Dream Splendor of the Eastern Capital

Eastern Capital, the secondary capital of Great Rui.

This city is backed by a major river, making water transport convenient. It is connected to the imperial road, facilitating travel. To the north lies the Grasslands, to the south the water towns, to the Eastern Journey the sea, and to the west Prosperity Capital. It is the hub of the Great Rui, attracting merchants from all over the world.

When the previous dynasty collapsed, warlords carved up the Eastern Capital successively acquired by three people, all of whom made it their capital. The last one was Emperor Taizu of the Great Rui. Although it changed hands several times, it was almost free from war and could be described as a paradise. As a result, it preserved the literary traditions of the previous dynasty, and its culture was brilliant. It gathered many Grand Confucian, built several academies, and gave rise to several schools of thought, giving rise to the appearance of a literary holy land.

Today, the capital of the Great Rui Dynasty has been moved to Central Passes, but this has not hindered the prosperity of the Eastern Capital.

After Qiu Yan and his group passed through the city gate and entered the city, they saw that the streets were bustling with people, shoulder to shoulder, and everywhere they looked, there were crowds of people.

"Good heavens! I've seen more people than I have in my entire life!" This sight made Dai Guo repeatedly, but the passersby around him were used to it, glancing at it at most before paying no more attention, clearly having seen it many times before.

"Brother Dai, what you say is quite right. As far as I know, the population of Eastern Capital is now close to one million, and the garrison alone numbers over one hundred thousand!" The person leading the way smiled and introduced the situation after hearing Dai Guo's exclamation.

This person's name is Qi Bai.

Earlier, Qiu Yan and the others had left Principle Sect Academy and were heading to Eastern Capital when they encountered a carriage on the road. The person in front of the carriage said that he was waiting there on the orders of the young lady to welcome Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan was puzzled by these words. He knew he had no friends in Eastern Capital and his reputation was limited to Jiannan Circuit. So he was very curious about the young lady's identity. However, when he asked her several times, Qi Bai only said that he would know when he arrived at the destination.

Qiu Yan knew this. Some families followed the rules, and women were not allowed to show their faces in public easily, and even their names were not convenient to be revealed.

"I'm new here and just wanted to travel, so it wouldn't hurt to see them." As Qiu Yan made his decision, he vaguely sensed a shift in Fortune and couldn't help but feel curious. On the way thereafter, Qi Bai was extremely respectful and even took on the role of tour guide.

"Nearly a million? Hundreds of thousands of troops stationed here?" Hu Qi was surprised upon hearing Qi Bai's introduction. When he and Dai Guo were wandering the world, they had never been to Eastern Capital.

Qiu Yan said, "Although I have never been to the Eastern Capital, I have read a casual account that described Eastern Capital 'a place teeming with people, where adding 100,000 would not make a difference, and subtracting would not feel like a loss.'"

The meaning of this statement is easy to understand: there are too many people gathered in the city, so the reduction or change of 100,000 people inside is insignificant.

Hearing this, Hu Qi and Dai Guo finally had a vague idea of how large the population of Eastern Capital was.

As they walked along, the streets were dotted with shops of all sizes, bustling with merchants. Each vendor called out their wares, selling all sorts of goods from the Southern Sea, leaving Hu Qi and Dai Guo overwhelmed with their sights.

Even Qiu Yan couldn't help but be amazed. You see, ordinary merchants can't transport goods using Dao Arts or Divine Ability. Traveling north and south by horse and boat is no easy task.

This is ancient times. Unlike Qiu Yan's previous life, supporting a city of one million people is extremely difficult. Not to mention anything else, just dealing with sewage, maintaining order, and ensuring food supply are quite challenging. The slightest mistake could lead to chaos and unimaginable consequences.

