous. Calling it the best in the world would be no exaggeration.
Xiao Chen and the others traveled for half a month before arriving silently at the imperial capital, Yan City.
Along the way, the group asked around for some information about the dynasty’s capital. However, after arriving, they still felt shocked for a long time. The difference between the capital and the other counties in the Yanwu Dynasty was like clouds and mud.
No wonder people said that as long as the Royal Court firmly grasped Yan Province, they never had to worry about the other provinces rebelling.
After getting some directions, Xiao Chen arrived at Yan City’s Misty Rain Pavilion.
There was heavy traffic in front of the Misty Rain Pavilion, a constant stream of guests endlessly entering and leaving. Business was booming, so much that it was flabbergasting.
All of the people entering possessed illustrious identities, gave off noble airs, and showed high cultivations. It was obvious at a glance that some of the young cultivators were Noble Clan scions or relatives of the emperor. They showed the Luck of the dynasty, appearing noble and extraordinary.
When the group stood before the pavilion, they heard music coming from inside. This slightly stunned all of them.
To think that the Misty Rain Pavilion was a pleasure quarter.
To think that the Heavenly Alliance’s headquarters in the Yanwu Dynasty was a pleasure quarter. Was this right?
Bao`er clearly appeared surprised. Then, she said, “Young Master, it does say the Misty Rain Pavilion in the certificate of appointment, so it should be right.”
Mo Chen laughed softly as she said, “Having the headquarters in a pleasure quarter is not impossible. At the very least, it is pretty good for hiding from the sight of others.”
“Let’s go in and take a look.” Xiao Chen did not plan to startle the manager, so he led Nangong Feng, Wu Meng, and the others straight to the main entrance.
Smiling, Nangong Feng said, “I heard that the capital of the dynasty is very peaceful. The Noble Clan scions and Royal Clan relatives all live in extravagant luxury, competing with each other in dissipation. Pleasure quarters are considered elegant. They even compete on bidding for a female entertainer they like, spending a lot of money on them.”
Xiao Chen said indifferently, “It is not just hearsay; it is the truth. They have been at peace for too long. The so-called holy city of the Martial Dao has slowly changed. Now, some of the famous entertainers in Yan City are known as headliners. They sell only their skills and not their bodies. Some of them even hold high statuses comparable to the grandmasters of the Martial Dao.”
“This is absurd. This is the Martial Epoch. Instead of pursuing strength and honoring the strong, they actually pursue such false glories,” Wu Meng said disdainfully, pouting.
Xiao Chen did not feel repulsed by the entertainers and headliners. Music and dancing were among the Great Dao. The Azure Lotus Fairy in that Fairy Basket that he had obtained showed great strength. Even now, he still found her somewhat unfathomable.
However, this group of Noble Clan disciples and Royal Clan relatives blindly pursued these false glories, forgetting their foundations.
Perhaps it was the price of becoming the most bustling city in the world.
“This young master appears somewhat unfamiliar to me. Are you an honored guest from outside?” asked the manservant at the entrance welcoming guests when he saw Xiao Chen’s group.
Xiao Chen did not deny or acknowledge. He said, “I have long heard of the Misty Rain Pavilion’s fame and came to take a look.”
“I’m sorry about this, but if you are not an honored guest of this shop, you will need to pay an entrance fee to enter.” The manservant apologized, but his eyes were aloof.
Everyone in Xiao Chen’s group hid their cultivation. Although they had an extraordinary air, they did not have the noble air of the Noble Clan disciples or Royal Clan relatives, so they ended up being looked down on.
The manservant at the entrance was a Major Primal Core cultivator and had seen many major characters. Hence, the air of Xiao Chen’s group did not impress him.
When the manservant understood that this group of visitors had just arrived at Yan City, his attitude turned somewhat stiff.
Yun Fei frowned slightly and said, “We are not eating or drinking, and we already have to pay Primeval Heavenly Pills upon entry?”
“The rules are the rules. If you are reluctant to part with your Primeval Heavenly Pills, please leave. Our Misty Rain Pavilion does not lack guests,” the manservant said with a polite expression and a smile.
Xiao Chen stopped Yun Fei from flying into a rage. Then, he asked softly, “What is your name?”
“This little one is Zhang Ping. I have already been in this Yan City for four or five years. Do you have any instructions?”
Xiao Chen asked calmly, “How many Primeval Heavenly Pills are needed?”
“If you are not an honored guest, you need to pay one hundred Primeval Heavenly Pills to enter. Tea and food cost extra. There will be no discounts,” the manservant replied indifferently.
