The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 159 - 110 Rock City Grand Gathering

Chapter 159: Chapter 110 Rock City Grand Gathering

The scent of tea within the tea festival venue wafted through the air with the breeze, stirring the crowd into excitement, wishing the pace through the checkpoint could double.

Indeed, the tea festival was a grand event in Rock City, where she could only slowly follow the crowd. The city originally had nearly a hundred thousand inhabitants, and now with the merchant teams entering and people from the surrounding areas, there might well be nearly one hundred seventy to eighty thousand people. Everyone was drawn to the tea festival, and today being the first day, the venue could easily see thirty to forty thousand attendees.

She first made a round at the Cloud Tiger Trading Team station but found that they were too busy to pay attention to her. Deng Hao was happily chatting with a few tea farmers, looking like they were long-term business partners and enjoying their cooperation. Although Rock City was a tea-producing area, goods could still be classified into different grades. Having insiders and acquaintances here was especially important. Deciding whom to sell the lower-grade, mid-grade, and top-grade teas to—merchants like Deng Hao were clear-minded about this.

His clerks weren’t idle either, moving out goods one by one that might be traded with the locals. Nearby merchant teams were doing similarly, eagerly haggling with ticketed spectators. These merchant teams had come from all over, each with different goods, and their displayed wares truly captivated attention. Besides trading with each other, there were many goods intended for sale to the locals.

The reason why so many merchant teams and a heavy flow of people were attracted to the Rock City tea festival was not just to spur the tea business. Over the years, the festival has become a medium for trade and interaction between tea farmers and merchant teams, merchant teams and Immortal Sects, and between merchant teams themselves as well as with the locals. The amount of business transacted here each year involved significant sums.

Fortunately, there was no opening ceremony for the tea festival; otherwise, she would have thought she had traveled back to Earth. However, there indeed was a stage set up in the mutual market, originally for vaudeville and drama troupes to perform during festivals, and now the intense sound of drums and gongs only highlighted an atmosphere akin to a temple fair.

She had invited Sister Tan to come along, but the latter, preferring tranquility and not really interested in these matters, politely declined. Ning Xiaoxian shrugged it off—well, time to have fun on her own.

However, not long after she bought two boxes of sugar paste amidst Qiongqi’s noisy voice and enjoyed a pancake omelet, someone gently tugged on her sleeve. "Miss Ning, shall we stroll together?"

The gesture felt familiar. Rolling her eyes, she turned and indeed saw a common unremarkable face—Wen Liangyu, Second Young Master Wen, smiling at her cheerfully. This was when the benefit of a high-level Disguise Pill became apparent; his smile was plain and natural. Although lacking any charm of a handsome man, it looked genuinely sincere.

Ning Xiaoxian had a certain sympathy for this Little Half-demon, so she did not reject his request to roam together. Changtian in the God Demon Prison knew well that the Half-demon was unlikely to attract her, and thus generously refrained from jealousy. Being away from the Mortal World for many years, he suddenly found the human festivity amusing and intriguing, along with Qiongqi. Of course, their discussions in prison would not be known to Ning Xiaoxian.

In Huaxia, her uncle had to start every morning with a cup of tea. Having been fostered in his home for many years, Ning Xiaoxian also picked up the habit of drinking tea. Here, teas were extremely precious, and she was reluctant to drink much herself, giving most to Changtian. Now in Rock City, a major tea-producing area, and having earned a hefty sum from selling Elixir Pills these days, how could she not justify buying some fine teas?

"If you want to thank me, take me to buy some good tea." As they chatted and strolled, she joked while nibbling on a candied haw. Naturally, it wasn’t hawthorn wrapped inside but another kind of sour berry, offering a perfectly balanced sweet and sour taste in her mouth. The venue had a special section dedicated to selling various foods and drinks for visitors and traders to enjoy, so many women and children were seen walking and eating snacks. The liberal customs of Rock City allowed women to eat while walking without drawing much attention; otherwise, she would have considered maintaining her public image more carefully.

Actually, she was just joking. Even though Second Young Master Wen was a son of the City Lord Mansion and rarely ventured out, managing to sneak in a visit to the market was almost like a prisoner getting a chance to breathe fresh air—how could he know which tea was the best? Yet, Wen Liangyu confidently smiled: "Sure. Leave it to me." Leading her through twists and turns, they found a tea stall in an inconspicuous part of the venue.