Ning Zhongzi had approached Lu Ya with a try-it-and-see attitude, painting him several grand visions that she thought could never come true.
To her surprise, they actually worked!
Ning Zhongzi kept her expression calm, but the slight rise and fall of her chest betrayed her delight.
First, she prepared several carrier pigeons and spread the news that the Bamboo Spring Sect would hold a Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow.
Then she took a few villagers to East Floating City to buy supplies for the wedding ceremony and hire an officiant, musicians, and a chef.
As she rode her sword on the wind, she felt she had glimpsed some of Lu Ya's thoughts.
But she firmly believed that this was only the tip of the iceberg. A man as powerful as him would never be so shallow as to indulge in material pleasures. He must have some deeper purpose.
Was he tempering his Dao Heart by living as a mortal after reaching a cultivation bottleneck?
Was he studying the customs and ways of life of the Immortal Realm's common folk?
Or was he simply protecting the Sect Master?
These were things she couldn't presume to guess...
At the center of the bamboo grove atop the mountain lay a lake.
It wasn't very large and was roughly circular.
The water was clear as a mirror, yet so deep that its bottom couldn't be seen. All kinds of Immortal fish swam up from below, playing and chasing bamboo leaves and fallen cherry blossoms. Their antics set the surface rippling, while wisps of mist curled above it. The place was full of life.
Above the lake, towering emerald bamboo, dozens of yards tall, enclosed the pool in their embrace. They looked like enormous green swords thrusting straight into the sky, their tips lost from sight.
The morning sun and a gentle breeze slipped through the bamboo grove, scattering ripples of light across the lake. The scene was vast and serene, quiet as the grave; listen closely, though, and it was filled with insects chirring, birds calling, fish leaping, and soft rustling.
Cherry blossoms shaded the lakeshore, where rugged boulders, Immortal flowers, spirit herbs, and auspicious spirit beasts all lived in harmony.
On the lake's eastern shore stood a pavilion, elegant and steeped in ancient Immortal charm.
On the pavilion's bench,
Muyu Feifei sprawled out like two enormous characters, patting her round, stuffed belly. She felt as if she'd been drained of life, without even the strength to pick her teeth.
The Hunting Falcon at Immortal Master level had been far too potent!
The Giant Falcon Beast Spirit at Immortal Master level, combined with Lu Ya's almost miraculous grilling skills, had completely converted the falcon meat's spiritual nourishment into qi-sea Immortal power within their Immortal Platforms.
They had even gotten the strange impression they were about to advance a rank.
By the usual standards of the Immortal Realm, the more spiritual nourishment a food contained, the blander its taste tended to be—sometimes even bitter.
So why was the falcon Lu Ya grilled not only incomparably delicious, but also packed with spiritual nourishment? It was even more effective than their master's Immortal medicine!
The two of them had sworn that Beast Immortals would never be slaves, yet they'd become captives of good food one step at a time.
They'd even given up the chance to go play in East Floating City with Ning Zhongzi.
They'd gone halfway down the mountain to cut several stalks of moso bamboo, then had Lu Ya make a reclining chair with an adjustable backrest.
They'd carefully chosen and cut a straight, slender stalk of bamboo, then had Lu Ya make a fishing rod that could extend and retract, with an adjustable length.
They'd stolen Ning Zhongzi's needle and thread and had Lu Ya turn them into fishing line and hooks.
They'd even dug up earthworms for him...
They'd provided Lu Ya with full-service treatment, and only then had they stretched out on the bench to rest.
As they thought about it, the two of them began to feel indignant and started whispering.
"This won't do, Feifei. What advanced maid, pampered pet, future starship girl? It's all a lie. We're about to become this guy's slaves."
"We could've gone to East Floating City with our nanny, but instead we're wasting our lives here."
"But our nanny's so fierce! Doesn't she treat us like tools, too?"
"Bossing people around is human nature. That superior, high-and-mighty attitude is just too hateful!"
Just then, a voice drifted lazily from the lakeside.
"I'm so thirsty. Could someone pour me a cup of hot tea?"
Hmph!
Keep dreaming!
"Beast Immortals will never be slaves. That's not just an empty slogan! I've decided: starting today, I, Muyu, will follow only my heart. I won't let anyone order me around ever again!"
"Today, I, Feifei, am going to sleep right here until the end of time. Even if I starve to death, even if I die in this pavilion, I'll never let anyone order me around again."
