Do You Want Sweet Tea or Salty Tea?

Holding onto a sliver of hope, Ning Zhongzi painted a few grand visions for Lu Ya that she had previously deemed impossible.

To her surprise, it actually worked!

Ning Zhongzi kept her expression neutral, though the slight rise and fall of her chest betrayed her inner joy.

First, she prepared several carrier pigeons to spread the news of the Bamboo Spring Sect holding a Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow.

Then, she took several villagers to East Floating City to procure wedding supplies and hire a master of ceremonies, musicians, and a head chef.

Riding the wind on her sword, she felt as though she had begun to grasp some of Lu Ya's intentions.

Yet, she firmly believed this was merely the tip of the iceberg; a man as powerful as him could never be so superficial or obsessed with material desires. There must be a deeper, more profound reasoning behind it.

Was he tempering his Dao heart by living as a mortal during a cultivation bottleneck?

Was he studying the customs and social conditions of the lower levels of the Immortal Realm?

Or was it simply to protect the Sect Master?

These were not things she could presume to fathom...

In the center of the bamboo forest on the mountaintop lay a lake.

The lake was not large, roughly circular in shape.

The water was as clear as a mirror yet bottomless. Various immortal fish surfaced from the depths, chasing after bamboo leaves and fallen cherry blossoms, causing the water to ripple and mist to swirl in a lively display.

Above the lake, towering green bamboos over dozens of feet tall encircled the pool like massive cyan swords thrusting into the sky, their tops hidden from view.

The breeze and the morning sun filtered through the bamboo forest, casting shimmering light upon the lake. It was vast and serene, filled with the sounds of insects, birds, and leaping fish—a symphony of rustling life.

The lakeside was shaded by cherry blossoms, dotted with jagged boulders, and home to various immortal flora and auspicious beasts, all in perfect harmony.

On the eastern shore stood a pavilion, exuding an ancient, immortal fragrance.

On the lounge chair in the pavilion, Muyu Feifei lay sprawled out, patting her round, stuffed belly. She felt so drained she didn't even have the strength to pick her teeth.

The potency of an Immortal Master-level Hunting Falcon was simply too great!

The Giant Falcon Beast Spirit of the Immortal Master level, combined with Lu Ya's masterful grilling technique, caused the spiritual energy of the falcon meat to fully convert into the qi-sea immortal power within their Immortal Platforms.

They even had the illusion that they were on the verge of breaking through to the next stage.

According to the common sense of the Immortal Realm, food with richer spiritual nourishment usually had a blander, or even bitter, taste.

Why was the falcon Lu Ya grilled not only incomparably delicious but also packed with such potent spiritual nourishment, even surpassing their master's immortal medicine?

Though they claimed that Beast Immortals would never be slaves, they were becoming prisoners of his cooking, one bite at a time.

They had even given up the chance to go to East Floating City with Ning Zhongzi for this.

They had cut down a few bamboo stalks on the hillside, letting Lu Ya craft a lounge chair with an adjustable backrest.

They had carefully selected a straight, slender bamboo stalk, letting Lu Ya craft a telescopic fishing rod with adjustable length.

They had stolen needle and thread from their master, Ning Zhongzi, and had Lu Ya fashion them into fishing lines and hooks.

They had even dug up earthworms for him...

After providing Lu Ya with a full-service experience, they finally lay down on the lounge chair to rest.

As they thought about it, the two felt a bit indignant and began to whisper to each other.

"This won't do, Feifei. All that talk about high-level maids, pampered pets, and future ship-girls—it was all a lie. We're about to become this guy's slaves."

"We could have gone to East Floating City with Nanny, but instead, we're wasting our lives here."

"But Nanny is too fierce, isn't she? Doesn't she treat us like tools too?"

"The essence of humanity is to boss others around. That high-and-mighty look on his face is just too detestable!"

No sooner had the words left their lips than a voice drifted over 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 empty talk. I've decided: from today on, I, Muyu, will act only according to my own heart. I will never let anyone boss me around again!"

"I, Feifei, am going to sleep right here until the end of time. Even if I starve to death in this pavilion, I will never be ordered around by anyone ever again."

At that moment, the voice from the lakeside spoke again:

"Sigh, it looks like I'll have to eat this grilled fish all by myself later."

There's grilled fish?

The two girls jolted upright in an instant.

"Do you want sweet tea or salty tea?"

"..."

Lu Ya sat on a recliner by the lake.

