Chapter 406: South Peak City
Chapter 406: South Peak City
And so, with a mix of traveling, drawing arrays, punishing bandits, and feeding Dabai, Mohua and his companions journeyed forth, taking in the local customs along the way.
Several months later, Mohua and his group finally arrived at South Peak City.
South Peak City was larger than Tongxian City.
From a distant peak outside the city, Mohua gazed upon it, estimating that it was roughly twice the size of Tongxian.
The city gates loomed taller, yet they appeared somewhat crude.
The arrays inscribed upon them were not particularly advanced, at least not to Mohua's discerning eye.
The walls, weathered by the elements, bore cracks and blemishes.
Each person had to pay an entry fee of one spirit stone before entering the city.
Not all immortal cities charged an entry fee; Tongxian City, for instance, did not.
In fact, most of the cities they had passed through on their journey did not require payment.
And even when there was a toll, it was never this exorbitant.
A single spirit stone was no small sum for an ordinary loose cultivator.
Moreover, Little Barbarian State seemed even poorer than other places they had visited.
There were five people in their group: Mr. Zhuang, Gui Lao, and the three young disciples.
Mohua paid five spirit stones in total.
The gatekeepers accepted the stones and granted them passage without further ado.
They dared not cause trouble for Mohua, especially with the towering Dabai standing by his side.
They could tell that the cultivator who could afford such a fine spirit beast and carriage was not someone they wanted to offend.
Mohua and his companions passed through the gates and entered South Peak City.
The interior of the city was even more spacious, with wider streets.
However, the stone bricks paving the roads were pitted and worn, and dust filled the air. Most of the cultivators passing by were dressed poorly, their faces bearing the marks of a hard life.
"Master, where are we going now?" Mohua asked, turning to his companions as he sat atop Dabai.
"Let's find an inn to stay at first," Mr. Zhuang replied.
"Okay," Mohua agreed.
He inquired with a few cultivators and then, turning left and right along the street, they arrived at an inn nestled in a corner.
A worn signboard hung above the entrance, bearing the words "South Delight Inn" in faded characters.
South Delight—the name differed from South Peak, the city's name, by only one word.
The inn was neither luxurious nor crowded, but it appeared neat and tidy.
Mohua and his companions decided to stay there.
After registering, a young waiter served them tea.
"Help me feed Dabai," Mohua instructed the waiter.
"Yes, sir!" the waiter replied enthusiastically. "What kind of fodder would you like to use?" he asked.
"Isn't all fodder the same?" Mohua questioned.
"Of course not! We have regular, fine, and top-quality fodder. The prices vary, but I assure you, the quality matches the price," the waiter explained eloquently.
Mohua inquired about the prices and found that even the best fodder was not overly expensive, so he boldly declared, "Feed him the best!"
Little Barbarian State was somewhat desolate, and during their journey, Mohua had not come across much good grass. Dabai's diet had suffered, and although he still looked sturdy, Mohua knew he had lost weight.
"Yes, sir!" The waiter happily went to fetch the fodder.
Mohua patted Dabai's neck and said, "There'll be good food for you soon. Make sure you eat your fill!"
Dabai nodded his head and affectionately licked Mohua's face with his tongue.
Mohua smiled back.
Now that Dabai was taken care of, it was time for Mohua to eat as well.
The inn provided wine and food.
Mr. Zhuang and the others had already taken their seats.
Bai Zisheng looked at Mohua with a mixture of envy and confusion as he asked, "Why is Dabai so affectionate towards you?"
"Because I feed him!" Mohua replied matter-of-factly.
Bai Zisheng shook his head. "That's not it."
Not everyone who fed Dabai earned his affection.
In fact, when Bai Zisheng fed him, Dabai had clearly shown his disdain.
"Is it because the food you give him is too disgusting?" Mohua asked.
Bai Zisheng frowned. "It's just grass. How can grass taste different?"
"Of course, it can!" Mohua exclaimed. "Some grass tastes good, while others taste bad."
Bai Zisheng's brow furrowed further. "But I'm not a horse. How am I supposed to know which grass tastes good and which doesn't?"
Then, his eyes widened as he looked at Mohua in shock. "You didn't… taste the grass yourself before feeding it to Dabai, did you?"
Mohua gave Bai Zisheng a slightly disdainful look. "Why would I do something as foolish as you?"
"I'm your senior brother. How dare you call me foolish?" Bai Zisheng protested.
"Who said senior brothers can't be foolish?" Mohua countered.
...
The two bickered back and forth for a while longer.
Still perplexed, Bai Zisheng couldn't help but ask again, "So, how do you know which grass is good and which is bad?"
Mohua thought for a moment and then whispered, "I'm only telling you this because you're my senior brother..."
"Yes, yes!" Bai Zisheng nodded eagerly.
Mohua proceeded to explain, "There's an art to plucking grass. When you look at the grass on the ground with your eyes, it mostly appears to be the same color..."
