Chapter 357 - 351: Shengjing

Chapter 357: Chapter 351: Shengjing

"Master, the Capital City is so big, and the walls are so high! They must be at least a hundred zhang tall, right?"

"Grandpa Zhou said the streets in the Capital City are paved with gold. Is that true?"

"Is there a lot of good food in the Capital City?"

Fang E chattered endlessly like a little sparrow, her big eyes darting around with excitement. She hadn’t stopped since they’d entered the city.

Bai Yuan simply offered a faint smile.

A year ago, Fang E had just been a poor child from Danshan City. It was only natural for her to be this excited now that she had suddenly arrived in the Capital City.

It wasn’t just Fang E; even he was genuinely awestruck by the sight of the Capital City’s magnificent walls.

A hundred zhang was an exaggeration, of course. It wasn’t like they were defending against Godzilla; there was no need to build them that high. But they were at least thirty zhang, and the walls had been forged using a special technique, making them strong enough to withstand an attack from a Sensing Grandmaster.

Such a thing was unimaginable back in Ling Province.

Unlike the two of them, the others waiting in line were not in a sightseeing mood; they just wanted to get into the city as quickly as possible.

From time to time, people shot them disdainful looks.

Bai Yuan and Fang E made no effort to hide their curiosity, so it was obvious to everyone that the pair were from out of town.

The people of the Capital City had always considered themselves a cut above outsiders, so their disdain was to be expected.

Of course, Bai Yuan and Fang E didn’t care.

After a full hour, the two finally reached the city gates.

The Capital City was truly extraordinary.

Even the soldiers guarding the gates were Blood Refining Martial Masters. Truly intimidating.

Bai Yuan inwardly marveled at the Court’s formidable power.

It made him wonder what powerful sects like the Dragon Tiger Sect, which even the Court was wary of, must be like.

As his mind wandered, he took a document from within his robes.

The moment the guard captain saw that the document in Bai Yuan’s hand was an official letter of appointment from the Ministry of Personnel, his attitude instantly changed.

"Ah, it’s Lord Bai."

He thought to himself.

’How strange. Why isn’t there an official rank written on this document?’

’I’ve been on duty at this gate for ten years and have seen plenty of appointment letters, for everyone from third-rank officials down to seventh-rank ones. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen one without a position listed.’

’But the great seal of the Ministry of Personnel can’t be faked.’

’Even if I don’t know his rank, I can’t go wrong treating him like a high-ranking official.’

’After all, this is the Capital City. Casually offending someone is the most foolish thing you can do here.’

"Thank you."

Bai Yuan took back the document and led Fang E into the Capital City.

The moment they stepped through the gate, a bustling atmosphere washed over them. The roar of the crowd painted a picture of a prosperous age.

Fang E was a little disappointed.

’So the streets of the Capital City aren’t paved with gold bricks after all,’ she thought. ’Grandpa Zhou lied.’

But with the fickle heart of a young girl, her sorrow came and went quickly. Her attention was soon captured by the tanghulu being sold on the side of the road.

While they also had tanghulu in Dan Mountain, those were just tooth-achingly sour hawthorns dipped in a bit of syrup.

But the tanghulu in the Capital City were a different story entirely. There were more than ten different kinds of fruit used, none of which Fang E had ever seen before. The sight made her mouth water.

Bai Yuan chuckled inwardly.

’Fang E is only thirteen,’ he thought. ’In this era, she’s already old enough to be married, but in my previous life, she would have just graduated elementary school. She’s still just a kid.’

He walked up to the tanghulu vendor and bought one of every flavor.

This made Fang E ecstatic, and her adoration for her master leveled up yet again.

Bai Yuan was secretly stunned.

’The prices in the Capital City are really something else. A single skewer of tanghulu costs fifty cents!’

’Unbelievable.’

’I came from a poor background. In Ling Province, fifty cents is enough to cover a normal family’s living expenses for several days.’

’How extravagant!’

This small glimpse spoke volumes; the prosperity of the Capital City was on another level.

Bai Yuan leisurely led Fang E through the streets of the Capital City, taking in the sights of this prosperous age.

