Day and night tour

Chapter 505 East Market Street Meeting

When Zhou Xuan saw that the leader of the Longevity Cult had stopped talking again, he immediately scolded him, "Master, you speak rather incoherently, pausing after every three sentences."

"It wasn't that I stopped on purpose. This insect involves the Heavenly Fire Clan. Although it's not exactly a secret, once you're involved with the Heavenly Fire Clan, I have to think about it for a while before I can decide whether I can talk about it or not."

Zhou Xuan sensed that the Longevity Cult Leader was somewhat hesitant, so he didn't say much. Instead, he raised two fingers, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer—the kickback would be increased from five percent to seven percent.

Fearing he might have misunderstood, the leader of the Longevity Cult deliberately asked, "Master Zhou, if you refine a hundred pills, are you willing to give me seven?"

"There's nothing to be reluctant about. As a new alchemist, I know nothing about the celestial realm. If I could find an ancient deity to guide me, my path as an alchemist would be much smoother."

Zhou Xuan placed his hands lightly on his knees and said, "Of course, leading the way requires some price; we can't let the sect leader lead the way for nothing."

“Oh, Master Zhou, it’s rare to see someone as reasonable as you.”

The Longevity Cult Leader glanced sideways, lowered his voice, and said, "You are the alchemist of Baiyujing, and you will inevitably need to learn about the Heavenly Fire Clan in the future. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable to tell you some things about that clan."

He pinched the cricket between two fingers and said to Zhou Xuan, "This Heavenly Fire Clan is not viviparous; they are all oviparous."

"Humans are born from their mothers' wombs, that goes without saying. But the Tianhuo people are themselves insects, emerging from insect eggs."

"The people of the Skyfire Clan, aren't they human? Are they insects?"

Zhou Xuan was somewhat surprised to hear this.

The leader of the Longevity Cult said, "Heaven and earth, this heaven and earth, are originally upside down."
How do disciples of the earthly sects cultivate? Born from their mother's womb, they slowly grow, and after comprehending the divine powers and Daoist arts, incense smoke condenses within a secret realm, marking the beginning of their cultivation.

"The Skyfire Clan? They're different."

The Longevity Cult Leader said, "In the Well Kingdom, those insects can parasitize the corpses of some deceased cultivators, thus regaining their souls and becoming offerings."

"Once the corpse of a cultivator is parasitized by insects, it will transform into the appearance of a spirit. However, as the cultivation of the insects increases, the corpse insects will become more and more like humans."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan was reminded of a certain type of person—the Daoist!
The Daoists in the heavens are those who cultivate in the mortal realm and receive great incense offerings. After they die, divine threads descend from the heavens to draw their corpses into the heavens.

“Master Zhou, most of those corpses that were drawn to the heavens were used as parasites for the Heavenly Fire Clan. Only the remaining corpses became the Daoists of our gods.”

The Longevity Cult Leader pointed to the cricket in his hand and said, "Of course, not all the insects of the Heavenly Fire Clan parasitize corpses. This White Autumn Insect, for example, parasitizes Ning Bukong's body."

"Is this parasitic behavior good or bad?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"These kinds of insects usually grow extremely slowly. It may take decades for them to develop their spiritual apertures."

The Longevity Cult Leader sighed and said, "Therefore, before the white cricket opened its spiritual aperture, Ning Bukong was able to enjoy a little glory. He could not only use the supernatural powers of a 'Fangshi' (a type of Taoist priest), but also, because of the cricket in the secret realm, he could control a portion of the incense offerings."
However, after these decades, when the white cricket develops sentience, Ning Bukong will become a walking corpse.
His body and soul are destined to serve as a stepping stone for the white cricket.

Zhou Xuan was secretly surprised to hear this; so this was how the Heavenly Fire Clan reproduced and thrived.

The Longevity Cult Leader handed the white cricket back to Zhou Xuan and said, "Master Zhou, now that you have this insect, you must not let it leave alive. Otherwise, the secret conversation between you, Shan Zu, and Mr. Yun today will be exposed."

"Don't worry about that. This insect is quite fun to play with, and I can't bear to let it go."

