Chapter 19: Joy in Luyang

Luyang is bordered by mountains on three sides and faces water to the north. The city itself is built against the mountains, so the road from the Xiaoyuan Mountain to the city is a downhill walk, offering a sweeping view from above.

At dawn, seen from afar, Luyang presents an entirely different impression. The east is growing light, bathing the world in its radiance. The imposing palace rises even higher than the surrounding peaks, shrouded in mist, with birds circling and calling, like a luminous pearl set among the layered mountains—a grand spectacle of earthly prosperity.

Flight is forbidden in Luyang—so beneath the palace, there is no chaotic flurry of cultivators in the sky, only an orderly sprawl of civilian houses, interspersed with tall trees and lofty buildings.

The city walls are not made of gray-black bricks. With powerful cultivators and strange materials in the world, the walls are constructed from hard, pristine white stone, fitted seamlessly together, giving an impression of sanctity. It’s said that when cultivators from across the land come in pursuit of the sacred Luyang Immortal Academy, they are awestruck by the city from outside its gates.

On the official road, carriages, horses, and pedestrians line up to enter the city. Gu Yi and Ma Yuan, leading their horse, blended in with the crowd. Master Ma could barely contain his excitement, turning around every so often or hopping up to see how many people were left ahead.

“Master, let me tell you, the most important thing when entering Luyang isn’t to find someone or to visit the Immortal Academy—it’s to go to Imperial Delicacies Pavilion!”

Gu Yi was puzzled. “Why?”

“You don’t know?” Master Ma looked at him as if he’d seen a monster. “Lady Ye, the chef at the Imperial Delicacies Pavilion, is a culinary genius! The dishes there are one of Luyang’s famed Four Wonders!”

So it was all about food.

“Let’s get inside first,” Gu Yi said.

The line moved slowly, suggesting the inspections weren’t just for show. Gu Yi noticed that cultivators carrying swords would present a black token of some sort—the contents unknown—but those people seemed to be admitted fastest.

Master Ma caught Gu Yi’s gaze and, grinning, pulled out a similar rectangular token from his robe. “This is the permit for us cultivators. It has our name and the Immortal Academy where we studied. With this, we get a monthly stipend.”

No wonder this bald man was always leisurely and idle, Gu Yi thought.

“So the State of Xu supports all the cultivators in the country?” he asked.

Ma Yuan nodded. “But the money isn’t free. Every year, we answer the emperor’s summons. These tokens are specially made; imperial orders can reach us even from a thousand miles away. Usually, if there’s no war, we serve about half a year; if there is, we go to the army and fight for the nation.”

The Yin Dynasty really knew how to consolidate power—not only abolishing sects and founding the Immortal Academy to seize authority, but also finding ways to employ every cultivator for its purposes.

“But if there’s no war, what do they summon you for?” Gu Yi wondered.

“Naturally, to govern the country. If there’s a drought, cultivators are gathered to redistribute water. If there’s a flood, we repair the infrastructure. If there’s famine, we go out to sea to hunt and provide food for the people. If demons trouble the populace, we eradicate their lairs. All these things need manpower. Sometimes, if farmland lies fallow, the emperor even has cultivators sow the seeds. Our Seventh Princess herself plants crops for the common folk every year.”

Cultivators flying in the sky sowing seeds?

Gu Yi imagined the scene. In a way, this was a supernatural path to agricultural modernization.

Impressive.

“Master, you needn’t worry. If you don’t have a token, just perform a simple spirit charm over there—they’ll let you through. It’s easy to get a permit inside the city, especially now during wartime mobilization. They won’t turn away extra manpower.”

He understood. Every hand counted—even an extra body for the front lines. In special cases, even students from the Immortal Academy had to leave early and take up arms.

Gu Yi thought for a moment. “Once I get the permit, I’ll be subject to summons too, right?”

Ma Yuan thumped his chest. “Of course! Fighting for the country is every Xu citizen’s honor! But without military merit, the monthly stipend isn’t much. You’d still need a side job, which would cut into your cultivation time. But if you achieve merit, everything changes—the stipend increases dramatically, and you get rewards like techniques and magical treasures. Then you never have to worry about money again, and you can devote yourself to the pursuit of immortality. The state will provide for you until death.”

Wen Xiaoguang understood at last: becoming an immortal also came with a salary.

Distinguished service meant access to better cultivation techniques.

So, for cultivators, not only was the pursuit of the Dao a calling of the soul, but in reality, it was also the most coveted stable career.

Serving in the military was both an honor and the main way to obtain advanced techniques.

Just then, a pair of cultivators—a man and a woman—ahead of Gu Yi presented their permits. The guards instantly straightened, faces full of respect and longing. “Welcome home, sirs from the Immortal Academy! Thank you for your service!”

Gu Yi squinted thoughtfully. “It must be easy for cultivators to find wives—stable income, respectable, sure to please the in-laws.”

“…Master, I haven’t found a wife myself,” Ma Yuan complained, feeling wounded.

Understandable—he was bald, after all. Religion was just religion these days, unrelated to cultivation. A bald head didn’t exactly scream ‘cultivator.’

The pair ahead tucked their permits into their sleeves and didn’t spare a glance for the saluting soldiers, who instead watched them go with burning admiration.

“Move up! Keep order, move quickly!” barked the black-armored guards, regaining their bluster after the Immortal Academy dignitaries had passed. With sharp eyes, they could tell at a glance that the two farmers pushing a cart and the bald man weren’t cultivators.

This actually made things a bit more complicated—they had to check what these people were bringing into the city.

“Hey, little monk, there’s no religious event today—what’s your business in the city?” one soldier demanded.

Master Ma, short and stout—barely one-sixty in height—could easily have his head patted by Gu Yi. Knowing his temper, Gu Yi warned him, “Keep it low-key. Don’t lose your temper here, or I’ll give you a hair transplant and then pluck every strand out myself!”

Getting into the city was priority. If things got out of hand, Gu Yi’s identity would be hard to explain. A confrontation here could end in disaster.

Master Ma simmered with anger, but he didn’t dare disobey. Huffing, he took out his permit.

But he wasn’t done yet.

He raised the permit high, spinning in a slow circle to display it to everyone, cheeks puffed out as he shouted, “Say it—tell me I’ve worked hard!”

It was his only way to vent.

Snap!

All the soldiers snapped to attention as if receiving a command. “Sir from the Immortal Academy, thank you for your service!”

Ah, that felt good.

Master Ma basked in the awed stares of those around him, as people realized this monk was actually a cultivator from the Luyang Immortal Academy—their gazes full of reverence. He felt as if he’d reached the peak of his life.

“Hmph!” Though secretly delighted, he maintained a righteous façade, giving a cold snort and brushing his nose with his thumb. “This is my master, a spirit talismanist from out of town. He’ll soon have a permit as well. Don’t get in his way! I, Ma Yuan of the Luyang Immortal Academy, vouch for him!”

He pronounced “Luyang Immortal Academy” much louder than his own name.

“Uh…” The black-armored guard looked troubled. It was a special time—letting someone in without a question was against regulations.

Gu Yi understood too. With a subtle movement of his fingers in his sleeve, he conjured a faint, shimmering green talisman in his palm.

Snap!

“Sir, thank you for your service!”

…

…

“Come on, Master! I’ll take you to the best food in Luyang—the Imperial Delicacies Pavilion!”