Chapter 248: New arrival

Listening to the two from Honglu Temple introduce things along the way, Li Qi also looked out the car window at the streets.

Prosperity.

Beyond that, there really were no other adjectives.

This was a colossal city with a population numbering in the billions.

The immense popularity swept over everything, making heaven and earth submit, the sun, moon, and stars yield, and rules suppressed everything; here, the wind blew according to human will, and the rain fell according to human will.

Li Qi could even see a ‘weather forecast’ on the terminal in his hand.

What was outrageous was that this weather forecast predicted an entire year!

All the weather for the year had already been arranged, everything was within the plan.

All natural phenomena had to be regulated to ensure they were the most ‘suitable’.

Honglu Temple introduced some local customs to Li Qi. After about half an hour, the car traveled approximately three hundred li and finally stopped.

“Ah, have we arrived? Oh, Young Master, are you interested in attending tonight’s banquet? Some students who have also come from other places to study abroad, arranged by Honglu Temple, happen to have a dinner party. If Young Master attends, you will surely be seated as an honored guest and can also spread some renown.” Fang Yuanzheng suggested as they were getting out of the car.

Tang Nation was not the type to close itself off; in fact, there were many foreign students, but few could enter the Imperial Academy.

Besides the Imperial Academy, Chang'an also had many schools, and their students were not necessarily from this world.

Among the myriad worlds, the most, most, most top-tier Geniuses were often selected one person out of several million worlds to come to Tang Nation for further study, which could be called the ultimate competition.

Being able to show one’s face among these people could indeed spread one’s reputation.

However, it was not necessary.

Li Qi shook his head: “Forget it, it’s just a bit of fleeting fame. Then I shall take my leave, Chen Lingcheng, Fang Changke, until we meet again. Thank you for accompanying me today and introducing so many things.”

“It’s our duty, Young Master, don’t worry about it. Your terminal already has everything you need saved: admission procedures,注意事项, maps, all are in there. If you don’t understand anything, or encounter trouble, you can also contact us. Our contact information has also been saved in it, just find me directly.” Fang Yuanzheng said kindly.

“Thank you for your trouble.” Li Qi cupped his hands in thanks.

“Oh, there’s one more thing, Young Master, please remember, although the Central Plains is vast, it does not tolerate those who break the law. If you have a conflict or argument with someone, you must not directly resort to violence, otherwise, under the law, even Young Master will be punished the same as a commoner.” Fang Yuanzheng said here, becoming unusually serious.

“Thank you for the reminder, Li Qi will keep it in mind.” Li Qi nodded.

After speaking, the people from Honglu Temple said nothing more, got out of the car to bid farewell to Li Qi, and then drove away.

Only Li Qi remained, holding the rabbit in his arms, standing in the dormitory arranged for him by Honglu Temple.

The Imperial Academy did not have dormitories; students found their own accommodations.

Li Qi certainly had no place to stay, so Honglu Temple arranged a small courtyard for him, which was the ‘entry residence’ mentioned earlier.

Though called a courtyard, it was actually no different from the surrounding ordinary residences, covering an area of about two to three hundred square meters.

Tang Nation did not give Li Qi any special treatment; if Li Qi’s Young Master status was considered, this arrangement could even be described as ‘meager’.

However, Li Qi wasn’t very concerned about this, because he had read the regulations issued by Honglu Temple and found that the specifications were indeed like this; everything was handled according to the rules.

If Li Qi wanted to live in a better place, he could go find it himself; anyway, only this small courtyard was arranged for him, and it didn’t matter if he wanted to rent something else himself.

“No money.” Li Qi shook his head, holding Shen Shuibi, and walked into the courtyard.

The door of this courtyard was also a Spiritual Artifact; it couldn’t be opened by ordinary methods and required the terminal given to him by Honglu Temple to open it, which contained his personal authentication and the authority to open this Spiritual Artifact.

All the houses were Spiritual Artifacts, which seemed a bit absurd, but… upon closer thought, it didn’t seem that absurd.

It was like primitive people living in caves, and modern people living in reinforced concrete houses.

Primitive people would consider industrialization a miracle; so much iron, concrete, simply endless, they could only use stone tools, iron tools were something they couldn't even dream of.

But for modern people, living in reinforced concrete houses was simply a matter of course; who would go live in a cave?

It was the same now.

For residents of the Baiyue Area, living in ordinary wooden houses was normal, while living in a Spiritual Artifact was inconceivable.

