Chang'an's Splendor

On the third day, Chu Zhe, the elders, and a group of disciples returned to the outpost.

Bai Yujun noticed that seven senior disciples had been carried back with severe injuries. The outpost elders' clothes were torn, and they looked thoroughly bedraggled. Chu Zhe was in somewhat better shape. Apparently, that great demon had been formidable indeed—there were not many demons capable of making Chunyang Palace's senior brother lead a team and still suffer a loss. After returning, they remained silent, saying nothing about whether they had slain the great demon.

After resting for a day, they set out for Chang'an on the fourth day.

Several days later, Chang'an.

The ancient capital of Chang'an was the pride of every Tang citizen. Travelers streamed endlessly along the official road, merchant caravans and carts passed through in orderly fashion, and among the crowds were no shortage of blond, blue-eyed merchants from beyond the borders. Camel bells drifted over from afar—indeed, in Chang'an one could see people from every nation.

Following the crowd through the towering city gates, they were greeted by splendor blooming like brocade.

A gentle breeze drifted past, making the banners hanging before the shops flutter in the wind. Fine rain fell without cease, dampening the blue tiles of ancient houses, while pedestrians hurried along amid laughter and chatter.

Three people and one snake hurried along. Bai Yujun and Xu Ling put on veils to save themselves trouble.

At noon, they arrived at the outpost.

Chang'an was far too vast for Chunyang Palace's outpost to be stationed outside the city. Back then, the imperial family had deliberately bestowed upon Chunyang Palace an enormous separate residence to serve as its outpost. Like the outposts in other cities, its front hall was a place for burning incense and praying for blessings, while the rear housed the Chunyang disciples. As a renowned Daoist temple in Chang'an, it had countless followers and flourishing incense offerings. Beside the temple stood an ancient tree a thousand years old, making the place seem all the more rustic and weighty.

There were still several days before the emperor's birthday. Chu Zhe was very busy; having arrived in Chang'an, all manner of affairs awaited his handling. Bai Yujun and the other two left the outpost on their own to have some fun.

Honestly, Chang'an was simply too much fun.

There were more delicious foods than one could count. Xu Ling had both hands full of pastries, endlessly stuffing them into her mouth. Life on the mountain had always been exceedingly bland, so now that she had finally encountered such fine food, naturally she ate with all her might. Yang Mu still wore his iceberg expression, but he carried a Wine Gourd in his hand and took small sips from time to time, looking every bit the drunkard.

There were Northern Lands barbarians clad in leather and animal fur; Western Regions women wearing veils and short tops that exposed their navels; bald men covered in tattoos and wearing Earrings; and blond, blue-eyed foreigners from overseas. One could say that people from every country in the world could be found in this city.

By the roadside, a foreigner in a large hat sat cross-legged on the ground, playing a little tune. A small bamboo basket sat before him. As the melody shifted, a little snake emerged from the basket, swaying to the music.

As they walked, Xu Ling and Yang Mu realized Bai Yujun had not kept up.

Then they found Bai Yujun before that snake charmer's stall...

For some reason, the moment she saw that snake charmer, she could not help stopping. As if by reflex, she began to sway. Bai Yujun felt a little dazed, and the posture and rhythm of her movements looked remarkably, remarkably like those of the snake in the bamboo basket.

The snake charmer continued playing while sweat poured down his face. He did not dare stop the tune rashly. Seeing a ghost in broad daylight was one thing, but who knew whether that snake demon would fly into a rage from shame and eat him once she came to her senses?

Passersby assumed the snake charmer had hired a dancing girl to make his snake performance more entertaining.

Yes, the moment Bai Yujun began swaying before him, the snake charmer understood that he had encountered a snake demon.

Sweating profusely, he finally finished the tune. He snatched up his little snake and scrambled away, rolling and crawling until he vanished without a trace.

Bai Yujun scratched her head, not knowing why she was standing there.

When they reached the entrance of a restaurant, they caught the tempting scent of food. Without another word, the two people and one snake slipped inside, ordered an entire table full of dishes, and began wolfing them down. The two direct disciples of Chunyang Palace were actually quite wealthy; they had abundant cultivation resources and no shortage of worldly money. They simply had never understood how to exchange it. Only after coming down the mountain and gradually adapting to mortal life did they realize just how rich they were. Anything that looked remotely good went onto the table, while Bai Yujun was responsible for eating ferociously and getting the lion's share.

