SWDnovel Chapter 185 True or False
Chapter 185 True or False
Good books and good stories accompany you every day.
Only when everyone got closer could they realize that this city was extraordinary.
Its city walls were high and thick, far exceeding the height of any other city seen along the way.
Judging by his eyesight, Yang Silang estimated that it was probably more than ten zhang tall, almost like a mountain piled up on flat ground. Standing under the city gate and looking to both sides, he could hardly see the beginning or the end.
This is probably related to the extraordinary power of this world; otherwise, it would be impossible to build such a magnificent city.
He also noticed that the thick bricks on the city wall were decorated with golden runes. On such a large wall, numerous golden runes were connected to form a net. Yang Silang guessed that this was not just for decoration, but also for protective purposes.
Outside the city gate was a wide avenue, several meters wide, paved with bluestone, with drainage ditches on both sides, all of which showed the power of the Shun Kingdom at its peak.
It's just getting closer.
Yang Silang noticed that the bluestone was worn everywhere, and small sections of the drainage ditches on both sides collapsed from time to time. Although they were not blocked, they could still be described as dilapidated.
Even on that majestic city wall, many bricks have weathered and peeled off.
From afar, it appears as a mighty and silent behemoth, but upon closer inspection, it seems to have aged considerably. If it were to actually move, it's uncertain how much of its former glory it would still possess.
On the city wall stand tall, multi-story arrow towers spaced at equal intervals.
On the main arrow tower, a gold-background dragon flag with the black characters for "Shun" stands. The flag is somewhat faded. The weather is fine today, with no wind at all. The flag hangs limply, much like the current state of the Shun Dynasty.
"Fourth Brother...what a huge city..." Wang Daniu looked up, his neck aching, filled with amazement. "I thought the provincial capital was big enough, but this capital must be twice the size of a provincial capital!"
Zhou Mingxuan, standing nearby, quickly pulled out a paper fan, waved it in front of him, and shook his head.
"No, no!"
"Brother Da Niu, this city has an outer wall that is 330 meters in circumference and an inner wall that is 180 meters in circumference. It has millions of residents."
"A city that can rival an entire province."
"Shuntian Prefecture is a prefecture, but it is much more powerful than an ordinary province."
Wang Daniu's eyes widened.
"Where are all these people?"
Yang Silang, who was standing next to him, suddenly laughed.
"Brother Zhou, you must have quite a few female confidantes here, right?"
Zhou Mingxuan awkwardly covered half of his face with a paper fan.
"Ahem, not many, maybe ten or twenty..."
Even Mo Xinlian looked at him with surprise, probably thinking only of the word "scumbag".
Having spent more time with Mo Xinlian, Yang Silang had also become a bit more unruly. He patted Zhou Mingxuan on the shoulder.
"Brother Zhou, please accept my condolences."
"In the past, you only needed to be heartbroken once, and you could still handle it."
"With over a dozen or twenty beautiful women in the capital, how many times must you be heartbroken?"
"How can you concentrate on your exams if you're so heartbroken?"
Zhou Mingxuan, thinking about the bad luck he had encountered along the way, suddenly panicked. He forgot to wave his fan and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, asking for advice.
"Brother Yang, please advise me, what should I do?"
He at least didn't forget that he had spent a lot of money on this long trip to take the imperial examination for military officers, not to meet a beautiful woman. He could still distinguish which was more important.
"It's best if you don't see the beauties of the capital," Yang Silang winked mischievously. "Not only should you not see them, but I'd say you shouldn't even enter the city."
"There are many temples in the bustling towns outside the city. You can go directly to a temple to stay overnight. There, you can purify your mind and body and stay in a sacred place of incense. It will definitely cut off your romantic troubles."
"After Ping An finishes his exams and achieves top honors, if he still has feelings for you, then you can visit him one by one."
He spoke with a straight face, while Mo Xinlian grabbed his arm and shrank behind him. This time, she timed her laughter perfectly, trying her best to suppress the violent shaking of her body, which made his arm ache.
Zhou Mingxuan pretended to suddenly realize something, threw away the fan in his hand, and bowed deeply to Yang Silang.
"Brother Yang is truly my benefactor."
"A single word is a wake-up call. All the misfortunes I've had on my journey here seem to stem from this calamity caused by a beautiful woman."
"It is indeed not advisable for me to show my face in public during this period. You go into the city first, and I will find a temple outside the city to settle down."
"We'll meet again someday..." He cupped his hands in farewell to everyone, and then bowed deeply to Mo Xinlian, still unable to let go of the past incident of teasing her.
