Lou Guan City

A flash of lightning and a deafening roar, like a thunderbolt ripped across the clear sky.

Song Dayou held Lei Yun down, stopping him outside the purple light barrier of Lou Guan City. Then, he took out a purple jade bamboo talisman and activated it. The talisman flew around the two of them like a sword, transforming into a purple light sphere. It carried them around the light barrier array three times before entering the array and enveloping them in the city.

Separated by this purple curtain, the sky changed instantly. Outside, the scorching sun blazed fiercely, the red sun was like blood, and there was not a cloud in the sky. But inside the city, the sky was clear and blue, with white clouds drifting by, the Daoist Dao Breath rolling, and the rosy clouds shimmering. Although the concentration and purity of the spiritual energy could not compare with those Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land and cultivation centers, it would not be an exaggeration to call it a blessed land on earth and a paradise on earth.

"This is Lou Guan City. The weather has changed drastically. Cultivators are fine, they will only suffer some loss of Dao Breath. But ordinary people who stay outside for too long may suffer from loss of honor. If they are exposed to direct moonlight, there is even a risk of being transformed into Devil Embryo."

Therefore, the Grand Master brought all the spiritual veins of the nine peaks of Bamboo Mountain here to supply the city's defensive array, providing a refuge for mortals and enough to take care of the cultivation of Outer Sect Disciple and rogue cultivators.

Most of the Inner Sect disciples have already moved to Tianyu Mountain. Apart from the old mountain master who stayed behind, there's hardly anyone living in the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven. Lou Guan City, on the other hand, is a melting pot of immortals and mortals, a diverse mix of people. You can find almost anything you want in the city. If you want to broaden your horizons and experience the ways of the world, you should stay here for a while. Otherwise, if you're clueless about social interactions and just focus on your cultivation alone, you won't even be able to chat with Dao Companion later."

As Song Dayou led Zheng Zetian into the city, he kept giving him instructions.

"Also, Ze Tian, remember this: these sect talismans must not be lost. If you lose them, go to the local guardian deities to get replacements. Otherwise, do not attempt to cast spells once you enter the city."

The Grand Master has already set up countless restrictions and endless sword formations throughout the city, especially targeting those cultivators. Anyone who dares to trespass on the mountain, offend the sect, or cause trouble in the city will basically face certain death. They will be beheaded, their souls captured, and sent to Mo Mountain for safekeeping. Look, just like them."

Then Zheng Zetian followed the direction Song Dayou was pointing and saw a caterpillar crawling towards him from the end of the road.

Only when they got closer could they see clearly that it was a series of human heads. These heads were as big as lion heads used in lion dances, but they were not props. They were real, bloody human heads that had been enlarged by evil magic, with distorted features, bulging eyeballs, and horrific expressions. They were also pierced with steel hoops and strung together with iron nails.

At this moment, a string of human heads bounced and tumbled like a ball, one wave after another, so the whole 'caterpillar of heads' arched forward. The heads, strung together, couldn't roll, they could only hop and kowtow, their mouths, noses, and teeth knocked out by hitting the bricks and stones, their faces covered in blood and tears, all the while mumbling incoherently, "Spare me! Spare me! Spare me! Spare me!"

The heads jumped past him, and Song Dayou couldn't help but glance sideways, swallowing hard as he explained.

"Some of these people were enemies of Benshan, some were demons in troubled times, some murdered loyal and good people, some were corrupt and lawless, some were treacherous and disloyal, some were incompetent, and some offended the bigwigs and were executed by the Discipline Institute."

According to the law, they will be paraded through the streets for three days, then sent to Moshan to be punished. Those with good fortune will be reborn, those without will be left to drink. Ze Tian, you don't need to be too afraid. The Grand Master is generally lenient, and the Discipline Institute has always been fair in its rewards and punishments. As long as the disciples of this mountain do not betray their sect or bully the people with their abilities, they will not suddenly be beheaded by flying swords."

"Oh," Zheng Zetian, eating a cherry, feeling alright.

Song Dayou glanced at him, "... You don't even flinch or blink? Thinking about it, you're kind of terrifying too..."

Shaking his head to forget the horrific scene before him, Song Dayou took Zheng Zetian to Louguan Pagoda to update his Daoist certificate and talisman. On the <Louguan Daoist Transmission and Ordination Certificate Record of Mozhu Mountain>, he registered and recorded the time Zheng Zetian, an outer disciple, had established his foundation, recorded his monthly stipend of Void Jade Treasure Notes, and deposited it into his ink jade storage jade pendant. He also gave him a purple jade bamboo talisman like Song Dayou's. Disciples of Mozhu Mountain who possessed this talisman could enter and exit the arrays set up by the Grand Master without being harmed by sword light or Daoist magic.

