Chapter 345 Nice Management, a Different City
At the four-part architecture.
Li Nianfan was holding a Chinese ceramic cup with tea in it. He used the cup’s lid to push away the tea leaves that were floating on the surface of the tea. Then, he gently blew on it before taking a sip.
He said sentimentally, “It’s best to drink hot tea during the cold winter. Goodbye ice popsicles and soda.”
Of course, that did not apply to the two brats, Nanan and Dragin. They were happily sucking on their ice pops.
Suddenly, Dragin seemed to recall something. She said, “Brother, the gourd vine in the backyard sprouted another gourd.”
“Oh, really?”
Li Nianfan put down his teacup and walked to the backyard.
“It really grew!” He smirked. He approached it and saw a gold gourd hanging on a gourd vine.
The golden gleam reflected under the sunlight. Its size was about the same as the Purple Golden Gourd that was hanging on his waist. However, their appearances were different. The Golden Gourd looked fantastic. It looked like an accessory made from pure gold.
Li Nianfan picked it up and held it in his hands. He felt like it was weightless.
“This gourd vine’s awesome at growing gourds. I wonder if it’s some kind of amazing Spiritual Plant.”
Li Nianfan suddenly had a thought. “This was a seed given to me by Goddess Gu. It makes sense if the gourds are extraordinary. It looks cool, but it’s probably not that powerful.”
Li Nianfan went back to the four-part architecture. He wondered what he could do with the Golden Gourd.
Creak.
The door of the four-part architecture swung open.
Daji and the Fire Phoenix walked in quietly. Li Nianfan had to laugh. “You two. Snuck out to play outside this early in the morning?”
“Hehe, we brought you something.”
Daji smiled beautifully. Then, she lifted her hand and out came a gold rock. She passed it to Li Nianfan.
“Gold?” Li Nianfan was slightly taken aback. He took the rock and examined it in his hand.
“It’s quite heavy. More dense than gold!” Li Nianfan arched his eyebrow and turned the rock over in his hand. He looked at it closely under the sunlight. The surface of the rock was very smooth. There were no sharp edges but it was not even either. The edges were a little crooked and uneven. However, it was not disorderly. It was quite nice to look at.
Li Nianfan asked curiously, “Where did you get this from?”
Daji replied, “It looked interesting so we traded it with someone.”
“It’s indeed interesting. I don’t know if this rock’s natural or man-made.” Li Nianfan smiled and nodded. “It’s very intriguing.”
He put the rock aside and said, “Daji, I noticed that ever since you started to cultivate, you can’t stay put anymore.”
Daji blushed slightly. She replied coyly, “I just wanted to do more things that would entertain
you.”
“Haha, it’s natural. I myself can’t stay put either.” Li Nianfan laughed. “No one likes staying at the same spot once they’re capable. It’d be awful if we just remained here in the four-part architecture.”
Transportation in the Immortal Realm was poorly developed and dangerous. Previously, he was an ordinary man so he could only stay in one spot. He only moved around the four-part architecture, the Clear Moon Lake, and the Fallen Town. However, he was one of those people with a cloud vehicle now, so he obviously could not stay put.
Speaking of that, Li Nianfan felt blessed to have Deluxe Merit Flesh. Otherwise, Daji would be forced to stay with him in his tiny four-part architecture. He felt like it would be wrong. Daji hurriedly said, “The four-part architecture’s the best place in the entire realm. I’m willing to stay here until I die. I’d be happy to!”
She sounded very sincere and honest.
Dragin and Nanan jumped. They thought Li Nianfan was going to chase her out. They teared up and ran to hug his legs. “Us too. Brother’s four-part architecture’s a hundred times better than anywhere else in the realm! We won’t go out so recklessly anymore!”
“What silly nonsense.” Li Nianfan was entertained. He was also touched. He scratched their noses and said while smiling, “How can our tiny four-part architecture compare to the vast realm? Even a canary will be depressed when trapped inside a cage, right?”
He stood up and continued, “Actually, I can’t be tamed either. How about we all go on a trip together?” He felt like an ordinary person with a car. If an ordinary person did not have a car, they would only stick to one place. However, once they did, it would be convenient to go around visiting different places. How could he stay put?
“Go out? Really?!”
Nanan and Dragin were instantly energetic again. They smiled widely.
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Let me think of where we should go.”
He always waited for guests to visit him in the past. Now, he could go visit them. At that moment, he realized the importance of connection. He could go to a lot of places if he had the right connections. He could also go visit an old friend.