He and Xiao Qi turned around and rode away, not even entering the capital city gates. They were in a great hurry, urging their horses to gallop.
"Hahaha..." Mo Xinlian finally burst out laughing after he left, punching Yang Silang on the back. "Husband, you're really mean, but I like it."
"He deserves to suffer a bit."
Yang Silang shook his head seriously.
"No, no, Brother Zhou, if you find a quiet place to calm your mind in the two months leading up to the exam, your martial arts will surely improve greatly. After you pass the exam and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), wouldn't it be even better to see those close friends again?"
"I'm helping him."
Wang Daniu, who was standing next to him, suddenly shook his head and muttered something.
"I heard from Pei Buqi that aristocratic families like to hold a ceremony where they 'select a son-in-law' based on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations."
"Given his appearance, even if he passed the imperial examination, he would probably be arrested."
"If he becomes a son-in-law of a powerful family and dares to flirt with his confidantes again, he'll probably get his legs broken!"
Yang Silang and Mo Xinlian exchanged a glance and suddenly realized that what Wang Daniu said was actually quite possible, and the group immediately burst into laughter.
Amidst laughter and conversation, the group joined the long queue waiting to enter the city.
The guards at the gate checked everyone's travel permits.
Yang Silang was a martial arts graduate, and Wang Daniu was a pageboy from a respectable family; neither of them had any problems.
Although Mo Xinlian was a fake concubine, she did indeed have a genuine travel permit.
However, her travel permit, made of gold-colored paper with cloud patterns, was written with silver ink, unlike the style of ordinary people.
Upon seeing this, the guard bowed respectfully and accepted the package with both hands. He merely opened it as a formality, without even looking at it, and then returned it respectfully, quickly making way for the three to enter the city.
After the three entered the city...
Wang Daniu asked curiously.
"Sister-in-law, why is your travel permit different from ours?"
Mo Xinlian smiled casually.
"Oh, because I'm not from Jiangdong Province, my travel permit is different."
Since she was unwilling to talk about it, Yang and Wang stopped asking.
After entering the city and passing through the inner barbican, one truly enters the capital city.
boom!
Yang Silang felt a huge aura of worldly affairs rush towards him, and his soul was instantly suppressed by a great realm.
He was taken aback.
He used his soul power to activate the black ring within his body and communicate with the Ink Lotus.
"My lady...why is it that upon entering the capital, although my physical body is unharmed, I feel my cultivation level in Taoism has plummeted to the Wandering Soul Realm?"
It's true that the two have broken their bond and will no longer live and die together.
However, Mo Xinlian split the Tongzhou Ring in two. She only took back the white ring, leaving the black ring directly in Yang Silang's body for him to refine. She didn't see any other benefits for the time being, but it made it easier for the two to communicate and exchange thoughts directly through the ring.
Yang Silang tried it; he rode the Great Green Horse ten miles away from the ship and was still able to contact Mo Xinlian as clearly as if they were talking beside each other.
Mo Xinlian's soul responded.
"After the founding of Shun State, Emperor Taizu Qitai died and Emperor Zhaoming ascended the throne. He gathered dozens of immortals in the capital and built the outer wall of the capital. All the bricks were fired in the brick kiln belonging to the Zhaixing Tower."
"It is said that a lot of rare and precious materials were used when the bricks were fired, and they were mixed with the blood and essence of many demons. It is also said that when the city wall was built, nine demon immortals with dragon bloodlines were killed at the foundation and the Nine Dragons Formation was set up."
"This formation is directly connected to the imperial city, and some say it is connected to the underground palace of Emperor Taizu Qitai."
"Anyway, from the moment the formation was completed, the capital city became a place of spiritual deprivation. It absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, the sun and moon much slower than other places. Moreover, the cultivation level of Dao cultivators will be suppressed by one level after entering the city."
"Therefore, those who cultivate themselves call this place the forbidden land of the imperial capital. They are generally unwilling to enter the city, and settling here is even more torturous."
"Even those scions of noble families, aside from social engagements, actually rest outside the city at night; those mansions inside are merely homes in name only."
"On the contrary, the Royal Guards have special cultivation methods. Whether it is martial arts or Taoism, they can increase their strength by half a percent in the outer city, but by forty or fifty percent in the inner city. If they are in the Imperial City, it is said that they can advance to a whole realm and become stronger and stronger."
Yang Silang nodded silently.
Emperor Taizu Qitai knew that Yang Silang was a powerful figure who overthrew various local warlords and established his rule over the world in one fell swoop. In particular, Yang Silang knew that many of these warlords were backed by powerful aristocratic families.