The food of this era was not like Earth's, crammed with additives, artificial flavoring, and meat raised on drugs. It was truly green and unpolluted, relying entirely on the miraculous hands of the chef to transform ingredients into delectable dishes.

The waiter serving their food turned pale when he looked at Bai Yujun.

Such a lovely young lady, yet she was a bottomless pit. A fragrant braised pork knuckle vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving not even a bone behind. Was she even human?

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three young people sprawled crookedly in their chairs. Xu Ling clutched her belly with a satisfied expression. Aside from his thousand-year iceberg face, Yang Mu also possessed the capacity to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Bai Yujun had even less regard for appearances, reclining in her chair and picking her teeth with a fish bone.

Her mouthful of white teeth had grown after she took human form. Before that, she had only two sharp venomous fangs and had never needed to pick her teeth.

"What shall we do this afternoon?" Xu Ling asked lazily.

"I hear Chang'an has many storytellers. How about we listen to some tales this afternoon?"

Bai Yujun wanted to hear stories anyway, and tea would be perfect for settling her meal.

"Fine, let's go hear some stories."

The two people and one snake left the restaurant, asked for directions, and headed straight for a teahouse. To make wandering about more convenient, Bai Yujun and Xu Ling changed into men's Scholar's Robes. With folding fans in hand, they gave them a flick—not graceful and refined, but charming in a different way entirely. The sight gave Yang Mu a headache...

The afternoon passed leisurely. They drank tea, listened to stories, and occasionally tipped a couple of Silver Horns.

Evening.

Within Chang'an's river of stars, Danfeng Tower rose high as all music blended in harmony.

Flutes and drums rang deafeningly, lantern light filled every doorway. Those who had never experienced the nighttime splendor of the greatest city under heaven could never comprehend such shock. Visitors flowed like weaving threads, shoulders brushing shoulders and heels stepping on heels. Chang'an truly deserved to be called the center of the world.

Painted Boats covered the lake's surface, while women of the pleasure houses competed in beauty, singing and dancing amid peace and prosperity. Bai Yujun remarked that Chang'an at night was just as lively as the Hundred Thousand Mountains. On one side was pleasure and play; on the other, savage slaughter. Neither side slept.

They had originally planned to stroll through the pleasure houses, and Xu Ling was itching to try, but in the end Yang Mu could not stand the two lunatics and insisted on returning to the outpost to rest.

The night passed without incident.

At dawn, a group of extravagantly and brightly dressed people entered the Chunyang outpost.

Only when they spoke did Bai Yujun remember who they were: palace servants. The one in charge was a eunuch, leading a group of eunuchs and palace maids to the Chunyang Palace outpost to instruct those attending the emperor's birthday banquet in proper etiquette. Cultivators might not need to care about worldly formalities, but the emperor did. Even if they did not have to kneel, they still needed to bow politely to show respect.

Those entering the palace to offer birthday congratulations were Chu Zhe, Yang Mu, and two elders. Xu Ling and Bai Yujun would not enter the main hall.

There was no helping it. Female cultivators were lively and alluring, easily making the men of those lofty and arrogant Aristocratic Clans lose control of themselves. Though they did not fear such people, there was no need to invite trouble. It was not as though such things had never happened before. Once, a young female cultivator had caught the eye of some minister's son. After all the commotion, people died, and relations between the court and the sect became exceedingly strained.

Inside her room, Bai Yujun began studying how to deal with magical treasures such as the Demon Binding Net.

Yang Mu had explained this kind of technique before. The simplest method was to use the magical treasure in one's hand to strike it head-on. Another was interference. For a magical treasure to accurately cover its target, it needed to be controlled from afar, requiring uninterrupted spiritual energy and mental control. The countermeasure was to cast a spell that severed the opponent's mental control, while using one's own spiritual energy to disrupt the treasure's circulation of spiritual energy.

Beyond that, it came down to one's reaction speed and agility. Magical treasures were not frightening; not even divine artifacts dared claim to be omnipotent, much less tools refined by cultivators.

To stay alive, Bai Yujun diligently studied spells.

In the courtyard, veins bulged on Yang Mu's forehead as he barely restrained himself from drawing his sword and killing that eunuch. Explaining etiquette was one thing, but what did all that groping mean?