The daily life of a genius who enjoys gossip and cultivates immortality

Chapter 218 Orchid's Taste

"The quality of this year's orchids is unexpectedly high!"

Holding the snacks he bought from the street vendor, Cheng Jiu followed behind his senior brothers and sisters, looking around in surprise at the orchids by the roadside.

Along the way, almost all the orchids I saw were of the fourth grade or higher. I had never heard of such high quality orchids at the Orchid Festival in previous years!

"The Lord of Youlan City announced that all proceeds from the lottery and auctions at this year's Youlan Conference will be donated."

The orchids you see now, aside from some donated by the city's residents, were mostly purchased and displayed by the city lord of Orchid City in conjunction with the city's powerful clans.

"Fundraising?" Cheng Jiu asked curiously.

"Yes!" Wen Sishu nodded: "Due to the beast tide, most areas of the cultivation world have been destroyed."

Although the sect took on the responsibility of reconstruction afterward, there were so many places and so many people to rebuild and rescue.

Even if the Guiyuan Sect were incredibly wealthy, they couldn't achieve that!

"The sect only rebuilds those destroyed cities."

However, the towns and villages below those cities are somewhat lacking in capacity.

Moreover, the timing of the beast tide was quite subtle, and the planted crops basically yielded no harvest.

Food is scarce, and the next harvest won't be until several months later. Although the people of the cultivation world have some cultivation level and can survive a day without food, they can't endure it for long.

Speaking of this, Yingyue became quite angry: "Originally, we wanted to buy food from the mortal realm, but I don't know where they heard it from, and they not only asked for exorbitant prices for the food."

The Lin Dynasty even wanted to trade that worthless ordinary rice for the secret realm—it was blatant profiteering!

"Did you change it?"

"No! The two are not equal at all! The sect leader and the others aren't stupid, how could they allow them to take advantage of the situation?" Yingyue said angrily.

"So close, so close, the three great dynasties were about to change."

Wen Sishu still felt a lingering fear when she talked about this.

He was the one who most directly experienced the power of the five major sects in this matter.

He came from the mortal realm, and from childhood, he was exposed to the ideology of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, especially in the mortal realm.

The emperor was almost like a god, controlling the life and destiny of the entire dynasty.

He was later sent to the world of cultivation, but the influence of his childhood could not be erased.

He had heard from his elders that the five major sects in the cultivation world were extremely powerful, but after arriving in the cultivation world, he found that his teachers and sects were harmonious and peaceful, and he had never experienced that.

Now I finally understand why the powerful dynasty's rulers can be replaced by the five major sects at will, without giving anyone a chance to discuss or explain.

If the three dynasties hadn't proactively shown weakness and handed over grain at a critical moment, they probably wouldn't have had to wait for the previously announced time for succession; they could have changed dynasties on the spot.

Of course, the five major clans did not exterminate them completely afterward. They spent a large sum of money to buy food, but with hundreds of millions of people, it was definitely not a small number.

"Senior Brother Wen, isn't your brother the Crown Princess? If there's a real change of succession, wouldn't your brother be able to take the throne?" Cheng Jiu seized on the key point.

"That's right!" Wen Sishu suddenly felt enlightened and realized the truth.

Why should he worry about the current empress? But if there is a real change of dynasty, wouldn't his brother be able to take over directly?

"That's the registration area for the Orchid Festival auction up ahead. Shall we go take a look? This year's Orchid Fairy has already been reserved!"

Yingyue pointed to the enormous plaza in front of her.

Above, there is a mahogany round platform, on which sits a huge shelf arranged in a square shape, and on the shelf are the orchids that were sent for auction this year.

"Who?" Cheng Jiu felt that he had been away from the cultivation world for too long and was a little out of touch with the news.

"That's the chef Xiao Lanze we met when we came to Youlan City before."

I heard that the orchids he cultivated have ten varieties and will be auctioned at this year's Orchid Conference.

Those powerful beings who came came for this reason.

At this orchid gathering, he donated all the orchids from his orchid valley.

"Excellent!" Cheng Jiu exclaimed in admiration; she remembered Xiao Lanze.

The other party truly regarded the orchids they raised as their children. Because they auctioned off a ninth-grade orchid, they felt sorry for their orchid and gave up their spot as an orchid fairy.

He abandoned everything and devoted himself to cultivating orchids despite the world's lack of understanding.

Cheng Jiu still remembered his longing when he mentioned the Ten-Grade Orchid, and how his whole being seemed to glow.

But for the sake of the disaster-stricken people, the other party actually offered up their precious orchid valley.

How could Cheng Jiu not feel sincere admiration and respect for such a person?

Cheng Jiu didn't think he could be as selfless as Xiao Lanze.

"He is the real Lan Xian!"

