In the blink of an eye, the knights had ridden far away and vanished at the end of the road. Zhang Sheng couldn't even vent his anger if he wanted to. After such an unexpected turn of events, his mood was thoroughly ruined, so he lowered his head and hurried on. They traveled in silence, and a few days later finally arrived at the commandery city of Lu Yuan Prefecture.
As a native of Yongzhou, Wei Yuan had naturally studied Yongzhou's geography and history well. Lu Yuan Prefecture had been built five hundred years ago. About a hundred thousand households were currently registered there, with another fifty or sixty thousand unregistered, for a total population of half a million. It was considered a large city.
When they reached the city, Wei Yuan saw that its walls were low, built from yellow earth mixed with stone blocks, and less than two zhang tall. Much of the surface had crumbled away, exposing the stones beneath; the battlements and gate towers also showed signs of long neglect.
Inside the city, the houses were all made of earthen walls and thatched roofs, and every corner seemed steeped in ruin. Most people on the streets wore ragged clothes, their faces gaunt, eyes vacant, and movements sluggish. They looked worse off than even the servants and retainers of the Wei Residence. The roads were a sea of mud, pitted and uneven, with filth floating in the puddles. If the two of them hadn't been riding Ding Mule, they would surely have stepped in the muck by now.
Zhang Sheng didn't hurry. He led Wei Yuan slowly through the city. They crossed the southern district and continued toward the western district, where the surroundings gradually improved.
After walking a little farther, a huge manor appeared before them!
The manor occupied an entire ward, enclosed by vermilion walls a zhang high. There was no way to see inside. A red-lacquered gate stood in the center, tightly shut. Two enormous stone toads stood at the entrance, each with a burly servant beside it, glaring menacingly at passersby.
Above the gate hung a plaque bearing the words Xu Manor. The gate tower was carved and painted with the utmost extravagance. The gate alone could have bought the entire Wei Residence.
Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan out through the western gate. They hadn't gone far when a lush green Immortal Mountain appeared before them.
The mountain wasn't large, and its shape made it clear that it had once been part of a long, stretching range. But now it was green from top to bottom, covered in trees, with clouds rising among the slopes and making the Immortal Mountain appear and disappear from view. Between two peaks, a waterfall could just be seen, cascading down like a strip of white silk. Below lay a pool of jade-green water, with a small island at its center, dotted here and there with jade trees in full bloom.
A river flowed before the mountain, its water clear and smooth as jade. It circled the mountain before joining the surging Tong River. Strangely, the upper reaches of the Tong River were normally a muddy yellow, but upon entering the Immortal Mountain's domain, its waters suddenly turned clear. Once they left the mountain behind, they turned muddy yellow again and continued northeast.
Amid the mountains, waters, clouds, and rosy mists, vast stretches of pavilions and towers appeared and vanished from sight. It truly was a paradise on earth!
A tender-yellow bird flew over, circled above the two of them a few times, then landed on Zhang Sheng's shoulder. Zhang Sheng said to Wei Yuan, "Now we can save ourselves some effort."
Ding Mule continued forward, but with each step, the scenery around them seemed to recede. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had reached the Tong River. Here, its waters flowed slowly forward like green jade. As if it didn't see the great river ahead, Ding Mule walked straight into the water. With a single step, the two of them were already ten zhang into the river!
Ding Mule walked steadily across the water without raising a single ripple. A few steps later, it had crossed the vast Tong River and reached the foot of the Immortal Mountain. A journey that normally took an entire day had taken only a quarter of an hour.
Once they had crossed the Tong River, an immortal gate appeared out of nowhere before Wei Yuan. While still on the water, he had seen only a gentle grassy slope on the opposite bank. But the moment they crossed the river and set foot on solid ground, the scenery before him suddenly changed.
The immortal gate stood twenty zhang tall, supported by two enormous red-jade pillars. The pillars were crystal-clear, carved with mountains, rivers, birds, and strange beasts. Above them was a white-jade plaque bearing the three characters "Crimson Tide Sect," each two zhang across!
