The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 1019 - 558: City in the Mirror (Part Three... Third Update—Seeking Pink Tickets!)

What kind of concept is this? The area of the capital of our Da Tian Dynasty is less than seventeen thousand square kilometers.

She stuck out her tongue, finding it hard to imagine that in such a place with underdeveloped productivity, a super metropolis with a population exceeding ten million could exist. The very existence of such a large city itself is an ultimate challenge to urban land use planning, public transportation, environment, logistics, water supply and drainage, energy distribution, living zones, and various other issues. Even on Earth, there are numerous cities where these problems are not well-resolved.

That day, the sky was clear of clouds, and the view of the ground was fully captured by the eyes. They all caught sight of Shangdu’s towering city walls, orderly planning, exquisite mansion architecture, rows upon rows of houses, and the endless flow of people... Even from a thousand meters high in the sky looking down, this city still appeared orderly and majestic, spectacularly grand.

According to the information she gathered, the Central Capital is divided into the Inner City and the Outer City. The Inner City is home to the stations of various Immortal Sects, government offices, residences of the noble, the east and west markets, as well as garden landscaping. Beyond the moat lies the Outer City, which is the dwelling place of the vast mortals, divided into "wards." Yet the streets are still horizontally and vertically aligned, exceedingly aesthetic, hence termed "fields of chessboard arrangement." Central Capital has a long history, yet the houses and municipal public facilities gradually deteriorate over time. Therefore, as the population of Central Capital grows, every hundred years or so, there are one or two large-scale renovations. The square arrangement seen by everyone now was established more than fifty years ago.

With the prosperity of the Central Capital, it can no longer be monopolized by any single Immortal Sect, thus making this city uniquely governed by six Immortal Sects. Each of the six sects dispatched people to form the Central Capital Supervision Bureau to manage all internal matters uniformly.

The Hidden Stream Demons arrived with five days left before the auction begins. If it were for a regular auction, this time would be more than enough. However, for this one held by the Heavenly Residence, five days still felt a bit tight. The reason is simple: the items registered for the auction had started their preview displays half a month ago, allowing guests to select their desired objects in advance.

According to the Central Capital Supervision Bureau’s regulations, all entering Immortal Sects must report their whereabouts within the bureau. Ning Xiaoxian sent Qingluan to handle this task, then led everyone into the Inner City. Although the Ningyuan Hall also operated restaurants, cloth shops, and medicine shops in the Central Capital, most were in the Outer City, with only two in the Inner City, and the living conditions were not favorable. However, the steward of Ningyuan Hall was quite clever, having booked a few superior rooms early in a hostel within the Inner City, awaiting the old boss’s arrival. Although these rooms were not spacious, they were clean and sanitary, and the service was also excellent, making Ning Xiaoxian quite satisfied.

The Heavenly Residence’s biennial auction, regardless of whether for cultivators or mortals, is unimaginably appealing, so almost all large hostels and inns in the Inner City were full. Everyone’s thoughts were not on accommodation, but on getting to the auction venue quickly to see what treasures would be unveiled.

Two hours later, Qingluan returned, followed by a scholar in a long robe. Upon seeing Ning Xiaoxian, he didn’t wait for her to inquire but smiled and bent over, saying, "I am a secretary at the Supervision Bureau and also under Lord Miluo of Fengtian Prefecture. Under the instruction of the Lord, we have specially reserved a Superior Room in Haoyu Pavilion for your esteemed group to rest due to the fatigue of travel upon arriving in Central Capital!"

Haoyu Pavilion is a property of Fengtian Prefecture in the Central Capital and is also one of the most luxurious inns in the Inner City. Although the Superior Room is called a "room," it is actually a standalone building with its own gardens and courtyards, costing at least two thousand taels of silver per day. Furthermore, in such a high-demand season, it has no market even at a high price. In this case, specifically leaving a room for the Hidden Stream people means that Miluo had made a deliberate gesture.

Everyone paused in their actions, secretly admiring Miluo’s attentiveness, finding this move truly remarkable. Jiu Mo and Qingluan both found this gesture quite considerate and couldn’t help but glance at their hostess.

Ning Xiaoxian, however, showed no expression, merely smiling and saying, "Thank you for your kindness. Our current accommodations are also quite satisfactory, so there’s no need to trouble the Master further." She then asked before the secretary could respond, "Lord Miluo himself did not come to Central Capital?"

The secretary replied respectfully, "The Master is busy with affairs and had rushed back to Fengtian Prefecture overnight after the Old Grand Dowager’s birthday at King Jinghai Mansion. He will not be attending this Central Capital auction."

On that day, when Miluo managed to fall asleep in Yiqing Garden, she knew even this demon had moments of exhaustion. It seems being the Master of a prefecture is not an easy task. Fortunately, she smartly handed over the affairs of the Hidden Stream to the unlucky ones, Langya and Elder He, allowing her to leisurely travel with the Hidden Guards, enjoying her journey. However, for Miluo to miss this event held once every four years and instead attend the Old Grand Dowager’s birthday banquet was truly puzzling.