Chapter 122: City of Nether Spirits

This was a small, simple caravan of six people. The leader of the group was a physician from the Wuzang Kingdom who had practiced some martial arts under his father since childhood, making him something of a martial artist himself.

Ever since his father died in a feud, the leader had followed his final wishes, leaving behind the cutthroat life of the Jianghu to care for his elderly mother and his younger siblings. Relying on his family's ancestral medical skills, he settled down in Linzhou County of the Wuzang Kingdom. Over the years, thanks to the precise manual skills honed in his youth and his natural talent for medicine, he saved many lives and carved out a considerable reputation for himself in Linzhou. Just as life was beginning to improve, his mother was suddenly struck by a severe illness that refused to respond to any treatment.

With no other options, the leader consulted his ancestral medical texts and pinned his hopes on finding rare herbs from the Qilian Mountains in the Thirty-Six Allied Cities or the Tianluo Stronghold. He joined forces with a few friends from the Jianghu and traveled to Wucheng, one of the Thirty-Six Allied Cities. He hoped to find the medicine his mother needed while selling unique herbs from the Qilian Mountains to compensate his friends for their help; after all, Qilian herbs were in high demand in the interior kingdoms, and with his expertise, he knew it was a guaranteed profit.

As luck would have it, the leader successfully acquired the herbs needed for his mother's illness from a warrior returning from the Qilian Mountains. With the situation in Wucheng taking a sudden, volatile turn, the group decided to depart quickly and return to the Wuzang Kingdom, even before collecting all the herbs they had planned to sell.

It was during their brief stop at the gates of Wucheng that Hu San approached them. Seeing that Hu San was young and that the caravan carried no precious cargo worth coveting, the leader readily agreed to his request to join them, not even charging him a share of the expenses. As he put it, travelers were all in the same boat, and one should help whenever possible; besides, with the Qiumu River being plagued by bandits, an extra person meant an extra measure of strength.

Thus, Hu San successfully boarded the middle of the three wagons. However, it was not a passenger carriage, but a cargo wagon overflowing with medicinal herbs. The group had to lie on top of sacks filled with herbs, making the jolts of the journey unavoidable. Fortunately, Hu San did not mind the bumps. Having left the Qilian Mountains for the first time, he found everything along the way novel and interesting, so he never felt bored. Furthermore, the leader was a kind man with broad horizons, which made the journey pleasant and spared Hu San the hardships of traveling alone—one of the reasons he had sought a ride in the first place.

Given his current level of cultivation, he no longer needed the absolute silence required by beginners to sit in meditation; he could practice both the Azure Wood Scripture and the Water Cloud Art anytime and anywhere.

Days passed, and the caravan soon crossed the borders of Wucheng, entering the first kingdom Hu San had ever seen: the Mingling Kingdom.

The kingdom was named after the "Mingling grass," a vital ingredient in many medicinal prescriptions. Because of the high demand for this grass, which could only grow in the Mingling Kingdom—failing to thrive anywhere else, even under identical environmental conditions—it had become the nation's pillar industry. The country was named after the plant, and its original name had long since been forgotten.

Mingling grass began to wither as soon as it left the kingdom's borders, though it could be preserved for a few months if nourished by the soil and water of its homeland. Once dried, its medicinal potency diminished, but it could be stored for two or three years. Consequently, most of the Mingling grass used in the world was dried, but since some prescriptions required fresh grass, the demand for it was immense. Almost every caravan passing through the Mingling Kingdom would stock up on fresh Mingling grass to sell in subsequent countries, reaping substantial profits.

The caravan Hu San was traveling with was no exception. The leader found an inn to store the cargo and took his friends out to purchase the grass. As for Hu San, he was free to roam, provided he met them at the inn entrance at the hour of the Dragon, three days later.

The city where the caravan stayed was called Mingling City, located at the junction of the Mingling Kingdom and the Thirty-Six Allied Cities. It was the most prosperous center for both economy and culture in the entire kingdom. It could be said that for every ten people who knew of the Mingling Kingdom, nine knew of Mingling City, but for every ten who knew of Mingling City, only two or three knew of the Mingling Kingdom. Mingling City was even more prosperous than the royal capital; had it not been for its proximity to the Thirty-Six Allied Cities and its lack of defensible terrain, the capital would likely have been moved there long ago.