This is quite important. After all, a certain master, in order to practice the Way of Formations, had nothing better to do than roam the mountains, setting up formations Sword Talismans everywhere. This made Ink Bamboo Mountain, especially the Ten-thousand-mountains section, extremely dangerous. Those who couldn't count and still wandered around recklessly could easily be caught in the formations and turned to dust.

Zheng Zetian waited for a while, and after he finished eating the cherries and completing his business, Song Dayou gave him four Banknotes with "ten taels" written on them.

"When you receive Banknotes in the future, remember to check them. The payee must be the Finance Institute of Ink Bamboo Mountain. All Banknotes are issued by the Finance Institute. The next joint will be slightly different. There will probably be Banknotes from the Railway Institute, Mountain Moving Institute, Alchemy Institute, Talisman and Jade Institute, Machinery Institute, and Sword Casting Institute."

I don't know the specifics, but it seems that the amount of Banknotes issued by the Finance Institute depends on the annual harvest of the six academies, the amount of Void Jade Sand used, the number of high-grade pills and talismans made, and the amount of loans issued. The calculation method is quite complicated. Every year, the Finance Institute of Lou Guan City holds a special financial exam. The accountants who pass the exam are recruited into the academy and can also receive Foundation Establishment, Divine Essence Pill, and Divine Infant Pill from the Ancient Immortal Palace. It's also a path that the Grand Master provides for mortals.

The third section mentions a bank, meaning that if you take this ten- Banknotes to the corresponding bank, you will definitely be able to withdraw the ten Void Jade; otherwise, Ink Bamboo Mountain will no longer trade with the other party.

Of course, nowadays, any bank or merchant can directly use Banknotes for transactions, and they also keep a certain amount of Void Jade for redemption. However, sometimes, in order to attract business, these merchants and banks will offer certain interest rates, some high and some low, but only for large sums of tens of thousands of taels will the difference be apparent.

You don't need to bother earning this small amount of money; enough for food and drink is sufficient. The Void Jade is the material for crafting talismans and Magic Treasure, which is the foundation of cultivation. Forty taels is enough for Foundation Establishment disciple to practice. We'll talk about it after you reach Core Formation. Working for the sect is mainly about increasing your contribution. If you want to earn money, go to the trading company and take on jobs. As long as you master the Six Arts, drawing talismans, refining pills, and crafting artifacts will bring in money quickly."

Zheng Zetian asked curiously, "How many persimmons can ten taels buy?"

Song Dayou, "... It's hard to say, it depends on the variety. The spiritual fruit I gave you will naturally be more expensive, probably enough to buy ten catties. Don't eat so many persimmons, they'll cause internal heat. Since you're cultivating the Azure Cloud Wood Yi Zheng Thunder, eat more Tai Su wheat rice. One tael can buy one shi, that's enough for you."

Zheng Zetian, "Oh."

Since it was a rare opportunity for him to come all this way, Song Dayou naturally bought all the talismans, brushes, paper, and ink he could for his disciple. Taking on a newcomer was always a hassle, but fortunately, Zheng Zetian was quite well-behaved (or rather, a bit slow), didn't ask many questions, and understood after just one explanation, so he was relatively easy to manage.

"By the way, Ze Tian, would you like a spirit pet or a mount?"

Zheng Zetian, "?"

While passing through the large market, they happened to encounter a merchant caravan from Kunlun. The leader was brazenly wearing the blood-red robe of the Divine Sect and carrying the red banner of the Blood Register Sect. After all, Ink Bamboo Mountain and the Divine Sect had a no-war agreement and a trade agreement so far, and there would be no problem as long as the Divine Sect did business honestly.

The goods that the cult used for trade were indeed rare in Ink Bamboo Mountain. They included not only various Heavenly Treasure from the Western Regions and Kunlun, but also many strangely shaped human Blood Slave, Demon Race women with animal ears and tails, and various rare birds and beasts rarely seen in the south. Of course, there were many monsters in the Ten-thousand-mountains, and the South China Sea of Xun Kingdom was also full of Devil Domain lairs, but they were just looking for something new.

Song Dayou pointed to the many demons traveling along the road.

"There are countless alien races in this world. Even if we want to suppress the Ten-thousand-mountains, we can't kill all the demons and spirits in the mountains. My Ink Bamboo Mountain doesn't discriminate against the Spirit Race anymore. As long as they don't eat people within the sect's territory, we won't eliminate them."

However, we cannot control other sects, nor can we recruit so many guardians to protect the mountain. Therefore, disciples are still allowed to purchase spirit pets, mounts, and servants at their own expense. Of course, if a master allows his or her mount or servant to harm others, he or she will still be punished by the Discipline Institute.

Since we have this opportunity, why don't I buy you a mount? It can be used for transportation in normal times, and it can also act as a protector in emergencies. Is there one you like?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zetian's eyes lit up. He looked at this person, then at that person, and finally shook his head.

