Chapter 87: Chapter 85: The Multifarious Pinglan City

Song Ciwan stood on the streets of Pinglan City, her eyes wide as she watched the massive Iron Puppet walk past her.

She listened to the strange, ball-like creature with a small mouth chattering away, hawking its wares with all its might.

"Celestial Pride Level-style Cave Mansions! Starting at just one Primordial Pearl, you can experience a baptism of supremely abundant Spiritual Qi and open all one hundred and eight thousand of your Spiritual Acupoints! Where else can you find a deal this good? Esteemed customer, aren’t you going to give it a try?"

"Celestial Pride Level-style Cave Mansions! The finest Cave Mansions on Shaking Light Mountain, right in the heart of Pinglan City! Where Immortal Spirits dwell and gods are born! Fellow Daoist, whether you’re Cultivating Immortality or practicing martial arts, you absolutely cannot miss this! Opportunities like this won’t come again!"

"..."

With each and every phrase, the little ball bounced and did flips on the Iron Puppet’s smooth, bald head, using every trick in the book to persuade the pedestrians, many of whom stopped in their tracks to watch.

People pointed and gestured. Some looked on with envy, while others shook their heads and sighed.

"Heh, ’starting at one Primordial Pearl,’ they say. Did you catch that word ’starting’? I bet you the one-Primordial-Pearl-a-day option is for the worst Cave Mansion available. As for renting a Celestial Pride Level one... haha, don’t even think about it. Don’t even ask. Asking will only lead to heartbreak!"

Song Ciwan kept half an ear on the pedestrians’ conversation while she watched the Iron Puppet parade through the city.

It walked to the city gate, made a loop, and then headed back the way it came along the central avenue. The little green-eared ball never stopped bouncing and shouting on its head, like a cute, tireless machine—even more tireless than the Iron Puppet itself.

Song Ciwan immediately began to follow the interesting pair, silent and unnoticed.

But in Pinglan City, the Iron Puppets and green-eared balls were not the only interesting sights.

Song Ciwan felt that walking the streets of Pinglan City was like shuttling back and forth between a classical world and a fantastical one.

There were the bustling, clamorous shops lining the streets, packed together like teeth on a comb. There were the glittering points of light, big and small, that danced like fireflies around the shop signs... Then there were the upturned eaves of varying heights, and as the evening breeze gently blew at sunset, the copper bells beneath them chimed.

At the entrance of some shops, Little Demons with human faces and animal ears would stand on the steps, constantly bowing to pedestrians to curry favor. Rabbit and cat ears were the most common, each possessing a unique charm that was quite eye-catching.

Song Ciwan didn’t dare stare, but she couldn’t help sneaking a few extra glances.

The streets of Pinglan City were wide, numerous, and complex. As Song Ciwan followed the Iron Puppet and green-eared ball, she casually placed the carrying pole she’d been shouldering beside a street vendor’s stall.

The vendor was dressed in clothes covered in patch upon patch, with a chubby baby, its cheeks red from the cold, strapped tightly to his back.

He would occasionally adjust the child on his back with one hand while enthusiastically calling out to passersby, not noticing Song Ciwan walk past his stall at all.

He especially didn’t notice her putting down a pair of baskets filled with charcoal next to his stall.

Now unburdened by the baskets, Song Ciwan felt much lighter. Cradling her goose, she had come in silence, and in silence, she departed. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Ahead of her were still the Iron Puppet and its green-eared companion.

Interestingly, such pairs were a common sight in Pinglan City. After walking a few streets, Song Ciwan had already encountered several similar puppet combinations.

The Puppets mostly looked alike, but the small balls on their heads came in various colors.

Some were white balls with green ears, some were yellow balls with red ears, others were blue balls with white ears, or purple balls with orange ears...

In short, they were a dazzling, colorful array.

Even more dazzling were the city’s wondrous buildings, which served various functions yet shared a unified, classical style.

For example, there was a pavilion that soared seven stories high, a plaque hanging in the center that read: "Seven Treasures Tower"!