Having only caught a fleeting glimpse of the Tianluo inner city, Hu San would certainly not miss this chance to appreciate a top-tier kingdom city. After notifying the leader, Hu San dressed as a scholar, took up a folding fan, and strolled out of the inn. Following the flow of the crowd, he reached the busiest main street and began to wander idly.

The scenery was vastly different from the Qilian Mountains. Hu San noticed that everyone looked energetic, and more importantly, their faces held an expression of peace and security—a look he had never seen in the mountains. He knew this was because the place was absolutely safe, a depth of character built over years of stability, the outward manifestation of a life far from chaos and filled with contentment.

It was unlike the Tianluo Stronghold, where, even though the people living there were as important as those in the Mingling Kingdom and the commerce was perhaps even more prosperous, everyone seemed to be in a rush, their hearts filled with deep-seated anxiety—a clear sign of a severe lack of security.

Admiring the culture of the Mingling Kingdom and feeling the peaceful environment, Hu San couldn't help but recall the stories of the "Kingdom World" he had heard from the village elders in his childhood. Was this not exactly the kind of kingdom described in those legends?

"What a peaceful and serene scene. The Kingdom World is truly different from the Qilian Mountains. If Lin Hu and the others could see this, I wonder how happy they would be."

It was near noon, and after walking for a long time, Hu San felt hungry. By chance, a bustling tavern stood nearby. After a moment of thought, he set aside his musings and walked inside.

As he entered the small building, a wave of warmth hit him, filled with the aroma of food and the pungent scent of wine. It was prime lunch hour; the hall was noisy, with Jianghu men baring their arms, drinking from large bowls, and shouting over gambling games. Along the walls hung many scrolls of calligraphy and paintings, covered in red seals, which appeared to be the work of famous masters. Hu San, whose education was limited, could not judge their value, but he felt the characters were written with a unique, bold flair.

He didn't have to wait long before a waiter approached. The waiter was sharp-eyed; judging by Hu San's attire, he quickly assessed his spending power and enthusiastically led him to the second floor, where a window seat happened to be vacant.

Compared to the first floor, the second floor was much more elegant and quiet. The guests were well-dressed, sipping wine from small cups and whispering to one another. It was a refined establishment.

"What are your signature dishes? Bring me two of everything, and a jar of your best wine!"

"Uh, two of everything?" The waiter’s smiling face froze, and he bit his lip, at a loss.

"What, is there a problem?" Hu San raised an eyebrow, reached into his sleeve, and placed a gold ingot on the table with a crisp *clink*.

The waiter swallowed hard, struggling to tear his eyes away from the gold. He gave a bitter smile: "My guest, you have misunderstood. My Tianxiang Tower is quite famous in Mingling City, and our most renowned offering is the 'Tianxiang Thirty-Six Allied Dishes.' As the name implies, each dish is a specialty from the Thirty-Six Allied Cities. One main dish and eight side dishes make up a set, totaling thirty-six dishes in all. If you truly wish to taste them all, you could spend twenty or thirty days doing so. But to eat them all in one sitting—and two portions at that—can you really manage it?"

"As for the wine, that's no problem. We have everything from Wucheng’s Osmanthus Carving wine to Lin City’s Golden Light wine—anything available in the Thirty-Six Allied Cities, we have it. Of course, if you prefer a local specialty, you must not miss the Mingling wine, brewed with fresh Mingling grass."

Facing the waiter's wry smile, Hu San was slightly stunned, then laughed: "So that’s how it is. Just bring the dishes. The name alone is enough to whet my appetite. Since I’ve come all this way, wouldn't it be a shame not to try them? And bring a jar of that Mingling wine. Is this enough money? Keep it; whatever I don't spend, consider it a tip."

"Enough, more than enough!" The waiter quickly took the gold, nodding helplessly. "Please wait a moment, sir. I will add two more tables for you; seventy-two dishes won't fit on one. As for the Mingling wine, it will be up shortly."

The gold ingot was worth twenty taels. After spending sixteen for the meal, four would remain, a small fortune for the waiter, so he could not refuse.

Hu San’s display quickly drew the attention of those on the second floor. However, upon hearing his request, they merely sneered and returned to their wine and conversation, clearly having seen many such "nouveau riche" types in Mingling City before. Even those who cast strange glances quickly lowered their heads, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. All in all, the atmosphere remained quiet and peaceful.