At that moment, the voice by the lake spoke again:
"Sigh. Looks like I'll have to eat grilled fish all by myself later."
There was grilled fish, too?
The two girls sprang to their feet.
"Do you want sweet tea or salted tea?"
"..."
Lu Ya sat in the reclining chair by the lake.
The straight fishing rod extended into the middle of the lake.
The morning sun and a gentle breeze slipped through the bamboo grove, scattering ripples of light across the lake. Insects chirred, birds called, fish leaped, and soft rustling joined together in a beautiful concerto.
Lu Ya thought that Bamboo Spring Sect had mountains and water, a buxom, mature beauty running herself ragged, a tiger Immortal loli running around on her little legs, and an aloof Immortal wife drawing enmity and attracting one enemy after another to bring him free heads and warmth...
He could enjoy Immortal life to the fullest without ever leaving home.
Just then, a woman's voice, both dignified and languid, drifted from the west, echoing over the bamboo grove.
"I'm an ill-omened woman. Once you and I become Dao companions, there'll be no turning back. Do you truly have no regrets?"
Lu Ya gave the fishing line a casual tug.
"It's not that serious."
"Then are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
On the second floor of West Palace, beneath the Three Thousand Sword Formation, Liu Xuanye slowly opened her exquisite eyes. All the flowers paled, and the sun, moon, and stars seemed to bow before her. Her lips parted, and her voice rang out like a suspended moon.
"Ready to stand against the world."
Lu Ya smiled and said nothing more.
The world was the one that needed to get ready.
Below Little Bamboo Spring Mountain lay Clear Spring Village.
A clear spring flowed down from the mountaintop, forming a stream that ran through the fertile fields.
The wheat fields along the banks looked like a golden ribbon fluttering in the breeze, waves of wheat rolling to the wind's pleasant song.
Several sturdy women bent over to harvest wheat, chatting away as they worked.
"Too soon! The Sect Master's holding the Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow..."
"Is her Dao companion the man Lord Tiger Immortal brought back yesterday?"
"His name's Lu Ya. He's the sect's Sword-Wielding Elder now!"
"That's right. I heard that was the man who caught the embroidered ball."
"But he's only a mortal..."
"That's what fate has in store!"
"What do you mean, a mortal? I heard that man defeated the Black Lotus all by himself last night."
"I heard it was the Sect Master who advanced to Immortal Sect Master in the middle of the fight and defeated the Black Lotus."
"The Sect Master advanced to Immortal Sect Master? Doesn't that put us in danger?"
"We're all women, so what are you afraid of? Just remember not to look at the Sect Master's face. And... keep an eye on the boys and old men in the village."
"The Immortal Court's about to revoke the sect's status. What's the point of the Sect Master getting married now?"
"Of course it matters! The most urgent problem is that there are too few people in the sect and too few Immortal Commoners."
"I bet the Sect Master's getting married to prove her innocence, then she'll recruit disciples and attract refugees to settle here."
"Sigh, I really don't want the Bamboo Spring Sect to fall. If they hadn't taken us in back then, we refugees would've had no choice but to serve as other people's servants. We wouldn't have been able to farm our own land."
"But there's no time left..."
"The Sect Master's a good person, but she was saddled with a body like that."
"Sigh, tomorrow everyone except the boys and old men should go to the Sect Master's Partner Sealing Ceremony. It might be the last time we see her."
The Immortal Realm used [Qian, Kun, East, South, West, North] to designate the six directions of space, with Qian and Kun meaning up and down.
Five hundred miles due east of Bamboo Spring Sect lay East Floating City.
East Floating City was the third-largest Immortal city in the Colored Cloud Immortal Domain, as well as the closest one to Bamboo Spring Sect.
Within the city stood a tower that rose into the clouds like a towering sword. It served as the East Floating Immortal Court branch's headquarters—
Xingtian Pavilion.
Inside the pavilion,
in an elegantly decorated room scented with ink,
Black Stone sat at his desk, clutching the bamboo slip he'd just received from Ning Zhongzi of Bamboo Spring Sect.
The slip included an invitation to Liu Xuanye's wedding ceremony tomorrow. It also outlined Bamboo Spring Sect's upcoming farming plans and asked the East Floating Immortal Court for policy support.
Black Stone felt a headache coming on.
The message was clearly a plea for help, but after that strange look from Lu Ya this morning, reading it now made him feel as though he were under some kind of pressure.
That guy had his sights set on me!
