What They Called Merit

Compared with Lingyang Prefecture's neat restraint, Cloud Prefecture was so vast it almost defied reason.

Its broad main road, paved with bluestone, could accommodate dozens of riders abreast. On either side, towers and halls soared as high as they could.

In sheer size, it was more than ten times the size of Chang'an.

Jiang Yuechu walked beside Xu Ming and looked up at the mighty city, which stretched beyond sight. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

She considered herself reasonably well-traveled.

The Great Tang was prosperous and flourishing, but beside Cloud Prefecture, it seemed rather modest.

Yet what struck Jiang Yuechu as most curious was not the city's grandeur.

Ahead, a blue-armored demon with a body like a small mountain swaggered through the middle of the street.

The ordinary people bustling around it neither fled nor showed any interest in giving it a second glance.

An old woman selling noodle soup from a roadside stall even took offense at its enormous body blocking the sunlight. She waved her rag and shooed it away with a few impatient calls.

The blue-armored demon took no offense. It tossed down a copper coin, picked up a large bowl of hot soup, and strode off.

Ordinary people, cultivators, and demons mingled on the long street, distinct from one another yet leaving each other undisturbed.

Walking beside her, Xu Ming noticed the slight furrow in the young woman's brow. He knew what she was thinking.

"Finding it a little strange?"

Xu Ming slowed his steps and spoke softly. "Elsewhere, cultivators stand high above everyone, demons eat flesh and drink blood, and ordinary people either worship them as gods or fear them like tigers."

"But the Nine Immortal Prefectures are rich in spiritual energy, far beyond other lands... Even ordinary people who've never cultivated can