"Our ancestors had already decided to abandon this place, but they no longer had the ability to find a better place. It was then that a young man from the tribe discovered the pattern: everyone who went mad in their dreams would hear a strange melody before falling asleep."

Later, it was discovered that by covering the sound with other sounds, the people in the city would not be affected.

They were fleeing from war, so musical instruments were naturally scarce.

So our ancestors devised this method of using stone as tools. As they lived there longer, it acquired a proper name: 'zhu' (筑). Later, these zhu took on increasingly diverse shapes and forms, gradually forming the musical scales we know today.

That's how Yuncheng and Jizhu came about.

After hearing all this, Jia Xitong felt that it wasn't really a secret.

Such a legendary history of city building deserves to be recorded in history books, commemorated on a special day, and celebrated in celebration.

Huh?

The little raccoon tilted its head and decided to create a "Xianlong Peak Establishment Day" and a "Shangyan Courtyard Head Commemoration Day"?

“Immortal, this is why we play the zither day and night.”

The city lord continued, "Yuncheng has never stopped playing the zither since our ancestors' time, nor has it dared to stop. It's hard to imagine what the tens of thousands of people in Yuncheng would face if the sound of the zither were to disappear one day."

Upon hearing the city lord's words, Jia Xitong immediately swallowed back the words he had originally intended to say about stopping the zither playing.

"Immortal, it is getting late. May I ask where you are staying? We have some simple wine and private rooms available. If you do not mind, would you like to rest here?"

"Thank you City Lord."

Shang Yanting walked straight into the mansion.

They ran from the inn into the city lord's mansion.

"Dear host, something feels off about that place."

Jia Xitong lay on the side room decorated with silk and satin, expressing her feelings.

"You're being too cooperative, aren't you?"

Shang Yanting recalled his appearance just now.

Breaking into the city lord's mansion at night, even though their cultivation levels are vastly different, this person, as the lord of a city, is far too lacking in the demeanor of a city lord.

"The main thing is that he seemed to have talked about everything, but it also seemed like none of what he said was very useful."

Jia Xitong summarized it this way.

If only she had stayed in the original world a little longer, it would have been so much easier for her to copy Xiao Shang's homework from the original story.

Just like the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes.

Once a person has tasted the sweetness of taking shortcuts, they will always want to eat handouts.

It's already past midnight.

The two rested for a short while before dawn broke outside.

Meanwhile, a familiar group of people also headed to the city lord's mansion.

Bai Yu Zhenjun was a man of refined manners and proper etiquette. Unlike Shang Yanting, who was reckless and barged in at night, Bai Yu Zhenjun formally presented his visiting card and waited two days before coming to pay his respects.

Inside the main hall of the city lord's mansion, the group of people met.

The city lord was astonished that the senior who had barged in yesterday had suddenly reappeared, followed by a richly dressed young woman in her prime. Jia Xitong and Shang Yanting were shocked to encounter Bai Yu Zhenjun everywhere they went when they met him.

"Since you seniors know each other, please stay at our residence."

The city lord was completely unprepared for the arrival of two powerful figures at the same time, and appeared utterly apprehensive.

On the other side

The six Yimeng soldiers looked rather displeased upon seeing Shang Yanting and Jia Xitong. Their simultaneous arrival in Yuncheng and almost identical arrival at the City Lord's Mansion made it difficult not to speculate about their purpose.

After all, they had already had the experience of seizing an opportunity once.

And they didn't even win that time.

As always, Bai Yu Zhenjun smiled and beckoned Jia Xitong to come and talk.

"Senior Bai Yu, I didn't expect you to come too."

“We sent a letter of invitation to the City Lord’s Mansion two days ago, but we didn’t expect you and Fellow Daoist Yan to arrive first.”

Bai Yu Zhenjun said, "Could it be that you are also curious about the constant playing of the zither in Yuncheng?"

"Yes."

Jia Xitong nodded, her gaze falling to his elbow. Beside him was a plate of pastries, containing several exquisitely crafted pieces.

Bai Yu Zhenjun noticed her gaze, so he reached out and placed the plate in front of her. The hand was right in front of her, long and slender, with distinct knuckles, and a string of shimmering white beads tied to the wrist hidden by the sleeve. It was wrapped around his wrist several times, and the tassel at the end swayed in the sleeve.

"Try it if you like."

Bai Yuzhenjun suddenly spoke, waking Jia Xitong, whose attention was focused on his wrist.

Only then did she realize that the pastries she had glanced at earlier were now in front of her. Not just that one plate, but several plates of pastries that had been next to her had been moved over.

"Thank you, senior."

Jia Xitong picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, then wondered if her behavior just now might give the impression of being a glutton. So she explained, "Actually, I was just a little curious about what this pastry looked like, and I wasn't really greedy."

"Um."

Bai Yu Zhenjun nodded.

But looking at his kind face, it felt like he was just going through the motions.

Those who cultivate themselves don't crave food.

Moreover, although these pastries looked exquisite, they were actually cloyingly sweet and not very tasty.

Jia Xitong looked at Shang Yanting beside her, then handed him the pastry she had taken a bite of, saying, "Here you go, dear host."

Shang Yanting: ?

"It was given to me by Senior Bai Yu, and it's delicious."

After saying that, she stuffed the pastry into Shang Yanting's mouth.

Once the outer skin is bitten off, the inside is all white sugar. In Yuncheng, sugar is a rare commodity; only the wealthy and powerful can afford it. Very few people are as extravagant as the City Lord's Mansion in using sugar.

But it's too sweet.

Shang Yanting forced himself to swallow, picked up the bitter tea beside him, took a sip, and then looked at Jia Xitong beside him. Jia Xitong had already turned her back to continue studying other snacks, not giving him a chance to make eye contact.

Shang Yanting looked past Jia Xitong and at Bai Yuzhenjun, who was sitting in the same row.

Their eyes met, and Shang Yanting looked at his gray hair and the wrinkles and age spots on his face with a hint of scrutiny. It wasn't until Bai Yu Zhenjun raised his teacup and gestured to him, "Fellow Daoist Yan, please."

Shang Yanting averted his gaze and returned his greeting, "Please, Senior Bai Yu."

##

At the city lord's enthusiastic request, Baiyu Zhenjun also stayed.

Although the relationship between the two sides is fairly good, the presence of Bai Yu Zhenjun makes their actions more constrained when it comes to the secret treasure.

Nothing was discovered all day, until late at night when Shang Yanting, unable to sleep, resorted to meditation instead.

Shang Yanting truly deserves to be called a cultivation genius.

You might have trouble sleeping, but you can quickly enter a meditative state regardless of the environment.

He closed his eyes, and spiritual energy began to circulate rapidly within his body.

The surrounding sounds gradually disappeared as I entered a meditative state, quickly entering a state of selflessness.

However, this meditative state only lasted a very short time.

As the sound of the zither faded away, another inexplicable sound came from all directions...

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