Chapter 51 Yichuan
Chapter 51 Yichuan
Lin Shan and Protector Jiang came to the imperial capital and looked at the giant city that was more than ten feet high and the moat that was about two feet wide. There were rows of arrow towers and crossbow battlements embedded on the top of the city, and black copper cannons standing in between.
Passing through the grand and towering city walls, the breath of worldly life hits you in the face. The wide streets are busy with traffic and people, shoulder to shoulder, and the sounds of hawking are endless.
Teahouses, pleasure boats, taverns, gambling houses, academies, canals... they can be seen everywhere along the streets, with young men and young ladies surrounded by their entourage, and high-ranking officials and dignitaries riding in sedan chairs carried by eight people.
The painted bridge is covered with willows in the mist, the green curtains are draped over the wind, the pearls are lined up in the market, the houses are filled with silk and satin, and there are millions of families living there!
This is the center of power in the imperial court of the Song Dynasty!
The prosperity and cultural heritage of Bianliang City are far beyond the comparison of the southern Xinjiang cities that Lin Shan had seen before. There must be many talented people hidden in it.
It was obvious that this was not the first time that Protector Jiang came here. He was very familiar with the route and led Lin Shan through twists and turns until they finally stopped in front of a prominent mansion in the south of the city.
"Bowang Marquis Mansion".
This mansion is majestic, with tall buildings, green pines brushing the eaves, and jade railings surrounding the walls. At first glance, it is clear that he is a powerful official of the time who is as rich as a country.
Protector Jiang did not explain much, just said "Follow me".
He took Lin Shan and walked in through a side door. The entire mansion was terrifyingly large. He kept passing through the archways of the courtyards, making it dizzy and difficult to tell east from west.
But what was more surprising was that there were so few maids and servants in such a luxurious mansion. All we met were teams of hurried men in black, as if they were all busy with tasks and had no time to care about anything else.
Finally, the two came to a yard.
Guardian Jiang went forward and knocked on the door. An old voice came from inside: "Come in!"
The two entered the house, with the smell of sandalwood curling in the air. An old man with white eyebrows and drooping shoulders was looking at them with a smile in his eyes.
"I have received your letter, Jiang boy, the person next to you must be Master Lin!"
Lin Shan saw the old man in front of him, wearing gray linen clothes, with a kind face, just like an ordinary old farmer. He lived to the age of over 90 as a mortal, but his eyes were still bright and his spirits were high.
Especially the pair of iconic white eyebrows drooping down his shoulders, I could already guess that it must be the Nightingale Grand Elder!
Dharma Protector Jiang bowed and stepped aside, then he took Lin Shanxu's hand and introduced him to the old man with drooping eyebrows.
"Greetings, Grand Elder. I am Lin Shan." Lin Shan simply clasped his fists.
The Grand Elder stood up and asked them to sit down, poured tea for Lin Shan himself, and began to chat about family matters.
Lin Shan handled it with ease as they talked, from the customs and practices of Zangke County and southern Xinjiang, to the elegant string music of the nine counties of Jingxiang, to the grace and luxury of the imperial capital of Bianliang, and finally to the immortal master at the Nightingale headquarters.
The Grand Elder nodded and said, "I will take Master Lin to see Master Huang in a while. Haha, the exchange between peers will definitely bring a lot of benefits."
Lin Shan nodded, indeed there was no rush, and asked about the situation in Xiuxian Market.
"Does the Grand Elder know Yinchuan?"
The old man opposite paused with the teacup in his hand, and Lin Shan instantly understood that this real helmsman of Nightingale knew some inside information about some of the cultivators' affairs.
"That's right, my friend, you want to find out the whereabouts of the Xiuxian Market! Young people all yearn for the real world of cultivation, not the mundane world of ours." The Supreme Elder smiled, his two long white eyebrows trembling.
But he turned around and comforted Lin Shan, "The Xiuzhen Market is actually not as good as imagined. Ordinary casual cultivators may not be able to stay there for long. If you want to settle down there, you must have a skill.
There are things you may not know.”
The Grand Elder immediately introduced the background of the Xiuxian Market to Lin Shan. It was similar to what was recorded in the biography of Guangnan Sanren. It seemed that many Sanren cultivators had run into obstacles and had no choice but to return to the mortal world.
Lin Shan nodded repeatedly and claimed that he was just curious.
The Grand Elder didn't say too much politely and directly expressed his thoughts: "I am willing to hire Master Lin to serve Nightingale, three spirit stones a year!"
Lin Shan heard, "Only three? Guangnan Sanren had five in the palace!"
I am only at the sixth level of Qi training now, so am I worth this much?
The Supreme Elder standing by was also helpless. Ever since he received the letter from Protector Jiang, he had been thinking about recruiting Lin Shan.
