Becoming an immortal against the will of heaven

Flower Fairy Valley was renowned far and wide, attracting countless tourists every year, many of whom were wealthy families. Consequently, luxury carriages and fine steeds were a common sight. The local villagers had long grown accustomed to it and were no longer surprised.

However, on this particular day, a unique carriage approached from afar, still managing to elicit a sigh of amazement from these jaded onlookers.

This carriage was exceptionally luxurious, adorned with gold and jade on the outside, making it magnificent and opulent. Inside, delicate gauze curtains billowed, and fragrant smoke curled gently. Moreover, sixteen chestnut-red steeds pulled the carriage at the front, creating a grand and imposing spectacle, kicking up dust along the way.

All around the carriage, exquisitely decorated copper bells were hung, jingling as they moved, alerting the surrounding crowd to make way.

Almost everyone who saw this carriage couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts. They secretly speculated that even an imperial procession couldn't be more impressive than this!

However, after a brief moment of stunned silence, the shopkeepers located around Flower Fairy Valley swarmed forward like rabbits released from their cages, all vying to pull the customers inside the luxurious carriage into their own establishments.

After all, this was a major business opportunity, and they couldn't afford to miss it!

Therefore, even before the carriage drew near, dozens of people had already gathered around it, their attire varying, clearly representing different shops.

Indeed, as the saying goes, where there are people, there is business. Every year, millions of tourists visit Flower Fairy Valley. With such a massive influx of people, many inns and taverns have naturally been built around it. The closer to Flower Fairy Valley, the more inns there are, and the fiercer the competition becomes.

Looking around, along the path leading to the entrance of Flower Fairy Valley, nearly a hundred inns and taverns of various sizes were densely packed together. Due to the limited space, these establishments were almost adjacent to each other.

It is said that those in the same trade are enemies. With so many inns packed so closely together, how could there not be conflict?

Therefore, whenever a carriage arrived, especially one that looked extremely luxurious, these shopkeepers would swarm forward like bees, using every means possible to lure them into their own shops.

What a joke! Who in this world would refuse money?

Although there were many other tourists and carriages around this luxuriously decorated carriage, there was no doubt that this carriage was like a bright moon in the night sky, standing out so prominently in the crowd.

These touts all remembered the last time a customer arrived in such a luxurious carriage, they tipped a full hundred taels of silver!

A hundred taels, what did that mean?

If converted into steamed buns, it would be enough for an ordinary person to eat for twenty years!

These waiters only earned fifty copper coins a month. They had never seen such a large sum of silver before!

And that waiter who, in everyone's eyes, had struck 'gold,' immediately quit his job after receiving the hundred taels, went home to buy land, and got married.

If their families weren't impoverished, who would be willing to work as a lowly waiter in this tavern, toiling away every day, not to mention being subjected to contemptuous looks and insults? So, this hundred taels was enough to change their lives.

It was precisely because of this that when they saw this luxuriously decorated carriage appear, the eyes of these waiters lit up as if on fire, and they swarmed over, all wanting to attract the customers inside to their respective taverns.

After all, if the people inside were to tip them a hundred taels like last time, wouldn't they make a fortune?

Harboring such a daydream, these shop assistants exerted their greatest effort, trying to squeeze to the front of the carriage. They firmly believed that as long as they were one step ahead of others, the hope of success would be greater.

And in the face of such a wave of people, the carriage pulled by sixteen fine steeds was actually forced to a halt?

Just then, the tightly closed purple gauze curtains suddenly rolled back to both sides, and an old man with a contemptuous expression, resembling a steward, stepped down from the carriage. As he walked, he waved his hand and said, "Stand back, stand back! If you disturb my master and madam, you will surely suffer!"

Seeing someone come out of the carriage, these waiters, who had just been fighting to the death, immediately stopped. They obediently took a step back, their faces filled with obsequious and eager smiles.

And seeing that everyone had quieted down, the old man dressed as a steward gave a satisfied hum. Then, he took out a piece of white silk, wiped his hands, and said indifferently, "Our master and madam have come to your Flower Fairy Valley for sightseeing, and will be staying here tonight. However, our master is extremely particular about accommodation and has instructed that the place of residence must face south, have an open view, and be able to see the sea of flowers in the valley at a glance. If this requirement cannot be met, then please leave."

As soon as the old man said this, the waiters present showed two different expressions: one of sighing and frustration, and the other of flaunting and smugness.

It turned out that Flower Fairy Valley was extremely narrow, and only some old and well-established shopkeepers with strong backgrounds could occupy the prime location facing south. The rest were just built haphazardly at the foot of the mountain. Not to mention an open view, they were located in the corner of the mountain, where even sunlight couldn't reach.

So, upon hearing the old man's request, more than half of the waiters left dejectedly.

However, even so, there were still more than a dozen people remaining on the scene, representing a total of twelve inns that met the requirement of facing south.

The old man frowned slightly when he saw this, and then said, "Our master also said that in addition to facing south, the inn must have a camphor tree planted in its courtyard, and the tree must be at least five hundred years old."

"Hmm?"

As soon as the old man's second condition was uttered, the faces of the remaining twelve people all revealed a hint of shock. Then, they slowly turned their heads to look at a waiter of about twenty years old standing at the very back.

This waiter also looked bewildered, but after a moment, he changed into a delighted expression and immediately pushed through the crowd, running up excitedly, "The courtyard of my shop has a camphor tree, and its age is exactly over five hundred years!"

Indeed, among those present, only this shop had a camphor tree planted, and it was the only one that met the requirements.

Hearing this, the old man nodded in satisfaction and said lightly, "Good, wait here first."

After speaking, he turned around, approached the carriage, and whispered something inside.

After muttering for a while, he seemed to have received a reply, and then turned back to the young waiter who was stunned in place, not daring to breathe, and said, "Alright, we'll stay at your place tonight, lead the way!"