I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

"First, we must celebrate. A closed-door cultivation isn't complete without a celebration!"

Zhou Yi's escaping light descended into Moyun City, and with a flicker, he transformed into a handsome young master, inquiring of everyone he met.

"Where can one enjoy the company of courtesans and listen to music?"

Passersby pointed in the direction of the southeast, "Hehuan Yuan!"

"This name seems to have quite a history!"

Zhou Yi had visited countless brothels over the past thousand years. None less than a hundred, with names like Spring Breeze, Xiaoxiang, Yihong, Full Moon, etc., were all named by learned scholars from the Four Books and Five Classics.

After all, those attending these brothels were either scholars or those pretending to be scholars. Ordinary people simply couldn't afford to spend several taels of silver just for tea.

A straightforward name like Hehuan Yuan was indeed something he heard for the first time.

"I must go and broaden my horizons."

His escaping light landed in the north of the city, but Zhou Yi was in no hurry. He strolled leisurely with his hands tucked in his sleeves.

Times had changed, as had the scenery.

The atmosphere of Moyun City had greatly changed from what it once was. The one hundred thousand mountains produced many precious herbs like wild ginseng, which attracted rich merchants from various nations of Cloud Continent who bustled in the streets, speaking loudly in different accents. Experience new stories with M-V-L

The people on the streets were no longer wearing hemp robes and beast skins, nor were there demon-like creatures with ox, tiger, or wolf heads—instead, there were clothes of all colors and materials.

The voices were loud, the streets lively.

Zhou Yi walked at a leisurely pace, occasionally entering shops or browsing stalls.

From the townspeople's idle chatter, he learned that the city lord's mansion maintained the operation of Moyun City by taxing the wealthy merchants' trade, which yielded a revenue far exceeding that of agricultural tax—so long as the precious medicinal herbs from the one hundred thousand mountains didn't run out.

After all, Moyun City was surrounded by myriad valleys and ridges; even if you continued to cultivate the land for several hundred years, you would only get a little arable land around the city, barely enough to supply the city with food.

There was another reason—most city residents practiced Qi-Blood martial arts, and agricultural tax simply couldn't be levied!

"Such wealth and happiness, it is indeed like a paradise on Earth."

The closer Zhou Yi got to the center of the city, the more he noticed that the shops on both sides had slowly all turned into taverns, with a rich aroma of alcohol that was fragrant and enduring.

Looking ahead, the entire street was filled with shops brewing and serving alcohol.

Outside the taverns, numerous stools were filled with patrons in colorful attire—there were richly dressed young nobles, robust laborers, some sitting upright in a restrained and elegant manner, others casually stretching their legs out in a relaxed pose.

The sounds of thumb-guessing games and the issuing of drinking orders intermingled continuously, and shouts of encouragement were occasionally heard, surely from someone who just downed a whole jar of liquor in one go!

While Zhou Yi made no distinctions of status or nobility among people, having lived a long time, he inevitably became influenced by the customs of this world, and seeing such a scene, he suddenly took an interest.

He found an open seat, called over a waiter to serve some wine, rewarded the server with a silver bean, and asked,

"Buddy, is this how everyone drinks wine here?"

"Sir, you must be new to Moyun City and unfamiliar with our customs."

The server skillfully pocketed the silver bean and explained with a smile, "Here we follow the belief that all are equal over wine; other places may have hierarchies, but once you sit at the wine table, everyone is the same. This custom has been passed down for hundreds of years. Even the Great Elder can't put on airs here."

Zhou Yi found it amusing and asked, "Does this custom have an origin?"

"Of course, it does. It is said that five hundred years ago, the mountains were filled with man-eating demons, and the Golden God took pity and established Moyun City to protect the people."

The server, having explained this many times, spoke succinctly, "Since the Golden God loved fine wine and often transformed into a commoner to taste wines everywhere, the city lord's mansion decreed that taverns should treat all customers equally, lest they inadvertantly slight a deity."

"This rule has been passed down for hundreds of years, and it became our custom here, just as people on Cloud Continent set off firecrackers for New Year."

"Interesting, interesting!"

Zhou Yi nodded with a smile, opened the jar and sniffed; the fragrance was more refined than it had been hundreds of years ago.

He gulped down a jar of wine and then bought two more jars to put into his storage bag. Thereafter, at each tavern he stopped briefly; if the taste was good, he bought two jars.

Until he reached the city center.

From afar, he saw a bronze statue of a god nearly thirty feet high, with its entire body in a half-seated position, sitting not on a chair or Lotus Platform but on a sturdy yellow ox with its horns gilded, glittering brilliantly in the sunlight.

A black tiger lay at its feet, a tortoise chancellor served by its side, a golden eagle perched on its shoulder, with wings spread as if poised to fly.

In front of the statue were two rows of pillars engraved with mysterious patterns—if examined closely, the patterns were disordered texts, chanting in accordance with some mystical law, pitches soaring and lingering, like a murmur like a sutra.

At this moment.

A man and a woman were being instructed by the officiant to bow three times and kowtow nine times to the statue. After the ritual was completed, they made an offering of incense.

The officiant announced that under the witness of the Golden God, the man and woman were joined as husband and wife, and henceforth were to remain united in heart.

Their families and onlookers nearby let out loud cheers, blessing the bride and groom, and it seemed like the groom's mother offered incense, asking the officiant to let the Golden God know to bestow a blessing on the bride to bear a strong progeny.

"The Golden God wishes to bless all people; we, however, should not be greedy and unbridled!"

The officiant asked, "Do you choose a child as strong as an ox, as fierce as a tiger, as free as an eagle, or as long-lived as a tortoise?"

Being a devout follower of the Golden God, the mother bowed to the officiant and said, "With the Golden God above, this old woman does not seek for my grandson to achieve greatness; all I ask for is peace and longevity, like that of the tortoise."

The officiant nodded slightly and began to chant the soaring and lingering spell once again, finally indicating that the Golden God had received the prayer.

"Hmm, indeed, I have received it."

Zhou Yi was listening nearby; he flicked his finger, and a beam of spiritual light entered the couple, dispelling all their hidden illnesses and injuries, leaving them strong and healthy.

After the bride and groom left, the officiant attended to a few more worshippers' prayers. Most people asked the Golden God for safety and well-being, others sought to find precious herbs in the mountains, and some even directly prayed for sudden wealth and riches.

In the eyes of the people of Moyun City, the Golden God was a deity who governed everything, and for any matter, they would come to offer prayers.