He did not want to go to the Carp Palace because he had already visited it recently. The Ganlong Immortal Dynasty was too close by. He still had…the Linxian Palace, Azure Ville, or the Xia Kingdom. “Oh yeah, let’s go to the Xia Kingdom! Let’s have a spontaneous trip.”
Li Nianfan had a spark in his eyes. “Let’s see how Zhou Yunwu’s handling the country. And Meng Junliang, too. Didn’t he open up a school? I have to check it out!”
Moreover, the Xia Kingdom was the kingdom of humans. Li Nianfan was more familiar with the locals.
Dragin and Nanan did not care where they were going. They nodded without a second thought. “Alright, alright.”
Daji also smiled and said, “It’s all up to you.” “Let’s go then.” Li Nianfan started to form a cloud with his Deluxe Merit Light. “Come on up. Get on my cloud, let’s fly.”
The golden cloud floated away from the four-part architecture and beamed towards the horizon.
Li Nianfan naturally could not mistreat his close friends. His golden cloud was as huge as a house. Everyone could lay down on it and there would still be enough space.
He could do whatever he wanted because he had Deluxe Merit.
Li Nianfan had an idea on the cloud. He smiled and asked, “Daji, you gave me a gold rock. I have a Golden Gourd here. It must be fate. Do you like this gourd?”
Daji looked at the Golden Gourd. She was in awe. She could feel how important the gourd was. She replied, “I do.”
Li Nianfan smiled. “As long as you like it, it’s
yours.”
“This…” Daji was surprised. She took the gourd and said in a touched tone, “Thankthank you.”
She had pretty eyes. They were squinted from smiling. She suddenly looked a lot softer and feminine. Li Nianfan instantly felt his heart race.
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Why so courteous?”
He paused for a moment before he continued, “Alright. Since we’re bored, how about we play a game I just invented?”
Li Nianfan took out a deck of wooden cards. The wooden cards were thin and refined. It was not made from hardwood. Instead, it was soft and bendable. It felt nice to the touch.
Everyone knew Li Nianfan was working on that over the last few days. However, they could not tell what he was making. They guessed it was extraordinary.
Nanan asked curiously, “Brother Nianfan, what game is that?”
She looked at the wooden cards and noticed the strange patterns carved on them. She did not understand it at all.
Li Nianfan smiled and replied, “Poker, an easy game. You’ll learn it after one go.”
He felt helpless.
Li Nianfan never had a worthy opponent when he played chess. Daji could accompany him but she was not good enough for him to take her seriously. It was a pain for him so he had to invent a new game. Hence, the birth of Poker. Due to limited materials, making poker cards was much more complex than making chess pieces. However, he finally finished it.
Soon, the golden cloud was filled with playful laughter.
The cloud was not fast nor slow. Half an hour had passed by when they arrived at the Xia Kingdom. Li Nianfan parked his cloud outside the city to avoid attention. Then, he walked into the city.
The Xia Kingdom was completely different from when he last visited. It was busier than ever.
The last time Li Nianfan was at the Xia Kingdom, the entire city was dead silent because it was affected by the plague and the war. People were fleeing from the city, and no one else entered the city at that time. Everyone looked hopeless then.
WO
The weather was cold but the crowd was still bustling. Moreover, you could tell from their gazes that they loved their country very much. You could tell they were excited about the future from their conversations.
Soldiers stood along the city wall. However, there were just a few of them. They stood guard on simple order. Cultivators flew by from time to time in the sky. They were quite familiar with the Xia Kingdom.
Even the city door had been renovated. It looked opulent with its doors wide open, guarded by a guard on each side. People could easily go into the city after some basic questioning.
They entered the city. The streets were bustling, and the sides of the road were filled with stalls. It was crowded.
The crowdedness was different from Fallen Town. The stalls were not random. Most of them were stores. It was much more organized and tidy. The streets were clean and easy to pass through, probably because they had a ‘city manager’ type of person in charge of the streets.
Li Nianfan nodded continuously on the way. He had to compliment, “That Zhou Yunwu’s ruling over this place quite nicely.”
The Xia Kingdom made Li Nianfan feel like it was a big city in the Immortal Realm. It was bustling and successful.
Li Nianfan paused. He looked interested as he said, “Xia Kingdom Bookstore? A bookstore in the Immortal Realm? I wonder what it’s like.”
He smiled and walked into the bookstore.
The bookstore was not huge. The owner of the bookstore was an elder with half-white hair. He was brushing his beard with his hand while reading a book. He was living a leisurely life.
