267: Chapter 265 Paradise

Yun Ming arrived at the Sundries shop.

The door curtain was half-raised, and behind the counter, Xue Ji was looking down, flipping through the account books.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, saw Yun Ming, and set down the account books.

"You've finished your seclusion?" Xue Ji asked.

"Mm. Golden Core Perfection." Yun Ming sat down on a chair in front of the counter, took out a pot of spirit tea from the map of mountains and rivers, and poured two cups. "The Princess Royal was here?"

Xue Ji picked up the teacup, took a sip, and set it down. Her brow was slightly furrowed, and her expression wasn't very pleasant. "She was. She said for you to go to Paradise to find her. I asked her what it was about, but she refused to say. She only told you to go as soon as possible, saying she has something to discuss with you."

"That's all?"

"That's all." Xue Ji paused. "She also said that the ones targeting you aren't just Xuanming Hall; someone is coordinating behind the scenes. She told me not to be too confident, as an Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator doesn't amount to much in Tianyuan City."

Yun Ming leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping on the table. "What do you think?"

Xue Ji was silent for a moment. "She has no reason to lie to us. If she wanted to harm you, she wouldn't need to come here personally. Moreover, her attitude toward me has improved quite a bit; at least she didn't mention taking me away again."

Yun Ming nodded and took a sip of tea. "I'll go. You watch the shop."

Xue Ji glanced at him. "Going alone?"

"Alone. You stay here; Ah Yuan's side also needs someone to look after it." Yun Ming stood up and set down the teacup.

Xue Ji opened her mouth as if to say something, then swallowed it back. She knew Yun Ming's temperament; once he decided something, he wouldn't change it. "Fine. Be careful. Paradise is a place of mixed quality, not exactly a proper destination. Don't let the people inside trick you—I haven't even managed to trick you yet!"

Yun Ming smiled and nodded, then lifted the curtain and walked out.

He stepped onto the Teleportation Array, and with a flash of silver light, he emerged standing at the northernmost edge of Tianyuan City.

He had arrived at Paradise.

Paradise was not a single street, but a cluster of floating islands suspended in the sky above the northern end of Tianyuan City.

Countless pavilions, terraces, water pavilions, and stages hung in mid-air, arranged in staggered heights with spiritual light flowing through them. They were not static but drifted slowly, like petals blown by the wind, light and ethereal.

The entire area was enveloped in a layer of pale pink spiritual light, the halo spilling down from high above, dyeing everything in an ambiguous, warm hue.

Beneath his feet was a grand avenue paved with jade, wide enough for ten horses to ride abreast.

Along both sides of the road, every few dozen feet stood a lotus lamp. The wicks were made of compressed Spirit Stone powder, and the flames were a pinkish-purple, flickering and casting hazy shadows. The flowering trees by the roadside were no ordinary wood; their branches were like jade, their leaves translucent, and their flowers massive, emitting a faint spiritual glow. Petals fell without any wind, carpeting the road; stepping on them was silent, leaving behind only a trail of sweet fragrance.

Looking up, pavilions and towers were suspended in mid-air.

Some were connected by suspended covered bridges, while others hung in isolation, supported only by a patch of spiritual cloud. Spiritual Bells hung from the eaves of the pavilions, tinkling when the wind passed—a crisp sound, yet tinged with a hint of laziness. In the gaps between the buildings, spiritual springs poured down from heights, forming slender waterfalls with rising mist and faint rainbows. The waterfalls fell into bathing pools below, where steam swirled and figures could be seen floating indistinctly.

Illusions condensed from spiritual light—cranes, phoenixes, and koi—drifted slowly across the pink sky. Occasionally, petals drifted down from above, shattering the moment they hit the ground and turning into a wisp of fragrant mist.

In the distance, a massive stage floated in mid-air. Musicians sat cross-legged on the stage, their zithers, harps, pipes, and flutes weaving together into decadent music. Musical notes condensed into Spiritual Flowers, drifting down from the stage in a flurry. Dancers dressed in thin gauze spun on the stage, their veils fluttering, with snowy-white skin appearing and disappearing. Spectators sat around the stage below; some raised cups, some leaned against each other, and some had already drunkenly collapsed in their chairs.

