In the dense forest, Lord Xingde and Seventh Mistress Zhou poured out their longing for one another and discussed how they should proceed from here. Before they knew it, the moon had climbed high overhead.
Seventh Mistress Zhou had slipped out at great risk and did not dare linger, so the two emerged, reluctant to part.
Just as they were about to say goodbye, they saw Ninth Mistress watching from some distance away, with Liu Xiaolou behind her.
"Ninth Sister..." A flicker of panic appeared on Seventh Mistress Zhou's face, but she swiftly regained her composure.
Ninth Mistress sighed softly, glanced at Lord Xingde, and said, "You must be Lord Xingde, then? Seventh Sister, let's go back."
Seventh Mistress Zhou nodded and smiled at Lord Xingde. "I'm going back."
Lord Xingde was deeply worried. He said to Ninth Mistress, "Ninth Mistress, I heard Seventh Mistress speak of you. Though you are not blood kin, you are as close as family..."
Ninth Mistress said, "Lord Xingde, I will pretend I saw nothing tonight, but there must not be a next time. This is extraordinarily dangerous—not only for you, but for Seventh Sister as well. I do not know whether Seventh Sister told you, but she is to be married in half a year. Old Master Zhou personally arranged it last month. If your nighttime trysts were to spread abroad, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Lord Xingde nodded, clasped his fists, and bowed. "Thank you, Ninth Mistress. Seventh Mistress told me. She is to become Elder Zhao of Jinting Sect's second wife."
Ninth Mistress added gravely, "Elder Hou of Qingyu Sect was the one who arranged this match."
Qingyu Sect was the patron clan the Zhou family depended upon, while Jinting Sect—the family they were joining through marriage—was also a renowned sect occupying the blessed land of Jinting Mountain. A marriage alliance between two Great Sects of the World was indeed not something Lord Xingde and Seventh Mistress Zhou could resist.
Seventh Mistress Zhou held Lord Xingde's hand, her grip tightening once more. Their eyes met, and all that needed saying remained unspoken.
Liu Xiaolou moved closer to Lord Xingde and watched the two women depart. "This Ninth Mistress... where did she come from?"
Lord Xingde shook his head. "How would I know?"
"Didn't you say Seventh Mistress mentioned her often?"
"I never heard her mention her."
"Fine... In any case, she seems fairly reasonable."
Lord Xingde asked in return, "When did she discover us?"
Liu Xiaolou said, "She arrived shortly after Seventh Mistress entered the forest, about an hour ago. She gave me quite a fright. There was no helping it—I spoke on behalf of you and Seventh Mistress Zhou for a long while. In the end, she was moved by the depth of your feelings and waited outside the forest with this junior. Rest assured, she promised to keep your secret and will not expose you."
Lord Xingde nodded.
Liu Xiaolou suggested, "If there was a first time, there can be a second. Don't be fooled by her saying there must not be another time. So long as she did not expose you this time, she is already standing in the same pit as us—she cannot be pushed out even if she wants to be. Next time, you can directly ask her to help contact Seventh Mistress. It will be much more convenient than relying on me, a fake nephew. This time was a close call. This junior was directly hauled into the Zhou residence, and fortunately none of the Zhou family interrogated me. That may not be the case in the future..."
"Xiaolou, thank you."
"Your affairs are this junior's affairs, Senior. It was nothing! Next time we come, it is not far anyway—just over a hundred li. So... are we returning to Peach Blossom Spring?"
Lord Xingde did not return to Peach Blossom Spring. Instead, he took Liu Xiaolou around several places north and east of Dongting Lake for a number of days, searching for the remaining materials needed to refine the formation disk.
"The Lin Yuan Xuan Shi Formation is an illusion formation. Its essence lies in illusion, so materials that induce hallucinations are indispensable. The most illusion-inducing thing in the world should be the crest of the Colorful Splendid Sparrow, but as far as I know, this bird can only be seen in the Spirit Sparrow Garden of Weiyu Xianghe Sect. Do not even think about it."
