In The Cultivation World, Are There Only Demonesses Left?

Chapter 11: The noodles your senior sister liked to eat — will you eat them?

The capital of the Glazed Dynasty was called Upper Jade Capital.

This name had been given by the founding emperor.

No one knew what meaning it held; perhaps he had gotten drunk with someone and casually picked it.

This ancient dynasty, where immortals and mortals mingled, had stood for over a thousand years.

It had risen and fallen many times but still remained unshaken.

Clearly, there was something extraordinary about this dynasty.

“Get off your horse! Get off your horse! What are you coming to Upper Jade Capital for?”

The shout from the gate guard made Lu Changyuan a little dazed.

This was his first time here in this lifetime; he wasn’t familiar with the city.

But Daoist Chang’an was familiar with this city — at least, he should have been familiar with this very gate before him.

Yet the mottled city walls were far different from the ones in his memory.

Even the few familiar trees outside the city had long since disappeared.

Strangeness filled the Upper Jade Capital before him.

It was as the saying went — behind the lamp and moon, only the shadow of flowers; ten years of traces, ten years of heart.

All no longer as before.

Lu Changyuan’s body stiffened slightly as he dismounted.

Ah.

He remembered now.

The city wall before him must have been rebuilt.

The previous one had been split apart by a single sword of his, back when he fought someone here a thousand years ago.

No wonder he couldn’t find that past feeling.

Lu Changyuan smiled and shook his head, taking out a white jade token.

“So it’s an immortal master from the Jade Temple. Please, come in quickly!”

The guard’s expression immediately changed, stepping aside with a smile.

Lu Changyuan said, “Judging by your casual manner, quite a few fellow Daoists must have already entered the city.”

“Yes, immortal master. A month ago, His Majesty ordered that the gates not stop immortals.”

This emperor must have lost his head.

Knowing full well the news about the Heaven-Mending Pill had leaked, and that all sorts of monsters and demons would rush here, yet still not setting up defenses?

A month had passed.

Upper Jade Capital was probably already swarming with monsters and demons.

The guard saw Lu Changyuan’s thoughtful look and gave a bitter smile.

“We did block them at first, but we couldn’t hold them back. So we simply opened up.”

Just like a pretty widow being targeted, unable to resist, and simply giving in to enjoy it.

“These past days, the city probably hasn’t been very peaceful?”

Judging by the bloody character seen two days ago—

There were still four or five days before the Heaven-Mending Pill would emerge.

These next days surely wouldn’t be peaceful.

The guard sighed.

“Exactly. Every day we can see immortals fighting with their Techniques. But the immortals have been somewhat restrained; they haven’t harmed us mortals. Maybe they’re afraid of creating too much slaughter and being judged by the Daoist Sect’s immortals.”

Lu Changyuan ignored the guard’s muttering and led his horse into the city.

Xia Lianxue, dressed in plain blue, a white veil covering her head, sat silently on the horse.

“What’s wrong? Not happy? This is the royal city. Outsiders usually have to kowtow a few times at the gate to get in.”

Lu Changyuan told a joke.

Xia Lianxue didn’t laugh.

She hadn’t laughed in days.

“Don’t be so sullen. So you lost all your cultivation and got expelled from your sect. Its not big deal, it’s not like you died.”

Xia Lianxue had been thinking that she might as well have died.

But the way Lu Changyuan said this — as if casting some Technique — made her think: Yes, as long as I’m alive, there’s still hope.

It’s not like I’m dead.

So the immortal fairy softly spoke: “Cihang Palace.”

“Hm?”

“The Glazed Dynasty’s Third Princess is Cihang Palace’s True Disciple.

For the sake of the Buddha, if not the monks, before the pill emerges, things won’t go too far.”

One of the Nine Sects and Twelve Palaces — Cihang Palace.

Yet another new sect Lu Changyuan had never heard of.

Lu Changyuan asked, “Cihang Palace is powerful?”

Xia Lianxue paused a moment.