But from the perspective of Chang'an people, wasn't it natural for houses to be automated Spiritual Artifacts? Everyone built them this way.

The gap between Baiyue and Tang Nation was reflected in the most basic aspects of daily life.

Compared to Baiyue, this was an all-encompassing transcendence.

Li Qi walked to the entrance of the courtyard and saw an old man taking a stroll.

This should be his neighbor, right? He looked like a Mortal, with some cultivation method, but not yet ranked. He appeared to be sixty or seventy years old, with a straight back and a vigorous spirit.

Since he had run into him, Li Qi greeted him: “Good afternoon, Elder.”

The elder replied: “Good, good, young man, just moved in? No one lived here before.”

“Yes, I just arrived today, and I’ll probably be living here from now on. How old are you, sir?” Li Qi stopped, holding Shen Shuibi, and chatted with the old man on the sidewalk.

“I’m two hundred and five years old this year!” The old man replied loudly: “How about you, young man? How did you move here?”

Two hundred and five years old!?

Li Qi was stunned, scanning the old gentleman.

Truly, he couldn’t tell at all.

The other party hadn’t even entered a Rank, how did he live to be two hundred and five years old? And still in such good spirits?

However, he only paused for a moment; Li Qi quickly regained his composure.

To achieve this, it probably required a peaceful living environment, widely accessible cultivation methods, and comprehensive medical facilities.

Afterward, Li Qi said to him: “Elder, you’re in such good spirits, I can’t tell you’re already two hundred years old. As for me, I’ve come to study at the Imperial Academy, so I’ll be living here.”

When the old gentleman heard that Li Qi was a Imperial Academy student, his eyes immediately widened!

“Oh my! I didn’t realize it was a Imperial Academy student!” The old gentleman was so surprised he almost jumped: “Good child, good child, very good, very good.”

He seemed a bit excited: “This is truly a blessing for my old Liu family. Oh, right, right, child, wait a moment.” With that, he scurried off to the house next door.

His agile movements certainly didn’t look like those of a two-hundred-year-old.

Li Qi stopped curiously, wondering what the other party intended to do.

After a while, the elder came out with a child of twelve or thirteen.

Li Qi stared at the child…

There was Demon Qi on the child.

He was a half-demon race, not a pure-blooded human.

But the child seemed to have no special feelings, instead, he looked at Li Qi with reverence, holding a red envelope in both hands, and said to Li Qi: “Brother, this is for you!”

The old gentleman also urged: “Child, take it, for good luck.”

Ah? Are Tang Nation people so enthusiastic?

Seeing the other party’s genuine surprise, Li Qi found it hard to refuse.

He could also feel that this was entirely from the heart, a joy and blessing, coupled with a custom of seeking good fortune.

Although he wasn't entirely clear, Li Qi accepted the red envelope, cupped his hands, and responded with a smile: “Thank you, thank you.”

To do this gesture, he even squatted down and placed the rabbit aside.

Fortunately, the rabbit had been silent from the beginning, still in a state of red-hot silence, so no one noticed her, this strange rabbit in a small dress.

After receiving the red envelope, the old gentleman and his grandson chatted for a while longer.

They talked about helping the child with homework if he had time later, to find them if anything happened since they were familiar with the area, whether furniture was ready, and if he needed help.

Li Qi naturally responded politely.

After the pleasantries, the grandfather and grandson watched Li Qi enter the house, and Li Qi could still hear the old gentleman lowering his voice to educate the child, saying things like ‘Watch carefully, and learn from this older brother in the future.’

Li Qi listened to these words as he walked into the courtyard, opening the red envelope at the same time.

Inside were not copper coins or silver taels, but several red papers, inscribed with many auspicious phrases.

Upon closer inspection, they were all phrases like “No disasters in the past, no harm in the future” and “Qilin child in heaven, top scholar on earth.”

This made Li Qi happier than if it contained money. He folded the red papers and put them into his芥子袋.

He understood a little more about Tang Nation.

But… compared to Shaman God Mountain?

Li Qi opened the door, surveyed the small courtyard, and compared it to Shaman God Mountain.

The conclusion was…

The Rank was similar?

Indeed, it was similar, just that the styles differed too much.

When he went to the banquet, when he was in the cave heaven, and when he was traveling and saw the decorations between the various spiritual peaks, he could tell that if they wanted to, Shaman God Mountain could also be very advanced.

