Chapter 64: The Show Begins

As soon as Chi Yixuan finished speaking, he suddenly heard the life-bound artifact give a soft laugh.

The life-bound artifact never spoke without reason. When nothing was happening, it was always quiet. Once it made a sound, that meant it had some other thought. Chi Yixuan asked what was wrong.

The life-bound artifact always answered his questions and said, [I merely recalled a saying. When one person is carrying a burden forward, someone else must be enjoying peaceful years on her behalf.]

Chi Yixuan’s divine sense was still fixed on that practitioner in a life-or-death race against time. She looked to be in her twenties, with a round, plump face and a round, plump body, yet when she ran she was like a cannonball, fast and full of momentum. Even though she was so exhausted that her face and neck were red, and her clothes were soaked through with sweat, her eyes were still shining.

Third level of Qi Refining. At her age, that was quite good.

Chi Yixuan fell into thought. “Then who is enjoying peaceful years on her behalf?”

Instead of answering, the life-bound artifact asked, [At our current speed, the carriage will need another twenty minutes to reach the palace gate. Would Your Majesty like to hear a story?]

Chi Yixuan swiftly took out some snacks and urged it, “Hurry, hurry.”

The life-bound artifact: …

[Once upon a time, there was a girl. She was one of Fengcheng’s lowest common people. Her family had many sisters, and her parents were old and frail. In that misfortune, the greatest fortune was that she was born in Fengcheng. By renting out rooms in their own house, the sisters barely managed to grow up. After she came of age, she successfully summoned her life-bound artifact, so she entered the government office and became a constable. For six years, she worked diligently and threw herself into her duties. Thanks to her efforts, her superior was promoted again and again.]

Chi Yixuan: …

[Until one day, the imperial court allocated a sum of money to welcome a Golden Core Perfected One, namely you. Her superior told her that in order to invite this Golden Core Perfected One, the national treasury was already more than half empty. Now they had no money to buy a red carpet to lay from the city gate to the palace gate, and asked if she could think of a solution.]

[Her superior’s original intention was for her to ask other colleagues to gather silver. Unexpectedly, she had an honest nature and came up with this method of connecting the sections one by one herself. Doing it this way, they only need to spend a very small amount of money and exhaust one ox-horse to achieve the expected effect!]

Chi Yixuan had already sensed something was wrong halfway through. By the time he finished listening, his fists had hardened. What did they mean, the national treasury had been half emptied to invite him? What he had received was only a little over a thousand spirit stones, and a thousand of those were privately sponsored by Qian Dingning.

“Do they not know that cultivators have divine sense and can see through things?”

[If Your Majesty is asking about the prime minister and other high officials, they may understand. But after a task is assigned down layer by layer, accidents happen when it lands on the final official. Of course, perhaps they are not entirely ignorant either. It is just that this way, they can cry poverty, sell their misery, and win sympathy. Is that not so?]

[Your Majesty, forgive me for speaking plainly, but your reputation for benevolence is simply too resounding.]

Chi Yixuan wiped his face and said expressionlessly, “I know. Like an honest person who is soft-tempered and has money. There are always shameless relatives, friends, and neighbors coming to the door to sell misery and ask for money.”

He asked again, “Is the Donglai Kingdom imperial court truly out of money?”

[Yes. They must pay tribute to Tyrant Blade Sect every year, and the national treasury is indeed stretched thin.]

Chi Yixuan understood. So the imperial treasury was out of money, while the officials were rolling in wealth?

“What about Qian Dingning? What he has is more than just money.”

When they had been in Zhaoge before, the life-bound artifact had been unable to investigate Qian Dingning’s background. Now that they had arrived in Fengcheng, once reconnaissance mode was activated, even Qian Dingning’s ancestors for eighteen generations had been stripped bare.

[His parents were both cultivators and died young. They left three storage pouches to Qian Dingning. I cannot inspect the interiors of the storage pouches, but according to my analysis, after Qian Dingning paid out one thousand spirit stones, the number of spirit stones he has left should not exceed three digits.]

Chi Yixuan was somewhat surprised. “Then he really is generous. Did he never think of saving them up to go to Immortal Continent?”

[Because of the impact of his parents’ early deaths, Qian Dingning has no yearning for Immortal Continent.]

That made sense. In Easternmost Continent, he could live freely. If he went to Immortal Continent, he would be at the bottom.

Chi Yixuan was still a little puzzled. “What use is selling misery to me? I would never agree to move the spiritual vein here. Are the prime minister and those high officials all like this too? Someone like that can be prime minister?”

[Intelligent people also have high comprehension. If they had no intellectual defects, perhaps they would have gone to Immortal Continent and become cultivators long ago.]

Chi Yixuan: …

His fault. Influenced by the history of his old home, when he heard of a prime minister here and a high official there, he had naturally assumed they were either brimming with talent or crafty and shrewd, forgetting that in this world, immortal cultivation was the great path. Those with real ability had long since run off if they could. Those who remained in Easternmost Continent were basically the ones who had failed the competition.

