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Wenxian City originally had a simple and unadorned name. A hundred years ago, after it became the place where the major sects uniformly recruited disciples, the city lord sent his subordinates to spread the word everywhere. After unremitting efforts, he finally gave this city an elegant name that ordinary people looked up to—Wenxian* City.
TN: seeking immortals
Ordinary people feared illness and poverty, so they hoped for wealth and longevity.
Cultivators feared heart demons and evil spirits, and so hoped to attain great success, to call the wind and summon the rain.
Becoming an immortal was their aspiration, the dream of countless people, and also a desire that they were well aware of but never uttered.
There were many ways to offend the people of Wenxian City, but the fastest and most lethal was to…
“Excuse me, is this Niugou* City?”carpreads.pages.dev
TN: could literally be Cow-Dog City
In an instant, the two peddlers who had been arguing over a stall stopped their quarrel, the passersby fell silent, and even the big sister who had been about to grab her husband’s ear withdrew her menacing hand.
They all looked at the speaker with icy eyes, like ruthless butchers who had killed livestock for ten years.
When they saw the person who had asked the question clearly, the coldness in their eyes gradually melted away, eventually becoming tolerant.
The one who spoke was a young girl. She was dressed in a green skirt, her cheeks were fair, and her almond-shaped eyes held a smile. Whoever she looked at would unconsciously feel a sense of tolerance.
“Miss, this is Wenxian City.” A young man hid his dirty hands behind his back, his face flushed.
“Did I misread the map?” Jiu Hui opened the hand-drawn map the village chief had given her before she left, her brow slightly furrowed.
“Are you here to become a disciple and seek the Dao?” Not wanting to see her troubled, the young man explained softly, “If so, you’ve come to the right place.”
“What about this place?” Jiu Hui pointed at the words “Niugou City” on the tattered map, then turned to look at him.
“This place, this place was originally called this.” The boy’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz: “It’s just that it’s been renamed for a long time.”
“I see, thank you for telling me.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands in thanks.
The dilapidated map vanished in the blink of an eye. The young man’s eyes widened as he stared at the girl’s empty palm, his straight back slightly hunched over.
Those who could wear storage magic treasures must have extraordinary family backgrounds. Ordinary people like them, who were born without any affinity with immortality, could not dare to offend them in the slightest.
“Walk nine hundred more zhang forward, and you will reach the place where you can ask about immortality.” The young man lowered his eyes, not daring to look directly at Jiu Hui. “I wish you, Immortal, to attain the Great Dao soon.”
Jiu Hui thanked him again. She noticed that the young man had suddenly become respectful towards her. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly understood. It was no wonder that this place had been renamed “Wenxian City”. Those who came to seek immortality were all so polite and enthusiastic.
It really lived up to its name.
The closer she got to the place the boy had pointed out, the livelier it became. The roadsides were lined with stalls, their colorful signs flashing with dazzling brilliance under the enhancement of magic formations. Neatly dressed young boys squeezed their way to the pedestrians, their voices mysterious. “Do you want the secret to becoming a disciple of the Jiutian Sect? What about the Qinglan School or the Yuzhen Sect?”
“The secret techniques for becoming a disciple of the fifty most powerful sects in the world of immortal cultivation, I have them all here.”
“Seeking Immortals Crash Course, if it can’t help you join a sect, our shop promises to refund you in full.”
Jiu Hui looked around curiously, as if everything could attract her attention.
“Miss.” Just as Jiu Hui tried to approach a spirit sword shop, a hand gently tugged at the corner of her clothes.
Jiu Hui looked back at the woman who was tugging at her sleeve. The woman was wearing a long, pale blue dress with a pattern of stars embroidered on the hem. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she looked a little shy.
Seeing Jiu Hui looking at her, her cheeks turned even redder, but she still mustered her courage and explained in a small voice, “My name is Yu Luan, and I’m from Manxiang City. I saw that you were alone, are you also here to seek a sect?”
“My name is Jiu Hui.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands in greeting. “I come from a remote place. My village is extremely far from here, so I didn’t let my elders travel with me on this long journey.”
Before she left the village, the elders gave her a lot of things. Although they didn’t say anything, she knew that she was definitely the hope of the entire village.
