Chapter 628

Chapter 628: Yongle (Part Two)

If someone without much experience, desperate to obtain the Yongle Immortal Registry, heard Jia Sidao’s words, they might truly be fooled.

Jia Sidao’s rhetoric was quite persuasive; he had likely tricked many people before.

But today, he had chosen the wrong person.

Because Wang Chen had already obtained temporary residency in Yongle Immortal City!

So no matter how eloquently the other spoke, he wouldn’t be able to extract another spirit stone from Wang Chen’s pockets.

Wang Chen even felt a bit regretful about the two spirit stones he had given earlier.

Forget it; he would just treat it as feeding a ghost.

After some thought, Wang Chen didn’t discard the letter symbol; instead, he stored it in his Xumi Ring.

Characters like Jia Sidao often had their own connections in the local community, and who knew when Wang Chen might need to reach out to him? So it was wise to keep a means of contact.

"Everyone, stay where you are and don’t move!"

At that moment, a rough voice suddenly boomed, drowning out the chatter in the tea shop.

"Show your identifications!"

In the next instant, a team of black-clad cultivators filed in.

The leading cultivator had fierce eyes, a thick beard, and a robust stature, carrying a large double-edged axe on his back. His presence was incredibly intimidating.

When his sharp gaze swept over the tea patrons, they immediately fell silent, as if struck dumb.

Even the Purple Palace cultivators obediently kept quiet, producing their identifications for inspection.

Cultivators’ identifications mainly fall into three categories: loose cultivator status, immortal registry, and sect membership.

Loose cultivator status refers to the background of loose cultivators, immortal registry is for residents of the immortal city, while sect membership is more complex, encompassing both clan and sect affiliations, which can also fall under the banner of an immortal registry.

This sudden intrusion by black-clad cultivators, wearing tunics and carrying magical weapons, had "Yongle" stitched in True Seal on their backs and "Inspection" on their chests.

It was clear they were well-trained and all were Purple Palace cultivators!

No one dared to defy their orders; regardless of their identities, everyone complied with the inspections.

Of course, Wang Chen wouldn’t do anything foolish. When it was his turn, he produced the identification emblem that represented his loose cultivator status.

What he held was a loose cultivator identification granted by Yongle Immortal City, which was valid throughout the Nine States Immortal Alliance, so it was perfectly fine here.

The inspecting patrol cultivator held a small brass mirror, shining it on Wang Chen’s loose cultivator emblem, then carefully examined his appearance before nodding and letting him go.

Just as Wang Chen received his emblem back, he suddenly heard a soft “tap tap” sound nearby.

He instinctively turned his head to look, spotting a cultivator sitting at the very back of the tea shop, just a few steps away from him. This cultivator’s face was pale, and he trembled uncontrollably.

His teeth were chattering!

Because he was acting so suspiciously, the patrol cultivators from Yongle instantly became alert.

Three sharp auras locked onto him in an instant.

Several patrol cultivators had already placed their hands on the weapons at their waists.

"Show your identifications!"

A patrol cultivator stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice, “Present your identity token.”

However, the man fumbled through his storage bag and pulled out a talisman instead!

“Courting death!”

An overwhelming oppressive force suddenly descended, enveloping the scheming cultivator.

Crack!

The chair beneath him shattered into pieces, sending him tumbling to the ground, completely immobilized.

“Take him away!”

The team of black-clad cultivators moved swiftly, hauling off the helpless cultivator like a lifeless dog.

After a moment, the tea shop returned to its usual lively atmosphere.

“Another fool with no fear of death!”

“Ha! Coming here without proper identifications—does he think the patrol cultivators are just for show?”

“Fellow traveler, what will happen to him now that he’s been captured?”

“What will happen? He’ll be detained first. If someone steps forward to vouch for him, he might be released. But if no one does…”

“He’ll be sentenced to ten years of slave labor!”

“Tsk tsk!”

Wang Chen listened to their chatter, noting their schadenfreude and mockery, as he quietly finished his spiritual tea and ate the remaining snacks.

Finally, he stood up and left.

He didn’t go far, settling into an inn nearby.

Yongle Immortal City can be divided into two main parts.

The primary section is the immortal city, perched atop the back of the Bixi, while the surrounding ground town stands in stark contrast, with a vast gap between the two.

Yet, the ground town is well-equipped, bustling with shops, inns, taverns, and tea houses, teeming with human presence.

Countless cultivators gather here, aspiring to obtain an immortal registry or seeking opportunities.

Many don’t even know why they’re so busy, perhaps chasing a fleeting chance, drifting aimlessly through life.

Still, even in the ground town, they find a sense of security absent in the loose cultivator towns.

There are no threats from demons, no attacks from hostile forces, and no appearances of slave-capturing teams. Under the protection of the giant Bixi, even the most junior Qi Training cultivators can sleep soundly at night.

Perhaps that’s why so many loose cultivators endure the menial and laborious work here, determined to persevere.

Compared to them, Wang Chen considered himself quite fortunate.

He spent three days in the inn.

Each morning, he wandered around the ring city, sitting in tea houses and taverns.

He would often sit for half the day.

In such a mixed environment, news spread quickly, especially about Yongle Immortal City.

The tales and oddities from the immortal city often reached the lower levels in record time, becoming hot topics among the low-level cultivators.

For instance, a few days ago, the painting fairy ship of the Hehuan Sect had flown into Yongle.

Rumors swirled that the ship carried three hundred fairy princesses, including three Golden Core True Princesses, opening the gates to Peach Blossom Spring and inviting the cultivators of the immortal city to partake in the path to ultimate bliss.

This caused a sensation throughout the city!

However, the price for participating in this path to bliss was exorbitant. It was said that a single night with a Purple Palace Fairy Princess cost five hundred spirit stones.

Yet, countless cultivators from the city flocked to join, even sparking conflicts and disputes.

These “interesting tales” of the “upper-tier cultivators” dominated the conversations in the taverns and tea houses below, leaving Wang Chen’s ears sore from hearing them.

By the fourth day, he could no longer bear it.

So he took out a letter symbol and activated it.

Before long, a middle-aged cultivator hurried into the tea house where Wang Chen was seated.

It was Jia Sidao.

Upon seeing Wang Chen, his face lit up with a smile. “Fellow traveler, it’s been a while!”

In truth, it hadn’t been long.

Wang Chen chuckled and said, “Jia, there’s something I’d like your help with, of course with compensation.”

Jia Sidao’s eyes brightened immediately. “I’d love to hear the details.”

Wang Chen pulled out a roll of gold certificates from his Xumi Ring and waved it toward him.

Jia Sidao’s eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, “Where did you get this gold voucher and pill book?”

Wang Chen smiled without answering.

What he held was a gold voucher that could be better described as a temporary residency permit for Yongle Immortal City!