466: Chapter 465 Peerless Sword Immortal

"Move aside, move aside!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the surrounding vendors all moved out of the way.

A man dressed in a yellow silk robe strode over.

He was rather plump, grinning widely as he flicked open a folding fan... He looked incredibly dashing, though the several large gemstone rings on his fingers gave him a bit of a nouveau riche vibe.

He leaned forward and took a deep breath.

"Mm... little brother, I smell Yellow Ganoderma and Nine-Numbness Grass. Sell them to me; price is negotiable... I am Zhao Xin, and I've been buying medicinal herbs here year-round. You must have heard of me—honest with everyone, young or old... I never cheat a customer!"

Lu Qingfeng was somewhat surprised. He smelled them?

This was truly a case of specialization in one's field.

The other vendors also scattered automatically when they saw him coming...

"Sigh, Boss Zhao is here again. How can we possibly compete with him!"

"Exactly. For some reason, he's been coming every day lately, whereas he used to only come once every ten days."

"Life is getting hard for us. Ever since he started coming, we haven't been able to buy any herbs above the fifth grade."

Lu Qingfeng overheard their conversation as well.

So, he lowered his basket and asked, "Boss, how much are you offering?"

Zhao Xin smiled, revealing a mouthful of gold teeth.

"Fifth-grade Yellow Ganoderma, five taels; fourth-grade Nine-Numbness Grass, eighty taels... Is the little brother satisfied?"

Lu Qingfeng didn't know the market prices, but observing the expressions of the people around him, he knew this price was already quite high.

He nodded and said, "Fine..."

Zhao Xin snapped his fingers, and an attendant nearby handed over the silver. Lu Qingfeng took it, pulled out the herbs, and gave them to the follower.

He turned to leave, waving his folding fan while shouting, "I am Zhao Xin! I'm buying herbs at high prices during this period. Contact me if you want to sell... but I only take herbs of the fifth grade and above."

Lu Qingfeng weighed the heavy silver in his hand.

Not bad... having the currency of this world would make things convenient.

This Zhao Xin was likely looking to profit from information asymmetry.

What that hunter said was probably true.

During this time, people were coming to Dengxian City to recruit Disciples—to ascend to Immortality!

He shouldered his basket and headed further into the city.

He planned to find a place to eat, gather information, and ideally see if there were any maps for sale.

Qianzhou, Great Yu Kingdom!

He still remembered his son's words.

First, he had to figure out where he was.

This world was likely absurdly large.

And most importantly...

This world was not a planet, because looking into the distance... one could see very, very far.

It proved that the earth was flat.

It seemed the saying 'the sky is round and the earth is square' wasn't entirely incorrect.

It might be referring to the Great Dao Realm.

He walked slowly, observing the architecture here.

It looked very much like the ancient worlds in TV dramas.

But the degree of freedom was much higher.

For example, on the streets, one could see women shopping together...

Quite a few of them, actually. Men were generally in a hurry. Those laughing and strolling leisurely were mostly women.

Behind him, there were at least three groups of people tailing him.

Lu Qingfeng shook his head. How boring. It reminded him of the former Chaos City.

With a few quick maneuvers through the crowds, he soon shook off the tails.

He entered a medium-sized tavern.

In the main hall, an elderly storyteller was preparing to begin.

Since it wasn't mealtime yet.

Lu Qingfeng was curious and decided to listen for a bit.

Just as he sat down, a waiter came over. "Guest, what would you like to eat?"

"What do you have here?"

"Everything is on here." The waiter handed over a wooden board.

Lu Qingfeng took a look—good heavens, a menu.

He randomly ordered a few dishes and a jar of wine.

He waited quietly.

Before long, the tavern gradually became lively.

His dishes had also been served.

The waiter ran over and whispered a few words into the storyteller's ear. The old man nodded.

*Slap...*

The old man struck his gavel. Everyone looked over and began to applaud.

"Mr. Song, what are you telling today?" someone asked with a smile.