Zhou Xuan has confirmed that this autumn insect is a "descendant" of the Heavenly Fire Clan, which means that it has great research value.

"Two great scientists live in my buddy's secret place."

The scientists Zhou Xuan mentioned were Miss Wall and the engineers—they all came from the Flesh and Blood Divine Dynasty.

That was a country where "flesh and blood technology" flourished.

After Zhou Xuan threw the white cricket into the secret realm, just as he was about to ask something else, King Xishan hurriedly stepped into the house and shouted, "Master, Hua Zi is back! Hua Zi is back!"

He was so excited that he only wanted to tell Zhou Xuan the good news. After he finished shouting, he realized that the Longevity Cult Leader was also there. He immediately reverted to his usual cold expression.

The leader of the Longevity Cult, however, "forgotten past grievances" and said with a smile, "Old Xi, a day apart feels like three autumns."

Zhou Xuan, Yun Ziliang, and Li Changxun: "..."

So this leader of the Longevity Cult is just a vagrant, greeting people with nothing more than "day" over and over again, unable to come up with any new words.

"King Xishan greets the leader."

"We're all colleagues, no need to be polite, no need to be polite. You and I are both Master Zhou's people."

The leader of the Longevity Cult was also sensible. After saying goodbye, he prepared to take his leave and said to Zhou Xuan, "Master Zhou, you still have private matters to discuss. My presence here would be too conspicuous. I'm going to Mingjiang Prefecture for a while. If you want to find me, just use your ventriloquism skills to activate your perception and imitate my drumming."

After saying that, he took out his rattle drum, shook it a few times, and made a "dong dong" sound.

Just as Zhou Xuan was about to imitate it, suddenly, the "Dream Horn" in his secret realm moved without its master, blowing the horn and producing a similar drum sound.

This burst of drumbeats, with its extremely penetrating power, swept across the ground.

Upon hearing the drumbeats, the leader of the Longevity Cult immediately changed his expression, his eyes filled with reverence, and exclaimed, "Is this the horn of the Dream God?"

Zhou Xuan, realizing he had been exposed, didn't hide it and said with a smile, "That's right."

"Master Zhou's future is limitless; he even possesses the characteristics of a Dream God." The Longevity Cult Leader sighed and said, "I remember that 'Heaven and Earth' perhaps bestowed upon you a characteristic of a Dream God—the myriad aspects of human existence."

“You have a good memory,” Zhou Xuan said.

“Possessing two divine characteristics… Master Zhou is indeed favored by heaven and earth. I, Changsheng, am extremely envious.”

The Lord of Longevity had mixed feelings. On one hand, he was indeed somewhat jealous; on the other hand, he was also somewhat fearful, as he had almost offended Zhou Xuan back in the mortal realm.
Offending such a person can lead to endless troubles.

Of course, he also felt joy, at least he and Zhou Xuan were getting along well now.

"Since there is a Dream Horn, Master Zhou can call me wherever I wander in Mingjiang Prefecture, so I will not disturb him."

The leader of the Longevity Cult made a move to leave, but Zhou Xuan stopped him, saying, "My friend has returned safely, which is a joyous occasion. It's not too late to have a drink to celebrate before you go."

He mainly wanted to ask more questions about things in the sky.

“Since the master has invited me, I will respectfully accept his invitation,” said the leader of the Longevity Cult.

"Let's go and see what's going on. You guys go first, I'll go upstairs to change into a clean Taoist robe."

Zhou Xuan flicked his sleeves and went upstairs.

He deliberately sent everyone away, not for any other reason than that the White Deer Taoist was making a fuss about coming out of the secret realm.

After Zhou Xuan went upstairs, he first entered the secret realm. The eldest brother and the third brother chased crickets and played with them, while the third brother teased the pair of blue and red fish.

The "Mountain and Water Meeting" stone temple stands silently above the Black Water. Upon seeing Zhou Xuan, the White Deer Alchemist exclaimed, "Master, I have learned how to refine the 'Longevity Pill'! The instructions were very detailed!"

Zhou Xuan's expression changed, and he emphasized in the secret realm, "Old Bai, the Longevity Cult Leader is in my shop."

