Chapter 400: Jade Emperor

「The next day.」

Beneath a blue sky dotted with white clouds, brilliant golden sunlight poured down. The towering Liangzhou State City crouched on the plains like a colossal beast, while outside its gates, a long line of people snaked its way toward the entrance.

Most of them were refugees in ragged clothes.

“It’s huge!”

Xin Xue’Er’s large eyes stared, a little dazed. She seemed to lack the words to describe it. “Uncle, it’s even bigger than the biggest city I’ve ever seen!”

“Yes, it is. The cities I’ve taken you to before were just county seats or Prefecture Cities. This is a State City.”

“But there’s always a taller mountain. This Liangzhou State City is nothing compared to the secondary capital, Shangluo. And the legendary Great Yu Divine Capital is said to be even more majestic, a world unto itself…”

Fang Rui patted Xin Xue’Er’s head. “If we get the chance, we’ll go see them someday.”

“Okay!”

Xin Xue’Er thought for a moment before asking, “Uncle! Uncle! Were Elder Weng and the others we saw yesterday heading here all along?”

“They were. Without my involvement, I imagine Elder Weng and his group were indeed headed here.”

The pair, one big and one small, walked forward hand-in-hand, chatting as they went. High above, a Purple Feathered Crane circled, its clear cry echoing as it beat its wings.

There was more than one lane to enter the city.

The lane for nobles required only the presentation of a Token for free entry. The merchant lane had almost no wait but cost one hundred large coins. The commoner’s lane demanded a patient wait in line and an entrance fee of ten large coins…

But the refugees, who made up the largest group, naturally couldn’t even afford ten large coins. They were led away by several Stewards in black to be assigned labor.

‘Assigned labor? Are there really that many jobs in Liangzhou State City?’

Fang Rui watched the Stewards in black and the refugees being led away. He noticed that all of them, Stewards and refugees alike, had happy smiles on their faces, and he grew thoughtful.

“Uncle, why’d you space out?”

“Oh, just thinking about something.”

“Let’s go get in line!”

“No need.”

Fang Rui didn’t use Magic to befuddle anyone and slip through the nobles’ lane. Instead, he took out a corner of silver and let his money do the talking, quickly entering the city through the merchant lane.

“Hm?!”

The moment he entered the city, he felt a suppressive force.

The suppression wasn’t particularly strong. Here, the Force of a Middle Grade Martial Artist or the True Qi of an Upper Grade Martial Artist would likely be reduced in power by half.

‘The effect on me is negligible. It’s like a giant draped in a spiderweb—I could break through it with a single push, but they might be able to use it to lock onto my position.’

‘Interesting. It’s similar to the suppression from a military formation or from Qi Fortune. Is it some kind of Treasure?’

Fang Rui’s eyes glinted. ‘If this effect were infinitely strengthened and amplified, wouldn’t it be powerful enough to sever the connection between heaven and earth?!’

He found a Child—a broker—and on the way to look at rental properties, he casually brought up the matter in conversation.

“Asking me, sir, you’ve certainly come to the right person. My family has lived in this Liangzhou City for generations. We’ve passed down a few secrets over the years.”

The Child paused, and only after Fang Rui gave him a few large coins did he grin from ear to ear and continue, “In the past, the city didn’t have this kind of Restriction. But, sir, as you know, the people of our Liangzhou are fierce, and we had a lot of unruly Martial Artists fighting in the city…”

“Later, the Governor activated the Super Grade Secret Treasure, the Celestial Extinction Record. I’ve heard that this Super Grade Secret Treasure was apparently modeled after a treasure in the Divine Capital called the Jade Emperor’s Celestial Sealing Book…”

Clearly, he wasn’t lying before. He even knew a term like Super Grade Secret Treasure.

‘Just like how the Super Grade Secret Treasure of Wuzhou State City, the Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map, was refined in imitation of the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Map of Mountains and Rivers… is the Celestial Extinction Record of Liangzhou State City the same?’

‘So, this so-called Jade Emperor’s Celestial Sealing Book is probably an Innate Supreme Treasure as well. Another one, after the Map of Mountains and Rivers, the Chaos Four Symbols Banner, and the Primordial Golden List!’

Fang Rui mused on this, then asked, “Those refugees who were led away at the city gate—where in the city are they put to work?”

“I hear it’s at the State Military Camp.”

The Child shook his head and sighed. “That’s not a place for decent folk… In any case, none of the refugees who are taken there have ever been seen again.”

“What’s going on with that?”

“Who knows? Sir, I have my suspicions, but I wouldn’t dare say them out loud!”

The Child pointed upward. “Looming over our State City is the thousand-year-old Noble Family… the Liao Family.”

“I see.”

A thoughtful glint appeared in Fang Rui’s eyes.

「A short while later.」

After looking at a number of courtyards, he finally used the Divine Technique, Emperor’s Gaze, to observe their feng shui and chose a small, quiet courtyard in a convenient location.

Throughout the process, the Child showed no impatience, explaining everything meticulously. The prices were fair, and he was thoroughly professional.

After signing the lease and renting the courtyard, Fang Rui tipped him one-tenth of a tael of broken silver.

“Thank you, sir! Thank you!”

“You earned it. Thanks for your help.”

“You’re too kind, sir. This is how I make my living. Times are tough, so you’re the one helping me out by giving me your business…”

The Child gave a wry smile. “It used to be better, but with the drought this year, we’re barely scraping by, a full meal one day and an empty stomach the next. Still, people like me are the lucky ones. For the manual laborers, just finding a job that’ll give them a bowl of porridge is a rare blessing. And that’s not even mentioning all those deluded refugees outside the city…”

‘If a hardworking person can’t even secure food and clothing, let alone get rich, perhaps they’ve chosen the wrong path. But when that becomes the norm for everyone, then something is wrong with the world itself.’

Fang Rui thought to himself as he watched the Child depart.

The two of them, one big and one small, swept the courtyard inside and out until it was spotless.

The little girl, Xiaoya, also insisted on taking out her wind chimes and clay figurines, hanging the chimes by the window and arranging the figurines inside the room.

If Fang Rui had been alone, he probably would have been too lazy for such fuss. But with Xin Xue’Er around, he found himself doing these “seemingly meaningless things,” which gave him more of a human touch.

「Afterward.」