Notes on Longevity

Chapter 132 The Five Riches of Yu'an, One Person Overlooking Them All (Seeking first subscriptions and monthly votes!)

Wei Jiataihua of Yu'an knows about this.

The two people they met on the road this afternoon were from the Wei family, but Taihua didn't recognize them because they weren't familiar with each other.

In the entire city of Yu'an, he only knew Xiangyu and her family.

The two men claiming to be the sons of the richest man in Yu'an were not entirely untrue. It's just that the Xiangyu family had already transcended the label of "rich," and they had taken that position.

He just didn't know why the Wei family had invited the Taoist priest.
Exorcising demons?

However, in recent years, Yu'an has not been plagued by any demons.

"You really weren't invited by the Wei family?" the woman asked cautiously. Although she wasn't invited by the Wei family, she had witnessed Taihua's methods before, so naturally she didn't dare to offend them.

“No, we’re just traveling around,” Taihua explained, then asked the woman, “But what is the Wei family doing hiring a Taoist priest? I remember that Yu’an hasn’t had any demonic or ghostly incidents in recent years.”

"I don't know either. It's just that recently many Taoist priests from Yu'an have been heading straight for the Wei family." After receiving Taihua's answer, the woman breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't the Wei family, that was fine.

"Alright. Thank you, Auntie." Taihua smiled, then pulled Daoyisheng forward. The man Xiangyu had left behind followed closely behind.

"By the way, what's your name?" he asked the man.

“Replying to the Immortal Master, I am but a student,” he replied.

Taihua asked, "Your family is all-powerful in Yu'an. Do you know why the Wei family has hired so many Taoist priests?"

The student replied, "I know."

Dao Yisheng asked curiously, "What are they going to do?"

The student answered, "To catch a demon."

Taihua and the other man asked in unison, "Catch a demon?"

"Are there still demons causing trouble in Yu'an?" Taihua asked, puzzled.

“It’s gone at night, but it’s available during the day,” the student continued in his reply.

"What demon?" Taihua glanced at him, then turned back.

The young scholar asked, "A flower fairy?"

"A flower demon?" Dao Yisheng looked at the young scholar curiously. "What would a flower demon want with so many Taoist priests? Is it very powerful?"

Dao Yisheng looked at Tong Sheng in disbelief. Was it really necessary to ask for help with something as trivial as a flower fairy?
"She's not that powerful, but she's not alone. Behind her is a group of little flower fairies who haven't yet taken human form."

Dao Yisheng was a little confused. "A flower fairy who isn't that powerful, and a group of little flower fairies who haven't even taken human form yet, making such a big fuss, I guess those Taoist priests aren't very good either. If I went, I could kill them all with one slap. Is it Taihua?"

"Taihua?"

Dao Yisheng was speaking when he saw that he didn't react, so he patted him.

"You're impressive," Taihua said dismissively, then asked the student, "Where is the inn that Xiangyu mentioned?"

"Coming."

-

In Yu'an, there are five major families. Three of them are tied for first place; two others hold the top position due to their immense wealth; and the third family holds a commanding view of the entire Yu'an region.

The Zhang family in the north of the city controlled water transport; the Lin family in the south controlled silk textiles; the Wu family in the west controlled grain supplies; and the Wei family in the east, with the saying "All the money in the world is in my hands," made countless merchants flock to them.

The Wei family mansion, brightly lit and with its multi-story buildings, artificial hills, and flowing streams, exuded an indescribable luxury and grandeur, befitting its status as the richest family in Yu'an. A young servant trotted through the mansion, bypassing several pavilions, stepping onto a small bridge, and finally turning into a secluded grove of trees.

Suddenly, a magnificent pavilion, more impressive than a palace, appeared before them.

The servant pushed open the door and saw that in the attic, the melodious sound of a zither filled the air, and graceful singers sang; the long, drawn-out sound of a flute played, and dancing girls moved swayed gracefully; the mournful sound of a xiao flute rang out, and guests toasted each other, amidst the magnificent splendor.

After the servant entered the attic, he walked around the pillar behind the guest and came to the seat of honor. He leaned close to the ear of a middle-aged man with a radiant face and whispered something to him.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately lowered his head, his tone serious, but he asked softly, "Really?"

The servant replied, "Yes. The two young masters said so themselves."

The middle-aged man gave a low "hmm" and said to him, "You can go down now."

"Yes." After saying that, the servant turned and left the attic.

After the servant left, the middle-aged man suddenly stood up, and the attic fell silent instantly.

Everyone put down their glasses and stood up. Judging from their clothes and oily faces, most of them were wealthy businessmen.

They bowed to the middle-aged man who had stood up.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I have some family matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first. Please enjoy yourselves. As always, if you get tired, just go upstairs; someone will be waiting for you."

"Master Wei, you're too kind. Please go ahead with your business," the guests said in unison.

"it is good."

He laughed loudly as he stepped down from his seat and walked step by step toward the door.

The door closed, and sounds began. Singing and dancing filled the air.

The middle-aged man, with a solemn expression, walked through the bamboo forest, stepped onto the small bridge, and headed towards the main hall of his house.

-

Outside the Gongchao Pavilion, Dao Yisheng looked up at the three golden characters written in a flowing, effortless style, and was quite shocked.

He had seen Taihua's calligraphy, which could be described as grand and majestic, but it paled in comparison to these three characters.

Besides that, what impressed him even more was that Gongchao Pavilion was an inn. A magnificent and imposing inn that seemed to soar into the clouds.

He looked at the magnificent building in front of him and couldn't believe that it was just an inn.

He and Taihua had stayed in inns along the way, most of which were only two or three stories high, and looked quite exquisite both inside and out. But compared to this, there was simply no comparison.

Taihua, standing to the side, was equally shocked by the inn before him. Despite having seen it many times before, he was still speechless with astonishment, to the point that the student who was speaking to him was completely ignored.

The young scholar looked at the two stunned people and laughed, "I can understand why Young Master Dao looks like this, but I can't understand why Immortal Master Taihua looks like this."

Taihua turned her head, her mouth slightly agape in surprise, and looked at him with a puzzled expression, asking, "Why do you say that?"

The young scholar smiled and said, "Logically speaking, you've been here many times already. Besides, as an immortal, you shouldn't react like this to these mundane things! Compared to the celestial realm, these are simply incomparable."

Taihua said with a wry smile, "What immortal or not. In the end, I am actually a Taoist priest, and also a human being. Besides, this thing of yours is really scary to me."

He remembered that Xiangyu had mentioned Gongchao Pavilion to him.

When Yu'an was rebuilt, the Gongchao Pavilion was constructed by craftsmen commissioned by the reigning emperor, modeled after a pavilion in the imperial palace. Even the three characters on the plaque were chosen by the emperor himself and written by him. For a merchant to achieve this level of success, what immense glory, how terrifying!
(End of this chapter)