Chapter 53 Jinling
Jinling City was the largest city in the south and the capital of six dynasties, so it was naturally extremely prosperous.
However, with the Tang Dynasty establishing its capital in Chang'an and the rise of northern clans, the political, economic, and cultural center of the Southern Dynasties for the past three hundred years had come to an end. Just like the Wang and Xie families, their glory gradually faded away. The graceful memories remain, but time has passed, leaving only a long sigh.
As they approached Jinling City, signs of life began to appear, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys. A person, an ox, and a bird walked along the neat rows of fields, the rapeseed flowers in the nearby plots in full bloom, a vibrant yellow that was a delight to behold. Butterflies fluttered slowly in the spring breeze, annoying bees buzzed incessantly, willow catkins drifted in the wind, and a cluster of bright red azaleas caught the eye.
What a prosperous era!
Under the sunlight, a great river flows eastward.
Yangtze!
Once you cross the Yangtze River, you'll reach Nanjing.
There was no need for a ferry; the water buffalo simply waded across the river. Continuing onward, as the sun began to set, a shadow suddenly stretched from the peach grove by the stream ahead to the top of the river.
Looking up, a gray-black city wall suddenly appeared before my eyes; we had arrived in Jinling.
As the capital of six dynasties, this city, built over centuries, stands majestically on the banks of the shimmering Yangtze River. The city walls of Jinling are incredibly high, seemingly endless, blocking out half the sky and the lingering sunset. It is a magnificent city; Jiang Liu, searching through his memories, has only ever seen such a grand city in films and television dramas.
This is a massive city wall. Looking to the left, one cannot see the end of the wall; looking to the right, one also cannot see the end of the wall. It stands majestically and silently between heaven and earth.
Jiang Liu stared wide-eyed at the magnificent city before him, speechless. Looking at the crowd below the city gate not far away, he muttered to himself, "Is this Jinling City?"
"This is Jinling. I've heard that Chang'an is several times more magnificent than this, and is the largest city in the Southern Continent," Xie Chou said.
Jiang Liu stared intently at the city wall and could vaguely see three black dots hovering and flying in the sky above the city wall.
Two eagles were flying with their chicks, and their nest was nestled among the thick city walls. Even the most impregnable walls could not withstand the erosion of time, leaving behind mottled marks after thousands of years of wind and rain. The huge wound left after some unknown battle had been used as a nest by the two eagles, providing shelter from the wind and rain.
Once the fledgling eagle has learned to fly, it must return to its nest.
Even a person who has been wandering for a long time will eventually return to their nest. A wounded person will also return to their nest to lick their wounds.
Cities are humanity's homes, protecting life and hope.
A junior officer stood in front of Jiang Liu, clad in standard Tang Dynasty armor—a standard mass-produced iron suit. Though battered and bruised, the armor was well-maintained, and the sword at his waist was gleaming. He looked sharp and spirited. One hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword, seemingly relaxed, yet always poised to draw it in the blink of an eye. The Tang Dynasty had only been established for a decade or so; its civil and military achievements were just beginning. These two guards at the city gate were heroes who had fought their way through countless battles.
The junior officer glanced at the water buffalo, then at Jiang Liu and the egret on its back, frowned, stared at Jiang Liu for a few more moments, and said, "Master, please forgive me, Jinling City is currently under a state of alert, please cooperate!"
“Sure! What do you need me to check?” Jiang Liu asked.
One who attains enlightenment in a day is to transcend the mortal world. The vast majority of the millions of people in the Tang Dynasty are just ordinary people who cannot cultivate. Although refining essence into qi is only the lowest level of cultivation, it is already a high position for ordinary people. They can become generals in the army or high-ranking officials in the court.
It should be noted that even a captain in the army is only at the Innate Realm, and only among the elite troops of the entire country. In the ordinary army, a captain is only at the Acquired Realm.
If one were to suddenly attain enlightenment and cultivate martial arts to achieve the Dao, one would undoubtedly become a general.
The junior officer waved to someone behind him, and a dozen heavily armored soldiers surrounded him.
"Master, they won't arrest me and Xiao Lu, will they? We can still leave now, but if we're surrounded, it'll be troublesome," Xie Chou said in a low voice.
"It's alright, I have a certificate of ordination issued by the imperial court, I can go anywhere in the world!"
Jiang Liu put his hand into his robes, actually reaching into his storage space, and took out a small, bright yellow booklet. He handed it to the junior officer and said, "This is my ordination certificate. Take a look. Do you have any questions?"
The junior officer carefully inspected the area, then respectfully said to Jiang Liu, "Daoist Master, please wait a moment, the general will be here shortly."
