Chapter 5: Human Affairs, Immortal Affairs (2)
The horsemen outstripped them in just the blink of an eye. A few seconds later, even their backs had disappeared into the distance, leaving Zhang Sheng with no avenue for outburst. The scholar’s mood was utterly ruined after this incident as a matter of course, so he clamped up and focused on traveling.
A few days later, the duo finally reached the administrative center of the commandery, the city of Luyuan. As a Yong Province native, Wei Yuan was familiar with the local geography and history as a matter of course. Luyuan had been founded five centuries before. As of now, it held approximately 100,000 registered households and somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 unregistered households. In total, the city population numbered around 500,000 people, so one could say that it was a big city.
Upon reaching the city, Wei Yuan immediately noticed that its walls were low—less than two zhang tall to be exact—and made from dressed stones mixed with loess[1]. Their surface was riddled with cracks and spalling that exposed the underlying masonry. The parapets and gate towers bore signs of long neglect as well.
Upon entering the city, he saw that the houses were all earthen houses with straw roofs and earthen walls. A sense of decay permeated the whole place. The passersby mostly wore rags and looked ill. Their eyes were blank, and their movements were sluggish. They looked worse than even the servants of the Wei estate. The roads were muddy and pitted, with filth floating in the muddy water. Had they not been riding on mules, they would have inevitably stepped in the filthy mud.
Zhang Sheng didn’t rush. He slowly made his way through the southern city district with Wei Yuan like they were sightseeing. It wasn’t until they put the southern city district behind them and entered the western city district that things began to improve.
They continued a little further until they came face to face with a massive estate. The estate was the size of an entire district and surrounded by vermillion walls that were a zhang tall. It was impossible to see what was behind them. At the center of the estate was a large, vermillion-pinated gate that was flanked by two massive golden toad statues. The gate was currently shut tight. A stocky servant was standing next to each statue and watching the passersby closely.
A signboard with the name “Xu Residence” was hung above the gate. The gate tower was ornamented so richly as to be almost too opulent. This gate alone was worth the entire Wei estate.
Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan passed through the western gate. They didn’t go far before a lush green immortal hill came into view.
The hill wasn’t huge, and it looked like it was a part of a mountain range. Right now though, the whole hill was covered in green trees. Not a speck of yellow could be spotted anywhere. Occasionally, the clouds would pass through the mountain and add an air of mystery to it. If someone were to squint hard enough, they would see a waterfall pouring down between its two peaks like an endless roll of white cloth. Beneath the waterfall was a blue lake with a small island at the center. It was filled with jade plants in full bloom.