The giant rock at the highest peak is a tilted cuboid. It is very large and long. One end points up to form the mountain top, creating a wonder of a half hanging peak. Its shape is like Changban Slope.
If there is any rule in Tianji Mountain, it is Kuilei City. It can master the rules in chaos. You can imagine who lives at the top of Kuilei City.
Kuilei City has no heritage. Anyone who wants to lead this place relies on strength.
The descendants of the leader cannot keep this place in the chaotic land without strength. Cultivation is related to talent. For example, the children of high level cultivators may not reach the same high level.
The mountain top has the afterglow of the setting sun. The mountain bottom already has dots of lights. The lights are on the stone surface, on the stone walls, or in the stone cracks.
The flying mounts carrying Yu Qing and others landed at the designated spot. When landing, they felt the majestic pressure of the grand stone city before them.
The mounts landed on a large rock at the foot of the mountain. The few people jumped off and paid their travel fees. They still could not help looking up at the huge object before them. It was grand and fantastic. Above the countless scattered lights, there were several light beams of different sizes shooting through. They were the rays of the setting sun.
A shed was set up on the large stone platform. Under the hanging lanterns, three people in white clothes sat behind a table, looking at the few people who just arrived. From the reaction of Yu Qing and the others, they knew they were new to this place.
A stone tablet stood outside the shed. It had eight straightforward words written on it: Pay to enter the city, do not enter without money.
Although Yu Qing and the others were here for the first time, they had long heard of this place. They roughly knew what the seemingly simple but reasonable stall was about. The sign already made it clear. It was the place to pay the entry fee.
The few people could not break the rules of this place, nor did they dare to. They honestly went over and took out their money. Each person paid ten thousand taels.
Ten thousand taels only allowed you to stay in Kuilei City for one day. If you wanted to stay longer, you had to pay again. The accommodation fee here was unusually expensive. Yet, it did not even provide food and lodging. It only let you enter the city. Of course, there were places for food and lodging in the city, as long as you could afford them.
Nan Zhu still favoured beauty over friendship. He actively paid ten thousand taels for Baili Xin, ignoring the slightly expectant looks of his two junior brothers.
Baili Xin could not refuse, so she just let Nan Zhu help her.
She actually did not have much money. Longguang Sect had no reason to give disciples a lot of money. She thought she was helping Yu Qing and the others with their business. She assumed they would definitely cover her travel expenses. Who knew that every time it was time to pay, Yu Qing and Mu Aotie would immediately pretend not to see her.
This made her feel a bit awkward, and she was too embarrassed to ask for money.
She was very puzzled. How could men be like this? How could the number one scholar in the world lack such manners? And that big guy also seemed quite manly.
She did not think the two men were stingy. She had heard stories of the scholar using his wealth to save refugees. She guessed it was because they doubted her identity and did not want to spend money on her.
Among the three big men, only Nan Zhu was generous to her. He was willing to spend money and effort without hesitation.
But she was not a fool. At first, she did not react. After a long time, she naturally saw it. He was willing to spend money and effort on her because he wanted to be her man. However, this man was too heavy for her. She really did not have the fortune to enjoy it, nor did she want to accept it.
Due to some reasons, such as being short of money, and this heavy man being the only one supporting her staying with them, she could not outright refuse. She just kept her distance, hoping Nan Zhu would understand on his own.
Right now, the ten thousand taels of silver they handed over only bought a small pink flower with a strange fragrance. This flower was called One Day Fragrance. Once picked, it could only maintain its vitality for one day. After a day, it would gradually wither, and the strange fragrance would disappear with it. It could not be reversed.
In other words, after the flower withered, you should leave Kuilei City. If you wanted to stay in the city, you had to pay again to renew it.
The few people who paid had the freedom to enter or not enter the city. Since they had paid, they naturally wanted to have a good look. They walked around the stone platform. They saw steps inside and outside the platform. Going inside meant entering the city. Going outside meant sinking into the shadows in the dark.
Entering the city meant receiving the protection of Kuilei City. Not entering meant leaving it to fate. It was the difference between being inside and outside the rules.
Yet, some people could take advantage both inside and outside the rules. For example, the small shops hanging with lanterns outside the city right now were mobile shops normally carried around by the Mountain Porters.
Mountain Porters were protected by the cultivation world convention. No matter how chaotic and dangerous Tianji Mountain was, no one dared to openly touch the Mountain Porters.
So these Mountain Porters put their shops right under the nose of Kuilei City. They did not need to pay to enter the city. They could enjoy some protection in Tianji Mountain. They could also take advantage of Kuilei City.
Consumption inside Kuilei City was too high. Many people were still willing to go out of the city to find the shops of these Mountain Porters to buy things.
Regarding this, Kuilei City did not express any excessive dissatisfaction. Those who spent ten thousand taels to buy the flower were free to enter and leave the city. They could not stop people from going out.
Taking a step back, rich people who could consume in the city would not care about whether it was expensive or not. Those who ran out to consume, even if trapped in the city, would be few who were willing to spend money.
