If I Were to Die Tomorrow

"Immortal Mansion?"

At Gu Bai's answer, Zhu Ying was first confused, then suddenly enlightened, and then confused once more.

"Immortal Mansion! No wonder... but, an Immortal Mansion?"

Wu Ming also frowned deeply upon hearing this. He subconsciously picked up a teacup and took a sip, only to realize it was his senior sister's cup...

Should he spit it back in and pretend nothing happened?

While his disciples were caught in doubt or internal struggle, Gu Bai said, "The manifestation of an Immortal Mansion is often different from what people imagine. It is not that a strange phenomenon suddenly descends from the sky, followed by an immortal gate quietly opening, and once you cross that gate, you arrive at a blessed land... It is not like that."

"The manifestation of an Immortal Mansion is often a very long process. It begins with the emergence of a proverb from the Immortal Mansion Heavenly Record, followed by the first wisp of Immortal Spirit breaking through the soil, then the Immortal Law Silk Weaving, which manifests in the world, and finally, the completion of the Immortal Mansion... Sometimes it is short, lasting only an instant; but long ones can sometimes take a hundred, or even several hundred years."

"And the Grey Needle Forest you went to, along with the Mountain Spirits you encountered, were very much like the strange phenomena of the Immortal Law Silk Weaving stage before the Immortal Mansion manifests."

Hearing this, Wu Ming and Zhu Ying were simultaneously enlightened.

The so-called Immortal Law is the law of the Immortal Mansion. Every Immortal Mansion has its own rules, and among them, requirements regarding cultivation levels are the most common...

No wonder those Golden Core Protector Elders were able to vanish into thin air without the slightest resistance, even going so far as to abandon their wealthy patrons to infighting in the forest.

If it wasn't the younger generation cleaning up the immortal scene, then it could only be the work of the Immortal Mansion's laws.

The Immortal Mansion brewing in the Grey Needle Forest did not allow anyone above the Foundation Establishment stage to enter, so when the Golden Core elders pursued them halfway, they were filtered and blocked like sensitive content.

As for those Mountain Spirits...

Gu Bai pondered, "Those Mountain Spirits might just be native Loose Demons inhabiting the Grey Needle Forest. A long time ago, when I was traveling along the Eshui River, I did see Mountain Spirits. But they are not accustomed to migrating, let alone running rampant and committing violence in areas with frequent human activity."

"I think the key lies in the Mountain Spirit leader, who faintly possessed the ability of divination. During the stages of Immortal Spirit breaking through the soil and Immortal Law Silk Weaving, the local area often gives birth to a very small number of demons with extraordinary innate gifts. Once those demons attain the Dao, they gather in groups, causing temporary strange phenomena to lure people in. They contain clues to breaking the impasse of the local Immortal Mansion; for now... they can be seen as a hint left by the master of the Immortal Mansion specifically for their successors."

"That is why this Demon Hunting Decree attracted so many talented youths from local noble families. Most of them likely obtained the Heavenly Record Proverb in advance from the Divination Bureau in the commandery or even the province, realizing that the Mountain Spirits appearing locally might be related to the soon-to-be-manifested Immortal Mansion. That is why they spared no effort and went to such great lengths to form hunting parties. However, even with careful preparation and the recruitment of local loose cultivators to assist, they still failed to achieve their wish."

"Those noble scions either lacked the ability or the immortal affinity, or they violated some taboo in their speech and behavior, causing them to be subtly repelled by the Immortal Law. Thus, they could never break the illusion and get close to the Mountain Spirit tribe. As for you, Ying'er, although you were able to get close and see through the illusion, your killing intent was too heavy. You nearly slaughtered the entire tribe without focusing on hunting the leader..."

"The Mountain Spirit leader likely fled because your demon hunting operation dragged on for too long, exceeding the time limit of the 'hint'; or perhaps it saw its subordinates dying out and its own situation becoming increasingly dangerous, so it simply escaped. Once it left, the illusion broke on its own, and there were no more obstacles to the hunt, leading to a great success. But you also missed out on the most important piece of immortal affinity."

After Gu Bai finished explaining this background information, which was packed with details, all three disciples fell into deep thought. The Sect Leader Temple fell silent.

While his disciples were digesting the information, the old man lifted his teacup and took a light sip. The bitterness and fragrance flowed down his throat, just like old memories surging in his heart.

But before he could savor it, a young face full of curiosity suddenly appeared before him.

"Master is truly a man with a story!"

"Cough, cough-cough!"

Caught off guard, Gu Bai nearly spat out his tea.

No, you digested that way too fast, didn't you?! What about my long story!? Even Ying'er, my head disciple who has been cultivating with me for twenty years, still hasn't grasped many of the details, and you...

Before his inner lament could subside, he heard Wu Ming sighing as well.

"Master, you must have cleared quite a few Immortal Mansions in your youth, right? We should compare notes on clearing strategies sometime. When I submit a first-clear guide in the future, I'll choose to make it a joint submission..."

Gu Bai's expression shifted slightly. "Ming'er, how did you know I..."

Wu Ming replied, "Master, although your words just now were filled with qualifiers like 'perhaps' or 'most likely,' the confidence in your tone was unmistakable. If you weren't a well-traveled professional, where would such unwavering certainty come from?"

Gu Bai gave a wry smile. "...The Immortal Mansions are the foundation of the immortal path in the Nine Provinces; the current calendar is even named the Immortal Mansion Calendar. What I said was nothing more than common knowledge known to everyone."

