Volume 5 Chapter 96
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Volume 5 Chapter 96: The State of the World, One Side of Heaven and Earth
Outside Ronghua Mountain, although many cultivators from different sects cannot enter Ronghua Mountain, there are also many ordinary people who have lived near Ronghua Mountain for generations. Even though, in recent years, the area around Ronghua Mountain has gradually become the world of righteous cultivators, with almost forty or fifty thousand cultivators combined, within three hundred miles of Ronghua Mountain, there are still mostly ordinary people, with a total of over a million.
There is a reason for so many ordinary people in this relatively small area.
When the Righteous Alliance was established, they aimed to build layers of defense in case of unexpected events and thought that other cultivators would keep coming. They realized that if it was just Ronghua Mountain, they might not be able to accommodate everyone. So, besides setting up various defensive formations around Ronghua Mountain, the masters also personally set up three large formations at distances of five hundred miles, three hundred miles, and one hundred miles away, completely surrounding Ronghua Mountain. The defense was quite solid.
When these large formations were set up, the ordinary people who already lived near Ronghua Mountain could not be driven away. After all, cultivators are still human, and protecting humanity is also one of their duties. So, they decided to let the ordinary people within three hundred miles stay where they were, under the protection of the Righteous Alliance, so that cultivators below the Inedia Stage could buy necessary items in the ordinary world.
However, after the formations were established, the Righteous Alliance encountered unexpected troubles.
Over the years, the entire Shenzhou Continent has been in chaos. Not to mention natural disasters and human misfortunes, even battles between deities in the sky often caused devastating effects that could destroy a village in an instant. In just a few decades, the population of the Shenzhou Continent has been halved.
In this chaos and despair, the ordinary people near Ronghua Mountain remained safe because of the protection from the Qingxu Gate and the Righteous Alliance. They did not face any major threats before and after the great calamity, and although they heard of chaos and despair in other places, it felt too distant, as if it belonged to another world, since it had nothing to do with them.
But when the news spread that Ronghua Mountain had been sealed off by formations, the ordinary people three hundred miles away suddenly realized that their stable lives were indeed relying on the protection of Qingxu Gate. With Ronghua Mountain isolating them from three hundred miles, and even facing great restrictions to enter and exit five hundred miles, how should these ordinary people interact in this chaotic world? Where should they seek refuge? How could they protect themselves?
At that moment, all the ordinary people within a thousand miles of "Ronghua Mountain" began to panic and make noise. They gathered together outside the protective barrier, three hundred miles from Ronghua Mountain, some kneeling and unable to rise, while others shouted loudly, showing their anger at the Righteous Alliance for ignoring them. In despair, the Righteous Alliance had no choice but to let these ordinary people gather their belongings and bring them inside the barrier.
Even now, many refugees often kneel outside the barrier seeking shelter.
Thus, within three hundred miles of "Ronghua Mountain," there was indeed a rare population density in the Shenzhou Continent, especially compared to the chaos and despair everywhere else at that time; it was lively and peaceful. It was a true paradise on earth.
Aside from some initial discomfort with "immortals" flying overhead or directly descending into the crowds to ask and buy things, these ordinary people calmly accepted their new life. After all, in this era, simply surviving was an incredible stroke of luck.
After they got used to it, the ordinary people no longer found it strange that immortals flew through the sky. Some even formed friendships with cultivators and spent their days sharing news of the so-called immortals while eating and drinking. The young people of this generation, having been born into this situation, took the coexistence of immortals and ordinary people for granted, believing that this was how the world naturally was.
Perhaps because of the close contact between ordinary people and cultivators, the young boys who grew up watching the immortals flying around greatly admired such skills. Additionally, to support such a large population, many low-level cultivators used their powers to help ordinary people farm, gaining the admiration of the people. It was common to see individuals kneeling for a long time before Ronghua Mountain to seek apprenticeship, and in recent years, the number of low-level disciples in the Righteous Alliance had greatly increased, especially among registered disciples. After Jiuhua joined the Righteous Alliance, they also took in several disciples, some of whom showed great promise.
In fact, for the cultivators, it took some time to move from astonishment to adaptation upon seeing bustling ordinary towns spread across the land as soon as they descended.