"Weiyu Xianghe Sect? I heard it ranks among the Ten Great Sects, and that countless rare birds and Exotic Beasts are raised within the grotto-heaven it occupies, making it like an immortal realm. I wonder when I might be fortunate enough to visit Weiyu Mountain?"
"A grotto-heaven differs from a blessed land. We do not even know where the entrance to that grotto-heaven is, so how could we enter it?"
"Yes. If the Colorful Splendid Sparrow is out of the question, what about Tiger-eye Frogs? Nine-foot Butterflies? Can we find those? Forget it, they seem quite expensive..."
"Xiaolou has heard of such illusion creatures too? Tiger-eye Frogs are sold at Tianmen Market. One qian of frog venom powder costs ten to fifteen spirit stones. Nine-foot Butterflies can be found at the markets of Yanzhou. Regardless of size, a single one sells for twenty spirit stones."
"Just tell me, Senior—what other materials can substitute for them?"
"Great Toads and Shang Shou Qing, mixed together, can produce equally impressive hallucinogenic effects. This is a secret of my sect, so Xiaolou must never spread it. That is why we came to the shores of Dongting Lake to catch Great Toads."
"What about Shang Shou Qing? It is winter now. Mushrooms do not grow in the mountains."
"I have dry Shang Shou Qing powder prepared. It is in the artifact-refining room."
"So that's how it is... Senior mentioned a sect just now. Which sect is it?"
"I am the thirteenth-generation Sect Leader of Purple Extreme Sect."
"Are there any other members in the sect?"
"My lineage has always emphasized single inheritance..."
"I understand. Actually, this junior is also a sect leader. This junior is the fifth-generation Sect Leader of Three Xuan Sect."
"Come to think of it, why is your sect called Three Xuan Sect? Which three xuans?"
"That is a secret of this sect!"
"Refining formation disks is also the greatest secret of my Purple Extreme Sect!"
"Fine, fine... It is actually seduction incense, the Yin Yang Union Technique, and cultivating mysterious arts—together, they are called the Three Xuans."
"...Isn't that low and vile?"
"Senior, you cannot say that! People have no distinction of high and low, and techniques have no division between good and bad. My teacher often said: the Great Dao has a thousand paths, and I take but one. What superior or base? The key lies in the cultivator's character! Even the finest cultivation art, if it falls into the hands of a truly wicked and treacherous person..."
"Enough, enough. I misspoke."
"This is not about whether you misspoke! It is a matter of whether your cultivation philosophy is right or wrong. If Senior persists in cultivating with such thoughts, in time, you will inevitably stray onto the demonic path!"
"Heh heh... Very well, I humbly accept your instruction... Don't look so puffed up with anger... Purple Extreme Sect and Three Xuan Sect are both quite fine!"
"Of course they are. They sound steeped in profound mystery... By the way, Senior, how about our two sects form an alliance? We can watch out for and aid one another! We often do that around Wulong Mountain..."
"Would that work?"
"Why not? You and I are both sect leaders. Wouldn't a single word settle it?"
"No, I mean, is there any point?"
"Senior thinks there is no point?"
"What do you think?"
"...Forget it... No point, then no point..."
"Shh..."
"Ah?"
"Listen... That is the call of a Dongting toad... Tonight is going smoothly. We found them as soon as we arrived. When I came before, I had to search bitterly for days."
"Senior, how many should we catch?"
"Catch as many as possible. We only take that tiny bit from their skin, and too little will not suffice! Be careful. These things are highly alert and difficult to catch..."
"Senior, wait a moment... Move back a little... Farther back..."
"What is it... Is it done... How much longer... Xiaolou?"
"It's done. Come collect them! One... two... three..."
"These are... dead toads?"
"They are alive, merely knocked out by the incense... Six... seven. Is that enough? These toads live nest by nest? That saves us the trouble."
"This is the secret art of your Three Xuan Sect? Seduction incense?"
"That's right. What does Senior think?"
"I did not see you burn any incense..."
"Otherwise, why would it be called a secret art? Does Senior still think the methods of my Three Xuan Sect are low and vile?"
"Impressive..."
Before you continue