In the blink of an eye, the riders had galloped far away, vanishing at the end of the thoroughfare and leaving Zhang Sheng unable to vent his temper even if he wished to. With such an unforeseen mishap, Zhang Sheng's mood was naturally ruined completely. He buried his head and hurried forward, uttering not a word along the way, until several days later they finally arrived at the commandery seat, Luyuan Prefecture.
As a native of Yongzhou, Wei Yuan was naturally well-versed in Yongzhou's geography and history. Founded five hundred years ago, Luyuan Prefecture currently had about one hundred thousand registered households and another fifty to sixty thousand unregistered ones, totaling five hundred thousand people—making it a fairly large city.
Arriving beneath the city walls, Wei Yuan saw that they were quite low, constructed of loess mixed with cut stone and standing less than two zhang high. Much of the wall surface had peeled and flaked away, exposing the masonry beneath, while the parapets and watchtowers showed heavy signs of longstanding disrepair.
After entering the city, they found it filled with earthen houses of mud walls and thatched roofs, exuding an air of dilapidated ruin at every turn. Most pedestrians on the street were clad in rags, their faces sallow and gaunt, their gazes hollow, their movements sluggish—looking worse off than even the retainers and servants of the Wei Manor. The roadway was equally muddy and rutted with potholes, filth floating in the murky water. Had the two of them not been riding ding mules, they would inevitably have trodden through foul slop and sludge.
Zhang Sheng was in no rush, leading Wei Yuan slowly across the urban district. After passing through the southern part of the city and heading toward the western quarter, the surroundings finally began to improve somewhat.
After riding a bit farther, a grand manor greeted their eyes!
This massive manor occupied an entire residential ward, enclosed by vermilion walls a zhang high that blocked any view inside. At the center stood a vermilion-lacquered main gate, tightly shut at this hour. Flanking the entrance were two colossal stone-carved golden toads, beside each of which stood a burly retainer glaring menacingly at passersby.
Above the main entrance hung a plaque inscribed with "Xu Manor." The gatehouse featured carved beams and painted rafters, luxurious to the utmost. This gate alone could have bought the entire Wei residence.
Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan out through the west gate. Before they had traveled far, an emerald fairy mountain appeared before their eyes.
The mountain was not large, its contours suggesting it had originally been part of a continuous range. Yet right now it was thoroughly verdant, blanketed in lush trees, with misty clouds rising between the crags to veil the immortal mountain in ethereal mystery. Between two peaks, a waterfall could be faintly seen cascading like a bolt of white silk. Below lay a pool of clear jade water, with a small islet at its center dotted with jade-like trees in full bloom.
Before the mountain ran a river whose water was as clear and lustrous as jade, winding around the mountain before merging into the surging Tong River. Marvellously, the upper reach of the Tong River was originally a yellow, turbid torrent, yet upon entering the domain of the fairy mountain it abruptly turned crystal clear, only to revert to a muddy yellow surge once leaving the mountain's bounds, continuing northeastward.
Nestled amidst the mountains, waters, and rosy clouds, vast complexes of pavilions and terraces flickered in and out of sight—truly a paradise on earth!
A tender-yellow little bird flew over, circled several times above their heads, and alighted on Zhang Sheng's shoulder. Zhang Sheng said to Wei Yuan, "Now we can save some effort."
The ding mules trotted onward, but now with every step they took, the surrounding scenery receded a great distance. In the blink of an eye, the two had arrived before the Tong River. Here, the river flowed slowly like blue-green jade. As though blind to the great river ahead, the ding mules walked straight into the water. With a single stride, the two were already ten zhang into the river!
The ding mules stepped steadily across the water's surface without raising a single ripple, pressing forward. In just a few strides, they crossed the vast expanse of the Tong River and reached the foot of the fairy mountain. A journey that normally would take an entire day had required only a single quarter-hour.
Having crossed the Tong River, an immortal gateway appeared out of thin air before Wei Yuan's eyes. While still on the water, Wei Yuan had seen only a gentle grassy slope on the opposite bank; yet once they crossed the river and set foot on solid ground, the scenery before him abruptly transformed.