At this moment, a city gate general came quickly from inside the city. He was in a hurry, but every step he took was steady. The crisp sound of his armor clashing against each other carried far from inside the city gate.
The general appeared before Jiang Liu like an iron fortress. His equipment, including the black iron fish scale armor and cloud-patterned soft armor skirt, were all top-quality. Underneath, he wore an inner armor that could provide strong protection on the battlefield. A fierce-looking helmet was hung on the hilt of his sword, revealing a lean but resolute face. His dark skin was covered with bulging muscles, and his hands were like iron claws and eagle hooks.
He planted his heavy sword in the ground, clasped his hands in fists, and said respectfully, "Daoist Master, I am Chen Si, an outer disciple of Maoshan, and have been appointed as the City Guard Captain of Qinglong Gate in Jinling City."
Maoshan, one of the three sacred mountains of Taoism, is known as the "First Blessed Land and the Eighth Grotto-Heaven"!
Blessed lands produce earth immortals, and celestial immortals come and go in grotto heavens!
A blessed land, a dwelling place for immortals. In the Southern Continent and the Eastern Land of the Great Tang, there are seventy-two blessed lands, ten major grotto-heavens, and thirty-six minor grotto-heavens, but Qianlong Mountain is not listed among them.
As he spoke, his eyes swept across the passport, and a look of horror appeared on his face.
Then he said, "Daoist Jiang Liu, are you a disciple of Master Xuanming of Qianlong Mountain? Is Master Xuanming here?"
Jiang Liu's face darkened. He didn't lie. Even the rogue cultivator Qingming Xiedao and the demon Xie Chou already knew, but the major sects were unaware. He sighed and said, "My master has passed away!"
"What a pity! The True Immortal actually... Wait! Something's not right!" Chen Si seemed to remember something, his expression changed, and he frowned, saying, "True Immortal Xuanming was at the peak of the Refining Essence into Qi stage, just one step away from becoming an Earth Immortal, and his lifespan was less than a hundred years, he should still have two hundred years left to live, how could the True Immortal have passed away? Could it be... it's..."
"He's an Earth Immortal!"
Jiang Liu looked at the city gate captain and uttered three words!
"An earth immortal??"
Chen Si's expression turned to shock, several thoughts flashing through his eyes. He then gripped his greatsword tightly and said in a deep voice, "Daoist, your identity is beyond question. I have recorded these two demons in the Qianlong Mountain archives. The great formation of Jinling City is now activated. Do not use any supernatural powers or spells in the city, or you will attract the formation's attack. Daoist, you may enter the city now. If you are willing to serve the Tang Dynasty, you may enter the City Lord's Mansion for a discussion."
Jiang Liu shook his head. The captain thought that he had been taken from Qianlong Mountain and had nowhere else to go, so he came to Jinling City for protection. Without saying much, he patted the water buffalo and walked into the ancient capital.
Chapter Fifty-Four: First Encounter with the Tang Dynasty
A large water buffalo supporting a young Taoist priest walking down a bustling street doesn't seem out of place. However, if Xie Chou were to become a half-demon, it would certainly cause a great uproar.
The Tang people valued martial arts, which could be seen from the pedestrians on the streets.
Although the Tang Dynasty had been established for ten years, it still seemed far from a time of peace and prosperity. Hundreds of years of war, coupled with the lingering presence of demons, meant that without a few handy weapons, no one dared to sleep soundly. Therefore, the empire had always maintained lenient control in this regard, prohibiting the use of weapons and allowing the possession of bows and arrows, but bows and arrows had to be unstrung in the city, and crossbows were prohibited. Apart from these restrictions, there were no other limitations.
Jiang Liu had grown accustomed to life in the mountains, where a day consisted of simple meals and a night was spent under a dim lamp. Apart from his master's teachings and the sounds of insects and frogs in the sky, he could hear no other sounds.
As he entered the city, the sun was setting, and after lingering at the city gate, it grew quite dark. Based on Jiang Liu's memories from his previous life, he had expected to see a quiet, sleeping city, but he hadn't anticipated that Jinling City at night would be...
Even before nightfall, the city was already ablaze with lights, bustling with pedestrians, and lively everywhere.
The streets were brightly lit and teeming with pedestrians. The flat bluestone pavement was illuminated as if it were daytime, and the streets were bustling with activity. Men and women were either standing in front of stalls or pointing at the stars and gazing at the sky. The men and women standing in front of stalls were probably already together, while those pointing at the stars and gazing at the sky were probably just beginning their flirting process.
After more than a decade of diligent governance, the prosperity of this city speaks volumes; the elite army encountered on the road reveals more; and even the Maoshan outer sect disciples met at the city gate offer further clues. Taken together, these factors make the rise of the Tang Dynasty inevitable.
