Li Guanqi smiled and said softly, "Come on, I'll take you for a stroll through a mortal city."
Meng Wanshu's eyes lit up. She had not expected Li Guanqi to remember the casual remark she had made before.
A look of delight surfaced on her face, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with joy as she smiled. "Really? That's wonderful!"
"Wait for me a moment, then. I need to change!"
Before Li Guanqi could say another word, Meng Wanshu raised a hand and raised a wall of frost, enclosing herself entirely.
A moment later, she emerged in a new outfit.
She wore a light-blue upper garment embroidered with silver thread depicting a hundred butterflies fluttering among blossoms. Its sleeves were cut slightly wider than usual, rustling gracefully in the wind.
The waist was snugly fitted, flowing into a long, goose-yellow skirt embroidered with white magnolias.
Her hair was styled into a simple heart-shaped bun, adorned with only a few milky-white pearl tassels that accentuated the glossy black sheen of her locks, held in place by a slanted jade hairpin.
Lightly powdered, with an alluring figure and cheeks glowing like peach blossoms, Meng Wanshu was as lovely and enchanting as a spring flower.
Li Guanqi was instantly mesmerized, standing frozen on the spot as he stared at her.
Her cheeks grew warm under his gaze. She usually dressed rather plainly, and this was truly the first time she had dressed up like this.
Blushing, the young woman twirled once in place. The surrounding walls of ice shattered, their frosty powder scattering like glittering starlight around her under the sun's rays.
Meng Wanshu asked softly, "Does it look good?"
Li Guanqi smiled foolishly. "You look wonderful."
He then looked down at his own attire and could not help chuckling. "Looks like I'll need to tidy myself up a bit too."
Primal energy surged through his body, shaking away all the dust clinging to his clothes.
Li Guanqi changed into a well-tailored white brocade robe, bound at the waist with a jade belt that traced his lean figure and accentuated his tall, upright posture.
Slender and refined, his black hair was bound beneath a white jade crown inlaid with an ice-blue gemstone.
Li Guanqi possessed sharp, well-defined features, a tall nose, and relatively thin lips that carried not the slightest hint of harshness.
A gentle smile played at the corner of his mouth, a tiny mole rested beside the bridge of his nose, and his gaze was deep and profound.
Exuding an ethereal air, he clasped one hand behind his back like a graceful gentleman, his movements noble and poised.
Meng Wanshu was equally captivated. Li Guanqi rarely dressed himself so meticulously.
Li Guanqi chuckled and raised his arm.
The young woman took his arm, her smile as radiant as a flower blooming in a spring breeze.
Their garments fluttering, the two wandered aimlessly between heaven and earth. Suddenly, Meng Wanshu felt that going to a mortal town was not even strictly necessary.
Li Guanqi closed his eyes to sense their surroundings and discovered a bustling, crowded city not far off to their flank.
Li Guanqi chuckled softly. "Let's go there. It looks quite lively."
Meng Wanshu nodded with a smile, retrieving a water-blue veil from her storage ring to cover her face, leaving only her enchanting eyes visible, lending her a unique charm.
Her eyes curved like crescent moons, crinkling slightly at the corners when she smiled, filled with him as she said, "Anywhere is fine with me."
Li Guanqi smiled and carried her away with teleportation. A moment later, the two arrived in the skies above the city.
Looking down at the massive city spanning dozens of li, night had fallen, and the place was alive with clamor.
Li Guanqi descended from the sky with Meng Wanshu, teleporting straight into the city streets.
At their realm of cultivation, even if there were cultivators within the city, none could possibly detect their presence.
Li Guanqi looked back at the light-red city walls, where a plaque bore an exquisite name.
"Qixia City... What a lovely name."
Meng Wanshu stood transfixed, murmuring to herself as she looked at the inscription on the vermilion plaque.
Li Guanqi took her hand and said with a smile, "Come. Right now is precisely when the city is at its liveliest and most prosperous. We arrived just in time."