“Miss Jiu Hui, if you don’t mind, why don’t you travel with me?” Hearing the words “remote” and “village”, Yu Luan looked at Jiu Hui with eyes full of pity: “The city is full of people, and people’s hearts are even more complicated. If you and I travel together, we can take care of each other.”
Jiu Hui nodded in agreement. She obediently followed by Yu Luan’s side, listening to Yu Luan tell her how complicated people’s hearts were.
Things like “no money to return home,” “medicinal prescriptions that violate ancestral teachings,” “a certain great cultivator said that this spiritual sword and spiritual medicine are good,” “a divine sword that was privately leaked from a large sect is being sold at a low price,” and “selling love tokens in anger because of a tragic love ending” were all common methods used to swindle spirit stones and silver.
Jiu Hui listened with rapt attention, her eyes wide with amazement. Yu Luan couldn’t help but laugh at the way her expression kept changing. “You don’t have to be afraid,” she said. “There are always more good people than bad in the world.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Jiu Hui suddenly extend her wrist towards the crowd. Before she could ask, she saw a purse appear in Jiu Hui’s palm. She quickly looked down at her waist, and the purse that had been hanging there had disappeared.
“Just now, I saw that the man took it without asking, so I took it back for you.” Jiu Hui stuffed the purse into Yu Luan’s hand and urged, “Sister Yu Luan, please continue. What happened to the woman who was deceived?”
“She……” clutching tightly onto the recovered purse, Yu Luan was filled with gratitude: “Thank you.”
“It was nothing, really.” Jiu Hui suddenly stopped walking and looked ahead. “Is that where we’re going?”
Following Jiu Hui’s gaze, Yu Luan saw two large doors emitting a purple glow. Behind the doors was a huge barrier covered with auspicious clouds and the sound of cranes, like a celestial palace. Countless people entered the left door with hope, while many others came out of the right door with disappointment.
“Yes, that is Wenxian Terrace.” Yu Luan caressed the embroidery on her purse and put it away against her bosom. “Once you go in, if you have fate with a certain sect, you will be able to join it.”
“Fate?” Jiu Hui nodded thoughtfully. “I understand.”
Yu Luan suspected that Jiu Hui didn’t understand enough.
The two of them walked through the gate one after the other, Yu Luan in front and Jiu Hui behind. Behind the gate, there were many golden jade plaques floating in the air. Each jade plaque was engraved with the name of a sect. Someone accidentally touched a jade plaque, and an introduction to the sect and its requirements for accepting disciples appeared on the jade plaque, which drew people’s admiration.
Jiu Hui suddenly became interested and took a few steps forward to activate the jade plaque. Suddenly, the gate behind her flashed with several red lights, knocking a gray-robed man who had just stepped through the door flying. The man landed heavily, spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, and then fled into the crowd in a panic, not daring to look back.
“That’s a yao* trying to sneak into Wenxian Terrace.” The Wenxian City soldier guarding the gate saw Jiu Hui watching the scene and patiently explained, “Everyone here is from a famous and righteous sect, so how could we allow these little _yao_s sneak into our sect?”
TN: see more about yao here https://immortalmountain.wordpress.com/2016/11/23/yao-and-mo-demons-and-devils/ . They’re basically non-human entities that can gain intelligence and cultivate human forms.
The guard standing opposite him smiled carelessly: “These _yao_s think that by transforming into human form, they can join a sect like humans and seek cultivation techniques. How foolish and laughable.”
Jiu Hui pointed at the iridescent gate and asked, “Excuse me, generals, can _yao_s not enter these two gates?”
“Of course.” Facing the pretty little girl who respectfully called him general, the guard became a bit more patient. He proudly said, “These two large doors have formations left behind by the nine major sects. No yao can escape detection.”
“Oh? How formidable.” Jiu Hui looked up at the shimmering light above the main entrance. The light reflected in her eyes like countless stars. “But is it possible that some yao could have dodged the formation and snuck in?”
The guard’s smile grew even more smug. “Yao are lowly creatures, so how could they possibly evade the watchful eyes of the Nine Great Sects? You’ve just arrived and don’t know much about the Nine Great Sects yet, but once you join a sect, you’ll naturally come to understand.”
