The Great Undertaking of Building a City

No fierce expression.

No spiritual energy.

No oppressive aura.

Lu Ya merely glanced over indifferently.

The giant falcon's golden pupils contracted, as if it had seen the Abyss.

A terrified shriek pierced the clouds. It suddenly beat its wings, flying wildly up and down as it struggled frantically to break free of Black Stone's control.

Black Stone was slightly startled.

Was it afraid?

In all these years, this was the first time he had felt the giant falcon beneath his feet tremble with fear.

This was an Immortal Court Hunting Falcon at the Immortal Sect Master level!

Just who was this Lu Ya?

Black Stone stamped down hard with his right foot. The spiritual pressure of a six-star Immortal Sect Master surged in an instant, and his violent spiritual energy shook the falcon's body, scattering its feathers as he forcibly subdued its rampage.

He checked Lu Ya's eyes again.

Gentle, calm, unassuming. There was no spiritual pressure at all, and he couldn't even make out his attitude. It was as if Lu Ya had simply been responding to his remark, "The Immortal Realm is vast. You should get out and see more of it."

Had he been hiding his strength?

Or did he possess some demonic art from Liu Xuanye?

Perhaps he was concealing some heaven-defying treasure?

There was no time to think it through. A frenzied screech rang out—

The giant falcon beneath his feet erupted into an even more violent struggle!

Black Stone broke into a cold sweat. The giant falcon was no weakling; it was not much weaker than he was. Now that it had gone berserk, he would have to kill it with all his might to stop it. Otherwise, forcibly suppressing it would be difficult.

Was this forcing me to kill an Immortal Court spirit beast just like you?

His sea of qi churned. Black Stone was about to lash out.

Just then, Lu Ya suddenly turned his head away.

He went on roasting his falcon, indifferent and oblivious to everyone around him.

The giant falcon's golden pupils relaxed slightly, and it abruptly calmed down, as if nothing had happened.

Was that it?

Black Stone let out a long breath. When he looked at Lu Ya again, he felt an inexplicable awe.

Though he was looking down from above, his gaze had unconsciously taken on the reverence of someone looking up.

He suddenly realized that he was the frog at the bottom of the well who needed to get out and see more of the world.

He couldn't even discern the strength of the man before him!

Fortunately, his mask had hidden his embarrassment.

And fortunately, Lu Ya had turned away, or he would have had to kill the giant falcon.

The Sword Terrace was utterly silent.

Zhang Pingzhi and Tahongzi had no idea what had happened.

They only saw Black Stone suddenly wave his sleeve, and a silver jade slip slowly descended from the sky.

It landed in Lu Ya's palm.

Black Stone clasped his hands in salute, his tone now exceedingly respectful.

"This is Mr. Lu's Immortal Rank Jade Slip. Black Stone, Deacon of the Colored Cloud Immortal Court, congratulates Mr. Lu on joining the ranks of the immortals!"

Mr. Lu?

Lu Ya smiled, put away the jade slip, and said nothing more.

Zhang Pingzhi and Tahongzi were baffled and were about to argue, but Black Stone seized them from the air and pulled them back onto the falcon's back.

Black Stone didn't want to stay a moment longer. Before leaving, he thought for a moment, then added:

"Later this year, the Colored Cloud Immortal Court will conduct a surprise inspection of your sect. You'll need to have at least a hundred disciples, or ten thousand Immortal Commoners living on Floating Mountain. Otherwise, your sect will be disbanded immediately, and your right to reside on Floating Mountain will be revoked."

Ning Zhongzi's willow brows drew together. She wanted to say something, but when she saw that Lu Ya remained unfazed, she held back.

This sort of trivial matter was nothing to Lu Ya.

"Understood."

"I'm busy with official duties, so I'll take my leave."

Black Stone clasped his hands in salute, then rode off on the falcon, soon vanishing into the horizon.

After the falcon had flown hundreds of miles from Bamboo Spring Sect, Zhang Pingzhi, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help asking:

"Senior Black Stone, slaughtering an Immortal Court spirit beast is a grave crime. The three of us could have joined forces to crush those people from Bamboo Spring Sect. Why did you let that brat go?"

Black Stone removed his mask, revealing a dark, rough face that looked just like a black stone.

"Elder Lu is a little strange."

"How could the Immortal Court's sword-sense be wrong? He's nothing but a despicable man who rose to power through his body. He doesn't know his place and even drugged and killed an Immortal Court Hunting Falcon. As long as you restrained Liu Xuanye, I could have put him to death on the spot."