He noticed Li Nianfan and the others. He smiled and greeted them, “Welcome, everyone. May I know if you’re interested in purchasing some books or reading them?” Li Nianfan replied, “Just looking around.”
He noticed that a lot of people were reading books while sitting on the floor. They were obsessed.
The bookstore made Li Nianfan feel like it was a public library. He wondered if the owner could profit from this store.
Li Nianfan asked curiously, “Elder, you let others read books for free. Aren’t you worried that people will just read them without buying?”
“Haha, I’m not worried.”
The elder smiled and said, “Only the locals can stay here long enough to read. Now that the Xia Kingdom’s bustling, there’s a continuous crowd. They don’t have the time to spend all day reading here. Therefore, most can only buy my books. And I promise, whoever reads my books will most probably be willing to pay for it.”
‘Who would’ve thought that this was the elder’s business strategy? Free at first, pay later. Awesome.’
Li Nianfan arched his eyebrow. “So confident?”
“Of course. My books are good quality!” The elder smiled. “You guys must be outsiders, right? Let me show you around.”
The elder looked old but was very energetic. He showed Li Nianfan over to a bookshelf.
There were a lot of repetitive books on the bookshelf. There was not much variety. “Sir, look at this one. “Journey to the West’, written by Wu Cheng’en, a cultured Immortal. How else was he able to write such a magnificent story of Gods and Monsters?
“And this, ‘Divine Farmer’s Herbal Classics’. This Divine Farmer’s a living Saint. He’s rescued countless lives. If it wasn’t for him, the Xia Kingdom wouldn’t be this successful. It’d be a dead city by now! Buy this book. It’s beneficial and super worth it!”
“I don’t need to introduce this one, the ‘Jiang’s Six Secret Teachings’. Written by a legendary anonymous person. This was the key to our victory in war. Buy this for kids to study and they’ll become a general in the future!
“And this, ‘West Journey Record’ written by the army advisor of the Xia Kingdom. All his revelations and knowledge are here. It’s a good read.”
The elder was extra proud of the books. He excitedly introduced them. Perhaps he always introduced them to everyone who visited the store. He had an admiring glint in his eyes.
Li Nianfan sighed in relief. He noticed that the books on the bookshelf were mostly related to himself. He retold the stories, and Meng Junliang probably shared a more refined version based on his stories. Either way, Meng Junliang did as he was told to. He did not mention his name and used an anonymous pen name. It was a nice move.
The elder finally sighed and said, “These books saved the Xia Kingdom. They saved the people! They are the basis of our knowledge!”
Li Nianfan nodded understandingly. He exclaimed, “Elder, what a nice speech.”
The elder added, “Do you want to buy a few books, sir? I can give you a discount.” “Ha, no thanks.” Li Nianfan shook his head.
The elder was instantly baffled. He did not expect Li Nianfan to reject his offer.
He was dumbfounded as he said, “Sir, it’s good morale to respect your elders. I’m already so old, and my mouth has gone dry from the speech. That’s hard work on my side. You’re troubling me if you don’t buy some.”
“Elder, I’m just joking,” laughed Li Nianfan. He then said, “Give me a set of these books. I like supporting original publications.”
“That’s very generous and wise of you, sir! I knew you were extraordinary at first sight!”
The elder was instantly energetic. He excitedly started to pack up the books.
Li Nianfan accepted the books as souvenirs. He was about to leave.
Suddenly, another elder walked in. He said to the bookstore elder, “Old Man Lin, school’s almost over. Let’s go to pick up our grandchildren!”
The bookstore owner smiled happily and said, “Let’s go, let’s go together.” “Yo, someone purchased a lot of books from you,” teased the elder. Then, he looked at Li Nianfan and jumped. He looked at Li Nianfan and the others who were leaving the store, completely baffled.
The bookstore owner frowned. “Old Man Sun, what’s wrong with you?”
“It’s him. That’s him. I’m sure that’s him!”
Old Man Sun hurriedly rushed out. He looked and searched amongst the crowd. “Who is he?”
“That’s the Divine Farmer! I’m sure of it. At that time, right here, my son was about to be captured for quarantine but I wouldn’t allow it. He was the one who appeared!” Old Man Sun teared up from being emotional. He mumbled, “He told me he wasn’t an Immortal. He’s an ordinary man, but he cured…the plague!”
“Are you sure you recognized the right person?”
Old Man Lin widened his eyes. He had goosebumps all over. He looked in the direction where Li Nianfan disappeared as if he was a frozen statue. He felt regretful and emotional. “I talked to the Divine Farmer. I accepted money from the savior. I… Yikes!”