The Rabbit's Dwelling

The grotto-heaven where Mount Luofu is located now.

Unlike the 'natural' aesthetic of Wushen Mountain, Mount Luofu has transformed itself into a typical Daoist aesthetic.

What is natural aesthetics?

It should be as it is, and no Shaman would idly try to alter nature for fun.

Only Human Path enjoy modifying the outside world to their liking when they have nothing else to do; Shaman Path, under normal circumstances, would not alter these landscapes in the slightest.

The aesthetics of Daoism, on the other hand, are more extreme.

Unlike the Human Path way, which erases nature according to its own preferences and then recreates it in a way that people like, Daoism does not act recklessly like Shaman Path.

They prefer... to give birth, or rather... to surpass.

Just like the philosophy of Daoism.

It is born from all things, and then transcends all things.

Transcend the physical body with the spirit.

Use reason to transcend the spirit.

Ultimately, they transcend everything, reaching a state of omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, becoming 'True Immortal'.

Therefore, the places where Daoist sects are located are considered more 'natural' than nature itself, according to their aesthetic views.

With the recovery of everyone's Mount Luofu in the past few days, this place is even more magnificent and spectacular than when Li Qi first came here.

Li Qi stood outside the mountain gate.

As you can see, there are many floating islands, which look like 'spiritual peaks'.

Each of these spiritual peaks hangs suspended in the air, operating according to a fixed formation under the Qingfeng.

Numerous suspended runes and chains, one after another, faintly form nine circular archways, guarding the entrance to the grotto on the ground.

The nine gates open, revealing the spirit fish.

May your grace and favor be everlasting.

The nature of a hearse is like a cloud of mystery.

Riding flying beasts, their scales and feathers fluttering.

Looking deeper inside from the entrance, you can see many plants and animals.

Beneath the sacred peak, countless horses gallop in the wind.

On the left is a blue dragon, and on the right is White Tiger.

The pine and cypress trees symbolize longevity, while the young orioles display their skills.

Chrysanthemums are the finest, and red dogwood is the most fragrant.

Spirits rise from all directions, their vitality abundant.

Turn to the side and look at the buildings around the animals.

Immortal Mountain and pavilions, jade palaces and celestial Jade Pool.

The ground is made of gold and jade, and the land is covered with ten thousand acres of crystal.

Dew-laden liquid, cloud-like oars and pepper-infused liquor.

Smoke shrouds the fragrant path, and rosy clouds unfold over the flower-covered steps.

Painted beams and swaying rafters, golden threads slanting obliquely.

This is something more natural than nature itself.

Originating from nature, yet transcending nature, a 'fairy cave abode '.

Everything has a prototype in reality, but it also transcends the prototype.

Everything here has a more prominent feature;

The mountains are more majestic and towering, the rivers are colder and more icy, the trees are more vibrant, the wild animals appear more ferocious, and even the colors are more intense and vivid.

At first glance, it seems very similar to the outside world, but upon closer inspection, you will find that everything here has more distinctive characteristics, as if they have been 'enhanced'.

They are all sharper and more vivid than their real-world counterparts, as if they have been filtered through a lens that doesn't exist in reality.

If Li Qi were to describe it...

Movie.

That's right, it's a movie.

The visuals in movies are similar to those in reality, but they always possess a unique aesthetic.

Looking at the scene of this Immortal Mountain before him, Li Qi first sighed, then walked to the door.

This is a magnificent gate, over a thousand meters high, carved entirely from white jade. It is decorated with intricate and exquisite paintings depicting grottoes, valleys, ten continents and three islands, misty clouds, and lush pine and bamboo forests.

The gate stood alone in the open space, with nothing around it; one could even walk around to the back of the gate.

However, if you don't push it open and pass through this door, you can only gaze at those sacred peaks from afar, unable to get any closer to them.

Without going through this door, you can never reach those sacred peaks, no matter how long you fly.

We can only ever look at the beautiful scenery on those sacred peaks, like Mirage Castle, visible but untouchable.

You must enter through this door and go through a process called 'Upper Heaven' to truly get close to those sacred peaks.

Because in essence... these spiritual peaks don't exist in this world at all; they are just projections.

You must go through the gate to reach the location of Lingfeng.

Li Qi approached the gate.

At the gate stood several stone lions, which suddenly came to life as Li Qi approached, staring at him menacingly and full of vigilance.

However, these lions did not attack proactively; they merely bared their teeth.

