Longzang

Chapter 820 Untouched
Shaoyang Xingjun was never afraid of battle, but his master was incompetent and silently took him back.

Xiao Yu wasn't stupid; she naturally knew that this battle was hopeless. It wasn't unheard of for top-tier cultivators in the Tai Chu Palace to fight against Yu Jing cultivators in the Dharma Aspect stage, but it was definitely not something that a Dharma Aspect stage cultivator in the early stage could handle, let alone facing three Yu Jing cultivators.

Wei Yuan, seeing that things were going well, put away the three mirage demons and said with a smile, "It was just a friendly spar, nothing to decide! The city lord's mansion in Yong'an City is still there for you, untouched."

Suddenly, all of Xiaoyu's resentment and anger vanished into the heavens.

"Really?" Xiaoyu's big eyes sparkled with a hint of light.

"It's true, of course. Let's go and take a look at Yong'an City now."

Wei Yuan flew away with Xiao Yu, but the cultivators of Tai Chu Palace did not disperse immediately. Some seemed thoughtful, some had strange expressions, and others exchanged glances secretly.

Above Yong'an City, Xiao Yu looked down at the magnificent city below and stammered for a moment: "This, this is Yong'an City?"

Today, Yong'an City boasts a population of five million, making it a veritable megacity. The city stretches out naturally, nestled against the mountains and beside the water. The original ancient city walls are still faintly visible, but they have become the natural boundary of the core area and a scenic feature.

A new city wall is under construction on the city's outskirts, but it's still in sections and far from complete. There's no way around it; the city is simply too vast, and the wall has become a colossal project. Looking at the terrifying wall that will stretch for hundreds of miles once finished, Xiaoyu felt dizzy just from calculating the sheer scale of the undertaking.

Rows of buildings have sprung up in the city. Although many of them have mud-plastered exteriors, their height of more than ten stories still allows them to stand tall and proud.

A striking skyscraper is rising from the ground in the eastern part of the city, already reaching a terrifying thirty-three stories, but construction continues. This is no celestial abode, but merely a mortal city.

The street layout is also quite sophisticated. The main roads, like strong arteries, are distributed at reasonable intervals, connecting to form ring roads around the city, ensuring both aesthetic appeal and smooth traffic flow. Vehicles and pedestrians come and go in a constant stream, and many street corners even feature green rest areas with large plants casting patches of shade.

Is this Yong'an? Back then, there were only 300,000 people, low shacks everywhere, sewage flowing all over the place, and Xiaoyu's first thing to do was to build a major toilet renovation project.
By this time, Yong'an already had a clear regional plan: the south and west were workshop areas, the east was a commercial area, the north was an administrative area, and residential areas were scattered among the various areas. This allowed workers to live near their workplaces for convenient access.

Yong'an is now terrifyingly large; it's impossible for an ordinary person to live in the west city and work in the east city.

Although the city was bustling, everything was well-organized. Foundation Establishment cultivators could fly within a limited area of ​​five to ten zhang outside the outer ring, while Dharma Aspect cultivators could fly above ten zhang. Once someone crossed the boundary, patrolling cultivators would arrive to apprehend them, deduct points, and impose fines—all in one swift motion.

Xiao Yu had also managed Yong'an before, and he knew all too well how difficult it was to manage a city. Such meticulous management immediately shocked him beyond measure.

Xiao Yu's gaze swept across the entire city, finally settling on a magnificent hall in the center of the northern city. He flew over, asking as he went, "Has the City Lord of Yong'an been replaced?"

"No, the position of city lord is still vacant, but..."

For some reason, Xiaoyu suddenly felt overjoyed, but she snorted and said, "Then I'll reluctantly do it and work a little harder! This city lord's mansion is quite well built..."

In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the magnificent mansion. Suddenly, a light screen rose in front of the gate, and a Dharma Avatar and two Foundation Establishment guards appeared, shouting, "Who goes there? How dare you trespass into the Lord of the Realm's main hall?!"

“The Lord of the Realm, the Great Hall?” Xiao Yu turned to stare at Wei Yuan, repeating each word carefully.

Wei Yuan chuckled dryly and said, "This is where I usually handle mortal affairs. Your city lord's mansion is still there, untouched."

Xiao Yu turned her head and saw her city lord's mansion. It was still in the same place, exactly as it had been when Xiao Yu left.

From this point of view, Wei Yuan was indeed not lying, but if it were placed in the adjacent main hall of the realm lord, it would probably be larger than one of the side halls in the entire city lord's mansion.

"This is what you mean by 'untouched'?"

"Indeed, it remains untouched."

Without a word, Xiaoyu turned and left. Wei Yuan hurriedly caught up and stopped her, saying, "Your old house has already been demolished..."

Xiaoyu forcefully flung Wei Yuan's hand away.

Wei Yuan was shocked and quickly changed his tone: "Now everyone lives in the Immortal City, and you will have a place to stay there too!"

Xiao Yu slowed down and sneered, "Is it as big as the outhouse in your Lord Wei's mansion?"

“Mine are all the same! Mine are slightly larger because the five halls in the front yard are where everyone holds meetings.”

"really?"

"really!"

"You didn't lie to me this time?"

"of course not!"

Xiaoyu snorted heavily and said, "Go and see for yourself. If there's any falsehood, I'll turn around and leave."

A moment later, the two arrived at the Immortal City, and Wei Yuan led Xiao Yu to the residence reserved for him. Upon entering the courtyard, Xiao Yu's expression suddenly changed.