However, Shaman God Mountain, apart from personal preferences, was unwilling to make too many changes to the natural world, nor did it want to improve everyone’s lives.

Following the natural course meant that most people and animals were the same in the eyes of the Shaman; their death and reproduction were part of natural cycles.

If you could embark on the path of cultivation and achieve longevity, that was the result of your own efforts; Shaman Dao would not deliberately stop you.

If you couldn’t, that was also a matter of course; they would not specifically help you.

The scene in the Baiyue Area was precisely this.

All beings are equal, and humans are no exception.

But the Human Dao was precisely the opposite.

Ordinary elderly people being able to live two hundred years and still be so energetic was enough to show that the Human Dao actually cared deeply about these ordinary people, and would specifically provide them with universal medical care and education.

But Li Qi could also see the large-scale encroachment carried out to support these people.

There was no shortage of meat on the street stalls and terminals, which must be the result of large-scale farming.

The ‘farming’ behavior unseen in the Shaman Dao Baiyue Area had evidently become a matter of course in the Human Dao Chang'an.

The two Dao Orthodoxy’s different understandings of the world directly led to completely different changes in social models.

Farming is extremely cruel and unfair to the farmed creatures, which Shaman Dao does not advocate.

But farming is also very convenient and efficient for the nurtured side, so the Human Dao widely popularized this model.

Li Qi once again understood what the Dao Orthodoxy conflict meant.

Dao Orthodoxy’s understanding of the world is different, and what they do is also different.

Conflict arises from this.

Is the Human Dao’s approach correct? Perhaps those other species that are farmed and encroached upon would not think so; among these encroached species, there are definitely types with innate spiritual intelligence.

Is the Shaman Dao’s approach correct? Then how should the feudal era that lasted for countless years be explained? Compared to the people of Chang'an, the two do not seem to live in the same world.

In this matter, it is probably impossible to distinguish right from wrong; there is only one’s own perceived ‘Dao’.

It’s just that…

The Human Dao doesn’t seem to be limited to the ‘human’ race.

Because, on the streets, there also seemed to be some demon race and other races with human rights, and they also had terminals. Even the child from before was a half-demon race; one of his parents must have been a demon.

This indicates that demons also have human rights.

Extending from this, Li Qi guessed that the Human Dao’s stance was probably: ‘Those who recognize me are my kin.’

If they don't recognize it…

Then Tang Nation’s domineering and aggressive nature towards the outside world has been demonstrated many times, needless to say.

Still pondering these things, Li Qi sat down on a chair in the room.

This was a desk by the window. Placing Shen Shuibi on the desk, he continued to ponder and summarize what he had seen and heard along the way, while also taking out paper and pen to help himself think.

Normally, before he came, someone from Shaman God Mountain should have specifically informed him about the common knowledge of Tang Nation, but...

This time, he didn't come under normal circumstances; he actually did something bad and ran away, so he hadn't undergone pre-job training.

But it didn’t matter; Li Qi found it more interesting to gradually outline a concrete image of Tang Nation this way.

Because he rushed over suddenly, there was a full month until the Imperial Academy started classes.

Besides, even after school starts, he could still go out and walk around.

There was still plenty of time for him to witness this country, which was located in the center of the world, with his own eyes.

Organizing information and insights, he began to draw a mind map to help him better sort out the clues.

As soon as one starts thinking, time seems to speed up.

Soon, it was evening from noon.

The sun set, and the moon rose.

However, Li Qi didn’t feel anything amiss.

Because while he was engrossed in his studies, Shen Shuibi had already silently turned on the light for him.

Red sleeves add fragrance, lighting a lamp at night; candlelight reflects on the screen, illuminating the distant wind.

The rabbit had transformed back into human form, leaning slightly on a reclining chair on the other side, silently watching his back.

Actually… appearing as a rabbit all day today and not speaking wasn't because of shyness.

It was because…

Pain.

But she couldn’t tell Li Qi about this.

Shen Shuibi had a premonition that if she told him, something not so good might happen.

However, it should be better tomorrow, right?

Li Qi had already applied for medical treatment, and after the injury healed, there would be many more things she could do.

She had to start thinking now about how to accumulate wealth after her injury healed, at least enough to pay off the debts to the Mount Luofu people and Yang Ning.

This way, she wouldn't become a burden to the Empress.

Thus, one person and one rabbit each fell into deep thought.