Jinhuai City.
As the former capital of Southern Chu, after several centuries of development, it had not only failed to become more prosperous but even showed signs of decline. If not for its position as a vital transportation hub connecting north and south, coupled with the Southern Dao Palace headquarters being located here, it would likely have long since declined into an ordinary prefectural city.
There were only several hundred thousand ordinary citizens in the city. Most of the rest were Qi practitioners and their families who had settled here, which had also led to the construction of many shops dealing in cultivation materials throughout the city.
The other notable feature was the endless array of entertainment establishments—opera houses, teahouses, and the like—for Qi practitioners who had lost their drive to pursue advancement but still possessed fortunes beyond measure to amuse themselves.
Before the Dao Palace grounds lay a vast square. Three main streets in the city led into it, and the main street connecting to the western city gate had the greatest flow of people and was also the broadest. At the entrance to that street stood a teahouse called "Shangfang."
This was where Guan Xi had arranged to meet Wang Ping. Open-air stalls stood on both sides of the teahouse entrance, selling all manner of dried fruits and snacks, while a mutton soup shop nearby was packed to the brim.
Wang Ping liked the bustling, earthy atmosphere here. It made him feel that he was still a living, breathing person. He wore an ordinary blue Daoist robe at the moment, and passersby all courteously cupped their hands to greet him, for the Thousand Wood Temple insignia was embroidered on his robe.
Though they were polite, they also kept their distance, because Yulian, sprawled across Wang Ping's shoulder, inspected