Although Donglai Kingdom had a large territory, that was not because this country was capable, but because this world itself was absurdly huge. Converted to the scale of his old home, it was equivalent to a village at most!

If he imagined these shortsighted high officials who embezzled public funds for private gain as rural gentry and clan elders in an old-society village, there was no sense of dissonance at all.

Chi Yixuan had it check the gold, silver, and spirit stones hidden in the homes of those high officials. The result was heartbreaking.

“So from beginning to end, the only poor ghost was me.” Chi Yixuan looked utterly desolate.

[Your Majesty, do not be sad.] The life-bound artifact hurried to comfort him. [There will be bread. There will be milk. Everything will come.]

Chi Yixuan said, “You’ve changed. You weren’t like this before.”

The life-bound artifact: ???

Chi Yixuan was bitterly disappointed. “Now you won’t even urge me to rob them!”

The life-bound artifact: …

Fengcheng’s central avenue had been cleared in advance. The straight road paved with stone slabs was cold and empty. On both sides of the road, only armored soldiers stood with weapons in hand, respectfully lowering their heads as they silently waited for this procession of carriages carrying the Golden Core Perfected One to advance slowly.

On either side of the avenue were the walls of the various wards. Behind the walls were stone-built homes. Occasionally, common people quietly opened their windows and peered out with curious gazes, but they were quickly pressed back by their family members.

With a soft clap, a window was gently shut, shaking loose a few specks of dust.

The carriage stopped before the palace gate. The curtains on both sides were lifted, and poor ghost Chi Yixuan’s desolate, dim, and lifeless gaze met the eyes of those who had come to welcome him.

At the palace gate, Donglai Kingdom’s crown prince, Pei Xianyu, had already led the ministers in waiting for a long time.

Earlier, he had gone to Tyrant Blade Sect, only to be beaten and thrown out. Now, his injuries had yet to heal. His face was haggard and pale, and even wrapped in a fox-fur cloak, he looked thin and weak. Only his eyes still had spirit.

Yet after just one glance exchanged with the Perfected One inside the carriage, Pei Xianyu hurriedly lowered his gaze. A storm surged in his heart.

What kind of eyes were those? What kind of expression was that? Without sorrow or joy, without desire or demand, as if he were a person beyond the material world, detached from the mortal realm, free of vulgarity and untouched by a speck of dust. Did such a cultivator truly exist in this world?

Pei Xianyu had seen cultivators before, and quite a few of them. Not only the current emperor of Donglai Kingdom, who was now in death seclusion and, by seniority, counted as his great-grandfather, but also cultivators from Spirit Sword Sect, cultivators from Tyrant Blade Sect…

Unlike the transcendent purity mortals imagined, cultivators also had worldly desires. They also had greed, anger, and delusion. They also lusted, coveted wealth, and fawned on power… There were cultivators who pretended to be so very proper, but speak with them a little longer and one could see their nauseating hypocrisy.

This person before him… Could it be that he was simply better at pretending?

No. Why would this person need to pretend? Besides, the people he had saved on the Sea of Suffering Path were not fake.

Pei Xianyu’s mind warred with itself, but his face remained calm. He was the first to bow. “Pei Xianyu of the Donglai Pei clan, crown prince of Donglai, pays respects to the Perfected One.”

Behind him, all the ministers bowed in unison. After that, they welcomed him inside and hosted him with a grand reception. Dancing girls and musicians, delicacies and fine dishes—it all looked exceedingly splendid on the surface.

Unfortunately, the current Chi Yixuan was no longer the Chi Yixuan of the previous chapter. At this moment, when he looked at them, he no longer felt the fellow feeling of one poor ghost for another. Staring at the red silk and powder-colored clothes on the dancing girls, he wondered how much skimmed profit had been eaten out of those garments. Staring at the musicians who were singing and performing, he wondered how much skimmed profit had been eaten out of those instruments and costumes. Then he lowered his head to look at the dishes on the table. There was pitifully little spiritual food inside, so a great deal of skimmed profit must have been swallowed there too!

These were all expenses made in the name of entertaining him! Put another way, everything that had been swallowed was his money! His!

Chi Yixuan was expressionless the entire time. The people of the Donglai Kingdom imperial court did not understand him and thought that this Perfected One simply had such a temperament, but Ma Hongxuan and Mo Linglan’s expressions turned very poor.

When their employer had been in Zhaoge, although he did not smile much, his expression had always been gentle. They had only seen their employer angry twice: once when they had used their life-bound artifacts recklessly, and once when Song Dianlai came knocking at the door. And now, their employer was clearly unhappy.

The two of them could not see what was wrong with this reception, but since their employer was displeased, then either there was something wrong with this welcoming banquet, or there was something wrong with the Donglai Kingdom imperial court. So neither of them ate or drank either. They sat upright there with solemn faces.

The atmosphere in the great hall gradually grew oppressive. The singing and dancing had yet to stop, but the expressions on many ministers’ faces had already become anxious. Pei Xianyu cupped his hands toward the main seat. “Perfected One, is something about the song and dance improper?”