As Qiu Yan looked around, he couldn't help but exclaim, "The dates of Anyi, the oranges of Jiangling, the lacquer of Chen and Xia, the hemp of Qi-Lu and Lu, the ginger, cinnamon, and millet, the silk and cloth... it's truly a dazzling array, with everything imaginable. No wonder Zhou Xuezheng wrote a 'Rhapsody on the Eastern Capital on the Eastern Capital' at the annual meeting. Seeing it today, I know that what he said was true."

The Zhou Xuezheng he mentioned was a former poet who had written a poem describing the prosperity of Eastern Capital.

"Young Master Qiu is indeed learned," Qi Bai complimented with a smile, without urging the three of them to hurry on their way.

As I walked, a group of people suddenly appeared on the road ahead, densely packed together, looking from a distance like a wall surrounding a street.

"What's going on? What are those people doing?"

This scene aroused the curiosity of Hu Qi and Dai Guo. The two of them focused their Life Cultivation and extended their senses, their perception passing through the crowd and enveloping the area. They immediately heard the voices of several people talking inside.

There was a question and an answer, as if the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were asking for directions, and soon a kind person offered to point them in the right direction...

"What's so interesting about asking for directions? There are so many people gathered around."

But as they listened, the two women felt something was amiss. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had asked for directions and thanked the man, when suddenly the sound of a horse-drawn carriage came from the crowd, followed by a torrential downpour. This conjured up an image in their minds of people traveling in the rain, affecting their thoughts and creating a sense of oppression.

But when they looked up, the sky was clear and cloudless, not even a single cloud, let alone heavy rain. Moreover, the people had surrounded the streets and alleys in layers, making it impossible for carriages or even people to get in.

Realizing this, the two looked at each other, both completely bewildered.

At this moment, a melodious flute sound rang out, followed by string music, like a clear spring flowing into the heart, dispelling the oppressive feeling in everyone's heart.

The music was faint and lingered for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before it ended.

Then, the crowd roared with cheers, clapping and praising, and many reached into their pockets, took out three or four copper coins, and threw them forward.

Ding-ding-dong.

As the coins fell into the bowls and plates, the crowd gradually dispersed, revealing the scene inside.

It turned out to be a boy dressed in coarse cloth, sitting on a low stool, with nothing else in sight.

"What was that sound just now? Not only was there no carriage, but we couldn't even see the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law?" Dai Guo was still puzzled, but Hu Qi next to him suddenly realized.

"I understand now, this is ventriloquism, using one person's mouth to imitate the sounds of external objects. This young man is truly talented!"

After his reminder, Dai Guo also understood, scratching his head and saying, "This is indeed the Eastern Capital; there are so many strange and unusual things here."

Not far away, Qi Bai smiled without saying a word, while Qiu Yan glanced at the young man, a thought struck him, and he walked over.

The boy had already stood up from his chair and was gathering the coins from the bowls and plates in front of him. When he saw Qiu Yan walking over, he didn't pay any attention to it and simply greeted him with "Greetings, sir."

Qiu Yan nodded, took out a few copper coins from his sleeve, and put them in.

The boy thanked him, wrapped the loose copper coins in a coarse cloth, then, carrying the bag in one hand and the low stool in the other, turned and walked deeper into the alley.

Watching the man's departing figure, a glint of light flashed in Qiu Yan's eyes, a faint, deep blue hue.

Suddenly, his vision changed. Although it was still the same street, he could now see glimmers of light within it.

Qiu Yan was no stranger to this.

Silver light! Divine power fluctuations!

"Upon arriving in Eastern Capital, instead of witnessing its treasures and splendor, I've first detected an unusual Divine Path aura. This young man seems to be connected to a deity, and this deity..."

When Qiu Yan stepped into Eastern Capital, he sensed a strong Divine Path aura. The Domain of Law enveloped the city, omnipresent and all-encompassing. Everywhere, in the streets and alleys, there were traces of the Divine Path. Although ordinary people could hardly detect it, it could not escape the eyes of cultivators.