Because Li Qi produced a jade pendant, which was the one Yang Ning had given him.

Although the stone lions didn't recognize Li Qi and remained wary, they still chose to let him in.

Li Qi ignored the stone lions and simply walked to the gate and grabbed the door knocker.

The so-called "door knocker" is a bronze ring with an animal head on a regular gate, used for knocking on the door.

However, the door knocker here is not a copper ring, but a jade ring.

Just as Li Qi grasped the jade ring, the beast head on it suddenly came to life, roaring and asking, "Who goes there! What brings you here!"

Li Qi glanced at it, only to find that the other party was pretending to roar.

Because he recognized the appearance of the door knocker; it was a Jiaotu, a type of dragon beast.

Jiaotu, resembling a snail or clam, is gentle in nature and prefers to keep its mouth closed, hence it is often placed at the entrance of shops.

Of course, this is definitely not a real Jiaotu. In its heyday, Mount Luofu probably had a Jiaotu guarding the gate, but this one is probably just a forged artifact, merely having the shape of a Jiaotu.

And... did I scare him?

Does this Jiao Tu know itself?

I reckon that Jiao Tu was also here when he came last time riding the Roc.

Therefore, Li Qi softened his attitude and said with his hands clasped, "Entrusted by True Lord Yang Ning, I have come to clean up the Moonlit Lady's cave abode and take some things with me. This is the voucher, please take a look."

Li Qi took out the jade pendant.

The door knocker, resembling a Jiaotu (a mythical creature), glared at the door, then shrank back. "Since... in that case, please come in, young master. But, please, please don't let it be like last time..."

As he retracted into his shell, the door slowly opened.

The jade pendant is enough evidence. That thing can't be faked, and it couldn't even be stolen. It must have been given by the True Lord Chi Qi.

However... this young master of Wushen Mountain is extremely rude, actually addressing the True Lord Chi Qi by his name, and speaking of Yang Ning directly.

Oh well, he's a big shot.

"Of course, last time I was just in a hurry. This time I came alone, so I don't think I can cause any trouble. There's no need to worry, sir." Li Qi said with a smile, then pushed open the door, led the Old Ma, and walked into the house.

Upon entering, a row of illusory steps suddenly appeared in front of me, floating in the air.

Li Qi and Old Ma climbed the steps.

After walking for a short while, the ladder suddenly broke.

However, both the man and the horse could fly, so they were not afraid. They hovered in the air, knowing that they had arrived at the cave.

Before they could even move, a flock of larks flew over, chirping all the while.

These larks were small and cute, only the size of a palm, and they were agile and lively. They rushed towards Li Qi in a messy bunch.

However, despite being described as cute, they are all actually ninth-grade spirit beasts.

The larks fluttered to Li Qi, then transformed into little girls who respectfully bowed to Li Qi, saying, "Greetings, Master! May you be blessed, Master!"

"Who are you?" Li Qi asked in astonishment.

To be honest, it's a bit novel.

Li Qi was once called "Master" while dice, although he didn't really like the title.

"We are Welcoming Sparrows. You are the dao companion of the Moonlit Lady, so you should call us Master. That's why we call you that. Don't you like it, Master?" The larks looked at Li Qi pitifully.

It has to be said that having such a group of adorable people in charge of greeting guests can indeed avoid most of the trouble. The person who arranged this is really something.

"It doesn't matter what you call me, you can just call me Li Qi. But, where is the Moonlit Lady's cave abode? Could you lead me there? I'm here to help her pack some things before she leaves," Li Qi said.

"Ah? Master is packing up his things in the cave abode and leaving? Then... the Moonlit Lady won't be coming back?" The larks immediately raised their heads again, their voices tense, and dozens of them even moved and spoke in the same way.

To be honest, Li Qi was charmed by it.

He softened his tone and patted the head of the little lark that reached his knees. "Of course not. If I didn't let her come back, she would complain to me."

The little larks all breathed a sigh of relief, their unspoken understanding almost like that of a single person.

"However, I would never dare to address you by your name, sir. You are the Your Highness's dao companion, wouldn't that be disrespectful to Your Highness? But since you have already stated your purpose, please come with us."

Then, I heard a thumping sound, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

It turned out that the little larks were bursting into white smoke one by one. In the smoke, they returned from being little lolis to their true forms, which were the size of a palm and looked like glutinous rice balls. They flapped their wings and flew away into the distance.

Li Qi smiled, mounted the Old Ma, and patted its neck.

