Old friends invite each other, Mount Lu as a companion. Thousands of miles to the west, only then do I know the face of Mount Lu. The wine-loving Yang Xiong doesn't care. Heaven and the neighbor come to comfort the eyes of the poor.
Like a graceful swan, blown and scattered. A painted barge across the river, gazing at the south bank of the broken river. The ends of the earth and the ends of the world are not far. A clear song, full of pear blossoms.
(Su Muzhe. Song: Zhou Zizhi.)
…
…
In the early morning, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue left Shenmo Peak.
They walked eight hundred miles in one go, exited the South Pine Pavilion, and went to Cloudy Town to have a hotpot.
Zhao Layue ate seven plates of crispy meat and drank three jars of fruit wine, while Jing Jiu boiled a few pieces of green vegetables in plain soup.
In the afternoon, they set out again. After walking another hundred miles, they arrived outside the capital of Shangzhou.
The city of Shangzhou was not very large, but five official roads intersected here. Its geographical location was very important, so the Imperial court was very strict in its administration.
There were guards outside the city gate. Even though they would collect some copper coins and let people pass quickly, they would not slack off on the inspection of the pedestrians.
Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue stood under the Departure Pavilion outside the city, looking in the direction of the city gate for a long time.
They had a very troublesome problem that they could not solve.
How could they enter the city?
Jing Jiu recalled the travelogues and the related regulations of the imperial court that he had read, and found that there was no other way.
"We can go in directly by riding the sword. There should be an Immortal Residence in the city that receives Cultivators," he said to Zhao Layue.
Zhao Layue was somewhat annoyed.
In the beginning, she said that they should go by riding the sword, but Jing Jiu disagreed, saying that since they were traveling, there was no need to be in such a hurry, and it was better not to reveal their identities.
Jing Jiu said, "Otherwise, we must have a travel permit issued by the government."
Zhao Layue looked at him and asked, "Do you have one?"
Jing Jiu said, "When we leave, we can go to Xilai Peak and ask for a few."
Zhao Layue said, "So you don't have it now?"
Jing Jiu looked at the carriages on the official road and muttered to himself, "I wonder if there are portraits on the passes."
Zhao Layue said woodenly, "Aoyama is shamed."
Yes, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were two people who had no common sense.
In Aoyama, they could not see anything strange, but when they came to the real world, this problem would be exposed.
They wholeheartedly pursued the Dao, spending all their time and energy on cultivation, comprehending the Heaven and Earth, and other difficult problems. They didn't care about the trifling matters in life at all.
Back in the small mountain village, Jing Jiu had learned farm work, housework, and manual labor in nine days. He still hadn't learned anything else, such as how to deal with people.
Whether it was at the Liu Family, at the South Pine Pavilion, at the Stream of Sword Washing, or at the Shenmo Peak, he was always alone and didn't need to interact with others.
Zhao Layue's situation was a little better than his, but not by much. Before she was born, she was the future of the Aoyama Sect. After she came to the human world, she had been preparing for cultivation and learning all kinds of difficult knowledge. She stayed in the manor and never received any visitors. Even when she came to Aoyama, she spent most of her time alone, such as at the Sword Peak.
In the world of Cultivation, they were geniuses with amazing talents, but in the normal world, they would appear to be clumsy.
Since there was no other way, they had to choose the most direct method.
Of course, that method was not the robbing pass that Jing Jiu had considered before.
As the twilight deepened and their sight became blurry, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue circled to the most remote part of the city wall of Shangzhou City. Their swords flickered, and they disappeared.
The flying sword landed in a secluded alley.
"Where are we going?" Zhao Layue asked.
Jing Jiu said, "I've never stayed in the Immortal Abode, but I heard it's not bad."
Zhao Layue said, "Since we're traveling, it's like experiencing the world of mortals in the Guocheng Temple. It's better to stay in an inn."
Thinking of what was written in the book, Jing Jiu said worriedly, "I heard that the inn is dirty, and the smell of feet is very strong."
Zhao Layue thought that Jing Jiu was really ignorant. They should have just found a good inn. Didn't mortals wash their feet?
Jing Jiu wanted to say something, but Zhao Layue said directly, "I'm the Big Sister. Listen to me."
"All right."
The two of them left the alley and walked towards the brightly lit street outside.
Zhao Layue suddenly stopped and said, "Wait for me."
A moment later, she came back from outside the alley, holding two conical hats in her hands.
Jing Jiu took the conical hats and asked, "Why?"
Zhao Layue didn't say anything. She just gestured with her hand on her face.
This had become a common gesture in the Nine Peaks of Aoyama. Anyone who saw this gesture would know that she was talking about Jing Jiu.
Jing Jiu hadn't seen this gesture before, but it didn't stop him from quickly understanding Zhao Layue's meaning.
He put on the conical hat and asked in a low voice, "Can you still see?"
The light from outside the alley shone on his body. The conical hat covered most of his face, but even the part that was exposed was too stunning.
Zhao Layue pushed down the conical hat on his head forcefully, and nodded satisfactorily after observing him for a while.
…
…
The Banished Immortal Abode was the best restaurant and inn in Shangzhou.
This was the conclusion Zhao Layue came to after courageously asking a few passers-by.
The inn was brightly lit, and the windows were bright and clean. Although it was a bit noisy, it looked good.
Zhao Layue was satisfied, but Jing Jiu looked at the three words on the board and was not satisfied.
Walking into the inn and standing in front of the innkeeper, Zhao Layue suddenly fell silent.
Jing Jiu was puzzled. Then he realized that she must have forgotten to bring money.
He would never forget such a thing. He always remembered that money was the most important thing. His status in the small mountain village was largely due to this.
He took out a golden leaf and handed it to the innkeeper. He said seriously, "I want the best room."
No one would wear a conical hat to enter an inn and ask for a room, and no one would pay with a golden leaf. But … it was still a golden leaf.
I don't care what kind of weirdos you are, as long as you have money.
"Heavenly Room A! Look at the name. It was prepared for you two. "
The innkeeper put on a sincere smile and called for the waiter, ordering him to bring the guests up.
As they came to the door of the room, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue saw the wooden board with the number "Heavenly Room A" written on it, feeling quite satisfied.
After entering the room, Zhao Layue looked around and found the furnishings were indeed good, almost as good as the ones in her home in Zhaoge City.
Thinking of something, Jing Jiu asked, "How did you buy the conical hat if you didn't have money?"
Zhao Layue was taken aback, but she didn't answer this question. She found a clean floor and sat on it with her legs crossed, recuperating with her eyes closed.
"Aoyama is shameful."
Jing Jiu said this with a smile, shaking his head.
Zhao Layue still ignored him.
A band of white fog rose from the top of her head, as straight as a line or as a sword.
Jing Jiu untied the iron sword on his back. As he willed it in his mind, a dark blue flame appeared on the black blade of the sword.
He reached out his hand to grab a handful of the flame and put it on his face, rubbing it twice. The dust from the journey of one thousand miles had all disappeared, exposing his skin as clean as jade.
A moment later, Zhao Layue finished recuperating and opened her eyes. Her eyes were clear and beautiful.
Glancing at Jing Jiu, she thought for a moment and reached out her hand to condense some water in the air to wash her face.
The waiter came in with a basin of hot water, two snow-white towels on his elbows.
"Dear customer, you …"
The waiter was stunned when he saw Zhao Layue's face.
He put the basin of water on the floor and looked at Jing Jiu, saying, "Why don't you …"
His voice stopped abruptly.
He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he had just seen.
…
…
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