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Regarding the little princess of Luohuang Mountain, Liu Sanlang humbly claimed he didn't know much about her, but as they chatted along the way, he proved to be a veritable treasure trove of gossip and anecdotes!

Of course, it wasn't that he had an unrealistic crush on Si Qinglan despite being engaged. The truth was... as a Qiongzhou cultivator, unless he lived as a hermit in some remote mountain wilderness and paid no heed to worldly affairs, he was bound to know all the gossip and anecdotes about Si Qinglan!

For the past ten years, even twenty, Si Qinglan had been the most outstanding Dao Seed among the young generation of Qiongzhou's immortal sects. She was, in fact, a source of pride for many Qiongzhou cultivators.

Qiongzhou lay in the northeastern part of the Nine Provinces and had never been known for prosperity or wealth. Five hundred years ago, the Desolate Barbarian Rebellion had laid waste to a thousand li, and even now the region had yet to recover fully. As a result, Qiongzhou always ranked last among the Nine Provinces.

Fortunately, Luohuang Mountain remained, propping up Qiongzhou's reputation like a jade pillar holding up the heavens. Its structure of three Spirit Transformation cultivators had endured unshaken since five hundred years ago, firmly preserving its title as a first-rank immortal sect. Talented and powerful cultivators also regularly emerged from the mountain, dazzling the world for a time.

When people from different regions discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the Immortal Path in each province, or compared their respective powers, the performances of a few leading figures often proved decisive. And Si Qinglan was the perfect subject for countless Qiongzhou cultivators to wield in arguments with the rest of the world.

A first-rank Spirit Root, Foundation Establishment in three years, a chance of forming a Golden Core before the age of twenty, and achieving Nascent Soul within a single sixty-year cycle... One unbelievable tale after another made her seem like a blue luan soaring in the heavens, lifting the confidence of every cultivator in Qiongzhou!

As they chatted all the way about Luohuang Mountain's little princess, time passed without their noticing... Suddenly, the Imperial Carriage gave a slight shudder. The familiar, dazzling rainbow light swallowed up the scenery beyond the window. When they looked again, all they could see was a vast, hazy-gray sky.

Feng Prefecture, the Ten Thousand Li Gray Plains, now lay beneath them.

Afterward, the carriage door swung open, and the blue luan gave a call to bid them farewell. Liu Sanlang and Wu Ming finally climbed out, still reluctant to end their journey, and set foot on the Wutong Branch in this foreign prefecture.

Then they saw a familiar face.

"Sanlang, Wu Ming. It's been a long time."

The tall woman in red greeted the two travelers with a gentle smile, then handed each of them a small incense bottle.

"This is a leyline nexus of the Gray Plains, not far from the Moli Immortal Mansion. The spiritual energy here carries a trace of foreign matter, so it's best to use this incense regularly to soothe your mind."

Liu Sanlang took his bottle first and thanked her.

"Miaomiao, thanks for coming ahead to scout things out."

Zhang Miao smiled sweetly. "I should be thanking you, Sanlang, for being willing to share this Immortal Fate with me."

Liu Sanlang said, "Between us, good fortune should be shared."

On the other side, Wu Ming turned the incense bottle over curiously in his hands, eyeing Zhang Miao even more curiously.

Had Miaozi been dieting while they were apart?

He and Liu Sanlang had just stepped out of the carriage, yet she hadn't imagined some kind of forced bedroom scene?

Zhang Miao gave him a graceful bow as well. "I must also thank Young Master Wu for not looking down on my meager abilities and agreeing to travel with me."

After a pause, she added, "This Immortal Fate was hard-won, and I'll treasure it with all my heart. So please rest assured, Young Master Wu. While we explore the Immortal Mansion, I'll simply provide support and never overstep my place."

"Thus, no matter how much joy I feel in my heart, I'll force myself to endure it and keep it close within me. After we return from the Immortal Mansion, I'll, I'll savor it on my own..."

By the end, her face had flushed, her body was trembling, and she seemed to be desperately holding herself back after someone had pressed some inexplicable switch...

...All right, she was playing the endurance game now.

Miaozi really knew how to have fun!

Liu Sanlang could only shake his head helplessly. "Lead the way, Miaomiao."

"Mm~"

The three of them descended the Wutong Tree along the station's jade steps. The sound of people grew louder, and beneath the great tree lay a thriving little town! Houses crowded close together, tavern flags fluttered, spiritual energy hung in the air, and merchants and laborers filled the lanes...

How could this possibly be some perilous Immortal Mansion?!

Seeing Wu Ming's astonishment, Liu Sanlang smiled and offered an explanation. "Ever since the Moli Immortal Mansion appeared, it has never barred outsiders from entering. And after several centuries of exploration, the dangers in the outer region have greatly diminished. It has even become a good place for cultivators unafraid of hardship to test themselves. Recently, news that the Zhuoquan Immortal Mansion is about to appear has stirred up a craze for Immortal Mansions across the prefecture..."

At that, Wu Ming understood: it was a maze town. The setup made perfect sense!

No wonder the three of them had been split into two groups, with Zhang Miao arriving half a day early. Camping out in the open would have been one thing, but now that there was a town with every amenity, it was only natural that there'd be plenty of little inconveniences and trivial hassles too.