Black Stone felt his scalp go numb. He was a mid-ranking steward responsible for the area around Bamboo Spring Sect and had skimmed plenty of benefits from it. By rights, he should attend the wedding ceremony in person tomorrow.
But he really didn't want to see Lu Ya again.
He'd have to find another steward to attend Liu Xuanye's wedding, while serving as the Immortal Court Sect Envoy and taking up long-term residence at the foot of Bamboo Spring Mountain.
On the surface, the envoy would support Bamboo Spring Sect's farming and population growth; in reality, he'd secretly monitor the sect and investigate Lu Ya's true strength, or search for evidence that Liu Xuanye was a witch.
Sending Zhang Pingzhi or Tahongzi to handle this would definitely cause trouble.
Who should he send?
Suddenly,
the image of an ill-omened woman appeared in Black Stone's mind.
Nine hundred miles southwest of Bamboo Spring Sect lay Beast Nest Forest.
It was a vast, rugged Floating Mountain covered in towering primeval forest.
It was home to countless vicious beasts, and Beast Tides occurred frequently. The terrain was treacherous and easy to defend but hard to attack, making it the base of many unscrupulous rogue Immortal organizations.
A certain Immortal Thief organization.
A large stronghold lay hidden deep beneath the bottom of a pitch-black pool.
"I heard the Black Lotus tried to raid Bamboo Spring Sect last night, but got killed by them instead!"
"Seriously?"
"Would I lie? Yunzhongzi's ashes have already been examined by the East Floating Immortal Court."
"Yunzhongzi, that old thief, is dead? I don't believe it!"
"Yunzhongzi was just too weak, that's all. Half-step Immortal Sect Master means he's still only halfway there. He ran into some Immortal Sect Master steward passing by, and of course they scattered his ashes."
"Though the Colored Cloud Immortal Domain is remote, you can't throw your weight around without a high-ranking Immortal Sect Master."
"After the Black Lotus betrayed the sect, they apparently remained closely connected to the White Lotus Sect. The White Lotus Sect has lost face this time. They certainly won't let it go."
"Especially since Yunzhongzi's master, the White Lotus Sect's former sect leader, Yun Zhonghe, is extremely protective of his own. I heard Yunzhongzi was his illegitimate son!"
"Looks like Bamboo Spring Sect's in for trouble. Wait... Bamboo Spring Sect is still around?"
"Not only is it still around, but I heard Sect Master Liu Xuanye will hold a Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow, marrying a mortal. Looks like she's trying to prove her innocence, focus on farming, and attract Immortal Commoners so the Immortal Court won't revoke the sect's status."
"Isn't that great? Bamboo Spring Sect's a fine place. When their Immortal Wheat and Immortal Grain ripen after they plant them on a large scale, we can go snatch a haul. Heh heh heh..."
"Though Liu Xuanye's cultivation isn't high, she's not to be trifled with either. Even a cautious man like Yunzhongzi came to grief. Our boss may be an Immortal Venerable, but we should still be careful."
"Idiot. Is the boss going to get involved personally? The group's recently gained a Beast Taming expert, more skilled than anyone from the Immortal Tail. We'll send a Beast Tide their way and have it gobble up every last one of them, wheat and all."
"Then what will we eat?"
"What do you think?"
"To be absolutely sure, though, we should send a spy to infiltrate Bamboo Spring Sect..."
Seven hundred miles northwest of Bamboo Spring Sect lay the White Lotus Sect.
Deep in its rolling mountains, concealed by three thousand hidden formations, an old man sat cross-legged on a straw mat inside a forbidden cave dwelling shaped like a dog hole. He was gaunt and on the verge of death. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
The cloudy grayness in his eyes suddenly blazed back to life, as if it were about to burst forth.
"Yunzhongzi... is dead?"
"His clone, cultivated over three thousand years, had its Golden Body crushed by some nameless nobody?"
"I, Yun Zhonghe, have roamed the Immortal Realm for ten thousand years. When have I ever suffered such humiliation?"
The old man slowly rose to his feet, his joints cracking. Hatred burned fiercely in his eyes, while terrifying Immortal Venerable-level spiritual pressure surged within his Immortal Platform.
He flashed into motion, shooting toward the sky like a blazing bolt of lightning, in the direction of Bamboo Spring Sect...
Then he sped off in the opposite direction.
"The Colored Cloud Immortal Domain is no place to stay. I'll go to some remote Immortal Domain and cultivate in seclusion for another thousand years. When I emerge, I'll tear that boy limb from limb!"
Before you continue