After all, the immortal master that Nightingale is currently worshipping is very old. When he passes away, a new immortal master will be needed to take charge.
The standard for a big power now is whether you can afford to hire an immortal master! If you can offer sacrifices to an immortal master all year round, everyone will recognize that your organization has a deep foundation and are willing to sit down and cooperate with you.
As for the Immortal Master's cultivation level, no one cared. What everyone wanted was a good appearance. The Grand Elder thought that Lin Shan was at the third level of Qi training, so his bid was not high.
The second is the current Master Huang. He has to consume five spirit stones for offerings a year, and then he has to take out three to offer to Lin Shan, which has exceeded Nightingale's limit.
Lin Shan was not interested after hearing this. He had no intention of staying here. The first reason he came to the capital was to find connections and find out about the Xiuxian market similar to "Yinchuan", and the second was to find ancient charm.
Besides, Nightingale's bid was too low.
The Supreme Elder was unable to persuade him, so he had to give up for the time being.
Next, he took Lin Shan to meet another immortal master, and gave a few instructions to Protector Jiang beside him, asking him to wait for the appointment.
……
Lin Shan followed the Grand Elder to a side hall in the Hou Mansion. He opened the door and the situation inside appeared before Lin Shan's eyes. He finally understood why Protector Jiang did not comment on this immortal master.
The hall was brightly lit, and a group of dancers were dancing, all wearing extremely revealing clothes. The musicians beside them played obscene music, and the whole hall was filled with arousing desires.
In the main seat in the front, a short and fat old man with a goatee was hugging two beauties on his left and right, touching them all over and having a lot of fun!
The Supreme Elder had a blank expression on his face, as if he was already used to this kind of scene. He waved his hand behind him, and the musicians and dancers on the stage all stood up and left.
"Oh? Come on, my beauties! Ugh."
The old man with the goat beard looked reluctant, and it was obvious that his interest was interrupted, which made him uncomfortable. However, when he saw the Supreme Elder coming, he had to give up in disappointment.
Lin Shan was also a little surprised. He could feel that the Immortal Master Huang in front of him didn't seem to dare to contradict the Supreme Elder?
Moreover, how come his cultivation level seems to be only at the third level of Qi training!
This made Lin Shan wonder, you are so old, even if you slowly polish it for ten years, you should have reached the middle stage of Qi training! Why are you still hanging around in the early stage?
At this time, the Grand Elder spoke, not to him, but to the old man with the goat beard:
"How many times have I told you! Your time is coming, but you still don't take care of yourself and indulge in women all day long! Do you, an old man, really care about your life?"
Huang Xianshi replied weakly and sickly, "I don't have many years left to live! I might as well live a carefree life and enjoy myself while I can."
The Grand Elder sighed bitterly. This old guy was like this twenty years ago and has been indulging in sensual pleasures ever since.
If Nightingale didn't need a mascot, this kind of rubbish...
"This is Master Lin, from the Nightingale branch. He is in the capital this time, so it's a good opportunity for you two to have some exchanges. Um, by the way, tell me about your experience in Yichuan."
After the Grand Elder finished speaking, he gestured to Master Huang.
After hearing this, Master Huang looked at the young man in white behind him, sensed him casually, and jumped up instantly.
"Mid stage of Qi training!"
"Ok?"
The Grand Elder was also startled and looked at Lin Shan in disbelief.
So young? In the middle stage of Qi training? He must be less than 20 years old!
Lin Shan was calm. He didn't expect that the immortal master at the Nightingale headquarters would be this kind of person.
I couldn't help feeling disappointed and a little bored.
The great elder beside him recovered and secretly regretted that he had offered too low a price just now. No wonder people didn't like it! He began to think about whether he should cut back on the offerings from Master Huang. Anyway, this weakling is useless.
Lin Shan, who was sitting nearby, had already taken his seat and started chatting with Master Huang.
"Senior, you have practiced for many years, why are you still in the initial stage of Qi training?" Lin came up and exposed the other person's scars.
"Ahaha, I don't deserve to be called senior! Your cultivation is higher than mine, so I deserve to be your teacher! Thank you for not abandoning me. You can just call me brother. Otherwise, Fellow Daoist Huang will also be fine." The old man with a goatee said in a rather reserved tone.
"Then I will respectfully obey your command. Brother Huang, do you know the Xiuxian Market?" Lin Shan went straight to the point, not wanting to be too polite.
Master Huang looked at the Grand Elder hesitantly. He naturally knew the Grand Elder's intentions. He wanted Lin Shan to succeed him, but he didn't want to say it out loud.
The Grand Elder nodded at him, and then Master Huang spoke:
"Yes, when I was young, I lived in a cultivation market for a period of time. That market was in the northern Yanyun area, and its name was Yichuan."
There will be another update at noon~
(End of this chapter)