Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Things should be done one step at a time, and food should be eaten one bite at a time.

More haste less speed.

After instructing Jin Wei to collect the five poisonous hearts, Zhou Qingfeng began searching through some books about the Mortal Serpent in his study. However, it seemed that because of their antiquity, few of the books he had collected over the years mentioned the existence of the Mortal Serpent, let alone the content related to sacrifices.

Even if the texts about sacrificing to ancient gods were to survive, they would be extremely rare and unique, treasured in the vaults of aristocratic families. If they were to fall into the hands of celebrities and wealthy merchants, they would be kept as collectibles and never printed or sold, lest the value of their unique copies be greatly diminished.

Among the books salvaged from the Xi Yi Treasure Trove were those related to the sacrifice of ancient gods. However, the ancient gods sacrificed to these books, who were in charge of death, ghosts, decay, and pain, had nothing to do with the sacrifice of the Mortal Serpent, the first innate ancient god in the world.

The first library must have contained relevant texts.

"Someone, help me change!" Zhou Qingfeng summoned more than ten beautiful maids. With their help, he changed into a set of formal attire that conformed to regulations. The attire had to conform to regulations; it couldn't be too luxurious or too shabby. One had to wear clothes appropriate for one's status and the occasion. He couldn't be picky or do whatever he wanted. At most, he could only make limited choices. After all, he was going to meet the city lord, and it was never wrong to follow the rules.

Don't underestimate these rules. It's just a piece of clothing. You can wear it however you like. At home, you can wear whatever you want, even run around naked. But once you leave home, you have to follow the rules.

There's a reason why clothing is categorized into different grades and subject to a series of standards and regulations.

The most obvious point is that the classes of nobles and commoners are distinguished by clothing.

A commoner's everyday clothes cost several hundred dollars, and a garment made of inferior materials could be worn for several years until it was completely unwearable before being discarded. However, the clothes worn by nobles cost hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, and the materials and craftsmanship were completely different. Moreover, they were worn only once and then discarded as disposable items, never washed.

Even among nobles, there were different ranks. People had to wear appropriate clothes depending on the occasion and the person they were facing. When facing someone of lower status, they could dress however they wanted and would be praised for their genuine and unique personality. They could also dress extravagantly and overshadow everyone else.

When facing someone of equal status, one must be respectful, serious, and meticulous. The clothes should be expensive yet understated, low-key yet luxurious. Only someone of equal status can recognize the extraordinary quality and high value of the clothes. Furthermore, the clothes must be from a famous designer, custom-made, and tailored to fit the body perfectly.

When interacting with people of higher status, one should dress modestly and modestly, primarily in subdued, monochromatic colors.

In some situations, one can judge a nobleman's social class and family status simply by looking at their clothes. Whether a family is in decline or wealthy can influence others' attitudes and respect. There is a reason why the old saying "respect the clothes first, then the person" holds true.

A little story about clothing is recorded in unofficial historical anecdotes.

The story was short, but it left a very deep impression on Zhou Qingfeng.

This story is about a wealthy and noble family named Qi that has existed for three hundred years. Everyone knows that the Qi family is rich, extremely rich, and has a very large business. They do everything, and there are Qi family banks in thirteen major cities around them. They have so much money that they can't spend it all.

The current head of the family spends money extravagantly, holding banquets every few days, each costing three to five hundred million yuan. He even frequents brothels, spending a billion yuan just to make a beauty smile. The clothes worn by the servants are disposable items, worn and thrown away without ever being washed.

At his peak, he was known as the richest man in thirteen cities, with a net worth reportedly exceeding ten trillion.

Everyone knows the Qi family is powerful, everyone knows the Qi family is rich, everyone begs to associate with the Qi family, powerful and wealthy people are willing to associate with them, and even the city lord is willing to take the initiative to find the Qi family to invest money when news of the Qi family's plans to do something is released.

Even though the Qi family habitually buys on credit, they only settle accounts once a year, no matter where they go.

But no one would think that the Qi family would be short of money.

Then a farcical scene unfolded: after the death of the current head of the Qi family, the matriarch temporarily took over the family. In just one year, the Qi family, which was known as the richest family in the thirteen cities, vanished into thin air and collapsed completely.

Why did it fall into ruin so quickly? Even if a spendthrift son squanders a trillion dollars a year, it would still take ten years.

The problem lies in clothing. Ever since the matriarch of the Qi family took over, she discovered that the family's expenses were far too high. They were not earning enough to cover their expenses, and their income was insufficient to cover their expenditures. In particular, there was a lot of waste in clothing. Everyone in the family wore their clothes only once, even the servants.

This expense is simply unacceptable.

She simply couldn't understand how her family had managed all these years. All she could think about was saving money and not wasting it like this, so she started cutting back on expenses, prohibiting extravagance and waste, and forbidding clothes from being worn only once and then discarding them.

This small, seemingly insignificant action directly tolled the death knell for the Qi family.

When outsiders see that after the death of the head of the Qi family, the matriarch of the Qi family actually started to reduce her clothing expenses, they will not think that the matriarch of the Qi family is a thrifty and virtuous wife and mother. Instead, they will think that the Qi family is in financial trouble because the head of the Qi family is dead and the Qi family is out of money!

The Qi family's money shop was hit by a frenzied run, with countless people holding bills and demanding that the accounts be settled and that cash be paid out.

The Qi family has collapsed. Their trillion-dollar fortune and status as the richest family in thirteen cities have all become yesterday's news and a fleeting dream.

Zhou Qingfeng found this little story quite interesting. It vividly illustrates that in this turbid world, clothing is not only something to cover the body and keep warm, nor simply something to protect oneself, but also a symbol of wealth and power.

Zhou Qingfeng, dressed in casual clothes, arrived at the city lord's mansion in a carriage, got off, and walked into the mansion with his hands behind his back. With his current status and position, he no longer needed a pass to enter and exit the city lord's mansion, and no one deliberately stopped him to ask him to show his pass.

Although it is required to show the document according to the rules, rules are rules. The red-armored axemen responsible for the security of the city lord's mansion all know the fourth young master. There is no need to go looking for trouble, lest you displease the fourth young master and get into some unnecessary trouble.

But today was strange. A high-ranking general saw Zhou Qingfeng and not only did not make way for him, he also reached out to stop him.

The senior general clasped his hands and said, "Gao Xianchun, the Commander of the Palace Guard, greets the Fourth Young Master."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in a salute and asked, "Lord Gao, what is the meaning of stopping me?"

Commander Gao Xianchun bowed slightly in apology: "Please forgive me, Fourth Young Master. The city has been in chaos for the past six months. I was afraid that some thieves might take advantage of the chaos to sneak into the City Lord's Mansion, so I personally guarded this place to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Anyone who wants to enter or leave the City Lord's Mansion must show their token and be searched."