"Ah, Junior Brother Li! How could you... how could you drop the spirit stone?" After they had flown some distance, Lin Xuandao sighed and asked, aching at the loss.
"Ah! It was all my fault, Senior Brother Lin. I saw someone flying toward us and was afraid he would crash into you. I got nervous and called out the wrong direction, and then my hand slipped and the stone fell!" Li Xiaoya explained with an embarrassed, guilt-ridden expression, though inwardly he could hardly contain his delight. Immortal or monster, I can still pull the wool over your eyes, no questions asked!
"Ah, Junior Brother Li, you have no idea how long it took me to finish a bounty mission just to earn that one spirit stone! And now it's gone, just like that... ah!" Lin Xuandao complained with one sigh after another.
"Ah! It was all my fault. Once I have some spirit stones of my own, I'll definitely pay you back!" Li Xiaoya declared solemnly, though inwardly he added, Like hell I will!
"Ah, forget it! What's lost is lost. I gained plenty today anyway!" Suddenly remembering the benefits he had received that day, Lin Xuandao felt his heart ease again. Compared with what he had gained that morning, this little spirit stone was hardly worth mentioning.
"Hehe! Senior Brother Lin, who is that Jiang Lingzi? He seemed pretty powerful!" Li Xiaoya deliberately changed the subject.
At Li Xiaoya's mention of Jiang Lingzi, Lin Xuandao suddenly glanced behind them. Only after finding that Jiang Lingzi had long since vanished did he lower his voice. "Senior Jiang Lingzi is a core condensation middle stage cultivator of our Heavenly Dao Sect. His wood-element spells have reached a realm of divine mastery. Most frightening of all, Senior Jiang's cultivation technique carries deadly poison. Ordinary cultivators at his level are no match for him. They say Senior Jiang Lingzi has quite a bad temper and is terribly difficult to deal with. He'll hurt or poison someone at the slightest provocation, so he's one of the cultivators in our sect you must never offend. We nearly crashed into him today. If not for the standing of our Lin Family and Grand Supreme Ancestor Heavenly Venerable Daoling, he would have made us suffer even if he spared our lives!" As Lin Xuandao spoke, he kept looking around, as though terrified Jiang Lingzi might overhear him.
"Oh! Jiang Lingzi is that powerful? Is he even stronger than Daoist Daoling and the others?" Li Xiaoya asked curiously.
"Hehe! Jiang Lingzi is nowhere close. Heavenly Venerable Daoling is a nascent soul late stage cultivator, millions upon millions of times stronger than Jiang Lingzi. Grand Supreme Ancestor Daoling could kill him with a single finger!" Lin Xuandao said with a smile, wearing an expression that suggested Li Xiaoya had never seen the world.
"Then why are you afraid of him?" Li Xiaoya asked, pursing his lips.
"Uh! Among us immortal cultivators, seniority is determined by cultivation level. In our Heavenly Dao Sect, if you disrespect a senior, he can punish a lower-level disciple however he likes. Of course, he can't take your life, but the suffering he can put you through is no picnic!" Lin Xuandao said, still feeling a lingering fear.
So getting by in the cultivation world isn't easy either! Li Xiaoya thought, but aloud he said, "Don't worry, don't worry! With your outstanding talent, Senior Brother Lin, you'll soon surpass Jiang Lingzi and become an immortal who lives forever!"
"Then let me thank you for those auspicious words, Junior Brother... ah! We're here!" Lin Xuandao had been about to offer a few modest words when he abruptly changed tack and called out.
On a distant mountain peak, a vast circular plaza lay on a stretch of level ground before a cliff. At its center stood a round raised platform about ten feet high, with a strange circular pattern on top. Stairways descended from its four sides, facing east, south, west, and north. All around stood a great expanse of palace-style buildings of varying heights, each splendid in gold and jade and graceful in design, with Qin-style bricks and Han-style tiles, carved dragons and painted phoenixes. Numerous cultivators came and went through these buildings, giving the place something of the bustle of a mortal city. Besides Li Xiaoya and Lin Xuandao, many other cultivators were flying in from the surrounding skies, landing on the raised platform at the center of the circular plaza before walking down the stairs toward its edges.
"We'll land too, Junior Brother Li! Flying isn't permitted in Heavenly Dao City!" As he spoke, Lin Xuandao descended toward the round platform with the strange pattern at its center.
As soon as they landed on the platform, Lin Xuandao put away his flying sword and led Li Xiaoya down the stairway to the east.
"Stay close, Junior Brother Li. Let's collect your clothes first!" Lin Xuandao said, looking back at him.
"Yes, all right! Walking around here dressed like this isn't really appropriate, hehe!" Li Xiaoya said, rather embarrassed. The immortal cultivators around them all turned to look at him as he walked along bare-chested. However thick his skin might be, he could hardly endure so many people sizing him up, especially when some of their gazes seemed almost tangible, piercing straight through his body. That made him even more uncomfortable.
Seeing more and more cultivators taking notice of them, with some even looking ready to approach and question them, Lin Xuandao had an idea. He took out the jade token Heavenly Venerable Daoling had given him that morning and hung it around his neck. The move worked. Although people still cast sidelong glances at the pair, the cultivators who had been about to approach showed slight changes of expression and stayed back. Seeing that no one else was coming over, Lin Xuandao led Li Xiaoya briskly away in one direction. Li Xiaoya, too, had grown irritated by the cultivators' stares. He stopped looking at the surrounding buildings and followed closely behind Lin Xuandao.
Before long, Lin Xuandao led Li Xiaoya out of the plaza and onto a stone-paved road. After several turns, they arrived before a two-story building that occupied a very large area. A flag hung outside the entrance, bearing a simple picture of a garment. Above the doorway hung a large signboard inscribed with three bold characters that danced like dragons and soared like phoenixes. Unfortunately, though those characters knew Li Xiaoya, Li Xiaoya did not know them.
"This is the Sleeve Garment House. In the future, you can come here whenever you like to buy everyday clothes and such, Junior Brother Li!" Lin Xuandao said as they walked.
So those three characters say Sleeve Garment House! Li Xiaoya thought. He murmured an acknowledgment and followed Lin Xuandao inside.
Upon entering the Sleeve Garment House, Li Xiaoya discovered that it was much more spacious than he had imagined. Nor was it like a clothing shop in the mortal world, filled with rows upon rows of hanging garments. There were only five counters inside, each attended by a pretty female cultivator in an apricot-yellow palace dress. Four of the counters had many cultivators gathered around them, seemingly discussing something with the women. Only one counter had no customers asking questions or conducting business. Unlike the women standing at the other counters, the female cultivator there was seated, studying something with complete concentration.
"Let's go over there!" Lin Xuandao surveyed the room, then headed toward the counter where no one was making inquiries or purchases.