Internally, the government is working diligently to improve its governance; externally, the military is at its peak. The fact that disciples of cultivation sects are descending the mountain to serve as officials, even if they are only outer disciples, reveals a certain level of competence. A disciple of the Maoshan outer sect at the Innate Realm is only a city gate captain in Jinling City; this situation likely arises from a surplus of applicants.
Although one can enter the path of immortality through the transformation of Qi, very few cultivators in the world can reach the Innate Realm, and those who can refine essence into Qi are exceptionally talented individuals, one in ten thousand.
Many cultivators lack the talent for cultivation and find it difficult to make any further progress, so they descend the mountain into the mortal world to seek worldly wealth and status. Chen Si may be one of them.
Jiang Liu curiously observed the Tang people around him. This was, in a sense, his first real encounter with this world. This was a real world, a world with flesh and blood! His gaze swept over them; the Tang people's clothing was generally simple and plain, their tight-sleeved shirts and flat shoes giving them a particularly neat appearance. Occasionally, there were men with wide sleeves, but the cuffs were cut very short, their hands hanging outside the sleeves, presumably to make it easier to draw the swords scabbed at their waists.
Impressive martial arts skills! This was Jiang Liu's first impression of the Tang people!
Respect for culture! This was Jiang Liu's second impression of the Tang people!
There were elegant young men, in groups of three or five, with swords at their waists, discussing the state of the world, the Tibetans, the Turks, and the invasion of the island kingdoms of the East Sea; there were men in blue robes, swords at their sides, their long beards fluttering in the night wind, looking like unparalleled swordsmen.
The women of Chang'an dressed simply and plainly, or in other words, cool and revealing. In the early spring, the women and girls on the street had their arms bare outside their gauze sleeves. Some charming young women even boldly wore strapless tops on the street, their fair chests attracting attention.
They seemed to have no fear of the invasion from the island nation of Donghai. Perhaps they believed that once their army arrived, the enemy could be wiped out immediately.
This is the magnanimity and confidence of the Tang people!
"An invasion from the island nation of Donghai Island... I wonder what kind of country that is! Could it be a nation from Dongsheng Shenzhou? And who is that Ghost King?"
Jiang Liu walked around Jinling City and gathered most of the information, but he didn't get any truly useful information. He didn't know where the invading army came from or who the Ghost King was.
After passing through the bustling main street, a man, a cow, and a bird disappeared into a small alley.
A voice came from the mouth of the water buffalo: "Master, the Eastern Continent and the Southern Continent are separated by tens of thousands of miles. It is impossible for them to attack the Tang Dynasty across the ocean. However, there are countless small countries outside the East Sea. It is likely that these small countries have joined forces to invade. I just did not expect that the Ghost King would help them."
Jiang Liu sat cross-legged on the ox's back, his heart churning with turbulent emotions. He connected the invasion of the Donghai Island Kingdom, the birth of the Ghost King, the White Bone Cave Corpse Demon who killed his master, and the City God of Huaiyin City mentioned by the Qingming Evil Path. It seemed that a huge conspiracy was hidden in the middle. The surrounding fog was thick, seemingly concealing countless dangers, yet he could not see it clearly.
Knowing he couldn't avenge his family anytime soon, and that the corpse demon from the White Bone Cave had achieved the Divine Transformation stage and become an Earth Immortal, Jiang Liu could only suppress his desire for revenge. He said, "Forget it! The invasion will be met with a large army, and those prestigious sects won't stand idly by. When you're successful, you should help others; when you're unsuccessful, you should focus on your own well-being. Although it's said that everyone has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation, it seems that the Tang Dynasty already has a plan to deal with this invasion. Let's wait and see!"
"The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen!" Xie Chou pondered these words in his heart, his eyes shining brightly. He had once been Xie Lingyun's mount, listening to him read the Four Books and Five Classics, which enlightened him. Even if he wasn't a well-read monster, he was still considered cultured.
"Only a great Confucian scholar could have mastered this phrase!" Xie Chou thought to himself.
Then they exchanged a glance with the egret, both seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.
At this moment, Bailu spoke softly, her voice as melodious as a young girl of sixteen: "Master, I have some understanding of the current situation of the Tang Dynasty. The Turks have invaded from the north, and there have been years of war. Most of the Tang army is concentrated in the north. Fortunately, last year, the veteran general Li Jing led the expedition and, with the cooperation of the fierce generals Hou Junji and Li Daozong, he won a great victory in the campaign against the Dangxiang Qiang and Tuyuhun, which deterred the northern barbarians. However, the Tibetans have invaded from the west, and the situation is chaotic. It seems that a marriage alliance is necessary. The Liao people of Jiannan Road have rebelled and surrendered repeatedly, and it will be difficult to quell them in a short time. If we cannot follow the ways of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, the Liao people will become a great threat. Now, the Donghai Island Kingdom has invaded from the east. The Tang Dynasty can be said to be surrounded by crises!"
