Bianliang, Little Mute?

(PS: Three updates today. This might be the only big burst before the end of this month, or before it goes premium next month?)

The Northern Song capital, Eastern Capital Bianliang!

Wu Pifu and the other two appeared on a hillside, from which they could just glimpse one corner of the city below. Naturally, it was Bianliang.

"This should be near Ox Family Village. Little Mute is buried by the peach grove below. When spring comes next year, it'll surely be beautiful there. Little Mute would probably be very happy too," Wu Pifu said as he looked down.

Wu Pifu had already told the other two about his experiences in the Mud-Buddha Yasha Dream World. Yamadai was carefree by nature and did not think much of it. He said casually, "When the peaches ripen, we can pack up a bunch and bring them back to Gaia."

Xu Shilan kicked Yamadai, then walked to Wu Pifu's side and said gently, "The dead are gone. At least you survived, and you still remember her. If you offer sacrifices for her every year from now on, I'm sure she can rest in peace."

Wu Pifu nodded silently. Jiujiu, perched on his shoulder, flew straight out toward the peach grove at the foot of the hill.

Wu Pifu shouted, "Don't fly too far! We're heading to Bianliang City. Be careful, or you won't be able to find us later."

Jiujiu chirped twice brightly and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

Yamadai stroked his chin thoughtfully. "This bird... seems to have gotten fatter?"

Wu Pifu nodded with certainty. He had noticed that Jiujiu had indeed grown a little larger, though he did not know whether it was from absorbing the demon core or eating the wild boar demon's meat.

Xu Shilan sighed again. She always felt that these two were far too unreliable whenever they were not fighting. Only after she took charge did the three of them head down the hillside toward the official road.

The three people and one bird traveled along the official road, watching pedestrians and carriages stream past. The closer they got to the city ahead, the more congested the road became. Its liveliness was far beyond anything in the Peace Hotel Dream World.

Wu Pifu and the others were all wearing maintenance workers' uniforms. They were not spacesuits, but their tight sleeves and shorts would absolutely have counted as bizarre clothing in ancient times. Yet amid this crowd, they did not stand out at all. There were all kinds of strange outfits here—opera costumes, fitted riding clothes, acrobats in thin shirts, even people dressed like sumo wrestlers. There were monks and Daoists, and plenty of foreigners with red, blond, and brown hair.

"Was the Song Dynasty this advanced?"

Xu Shilan and Yamadai were both stunned. Neither of them knew much about history, and human civilization had effectively suffered a break in continuity during the Third War. Still, they at least knew that before the Industrial Revolution, human civilization had been extremely backward and poor. They truly had not expected a sight like this.

Wu Pifu, on the other hand, was full of anticipation and appreciation. "In ancient times, China really was much more developed than other regions and countries, especially during the Song Dynasty. It was famously a period of cultural and economic prosperity, aside from territorial expansion."

Yamadai scratched at his nostril. "What about territorial expansion?"

"Aside from territorial expansion."

"What about warfare?"

"Aside from territorial expansion."

"Then..."

Wu Pifu and Yamadai laughed and bantered as they drew closer to the city gate. Xu Shilan's expression turned hesitant, and she asked softly, "There are so many non-white people around. This Song Dynasty probably doesn't fear 'foreigners' the way the Qing Dynasty did, right? So how are we supposed to get into the city?"

Wu Pifu froze. Only then did he suddenly remember that ancient times had things like travel permits, did they not?

They might not have had identity documents like in civilized times, but they had household registration and travel permits. Their control over population movement might even have been stricter than in later generations. The three of them were complete blanks. Where were they supposed to get proof of a travel permit? Thinking about it, they might not even be able to enter Bianliang.

Yet once the city gate came into view, they saw countless pedestrians casually entering and leaving along the official road. The dozen or so soldiers guarding the gate looked more like ceremonial guards or orderkeepers. They did not question anyone at all.

All three were surprised. Following the crowd through the city gate, they saw seas of people everywhere within the city, with countless lanterns being set up. It was around two or three in the afternoon. Hawkers shouted, vendors called out their wares, acrobats performed, paper figures danced, and sumo matches drew crowds. The entire city of Bianliang was loud and boiling with life, a true ancient scene of prosperity straight out of Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

"No, this is the Song Dynasty?" Wu Pifu truly could not believe it. He looked around, found a roadside stall selling cold tea, and clasped his hands toward the elderly tea seller. "Sir, what day is it today? Why is it so lively?"

The old man had been happily watching the lanterns hung outside a shop in the distance. Hearing this, he turned to Wu Pifu, looked him up and down, then glanced at Yamadai and Xu Shilan behind him. Still smiling, he said, "Young man, did you just return from overseas? You don't even remember your hometown's Lantern Festival?"

Wu Pifu immediately understood and smiled at the old man. "I've been away from home too long. Thank you, sir."

The old man stroked his beard, poured three cups of cold tea, and handed them to the trio. "His Majesty is wise. He honored Sage Guo as Imperial Preceptor, and for the past two years the weather has been favorable and the harvests abundant. Those Liao barbarians in the north were also soundly defeated. I hear their state is about to fall. This year's Lantern Festival is especially lively. His Majesty decreed that the entire people celebrate for seven days, with no night curfew and no restrictions on the common folk. Otherwise, how could those two barbarians behind you have come so easily to our sacred capital of Eastern Capital?"

Wu Pifu felt puzzled, but he did not show it. He took the cold tea and drained it in one gulp, then clasped his hands to thank the old man.

The three continued down the street. As she walked, Xu Shilan said, "Looks like an age of prosperity. That's good. Prosperous times are best for doing business. We'll buy two buildings in Bianliang City, and Yamadai and I will establish shelters. We'll use next month's gold in this Dream World. Once we have capital, you two little brothers can watch how your big sister here stirs up the winds and clouds."

