After arranging everything, Chen Zhou walked out of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, carrying the soundly sleeping piglet Dream Demon in his left arm and holding the utterly despondent Wu Gou in his right.
Since the human race held the east in high esteem, the provincial capital was located at the easternmost edge of Gloomlight Province, adjacent to the Eastern Region.
Between the provincial capital and Thousand Isles County lay vast plains and the territories of several other races.
Chen Zhou carried the person and the pig, using his ghost domain to sweep eastward at lightning speed.
As they entered the territory of the provincial capital, the atmosphere shifted drastically.
One had to admit, this was indeed the territory of the legitimate human dynasty; at least on the surface, it appeared far more prosperous than the desolate and treacherous regions of the North and South.
Wide official roads were paved with neat bluestone slabs, flanked by willow trees. Though the leaves were currently drooping under the relentless washing of the red rain, one could still see the past vibrancy.
Even a small border town within the capital's jurisdiction possessed high, towering city walls.
"So this is the territory of the humans?"
Chen Zhou set Wu Gou down. The boy stepped into a red puddle on the ground and peered around curiously.
"It looks much better than the Northern Region. At least the people here have some vitality. They aren't like the people in the North who are all like ice sculptures."
"There is order here," Chen Zhou said faintly. "At least it is peaceful on the surface."
Two people and a pig walked into the small town.
At this time, because of the red rain filling the sky, the streets of the town appeared somewhat deserted.
As they passed a storefront named Yuelai Inn, a sudden, mouth-watering aroma wafted out from within.
It was far more fragrant than ordinary food, seemingly mixed with spiritual herbs and special spices, awakening a deep craving in anyone who smelled it.
Grumble...
Wu Gou's stomach let out a loud, cooperative growl.
He immediately grabbed Chen Zhou's sleeve, looked up, and said pitifully, "Great Demon, this monk is hungry."
"I'm still small, I'm still growing, and I'm still in a mortal body. I can't handle hunger."
Wu Gou pointed at the inn. "Let's hurry in and find something to eat, and maybe stay the night while we're at it? This red rain is making me uncomfortable."
Chen Zhou glanced at him. "Are you a reincarnated hungry ghost? How long has it been since we left?"
"There's no need. If you want to rest, come into my ghost domain. You can rest however you like." Chen Zhou pointed at his own shadow. "There are luxury suites in there, and even skeletons to give you a massage. Would you like that?"
"I'm not going!" Wu Gou shook his head like a rattle. "Your ghost domain is filled with death qi. How could it be as comfortable as a human inn?"
"Besides, did you bring food and drink? I want to eat pork hock! I want to drink wine!"
Chen Zhou was about to refuse and just stuff him into the ghost domain to continue the journey.
However, he looked up at the sky.
Above the red rain, there was a seven-colored auspicious cloud that only he could see, hanging quietly above this inn.
That was the manifestation of the formation Jiu'er had linked to the Gathering Fortune Pavilion.
The immense luck of various auspicious objects was guiding his way through the unseen.
Chen Zhou had been traveling in a hurry and had not actually made a conscious effort to discern his direction; he had followed this auspicious cloud all the way here.
The last time in the Southern Region, it was also this cloud that guided him to find Su Xue, the Auspicious Noble.
'Now the cloud has stopped here...' Chen Zhou thought, looking thoughtfully at the seemingly ordinary inn.
'What is it trying to guide me to? Is there some opportunity here? Or someone?'
"Fine," Chen Zhou changed his mind.
He stepped directly toward the main door of the inn.
Wu Gou was stunned, then overjoyed. "Eh? You agreed?"
"I knew you were a good person! Quick, quick, I want wine!"
Chen Zhou ignored his flattery and pushed the door open.
"Guest, please come in! Are you looking for a meal or a room for the night?"
A waiter greeted them enthusiastically, a white towel draped over his shoulder, his face crinkling into a smile.
Chen Zhou swept his gaze across the interior of the inn without making a sound.
The business inside was surprisingly good; the main hall was almost entirely full.
Moreover, the composition of the customers was quite complex.
There were human cultivators, carrying or wearing swords, their expressions wary.
There were also demons; though they had taken human form, the demonic qi on them could not be hidden, and some even retained animal ears or tails.
There was even a monster sitting in a corner that Chen Zhou couldn't quite identify, wrapped entirely in a black robe, only occasionally reaching out a hand to take a wine cup.
Strangely, whether they were humans, demons, or monsters, they coexisted peacefully.
Everyone occupied their own table, talking in low voices, maintaining a tacit understanding of not disturbing one another.
Chen Zhou discovered that even the waiter running the hall had a first-stage cultivation, and the shopkeeper behind the counter clicking away on an abacus was at the peak of the second-stage.
It was very similar to Lantao City; there were absolutely no ordinary mortals.
Or rather, ordinary people could not survive even in the provincial capital district.
He activated his Law-Evaluating Eye to scan the room once more.
The vast majority of humans and demons had nothing special about them; they were clean, with neither golden light nor karma-fire.
However, there were a few guests in the corners whose bodies were covered in overwhelming karma-fire. The black-red flames were almost enough to swallow them whole, clearly marking them as villains burdened with heavy blood debts.
Yet at this moment, these villains appeared very well-behaved, behaving like ordinary travelers who just happened to be stopping here for a rest, not even daring to speak loudly.
"Quite a strange thing." Chen Zhou found it interesting.
"A window seat. Bring a few pounds of your signature meat and two jars of your best wine." Chen Zhou casually tossed out a handful of spirit stones.
This stuff was produced daily in the mines; Lu Cheng was already so extravagant that he used spirit stones to build houses.
"Coming right up! Please have a seat, guest!" The waiter caught the spirit stones, his eyes lighting up, and he nimbly led Chen Zhou to an empty table by the window.
The food arrived quickly.
A large plate of richly flavored braised pork hock, several plates of delicate side dishes, and two jars of aged wine sealed with mud.
Wu Gou instantly threw Buddhist precepts to the wind. Utterly lacking any decorum, he reached out with his hands, grabbed the pork hock that was larger than his face, and began to gnaw on it, his mouth glistening with grease.
"Mmm... fragrant, so fragrant!" Wu Gou praised indistinctly. "This craftsmanship is superb!"
Chen Zhou also picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.
It melted in the mouth, fatty but not greasy.
【You have consumed Special Braised Pork Hock (Special)】
【You have gained the Serene State: Mental resistance +10%. Can briefly suppress eerification tremors within the body and soothe distortions at the soul level.】
【Remaining time: 60 minutes.】
Chen Zhou’s chopsticks paused.
Special food?
This effect... was very similar to the Snow Lotus Wine of the Heavenly Sword Sect; both could suppress mutations for a short time.
And the effect seemed to be even gentler and more long-lasting than the Snow Lotus Wine.
'Is it because of the food?' Chen Zhou pondered.
Because the food had a special effect, humans and demons mixed in the shop could coexist peacefully, and even the villains were honest.
Was it because everyone was here for this specific meal?
On the eve of the red rain’s arrival and the agitation of death qi, having a dish that could suppress mutations and soothe the divine soul was indeed more precious than spiritual pills or medicines.
It was a plausible explanation.
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