Xiao Chen immediately felt a slight headache. Back then, he received only one thousand Primeval Heavenly Pills a month when he first entered the Heavenly Dragon Palace.
“Mo Chen, give it to him, then.”
Xiao Chen did not have any Primeval Heavenly Pills on hand; he had exchanged them for Origin Liquid long ago. Then, he exchanged most of his Origin Liquid for resources before leaving; he had only five tons of Origin Liquid now.
Mo Chen stepped forward and handed the manservant one hundred Primeval Heavenly Pills before the manservant happily led the group inside.
The group discovered a whole new world when they entered the pavilion.
The hall was not in the style of a restaurant. Instead, it was like a small world. There were fifty kilometers of peach forest and small winding rivers. The honored guests gathered in groups of three to five. Clumps of white clouds hovered in the center, with a dance stage made of Heavenly Mountain White Jade on them.
A woman was playing the pipa and singing on the dance stage.
The melody varied, sometimes sounding like a gentle stream tinkering against mountain stones, sometimes like a grand gushing river. Many mysterious phenomena appeared behind her. Sometimes, the bright moon soared high amid misty rain; sometimes, hundreds of flowers bloomed; sometimes, a large river appeared. The mysterious phenomena changed according to the melody.
As the music played, it made the listeners feel like they were in a realistic illusion. Immersed in it, they felt reluctant to wake up, wishing that the music would never end.
Xiao Chen’s group saw such an arrangement for the first time. This shocked them into standing still for a while, attracted by the music.
Shock flashed in Wu Meng’s eyes. He said, “The woman playing the music is actually a Sovereign Personage. This is really strange.”
Some disdain flashed in the manservant’s calm eyes. In his heart, he thought that he had never seen such an ignorant country bumpkin before. He smiled and said, “To think that you can make out headliner Zi Yun’s cultivation. That is pretty impressive. You came at a good time. As you can see, headliner Zi Yun is performing today. The Peach Blossom Hall is also full. Now, there is only one private room left. As such, I hope you do not mind, but you can only stand.”
As a 1-Vein Sovereign Emperor, Wu Meng naturally would not make things difficult for this Primal Core Realm manservant. He could not be bothered with this person.
Hence, Wu Meng did not answer, only waited for Xiao Chen to speak.
“The private room, then,” Xiao Chen said indifferently.
The manservant appeared incredibly shocked. He frowned and said, “Are you sure you want the private room? The expense will be high, and it will be charged by the hour.”
The frown induced displeasure in the group. However, Xiao Chen had instructed the group to check out this Misty Rain Pavilion in a low-profile manner first.
Furthermore, the other party was just an insignificant Primal Core Venerate. Thus, they could only let the other party remain ignorant.
Xiao Chen countered with a question. “What’s wrong? Do we have to pay in advance to have a private room?”
The manservant smiled and said, “There is no need for that. The person who dares to renege on the Misty Rain Pavilion’s bill in Yan City has not been born yet.”
Under Zhang Ping’s lead, the group arrived at the private room and sat down. The position was pretty good. With the windows wide open, they could clearly see the performance on the dance stage in the center.
“You can leave first. There is nothing more for you to do,” Xiao Chen said casually.
Zhang Ping left happily, not even bothering to ask whether the group wanted any women to accompany them in drinking.
He thought that the group chose the private room in order to gain face by draining their wallets. How could they have money to spare for calling for women to serve them?
After the food and wine arrived, Bao`er cutely started pouring drinks for everyone, taking the role of a maidservant.
“Bao`er, sit and eat with us. There is no need to stand on ceremony,” Mo Chen said, feeling a pang in her heart when she saw Bao`er remaining on her feet and busying herself.
Bao`er smiled and said, “Thank you, Miss Mo Chen. However, Bao`er is a maidservant in the first place. This is part of my responsibilities.”
Hearing this, Mo Chen did not say anything more.
In the past few days, the group had been rushing on their way, not getting much leisure time. Furthermore, they had not seen a Music Dao performance before. They chatted merrily in the private room, having a pleasant time.
Xiao Chen secretly observed the place, wanting to figure out the tricks behind it since he would be overseeing this place for a long time.
Hence, he needed to investigate this place while incognito at least once.
However, just at this moment, a disharmonious voice came from outside.
“Damn it! I want to see who occupied my private room. This young master rarely comes, yet to think that you want me to stand. How audacious of your Misty Rain Pavilion!”
“Bang!”
Amid the noise, someone shoved the door to Xiao Chen’s private room open.