That is the situation around "Ronghua Mountain" in recent years.
And Xu Qingfan, feeling that he had nothing to do, decided to fly down to the world of ordinary people under "Ronghua Mountain."
It fell from the sky into the bustling crowd, causing a bit of chaos among the people on the street. They pushed and shuffled to make space for Xu Qingfan to land. With awe and respect in their eyes, Xu Qingfan stepped down on a cloud, surrounded by an air of mystery, slowly descending. He looked much like the heavenly beings described in stories, but the strange thing for everyone was that the Mythical Beast on his shoulder looked like a crow. Could this elegant and calm celestial being actually be the legendary Crow God?
Upon realizing this, the crowd eagerly made more space for Xu Qingfan, remembering that in legends, the Crow God was said to bring bad luck, causing misfortune to everyone he met for three days.
Many people secretly decided that when they returned home, they would take a bath, burn incense, and ask a couple of priests to perform spells to rid themselves of any bad luck.
Little Black seldom saw so many people. Though its little eyes remained indifferent, it turned its head to look around curiously, completely unaware that the surrounding crowd was judging it by its looks and even affecting its master.
Xu Qingfan, however, paid no attention to the people’s gaze. He walked casually toward a beautiful pavilion not far away. As he observed the lively street scene, he couldn’t help but reflect. For many years, he had traveled outside "Ronghua Mountain," seeing only destruction where Beast Madness cultivators roamed and no one survived for miles. The contrast between this lively and peaceful scene and his past experiences felt like heaven and earth apart.
Reflection is just that—a reflection. One cannot dwell in such thoughts forever, much like Bai Yu’s resolve that quickly fades.
The Shenzhou Continent has reached a point where wherever there are people, there are merchants. Over the years, Ronghua Mountain would often activate a formation for a while. This was to allow refugees seeking shelter to enter and to let brave merchants come and go for trade.
The place Xu Qingfan was heading to was a tea house. In this area, the population was dense, and empty spaces were either used for homes or farmland, leaving no room for growing tea. When people struggle for food and warmth, who would have the luxury to enjoy a refined cup of tea?
Because tea was so rare, there was only this one tea house around the entire Ronghua Mountain, and it was very expensive. Only a few cultivators and even fewer wealthy commoners would ever enter.
When Xu Qingfan first joined the Righteous Alliance, he accidentally discovered this teahouse. In this noisy world and with the high prices in the way, this place was quite rare and peaceful. He liked the environment here, and the tea was even three times better than Zhang Ningmei’s. So, every time Xu Qingfan finished a task and returned to "Ronghua Mountain," he would come to this teahouse to drink tea and pass the time, relaxing his nerves.
"Miss Xu, you have come."
As soon as Xu Qingfan stepped into the teahouse, the owner welcomed him right away. Seven years is neither long nor short, but it can change many things, like turning the Xu Qingfan of that time into the now Venerable Diyang, or transforming a former waiter into the current owner.
Xu Qingfan nodded, and the owner continued, "Your usual seat is available this time. Unless it’s crowded, I’ll keep it for you."
While speaking, the owner led Xu Qingfan to the second floor of the teahouse and seated him in a corner. Most people preferred the window seats upstairs, looking down at the busy crowd below, which gave a sense of understanding about the world. However, what one understood was hard to say.
Xu Qingfan used to be like that, but for some reason, he had grown tired of the clamor of the world. Feeling exhausted amidst the noise, why should he experience the chaos of others? So, he chose the corner to quietly enjoy his tea, allowing the world to forget him.
When the owner guided Xu Qingfan in, everyone upstairs was surprised. They were all ordinary people and quite well-off, possessing keen eyes, and they understood the difference between a celestial being and a cultivator. Upon seeing Xu Qingfan, they recognized his status as a cultivator. Though curious, they were not shocked; they simply nodded to Xu Qingfan and then returned to enjoying their tea.
"The usual?"
After Xu Qingfan sat down, the owner asked.
Xu Qingfan nodded slightly and was about to say something when he noticed another person walking up from downstairs. The appearance of this person made Xu Qingfan pause for a moment.