"But when you use your spiritual sense, you'll notice that the 'complexion' of each blade of grass is unique."
"Some grass is a pale blue, indicating an abundance of spiritual energy. Some are a light green, signifying freshness. Others are a dark green, suggesting they're a bit old. There's also red grass, which indicates something sinister, and purple or black grass, which is definitely poisonous..."
"When feeding Dabai, always choose fresh, light green grass. Even the dark green variety shouldn't be too old, and of course, it's even better if you can find grass imbued with spiritual energy..."
Mohua then glanced at Bai Zisheng and added, "The grass you've been plucking may look the same, but their auras are a mix of red and green, and some are even poisonous. It's a wonder Dabai doesn't despise you."
Bai Zisheng's eyes widened in amazement.
Mohua looked puzzled. "How else would I know? I just look at it with my eyes and scan it with my spiritual sense, and then I can tell."
Bai Zisheng's expression grew complicated. Once again, he had been outdone by his junior disciple...
But then he frowned again. Was that really all there was to it?
He thought he had used his spiritual sense as well, but he hadn't noticed the colorful nuances that Mohua had described.
Could it be that his spiritual sense wasn't strong enough? Bai Zisheng struggled with this new grass-plucking conundrum.
Meanwhile, Mohua indulged in a hearty meal, having worked up an appetite after their long journey.
As he ate, a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he turned to Mr. Zhuang, "Master, can I go look for Teacher Yan?"
Mr. Zhuang took a delicate sip of his wine and nodded, "Yes."
He then instructed, "Zisheng and Zixi will accompany you."
"Okay," Mohua agreed.
Both Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi nodded, "Yes, Master."
After the meal, Mr. Zhuang retired to the inn to rest while Gui Lao kept watch over the carriage.
Mohua, accompanied by his two senior brothers, strolled through South Peak City, hoping to find Teacher Yan.
Mohua's approach was to leverage his knowledge of formations.
As a formation master, Teacher Yan would likely have interacted with other formation masters in the city.
Mohua inquired with the waiter and learned about the residences of several renowned formation masters in South Peak City.
Among them were a couple of officially recognized first-rate formation masters.
There were also a few who could create first-rate nine-pattern formations but had not undergone the appraisal process and were thus considered "pseudo first-rate" formation masters.
Mohua memorized their addresses and drew a line connecting them on the map of South Peak City, intending to visit each one.
The threshold for formation masters was high.
Not only in terms of talent but also in the literal sense—the threshold to their residences was dauntingly high.
At least, it was too high for the three young cultivators to cross.
Although they carried themselves with an air of distinction, their youthful appearances and tender ages worked against them.
The disciples guarding the entrances stopped them from entering, but they were polite about it, simply saying, "Our master is entertaining an important guest and cannot be disturbed."
"When will he be done?" Mohua asked.
The disciple hesitated, "It's hard to say..."
After all, there was a long queue of people waiting to see their master, and it would take over a month just to get through them all.
Moreover, there was no guarantee that their master would have the time or inclination to meet with these three young cultivators.
The disciple assumed that Mohua and his companions were seeking to become disciples. Such occurrences were not uncommon.
Thus, he politely turned them away, "Young friends, please come back another time."
Mohua had no choice but to take out the Tian Axis Ring, proving his true and indisputable identity as a "first-rate formation master."
The instant Mohua revealed the ring, he could sense the disciple's body tremble, and his voice shook as he spoke, "You... you... this..."
He stuttered, momentarily at a loss for words.
Where would one find a first-rate formation master who was barely in their teens? The disciple suspected it was a fake, but he didn't dare take the risk.
As an apprentice in the art of formations himself, he knew that if it were a fake, there would be no issue with him turning them away.
However, if it were real, he would have truly offended a first-rate formation master, and he might as well pack his bags and leave.
Even if it were a fake, the fact that they knew about the Tian Axis Ring suggested that they were still someone of significance within the formation community.
The disciple bowed respectfully, "Young friend, please wait a moment while I inform my master of your arrival."
Before long, an elegantly dressed man with half-white hair, who appeared to be the master of the residence, emerged. He smiled and asked, "Which young friend here is the first-rate formation master?"
Mohua once again presented his Tian Axis Ring.
The formation master looked at the tiny Mohua, then at the oversized ring on his thumb, and then back at Mohua, his eyes clearly showing his disbelief.
He had heard from his disciple about the young first-rate formation master who had come to visit, but he still found it hard to believe.
It was only after he invited Mohua in and witnessed him effortlessly creating a first-rate formation that he was truly convinced.
They exchanged a few more words about formation techniques, and the formation master's attitude towards Mohua became extremely polite, even carrying a hint of reverence.
In the realm of knowledge, seniority yields to mastery.
This young man before him was indeed a first-rate formation master.
(End of Chapter)
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