“White Domain’s Daoist Sect. Black Domain’s Cihang Palace.”

The cultivation world was divided into the White and Black Domains.

Daoist Sect and Cihang Palace were the strongest sects in their respective domains.

“How did a bunch of nuns achieve the Dao?”

Xia Lianxue shook her head, her snow-white veil swaying gently.

“Cihang Palace does not worship the Buddha.”

Lu Changyuan asked in puzzlement, “Then what do they believe in?”

“Cihang Guanyin. They only believe in this and nothing else. They’re different from those nunneries that worship the Buddha.”

What was going on with this cultivation world?

The Buddhist sect no longer recited sutras.

Nunneries believed only in Guanyin.

In five hundred years, the world had changed beyond Lu Changyuan’s recognition.

Lu Changyuan waved his hand, too lazy to bother about all these sects and palaces.

He only asked, “Are you hungry? I see a noodle shop over there. Let’s go have some noodles.”

Xia Lianxue forced her breath to steady.

She had originally planned to continue explaining who exactly that Third Princess was.

She hadn’t expected Lu Changyuan not to listen at all.

Lu Changyuan added, “Your senior sister loved to eat them. When she stayed at my place, she ate all the noodles I cooked… even the eggs.”

So her senior sister was gluttonous?

This was something Xia Lianxue hadn’t anticipated.

“If you don’t eat your fill, how will you have the strength to cultivate? Right now you’re even weaker than a mortal. This is exactly when you should be eating.”

It would have been fine if he hadn’t mentioned it.

But as soon as he did, Xia Lianxue really felt hungry.

The long-forgotten hunger surged forth when her sorrow loosened a little, making her dizzy.

She almost fell off her horse.

Lu Changyuan caught her in time, then immediately let go without lingering on that soft touch.

The scent of a man drifted into Xia Lianxue’s nose.

Her dizziness grew worse.

The noodle shop was right in front of them.

It was truly an old and small noodle shop, with no door, just a few tables and chairs set at the corner, and a sign hanging beside them.

The characters on the sign were hard to read, and the wooden stools were all chipped.

Yet such a noodle shop was already full of people early in the morning.

Lu Changyuan walked up to the shop’s owner and asked, “Any space left?”

The owner was an old granny with a face full of wrinkles.

Seeing Lu Changyuan approach, she slowly opened her eyes and carefully sized him up.

“That young lady over there came with you, young master?”

“Yes, two of us.”

“There’s still space.”

No one knew where the old granny dragged out another table from.

She wiped the dust off it and brought over two stools.

Then she asked, “What would young master like to eat?”

“Two bowls of plain noodles.”

Lu Changyuan sat at the table, smiling at Xia Lianxue.

As expected, he heard her say, “You’re making me eat this?”

His heart felt comfortable.

“I’m a poor doctor. No money. Do you know how expensive plain noodles are in the royal city? It’s not like the countryside.”

Xia Lianxue bit her red lips, trembling as she pulled out a small pouch from her bosom.

This was the private money she had saved on missions back when she was in the palace.

“You… go get…”

Before she could finish speaking, the old granny brought over a plate of braised beef and a plate of braised peanuts, setting them before the two.

Lu Changyuan narrowed his eyes with a smile.

“And what’s this about?”

“New customers all get this. No charge. Just come often. The noodles still need a moment.”

When the old granny went back to cook the noodles, Xia Lianxue asked, “You knew already?”

Lu Changyuan had already picked up a piece of beef and popped it into his mouth.

“This is my first time eating here too.”

The immortal fairy mimicked him, picking up the chopsticks, but whispered softly, “I don’t believe you.”

“You’d better learn to trust me.”

Xia Lianxue felt a little vexed, but only a little.

She was still grateful — it was Lu Changyuan who had removed the demon from her.

Otherwise, she would already be dead.

Bang!

A jar of clear liquor was placed on the table.

Xia Lianxue turned to the old shopkeeper.

“This is also a benefit for new customers?”

The old granny paused, then said in her aged voice, “Yes.”