Therefore, Kuilei City just turned a blind eye to the advantage taking of the Mountain Porters.
Right now, there were many people entering and leaving Kuilei City.
The ground was dark, and they could not see too much. The four people turned and entered the city.
They went down the large stone platform along the steps. As they went up the steps again, a person in a cloak sitting by the steps ahead stared at them.
The few people were secretly vigilant. They did not want to cause trouble, so they avoided the person and walked a bit away.
Who knew the cloaked person stood up and walked straight to them, blocking them on the way.
“Friend, what do you mean?” Nan Zhu immediately stepped forward and questioned.
Who knew the person simply ignored them and stared straight at Baili Xin. The person obviously looked more at the long box on the back of Baili Xin.
Baili Xin realised something. She stepped forward and pushed Nan Zhu aside, standing in the front and asking, “Does sir have something to say?”
The person asked, “Are you carrying a bow and arrow on your back?”
Baili Xin was silent for a moment and said, “Yes.”
The person asked again, “How far can it shoot?”
Baili Xin understood immediately and gave an answer. “A hundred miles.”
The strict examining look on the face of the person relaxed. After the passing pedestrians went far away, the person looked at her companions and said, “Currently, only one identity and one shop are prepared. Do you want to hand them over now?”
Hearing this, Baili Xin also relaxed. She turned her head to look at Yu Qing and the others, asking for their opinion with her eyes.
Yu Qing and the others instantly understood. It should be the result of the thing Baili Xin said before about finding someone to help. The so called identity was the identity of a Mountain Porter. The so called shop should be the Tianya Pavilion carried around by the Mountain Porter.
The reason it was called Tianya Pavilion was the meaning of carrying it to travel the world.
The person who had been observing the surroundings suddenly said again, “I do not suggest you go over immediately. It is too direct and too obvious. I suggest you stroll around the city first before going to take over. The shop is the seventy third one on the left of the stone platform where you paid. When you go there, I do not know if the number will change. Other shops might move. The number might not match. Just remember the name of the shop is ‘Dang Zizai’.”
“Seventy three” and “Dang Zizai”. The few people immediately remembered these key points.
Baili Xin thought for a moment. Seeing that Yu Qing and the others had no objections, she immediately nodded and said, “Okay, we will go over tonight.”
The cloaked person did not say more. The person turned and left quickly, disappearing into the chaotic stone city.
Nan Zhu leaned close to Baili Xin and asked in a low voice, “Is he our contact person?”
Baili Xin said, “He should be.”
Nan Zhu said, “Why does your contact method feel a bit careless? Was it not prearranged?”
Baili Xin said, “No. Your letter only stated the needs and informed that you would come here. As for whether your needs can be met, someone will contact you and give you an answer.”
The brothers looked at each other.
Mu Aotie suddenly said a sarcastic sentence. “The people helping seem to have a lot of power. Why not just send some people to protect you, or just help you get the job done?”
Baili Xin turned her head and looked at him. “You have not leaked any of your important secrets. If you really need to, you can blurt it out. No problem. Say it again. If you are not reassured, or if you feel having me around is a trouble, you can say it directly. I will leave immediately and never bother you again.”
These words made Mu Aotie want to speak but stop, yet he had no reply. Driving her away directly did not seem appropriate now.
Nan Zhu quickly smiled and mediated both sides. He first said to Baili Xin, “Old Nine is just like this. Either he does not speak, or he chokes people as soon as he opens his mouth.”
Then he turned and scolded Mu Aotie. “If you cannot speak properly, can you say less? We are all our own people. The matter is not yet settled. Causing internal strife first, how does that look!”
Yu Qing smiled without reaching his eyes and hummed twice. He looked at Nan Zhu with extremely despising eyes.
Nan Zhu then smiled dryly and said, “Let us go, let us go. Do not dawdle. Let us go into the city and have a look first.”
So the few people moved forward again. Yu Qing walked at the very back in silence. His eyes still occasionally looked at the back of Baili Xin. He doubted the behaviour of this woman. To be honest, he felt Baili Xin did not look like a mole. Yet, the possibility of her being a mole was very high. Some places were obviously problematic.
In short, the method was rough. It was far less careful than the mastermind who originally designed Qiao Qie’er to get close to him. That was truly meticulous. What was this Baili Xin? As a mole, she was simply leaking everywhere. Just like asking for help right now, it was no different from directly saying she had someone behind her. Was she not reminding them to guard against her?
Being a mole to this extent, what kind of ghost was this? He was really confused.
With the One Day Fragrance flower on the obvious part of their bodies, the process of entering the city was smooth all the way.
At the end of the steps, three stones of different shapes were put together. The gap between them formed a hole shaped like a triangle. This was the entrance to the city from this direction.
The few people just walked to the hole. Suddenly, a still hot big wind blew out from inside the hole. It blew out from many holes in the whole Kuilei City. The whole Kuilei City was blown by the wind, making a strange howling sound.
The scattered lanterns hanging inside the hole swayed in the wind.