Completely Untouched

Star Lord Shaoyang never feared battle, but his master was powerless and could only quietly withdraw him. Xiaoyu was no fool; naturally, he knew this was an unwinnable fight. It was not unheard of for top cultivators from the Palace of Grand Beginning to battle Scenery Command experts while in the Dharma Idol realm, but that was certainly beyond someone in the early Dharma Idol realm—let alone against three Scenery Command opponents at once. Wei Yuan also knew when to stop while ahead. Stowing the three mirage demons away, he smiled. "Just a spar, no winner or loser! The City Lord Manor in Yong'an is still kept for you, completely untouched." All at once, every shred of Xiaoyu's resentment and fury vanished beyond the highest heavens. "Really?" Shimmering tears welled slightly in Xiaoyu's large eyes. "Of course it's real. Come, let's go see what Yong'an looks like now." Wei Yuan flew off with Xiaoyu. The Palace of Grand Beginning cultivators gathered there did not disperse right away, however. Some appeared deep in thought, some wore bizarre expressions, and others subtly exchanged glances. In the sky above Yong'an City, Xiaoyu looked down upon the magnificent, colossal city, stammering for a moment: "Th-this is Yong'an?" Today, Yong'an boasted a population of five million, an undeniable megalopolis. Backed by mountains and fronted by waters, the city sprawled out naturally. The ancient original walls remained faintly visible, though they had become the natural boundary and scenic backdrop of the central district. New walls were under construction around the city's periphery, currently rising in disconnected sections, far from complete. There was no helping it; the city had grown too enormous, turning the wall into a stupendous undertaking. Glancing at the terrifying wall that would stretch hundreds of li once completed, Xiaoyu felt dizzy simply estimating the sheer scale of the engineering. Clusters of multi-story buildings had sprung up across the city. Though many had exterior walls plastered with straw and mud, their ten-plus-story height still allowed them to stand tall and proud. In the eastern city, an eye-catching tower rose dramatically from the earth, already reaching a staggering thirty-three stories, yet construction continued upward. This was no immortal dwelling; it was merely a mortal city. The street planning was remarkably meticulous. Main thoroughfares ran like robust arteries spaced at rational intervals, linking ring roads encircling the city to ensure both an aesthetically pleasing design and smooth traffic flow. Carriages and pedestrians flowed in an endless stream. Green resting areas had been set up at several street corners, where massive plants cast broad swaths of shade. This was Yong'an? That same Yong'an that once held only three hundred thousand people, filled everywhere with squalid shacks and overflowing sewage, where the very first thing Xiaoyu had to do was build latrines on a massive scale? The Yong'an of today already featured distinct zoning: the south and west were workshop districts, the east was commercial, the north was administrative, and residential neighborhoods were interspersed among the various sectors. This allowed laborers to live near their workplaces for easy commuting. Yong'an was terrifyingly large now; it was impossible for a mortal to live in the western city and commute to work in the east. Though the city bustled, everything operated in an orderly fashion. Dao Foundation cultivators were permitted to fly in limited zones between five and ten zhang over the outer ring, while Dharma Idols could fly above ten zhang. The moment anyone flew out of bounds, patrolling cultivators would swoop in, apprehend them, deduct points, and levy fines in one seamless motion. Xiaoyu had once governed Yong'an, so none knew better than he how difficult it was to manage a city. Such granular administration left him astonished beyond measure. Xiaoyu swept his gaze across the entire city, his eyes finally landing upon a grand palace at the center of the northern sector. Flying toward it, he asked as he went, "Has a new Yong'an city lord replaced me yet?" "No. The position of city lord is still vacant, but..." For some reason, Xiaoyu's heart blossomed with joy, though he merely snorted aloud and said, "Then I shall reluctantly trouble myself a bit longer! This City Lord Manor isn't built half badly..." In the blink of an eye, he arrived before the majestic estate. Suddenly, a light barrier flared up before the main gate, and a Dharma Idol guard flanked by two Dao Foundation guards appeared, shouting, "Who goes there, daring to trespass upon the Realm Lord Great Hall?!" "Realm. Lord. Great. Hall?" Xiaoyu turned his head to glare at Wei Yuan, enunciating each word with cold precision. Wei Yuan gave a dry laugh. "This is where I handle mortal affairs on ordinary days. Your City Lord Manor is still over there, completely untouched." Xiaoyu turned his head and indeed saw his City Lord Manor. It sat in its original spot, truly untouched, exactly as it had been when Xiaoyu left. In that sense, Wei Yuan had not lied. But placed next to the adjacent Realm Lord Great Hall, the entire City Lord Manor was probably smaller than a single side hall inside it. "This is what you call 'untouched'?" "It really is untouched." Without a word, Xiaoyu turned on his heel to leave. Wei Yuan rushed forward to catch his arm, saying, "Your old residence was demolished..." Xiaoyu jerked his arm hard, flinging off Wei Yuan's grip. Alarmed, Wei Yuan hastily adjusted his wording. "Everyone lives in the Immortal City now, and you have quarters there too!" Xiaoyu slowed down and sneered, "Are they even as large as the latrines in your manor, Realm Lord Wei?" "Everyone's is the same! Mine is only slightly larger because the five halls in the front courtyard serve as meeting chambers for everyone." "Truly?" "Truly!" "You aren't tricking me again this time?" "Of course not!" Xiaoyu gave a heavy snort. "Let's go see. If there is a single lie, I leave immediately." Moments later, the two arrived at the Immortal City. Wei Yuan guided Xiaoyu to the residence reserved for him. Stepping into the courtyard, Xiaoyu's expression suddenly changed. In the corner of the courtyard grew his favorite night orchids, swaying gracefully. To the east stood a golden osmanthus