Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Thirty-Four: The Entertainment District

Seeing Lin Xin walking ahead, Ye Junze quickened his pace to catch up with her. In this way, the two of them left the dormitory building one after the other.

Once outside, Ye Junze asked, “Senior, where are you going for a walk?”

“Junior, since you arrived in Anze, you haven’t visited the other campus area, have you?” Lin Xin replied with a smile.

“The other area? What’s that?” Ye Junze asked in confusion.

“It’s basically our own entertainment district. There are all kinds of leisure venues—supermarkets, cinemas, entertainment halls—everything you’d find outside, you can find there as well,” Lin Xin explained.

Ye Junze seemed to understand, nodding. “So that’s how it is.”

“So, are we heading to this entertainment district now?” he asked.

“Yes, and since you said you’d treat me to dinner, there’s actually a restaurant in the entertainment district I’ve wanted to try for a long time. If you don’t mind, let’s eat there,” Lin Xin replied.

“Of course, I have no objections,” Ye Junze agreed with a smile.

Hearing this, Lin Xin said happily, “Then let’s head out now.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Ye Junze responded.

With that, Lin Xin set off, and Ye Junze quickly followed. On the way, they exchanged amusing anecdotes they each knew, the atmosphere between them warm and congenial.

“Senior, isn’t our school located in Yan City? Why did they bother building an entertainment district? Can’t we just go outside to buy whatever we need?” Ye Junze suddenly asked, as if something had occurred to him.

“That’s something you don’t know yet,” Lin Xin replied with a hint of mystery.

“Oh? Now you’ve made me even more curious. Please enlighten me, Senior—I’m all ears,” Ye Junze said, mimicking a polite gesture.

Seeing him act this way, Lin Xin couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “You don’t need to be so formal, I’ll explain it slowly,” she said, looking at him.

“Alright, sorry to trouble you.”

“When you arrived, you must’ve noticed that everyone comes to the school through that teleportation array outside,” Lin Xin began, her tone unhurried.

Ye Junze nodded in agreement.

“So, while our school is technically within Yan City, most of us don’t actually know its precise location. For hundreds of miles around, there’s nothing but wilderness, and the only way to quickly reach the outside world is through the teleportation array. You were probably told this when you first arrived. So, it’s not an exaggeration to say our school is quite isolated from the world,” Lin Xin explained in one breath.

Ye Junze nodded in understanding, secretly thinking, “Just as I thought.”

“That’s why the school needed to build a separate entertainment district,” Lin Xin continued.

“I get it now. But isn’t cultivation supposed to be about clearing the mind and restraining desires? Wouldn’t all these entertainment venues interfere with everyone’s cultivation?” Ye Junze, still full of questions, asked again.

Lin Xin couldn’t help but laugh again. “Junior, have you been watching too many strange shows?” Seeing his bewildered expression, she looked even more amused. “It’s the twenty-first century—no one’s that old-fashioned anymore. Our school encourages cultivation to follow the heart’s desire, and besides, cultivation itself is a tedious affair. Without the entertainment district to enrich our lives and help us relax, wouldn’t all us young people end up with pent-up frustrations?”

Hearing this, Ye Junze finally understood the school’s reasoning. Once more, his impression of the school was refreshed, and he could only sigh in admiration, “What a display of wealth.”

Lin Xin immediately replied, “Ha, you haven’t even seen the school’s true extravagance yet.” She paused, then continued, “Come on, we’re almost there.”

“Alright,” Ye Junze said, quickening his steps.

It didn’t take long before they arrived at their destination.

“We’re here,” Lin Xin announced with a stretch, looking delighted.

But Ye Junze was too stunned by what he saw to respond right away. Stretching out before him was a street so long it seemed endless, lined on both sides with all manner of shops, cinemas, bars, boutiques, restaurants—a full array of entertainment venues, all more lavish than their counterparts in the outside world.

Gazing at the scene, only one thought echoed in Ye Junze’s mind: “This is what it means to have money to burn.”

Noticing his awestruck expression, Lin Xin waved her hand in front of his face. “Wake up, junior.”

Only then did Ye Junze come to his senses, scratching his head in embarrassment. “Sorry to make you laugh. Where to next?”

Lin Xin waved off his concern. “It’s fine, let’s just wander around. Maybe you’ll see something you want to buy.”

“Alright, I’ll follow your lead,” Ye Junze replied.

And so, the two of them strolled leisurely, stopping now and then to try on clothes in boutiques or sample street snacks. Their interactions were harmonious and natural. Despite having known each other only a few days, there was a familiarity between them like old friends. To an outsider, it would be easy to mistake them for a couple.

As time passed, Lin Xin finally seemed to tire of shopping. She stopped and said, “Let’s take a break here. I’m a bit hungry—shall we go eat?”

“Sure,” Ye Junze answered warmly.

“Then let’s go to the restaurant I mentioned. Junior, you’ll have to splurge a little,” she teased.

“Not at all, it’s my pleasure.”

With that, Lin Xin took the lead, beckoning Ye Junze to follow. He hurried to catch up, and the two continued on their way.