Chapter 110 Small Town People
Strolling along the bluestone path, the shade of the trees brought a cool breeze to the four of them. Xi Xingji tapped on the trunk of an ancient tree on either side of the path and said, "They are all ordinary trees."
"Not only that, there's no sign of spirit beasts or demons in the woods, which is a bit strange." Qu Qitao continued, "According to the terrain here, spirit plants and spirit beasts should be born, but I've just sensed all along the way and only found mortal creatures like rabbits and deer in the woods."
The lush branches intertwine, and birds build their nests among them, showing no fear even when they see people passing beneath them. Therefore, although the forest is dark and cold, it makes people feel peaceful.
"In any case, don't be careless. Go around town and ask around first."
The forest gradually thinned, revealing open ground. To the left of the bluestone path stood an old pavilion. Inside, an elderly man, wearing old, grass-gray armor and with graying hair, sat at a stone table, drinking tea. To the right stood a massive stone tablet. Luo Xuanyi approached to examine it. It was inscribed with names, and atop it were the four characters "Rong Gui Wan Gu." The tablet clearly was meticulously maintained regularly. Each name was coated in bright cinnabar, as if one could see the vivid faces of those individuals.
The old soldier spat out a mouthful of tea foam, looked up and saw the four people standing in front of the stone tablet. He put down his teacup and waved, "Are you going into the town? Do you have a pass?"
Xi Xingji bowed to him and said, "We are sent by the six great alliances. Old sir, do you know what this stone tablet is?"
"Oh, it's an immortal." The old soldier muttered, his attitude cold, and he picked up the teacup again. "Those are the names of good people from this town."
"It seems there wasn't one before?" Xi Xingji asked.
"This is a monument that Master Wang erected after the renovations. He said that good people shouldn't be buried in obscurity. Are you here to cause trouble for Master Wang?" The old soldier suddenly became alert, but only relaxed when Xi Xingji shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Master Wang is a good man. Don't wrong him."
Leaving the pavilion and the stone tablet and continuing towards Fuji Mountain, the full extent of Fuji Town finally emerged. The blue brick and gray tiled roofs flowed together, a testament to meticulous planning. From a bird's-eye view, the town resembled the Chinese character "yong." Tall attics on either side and a towering mansion at the end of the bluestone road surrounded the town on three sides, divided into three tiers by smooth roads.
The outermost layer consisted mostly of restaurants and inns, places for people to rest. Many colorful flags were hung high, but no lanterns were lit in front of the doors, and the gates were closed. It seemed that it was not yet time for business, and no one was walking on this horizontal street.
Walking further in, people began to walk along the main street, but there were still only a few people. This area seemed to be full of food and snack shops, and every store was open. Qu Qitao randomly entered a pastry shop and saw several young servants sitting inside, chatting and laughing while wiping tables.
"Hey, someone's here so early?" One of the servants noticed Qu Qitao and the others standing in front of the door. He subconsciously threw the rag over his shoulder and trotted over with a smile on his face. "What would you like, gentlemen? The cakes in our shop are all freshly made!"
Qu Qitao took advantage of the situation and took out a spirit coin from his storage bag and placed it on the table: "Give me a piece of date cake."
The servant blinked twice when he saw the spirit coins, and finally realized: "You are all immortals who are here for the first time! You are of noble status, so you don't have to pay. This bill will be recorded on Master Wang's account. Please take it back."
He carefully picked up the spirit coin, held it in both hands and handed it back to Qu Qitao, then flicked the rag and shouted towards the kitchen: "One serving of date cake--"
Seeing that the young man was not as opposed to cultivators as the old soldier, Luo Xuanyi and the others looked at each other and simply sat at the long table outside the store, observing the street while chatting with the young man.
"Why are there so few people on this street? Is your shop doing well?"
The servant cleverly brought tea and said with a smile, "Your Excellency doesn't know our town. We do run a shop, but it's better than nothing. The townspeople don't have to pay for medical care, education, or meals; Master Wang pays for everything. Only visitors from outside the town are charged a fee. Actually, we don't need to work; we're just bored."
"As for the lack of people on the streets, that's because the academy is about to end classes and they're about to start awarding sashes to students who will be taking the imperial examinations this year. Everyone's rushing to see it!"
In that case, wouldn't the Wang family be supporting the town for nothing? The servant's words only deepened the four people's doubts. Qu Qitao looked outside and couldn't help but ask, "Why is Master Wang so... selfless? Can the entire town be supported by the silk produced by Master Wang's family alone?"
The servant's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but after looking at the four of them, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled bitterly, "If the adults weren't immortals, I would have suspected that someone from outside had been sent to spy on the Lingsha again. But there's nothing to hide. After all, I haven't been to the Lingsha field, so I don't know what the specific matter is."
"We, the townspeople, have lived in Fuji Town since we were young. We don't have to pay any fees because we enjoy the credit of our families."
"How do you say that?"
The servant poured himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat, then said, "Not everyone can weave lingya. Before a woman reaches the age of marriage or a man reaches the age of 20, they must study the classics in a college. Only when they reach adulthood are they eligible to be selected to learn lingya."
"The chosen ones will be sent by Master Wang to the ling yarn farm to learn and then work. Because ling yarn is very time-consuming and labor-intensive, it takes five people to weave one piece per year. The chosen ones rarely come back. To prevent others from stealing the ling yarn skills, Master Wang also forbids anyone from visiting them."
"Wouldn't this separate flesh and blood?"
The servant shook his head. "Neighbors are all family, they won't leave you alone. And Master Wang may have those workers start their own families and send their children back to town to be raised by other families, so the bloodline won't be cut off. When the ling yarn workers grow old, some won't want to come back and live elsewhere, while others want to return to their hometown. Master Wang will also send them back to live there in their old age, as long as they swear not to reveal how they weave ling yarn."
"Of course, no one will tell. No one will ask."
"Among those of us who weren't chosen, some are going out to take the imperial examinations and become officials, while others are going into business. Of course, because the world outside is so different from the society in this town, most people don't want to leave. If we want to leave, Master Wang will prepare money for us. Because Master said that weaving ling yarn is made by our own hands, and the people in this town are all united, so if one person weaves ling yarn, we can all enjoy the convenience it brings."
It's so free and so open-minded. Although those selected to weave the ling yarn cannot see the public for years, this is the best way to prevent the leakage of the ling yarn. Moreover, they can also start a family and return home for retirement. This dreamy place, although a little weird, is really their mistake?
Xi Xingji and the others couldn't help but start to waver in their hearts, but Luo Xuanyi knew that what the boy said was complete nonsense, or it was just a disguise, and she was deceived into believing it from the bottom of her heart.
From the moment she saw the whole picture of the town, Luo Xuanyi understood that this Mr. Wang definitely knew what he was doing - he was raising ghosts.
The rebuilt town was symmetrically constructed with a bluestone road running down the center, with tall attics on either side serving as gates. The highest building, nestled against the mountain and facing the water, was the royal palace, a structure reminiscent of a tomb's entrance. The builders used the entire town as a tomb chamber, using bluestone paving as corridors to channel a constant flow of vital energy into Fu Ji Mountain. Furthermore, the closer one got to Fu Ji Mountain, the more pronounced the mingled evil intent became.
The mystery can definitely be glimpsed from those who were released.
One update~ Sorry, there's only one update today, I'll make up for it tomorrow! I always feel like some details are wrong, so I have to reorganize the dungeon outline today~
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