The Capital City was a hub for rare and exotic treasures from all corners of the land. It wasn’t just Fang E; even Bai Yuan, who was no stranger to precious items, often found himself stopping to look.

Unlike other officials who came to the Capital City to immediately assume their posts, his official position had not yet been specified.

Apparently, His Majesty the Emperor wanted to personally meet this newly risen "latent dragon," so the Ministry of Personnel had made an exception and issued a blank letter of appointment.

Opinions on his placement were divided throughout the Court.

The matter involved factions, interests, and protocol, making it incredibly complicated.

With Bai Yuan’s status as a genius on the Latent Dragon List, his post couldn’t be too low-ranking; otherwise, it would be a slap in the face to the Emperor and Yan Shao’an.

However, Bai Yuan was still being constantly impeached by the Imperial Censors over the Longevity Palace massacre, and other political factions naturally didn’t want to see him appointed to an important position.

As a result, there had been no shortage of arguments in the Imperial Court regarding Bai Yuan’s appointment.

The main issue was the ambiguous stance of the Emperor, who sat high upon the dragon throne.

Bai Yuan, however, was indifferent to all of it.

In any case, he wasn’t relying on a career as a Xuan Yang official to get by. His top priority was entering the Inner Treasury to exercise his right—as a genius on the Latent Dragon List—to choose a Cultivation Technique.

He glanced at his status panel.

[Name: Bai Yuan]

[Class: Blood Slaughter]

[Skills: Divine Mansion Technique (Proficient), Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber (Legendary), Cloud Ladder Leap (Legendary)...]

[Enhancement Points: 0]

His status panel was looking quite impressive now.

Now that his Divine Mansion Technique had reached the second level, he had opened four new Divine Mansions: in his head, neck, chest, and abdomen.

The core principle of the Divine Mansion Technique was to waste nothing; it aimed to train every body part, organ, and even every cell to its full potential.

The top Heaven-grade Cultivation Technique from the Inner Treasury would be perfect for these four new Divine Mansions.

...

The Capital City was truly unlike any other; it had no curfew. Even late at night, the streets were just as crowded.

Bai Yuan and Fang E wandered around, enjoying themselves until late into the night.

Perhaps from all the excitement, the little girl let out a yawn, finally feeling a wave of sleepiness.

"Come on, let’s find an inn for the night."

Bai Yuan had noticed her small movement.

By rights, he should have reported to the Ministry of Personnel upon arriving in the Capital City.

Any other official wouldn’t have dared to break protocol.

But given Bai Yuan’s current status, it was a minor infraction, and the Ministry of Personnel certainly wouldn’t make a fuss over it.

Such were the privileges of the powerful.

Without even realizing it, Bai Yuan had grown from an insignificant young Hunter into a pivotal figure in the Xuan Yang empire.

Bai Yuan led Fang E to a magnificent building, brightly decorated with lanterns and streamers.

The thirty-story wooden building had two large words written on it.

Star-Picking!

This was the most acclaimed inn in the entire Capital City.

Legend had it that the owner of the inn was a great scholar, hence the ambitious name, which implied one could reach up and pluck the stars from the sky.

The reason Bai Yuan came here was, of course, due to a strong recommendation from that fellow, Yang Fangyu.

Back when Yang Fangyu was studying at Yingshan Academy, he had frequented this tower for his own enjoyment.

’Scholars really know how to live it up,’ Bai Yuan thought wryly.

Bai Yuan took the lead and stepped into the Star-Picking Tower.

A young attendant immediately bustled over to greet them.

Though just a young boy who greeted guests, he had refined features and a gentle way of speaking, no worse than the stewards of some of the great families in Ling Province.

With a wave of his hand, Bai Yuan decided to splurge.

The attendant was overjoyed when he heard Bai Yuan ask for a Heaven-grade room.

He led Bai Yuan and Fang E all the way to the top floor.

Bai Yuan watched as the view outside the tower grew more expansive with their ascent.

’Time to see what a five-star Xuan Yang inn is really like!’