Wu Ming asked curiously, "Common knowledge, yet Senior Sister didn't know it? Furthermore, during the monster hunt, Senior Sister made a few close friends—one is a local from the county city, and the other comes from a semi-aristocratic background... yet none of them realized the anomalies in the Grey Needle Forest were related to an Immortal Mansion. And yet, Master, you made an accurate judgment based solely on Senior Sister's description. If that isn't professional, what is?"

At this point, Wu Ming paused, a piercing glint flickering in his eyes.

"Of course, at the end of the day, my judgment comes from the resonance shared between professionals... If this were a different worldview, we would have started a duel the moment our eyes met. When you took me in, Master, didn't you feel that same resonance?"

Seeing that Wu Ming was firmly convinced, Gu Bai remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a sigh and shaking his head helplessly.

This disciple was truly frighteningly sharp. He had just been wondering how long his disciples would take to digest his explanation about the Immortal Mansions, and yet this youngest disciple had already digested the master himself!

However, there were some things, some stories, that simply couldn't be told. Even that brief explanation just now had exhausted the old man's efforts.

Therefore, this time, Gu Bai was truly unable to respond to his disciple's sharp curiosity.

Fortunately, the perceptive Wu Ming could naturally see his master's dilemma.

So, he very naturally smiled and changed the subject.

"Regardless, I should still congratulate Senior Sister. May you be blessed with immortal fortune; good people have a safe life!"

Zhu Ying was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then couldn't help but laugh. "Is it really worth congratulating me for missing out on a connection to the Immortal Mansion?"

Wu Ming replied, "Senior Sister only missed it by a hair, while those aristocratic scions missed it by a mile. By comparison, you could say you're practically stepping on the heads of those aristocratic disciples to achieve a server-wide first clear. Isn't that worth celebrating?"

"..." Zhu Ying wanted to refute him, but Wu Ming's words were so thoughtful that she couldn't bring herself to argue!

The little junior brother could be sensible once in a while...

"Besides, it's only a temporary miss. Now that we know an Immortal Mansion is about to manifest in the Grey Needle Forest, we can prepare in advance. When the time comes, you'll have two great strategy experts—Master and me—serving you alone. Isn't that a huge blessing?"

Zhu Ying was both annoyed and amused. "You haven't even seen what an Immortal Mansion looks like, yet you've already placed yourself on the same level as Master!"

But she quickly composed her smile and said seriously, "However, I'm going to have to disappoint you this time. I likely won't have the chance to go to the Immortal Mansion in the Grey Needle Forest."

"?"

Zhu Ying explained, "Immortal Mansions don't just open their doors for anyone to explore the moment they appear... Except for a very few special cases, most Immortal Mansions have strict restrictions on the number of people and the frequency of entry. Some Immortal Mansions only open once every few hundred years, and even then, they only accept a handful of people."

"Therefore, it stands to reason that the entry and exit of every Immortal Mansion is strictly regulated. In Qiongzhou, exploring these mansions is almost exclusively the privilege of the noble families. For rogue cultivators like us, there is basically no opportunity..."

Wu Ming chuckled, "Noble privilege—isn't that exactly your opportunity, Senior Sister?"

Zhu Ying frowned, "Why?"

Wu Ming explained, "Previously, that group of noble scions led by the eldest son of the Liu Family went off full of ambition, clutching the Heavenly Record Proverb, only to end up miles away from the fated immortal encounter. Yet you, Senior Sister, were all alone and knew nothing of the Immortal Mansion, and in the end, you only just missed that fated encounter. If I were Liu Cheng, even if I had to pull strings with my family's privileges, I would definitely clear a spot to explore the Immortal Mansion and invite you to join the team. With you on board, wouldn't that be better than a hundred of those noble-born wine-bags and rice-sacks!?"

These words startled both Gu Bai and Zhu Ying.

A moment later, Zhu Ying responded with a cold sneer.

"Then he had better give up that thought early... I will never, under any circumstances, associate myself with those noble scions!"

"Eh? Why? In the stories you told, Senior Sister, this Liu Cheng is still considered a good person, right?"

Zhu Ying fell silent for a moment before saying, "If you only look at his personal character, Liu Cheng is indeed beyond reproach. However, no matter how good a noble scion's character is, they are still a noble scion. When Kang Pingxiang planted false evidence out of thin air and the team split up, Liu Cheng knew exactly which side was in the wrong, yet he still left the rogue cultivators to fend for themselves. A so-called 'good person' is meaningless at a time like that; it's nothing more than a facade."

"That makes sense." Wu Ming nodded, then asked, "Then, what if he invited you with a massive reward? A massive reward, mind you!"

"How could the massive rewards of a noble family be so easy to take?" Zhu Ying said. "Junior Brother, you still think too kindly of these noble families."

Wu Ming, who had just accepted a massive reward from a noble family, couldn't help but glance at his master, only to see Gu Bai looking somewhat helpless.

Zhu Ying's hatred for the noble families was truly well-founded and sincere. And this kind of obsession, regardless of the reason, is often extremely difficult to dispel.

"Is it impossible, no matter what?"

Zhu Ying said indifferently, "At least for me, it is."

Wu Ming pondered for a moment and said, "Senior Sister, let's assume an extreme scenario, just an assumption, mind you..."

Zhu Ying: "?"

"Assume I am going to die tomorrow..."

Zhu Ying: "??"

Gu Bai: "???"

Zheng Lingxi: "Junior Brother, don't die!?"

"...and only by spending a massive reward to buy an Immortal Pill can my life be saved. In that case, would the noble family's reward still be off-limits?"