Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Fragrant Boudoir of the Purple Ganoderma

The City of Pleasure?

Cheng Xinzhan looked a little puzzled.

Sun Miaoshu smiled. “The world is not made entirely of ascetics who have renounced desire.”

He paused, then went on, “Often there is not even one ascended immortal among ten thousand cultivators. Most people are still unwilling to grow old and die in a cave.”

He pointed toward the great city in the clouds. “So cultivators, too, seek pleasure. But the great cities of the mortal world are burdened with too much karmic entanglement for them to dare enter, while the famous mountains and rivers have already been occupied by various sects. That is why they can only build cities in the sky.”

He Jiyuan found it hard to believe. “A crowd of people who love pleasure built such a colossal city in the clouds?”

Sun Miaoshu laughed again. “Only the wealthy can think of pleasure at any cost. Only the wealthy can command powerful beings from all quarters to fulfill their wishes. Never underestimate wealth, and never underestimate merchants. White Jade Capital was built by them.”

While they were talking, they had already reached the gates of the great city, where many others were arriving from every direction.

“Are there always this many people?” He Jiyuan asked.

“No. It’s almost New Year’s, so the crowds have grown.”

“Oh, they celebrate New Year here too?”

“Of course. Aside from the sons of the Dao, who isn’t from the mortal world? When New Year comes, people rest and enjoy themselves. That runs deep. Your own office in Prime Minister’s Residence does not take leave in the first month either, does it?”

He Jiyuan smiled and admitted that was true.

“It doesn’t cost money to enter the city?”

The enormous archway had no gates and no guards. Everyone simply walked in.

Only a vast peacock statue stood atop the gate tower, taller than any person. The statue’s material was unknown; gold, blue, green, and black interwove across its body, gleaming in the sunlight like something alive.

“There’s no fee to enter. In fact, if you don’t stay the night, don’t eat, and don’t buy anything, you can wander inside all day without spending a cent.”

Sun Miaoshu said this as they went.

Cheng Xinzhan’s gaze, however, fell on the paving stones of the city. They shone with a jade-like luster.

“What kind of stone is this?”

Sun Miaoshu glanced at him. “You always notice the important things. This is Cloudroot Stone. They say it was pried from the ruins of the ancient Heavenly Court. This Third Heaven was supposedly where the ancient Heavenly Court kept its horses and drilled its celestial troops, so there are still many relics scattered about.”

“These Cloudroot slabs, even the ones now circulating outside of White Jade Capital, each cost far more than our cloud-riding carriages.”

Cheng Xinzhan looked around. Such a colossal city must have consumed an unimaginable amount of Cloudroot Stone. And this city of immense scale had twelve towers and five cities. White Jade Capital, built on such a scale, had only used ruins from the ancient Heavenly Court’s stables and drill grounds. And that lofty Heavenly Court itself had become nothing more than ruins.

The group passed through the thick city wall and entered the city proper, where they finally saw the spectacle within:

The great city spread over who knew how many leagues. Walking along the broad streets, one could not see the end ahead; tall buildings on either side blocked the sun, yet no shadows lay upon the ground.

It turned out that every few dozen paces along both sides of the street stood a tall tree, and from its branches hung many moonlike lanterns. They cast a soft white glow that stayed lit even by day, brightening every corner.

Five steps to a tower, ten steps to a pavilion.

There were towers for feasts, towers for fine clothing, towers for song and dance, each different from the next. There were pavilions for warmth, pavilions for bathing, pavilions for games, each vying in novelty.

Between towers and pavilions, suspended bridges linked them in a crisscrossing web. The bridges were covered in brocade-like plush, so that one could pass from one building to another and, even after a month of wandering, never need set foot on the ground.

The jutting eaves of the buildings rose into sharp points, carved into the forms of dragons and phoenixes lifting their heads, beaks and snouts aimed at the sky. The structures varied in height, staggered and layered, with their eaves gathering toward the street as though the dragons and phoenixes might fly out at any moment.

And there were no one knew how many millions of such halls and pavilions.

Above them, the interlaced bridges formed tier upon tier like neon, while the long arched spans over winding streams and lotus pools were gold-carved and jade-polished, like sleeping dragons.

People were surrounded by bridges and buildings, everywhere bathed in bright radiance, unable even to tell east from west.

Now and then light would shine from the upper stories, bright as stars or candles; looking closely, one saw women opening their mirrors and dressing their hair. At other times a white cloud gathered on the upper floors; those were the drinkers removing their clothes and tossing aside their hats.

The flowing water along the streets gave off fragrance, as though scented with rouge. Yellow smoke and purple mist drifted from the shops and pavilions, each with its own incense.

Jade and gold, pearls and jewels, were everywhere.

The place bustled with life, dazzling in every possible way.

The seven of them walked along, looking this way and that, marveling and clicking their tongues. The cultivators on the road did not laugh at the young newcomers. Anyone new to White Jade Capital would wear just such an expression.

It should be known that there were also two special kinds of people in White Jade Capital.