Yingyue genuinely admired Xiao Lanze.

There are many people in this world who call themselves good, but very few are as selfless as Xiao Lanzhe.

Perhaps in the eyes of others, Xiao Lanze's act of donating all his wealth to ordinary people he had never met before, who were his relatives and friends, was quite foolish.

But for such a person, anyone with a conscience would be unable to utter words of condemnation.

Even saints are nothing more than this!

Cheng Jiu and Wen Sishu felt that Yingyue's words were very apt.

Upon arriving at the registration office, a massive ten-story structure firmly occupies the central location of the city, its pointed top visible even from afar.

Looking up, in the very center is a huge flowerpot. A beautiful orchid blooms on it, standing alone, its fragrance still lingering around the gathering crowd.

That must be the king of flowers at this year's Orchid Festival, the tenth-grade Orchid.

"How beautiful!" Cheng Jiu exclaimed, gazing at the orchids that were faintly visible above.

Although one cannot see its full appearance, even a glimpse is breathtakingly beautiful.

It's unimaginable that such a delicate orchid could have been created by human hands.

Below the tenth grade orchid, the seventh grade orchid, which was once revered as the king of flowers, has become just one of the many flowers used to highlight it.

Most of the orchids here come from Xiao Lanze's Orchid Valley.

I was deeply moved and felt a surge of admiration.

Cheng Jiu took out her seventh-grade orchid with some regret. If she had known earlier, she would have brought the ninth-grade orchid with her.

Even if it's just to add to the good things, it's hard not to be moved by something like this.

Do we need to register?

The person sitting at the red table registering the orchids brought for auction was spotted by a group of orchid admirers who noticed Cheng Jiu and asked him a question.

"Yes! Please register me."

"Okay, are you auctioning or raising funds?"

"Let's raise funds! All the spirit stones obtained from the auction will be donated to the disaster-stricken people."

"Thank you, fairy! On behalf of the disaster-stricken people, I thank you for your generosity!"

The staff behind the red table stood up and solemnly bowed to Cheng Jiu.

They did this action many times today, but he felt that each time was very important. It was because of the generosity of these good people that those people who had become destitute due to the beast tide were able to recover from the disaster as quickly as possible.

"You don't need to be so polite. I also want to do my part for the people."

Cheng Jiu felt ashamed when he saw how grand the other party was, feeling that he hadn't done enough and wasn't worthy of such treatment!

“No, no, no! Your kindness deserves it!” the staff member shouted.

It attracted a large number of people who came to see the orchids. All eyes were on it.

Cheng Jiu: "..."

"This is your authorization letter. You can supervise your orchids at the auction."

The staff handed Cheng Jiu a red booklet, took the flowerpot, tied a knot on it with red silk, and then picked up the orchid and placed it among the other orchids below.

Cheng Jiu and the other two took the opportunity to retreat. Only when they could no longer feel the scorching gazes around them did Cheng Jiu relax.

Realizing what had happened, his body trembled involuntarily, his feet gripped the ground, and he touched his face, letting out a long sigh in his excitement.

"Woo~"

Yingyue opened the red book. The first page contained a thank-you note personally written by the Lord of Youlan City, and the ink on it was still quite fresh.

"Six hundred and thirty-one?"

Yingyue read the numbers on the second page.

"Junior Sister, your orchid is ranked 631st."

"When will this auction finally take place?!"

“We’ll have to wait!” Wen Sishu replied.

The main funding for this Orchid Gathering came from Xiao Lanze's Orchid Valley. When he said he was going to give up Orchid Valley, he really meant it.

Besides the usual snacks at the Orchid Festival, there are also some special products that can only be produced in Orchid Valley, such as fish made from orchid petals.

The delicious food that used to be only available at Xiao Lanzhe's specialty restaurants can now be found at any restaurant in the city.

Such delicacies are rare, and the city's restaurants are packed with people, all eager to taste this legendary delicacy.

Cheng Jiu and his two companions searched for several restaurants in the city, but all of them said they were full.

It's clear that the business is booming.

Left with no other choice, the group decided to try their luck on the city's only covered boats.

The lakeside is shaded by green trees, and the lake surface is as tranquil as a sapphire bay. From time to time, you can see fish swimming freely underwater, and the covered boats on the lake have different characteristics.

The soft, melodious songs drifted from these covered boats.

What a picturesque and beautiful place!

The three walked along the lake, their hearts growing colder with each step, for every covered boat in sight had passengers.

Looks like we won't be able to enjoy any delicious food.

The three of them were feeling somewhat disheartened.

"Two fairies, young man, are you looking for the covered boat?"

An old man, rowing a beautiful little blue painted boat, waved to the three of them.

"Is there anything I can do for the old man?" Wen Sishu called out to him.