"Oh...oh..." the White Deer Alchemist quickly corrected himself, saying, "I have already recalled the method for refining the 'Longevity Pill'."

He may be outspoken, but if outsiders were to find out about "Danzi," it would be a capital offense, so he was naturally very careful.

"That's pretty much it."

Zhou Xuan said, "Let's leave the secret realm. Hua Zi is back. Let's go have a drink at his wedding and share in the joy."

As soon as the two left the secret realm, they heard the streets filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and firecrackers exploding. Just listening to the sounds, they could feel the festive atmosphere.

“Oh, sir, this is the perfect time to collect ‘Longevity Pills’,” said the White Deer Alchemist.

"What?" Zhou Xuan asked.

The White Deer Alchemist said, "Master, the 'Joyful Longevity Pill' is a human elixir, refined using the 'seven emotions and six desires.' As the name suggests, this pill requires the emotion of 'great joy' as its ingredient."
The streets are so festive and joyous; there must be a great deal of happiness.

"Oh, this is like a pillow coming to my head when I'm about to doze off."

Zhou Xuan chased the White Deer Taoist outside, closed the door, changed into a new Taoist robe, and then went downstairs with Old Bai.

The shop was already empty; Lao Yun, Li Changxun, Zhao Wuya, and the others had all gone outside to watch the excitement.

Zhou Xuan and Bai Lu also went out. As soon as they peeked out, they saw that the whole street was shrouded in white mist and filled with the smell of gunpowder.

The crackling sounds of firecrackers were incessant.

"This is quite a grand affair."

To be honest, the scene was huge, so huge that there were more people coming to "celebrate the celebration" in the East Market than at a market.

A large crowd of people came to congratulate Sister Cui and also to express their gratitude.

The main reason was Zhou Xuan's book "Mingjiang Zoroastrian Fire Record," which spread the various details of the Zoroastrian Fire Calamity.

Throughout Mingjiang Prefecture, everyone knows that the prefecture was able to eliminate Zhexing and overcome the crisis thanks to the combined efforts of the two mirror figures, Master Zhou Xuan and Mu Hua.

Everyone knows that Mu Hua is also one of the saviors of Mingjiang Prefecture.

"Cough, cough, this smoke is too much, I can't take it!" The White Deer Alchemist coughed incessantly from the gunpowder smoke.
Zhou Xuan led the White Deer Taoist priest through the smoke and dust to Cui Jie's restaurant.

The White Deer Taoist exclaimed, "Master, your perception is so sharp! It's wonderful that you can see through such thick smoke as if nothing is wrong."

"..." Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan said irritably, "Do I need my perception to go to Sister Cui's house? I can find the way between our two houses with my eyes closed."

When the two arrived at the restaurant, the smoke and dust had finally subsided a bit. The restaurant was already packed with people, layer upon layer, offering their congratulations.

"Sister Cui, congratulations! Hua Zi, congratulations!" "Heaven has eyes after all. Such a fine young man as Hua Zi shouldn't have died so easily."

"Heaven doesn't care. Hua Zi's life was saved by Master Da using his elixir."

"Is Mr. Da really going to take such unconventional approaches? Is he doing business with God?"

"You just know."

"Oh, Mr. Big is here."

Some sharp-eyed people spotted Zhou Xuan and shouted, and the crowd naturally parted to make way for him.

Zhou Xuan said "Excuse me" while clasping his hands in greeting to the neighbors. Once inside the house, almost all the officials from the Imperial Guard had arrived.
The painter chuckled as he watched Mu Hua and Xiao Fuzi chat.

Xishan Wang sat on the edge of the bed and chatted warmly with Sister Cui.

The leader of the Longevity Cult was a bit "aloof," hiding alone in a corner, ignored by everyone.

"Sister Cui."

As soon as Zhou Xuan entered the room, he greeted Sister Cui.

Sister Cui was so excited when she saw Zhou Xuan that she went up to him, hugged him, and cried, saying, "My benefactor, you are truly my benefactor. I feel so happy as soon as Hua Zi comes back."

Zhou Xuan laughed heartily, and Mu Hua timidly came forward to express his gratitude.