They saw the green-robed cultivator seated in the main seat with one hand resting on the table, his body leaning slightly and lazily in the chair. Yet with such bearing, not the slightest bit of it seemed inelegant. His face was like jade, his figure like an orchid, like a jadeite sculpture wrought by divine craftsmanship, and yet not carved by human hands, but born and raised by heaven and earth.

“There is nothing improper about the song and dance, nor anything improper about the people.” They heard him sigh deeply, and the words he spoke sounded like heavenly music in their ears. “It is only that I see Phoenix City’s spiritual vein is already failing. I pity the people of this place and wish to help reshape its spiritual vein.”

Heavens! Had they heard wrong? This Perfected One wanted to help reshape Phoenix City’s spiritual vein?

The ministers’ mouths fell open, and wine spilled out. Although they had long heard that this Perfected One had a compassionate heart, they had never imagined he would be this compassionate!

The court officials were immediately moved to tears of gratitude, practically wishing they could kneel on the spot and call him ancestor.

Who was an immortal? This cultivator before them, who selflessly contributed and delighted in helping others, was the true immortal!

Against his usual manner, Chi Yixuan smiled slightly. “I hear the common folk all say that I have a kind heart. Naturally, I do not wish to fail that reputation.”

Listen, listen, listen! How moving this Perfected One’s voice was. What strings and bamboo? What heavenly music? None of it could compare!

The music, song, and dance in the great hall all stopped. The hall was filled with nothing but the ministers’ flattery and lavish praise.

After listening to a whole earful of rainbow farts, Chi Yixuan slowly said, “However, reshaping a spiritual vein is not easy. This is also a major matter for the entire Donglai Kingdom. I believe that as important ministers of Donglai Kingdom, you will certainly contribute your modest efforts as well!”

…

Zhaoge, Inner City

The stage had already been built, and Xingsheng Troupe’s members began carrying trunks over early in the morning to set the scene.

This was the first time such a lively event had happened in the valley, and many children could not resist running over to watch.

Wutong brought a few little friends and secretly climbed onto the stage to peek. Seeing the troupe members pull up colorful curtains, then carry out painted hardwood boards and compare them this way and that, he asked curiously what they were.

With ordinary troupes, outsiders were not allowed to disturb them while they set the scene, especially mischievous children like these. But Xingsheng Troupe had not had such bustle for a very long time, so its members were especially patient and answered one by one. “This is used to make a fake mountain… This is a horsewhip… This is used to build a fake house…”

After the stage was built, setting the scene took another day. Before dusk, the warm-up gongs and drums had already begun to sound. The music traveled far, reminding the audience that the show was about to begin.

The play they were performing today was called Five Strikes Against the Evil Mountain God. It told the story of a cultivator passing through the mortal world who discovered that a yao creature was causing trouble in a certain place. It had occupied a mountain and made itself a god, forcing the common people to offer up beautiful women. So the righteous cultivator gave the false mountain god a fierce beating.

This was the play Troupe Master Jiang had arranged after thinking it over for an entire night. For one thing, it was an old play, and many troupes had performed it before, only with some differences in the details. As for the plot, the audience was familiar with it, so it would not be so profound that they could not understand.

For another, this play had a handsome cultivator and beautiful women offered to the mountain god, letting the audience feast their eyes. If the performers onstage were good-looking, the audience would also be willing to stay a little longer.

Third, aside from lingering, sorrowful romance, this play also had a great deal of combat. After all, the mountain god had to be fought five times! When the time came, blades and swords would flash onstage, danger rising on every side. It would really catch the audience’s eyes.

In short, the plot was simple, but it certainly would not drive the audience away.

Troupe Master Jiang thought that with the inner city’s population right here, even if people only came to join the excitement, there should be five hundred audience members!

Five hundred! Their Xingsheng Troupe had not had so many audience members in a very long time.

Yet after the gongs and drums sounded for quite a while, the space before the stage remained empty. There were only a few children hopping around there.

Troupe Master Jiang’s heart chilled by more than half. She thought, Surely not. Could there be less than even a hundred?

Humiliating. Truly humiliating!

Troupe Master Jiang returned backstage in low spirits and did not urge the actors to go on.

But she was truly a proper troupe master. Since she had accepted payment, even if there was not a single person, this play still had to be performed lively and well.

Even if there were not a hundred, when they performed the liveliest parts, having several dozen audience members would be decent enough!

Several dozen was what they usually had when business was good.

Just as Troupe Master Jiang was adjusting her mindset, she suddenly heard the martial lead urgently urging, “Why are you not onstage yet? The honored spectators are getting anxious!”

“Troupe Master! Troupe Master!”

Troupe Master Jiang was pushed to the front in a daze to look. As soon as she lifted her eyes, she saw that the space below the stage was packed full of people. There were men and women, old and young. Every single one had brought their own stool. Some had come with their whole families, some had brought their own fruits and snacks, and some people had even started doing small business. How was this no one? This was simply a sea of people!

Troupe Master Jiang was startled by the dense mass of heads below the stage, black with people and stretching beyond the eye. Her heart was beating as fast as the gongs and drums!

Her spirits surged. “Begin the show—”

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