Jiang Liu was taken aback, not because of the invasion of powerful enemies from all sides of the Tang Dynasty, but because of Bai Lu's performance. He was completely unaware of these current events, yet this little demon, who had not yet taken human form, knew them so clearly.
"How do you know so much? And how do you analyze it so logically? You, a mere demon, could not possibly be so concerned about the situation in the Tang Dynasty."
Bai Lu blinked and said truthfully, "Yes, I heard it from Xie Hong. These are his analyses of the general situation of the world, so they should be correct! Last year he said that a small country in the north would definitely be destroyed, and sure enough, Tuyuhun was destroyed. He said this was to make an example of someone and stop the war with violence!"
Jiang Liu's eyes lit up, and he became even more curious about this Xie family disciple.
"Oh, now that you mention it, Xie Hong is quite an interesting person! He must be eighteen by now!"
"I just turned twenty this year, having just reached adulthood!"
Chapter 55 Black Clothes Lane (Part 1)
A cool breeze was blowing, the night was hazy, and a thin mist, like a veil, swirled around the Qinhuai River.
More than ten years after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, and ten years after the Tang emperor ascended the throne, although the world was at peace, it had not yet reached the point of being a time of peace and prosperity.
This stretch of the Qinhuai River, once extremely prosperous during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a river where songs and dances never ceased and lights shone brightly... Now, although there are pleasure boats drifting among them, they are only a few simple boats, and the music is extremely elegant, without any charm or extravagance.
Inside were only a few scholars, a cup of wine under the moonlight, a flute melody swirling in the thin mist. They chatted about the current situation, the past and present, and talked about ghosts, monsters, immortals, and mortals.
As Jiang Liu walked along the banks of the Qinhuai River, a slightly dilapidated little boat also drifted on the river.
"Today, the sir informed us of the situation in the East China Sea, clearly indicating that he will inquire about countermeasures tomorrow! The East China Sea nations have invaded, capturing over ten cities in a single day, and their forces have already reached Yangzhou. However, with Generals Yuchi Baolin and Cheng Tieniu stationed in Yangzhou, we have nothing to fear. Like father, like son! This cup of wine is offered to the soldiers fighting valiantly on the front lines. May they achieve a resounding victory, and may the souls of the fallen Tang soldiers return home!"
A man in a blue robe raised a cup of wine towards the east, then slowly poured it into the river.
A scholar with a long sword at his waist next to him said, "The small country in the East Sea has brought about its own demise. And that Ghost King, instead of focusing on cultivation to become a Ghost Immortal, has become tainted by the mortal world. In the end, he cannot escape the punishment of the eighteen levels of hell and will never be reborn."
Someone raised their wine cup respectfully towards the east and said, "We, the disciples of Confucianism, should naturally study and cultivate our inner strength. Even if we cannot become great Confucian scholars, we should still practice the way of education. As long as we gather ten thousand students who have cultivated their inner strength, we can suppress that Ghost King with a single word and restore a bright and clear world to this land. Now, our Great Tang of the East is full of scholars. In a few years, evil spirits and demons will have nowhere to hide. A mere Ghost King and a mere East Sea are just minor ailments!"
"That may be true, but it's easy to become a student, but difficult to cultivate inner strength!"
“Brother Zhang is absolutely right. We have been studying for over a decade, through cold winters and hot summers. Although we have already entered the realm of cultivating qi, we are still far from the level of refining essence into qi,” someone echoed.
The man in blue robes, standing at the bow of the boat, his long gown billowing in the night wind, exclaimed: "Refining essence into qi! That realm... perhaps we only need to pass the imperial examinations, be listed among the successful candidates, and possess great wisdom, perseverance, and fortune to break through with the help of the nation's destiny. The Tang Emperor's righteousness means that the fate of the nation is shared with us scholars. Confucianism should flourish, and the Tang Dynasty should be well-governed. If we follow this path, the Tang Dynasty will last for thousands of years! This is a blessing for us poor scholars. If one day we can become great Confucian scholars, our words and writings will become supernatural powers. Demons and evil spirits within the realm will surely be wiped out, and a peaceful and prosperous era will surely begin in our generation!"
"I heard that the imperial examination system started in the Sui Dynasty, so Yang..."