The sight was so magnificent that little Wei Yuan, who had never left Ye County, stood gaping in amazement. He stared up at the immortal gate, then suddenly turned around. Even after crossing the Tong River, he could still just make out Lu Yuan Prefecture. Seen from here, the city looked even lower and more decrepit. Its rammed-earth walls seemed bleak and barren; its people lived in a daze, spending their days amid muddy water and filth, and asking only enough to fill their stomachs.
Separated by a single river, they had already entered two different worlds.
Just then, a young cultivator emerged from the immortal gate, his entire being suffused with pure energy, his bearing otherworldly.
With a single step, the cultivator arrived before Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan. His gaze was sharp as lightning. He first looked Zhang Sheng up and down, then gradually broke into a smile and exclaimed with delight, "It really is Senior Brother Zhang! It's been ten years since we last met."
Zhang Sheng was just as moved. He dismounted from Ding Mule and sighed, "So it's Senior Brother Sun Yu. I'm ashamed. Ten years have passed, and I still haven't achieved anything."
"Don't say that! I've long heard that Junior Brother Zhang has taken in a gifted disciple. It's the envy of us all!"
Zhang Sheng laughed heartily. "It's fate, really. I was just lucky!"
Sun Yu had already looked Wei Yuan over, but now he studied him carefully for a while before saying, "He truly is exceptional!"
He glanced at the Ding Mule they had brought and smiled. "Junior Brother Zhang has returned to simplicity. I imagine you've gained a great deal these past few years."
Zhang Sheng sighed. "My Dao Power was sealed, so I couldn't leave Yongzhou. I could only use ordinary things for transportation. But with my mind undistracted all these years, I've gained a little insight."
Sun Yu's eyes lit up. "Then I'll have to ask you for guidance later! Our master already knows your Dao Power was sealed. He consulted the secrets of heaven and specially sent me with a vial of Li Quan Powder. Take it, then meditate for three days, and you'll recover."
Zhang Sheng first saluted toward the north and said, "Please convey my thanks to True Lord Ning Xi." Then he pointed toward the immortal gate and asked with a smile, "It's only an examination in a remote little commandery, with barely a dozen people taking part. Why make such a grand spectacle? Is the Crimson Tide Sect planning to advance to a Blessed Land?"
Before Sun Yu could answer, a swath of rosy light suddenly blazed across the horizon. Two Nine-Colored Mystic Deer pulled a dazzling jade vessel down from the sky and landed before the immortal gate.
The two Nine-Colored Mystic Deer each stood three zhang tall, surrounded by nine-colored radiance as they trod the clouds. The white-jade vessel stood over five zhang tall and thirty zhang long—it was even larger than Lu Yuan City's gate towers! A huge character, "Yan," was carved into its hull, shimmering with flowing light.
As soon as the white-jade vessel landed, it went straight through the immortal gate. Not even the two Mystic Deer pulling it spared Zhang Sheng a glance; they treated the two of them like thin air.
Zhang Sheng watched the white-jade vessel disappear through the immortal gate, then looked at the three-chi-tall Ding Mule beside him. His expression darkened.
Sun Yu hurriedly smiled. "Don't mind them, Junior Brother! People from the East Sea have always loved showing off. Even when they come to take an exam, they have to make a spectacle of it. They're absurdly ostentatious!"
Zhang Sheng was surprised. "The Yan Family of the East Sea came to take the exam?"
"Well, this year there are rather a lot of candidates from Fengyuan Commandery... Just keep your composure, Junior Brother."
Zhang Sheng said no more. He took Wei Yuan by the hand and walked through the immortal gate. The instant they passed through it, the world before their eyes changed completely.
On a vast red-jade plaza, mounts crowded together and boats and carriages filled the air. Immortal energy poured from all kinds of treasure carriages and auspicious beasts, tangling overhead until it thickened into clouds of rosy light that formed and faded, again and again without end.
The white-jade vessel from the East Sea was struggling to maneuver, trying to find a place to moor.
Before you continue