"No, I don't want them anymore. They smell bad, and they're all dead."

Song Dayou: "What? You're dead?"

The merchant from the cult overheard this and chuckled, "Young Daoist, you're quite something, with a natural divine eye. But it's not that my goods are defective, it's the secret technique I taught."

He took out a blood contract with red characters on a sheepskin and unfolded it. "Here, the remaining 'life' is right here. The lives of these Blood Slave and blood puppets are in my hands. If they dare to escape, they won't survive a single day. Whichever one you buy, I will naturally give you the remaining 'life' of it. Honest transactions, no one is more principled than my Divine Cult, hehehe."

"Oh, the Bloodthirsty Soul-Stripping Technique?" Song Dayou knew about it. "Every school has its own methods of controlling beasts and binding souls. Although they're not exactly orthodox methods, they're quite convenient for subduing demons. Besides, their cult has a special secret technique, so it's fine to choose one."

The merchant from the Divine Cult chuckled, "This fellow Daoist is quite knowledgeable. It seems you've fought with members of our sect before, haven't you? Hehe, don't worry, we didn't come all this way to do business. We're here to exchange for Void Jade. As long as you're willing to exchange, there's nothing we can't."

Since that was the case, Zheng Zetian picked and chose, finally selecting a baby Tu Lou.

The Tu Lou is a beast of Kunlun, resembling a sheep with four horns, and it eats people. It is a powerful demon that can grow to the Divine Transformation stage, a ferocious creature that can rule the mountains in a place like Kunlun. Of course, this cub is just a young demon that has formed its core, with four round bumps on its head and no horns yet, looking just like a lamb. Zheng Zetian is only five or six years old, which is just right for him to ride. Besides, sheep are easy to raise. Although they like to eat people, they will eat grass if you feed them.

After some haggling with the cultist, Song Dayou finally settled the Banknotes. Of course, although the lamb was a rare species from Kunlun, 800 taels was about right. The other 1,000 taels was used to have the cultist merchant perform a ritual, drawing a blood talisman on the Tu Lou's forehead, and then, along with the blood contract, he was given a triangular yellow talisman.

Song Dayou instructed Zheng Zetian to carefully place the Blood Pact Yellow Talisman close to his body, explaining, "This is the Blood Puppet Substitute Death Technique of the Divine Sect. If someone casts a curse in the shadows and the Blood Puppet is attacked by a primordial spirit technique, the damage will be transferred to the Blood Puppet's primordial spirit. If attacked by a Daoist technique, the Blood Puppet can also share half of the Blood Lord's pain. It's quite useful during sword battles."

Furthermore, you should be careful when you encounter the Divine Cult in the future. Their Blood Code Cult has a lot of self-mutilation techniques. They may fight until they have severed limbs and are seriously injured. While ordinary people would faint from the pain, the Divine Cult can still ignore the pain and fight to the death. This is because they have this technique to protect themselves.

However, this method requires the Blood Puppet to be at least at the same level as the Blood Lord to be used. It's perfect for you to use it now. You can change to another puppet when you reach the Nascent Soul Realm."

"Oh, I remember."

So Zheng Zetian rode the earthen goat and followed Song Dayou around the streets, sometimes buying counting rods, sometimes buying medicine cauldrons. In the end, they circled back to the entrance of Lou Guan Tower. Song Dayou glanced at the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion next door and sighed.

"I should have had a couple more outfits made for you, but the things at the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion are too expensive. You'll have to wear my old clothes. Everything else is about right. Let's go, first Qingting Peak, I'll get two Magic Treasure for you to protect yourself. Then we'll go to Moshan..."

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the heavens and the earth! A gigantic fireball rose into the distance from the city streets!

Song Dayou alarmed.

"Who dares to cause trouble in Lou Guan City! And why hasn't the sword formation fallen! Ze Tian, you stay here and don't wander off, I'll be right back!"

With a crackling sound, Song Dayou dodged into the lightning, which shot straight into the sky, followed by a burst of Sword Light falling towards the fireball.

Zheng Zetian was stunned for a moment, then led the sheep to the side of the yard, sat down at the entrance of the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion, took out a bag of dates he had bought on the way, ate one himself, and gave one to the sheep to eat, sharing the two.

"Hey! Kid! Watch your sheep! Don't let them poop in front of my shop!"

Before long, the waiters at the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion rushed out to chase them away.

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry..."

Zheng Zetian turned his head and saw that there really was a huge pile of sheep being pulled up, blocking the doorway...

"Sorry is enough, you brat! If you weren't from Ink Bamboo Mountain, believe me, I'd beat you up! Clean this up!"

The waiter grabbed him, threw the broom and dustpan at him, and Zheng Zetian had no choice but to sweep the floor at the door.