"Hua Zi, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Zhou Xuan took out a handkerchief and wiped away Cui Jie's tears, saying, "Cui Jie, do you remember what you told me a few days ago?"

You said you dreamt that Hua Zi came back, but when you woke up, Hua Zi was gone again. You said you'd be willing to stay in that dream forever. Look at yourself now, is it a dream or reality?

Sister Cui laughed and cried at the same time, saying, "It's all true, it's all true."

"You're happy today, so don't cry. The best days are yet to come."

After Zhou Xuan finished comforting her, Sister Cui tried her best to hold back her tears, which made everyone in the room laugh.

Then, Zhou Xuan went to look at Mu Hua. He looked at her from the left and right, and he felt that Mu Hua had changed.

"Hua Zi, you've just been on the verge of death, how come... how come... you don't look like me anymore?"

The current Mu Hua and Zhou Xuan still bear some resemblance in their eyebrows, but they are not exactly the same as before.

Yun Ziliang said from the side, "The person in the mirror is a kind of destiny. After the mirror is closed, the destiny is broken. Hua Zi is no longer your person in the mirror, so of course he doesn't look like you anymore."

"That's good, that's good too," Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

Mu Hua was about to kneel down and kowtow to Zhou Xuan to thank him for saving her life, but Zhou Xuan quickly stopped her.

"Don't do that, I don't do that." Zhou Xuan helped Mu Hua up and said, "Hua Zi, from now on, play well and learn skills well."

Mu Hua kept agreeing, saying, "Brother Zhou, from now on you're my own brother. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it."

"Then I have to make sure you live a good life."

After Zhou Xuan finished speaking, Sister Cui was moved to tears again—when Mu Hua was mentally challenged and she worked as a cook in a restaurant, the two of them suffered so much contempt and had never seen any true human affection.
Now, she has not only witnessed true feelings, but also the most sincere friendship in the world.

"Hua Zi's return today is a great joy for Dongshi Street," Zhou Xuan said. "Since it's such a joyous occasion, we should celebrate it properly and have a meal together, which is inevitable."

Sister Cui immediately said, "I'll treat everyone to a meal at a fancy restaurant."

The painter shook his head more vigorously than the leader of the Longevity Cult, saying, "Hua Zi only went to the gates of hell for the sake of Mingjiang Prefecture. Now that he's back, he wants to treat us. How could he let you pay?"

The musician agreed, saying, "This money must be paid by our Bone Elders Association."

"Nobody should take anything out."

Gu Ling from the Bone Elders Association stepped forward and said, "My Metropolis is now open. Today, everyone, come to our Metropolis, eat and drink to your heart's content, and I, Gu Ling, will pay for even the most expensive wines."

It's said that the Bone Elders Association has large conglomerates under its umbrella that are all in business and have plenty of money. So when it comes to hosting a dinner party, it's like a contest of wealth, with everyone vying to spend money.

Zhou Xuan said, "Don't try to take over the hosting duties from me. I'll arrange the celebrations for our East Market Street."

To be honest, Zhou Xuan's business was sporadic and he didn't have much cash on hand, making him the "poorest" among the people around him.

But Zhou Xuan still had plenty of money in his pocket to pay for the wedding banquet—if he really needed money, he could sell a few of the "Fox Clan Mountain Delicacies" he had deposited with the Wandering God Bureau and use that to pay for the banquet.

"Sir, are you trying to steal our chance to treat us?"

"This isn't robbery, it should be my treat."

After Zhou Xuan spoke, no one objected anymore. Then Zhou Xuan continued, "As for going to the restaurant?"

"Let's go to Mingjiang Restaurant. It has plenty of seating and is spacious," the painter suggested.

Zhou Xuan waved his hand and said, "Going to a big restaurant is no fun. Let's stick to the custom of hosting guests in our East Market Street—a continuous feast and a banquet. That's much more lively."

Zhou Xuan had never eaten a banquet in Dongshi Street, but he had eaten one when he was in the Zhou family troupe in Pingshui Prefecture.

In the spacious venue, a hundred or so tables are set up, and the guests chat and laugh. Then a stage is set up, and some famous actors and opera singers are invited to perform. It's incredibly lively.