One kind came into the city solely to wait by the gate and watch other people’s astonishment, so as to ease the embarrassment they themselves had felt when they first arrived and were overwhelmed.

The other kind were the city’s own proprietors. They watched the expressions of passersby: if people were amazed, they were proud; if they found any place lacking, they would at once go inspect what was wrong and correct it as quickly as possible.

At present, the most composed were Sun Miaoshu and the third young lady.

Sun Miaoshu because he had been here several times before. The third young lady because everything around her was a blinding expanse and she could not see clearly.

“That isn’t a demon lord! He can come in too?!” He Bingkun shouted, pointing at a man in shabby clothes with many black talismans pasted onto his robe. As everyone knew, that was the attire of Mount Beiming from the Northern Demon Cult.

The passersby heard him and merely laughed it off. The demon lord heard him too, and also smiled, too lazy to bother.

Sun Miaoshu hurried to stop him. He Jiyuan had already taken out his thunder talismans, which were a grave taboo in White Jade Capital. He explained quickly, “Put them away. In Peacock City, weapons are forbidden. That’s the biggest rule!”

Only after He Jiyuan put away the thunder talismans did he explain, “This place is run by merchants. There is no talk here of orthodox or demonic. He earns money from both Daoist and demonic sects alike. Demon lords want pleasure even more; in terms of throwing money around, we can’t outdo them.”

“There is no righteousness or wickedness here, no factions. Everyone who comes has only one purpose: enjoyment, and pleasure.”

The others heard this and felt they had indeed learned something.

Then Feng Jihu asked, “Dao brother, what sort of merchant could build a city like this?”

“Not a single person, of course, but a group of them—several great clans from every corner of the world.”

He spoke slowly.

“The owners of Peacock City in the southeast are the Qian clan, who used to do business in Kuaiji, Jinling, and Yuzhang before ascending. The owners of Sea Azure City in the northeast are the Xiao clan, who used to do business in the northern frontier and the northern deserts before ascending. The owners of Bi Fang City in the northwest are the Yue clan, who used to do business in the northern borders, the western sea, and the frontier passes before ascending. The owners of Skylark City in the southwest are the Mu clan, who used to do business in Dianwen, Western Shu, and the southern wilderness before ascending. And at the center, the owners of Swallow-Plover City are the Yuan clan, who used to do business in Qingzhou, the River-and-Loes region, and the lands of Jing and Chu before ascending.”

“Before they ascended, these five clans were already among the wealthiest in their regions. Later, together with the owners of the Twelve Towers, they built White Jade Capital, naming its cities after birds. When they ascended, they brought many mortal followers of their own choosing, and they lived and multiplied in the heavens. Many of them have never once set foot on the earth in their entire lives.”

As they walked, they chatted idly. Every clan’s halls and pavilions were decked in lanterns and festive ornaments, bustling and lively. More than that, lovely immortals leaned against carved railings and called out in sweet voices, enough to stir the heart and unsettle the spirit.

The group wandered the streets for quite some time before Sun Miaoshu led them into a tavern. As soon as they entered, attendants and maidservants came forward to guide them to their seats. The table was made of gold nanmu from South Mountain, and the chairs were covered in white bear fur from the Northern Sea.

“What would you like to drink, honored guests?” asked the attendant.

Everyone looked to Sun Miaoshu. Sun Miaoshu coughed and said, “Bring two flasks of Celestial Valley Cloud-Dream Nectar.”

“Right away. Please wait a moment. Any dishes you do not eat with wine?”

Everyone shook their heads.

The attendant withdrew.

“He didn’t even ask what dishes we wanted with the wine. If he brought too many, how much would that cost?” Zhu Jianmo asked cautiously.

Sun Miaoshu said, “Here, only the wine is charged for. The dishes are not. Once you finish, they’ll bring more, and the variety never repeats.”

“As for the wine.”

A pained look appeared on his face. “One flask costs one gold coin.”

The others stared wide-eyed at Sun Miaoshu. Xu Jishen said bluntly, “Are you out of your mind? It’s not as if we have to drink!”

Before entering, Sun Miaoshu had already said he would treat this time.

Only then did the others understand why White Jade Capital was called a den of gold consumption.

Cheng Xinzhan was also startled. Though this was a favor from connections, his dragon carriage had cost only one gold coin. Sun Miaoshu was only in the second realm—though he was already in the second realm, he was still only in the second realm. How much money could he possibly have saved?

Sun Miaoshu smiled. “You don’t know this, but this is already the cheapest. There isn’t a single thing here priced below one gold coin. The last time my senior brother brought me up here after breaking through, we drank this very wine. Don’t laugh at me: the reason I led you around for so long before coming into this tavern and ordering this flask was because I only know this place, and I’ve only ever drunk this one kind of wine!”

“We were just going to stroll around. It’s not as if we had to come in and drink!” Xu Jishen still sounded a little reproachful.

“Enough of that. Let’s just take it as celebrating my breakthrough!” Sun Miaoshu said with a smile.