His fishing rod extended straight into the center of the lake.

The breeze and the morning sun filtered through the bamboo forest, casting shimmering ripples across the water. The chirping of insects, the calls of birds, and the splashing of fish combined into a beautiful concerto.

This Bamboo Spring Sect has mountains and water, Lu Ya thought. A fierce older sister handles the chores, a loli Tiger Immortal runs herself ragged, and there's even a cold, aloof immortal wife to draw aggro, attracting a steady stream of enemies to deliver kills and provide resources...

Staying home and enjoying an immortal life.

At this moment, a solemn yet lazy female voice drifted from the west, lingering over the bamboo forest.

"I am a woman of ill omen. Once you and I become dao partners, there is no turning back. Do you truly have no regrets?"

Lu Ya gave the fishing line a casual tug.

"Not really."

"Then are you prepared?"

"Prepared for what?"

On the second floor of the West Palace, beneath the Three Thousand Sword Formation, Liu Xuanye slightly opened her picturesque eyes. The flowers lost their luster, and the sun, moon, and stars were captivated. Her lips parted, her voice like a hanging moon.

"Prepared to be the enemy of the world."

Lu Ya smiled and said nothing more.

It is the world that needs to be prepared.

At the foot of Little Bamboo Spring Mountain lies Clear Spring Village.

A clear spring flowed down from the mountaintop, forming a limpid stream that extended into the fertile fields.

The wheat fields along the banks were like a fluttering golden ribbon, rolling in waves amidst the pleasant whistling of the wind.

Several sturdy women bent over to harvest the wheat, discussing the matter with great fervor.

"It's too fast! The Sect Master is holding the Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow..."

"Is the dao partner that man the Tiger Immortal brought back yesterday?"

"His name is Lu Ya, and he is now the Sword-Wielding Elder of the sect!"

"Yes, I heard he was the one who caught the Xiuchiu."

"But he is just a mortal..."

"A mortal is exactly what fate dictates!"

"What mortal? I heard that man defeated the Black Lotus single-handedly last night."

"How did I hear that it was the Sect Master who broke through to the Immortal Sect realm during the battle and defeated the Black Lotus?"

"The Sect Master reached the Immortal Sect realm? Doesn't that mean we are in danger?"

"We are all women, what is there to fear? Just remember not to look at the Sect Master's face, and also... keep an eye on the village boys and old men."

"The Immortal Court is about to dissolve the sect; is there any point in the Sect Master getting married now?"

"Of course there is! The most urgent matter now is that the number of people in the sect and the number of immortal citizens we have is too low."

"I suspect the Sect Master is marrying to prove her innocence, and then to recruit disciples into the sect and attract refugees to settle down."

"Sigh, I really don't want the Bamboo Spring Sect to fall. If they hadn't taken us in back then, we refugees would have ended up as servants no matter where we went. How could we be farming our own land?"

"But there isn't enough time..."

"The Sect Master is a good person, but she was dealt such a hand."

"Sigh, tomorrow, except for the boys and the old men, let's all go to the Sect Master's Partner Sealing Ceremony. Perhaps this will be the last time we see her."

The Immortal Realm uses [Heaven, Earth, East, South, West, North] to designate the six directions of space, with Heaven and Earth representing up and down.

Five hundred miles due east of the Bamboo Spring Sect lies East Floating City.

East Floating City is the third-largest immortal city in the Colored Cloud Immortal Domain and the closest one to the Bamboo Spring Sect.

Inside the city, a skyscraper that pierces the clouds like a giant sword serves as the headquarters for the East Floating Immortal Court branch—

Xingtian Pavilion.

Inside the pavilion.

In an elegantly decorated room that smelled of ink.

Black Stone sat at his desk, clutching the bamboo slip he had just received from Ning Zhongzi of the Bamboo Spring Sect.

The slip included the invitation to Liu Xuanye's wedding ceremony tomorrow, as well as a brief outline of the Bamboo Spring Sect's upcoming farming plan, hoping for some policy support from the East Floating Immortal Court.

Black Stone felt a headache coming on.

This information, which clearly looked like a plea for help, now made him feel a faint sense of pressure after experiencing Lu Ya's strange gaze earlier that morning.

This guy actually has his hooks in me!

Black Stone felt his scalp tingle. As a mid-level deacon responsible for the Bamboo Spring Sect area, he had skimmed plenty of profit from the Bamboo Spring Sect, and logically, he should personally attend the Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow.