The old man's eyes lit up, and he poled the small painted boat closer to the three of them. The small boat was small and agile, and it soon docked.

The old man wiped the sweat from his brow with a blue cedar leaf, his face showing an honest and simple look: "Hey! If you two fairies and young gentlemen are looking for a covered boat, you can come find me!"

"Old man, I'm the ferryman on this river. No one knows better than me which covered boats have passengers and which don't!"

Extradition is carried out by intermediaries on these covered boats. They are usually native residents of the city who have some minor connection with these covered boats.

If you're new to Youlan City and unfamiliar with everything, instead of aimlessly searching around, it's better to get introductions from these locals.

They only need some spirit stones; they have far more spirit stones than time.

Yingyue tossed a high-grade spirit stone, which the old man happily caught. A high-grade spirit stone was more than he could earn in a month of work.

These three immortals are truly generous; they are clearly big spenders.

“Fairy, my lord, please sit down. I see that there is no one on the Autumn Mountain Pleasure Boat. The Autumn Mountain Pleasure Boat is one of the three great and seven small ones in our Youlan City. The head chef on board is a sixth-grade spirit chef. I heard that the food he makes is incredibly delicious!”

That taste, old man, I can't even imagine it in my life!

Knowing that the three were wealthy, the old man introduced them to some of the best places along the river.

For these three people who are not short of money, of course they only want to go to the top places. Having worked on this lakeside for a long time, the old man has a good eye.

Sure enough, the young master's expression showed considerable satisfaction upon seeing the three fairies.

"Old Liu has brought his guest!"

The female cultivator in charge of the Qiushan Pleasure Boat had just seen off her guests and was waiting for them by the lake. Unlike the three major pleasure boats, the Qiushan Pleasure Boat, although nominally on par with them, was not as full as the three major pleasure boats and required reservations.

It turns out that the wealthy diners on her pleasure boat all head straight to the three main decks, no matter how far in advance they make a reservation. Cultivators, on the other hand, practice abstinence from grains and do not need to eat three meals a day.

Those without money can't board her Autumn Mountain pleasure boat; they're stuck in a limbo, unable to get on or off.

She's so happy to have received customers so quickly! Today's income must be substantial.

"Master, I have brought you distinguished guests! They are very generous, extremely generous."

Old Liu rowed the boat quite steadily, and Cheng Jiu and the others hardly felt any turbulence.

Before the small painted boat even got close, a white jade arch bridge rose from Qiushan's painted boat and landed on Old Liu's small painted boat.

As Cheng Jiu and his two companions walked from the white jade arch bridge onto the Qiushan painted boat, it felt like a reunion on the Magpie Bridge, which Cheng Jiu secretly complained about.

"Thank you for your hard work!" The person in charge tossed a spirit stone from his pocket, which landed in Old Man Liu's arms. This was the price agreed upon with these intermediaries.

He openly displayed himself to Cheng Jiu and his guests, enjoying food from both sides. No wonder this old man, at his age, was still willing to float on the lake.

Although they didn't know the old man's age, the three of them could still clearly see that he was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

The person in charge of the Qiushan Painting Boat is a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. It's only possible to operate a boat corridor here without some cultivation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me!" The steward stepped forward to welcome the three into the painted boat. "Is this your first time in Youlan City? To participate in the Youlan Assembly?"

None of the three mentioned that the beast tide had come before, but the person in charge recognized Wen Sishu and couldn't help but slap himself twice:

"Look at me, look at me, how could I forget Master Wen, the esteemed disciple of the Guiyuan Sect who helped defend Youlan City! I was rude! Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

"It's alright, these two are my senior sister and junior sister."

"Oh, so you are also esteemed disciples of the Guiyuan Sect! It is truly an honor for my humble abode to have you visit Qiushan Painting Boat." The steward's respectful attitude towards the three became even more evident.

Once inside the pleasure boat, it was nothing like Xiao Lanzhe's place. There was only a huge table and a slightly elevated platform. There was no orchid appreciation, but if you wanted to see any performance, you could just order it yourself.

There are brochures about the performances on the side, as well as a menu.

However, the three of them came to eat orchid fish and weren't interested in the performance.

"Three fairies, immortal lord, what would you like to order?"

"The three of us are here to eat orchid fish!"

"Oh my! As expected of a top disciple of the Guiyuan Sect, you're really something! And you've come at just the right time. There's only one orchid fish left of the fish that was allotted to our Qiushan Painting Boat today. I'll have the kitchen prepare it for you right away!" The steward clapped his hands and said to the three of them.

"Then give us these three dishes as well." Wen Sishu pointed to the signature dishes on the menu.

"Alright!" The person in charge smiled slightly. These disciples of the Guiyuan Sect were indeed generous.