Chapter 673: A Good Show to Watch

Lake Mountain was about twenty-odd li from Shangjing City. It wasn't too far; a horse carriage could make the trip in about a shichen.

Located in the Mingnan Mountain Range, it was lush with vegetation. Commoners lived at its foot beside a lake, which gave Lake Mountain its name. The water and slopes flowed into one another, naturally forming a realm of their own.

In the center of Lake Mountain Lake stood a multi-story pavilion. According to the locals, it had once been a gambling house built by a prince many years ago to amass wealth and host lavish entertainment. Everyone who stepped foot inside was, without exception, wealthy gentry.

Later, during the Tianshun era of Great Jing, war broke out, and the pavilion shut its doors. After the King of Xiang took control of Great Jing and learned the site had been a gambling den, he ordered it sealed. It had remained closed ever since.

Looking at it now, the pavilion was completely dilapidated. Devoid of human presence for so long, it had lost its vitality and quickly rotted away. Even the iron pillars supporting it from beneath the water were somewhat unsteady.

And this pavilion was the venue for the Investiture of Immortals Assembly.

Whoever reached the top floor first would win. Whoever fell into the water first would lose.

Those were the rules.

It seemed like a hasty decision, but the official originally in charge had actually drafted numerous rules. However, the chaos that erupted during the distribution of the Tokens made him change his mind.

Rather than enforcing strict regulations, it was better to let things run their course.

Early this morning, before the sky even began to lighten, the group had gotten up.

Ruyi was the most active among them. She rose early and knocked on doors one by one to rouse everyone, looking for all the world as if she were terrified of missing the excitement.

"Wake up, wake up!"

Chen Changsheng, Mo Yuan, and Ping'an were all dragged from their beds. Even Lihua wasn't spared; the cat had barely squeezed in a short nap.

Since they were up so early, they didn't bother eating at home. Instead, they made do with a couple of steamed buns on the street before heading toward Lake Mountain.

There were plenty of horse carriages coming and going along the way.

Riding would naturally be much faster, but they hadn't prepared a carriage in advance, and there was no time to find one now.

Besides, a sizable crowd was making the trek on foot.

To the people of this era, a twenty-odd-li journey wasn't considered far at all.

Most commoners didn't find it troublesome; it was simply a part of everyday life.

This was the unpretentious nature of the era. Just for a taste of excitement, they were perfectly willing to walk twenty-odd li. And it was exactly this simplicity that breathed life into the world's bustling connections.

No matter how fast a carriage rolled, it could only shave off so much time. No matter how slow a person walked, they would still arrive on schedule. Eventually, everyone would meet.

The closer they got to Lake Mountain, the denser the crowds became. Vendors carrying their wares walked alongside them, some balancing stalks of candied hawthorn skewers over their shoulders. Children traveled in lively packs, laughing and chasing each other down the road. It was a bustling sight.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo..."

The sound of crowing roosters drifted up from the village at the foot of Lake Mountain.

By the time they arrived, the sky was completely bright. They were right on time.

"There are so many people." Ruyi's eyes lit up.

Mo Yuan watched the scene and murmured, "It really is bustling..."

This level of excitement was rare.

Ruyi's enthusiasm spiked. She quickened her pace and said, "Hurry, hurry! I wonder what fun things they have inside."

Ping'an trailed behind her, smiling helplessly. "Slow down, Sister."

Lihua, still groggy with sleep, was being carried by Mo Yu.

The two of them hadn't known each other long, but they had warmed up to each other very quickly.

"Let's go as well," Chen Changsheng said.

Mo Yuan commented, "Mister seems to really enjoy this kind of excitement."

Chen Changsheng simply replied, "Who doesn't like a lively crowd?"

It was a sentiment that defied explanation.

Mo Yuan paused in surprise.

That answer really did sound like something Mister would say.

Sometimes his words sounded like empty fluff, yet at the same time, they felt like the absolute truth—leaving the listener with a sense of hazy clarity.

Vendors had set up stalls all along the lakeshore, crying out their wares.

There were merchants selling cosmetics, craftsmen peddling their handiwork, and jianghu martial artists performing with swords and spears. They formed an almost unbroken ring around Lake Mountain Lake.

The sheer scale of it was similar to a Temple Fair, though far more crowded and lively.

"Candied Hawthorn Skewers! Get your Candied Hawthorn Skewers..."

"Come take a look, come see! Toss a coin if you can..."

The shouts rose and fell. Watching the smiling faces in the clamorous crowd brought a strange sense of peace, even if none of it directly involved them.

"Bong!!!"

The sudden toll of a bell rang out.

Immediately after, a loud, ringing voice pierced through the din, landing squarely in everyone's ears.

"The Chen hour has arrived!!"

Among the vendors and the crowd on both sides, people voiced their admiration.

"What a voice."

But many of the jianghu martial artists immediately realized the truth behind it.

Hearing it, Ruyi remarked, "Such profound inner strength."

Ping'an paused. "Could you do that, Sister?"

Ruyi glanced at him, tilting her chin up. "It wouldn't be hard."

She then asked, "What time is the Investiture of Immortals Assembly scheduled for?"

Ping'an replied, "The second quarter of the Si hour. It's said to be the auspicious time calculated by the Bureau of Celestial Mandate through stargazing—the time that best aligns with the will of heaven. Speaking of which, the Bureau of Celestial Mandate hasn't calculated an auspicious time in years."

"Is this Celestial Mandate official very impressive?" Ruyi asked.

Ping'an shook his head. "Not really. It's just that His Majesty rarely believes in these things, so this official is rarely needed. Usually, whatever time His Majesty decides on becomes the time."

"Then what's the point of keeping the Bureau of Celestial Mandate around?"

"Because it has always been this way," Ping'an said. "During the Jing era, there was the Imperial Observatory. Later, the Grand Ancestor of Xiang dismantled it and established only the post of Celestial Mandate, which has continued to this day. There are ancient rules—minor matters don't require specific celestial timing, but for major events like ancestral sacrifices, everything must be done by the book."

"I see..."

Ruyi understood, then asked, "So, does that official have real skill, or..."

Ping'an smiled. "Naturally, he has real skill, but it's not the same kind of skill as Uncle Chen's."

"What kind of skill is it, then?"

"Observing the stars and calculating auspicious times. There are strict rules to all of it; it's not something just anyone can blabber about."

"Is that so?"

Ruyi didn't know much about the subject.

To her, it was mostly just mystical concepts.

The two arrived at the edge of the lake, and Ruyi looked toward the pavilion in the Center of the Lake.

She raised an eyebrow. "How are we supposed to get over there when the time comes?"

There didn't seem to be any boats along the shore.

Ping'an asked, "I heard that quite a few jianghu martial artists are participating in the Investiture of Immortals Assembly. Sister, your martial arts are extraordinary. If it were up to you, how would you cross?"

Ruyi said, "Walking across the water to the pavilion. It wouldn't be hard."

She wasn't bragging. For her, it really wasn't difficult.

Applying Astral Qi to the soles of the feet to tread lightly over the water was no grand feat; it simply demanded a relatively robust foundation of inner breath.

Meanwhile, Mo Yuan stood in the crowd nearby, watching the people coming and going around them.

The numbers had suddenly swelled.

Demonic qi, ghostly yin qi, and the auras of cultivators were all tangled together. Many entities were also just watching from the sidelines.

Observing the situation, Mo Yuan said, "Mister, I'm afraid there will be a good show to watch today."