But he truly did not want to see Lu Ya again.

He needed to find another deacon to attend Liu Xuanye's ceremony and simultaneously serve as the East Floating Immortal Court's resident envoy, stationed at the foot of Bamboo Spring Mountain for the long term.

On the surface, this was to support the Bamboo Spring Sect in farming and expanding their population, but in reality, it was to secretly monitor the Bamboo Spring Sect, investigate Lu Ya's true strength, or search for evidence that Liu Xuanye was a witch.

If he let Zhang Pingzhi or Tahongzi handle this, it would surely end in disaster.

Who should he send?

Suddenly.

An ominous woman appeared in Black Stone's mind.

Nine hundred miles southwest of the Bamboo Spring Sect lay the Beast Nest Forest.

This was a vast and rugged large Floating Mountain, covered by towering primeval forests.

It was home to a massive number of fierce beasts, prone to frequent beast tides and extreme danger. With terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack, it served as the base for many rogue immortal organizations.

Inside a certain immortal bandit organization.

A large stronghold was hidden at the bottom of a pitch-black pool.

"I heard Black Lotus ambushed the Bamboo Spring Sect last night, only to be wiped out by them instead!"

"Is that for real?"

"Could it be fake? Yunzhongzi's ashes have already been verified at the East Floating Immortal Court."

"That old thief Yunzhongzi is dead? I refuse to believe it!"

"At the end of the day, Yunzhongzi was just too weak. A half-step Immortal Sect is only half-step, after all. If he ran into a passing Immortal Sect deacon, getting his ashes scattered is only natural, isn't it?"

"Although the Colored Cloud Immortal Domain is remote, you can't expect to walk sideways without a high-level Immortal Sect backing you."

"After Black Lotus defected, it was said she still had deep ties to the White Lotus Sect. Since the White Lotus Sect has lost face this time, they surely won't let it go."

"Especially Yunzhongzi's master, the former sect leader of the White Lotus Sect, Yun Zhonghe. He is extremely protective of his own. It's even rumored that Yunzhongzi was his illegitimate son!"

"It looks like the Bamboo Spring Sect is doomed. Wait... is the Bamboo Spring Sect actually still alive?"

"Not only are they alive, but I heard the sect leader, Liu Xuanye, will hold a Partner Sealing Ceremony tomorrow to marry a mortal. It looks like she's trying to prove her innocence, focus on farming, and win over the immortal citizens to avoid being disbanded by the Immortal Court."

"Isn't that great? The Bamboo Spring Sect is a prime piece of land. Once their large-scale crops of Immortal Wheat and Immortal Grain mature, we'll go and raid them. Hehehe..."

"Although Liu Xuanye's cultivation isn't high, she isn't easy to provoke. Even someone as cautious as Yunzhongzi fell there. Our boss is an Immortal Venerable, but we should still be cautious."

"Idiot, does the boss need to go personally? A beast-taming expert recently joined the group, even more skilled than the people from Immortal Tail. We can control a beast tide to wash over them, and they'll be eaten clean, people and wheat alike."

"Then what will we eat?"

"What do you think?"

"But to ensure nothing goes wrong, we need to send a spy to infiltrate the Bamboo Spring Sect..."

Seven hundred miles northwest of the Bamboo Spring Sect lay the White Lotus Sect.

Deep within the rolling mountains, hidden by three thousand concealment formations, sat a forbidden cave dwelling that resembled a dog hole.

A withered, dying old man sat cross-legged on a straw mat, suddenly opening his eyes.

The murky depths of his pupils suddenly reignited with a deathly gray fire, ready to erupt.

"Yunzhongzi... is dead?"

"My avatar, cultivated for over three thousand years, was actually crushed by a nobody who extinguished its golden body?"

"I, Yun Zhonghe, have roamed the Immortal Realm for ten thousand years; when have I ever suffered such a great humiliation?"

The old man slowly stood up, his joints popping. The hatred in his eyes burned fiercely, and the terrifying spiritual pressure of an Immortal Venerable surged within his Immortal Platform.

His figure flashed like a streak of lightning and fire, shooting into the sky and flying rapidly...

in the opposite direction of the Bamboo Spring Sect.

"The Colored Cloud Immortal Domain is no longer a place to stay. I'll head to a remote immortal domain to enter seclusion for a thousand years. When I emerge, I will surely tear that brat into ten thousand pieces!"