In the corner of the courtyard grew his favorite night-blooming cereus, swaying gracefully. To the east stood a golden osmanthus, exuding a delicate fragrance. These exquisite plants, from their placement to their colors, were enough to satisfy even the most discerning man. Furthermore, the furnishings, even the style and colors of the furniture and decorations, were all to Xiaoyu's liking. This courtyard, except for being a bit smaller, was almost identical to Xiaoyu's residence in the Xiao family's ancestral home.

Xiaoyu could no longer remain calm and asked, "What... what's going on with this arrangement?"

Wei Yuan said, "Didn't you say what colors and what kind of layout you liked? When the city was built, I built it according to what you said."

Xiao Yu asked in surprise, "Did I say that? I don't remember."

Wei Yuan answered matter-of-factly: "You didn't say it specifically, you just said it in bits and pieces, one thing this time, another thing next time. I wrote down everything you said you liked. And look, I used it all."

Xiaoyu suddenly turned her face to the side, refusing to look at Wei Yuan.

"What's wrong?" Wei Yuan asked.

"It's nothing, it'll be fine in a bit. Let's go inside and take a look."

After a short while, having looked around the entire room, the two finally settled down in the study. Xiao Yu, now composed, smiled and said, "After you summoned those three powerful demon queens, there was something I really wanted to say, but I held back."

Wei Yuan was very curious: "What do you want to say?"

"...Change to another batch."

Wei Yuan was speechless.

Xiao Yu laughed heartily, finally feeling much better. He asked with a smile, "What can you do if I insist on having you switch to a different batch?"

Wei Yuan carefully took stock of his remaining mortal possessions, but felt it was inappropriate to be direct, so he reduced some and said, "...I still have more than fifty Dharma Forms."

Xiaoyu's smile froze.

Wei Yuan tentatively asked, "Should we get another batch?"

Xiaoyu felt that changing it again would be really shameless, so she forced a smile and said, "No need to change it."

Wei Yuan was deep in thought. He felt that not using it meant he wanted to change it again. If he had to change it again, he would have to release the young girl Yin Yang. He should be able to defeat that Star Lord, right?

If we were to change it again, adding Lei Ling to Fuyao (who is clearly problematic), along with Han Li and Jun Weizhi, and then having Dugu Cangqiong as an extra to draw attention, would probably work.

If you switch again, you can only summon the Three-Eyed Bird Head, but it's easy to lose control of it. After all, the Three-Eyed Bird Head prefers high-level Dharma forms.

Xiaoyu then asked, "I have another question. When you wrote those four words, 'building a cart behind closed doors,' were you really not mocking me?"

Wei Yuan was taken aback: "The prototype truck with the new engine will roll off the production line tomorrow, and I specially wrote an inscription for it. It's meant to be a gift for my Uncle Yu Zhizhuo."

Xiao Yu was taken aback: "But... is it really a good idea to use the phrase 'working behind closed doors'?"

Wei Yuan laughed and said, "Otherwise what? Are we supposed to open our eyes and see the world? If the outside world is a wasteland, then we can only shut ourselves in and reinvent the wheel?"

With the misunderstanding finally cleared up, Xiaoyu was persuaded by Wei Yuan to stay and continue serving as the lord of Yong'an City.

Wei Yuan called people in to bring in the necessary daily necessities for the courtyard before taking his leave. However, before leaving, Wei Yuan hesitated for a moment and still reminded them, "Qingming is rainy, and the roads are slippery when it rains, so please be careful and try not to go out unless necessary."

Xiaoyu found it quite strange, not understanding why Wei Yuan had become so hesitant in his speech. Wei Yuan was clearly implying something, but he refused to say it outright. When Xiaoyu pressed him for more information, Wei Yuan had already fled.

Xiao Yu was puzzled, but not in a hurry; he'd find out in a couple of days anyway. This residence suited him perfectly, just like the ancestral home of the Xiao family. Xiao Yu strolled to his cultivation room, preparing to go into seclusion for a few days to communicate with Shao Yang Xingjun and solidify his Dharma form.

Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Someone from the Immortal City has come to visit? Xiao Yu scanned the area with her divine sense and found that it was Zhang Sheng standing at the courtyard gate. She hurriedly got up to open the door. Xiao Yu had great respect for Zhang Sheng. Not only was Zhang Sheng exceptionally talented, but his invincible heart alone was a model for all sword cultivators.

Zhang Sheng did not enter the courtyard, but said, "This is not the place to talk. Come with me to the dueling platform. Your Shaoyang Star Lord looks quite extraordinary. I happen to have cultivated some similar immortal swords, so we can have a friendly spar."

Xiao Yu was somewhat bewildered. He naturally knew that Zhang Sheng's four immortal swords were quite famous, but he didn't know what happened after he left. Could it be that after not seeing him for several years, Zhang Sheng had also mastered the immortal sword Great Sun?

On the dueling platform, the two stood facing each other. The area around the platform was deserted, save for a cluster of divine consciousnesses hidden within the distorted space.

Zhang Sheng, a man of few words, summoned a sword-wielding immortal with a wave of his hand. The immortal, wielding a blazing celestial sword, faced off against Shaoyang Xingjun. The sword-wielding immortal was unremarkable, and his blazing celestial sword was far dimmer than the great sun opposite him—practically a cheap, watered-down version of the Great Sun Immortal Sword.

Suddenly, a line of fire rose above Xiao Yu's head. In an instant, he recognized that the sword-wielding immortal was holding the Immortal Sword Pseudo-Sun!

(End of this chapter)