Xu Shilan spoke with great confidence, but Wu Pifu and Yamadai could both tell that she had clearly once enjoyed success and had real ability. Neither doubted her words. Yamadai merely said indignantly, "Little brother? Heh heh, if I pull it out, you'll die of fright!"

"Pull it out! Right now! If you don't, this old lady will look down on you today!" Xu Shilan shouted back without the slightest embarrassment.

That left Yamadai somewhat unable to back down, and he could only stammer awkwardly.

Just then, Jiujiu chirped on Wu Pifu's shoulder and prepared to fly off to watch the excitement. Wu Pifu reached out and grabbed her in his hand. Jiujiu immediately began pecking at his palm, and even her chirps sounded aggrieved.

Wu Pifu said, "There are so many people here. How will you find us later? And what if someone shoots at you with a slingshot or something else?"

Jiujiu immediately began chirping loudly, nodding her head toward the sky. Wu Pifu looked up and saw flocks of birds taking flight and landing again. On some tall buildings, ancient-dressed maidservants were scattering fruit and melons, clearly teasing the birds.

Seeing this, Wu Pifu hesitated for a moment before releasing her. But he immediately said, "Then be very careful. Don't go where there are lots of people, and don't go where there are lots of children. Stay away from anyone carrying slingshots, bows, crossbows, or anything like that. Understand?"

Jiujiu chirped twice, then affectionately rubbed against Wu Pifu's face before spreading her wings and flying high into the sky.

After Jiujiu disappeared from view, Wu Pifu looked at Yamadai and Xu Shilan. "No, my history isn't very good. Other than some things I looked up to argue with people, I really don't know much. But I do know that after the Northern Song's Xuanhe era came the Jingkang era. The Jingkang Humiliation! I just don't know how many years after Xuanhe it was before Jingkang. Could this be like Emperor Xuanzong of Tang—something like the Kaiyuan Prosperity, only to be suddenly cut short at its height?"

"And Sage Guo... who is that? Don't tell me it's Guo Jing!?"

Wu Pifu tried hard to recall the little history he knew. He only knew that once the Jingkang Humiliation occurred, the Northern Song was declared destroyed. After that, Zhao Gou fled south, which led to the later Southern Song. Could this world's Baseline Reality 0.7 have deviated so drastically from real history? Had the Song Dynasty in this world become like the immortal-heroic Qin Dynasty, invincible across the land?

Xu Shilan refuted him, "Either you remembered history wrong, or the deviation in Baseline Reality 0.7 is simply too great. We saw everything ourselves on the way here. Everything we saw and heard was the flourishing of a prosperous age. Other things can deceive people, but the spirit of the populace can't be faked, right? And according to that old man, they also won a war in the north. Economic and cultural prosperity, plus a recent military victory—and one that destroyed a state at that. At the very least, they should have twenty years without worries, right?"

Wu Pifu still hesitated, but Xu Shilan's analysis did seem the most reasonable. He nodded, looking at the sea of people around them and the lantern displays gradually taking shape. He was moved as well. "Then let's first figure out household registration and the like. We'll say we returned from overseas. That should work. Then we'll see how to spend money and work through government channels, find a way to clean up the identities of the three of us, and buy two buildings here in Bianliang City."

Joy was contagious. As the three walked through the festive atmosphere, some of the gloom in their hearts gradually faded. They each took in the sights and culture of this ancient age while looking for places like pawnshops where they could exchange gold for silver or copper coins.

Just then, an emerald-green blur flew swiftly back. The moment it landed on Wu Pifu's shoulder, it began chirping urgently and fiercely.

Wu Pifu froze, and his expression immediately turned cold. He asked in a low voice, "Did someone try to hurt you? Point them out. Where are they?"

But Jiujiu shook her head in a humanlike manner. She continued chirping anxiously and even pecked at Wu Pifu's collar.

Wu Pifu looked around, then carefully examined Jiujiu and found that she was completely unharmed. Hearing her agitated cries, he asked, "Slow down, slow down. Don't panic. What exactly is it?"

Jiujiu paused, then gave one single chirp, followed by two connected chirps. She repeated it three times in a row.

"Little Mute?" Wu Pifu asked blankly. "Jiujiu, are you saying you saw Little Mute?"

Yamadai and Xu Shilan immediately complained, "No, how did you hear the words 'Little Mute' from that!?"

Yet Jiujiu immediately nodded, nodding three times in succession. Then she flew into the sky, only to descend halfway and look at Wu Pifu with a chirp before flying up again.

Wu Pifu immediately said to Yamadai and Xu Shilan, "Wait here for me!"

Then he directly mobilized his martial arts qi and blood, circulating the blood qi of the Human Immortal martial path as he forced his way rapidly through the crowd, instantly drawing curses from passersby.

Wu Pifu ignored them and charged ahead. After running for some time, the pedestrians ahead thinned out. Looking forward, he saw an enormous Buddhist temple complex. Jiujiu continued flying into it, while a tall wall stood before Wu Pifu.

There was no time to worry about anything else. Wu Pifu rushed forward, stepped against the high wall several times in quick succession, and launched himself more than five meters into the air, landing atop it. Jiujiu circled in the air in one direction, and Wu Pifu immediately looked that way. He saw a young girl of around thirteen or fourteen in palace dress, bending as she entered a sedan chair. Guards and palace maids stood all around it.

As Wu Pifu leaped onto the wall, the girl in palace dress happened to turn and glance in his direction. She saw Wu Pifu standing atop the wall several dozen meters away, froze slightly, then hurriedly ducked into the sedan chair.

"Little Mute!"

Wu Pifu had only caught a fleeting glimpse, but he had seen that young girl's eyes.

They were Little Mute's eyes!!