"I've booked us a place to stay at the White Jade Pavilion in the east of town. It's a whole courtyard, a little remote, but it has a rare spiritual leyline, a protective formation, and plenty of space... The Immortal Guiding Envoys arrived early too and are staying nearby."

As she led the way, Zhang Miao briefly described the situation.

"Officially, the town is managed by Dinghuang Prefecture in Feng Prefecture, but the day-to-day affairs are actually handled jointly by the local immortal sects. Generally speaking, if you don't cause trouble, everyone gets along just fine. But there have been a lot more outsiders arriving lately, and they say the town is less peaceful than before. Fortunately, we're staying somewhere remote, so we should have fewer problems."

"I'd planned to buy some pills and talismans suitable for the Immortal Mansion at the town's apothecaries and workshops. But the Immortal Guiding Envoys said there was no need. They'll cover all our expenses while we explore the Immortal Mansion, and buying things on our own would only cause them trouble..."

As they spoke, the three of them crossed several streets and gradually left the bustling area around the station behind, arriving at a broad, secluded stretch of farmland. A few small buildings of gray brick and green tile stood in the distance, each enclosed by high walls. More than half of the courtyards had half-dome barriers of mana raised around them, warning strangers to keep out.

Only one, particularly spacious courtyard had its gates standing open. A very tall masked woman stood before it. Seeing the three of them approach, she gave a slight nod and turned to enter the courtyard.

Zhang Miao whispered with a tremor in her voice, "That's one of the Immortal Guiding Envoys."

Without needing a reminder, Liu Sanlang had already straightened up. His steps grew measured, and the mana flowing around him quickened.

Wu Ming couldn't help widening his eyes, his breathing growing rapid.

Although he'd only caught a glimpse from afar, the masked woman's oppressive presence had already reached him from a great distance.

The feeling was quite peculiar. As an Immortal Guiding Envoy, she couldn't be above Qi Refining if she wanted to enter the Moli Immortal Mansion. Yet the pressure she'd revealed in that brief moment had faintly called the image of his senior sister to mind...

But a moment later, as the three of them cautiously stepped into the courtyard, a cool breeze washed over them. The faint, lingering pressure left behind by the masked woman was swept away at once, gone without a trace.

Each of them felt as though a weight had lifted from their heart, and their steps grew lighter.

Then they saw five cultivators waiting in the middle of the courtyard. The three in front—two men and a woman—looked to be around twenty, all wearing specially tailored robes in gold and red. The two in the back, a man and a woman, wore black and had their faces covered.

When the three of them entered, the man in the middle stepped forward half a pace and chuckled. His features were flat and unremarkable, but as his smile spread, it was as if a few fragrant flowers had drifted on the cool breeze blowing through the courtyard, instantly easing the atmosphere.

"Are you Third Young Master Liu, Miss Zhang Miao, and Daoist Wu Ming? I'm Yi Yi. A pleasure to meet you."

Before the three could return his greeting, Yi Yi continued, "Cultivators needn't cling to the formalities of the mortal world. I've never been fond of empty pleasantries either, so let's keep this brief and speak plainly. How does that sound?"

Then, without waiting for Liu Sanlang to agree, Yi Yi went straight on.

"First, may I assume that before coming here, all of you did your homework and learned the basic facts about the Moli Immortal Mansion?"

Liu Sanlang nodded first.

In truth, he knew far more than just the basics. As a young master of an Aristocratic Clan, he'd carefully gathered extensive information through his family's channels. He had a remarkably thorough understanding of the dangers of the Moli Immortal Mansion!

Three hundred years ago, the Moli Immortal Mansion appeared. Celestial Master Sanqing deciphered a line from the Heavenly Talisman, a crucial hint for exploring the Immortal Mansion.

"Don't talk to strangers."

It seemed like an ordinary sentence, but before long, it had become a nightmare for countless people.

At first, people took the Proverb literally and refused to speak to any "strange thing" in the Immortal Mansion. Some even stayed silent the entire time. But people soon discovered that even in the outer region, the words of those strange things could slip in through every crack. They could always find some bizarre way to stir up the deepest and most irresistible desires in a person's heart.

And once someone spoke to one of those strange things, they never came back.

After that, people tried every means to cultivate both inwardly and outwardly, clearing their minds and curbing their desires. They also banded together in groups, keeping watch over one another and pulling back any companions who strayed onto the wrong path... In the end, they managed to go a little farther than those before them.

But as the exploration went deeper, even more terrifying things gradually began to happen.

Once groups of people crossed a certain invisible boundary, they would slowly be eroded by the unseen laws of the Immortal Mansion, until their memories withered away... Then they began to grow unfamiliar to one another. Until one day, they would suddenly realize: this person who'd always stayed by their side, who seemed so close to them... who were they again?

And the moment they realized it was the moment they became completely lost.

To this day, there was still no perfect way to counter the erosion of memory... Of course, after centuries of experience, the various immortal sects had each developed some means of resistance. But those were closely guarded secrets of each sect.

That was about the extent of Liu Sanlang's knowledge of the Moli Immortal Mansion. It might not have been particularly useful, but he still knew more than most people in the world.

At the very least, most people in Gray Plains Town, next to the Immortal Mansion, still knew only what had been discovered during the first stage.

Yi Yi nodded with a smile.

"Very good! The Third Young Master truly lives up to his Aristocratic Clan upbringing... Then, from this moment on, I want you to forget everything you've learned. Don't leave a single thing behind."