The mortal realm, Tianrao City!
The sun had just risen, and it was barely dawn, but a long queue had already formed at the gate of Tianrao City.
Most of the people entering the city were coming to the market. They carried shoulder poles, with goods to be sold on both sides. It was around the time of the Qingming Festival, and Tianrao City was close to the sea, so the air was filled with a moist atmosphere, and many people had dewdrops on their heads.
In the long queue, there was a man and a woman who were lightly dressed. The man was wearing a green robe, with a tall and straight figure, a handsome appearance, and an extraordinary temperament, attracting many women to take a few more glances.
The woman was wearing a plain dress, and her appearance was not too outstanding, but her temperament was also excellent.
Yao Xian, who was disguised, smiled and said to Gu Changsheng: "Look at the way those women are looking at you, they can't wait to swallow you alive."
Gu Changsheng shrugged and said, "There's no way, even if I'm ugly, I can't hide my innate beauty that is hard to abandon."
"Tch!" Yao Xian rolled her eyes at him.
After staying in the Yao family for a few days, Gu Changsheng thought about visiting the mortal realm to see if his old friend Ouyang Ji was still in this mortal realm.
Yao Xian had a very deep impression of Ouyang Ji and was also a friend of Ouyang Ji, so naturally she wanted to go with him.
Madam Yao was naturally very reluctant to see Yao Xian leave again after only a few days of returning, but Yao Xian said that she would not be away for too long this time, and Madam Yao felt a little better.
"Entering the city requires a fee of ten wen! (文: ancient chinese currency)"
At this time, it was Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian's turn, and the guard at the city gate shouted as usual.
"Two!"
Gu Changsheng handed twenty wen (文: ancient chinese currency) to the guard and then took Yao Xian's hand to walk into the city gate.
"Wait!"
The guard hurriedly stopped them.
"Hmm? Not enough?" Gu Changsheng asked.
"No, no." The guard shook his head and then asked, "Are you two from out of town?"
"Sort of!" Gu Changsheng smiled. Now that more than two thousand years have passed in the mortal realm, his former Changsheng Tavern is probably long gone.
"Are you two husband and wife or siblings?" The guard asked again.
"Why are you asking this?" Yao Xian also frowned.
The guard was not angry when he saw this, but patiently said: "The two of you must be from out of town and do not know the regulations of our Tianrao City. If couples from other places enter the city, they only need to pay 90% of the fee. If you two are husband and wife, then you only need to pay eighteen wen (文: ancient chinese currency)."
"There's such a rule?" Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian looked at each other, both inexplicably feeling that this rule was too bizarre.
"This was established by our city guard!" The guard explained.
"We are husband and wife!" Gu Changsheng smiled.
"Then I'll refund you two wen (文: ancient chinese currency)." The guard said, taking out two wen (文: ancient chinese currency) from his hand and handing them to Gu Changsheng.
Gu Changsheng didn't say anything and took back the two wen (文: ancient chinese currency).
"Is everything alright now?" he asked.
The guard shook his head and said, "I wish you both a pleasant stay in Tianrao City."
"Thank you!"
Gu Changsheng smiled and then walked into the city with Yao Xian.
"Xiao Qian (小钱: Little Qian), what are you doing? The rules are dead, but people are alive. You send the money back every day. When will you save enough money to marry a wife?"
"Hehe, Brother Bai, they came all the way to our Tianrao City, I can't cheat them, right? If this spreads, it will tarnish the reputation of Tianrao City." Xiao Qian (小钱: Little Qian), who refunded the two wen (文: ancient chinese currency), scratched his head and said softly.
"You, you're really a deadhead. No one will make a fuss with us over two wen (文: ancient chinese currency). Look at Commander Qin, in less than five years, he has already purchased a new house in the south of the city. Although it's not big, it's very impressive in our Tianrao City, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold." Brother Bai shook his head helplessly.
"Hehe, Brother Bai, let's not talk about this, it's not good for people to hear." Xiao Qian (小钱: Little Qian) said softly.
"You... Your Qian family ancestors were famous wealthy people in our Tianrao City, but they have declined in your generation. If you don't love money like this, how can you make a comeback?" Brother Bai shook his head, said a sentence, and then said nothing more.
Their voices were very, very small, and even passersby only saw them whispering and did not know the specific content.
However, Gu Changsheng and Yao Xian heard their specific content clearly, word for word.
"That kid, could he be a descendant of Qian Jiahao?" Yao Xian said.
"Maybe!" Gu Changsheng smiled.
Yao Xian remembered some things from the past.
"I remember that the most beautiful courtesan of Tianrao City and the Qianjin (千金: daughter) of the Li family were always fighting for your attention, and Qian Jiahao was still a playboy, and he had offended you. You scolded him as a bear child, but he understood it as you scolding him as a bastard, it's so funny."
Yao Xian couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh when she thought of this.
"You still remember this?" Gu Changsheng said.
"Of course I remember, I have a good memory." Yao Xian said proudly.
"But Qian Jiahao has also reformed. Ouyang Ji was unifying the world for the Nanxiang Kingdom, killing countless people. At that time, many people were questioning him, this sage of literature. It was Qian Jiahao and the Qianjin (千金: daughter) of the Li family who stood up to speak for Ouyang Ji, which can be regarded as worthy of you letting him go back then."
"But two thousand years have passed, Tianrao City has really changed too much, things are not what they used to be, and people are no longer the same!"
Yao Xian couldn't help but sigh.
They came to the street, and the layout here was not at all like what she remembered. It has to be said that the development of the human world is too fast. Two thousand years is enough for a mortal to be reincarnated twenty times, but two thousand years is only a blink of an eye for the cultivation world, and it is difficult to have such earth-shaking changes.
Although today's Tianrao City is still called Tianrao City, and the geographical location has not changed, it is no longer Tianrao City from two thousand years ago.
As they walked, the two once again came to the center of the city.
In front of them, there was a tavern, but it was no longer Changsheng Tavern, but a tavern called "Qingchi".
"Dang dang dang!"
At this time, a sound of gongs and drums sounded, followed by a team of people wearing festive clothes and holding up high plaques.
"Young Master Li, wins the top scholar!"
A loud shout resounded throughout the street.
The people on both sides of the street clapped and congratulated him after hearing this.
"Young Master Li is worthy of being a genius from the Wenju Academy. This time, the top scholar is indeed him."
"Yes, Wenju Academy was founded by Wen Ju, the chief disciple of the sage of literature two thousand years ago, and is known as the Asian Sage. Young Master Li is able to stand out in Wenju Academy, so naturally he has extraordinary abilities."
"Speaking of the sage of literature, I heard that the old man has attained enlightenment and become an immortal. If you are lucky enough to become his disciple, you will be guaranteed to live forever."
"Our national teacher can only become his junior disciple. You want to become a disciple of the sage of literature? Don't you look at yourself in the mirror."
"What? Can't I even think about it?"
"Tch!"
...
"It seems that the old scholar is still staying in this mortal realm." Yao Xian smiled.
"His Dao (之道: his principle), lies in his spirit. No matter where he is, he can cultivate." Gu Changsheng said.
"I just don't know what level his cultivation has reached after two thousand years. Has he really become an immortal?" Yao Xian asked curiously.
"We'll know when we go take a look."
Saying that, Gu Changsheng took her hand and walked into the Qingchi Tavern.
Although Gu Changsheng was not deliberately looking for him, he felt that Ouyang Ji was in this tavern.
...
