Chapter [B3] 32 — Azure City

Chapter [B3] 32 — Azure City

I sat in my carriage, looking out the window, as the Azure city began to appear in the distance. Houses began to appear all around us, the grass still alive, with a light layer of frost covering the leaves as the only sign of winter. And with every step closer, I could feel warmth returning, like the oncoming wave of spring, as new life burst forth after the cold long winter months.The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

After learning more from Xianwu, I knew this to be a result of the Azure Dragons presence. It made sense too. Spring was the epitomic representation of life. And the Azure Dragon was the Divine Beast of Spring and Wood, two things most strongly connected to life. The abundance of Qi in the air, and the flowering plants that covered the trees with blossoms slowly drifting across the skies, made the city look like a veritable paradise.

The skies were blue or rather, azure. The houses shared a similar color scheme. Shades of blue covered the city, even from a distance, mingling with the pleasant look of the trees and the skies shining with a bright sun up above.

Amidst all of that, within the grand city that spun outwards in a cobweb of streets and houses, towering over and watching over this entire place was the Jade Court. The palace was massive, and could be seen even from the outside, rising up above the city with its inner and outer grounds taking up the entire central area.

In many ways it was a world of its own, inside those grounds. The emperors eternal spring garden, inside the city of immortals.

As our carriages rolled past, my eyes began to look at the people walking by. Had this been any other place, any other city, even one of the seven celestial peaks then we wouldve seen mortals and children watching in curiosity as a caravan as big as ours passed by.

Here, none looked twice. The sight of a regional lord arriving in the city was rather mundane apparently, with few glancing in our direction, or being particularly impressed by the mystical carriage the Lord sat in.

That wasnt the only thing curious here either. The second thing was there were no mortals in this city. All those who walked by were cultivators. Many were in the second circle, and quite a few were in the third.

What wouldve only been seen in talented individuals or powerful elders was seen here in people of roughly my own age.

Given my current ability, I would rank somewhere in the eighth realm. An impressive feat that would make me an unparalleled genius on the Seventh Peak.

Here, I was merely a genius at best. Certainly, still an impressive feat nonetheless, but not anything that couldnt be matched by equally talented people.

Even the youngest children I saw, dressed in bright colored robes, held Qi in their core. Not all of them had broken through into the first realm, but they possessed Qi nonetheless. They were not mortals, and they would never be.

It was truly like watching a paradise slowly unfold in front of my eyes. The city was massive in size, and the roads we traveled on were paved and layered with stones to allow for smoother travel. Celestial carriages moved around the city constantly, with people delegated to sidewalks to clear the way for them.

It was the kind of infrastructure you only saw back home after the advent of cars, and was something that was lacking in all the other cities or towns I had been to in this world. But here it was, showing me what the greatest city of the great Azure-Jade empire looked like.

There was no wonder that these people were conceited. They held power, the very key to immortality, they lived in a city ruled by the emperor, the literal chosen one of the heavens, with the Azure Dragon watching over them, distant from any threats of demons.

A paradise built upon the suffering, deaths, and corpses of millions. But none would have to see those, buried under the earth and far from the eyes of the people in this city.

The thought soured my mood, and the magical paradise city around me began to appear a little less mystical when paired with the ugly reality it subsisted on. But for the moment, I tried to put the thought behind me, simply taking in the sights.

I glanced towards the old man and Guoren, before deciding to leave that whole topic alone for the moment.

Let me guide you to your chambers, Guoren said, taking the Lord, Zhou Fang and me with him. Looking inside the carriage, I made sure to grab my special box before I followed. The others followed behind servants who began to show them around the place as well.

Walking inside the manor, I noticed the beautiful sculptures and paintings present and tastefully scattered all around inside the place. Dozens of servants moved all over the place, doing different things, and carrying items. I left Su Lin to handle taking care of the auction items, trusting him to be able to manage it.

Are there normally this many people around here? I asked, looking around curiously.

No, normally it is just me and a few more helpers. But of course we knew of the Lords arrival, and thus hired workers to ensure your stay is as smooth as possible, Guoren said.

We will go from here. It is the same chamber as always, is it not? The Lord asked, as we arrived near one of the larger chambers.

Yes, my liege. The same one as always, Guoren said.

The Lord nodded, glancing at me. You should take some time to rest, Lu Jie. And I do mean, actually rest. There are many things to do, but the body and mind still need some time to recover, the lord said.

Is that an order, my lord? I asked.

Do not have us make it one, he said, and I chuckled, bowing my head.

Ill head out to my chamber as well, you can show Lu Jie to his, Zhou Fang said, stepping aside as well.

Guoren nodded, before looking at me. It is nearby, I will show you, he said, and we walked a little further, before arriving at a rather luxurious looking room with a large bed and shelves filled with various books. The entire place was laden with Qi and decorated with vases and pictures that would probably be enough to pay for the entire village of Taizhou from any one of them.

If you require anything, just call my name, Guoren said.

Thank you, I replied, as the older man bowed and left the chamber.

I sat down on the bed with a sigh, feeling the softness of the material. It felt comfortable, almost like I was sitting on a cloud.

Lying down on the bed, I thought over the things I needed to get done. Yet, my thoughts slowly began to fade away against the warmth and comfort of the chamber.

Perhaps a short nap first wouldnt hurt too much.