On the street, people came and went, shoulder to shoulder. Most were Cultivators; Golden Cores were everywhere, and Nascent Souls were not rare. They wore sophisticated Daoist robes, but many were already disheveled. Some had their collars open, revealing their chests; some had messy hair buns, hair draped over their shoulders; some stumbled forward clutching half-naked maidservants; some lay drunk under the flowering trees by the road, still clutching wine jars. From time to time, soft arms reached out from the roadside, holding wine cups or picking Spirit Fruits, offering them to passersby accompanied by lazy whispers: "Honored guest, why not come in and sit?" Some merely flicked a sleeve playfully before retreating behind gauze curtains, leaving behind a string of silver-bell-like laughter.

There were many open-air stalls by the road. Some sold Spiritual Wine, the liquid a pink color with fine bubbles that would swirl on its own when poured into a cup, emitting a cloyingly sweet aroma. Some sold Spirit Fruits, which were also pink; one bite would send juice splashing, sickeningly sweet. Some sold Spiritual Flowers with tiny Spiritual Bells hanging from the stems; buying a bouquet to pin to one's waist would result in a jingling sound while walking. A few Golden Core Cultivators were gathered around a stall, haggling over a bottle of Medicinal Pills said to be aphrodisiacs, all with suggestive smiles on their faces.

Yun Ming walked through the crowd, his robes neat and his hair bun meticulous, looking completely out of place in his surroundings. Some people gave him a few extra looks, some pointed at him, and some intentionally bumped into him as they passed, then walked away laughing. He ignored them and continued walking toward the depths.

The zoning of Paradise was very hierarchical. The outer perimeter consisted of gambling dens and wine shops, noisy and chaotic; the middle layer held brothels and theaters, with decadent music never ceasing; the inner layer contained various private clubs and high-end venues, which were much quieter, though the aphrodisiac Spiritual Fragrance in the air was even thicker.

Yun Ming passed through the middle layer and reached the edge of the inner layer. There were fewer people here, and the spiritual lamps were sparser, but each lamp was more exquisite. The lamp posts were made of crystal, with live spirit butterflies sealed inside, their wings fluttering and light shifting. The flowering trees by the road were taller, their petals thicker and soft to the step. The gauze curtains by the road had been replaced by veils woven from Spiritual Silk; from behind the veils came low murmurs and light laughter, and occasionally a silk sash would drift out from a gap in the curtains before being pulled back in.

Yun Ming stood at a fork in the road, looking around. There were three paths ahead, each leading in a different direction. Just as he was about to choose one at random, a set of light footsteps came from behind him. He turned his head slightly, catching a glimpse of a pale pink dress in his peripheral vision.

"Fellow Daoist, are you alone?" The voice wasn't loud, carrying a hint of lazy sweetness, like the cry of a cat that had just woken up.

Yun Ming turned around. A woman stood not far behind him, about three feet away. She wore a pale pink dress made of thin fabric, though it wasn't transparent. A silk ribbon of the same color was tied around her waist in a butterfly knot, with long tassels hanging down. Her appearance was extremely beautiful, with a natural charm in her eyes and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned. Her gaze swept over Yun Ming's face.

She held no wine or fan in her hands, merely standing there quietly. There were no maidservants behind her; she was alone. Her cultivation was not low—Golden Core Middle Stage—and her aura was restrained, but her demeanor exuded a kind of composure. She looked at Yun Ming, seemingly waiting for his answer.

"Are you also alone?" Yun Ming asked in return.

The woman gave a light laugh and didn't answer directly. "Paradise is so large; wandering alone is quite boring. Is this your first time here, Fellow Daoist?" She took two steps forward, closing the distance.

Yun Ming did not retreat. "How do you know it's my first time?"

The woman pointed at his robes. "People who come to Paradise don't dress so neatly." She paused. "Furthermore, you stood at the intersection for a long time; it's clear you don't know which way to go. Am I right?"

Yun Ming did not deny it. The woman's smile deepened. She reached out, her fingertips pinching a pink Spiritual Flower—plucked from a roadside tree at some unknown moment. The petals were thin as a cicada's wing with clear veins, glowing faintly under the pink lights.

"A gift for you. Consider it a meeting present."

She held the Spiritual Flower out in front of Yun Ming, her eyes curving into crescents.