Everyone said no more, though each of them was already thinking that they must repay Dao brother Miaoshu when they returned.

“Honored guests, your sugarcane for cleansing the palate has arrived.”

The attendant brought seven white porcelain plates, each with several slices of something like sugarcane.

“Eat it. It’s like sugarcane—chew and spit, except this kind leaves your mouth clean, so when you drink later you’ll taste the wine more clearly.”

Sun Miaoshu explained, “It’s true we cultivate by breathing wind and drinking dew, and should be free of strong tastes and fishy odors, but this is meant for those who linger in Peacock City year-round. It does us no harm to try it as well.”

What followed was enough to open their eyes. Two flasks of wine were brought out, and after asking everyone’s preferences, the staff prepared both a warm and an iced version, then asked how much heat and how much ice each person wanted. The lot had never drunk such wine before and had no idea what to ask for, so they all blurted out random answers.

Until a flask of steaming, utterly scorching wine was placed before He Jiyuan, the others burst out laughing.

Halfway through the wine, more dishes were brought. Of the many rare delicacies, the group recognized only one or two from the Hall of Culinary Affairs; the rest were things they had never even heard of. The side dishes cost nothing, and this suited Zhang the younger fellow perfectly, as he wolfed down one exquisite morsel after another from the others.

The third young lady was much more restrained. Sitting on Cheng Xinzhan’s lap, once she had eaten a plate of fried golden-tail loach, she ate nothing but fried golden-tail loach after that. If food was brought to her mouth, she chewed it slowly and carefully; nothing else would do.

“What a lovely cat.”

A voice came from nearby.

Hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan looked over. It was a woman descending the stairs; their table faced the staircase directly.

She wore a white fur cloak and a veil over her face, and in her arms she held a cat—a lion cat, with a body of golden fur.

Cheng Xinzhan smiled and nodded at her. His third young lady was indeed beautiful.

“The white skin disease on a cat may improve if it eats more sea fish. Golden-tail loach is a freshwater species. If she likes loaches, you may feed her six-whiskered loach or dragon-fish loach.”

The woman said this.

He was somewhat surprised, not knowing there was such a saying. Even Qu Jihan did not know it. So he stood and thanked her.

The woman also nodded, then left the tavern.

Cheng Xinzhan stroked the third young lady and quietly remembered it.

“Young Master Gongchang has arrived!”

Someone outside suddenly shouted.

The several from Mount Sanqing looked at one another. They had eaten and drunk their fill, so they settled the bill and went out.

At the tavern entrance, they could already see a crowd gathering from the direction of the city gate and surging this way.

When they drew near, everyone saw a deer carriage in the middle of the street, drawn by two white deer. The carriage did not touch the ground, but floated in the air. Inside sat a youth in purple, looking to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. Many people followed on both sides and behind him.

Suddenly Cheng Xinzhan’s gaze sharpened. He saw a familiar face.

The one at the back of the deer carriage—wasn’t that Liang Zhenjing?

“What a lofty young master, riding while everyone else walks,” Wang Miaoyuan remarked.

Unexpectedly, the young master, though still far away, seemed to hear something. His eyes immediately turned this way. But Wang Miaoyuan met his gaze without blushing or flinching, as if those words had not been his.

The young master seemed to find nothing amiss and withdrew his gaze.

The entourage escorted the deer carriage past them. Liang Zhenjing followed behind like a loyal guard, never noticing Cheng Xinzhan by the roadside.

In the middle of the crowd, Cheng Xinzhan said quietly, “The one behind him is from Mount Longhu.”

The others were somewhat surprised.

“Gongchang is Zhang, isn’t it!” Wang Miaoyuan suddenly said.

“Then... that purple-clad youth?” everyone began to guess.

Could he be this generation’s Little Celestial Master?

The Little Celestial Master did not stay in the Celestial Master’s Residence to recite scriptures, but had also come here for pleasure?

The group followed from afar.

They had not gone far when a pool appeared on the left side of the street. Purple lotuses were planted in the water, and in the center of the lotus pool stood an exquisite pavilion.

At the pavilion entrance, a group of charming women waited, each one breathtakingly beautiful.

Young Master Gongchang’s deer carriage turned and went toward the pavilion.

The others also saw the pavilion’s name:

Purple Herb Perfumed Boudoir.

“What kind of background does this person have, to make the immortals of the Purple Boudoir wait for him at the door?”

Someone in the crowd watching the excitement asked this.

“No idea what his background is, but he must be very rich. I’ve heard he comes every month, and each time someone comes ahead to inform them, so the Purple Boudoir clears the house and takes no other guests that day, serving only him. But in the Twelve Towers and Five Cities, I’ve never heard of any clan named Gongchang.”

Someone answered.

The few from Mount Sanqing found it even harder to believe. Purple Herb Perfumed Boudoir—just from the name, and from those various curving, lush, and slender figures, even a fool could tell what sort of place it was.

Did Mount Longhu’s Little Celestial Master come to a place like this every month?