If Qiu Yan hadn't possessed official rank and concealed his Fortune, he would have been tracked down by the Divine Path as soon as he entered this Domain of Law.

This is understandable. As they traveled north, the further they got from the border, the more perfect the Divine Path became. The Eastern Capital was located in the heart of the Central Plains and was one of the core areas of the Great Rui, so it was normal for the Divine Path way to flourish.

Even the most prosperous Divine Path must be subordinate to the Heavenly Court and abide by its Order. Although the Divine Path atmosphere throughout the city is strong, it follows a certain rule and is compatible with each other.

In comparison, the trace of divine power remaining in the boy seemed out of place.

"Although this divine power is out of sync with its surroundings, it is so rare and difficult to find. If it weren't for the turbulence of the Li Trigram, I would have overlooked it as well. It's really quite strange." After thinking for a moment, Qiu Yan shook his head inwardly and withdrew his thoughts.

He was able to detect the clue because the Li Trigram within his body trembled slightly, triggering a change in his Heavenly Soul. This made him pay attention and, taking advantage of the opportunity to give money, carefully investigate and discovered the traces.

"Well, if he accepted my copper coins, he can use the Li Trigram to sense things. Let it be." Qiu Yan did this not intentionally, but out of habit. He was laying out his plans without necessarily expecting anything in return.

On the other side, Qi Bai looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late, Young Master Qiu. Let's hurry on our way. My young lady is waiting for us at the White Jade Tower up ahead."

"That's exactly right." Qiu Yan nodded, then turned and walked back.

In the Eastern Capital, taverns are divided into main taverns and side taverns. Main taverns are considered the best, such as White Jade Tower, which is the top tavern in the Eastern Capital and often has more than a thousand patrons.

Qiu Yan initially thought Qi Bai's description was slightly exaggerated, but after he actually arrived, he realized that it was true.

This White Jade Tower building has three stories and is divided into five sections. There are flying bridges and beaded curtains between the buildings. Its scale is so large that all the restaurants in Jiannan Circuit pale in comparison.

This flying bridge is not the Rainbow Bridge designed by Qiu Yan, but rather it was carved and opened up on the building for aesthetic purposes. It is decorated with colored lights, but since it is not yet night, the splendor is not visible.

"Good heavens! This is truly an eye-opener! An eye-opener!" Hu Qi and Dai Guo were stunned when they saw the enormous creature in front of them.

Qiu Yan was also slightly surprised. In terms of scale, this White Jade Tower was in no way inferior to some buildings from his previous life.

Beside him, Qi Bai saw that Qiu Yan remained calm and composed, only showing a slight surprise at the beginning. He couldn't help but admire the other party's Qi Nurturing. You know, in terms of prosperity alone, even Capital cannot compare to Eastern Capital. Many young men from Central Passes who come here will be amazed for a long time when they see this building.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Qi Bai stepped forward and said, "Young Master Qiu, please!"

Qiu Yan didn't stand on ceremony and led the still surprised Hu Qi and Dai Guo into the building.

Upon entering, the sensory experience changes again. The furnishings are extremely luxurious, yet not superficial, blending Literary Qi and antiquity, creating a unique charm.

Along the way, there were countless wealthy servants and beautiful women, their voices either exceptionally respectful or charmingly alluring. Walking among them, one couldn't help but feel a sense of nobility.

The building was extremely large. Qiu Yan followed Qi Bai, going up stairs and turning corners. It took quite a while before they arrived at the door of a private room.

The word "Autumn" is written on the door. Although it has no charm, it looks very good. The person who wrote it is obviously immersed in this art.

"Please wait a moment, young master," Qi Bai said, then knocked on the door. The wooden door opened in response, and a man with a square face, a beard, and a dignified and composed demeanor walked out.

Upon seeing this person, Qiu Yan's expression changed.

"Mr. Ji?"

This person was none other than Ji Zheng.

ps:

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