The Old Ma trotted along, leisurely strolling behind the little larks.

This time, there wasn't even a blue thunderbolt; only auspicious clouds lay beneath his hooves, showing that it was no different from an after-dinner stroll for him.

A group of chattering little creatures led the way, with the Old Ma following behind. Before long, they passed through many sacred peaks.

From here you can see the entire Lingfeng Peak.

These mountains floating in the sky are incredibly magnificent.

As you can see, there are some disciples of Mount Luofu practicing their skills, as well as various spirit beasts, medicinal fields, and Pill Furnace. From time to time, various lights and strange phenomena flash, which are the lights of Technique Method.

It has everything a Daoist sect should have, and the art style is perfectly matched.

As expected, I had simply joined the wrong sect.

After passing through these, we arrived at another mountain, where larks perched in unison on the branches, bending the branches low to the ground.

Then, a lark said, "Master, we've arrived. This is the place. Just go in."

"Alright, thank you all." Li Qi raised his hand, and a sphere detached from his body.

Those were different kinds of the Five Elements Qi, scattered among these little larks.

The larks were overjoyed, but very orderly. They took turns eating the sphere according to their own Cultivation Method, and then landed on the branches in unison, shouting, "Thank you, Master!"

"No need, you all go ahead and do your work. I can handle the rest myself," Li Qi nodded and said.

The larks were honest; upon hearing this, they all took their leave and scattered in a flurry.

Many of the larks were so full that they were eager to go back and refine the Five Elements Qi in their bellies.

Li Qi watched them leave.

Then, he took out the jade pendant, got off the Old Ma, and said to him, "Find a place to rest anywhere, see if there are any mares or anything, see if it works out. The girls of Mount Luofu are good at taking care of men."

"I'll go in first." Li Qi tapped the horse's head, then placed the jade pendant into the array's core. With a rumble, the stone door slid open.

Li Qi entered.

Old Ma snorted outside the door and gave Li Qi a disdainful look.

Ultimately, you only have one in your life, and there's a high probability you won't have a second one.

Master Ma has at least a hundred mares, and he's kept countless breeds of them.

You, with your looks, dare to lecture Master Ma?

It's a pity Li Qi couldn't see Old Ma's expression, otherwise his inner thoughts would surely be quite interesting.

Putting aside these private matters, Li Qi entered the cave abode alone.

To be honest, I'm a little excited.

Strictly speaking, this is Shen Shuibi's boudoir. Although it's not the kind of place she's lived in since childhood, most of the things belonging to her in Mount Luofu are here.

Last time I came, before I even got inside, I was dragged back by a bunch of chains and locked under the Demon Suppression Tower. I was almost beaten to death by Yang Ning.

This time I can finally come in openly and legitimately.

The cave abode was filled with many things, and they were quite varied, but not messy, which suited Shen Shuibi's temperament perfectly.

What kind of temperament is it...? It's probably that you just throw things around and pick them up again without bothering to hide them. So everything is out in the open and easily accessible.

However, precisely because they were meant to be taken, they were arranged in a very orderly manner, making it easy to see Shen Shuibi's lifestyle habits and when and where she was going to do what.

It has a unique kind of fun.

"Eight Trigrams Plate, Medicine Cauldron, Pill Furnace, Jade Flute... Hey, and Rattle Drum?" Li Qi counted the items, picking up a children's toy with some curiosity.

This must have been something the rabbit played with when it was very, very young, right?

How should I put it... it's a strange feeling.

Because this thing is a Law Artifact, and its grade is actually quite high, a full eighth grade. However, it has no practical use; it's purely durable.

This is a very high-quality, very durable... Rattle Drum.

It's obvious that someone with such skills must be highly skilled; they might very well be Lady Luofu.

If we have to talk about its uses, if this thing is infused with Law Power and then shaken, the brains of mortals who hear the sound will probably explode. It can be used as a weapon, but anyone with a little cultivation will find the sound extremely sobering.

Li Qi took it, shook it, and it made a thumping sound.

A children's toy handcrafted by a third-rank boss, and it was even the one his wife played with when she was a child...

This feeling is truly wonderful.

Continue searching for things to see if there's anything else that can be brought back to the rabbit.

Then he saw a cabinet, which looked like... a wardrobe?

Li Qi opened it out of curiosity.

Sure enough, it was a wardrobe, filled with clothes.

Then Li Qi closed the cabinet door without changing his expression.

There were undergarments inside.