tree, exuding a subtle fragrance. From positioning to blossoms, these immortal plants were enough to satisfy even his most exacting tastes. Beyond that, the interior arrangement, right down to the style and color of the furnishings and decorations, were all things Xiaoyu loved. Apart from being slightly smaller, this courtyard was virtually identical to Xiaoyu's quarters in the Xiao family's ancestral lands. No longer able to keep his composure, Xiaoyu asked, "Th-this decor... what is this?" Wei Yuan replied, "Didn't you mention what colors you like and what kind of decor you prefer? When we built the city, I had it constructed according to what you told me." Xiaoyu asked in surprise, "I said that? How come I don't remember?" Wei Yuan answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "You never brought it up specifically. You just mentioned bits and pieces in passing—one thing this time, another thing next time. Whenever you mentioned liking something, I remembered it. And look, it all came in handy." Xiaoyu abruptly turned his face aside, refusing to look at Wei Yuan. "What's wrong?" Wei Yuan asked. "Nothing. I'll be fine in a moment. Let's go look inside." A short while later, after touring all the furnishings, the two finally sat down in the study. By then, Xiaoyu had regained his composure. Smiling, he said, "After you summoned those three Scenery Command great demons, there was one thing I desperately wanted to say, but I held it in." Wei Yuan was thoroughly intrigued. "What did you want to say?" "...Switch to another batch." "..." Wei Yuan was rendered speechless. Xiaoyu burst into laughter, his mood finally turning sunny. He asked with a chuckle, "If I had insisted that you switch to another batch, what could you have done?" Wei Yuan carefully took stock of his inventory inside the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. Feeling that stating the full number might be inappropriate, he subtracted a bit and replied, "...I have fifty-some more Dharma Idols." Xiaoyu's smile froze. Wei Yuan asked tentatively, "How about I switch to another batch after all?" Xiaoyu felt that asking for another switch would be downright shameless, so he forced a strained smile and said, "No need to switch." Wei Yuan's thoughts ran deep now; he figured "no need" meant he actually wanted another switch. If he switched again, he would have to unleash Maiden Yin-Yang. She should be able to defeat that Star Lord whatever-it-was, right? If he had to switch again after that, Fuyao—who clearly had something special about her—paired with Lei Ling, plus Han Li and Jun Weizhi, with Dugu Cangqiong thrown in as cannon fodder to draw fire, would probably manage. If he had to switch yet again, he could only summon the three-eyed avian head, but that would be hard to control. After all, the three-eyed avian head's absolute favorite food was high-grade dharma idols. Xiaoyu spoke again: "I have one more question. When you wrote those words 'building a cart behind closed doors,' were you truly not mocking me?" Wei Yuan blinked in surprise. "Tomorrow, a prototype truck fitted with the new engine rolls off the line, and I wrote the inscription especially for it. It's intended as a gift for Martial Uncle Yu Zhizhuo." Xiaoyu was stunned. "But... is gifting the phrase 'building a cart behind closed doors' really appropriate?" Wei Yuan laughed. "What else? 'Opening our eyes to look at the world'? The world outside is a desolate wilderness; what else can we do but build carts behind closed doors?" With things explained to this point, the misunderstanding was finally cleared up. Persuaded by Wei Yuan's smooth talk and cajoling, Xiaoyu reluctantly stayed, preparing to continue serving as city lord of Yong'an. Wei Yuan called attendants in to furnish the courtyard with daily necessities, then took his leave. Before departing, however, Wei Yuan hesitated briefly, then cautioned, "It rains frequently in Qingming, and the roads are slick in the wet. Be careful, and avoid going out unless necessary." Xiaoyu found this rather odd, not understanding why Wei Yuan had become so hesitant. Wei Yuan clearly had something hidden behind his words, yet stubbornly refused to say it outright. When Xiaoyu pressed further, Wei Yuan had already fled in haste. Xiaoyu was puzzled, but in no rush; he would find out in a couple of days anyway. For now, this residence suited his tastes perfectly, feeling just like the one in the Xiao family ancestral lands. Strolling into the cultivation chamber, Xiaoyu prepared to enter secluded cultivation for a few days to properly commune with Star Lord Shaoyang and consolidate his dharma idol. Right at that moment, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard gate. Someone visiting in the Immortal City? Xiaoyu swept his divine sense across and found that the person standing at the courtyard gate was none other than Zhang Sheng. He hurriedly stood up to open the gate. Xiaoyu held considerable respect for Zhang Sheng; Zhang Sheng was not only exceptionally gifted, but that heart of invincibility alone was a model for all sword cultivators. Zhang Sheng did not enter the courtyard, saying instead, "This is no place to talk. Come with me to the dueling platform. That Star Lord Shaoyang of yours looks quite extraordinary. As it happens, I have cultivated some similar immortal swords, so we can spar a bit." Xiaoyu was somewhat bewildered. Zhang Sheng's four immortal swords were famous, as Xiaoyu naturally knew; he just did not know what had happened after he left. Could it be that in the few years he had been away, Zhang Sheng had also cultivated Immortal Sword Great Sun? Upon the dueling platform, the two stood facing each other. There was no one around the platform, save for a cluster of divine senses gathered together, hidden within warped space. Never one for many words, Zhang Sheng waved his hand to summon a sword-bearing immortal holding a flaming immortal sword, confronting Star Lord Shaoyang from across the platform. The sword-bearing immortal appeared utterly unremarkable, and the flaming immortal sword was far dimmer than the great sun opposite it—a cheap, shrunken knockoff of Immortal Sword Great Sun. A line of flame suddenly flared atop Xiaoyu's head; in an instant, he recognized that what the sword-bearing immortal held in hand was none other than the Immortal Sword · False Sun!