“Many thanks for the information.” Jiu Hui had just finished her bow of thanks when Yu Luan walked up to her. “Miss Jiu Hui, the sect I wish to join is just a short distance ahead. I will go ahead and see you later.”
“Good, I wish you success in joining the sect of your dreams, sister.”
Yu Luan left in a hurry. Jiu Hui stood there and watched her back until it disappeared into the crowd. Then she turned and walked towards the sect’s jade plaques that were suspended in the air. The nine jade plaques in the front row were dazzling and eye-catching.
Her gaze slowly swept over these jade plaques, and Jiu Hui finally fixed her eyes on the corner, where a jade plaque flickered with fireflies, floating alone.
Wangshu Pavilion—surrounded by mountains and water, water encircles the pavilion, the moonlight is bright, flowers bloom in all four seasons, watching the sunrise in the morning and the moon at night, it is a place of leisurely and secluded cultivation.
“Elder Mo, has your esteemed sect yet to receive a satisfactory disciple?” A cultivator wearing an azure robe passed by the Wangshu Pavilion stall, his smile reserved and polite. “Today is the last day of the Wenxian Terrace’s opening. Could it be that your esteemed sect will once again miss out on all the seekers of immortality?”
“Fate ah, is something that cannot be forced.” Elder Mo had raven-black hair and a slightly plump figure. He had a friendly smile on his face as he looked at the young men and women behind the cultivator in the azure robe. “Congratulations to Elder Luo for finding satisfactory disciples for your esteemed sect.”
One couldn’t hit a smiling person, so Elder Luo swallowed the rest of his mockery, and said with forced politeness, “It’s barely passable. The quality of each generation is worse than the last.”
The young men and women behind him heard this and their joy at entering the immortal cultivation sect dissipated by half, and they all lowered their heads.
“Elder Luo, you jest. I find these disciples to be upright, honest, and pure of heart. They are all exceptional disciples.”
Upon hearing these words, the smile on Elder Luo’s face became more beautiful. Just as he was about to speak, a clear and pleasant female voice interrupted him.
“I wish to join Wangshu Pavilion. May I ask what are the requirements for joining your sect?”
Elder Luo and Elder Mo fell silent and turned their heads to look at the person who had spoken.
Elder Luo: The young lady is pretty and graceful, but her vision doesn’t seem to be very good. Which ambitious young person would take the initiative to join Wangshu Pavilion?
In a daze, Elder Mo had already flashed and taken a seat, looking at the little girl with a warm smile: “I am Elder Mo from Wangshu Pavilion, and I am in charge of this disciple recruitment.”
“Greetings, Elder.” Jiu Hui bowed in greeting. Elder Mo returned the greeting with a cheerful bow and waved his sleeve. A jade pendant appeared on the table, emitting a faint purple light. The dark patterns on it flickered in and out of sight.
She couldn’t help but take a few more glances, as it looked quite nice.
“This is our sect’s Jade Pendant. It can test one’s aptitude, and it can also…” Elder Mo paused slightly, his smile becoming even more amiable. “It can also test the fate between you and our sect.”
Elder Luo, who stayed behind to watch the excitement, secretly laughed in her heart. Given the pitiful appearance of Wangshu Pavilion with its scant population, if there were really someone with outstanding aptitude who came to ask to become a disciple, it could only be because the founding ancestor of Wangshu Pavilion had blessed them.
Jiu Hui stretched out her palm and covered the jade pendant. The jade pendant was cool. The moment her palm touched it, a comfortable coolness spread from her arm to her limbs and bones. She lowered her head to look at the jade pendant, but it had not changed at all.
It turned out to be another unqualified person who came to try their luck after Wangshu Pavilion failed to accept any disciples. Elder Luo lost interest and no longer had the mood to watch the excitement. He was about to leave with the newly recruited disciples when he heard Elder Mo’s surprised and delighted shout before he had even taken two steps.
“Young friend, you truly are fated with our Wangshu Pavilion!”
Elder Luo turned his head to look at the table in front of Elder Mo. The jade pendant that Jiu Hui was holding down was now glowing green, so bright that it made everyone else’s faces look like garlic chives.