"I'm afraid you couldn't have killed him."

"As Immortal Court officials, even if we couldn't kill him, we ought to fight to the bitter end to uphold the Immortal Court's authority. How could we hesitate for even a moment?"

"Do you still not understand? You're the one who shamed the Immortal Court's dignity..."

Zhang Pingzhi was struck dumb. His face burned as if he'd been slapped, and his complexion turned even more sallow and gloomy.

Unable to bear seeing his fellow disciple humiliated, Tahongzi retorted sharply:

"But, Senior, was it wise to tell Bamboo Spring Sect about the Immortal Court's operation ahead of time?"

Black Stone stroked his beard slightly.

"If you hadn't spoken so bluntly and let them record the evidence, why would I have done Bamboo Spring Sect this favor? You're both still young, with a bright future ahead of you. You can't let yourselves capsize over such a small matter."

Zhang Pingzhi was unconvinced, but he lowered his head and fell silent.

Black Stone continued:

"Liu Xuanye kept her doors shut today and refused to receive us. Now that she's entered the ranks of the Immortal Sect Masters, her Husband-Killing Poison Body must be even harder to control. Given that, Bamboo Spring Sect can't possibly develop a hundred disciples or ten thousand Immortal Commoners within a year. Even if Liu Xuanye's partner really is hiding his strength, he can't save Bamboo Spring Sect under these circumstances."

"If they're driven to desperation and force people to join the sect, then there'll be no need for the Immortal Court to inspect them. Bamboo Spring Sect will be disbanded outright."

"So this favor I've done them may well be nothing more than a cup of poison. You two don't need to dwell on it. Just sit back and watch the show."

Zhang Pingzhi and Tahongzi both felt something was off, but they still admired Black Stone's way of handling official affairs. They clasped their hands in salute together.

"Senior is wise."

Bamboo Spring Sect.

After Black Stone and the other two left, Ning Zhongzi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Black Stone was an old fox, a master of the art of deflection. He'd been skimming benefits from Bamboo Spring Sect for years.

Of course, if he hadn't been working behind the scenes, Bamboo Spring Sect wouldn't have lasted until today. Their relationship was mutually beneficial.

He, who had always planned everything flawlessly, had met Lu Ya today.

Roasting an Immortal Court Hunting Falcon in full view of everyone, and forcing Black Stone to nearly kill his own falcon with a single glance...

Was Senior Brother Lu really that strong?

The more familiar Ning Zhongzi became with Lu Ya, the less she could see through him.

Still, wasn't it a bit too much for her senior brother to openly roast an Immortal Court spirit beast in broad daylight? Was he really that desperate for food?

Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly today. Ning Zhongzi stopped dwelling on it and walked to Lu Ya's side. With graceful poise, she inclined her head slightly and said:

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on joining the ranks of the immortals."

Then she reminded Muyu Feifei with her spiritual sense, as they were adding firewood.

The two little girls lifted their singed, curly-haired tiger heads and mumbled a perfunctory congratulations to Lu Ya:

"Congratulations, Junior Uncle, on joining the ranks of the immortal falcons."

Two sharp knocks landed on their heads.

Only then did the two girls realize they'd said the wrong thing.

"Congratulations, Junior Uncle, on joining the ranks of the immortals."

With his iron rice bowl secured, Lu Ya wasn't as excited as he'd imagined. Just as Muyu Feifei had said, it didn't feel as good as eating roasted Immortal Court Hunting Falcon.

At least his reputation sounded much better now. He was no longer a wandering immortal without a fixed home, but an elite of the Immortal Realm who drew a public salary from the Immortal Court.

Ning Zhongzi continued:

"If nothing unexpected happens, you and the sect master can hold the Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow."

Lu Ya nodded.

"Sure."

Just then, the falcon meat was finally cooked.

Drops of red oil slid slowly down its plump, crisp skin, sizzling with a pleasing sound.

Muyu Feifei were practically drooling. They couldn't wait for it to cool and took a bite, their mouths blazing with heat.

Lu Ya's stomach rumbled, and he was tempted to dig in, but he still asked politely:

"Would you like to try some too, Senior Sister?"

Ning Zhongzi's face remained composed as she restrained the inexplicable appetite stirred by the heaven-defying aroma. She replied solemnly:

"I don't eat meat."

"Do you have wine?"

"I don't drink either."

"You don't eat meat or drink wine, and all you do is cultivate in groups. Senior Sister, your life really is dull and dreary."

"..."

Lu Ya stopped bothering Ning Zhongzi, tore off a piece of falcon meat, and gently placed it in his mouth.