"Today, I shall tell a story you've never heard before..." He stroked his beard and said with a chuckle.

"We can't wait, Old Mr. Song, start quickly!"

"No rush, no rush..." he said slowly, scanning the room. He asked, "Have you all heard the story of our Dengxian City?"

Everyone shook their heads, and someone jeered:

"Old Mr. Song, wasn't Dengxian City built by an Immortal? We all know that..."

*Slap...* The gavel struck again.

The old man shouted, "Good! Then today, this old man will tell you the story of a former Lord of Dengxian City..."

He took a sip of tea and shouted with a voice full of vigor: "Have you ever heard the story of the Peerless Sword Immortal who shouted back the Immortals... and slew ten thousand demons with a single strike? The Lord of Dengxian City, Shen Hanye!"

The crowd was in an uproar.

"Old Mr. Song, you're boasting! When was a Lord of Dengxian City ever that impressive..."

"Hahahaha!" The crowd burst into laughter.

The old man shook his head.

"You all only have a superficial understanding. Do you know the origin of Dengxian City?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Hmph..." The old man snorted and continued:

"Dengxian City has stood in the Northern Border of Lingzhou for ten thousand years... What do you think that's based on?"

"Back then, the Void Sword Immortal Shen Hanye, with his Great Void Sword Qi, won the respect of countless Immortals. Even the Demon Kings in the Tianyao Mountains ahead bowed their heads and were forced to sign a non-aggression treaty with Dengxian City..."

"Now, only ten thousand years have passed, yet you have all forgotten... Back then, the commoners of our Lingzhou Northern Border had no way to seek the path of Immortality. The Void Sword Immortal took pity on us and specifically built Dengxian City here... to seek a path to eternal life for the people of the Northern Border... Otherwise, why would Immortals come to our Lingzhou Northern Border every ten years to hold the Immortal Gate Assembly and recruit Disciples to seek the Dao?"

The old man shook his head and said with deep sorrow:

"A pity... the Void Sword Immortal's wish was for commoners with Immortal Roots to have a path to Immortality and a door to the Dao.

He didn't hesitate to offend the Demon Kings of the Tianyao Mountains and various Immortal Sects. They came to hold City Lord Shen Hanye accountable..."

"City Lord Shen, with his Great Void Sword Qi, reigned supreme in Lingzhou, forcing the major Sects to come to Dengxian City to recruit Disciples. The Demon Kings of the Tianyao Mountains dared not invade Dengxian City again, and we gained a sliver of a chance to ascend to Immortality. Now, the ten-year period is almost upon us..."

Upon hearing this, the crowd's breathing became hurried.

They asked, "Old Mr. Song, do you mean the Immortal Gate Assembly is about to open?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, the Immortal Gate Assembly will be held very soon this year."

"Old Mr. Song, when?"

"The eighth day of next month... at the South Gate Plaza of Dengxian City."

"Thank you for informing us, Old Mr. Song..."

"Hehe, don't thank me. This old man is merely informing you all. Of course, there are conditions for entry."

"What conditions?"

"A letter of recommendation..."

The crowd: "..."

"How do we get one?"

"Exchange medicinal herbs for it—fifth-grade or above—or buy it with silver. Ten taels of silver for one letter. The major herb shops in the south of the city all have channels for exchange..."

The old man stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"Song Xinlu, aren't you just fucking advertising for those herb merchants? You old geezer?"

A burly man stood up and roared.

Lu Qingfeng, sitting at a table on the edge, merely smiled.

It really was an advertisement, but the story might be true, because the Lord of Dengxian City really could have been a Peerless Sword Immortal...

Ps: Regarding character issues, if everyone provides names, the author will assign characters based on the names.

For instance, some names sound very powerful, while others sound like they're just there to play a minor role.

Please understand; don't set professional skills or anything, as it will affect the plot and make it hard for the author to adopt... thanks.

That's three chapters for today. It's Monday, and there's no one to help...

Also, who said it's finished?

There are still many plot holes to fill... ⇀‸↼