“The master is right, let’s have a continuous banquet and a formal gathering.”

The painter immediately said to the musician, "Old musician, you're familiar with those famous actors and performers in Mingjiang Prefecture. Why don't you try to persuade them to come over?"

"Do we really need to beg for this? Performing for Master Da and Hua Zi is an opportunity that many famous actors would beg for."

The musician's words were not an exaggeration. Famous actors and performers, if they want to develop, all they have to do is seek fame—in the entire Mingjiang Prefecture, Zhou Xuan is the most famous person.

"I'll go invite famous actors and actresses," the musician said, and immediately set off.

No sooner had he left than Gu Ling took Zhou Xuan's arm and said, "Master, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What's going on?"

"Don't you hold any performances? I was thinking, could we have some of my Metropolitan singers perform?"

As soon as Gu Ling finished speaking, the painter laughed heartily and said, "Old Le just said that giving Mr. Da and Hua Zi a private performance is an opportunity that you can't ask for even if you beg. He hasn't even said that yet, and you've already begged for it?"

"Master Hua, it's easy for you to say that when you're not in the same boat... Our metropolis's reputation has been almost ruined by that Zhe Xing. I want to take this opportunity to promote our reputation to the people of Mingjiang Prefecture—"

"It's a misfortune for our family that Zhexing has emerged from our metropolis, but our hearts are still bound together with Master Da and Ye Mingjiang."

Zhou Xuan agreed with Gu Ling's suggestion, saying, "Have your singer come over and sing well. Today, we should all enjoy ourselves."

"Got it."

Gu Ling happily went out to arrange for the singers, and she even took the initiative to help set up the stage.

The Metropolitan is a professional when it comes to setting up stages.

As soon as Gu Ling left, King Xishan started "chatting" with Zhou Xuan again: "Master, I also have something to ask of you, and I hope you can grant my request."

This amused Zhou Xuan; why does everyone seem to have something to ask of him?
He said, "Tell me about it."

King Xishan said embarrassedly, "Master, you see, in terms of title, Mu Hua is also a member of our fox clan. According to seniority, she is of my generation, also belonging to the 'Yun' generation."

Despite his young age, the fox clan members call him "Grandpa." This grandpa has come back to life. I'm thinking of having all the fox children and grandchildren of the Snow Mountain Fox Clan come and see him and pay their respects.

"Well..." Zhou Xuan paused, and the King of Xishan seemed a little nervous.

The Snow Mountain Fox Clan would need to select some senior foxes to meet the old master, which would amount to at least several hundred. If so many foxes entered Mingjiang Prefecture all at once, it would probably frighten the people.

He was afraid Zhou Xuan wouldn't agree.

“We should have come,” Zhou Xuan suddenly said decisively.

"what?"

"What? The fox clan helped Mingjiang Prefecture so much, how come they don't even have the right to enter the city?"

Zhou Xuan said, "Send your fox clan members over here. As many as you want, just don't cause trouble."

"Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be dealt with according to my family rules." King Xishan was overjoyed and went to make arrangements for his clansmen.

Before leaving, Zhou Xuan called out, "Old Xi, remember what I said, bring as many as you want, I don't mind having too many foxes."

He wanted to collect the ingredients for "Joyful Longevity Pill"—the more guests came and the happier they were, the more ingredients he could collect.

"The more joyful the occasion, the better."

Zhou Xuan was calculating in his mind.

However, the White Deer Alchemist whispered to Zhou Xuan, "Master, have you forgotten that we need to use this celebratory banquet to gather 'great joy'? You've sent so many foxes, and those foxes don't understand human emotions; I'm afraid they won't have any great joy."

"You're talking nonsense."

Zhou Xuan whispered to the White Deer Taoist, "I'm being frank with you, the bulk of today's 'Great Joy' collection rests with the Snow Mountain Fox Clan—I want to give them a surprise."
Let them be overjoyed, let them one after another, so happy they're practically bubbling with snot.

In Zhou Xuan's heart, a "small" plan had already been planted. Whether this plan would succeed, he glanced at the Changsheng Cult Leader, who was huddled in a corner, utterly bored...

(End of this chapter)