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Chapter 89 Shopping? A Date!
There was no need to immediately inform the entire delegation of this decision, because Chen Xuan had a more pressing matter to attend to.

That means taking Liu Shuyue shopping.

By the time we returned from the Moon Gazing Tower, it was nearly evening. Smoke could be seen rising from chimneys all over the city, and the air was filled with the aroma of food.

He had asked the guards at the barbarian residence, and they said that there was no curfew in Chang'an City. As long as he carried the Immortal Alliance waist token, he could play in the city all night without anyone bothering him.

The night was a bit chilly, so in addition to her plain white dress, Liu Shuyue also wore a mink coat, which was one of the specialties of the Wanshan Wilderness.

It must be said that when she wears ordinary cloth clothes, a shop uniform, and a genuine leather jacket, she presents three completely different styles. And surprisingly, every style suits her perfectly.

At this moment, Liu Shuyue was like a young lady from a wealthy family who had just stepped out of her home, full of curiosity about everything outside.

"Is Miss Lin really not coming with us?" she asked Chen Xuan as she came downstairs.

"Well, she's not interested in a world without internet. She just said if there's anything good to eat, you can bring her some."

"That sounds like something she would say," Liu Shuyue said helplessly.

Having worked as a shop assistant for several days, she was no longer as clueless about Chen Xuan's world as she had been at the beginning. "Let's go."

As they passed through the gate, the guards bowed respectfully to the two of them.

They weren't receiving this treatment an hour ago.

Chen Xuan didn't take it to heart. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere is fine, how about we just walk along this street?" Liu Shuyue said enthusiastically, "Let's go wherever there are lots of people."

Chen Xuan naturally had no objections. He didn't know much about Chang'an City to begin with, let alone the Chang'an City that the Immortal Alliance had reformed. No matter where he went, he felt quite novel.

"Do you know what I'm thinking right now?" she asked as she walked ahead.

"Thinking about Jiufeng City in Yunzhou?" Chen Xuan guessed casually.

Why Nine Peaks City?

"I thought you were imagining what it would be like to move the situation here to the other side."

“You can think about those things anytime.” Liu Shuyue waved her hand. “I was actually thinking about the days when I first came down the mountain. After leaving the sect, everything was new and interesting. Although I had heavy responsibilities, I actually slacked off for quite a while.”

"Slacking off?" Chen Xuan asked curiously.

"That's right. Instead of immediately choosing a kingdom to go to, I wandered around the towns, listening to what people were talking about and whether there was any talk about the great achievements of the Lotus Cloud Sect."

Chen Xuan remembered that when he first met Liu Shuyue, she was chasing bandits in the mountains.

"But you said it was because you were confused..."

"I was indeed confused, but I procrastinated for almost a year." She shrugged. "Back then, we weren't familiar with each other, so of course I had to maintain the image of a Celestial Master. I couldn't just tell you directly that I was deliberately not working. With such a heavy responsibility on my shoulders, and having only recently left the sect, it was inevitable that I would have some thoughts of escaping."

Now that she's already mentioned going to work, what exactly did Lin Qing teach her?

"So wandering around here is like slacking off again, making you feel like yesterday is happening all over again?"

“Exactly,” Liu Shuyue readily admitted. “That’s one of the reasons.”

"What about the other one?"

"It can only be understood, not expressed."

"I think you just don't want to talk about it..."

Before Chen Xuan could finish speaking, Liu Shuyue's gaze shifted elsewhere. "What's that over there? It smells so good!"

"Let's go take a look."

The two followed the aroma to a side street, where they found it lined with street vendors. The tempting smell was coming from a cart selling roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). The vendor skillfully sliced ​​the meat while loudly calling out his wares, and the cart was surrounded by customers buying roujiamo.

"I didn't expect to find roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in Chang'an," Chen Xuan said with a smile. "Let's buy one and try it."

“Okay!” Liu Shuyue agreed.

He walked directly into the crowd, intending to join the queue.

Surprisingly, the queue, which seemed like it would take a long time, was completed in less than a few minutes. Many people in front of him hurriedly left without even getting their steamed buns.

Chen Xuan was a little puzzled, but he still said to the stall owner, "I want two."

The man glanced at him, his gaze somewhat timid, and quickly wrapped up two roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwiches) and handed them over, saying, "Please, please take these."

"How much is it?" he asked after taking it.

"No money, no money, just take it!" Unexpectedly, the other party shook their head repeatedly.

Chen Xuan realized something was wrong. "How could it be free? It's not like I can't afford it." He looked around and noticed a small wooden sign hanging on the cart handle, which stated the price: 2 coins for one steamed bun.

“This has a price.” Chen Xuan took out his money pouch from his pocket, picked out a jade coin with a face value of 5, and put it on the cart. “Keep the change.” Unexpectedly, this action directly startled the stall owner.

He took two steps back and knelt down on both knees. "Sir, you really don't want the money? Please take it!"

"Chen Xuan..." Liu Shuyue walked to his side with some concern, "What happened?"

