Chapter 281: Linglong Tower

There were no inns near the city gate. Following the wide street, spacious enough for sixteen horses abreast, Li Huowang and his companions walked for half an hour before finally finding an inn.

"This wretched place is truly insane," complained Zhao Wu, who was in charge of the money. "They fine you ten copper coins if a cow defecates on the street! How am I supposed to control a cow when it needs to relieve itself?"

"Exactly!" chimed in Scholar Lü. "Cow dung can be used as fuel! It's like giving them a gift by leaving it here! And they still fine you! What a load of crap!"

"Alright," Li Huowang said, "when in a place, you follow its rules. Let's go in. We can sleep in beds tonight and get some proper rest." He then stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the inn, Li Huowang felt fortunate that he had previously obtained a travel permit from the Pima County magistrate, as this place surprisingly required one even for staying at an inn.

"Hiss~ Young Daoist," exclaimed Scholar Lü, clutching a gourd-shaped teapot in his arms, "This inn charges for water too! They must be dirt poor and desperate! And this isn't even tea; it's just mountain spring water!"

Li Huowang, who was studying a map to familiarize himself with the layout of the Great Liang Kingdom, looked up at him but said nothing.

"Heh, I've figured it out, old man," Scholar Lü said carefully, placing the ceramic teapot on the table with a sigh. "This Great Liang Kingdom, for all its talk, isn't as good as our home. At least back home, water is free."

No sooner had he spoken than his stomach rumbled. They hadn't even eaten lunch that day, having rushed to reach the city before nightfall.

Hearing the rumbling from his stomach, Li Huowang turned to look at Bai Lingmiao, who was tidying the bedding by the bed. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "We can finish this later; let's go eat first."

"Young Daoist," Scholar Lü suggested, "perhaps we should just eat the dry rations we brought. If they charge for water in this city, who knows how expensive a meal will be?"

Li Huowang placed the map on the table. "So what if it's expensive?" he said. "After such a long and tiring journey, shouldn't we enjoy a good meal? Go call everyone from the Lü family troupe. We're eating well tonight."

At the mention of a good meal, everyone's spirits lifted immediately. A large throng of people then shuffled out of the inn.

As dusk began to fall, Li Huowang and his companions climbed the stairs to the top floor of a five-story restaurant.

Standing atop the tall building, they had a panoramic view of the entire Silver Tomb City. Everyone couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

The scenery below overwhelmed them; there was too much to take in.

Li Huowang, already well-traveled and knowledgeable from his previous life, paid little attention to this. After noticing the absence of Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries in the city, his interest waned.

"Senior Brother Li, look at that!" exclaimed Bai Lingmiao. "It's so beautiful! It looks like a tall pagoda made of porcelain!"

A porcelain pagoda? Li Huowang looked up and was indeed stunned by the sight in the distance. Bai Lingmiao's words were not an exaggeration; it was truly a pagoda made entirely of porcelain.

The top of the tall pagoda was adorned with colorful glazed tiles. Its body was pure white, with distinctive dark blue patterns of blue-and-white porcelain, resembling several azure dragons spiraling elegantly from the first level all the way to the top.

Even the bells along the pagoda's eaves were gold-plated. As they swayed gently in the breeze, a low, resonant chime slowly drifted from within, adding a touch of solemnity to its exquisite beauty.

"This pagoda is truly beautiful," Li Huowang couldn't help but say, his words sincere. Such a magnificent sight was something he would never have seen even in his previous life.

Hearing Li Huowang's praise, a scholar in green robes, who was also admiring the view nearby, snapped open his paper fan. He said proudly, "Naturally. This is the Linglong Pagoda of Silver Tomb City, and it's the only one in all of Great Liang."

After speaking, he glanced at Gao Zhijian's patched shoe and the obviously out-of-place attire of the others, a hint of disdain immediately appearing on his face.

Li Huowang pointed at the distant Linglong Pagoda and asked the scholar, "May I ask, to whom does that place belong? Is anyone cultivating inside the pagoda?"

The scholar immediately laughed. "Hahaha, your words are quite amusing, young friend," he said. "Yes, there are indeed people cultivating within the Linglong Pagoda."

Li Huowang, being particularly sensitive about such matters, couldn't help but grow tense. "What?" he asked. "Is there a place similar to Zhengde Temple in this city too?"

Li Huowang narrowed his eyes. The distant Linglong Pagoda became increasingly clear before him, and some women inside it came into his view.

Plump women, dressed in transparent thin gauze, slowly swayed. Their jade-white bodies were entirely covered with dark blue patterns.

If they stood still, they looked like exceptionally exquisite blue-and-white porcelain vases.

Just then, the scholar, barely containing his laughter, continued, "Within the Linglong Pagoda, they practice the way of men and women! Hahaha, the Linglong Pagoda is actually a brothel! Hahahaha!!"

"Why do you Great Liang people build brothels inside a pagoda?" a puzzled Gouwa couldn't help but ask.

Other onlookers nearby chimed in. "Ah, you are mistaken!" one said. "There are so many places for seeking pleasure, but why is Linglong Pagoda considered the best? It's all about its uniqueness."

"If you have money," another added, "you can even go to Linglong Pagoda, pick a girl, and decide what to tattoo on her. I heard that last time, someone got drunk and tattooed a turtle on the face of a girl he bought."

This topic immediately attracted others to join in. "More than that!" someone else chimed. "I was fortunate enough to visit once. The girls at Linglong Pagoda have flesh that feels like cotton; truly extraordinary, truly extraordinary."

Hearing the increasingly vulgar remarks around him, Li Huowang looked at the distant Linglong Pagoda, a hint of sarcasm appearing on his face.

"As expected of Great Liang, the land of 'Beauty Paper'," he muttered, "they truly pour their hearts into studying such matters."

Just then, Li Huowang's gaze shifted downwards, and he happened to see an old beggar prostrate on the ground nearby.

The ragged old beggar also had dark blue blue-and-white porcelain patterns on his face. However, the lines of wrinkles crisscrossed and fractured the patterns, making them look as if they were shattered.

Everyone loves good porcelain, but once it's broken, it's worth nothing.

"Senior Brother Li," Bai Lingmiao called, "the waiter has served the dishes. Let's go eat before the food gets cold."

Li Huowang took one last look at the distant Linglong Pagoda, then turned and sat back down at the round table to begin eating.

When it came to dining in Great Liang, if one had money, there were far more elaborate ways to eat than to play.

With elegant names like "Green Branches of Qin Mulberry," "Vast Fields with Flying Egrets, Shady Woods with Singing Orioles," and "Phoenix Playing on Phoenix Terrace, Yellow Crane Gone, Never to Return...", various aesthetically pleasing, fragrant, and delicious dishes were brought to the table.

Gao Zhijian, seeing the lifelike phoenix carved from a radish in front of him, withdrew the chopsticks he had extended.

"Eat. What are you waiting for?" Li Huowang said. Only after he picked up his chopsticks did the others begin to eat.

Immediately, silence fell, broken only by the sounds of swallowing and chewing. Even Li Huowang, with his current acute sense of taste, couldn't find a single fault.

Other tables, witnessing this crude scene, showed a hint of disdain. However, Li Huowang and his companions paid them no mind.

As dusk deepened, the lights on the ground began to mirror the stars in the sky.

"Senior Brother Li, look!" someone exclaimed. "There are lights in the sky!"