You can tell how formidable this guy is, and the fact that he wants to spread Taoism throughout the world makes him even more formidable.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Zhaoming was no less capable after his death. He spent a huge sum of money to build a city that forbids spirits from entering, so that the powerful families could not interfere and the capital was truly under his control.
Those who enter the city but are not his people are weakened, while his people are strengthened. Who would dare to covet this city?
With control over this metropolis of millions, plus the surrounding six provinces, the emperor will remain a powerful force capable of determining the future of the world, even amidst great upheavals.
Even if they were trapped in only one city in the end, they would still have bargaining chips in their hands. When things became unbearable, they would abdicate and the country would perish. The last emperor might not live, but his descendants would continue his bloodline. He was truly painstaking.
The three continued walking forward. Needless to say, the streets were bustling with activity, with pedestrians shoulder to shoulder and shops lining both sides of the road. There were even more people dressed in strange clothes, and blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigners walking openly.
Apart from that.
Yang Silang also noticed that many demons on the street had transformed into human form but still retained their demon appearance, such as cat-eared women and people with upturned tails, which was not uncommon.
Wang Daniu's eyes almost popped out of his head as he watched.
Da Qing's mouth was practically watering as he watched the mounts coming and going.
Mo Xinlian snorted coldly, and the two people and the donkey quickly looked away.
"My lord, it's getting late. Where shall we find lodging?"
"Ah... I had already considered this..."
He told Wang Daniu to find a errand boy and tell him the name of the Fu Family Inn.
Master Fu Liunian, the master of the Pagoda, gave him a silver token with the character "Fu" on it, instructing him to find lodging in the capital and not to worry about any expenses incurred during that time.
The old man said his grandson runs a small inn, and business is doing well. He also asked him to take a look at his great-granddaughter and see if she was suitable, and if so, to take her in.
To this end, they brought out the Turtle Breathing Technique, a supreme martial art of the Golden Marrow Grandmaster level.
Yang Silang certainly couldn't refuse. He thought that even if the other party was being polite, he would still have to pay after checking in. It was a small business, how could he afford to go on credit?
They arrived at the entrance of the Fu Family Inn.
Looking at the shop that occupied the entire street, with its wide entrances that could accommodate three horse-drawn carriages, a row of horse-drawn posts on both sides, and a cluster of inns inside, he realized that Old Master Fu was being too modest. This was hardly a small inn.
Come here.
He entered the shop with his pass, and soon the head manager rushed to greet him and respectfully invited him in.
Yang Silang knew that the token given by Master Fu was a token of their relationship, and he did not hide the fact that he was a martial arts instructor who came here to take the martial arts exam.
The head steward said that the owner had to go out on business and would not return home for more than ten days. He asked the distinguished guests to stay temporarily and found a courtyard for the three of them.
The courtyard wasn't large, but it had a few rooms and a stable. It was small but exquisite, considering that it wasn't easy to find a place to stay in the capital. In fact, it was one of the best rooms in the inn.
So the group settled down. Wang Daniu stayed in one room, while Yang Silang and Mo Xinlian naturally stayed together. They were tired from the journey, so they rested for now.
The following evening.
It was just time to go to bed.
In the past, Mo Xinlian would have already taken off her clothes and gone to bed, but today she wore her favorite pink jacket, removed her disguise, and revealed her true face again. She then applied makeup in front of the mirror, dressing up beautifully.
Under the lights, the beauty slowly removed her clothes, revealing her slender curves, and Yang Silang stared at her intently.
He knew that if you were timid and hesitant with this fairy, she would dislike you. You had to be bold and observe her closely, even if she was angry, because you believed it was her true nature.
As expected, seeing him so engrossed in watching, Mo Xinlian smiled smugly and slipped into the quilt, lying in Yang Silang's arms.
Today, Yang Silang is telling the story of how the Holy Monk fell in love with Yang Silang at first sight in the Women's Kingdom, and how Sanzang pretended to exchange his favor for passage.
Mo Xinlian tapped his chest and smiled.
"My husband, are your feelings for me sincere or feigned?"
Yang Silang answered immediately without blinking.
"My heart is truly with Li Xing'er, who stays by my side day and night listening to my stories and keeping me company as I fall asleep; but as for Fairy Mo, I am not worthy of her, and I feel ashamed and dare not even dream of her..."
Mo Xinlian blinked and mumbled something.
"Then you'll have to work hard. Thinking about it, it's actually quite possible..."
Her expression suddenly turned serious, and she spoke slowly.
"My husband, we have been husband and wife for twenty days, and our time together has come."
"Let's get a divorce today..."