The shop assistant snorted, then turned to the impatient cultivator who was examining the silk on the shelf, and gave him a fawning smile.

"Teacher Qian, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting. What would you like to see? We really don't have any Yunzhuan seal script left. Ink Bamboo Mountain only releases a few batches occasionally, and they're all sold out long ago."

"Enough with the idle talk, let's take a look at the Gui Xu Dao Yi."

This Golden Core cultivator wore a goldfish crown and a black and white checkered rice paddy robe. He was quite handsome, with a straight back, a square face, and thick eyebrows. However, his eyes were on top of his head, and his nostrils were upturned, giving him an arrogant look that disdained others. As a senior from the same Ink Bamboo Mountain, he didn't even glance at Zheng Zetian at the door. His temper was clearly much more difficult to approach than Song Dayou's.

The waiter also wore a troubled, wry smile.

"Instructor, that Daoist robe was designed by the Grand Master to replace the Purple Sash Immortal Clothes. It's not finalized yet; the Grand Master needs to review it, right? Ultimately, it's going to be made for the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain. You might as well wait a bit. Otherwise, if there's any damage, won't the shopkeeper blame me when he returns..."

Teacher Qian glared at him, flicked his sleeve, and erected a barrier of energy at the entrance of the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion. He clearly knew that Zheng Zetian was outside and that he had to be careful what he said.

Of course, even with the ritual performed, Zheng Zetian could still hear everything clearly...

"Stop talking nonsense! Do you think I don't know that the Daoist robe was made a long time ago! And where is your sect leader? Weren't you secretly smuggling this Gui Xu Dao Yi to the north and selling it to those remnants of the Luo Sect?!"

Hmph, I've heard all over Tianyu Mountain that your Heavenly Clothes truly lives up to its reputation. The clothes you make are excellent! They grant invisibility, create clones, and even ward off evil spirits. You can travel freely between Moon Worship and the Tai Su Realm, and even if you get damaged, you can just bask in the Moon.

"Hehe, the Northern Demonic Path has used the convenience of this treasure to ambush and kill quite a few people from the Xuanmen. If this news gets out and those Northerners on Tianyu Mountain find out, hehe, what will Manager Xu say?"

Upon hearing his rebuke, the shopkeeper's face turned pale and then red. Realizing he couldn't fool him, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the inner room to retrieve a package covered in curse marks.

Teacher Qian nodded in satisfaction, "Those who know when to yield are the wise; I'll take as many as you have."

The waiter had a bitter face.

"Instructor, please don't make things difficult for me. This robe is not easy to make and is very valuable. There is truly only one of these available..."

"Hmph! You think I'm broke?!"

Teacher Qian slammed a stack of Banknotes on the counter and reached out to snatch the bundle.

Unexpectedly, the waiter's arm suddenly grew thicker, turning into a dragon's claw, and he couldn't snatch it away!

Teacher Qian was furious, "You!"

The shop assistant glanced at the stack of Banknotes and smiled bitterly.

"Teacher, I've already broken the rules, but we can't do a losing business..."

"What! Twenty thousand taels isn't enough?! Are you kidding me?! Is the Luo Sect that rich?!"

The shopkeeper sighed, "It's not fair to say that. The Luo Sect can offer many rare treasures dug from the Xuanmen Immortal Tombs in exchange, but my Heavenly Clothes has no shortage of these Banknotes. If you insist on buying, you'll have to add at least another ten thousand."

"... snort!"

Finally, Teacher Qian threw another stack of Banknotes, then angrily snatched his Daoist robe and left, not even glancing at Zheng Zetian, before riding away on a cloud.

The waiter sighed as he came out, saw that the floor was swept quite clean, waved to Zheng Zetian,

"Quickly take your sheep away! These are all important people coming and going from my place. Can you afford to pay for anything that might get on their clothes?"

"Oh."

So Zheng Zetian led Tu Lou, who was still chewing on dates, to the entrance of Lou Guan Tower and squatted there.

A while later, a flash of lightning appeared in the sky, and Song Dayou returned, bringing Zheng Zetian a bag of golden pears.

"You must have been waiting impatiently, right? Sigh, it's nothing serious. A few out-of-town rogue alchemists blew up the furnace."

Heaven knows what they were thinking. These people who can't even do basic arithmetic dare to mess around like this... They're recklessly refining pills and even secretly connecting to the spiritual veins of Lou Guan City network to power their pill furnaces. They're just asking for trouble!

Sigh, I think the explosion destroyed at least half a street. Minced meat was flying everywhere; it was horrific. Let me tell you, this kind of suicidal guy is only hurting himself and others! He definitely deserves to be beheaded!"

So Song Dayou, while complaining, summoned thunderclouds, wrapped Zheng Zetian, who was happily munching on a pear, and his sheep, and flew towards Qingting Peak.