The heaven-defying flavor spread like ripples, washing through his mouth.

The falcon meat had already been infused with the fragrance of Bamboo Fire. The Seasoning Fruit brought out its flavor even more, making it tender and smooth, crisp and charred, savory, spicy, and fragrant. All those flavors surged and danced across his tongue in an instant.

With the first chew, he forgot every unpleasant thing.

With the second, he felt as if he were strolling among the clouds.

With the third, it was like ascending to immortality.

Lu Ya was so moved he nearly cried.

He'd been transported into this world, and only now had he finally eaten meat and tasted something decent!

Muyu Feifei pounced on the food like starving tigers, devouring it like Taotie, afraid to eat too slowly.

Watching the two girls' shocking table manners, Ning Zhongzi's willow brows knitted, and her collar trembled slightly.

"Is this how you ate Xiuchiu?"

Muyu Feifei's little faces froze. They stopped eating, and their expressions suddenly turned solemn.

"Humans are so despicable, so shameless."

"Poor Senior Hunting Falcon. People rode him while he was alive, and now they're eating him after his death."

"I, Muyu..."

"I, Feifei..."

"Will now mourn Senior."

Once they were done, the two girls buried their heads in their food and ate even faster.

Ning Zhongzi's eye twitched.

"You call that mourning?"

"How could you, a mere human, understand the way the Beast Race mourns?"

"Senior Falcon has been liberated, while the two of us still have to suffer the cruelty of humans."

As they spoke, the two girls suddenly burst into tears, swallowing meat between their sobs.

"Look, I'm so angry I'm crying."

"How could there be such a delicious... ahem, such a tragic thing in this world? Waaah..."

Ning Zhongzi:

"..."

Lu Ya:

"..."

After working up her courage a little, Ning Zhongzi sneaked a glance at Lu Ya and asked softly:

"Regarding the surprise inspection Deacon Black Stone mentioned, you must have a plan, Senior Brother?"

Lu Ya wolfed down his meat, not taking the bait at all.

"What plan could I have? I'm just here to take care of my health. You all do your best."

Ning Zhongzi didn't give up and continued:

"After the sect master became an Immortal Sect Master, her Husband-Killing Poison Body didn't ease in the slightest. So it's impossible to grow the sect to a hundred disciples within a year."

"Not only do male disciples refuse to come up the mountain, but female disciples won't come either. Turning spirit beasts into disciples costs too much. With Bamboo Spring Sect's resources, we could only manage ten Beast Immortals at most."

Using Beast Immortals to fill the numbers?

Muyu Feifei, the tool people, were so furious they kept stuffing down falcon meat, tears pattering down their cheeks. It was too delicious... no, too tragic.

Lu Ya looked at the fertile plains beneath the mountain.

"So you want to develop ten thousand Immortal Commoners?"

Ning Zhongzi nodded.

"Exactly. The Immortal Commoners can live at the foot of the mountain, keeping a relatively safe distance from the sect master. And our Floating Mountain has abundant spiritual energy and fertile soil. Attracting ten thousand Immortal Commoners within a year will be difficult, but it'll still be easier than developing a hundred sect disciples."

"So you want to hand this task to me?"

"Senior Brother, your cultivation is profound, and you can be close to the sect master. If you take the lead and offer them incentives, you're sure to attract some refugees to settle here."

Lu Ya focused on eating and flatly refused with a single word:

"No."

Ning Zhongzi seemed to have been prepared for this. Her tone suddenly turned gentle.

"Growing Immortal Wheat can let us brew wine."

Lu Ya raised an eyebrow.

"Wine?"

"A bumper harvest of Immortal Wheat will attract a Beast Tide."

"Meat?"

"If farming flourishes, we can establish a town here and attract merchants from elsewhere. That would make life much more convenient for the Bamboo Spring Sect. Whatever you need, Senior, you wouldn't have to go all the way to East Floating City."

"More convenient?"

"Once the town is established, there'll be more local entertainment too. The Bamboo Spring Sect is so boring and dull right now, just as Senior Brother said."

"Plenty of entertainment?"

"As for attracting Immortal Commoners from elsewhere, Senior only needs to show up once in a while and display a little of your strength. Muyu Feifei can handle the details."

"Someone to run errands?"

Good heavens! Wine, meat, a more convenient life, plenty of entertainment, and someone to run errands...

Lu Ya's imagination ran wild. He glanced at Ning Zhongzi's slender profile and lovely face, and sighed inwardly:

This woman wasn't nearly as brainless as her figure made her look!