It was a Spirit Material Merchant Building famous throughout the Great Zhou. Song Ciwan overheard a passerby stop nearby and sigh with emotion, "I’ve heard they even sell Spiritual Treasures in the Seven Treasures Tower, but alas, our purses are empty. Forget going in to see a Spiritual Treasure; we’d be too intimidated to even walk around on the First Layer."

Another example was the Canglan Pavilion, not far from the Seven Treasures Tower.

It was said that anyone who successfully walked the Seeking Truth Road next to the Canglan Pavilion could enter the pavilion and read its books for free for three days!

And Canglan Pavilion housed the most comprehensive and highest-quality collection of books in all of Cangling County.

Among them were even Cultivation Daoist Books from certain Sects and Families that were never shared with outsiders!

...

There were many others, like the Ten Thousand Beasts Tower, the Sword Washing Pavilion, Pinyuan Residence, and Chensha Garden. The purpose of some could be guessed from their names alone, while for others, you couldn’t tell what they were for at a glance.

And as it turned out, Pinglan City even had a Demon Refining Platform!

Following the Iron Puppet and the green-eared ball, Song Ciwan passed by the sprawling Demon Refining Platform. Finally, the green-eared puppet pair stopped beside a range of elegant, handsome green mountains with several peaks lined up in a row.

This mountain range was indeed located in the center of Pinglan City, and it was so vast that its full extent could not be taken in with a single glance.

And with such a massive mountain range situated in its center, one could only imagine how immense and magnificent Pinglan City truly was!

Cradling her goose, Song Ciwan quietly walked through the hustle and bustle and entered a tall, deep, and spacious courtyard at the foot of the mountain.

A plaque hung at the front of the courtyard, bearing the words: Wangjiang Cave Mansion!

That was right. Song Ciwan was here to rent a Cave Mansion.

Although she was "dirt poor" and didn’t have a single Primordial Pearl on her, she had over a hundred Fuyuan Pills stored in her Heaven and Earth Scale.

’Back in Su Yang City, Strengthening Pills and Qi Circulation Pills could be used as common currency,’ she thought. ’So, Fuyuan Pills should probably work as currency in Pinglan City, too.’

There were quite a few people renting Cave Mansions, including both Cultivators and Martial Artists. Song Ciwan, maintaining a low profile, stood in the back of the line. By listening to the goings-on at the front, she gradually figured out the various rental rules of Wangjiang Cave Mansion.

The Cave Mansions could be rented by the day, by the month, or by the year.

The Cave Mansions were divided by level. A standard, Low Level Yellow Level Cave Mansion cost one Primordial Pearl a day.

A Profound Level Cave Mansion required ten Primordial Pearls for a single day’s rent, while an Earth Level Cave Mansion was an extravagant one hundred Primordial Pearls per day!

As for the "Celestial Pride Level Cave Mansion" the little balls were hawking, it was just as the passerby had said: so expensive you shouldn’t even ask, shouldn’t even think about it.

’Could an ordinary Cultivator ever afford a true Celestial Pride Level Cave Mansion?’

Song Ciwan waited in line for about fifteen minutes. During the process of renting a Cave Mansion, she witnessed all the different walks of life among the lower-level Cultivators.

One person took out a Primordial Pearl and cautiously rented a Yellow Level Cave Mansion for a day.

Another person pulled out a money pouch, chin held high, and rented a Yellow Level Cave Mansion for ten days.

And someone else, face impassive, grabbed handful after handful of Primordial Pearls and rented a Profound Level Cave Mansion for three days.

...

When Song Ciwan reached the front of the line, she didn’t count out any Primordial Pearls. Instead, she asked about the value of Fuyuan Pills.

As expected, Fuyuan Pills could be used directly in place of Primordial Pearls.

One Fuyuan Pill was valued at one Primordial Pearl!

Song Ciwan immediately rented a Yellow Level Cave Mansion for five days, preparing to seize the opportunity to achieve a breakthrough.