(I’ve been writing on my phone recently, so the update schedule hasn’t been very stable, but I’ve maintained two Chapters a day. Once I get back, I can resume three Chapters a day.)

「Hai Zhou Road, Huiping City.」

A century of prosperity and the border trade it brought had caused the city to expand several times over. In an area outside the city, near the border, someone had excavated an artificial lake. A massive, twelve-story pavilion was built upon this lake and named the ’Golden Pavilion’.

From a distance, it resembled a glittering gold sculpture standing in the middle of the lake. Up close, it looked even more like solid gold; its exterior was indeed coated in lacquer mixed with gold dust. Coupled with specially made lanterns, the entire building radiated an air of incomparable extravagance and luxury.

Wang Ping stood before the white jade guardrail by the lake, gazing at the tower ahead. He listened to the drunken revelry of the mortals inside and watched the guests on the path leading to the pavilion. This was another sea of suffering, but the people immersed in it believed they were touring an Immortal Realm.

"Are there shrimp at the bottom of the lake?" Yu Lian suddenly asked. A small head poked out from Wang Ping’s sleeve. She stared at the calm surface of the lake for a moment before adding unhappily, "This lake water stinks. It’s disgusting."

Wang Ping gazed at the lake’s surface. The water was diverted from several waterways near Huiping City but had undergone no ecological treatment. Combined with the daily waste from the Golden Pavilion, the lakebed was filled with filth. However, aquatic plants had been grown on the surface, perfectly concealing the mess below.

"It’s not just filth, but spiritual pollution too. The Inspiration Realm here is full of negative emotions, and many people have drowned at the bottom of this lake," Yu Lian added, then dove back into his sleeve to continue her nap. She couldn’t even be bothered to look at things she disliked.

Wang Ping silently mourned the departed souls for a few breaths before putting the matter out of his mind. Just then, a rather shabbily dressed middle-aged man approached him. The man’s long hair was fastened in a topknot with a wooden pin, a gray ribbon was tied around his head for decoration, and he wore nothing of value at his waist.

"First time seeing the Golden Pavilion?" he asked.

"Yes," Wang Ping replied.

"If this is your first time, don’t go in. This place is like one of the Hells from the stories. You’ll fall into its grasp, step by step, and then you’ll spend the rest of your life in agony, just like those greedy demons."

Wang Ping turned his head, deliberately sizing the man up, and then smiled. "You describe it as Hell, yet in your heart, you yearn for it."

"Because I can no longer escape it."

"Why is that?"

"It’s captivating."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ping studied the man again, this time observing his Spirit Body. In the course of their brief exchange, the emotions emanating from his Spirit Body had gone from being almost deathly still to suddenly becoming vibrant. The man’s intense feelings were making his very blood boil.

’This person is on his last legs. He has almost no energy left; he’s like a lamp running out of oil,’ Yu Lian remarked from within Wang Ping’s Spirit Sea.

"What do you want from me?" Wang Ping asked curiously.

"If you, Sir, plan on enjoying yourself in the Golden Pavilion, I can be your guide. All I ask is that you spare me a couple of pieces of silver when you’ve had your fun, so I can go to the main hall and listen to some music." As the middle-aged man spoke, he slightly bent his back, which had been ramrod straight just a moment before.

"There’s no need for a guide. But if you want to listen to music, I can treat you." Wang Ping reached into his robes, took out two pieces of silver, and tossed them to the man.

The middle-aged man clearly hadn’t expected Wang Ping to be so generous and fumbled the catch. Once the silver hit the ground, he scrambled on the floor like a dog to pick up the pieces. Seeing this, a few other people nearby looked eager to approach and try their own luck.

Without a change in expression, Wang Ping used the Water Moon Bell to cast an Illusion Technique, concealing his true form and leaving an illusion in his place to deal with the approaching freeloaders.

The middle-aged man who had picked up the silver didn’t offer so much as a single word of thanks before stumbling away toward the Golden Pavilion.

Yu Lian poked her head out of his sleeve again. Watching the overjoyed man, she said, "This is highly unusual. Someone must be using a Secret Technique to lure them in."

"This is how others make their fortune. It’s not our place to interfere."

Wang Ping had learned from Lv Wen and his wife that the Cultivation Realm in Hai Zhou Road had developed rapidly in recent decades. Nearly every powerful faction had connections involved, and the couple could only struggle to maintain the current state of affairs.

Ignoring the pollution at the bottom of the lake, the scenery here was actually quite beautiful. Wang Ping put himself in the shoes of a rookie adventurer just starting out, feeling the ever-growing intensity of the emotions around him as the sky grew darker.

The Golden Pavilion was even more enchanting at night, looking like a golden orchid blooming in the center of the lake. Just looking at it for a few extra moments would inexplicably lift one’s spirits. Many people came to the lakeside at night to see the Golden Pavilion. Most were the city’s peddlers and laborers, or common folk from the surrounding area.

With these people around, Wang Ping could overhear many stories about what happened in the Golden Pavilion. Some were enviable, like a rich merchant spending a fortune without a thought; others were lamentable, like a common family selling their daughter into the place...

All their stories, linked together, formed the fabric of this world.

The night deepened without him noticing. Wang Ping, having heard his fill of stories, found a random inn to rest for the night.

「The night passed quickly.」

In the morning, he got up, settled his bill, and went outside to have a bowl of rice noodles in rich broth. He also bought two fresh shrimp for Yu Lian to try. Just as he was about to head for the border pass, he heard Yu Lian say, "Look over there..."

Following Yu Lian’s mental cue, Wang Ping looked over and saw an old horse-drawn cart being driven by a man of about fifty. The rain cover on the back of the cart was tattered and swayed back and forth as it moved slowly. The cart was carrying a corpse wrapped in a straw mat. The corpse was none other than the middle-aged man who had asked Wang Ping for silver the day before. As the man had left, Wang Ping had given him a Blessing Talisman.

"He seemed very happy in his final moments," Yu Lian said.

"This was the end of his journey. To enter that final slumber with happy memories is a fortunate thing."

After speaking, Wang Ping walked toward the border pass, where a long line had already formed. The pass had two entrances and exits: one for merchant caravans, and the other for ordinary travelers and border residents.

By the time it was Wang Ping’s turn, Half an Hour had passed. A Qi Cultivator from the Daoist Scripture Hall checked his identification tablet, and a Ninth-Grade Minor Official asked a few basic questions before letting Wang Ping pass.

After putting some distance between himself and the border pass, Wang Ping habitually scattered a few seeds. He used a faint trace of Wood Spirit to form a connection with the roadside vegetation, which would prevent him from being tracked while also allowing him to monitor the surrounding area for several miles.

"That Qi Cultivator from just now was probing you with his Spiritual Qi," Yu Lian said.

"I noticed."

"There was a trace of hostility in his emotions. Why? Was he thinking of robbing you?"

"I hope he doesn’t come looking for trouble. I don’t want any unnecessary bloodshed."

"Is there such a thing as necessary bloodshed?"

"Of course!"

"Like when?"

"The kind of killing that allows my will to flow unimpeded!"

As he spoke, Wang Ping took out two Copper Coins, casually tossed them into the air, and then quickly snatched them back. When he opened his palm to look, the coins had formed a ’Holy Trigram’.