Meng Wanshu pursed her lips in a smile and pulled Li Guanqi along into the flowing crowd.
Meanwhile, within the City Lord's Estate.
An elderly man bowed before a man dressed in a dark-navy brocade robe and reported, "City Lord, it seems two exceptionally formidable experts have arrived in the city!"
The resolute-faced man did not even lift his head as he answered softly, "It matters not. It is enough that we are aware. There is no need to pay them undue attention; perhaps they are merely passing through for a brief rest."
The elder nodded upon hearing this and then vanished from sight.
Once the elder had departed, the man set down his brush and sat up straight.
He murmured softly, "For someone whom Elder Zheng would call an expert, they must at least be mighty cultivators of the Void Refining Realm, right?"
Setting aside his brush, the man did not dwell on the matter. Instead, he frowned as he read the report on the jade slip in his hand.
"Hmph! Just who is backing this Pan family?"
With that, the man paced slowly about the room with the jade slip in hand, his eyes narrowing slightly before he finally sighed.
Night fell, and the city's lights shone brilliantly. Dazzling lanterns swayed along the streets and alleys, illuminating the entire metropolis.
The colorful glow flowing between the buildings reflected against the starry sky, painting a splendid nighttime scene.
Before the taverns and teahouses, street vendors' calls rang out continuously, and songstresses on the stages sang gracefully and movingly, making the entire night feel like a joyful wonderland.
Stalls selling street snacks stretched along the roadsides, rolling plumes of white steam rising into the air amidst the lively bustle.
Various aromas drifted through the air as children ran wildly with pinwheels and pastries in hand, their giggles playful and innocent.
Meng Wanshu wore a radiant smile, holding a delicate pastry in one hand while browsing the jewelry and jade laid out before her with the other.
She picked up a pearl hairpin, held it against her head, and turned to Li Guanqi. "Does this look nice?"
Li Guanqi smiled at her and said softly, "It looks great. Wanshu is beautiful, so anything looks good on you."
Li Guanqi produced some broken silver to purchase the hairpin, prompting the elderly woman selling the goods to squint in a beaming smile.
She packed the hairpin into a small wooden box and handed it over, smiling warmly at the couple without uttering a word.
Blushing under the old woman's gaze, Meng Wanshu hurriedly walked away as if fleeing.
The further they ventured into the city, the stronger the rich cultural atmosphere of Qixia City became.
More and more people around them wore vivid, lavish clothing and donned all sorts of oversized novelty masks.
Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu watched with keen interest from the side of the street, while many patrons leaned out from the windows of the neighboring teahouse.
Copper coins, broken silver, and even pieces of gold were tossed down toward the procession below.
"Welcome the immortals!"
"Receive the immortals, and may this year bring peace and prosperity!"
Everyone was chanting words that Li Guanqi could not make sense of, and even Meng Wanshu wore an astonished expression.
Fireworks bloomed across the night sky, and the deafening rumble of gongs and drums, cheers, and music merged into an ocean of jubilation.
People sang and danced, completely immersed in this joyous moment.
A grand procession of a hundred people advanced imposing and unchecked; not a single person dared to block their path.
Their destination was none other than the grandest academy in Qixia City—the Qixian Pagoda inside Qixia Academy.
Curious about the spectacle, Li Guanqi turned to an older man leaning out from a window and inquired, "What ceremony is this?"
The stubbled man appeared to be in his forties and looked quite good-natured.
With his hands tucked into his sleeves, the man leaned against the windowsill with a chuckle. "A young gentleman from out of town?"
"Hahaha! This is our Qixia City's Immortal-Receiving Ceremony, held once every ten years. It's an old tradition."
"Tomorrow over at Qixia Academy is when the real excitement begins—you might even get to see immortals descend to the mortal realm!"
Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow, surprised that an ordinary, rough-hewn mortal from the streets would use the phrase "immortals descend to the mortal realm."
Chapter 939