The immortal gate stood twenty zhang high, supported by two gigantic pillars of red jade. The pillars were translucent and lustrous, carved with mountains, great rivers, soaring birds, and wondrous beasts. Above was a plaque of white jade inscribed with three great characters reading "Red Tide Sect," each character spanning two zhang square!
Such a magnificent spectacle naturally left young Wei Yuan, who had never left Ye County, dumbfounded. Looking up at the immortal gate, he suddenly turned back to look behind him. Across the Tong River, the city of Luyuan Prefecture could still be faintly discerned. Looking at it now, Luyuan Prefecture seemed all the more low and decrepit, its rammed-earth walls radiating nothing but barren desolation; the people within the city lived in muddle-headed stupor, keeping company each day with mud and filth, seeking throughout their lives nothing more than to fill their bellies.
Separated by a single stretch of water lay two entirely different worlds.
Just then, a young cultivator stepped out from within the immortal gate, exuding an air of purity and transcendental grace.
With a single step, the cultivator arrived before Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan. His gaze was keen as lightning. First, he looked Zhang Sheng up and down, a smile gradually forming on his face as he said with delight, "It really is Junior Brother... Zhang! The last time we met was ten years ago."
Zhang Sheng was equally filled with emotion. Dismounting from his ding mule, he sighed. "So it is Senior Brother Sun Yu. How shameful—ten years have passed, yet I have accomplished nothing."
"What nonsense! I heard long ago that Junior Brother Zhang took on a brilliant disciple—truly something our peers envy!"
Zhang Sheng chuckled heartily and said, "In truth, it was the will of heaven; I merely got lucky!"
Sun Yu had already glanced at Wei Yuan earlier. After studying him intently for a moment, he said, "Extraordinary indeed!"
Looking at the ding mules the two had brought, he smiled faintly. "Junior Brother Zhang has returned to simplicity and truth; you must have gained much these past years."
Zhang Sheng sighed. "My Daoist powers are sealed, and I cannot leave Yongzhou, so I could only rely on mortal beasts for travel. Still, with no distractions all these years, I did manage to gain some insights."
Sun Yu's eyes lit up. "Then I must certainly seek your guidance shortly! Master already learned of your sealed Daoist power and divined the heavenly secrets, specially instructing me to bring a dose of Liquan Powder. Once taken, three days of quiet cultivation will restore you."
Zhang Sheng first offered a bow toward the north, saying, "My thanks to Perfected Ningxi." He then pointed toward the immortal gate and asked with a chuckle, "It's merely a unified examination for a remote little commandery, with only a dozen or so candidates at most. Why make such a grand display? Could it be that the Red Tide Sect plans to advance to a blessed land?"
Before Sun Yu could reply, a brilliant glow of rosy clouds lit up the horizon. Two nine-colored dark deer, pulling a radiant jade vessel, descended from the sky and landed before the immortal gate.
Each of the nine-colored dark deer stood three zhang tall, surrounded by nine-colored radiance and treading upon clouds. The white jade vessel was over five zhang high and thirty zhang long—even larger than the gate tower of Luyuan City! Inscribed upon the vessel's hull was a massive character "Yan," shimmering with resplendent light.
Upon landing, the white jade vessel glided straight through the immortal gate. Even the two deer pulling the craft did not spare Zhang Sheng a glance, treating the two of them as though they were thin air.
Watching the white jade vessel disappear into the gate, and then glancing at the three-chi ding mule beside him, Zhang Sheng's expression turned rather sour.
Sun Yu quickly laughed and said, "Pay them no heed, Junior Brother! Those people from the Eastern Sea have always loved to show off, putting on such pomp even when merely coming for an examination. Utterly ostentatious!"
Zhang Sheng was surprised. "The Yan family of the Eastern Sea is here for the examination?"
"Well... there are rather a lot of candidates in Fengyuan Commandery this year... Hold your temper for now, Junior Brother."
Without another word, Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan into the immortal gate. The instant they stepped through, the world before their eyes changed completely.
Upon a colossal square of red jade, mounts gathered in herds and carriages and vessels stood like clouds. The immortal qi billowing from various treasured carriages and auspicious beasts intertwined in midair, dense enough to condense into drifting clouds of glowing haze that continuously formed and dispersed in an endless cycle.
The white jade vessel from the Eastern Sea was currently inching forward with difficulty, struggling to find a spot to park.
Chapter 5