Chen Xuan noticed that everyone around him was looking at him, some with fear, some with disdain, and even a little bit with indignation.

Many people focused on the jade pendant at his waist.

"Brother, please stop messing with them." Suddenly, a young man wearing a gold hairpin came to the cart, picked up the jade coin, and turned to walk out of the alley. "They still have to do business to make a living."

The stall owner seemed relieved when he saw the money being taken away.

No, this money isn't for you. Chen Xuan frowned and quickly caught up. Just as he was about to reach out and grab the other person's shoulder, the person turned around and tossed the jade coins to him.

The young man then clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "My name is Su Qidong, a cultivator from the Ascension Platform. May I ask how you are addressed, brother?"

Chen Xuan sized up the strange man in front of him. "Why did you take my money?"

Seeing that he didn't give his name, Su Qidong didn't show any displeasure. Instead, he smiled and said, "If you don't take it, how long do you want that person to kneel? For them, giving a few coins' worth of things to the Immortal Alliance's main altar cultivators to avert disaster is an extremely worthwhile deal. If you give them money back, wouldn't that be breaking the rules?"

Chen Xuan had already realized that the problem lay with his jade pendant.

He glanced at the other man's waist and noticed that Su Qidong was also wearing a jade pendant, though its material and style were slightly different from his own.

"It seems you're a rising star that the main altar has recently taken notice of, but you're not quite familiar with the situation in Chang'an yet," Su Qidong said with a sudden realization. "Why don't you come with me? I'll take you to see the place specifically for cultivators to seek pleasure?"

"Exclusively for use?" Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Are ordinary people not allowed to enter that place?"

“Of course, without a sect's nameplate, even independent cultivators can forget about getting in.” Su Qidong pointed to the northeast. “See those bright, tall towers? That’s where a promising young man like you should go.”

Chen Xuan looked in the direction he was pointing, and then his heart skipped a beat.

What surprised him was not the magnificent tower in the distance, but that he hadn't noticed before that the crowds walking on the opposite street had been clearly divided into two separate groups.

The path on the right was relatively empty, with only a few pedestrians strolling leisurely. They were all dressed very luxuriously; "brocade robes and jade belts" was not just a figure of speech, but a true reflection of their attire. More importantly, they all indeed wore jade pendants around their waists.

The left side was more crowded, with most pedestrians dressed in coarse linen, clearly ordinary people. Although they were chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere, they showed no intention of moving to the right, even amidst the crowd, as if an invisible wall stood between them.

These people naturally wouldn't go to the city on the right, just as there were few cultivators in the small streets on the left.

It seems that Su Qidong came from the main street just now.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Xuan noticed even more differences—the streets connecting to the right side of the city were wider, and the stone slabs were more uniform. The left side, however, was not only much narrower, but also paved with broken bricks, and the lighting was noticeably dimmer.

Considering that Chang'an City has expanded several times over, these newly constructed areas were clearly a deliberate division by the cultivators.

"So, brother, would you like to come with me?" the other party invited again.

"No, thank you." Chen Xuan shook his head and declined. "I suddenly remembered something, so I'll head back later."

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer, brother." He cupped his hands and smiled. "It would be better if you went to the common people's place less often. If other cultivators saw you there, you would be laughed at."

After speaking, Su Qidong strode forward and quickly disappeared from their sight.

“I don’t like what this person is saying,” Liu Shuyue said in a low voice. “In his view, it’s as if contacting commoners is a disgrace to the identity of a cultivator.”

“This guy isn’t actually a bad person, otherwise he wouldn’t have come all the way from the main street to lead us away,” Chen Xuan chuckled.

However, he still underestimated the status of the Immortal Alliance cultivators.

No wonder the old man specifically told me not to get into conflicts with people who had jade pendants on their waists.

As long as one wears this jade pendant, they can instantly become a privileged class in the city.

"I think the six kingdoms shouldn't become like this... Cultivators shouldn't separate themselves from ordinary people, otherwise it will only weaken their own power," Liu Shuyue muttered. "It seems that even a kingdom entirely governed by cultivators isn't perfect. Shall we go back now?"

“That won’t do, it’s still early.” Chen Xuan shook his head. “Besides, you still want to continue strolling along that little street, right?”

She looked at the shop manager and smiled brightly, "Not only that, I want to pay for the steamed buns as well."

“That’s easy. I saw a stall over there selling masks.” Chen Xuan took off the jade pendant and stuffed it into his pocket. “Once we wear them, no one will know who we are.”

"Wait, you need to change your clothes too." Liu Shuyue took off her mink coat and put it around his neck—instantly the coat became a fur scarf. "Not bad, it suits you quite well."

"Aren't you cold?" Chen Xuan immediately felt a warm sensation on his neck and could smell a delicate fragrance.

"Have you forgotten that I've revived the Mind-Clearing Mantra? This mantra can both ward off the heat and resist the cold, just like the one from your place..."

"air conditioner?"

"Yes, just like an air conditioner!" Liu Shuyue waved to him. "Let's go!"

(End of this chapter)