Half an hour later--
Watching his little sister practice her swordplay according to his pointers, Ju Hua let out a soft sigh.
He hadn't been lying just now. He'd grasped one of the true meanings of the Dao of Gentle Wind while sparring with his little sister. They'd only practiced for a short while, yet he'd miraculously entered the Dao. Ju Hua had never even heard of such talent. In fact, it frightened him.
From what happens in Desolate Era, everything in the Three Realms is now under the gaze of Lord of Heart Demons, who has merged with the Heavenly Dao. I'm only a Loose Immortal, not even a minor pawn, but what if he discovers something strange about me? Ju Hua thought nervously for a moment, but soon he gave a wry smile.
He seemed to be jumping at shadows. If Lord of Heart Demons was a real person, surely his attention would be focused on figures at the level of True Immortals and Celestial Immortals?
Never mind a Loose Immortal; Lord of Heart Demons probably wouldn't even deign to notice a Celestial Immortal.
"Caution is a must, but there's no need to jump at shadows!" Ju Hua steadied himself, then called out to Zhuanshui Qiu:
"Little sister, I'm going to Shangyang Mountain!"
"Are you going to see Immortal Shangyang?" Zhuanshui Qiu wanted to ask something else, but when she turned around, she found that Ju Hua had already vanished.
Shangyang Mountain was one of the many ranges crossed by the Zhuanshui River. Although it lay beyond the Zhuanshui Clan's territory, a Celestial Immortal from the clan had long made his home there in seclusion.
Ju Hua rode the clouds all the way, reaching the vicinity of Shangyang Mountain in less than half a day.
There was a flight-restriction formation nearby. It wasn't particularly powerful, but this was a Celestial Immortal's domain, so Ju Hua naturally couldn't simply ignore it.
After landing at the foot of the mountain, Ju Hua began walking up at an unhurried pace.
But as soon as he reached halfway up, he spotted a young attendant in the distance. The attendant held a scroll and seemed to be waiting for someone.
Ju Hua had a feeling the attendant was waiting for him. Sure enough, as Ju Hua approached, the attendant came straight over.
"Immortal Ju Hua, please wait!" the attendant called.
"What is it?" Ju Hua stopped and asked.
"Patriarch Shangyang has sent me to deliver a message. There's no need for you to go any farther, Immortal Ju Hua. This is a Reincarnation Edict. Please keep it safe." The attendant spoke briefly, then handed the scroll to Ju Hua.
"..."
At the attendant's words, Ju Hua paused in surprise, but soon he calmly accepted the scroll.
Ju Hua then said, "Please thank the Ancestor for me."
"Yes!"
The attendant bowed slightly.
Ju Hua didn't hesitate any longer. He turned and left.
Under the attendant's watchful gaze, Ju Hua hurried down the mountain. When he reached the foot, a cloud appeared beneath his feet, and he rose into the air, swiftly leaving the area.
On the way--
"A Reincarnation Edict?" Ju Hua toyed with the scroll for a while, then put it into his Storage Magic Treasure.
Shangyang Ancestor was one of the Zhuanshui Clan's few Celestial Immortals. Before Ju Hua's tribulation, he'd thought highly of him, and Ju Hua had received his guidance several times.
Ju Hua hadn't come this time with any other purpose in mind. He'd simply wanted to pay a visit to this Ancestor of the Zhuanshui Clan. After all, Shangyang Ancestor had held high hopes for him, yet he'd failed his tribulation. In all fairness, he ought to come by at least once.
As for Shangyang Ancestor turning him away, Ju Hua didn't mind at all. Celestial Immortals had endless lifespans, while Loose Immortals could die at any moment beneath the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations. The two sides having too many ties wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Still, he hadn't come away empty-handed. A Reincarnation Edict was no common trinket!
If he chose to be reborn and cultivate anew, this edict could guarantee that he'd be born again into the Zhuanshui Clan, greatly reducing the risks of reincarnation.
Many Loose Immortals who wished to be reborn went to great lengths and still couldn't obtain a Reincarnation Edict. Yet Patriarch Shangyang had given one to him outright. Clearly, he hadn't given up on Ju Hua completely.
"Does he hope I'll become a Celestial Immortal in my next life?" Ju Hua stood with his hands behind his back atop the clouds, gazing toward the distant mountain ranges.
After a long while--
"Why should I wait until my next life to become a Celestial Immortal?" His hearty laugh rang out among the clouds. Soon, the sound faded away, and Ju Hua had already flown far from the place.
The trip to Shangyang Mountain had taken Ju Hua half a day, but the journey back was much quicker. In less than two hours, he was back in the Zhuanshui Clan's territory.
However, Ju Hua didn't return to his residence right away. Instead, he went straight to a palace beside the Zhuanshui River. It was the residence of the Zhuanshui Clan's current chief, Zhuanshui Qing.
"So it's my clan younger brother Ju Hua!" Zhuanshui Qing came out of the palace in full ceremonial dress and smiled. "Judging by the dust on your clothes, you've been to pay your respects to Shangyang Ancestor, haven't you?"
"Of course." Ju Hua nodded, then continued, "Chief, I used up a great deal of the clan's resources preparing for my tribulation. Now that I've become a Loose Immortal, it's only right that I do my part for the clan!"
The Zhuanshui Clan was one of the great clans of the Great Xia World, and great clans naturally had rules of their own.
Before his tribulation, Ju Hua hadn't needed to concern himself with anything else. He'd only had to focus on overcoming it. But after failing and becoming a Loose Immortal, he couldn't be as free as before!
The chief standing before him, Zhuanshui Qing, was the perfect example.
He was also a Loose Immortal, yet he had to serve as chief of the Zhuanshui Clan, handling countless mundane affairs every day. Finding the peace of mind to cultivate again was all but impossible!
Of course, that was Zhuanshui Qing's own choice. Being chief of the Zhuanshui Clan was more demanding, but it also gave him far more power than an ordinary Loose Immortal.
At Ju Hua's words, the smile on Zhuanshui Qing's face grew even broader.
Ju Hua's willingness to be so "reasonable" would save him a great deal of trouble.
The Zhuanshui Clan's Loose Immortals fell into two categories: clan Loose Immortals and guest Loose Immortals.
The guest Loose Immortals were of little concern. They were merely outsiders and wouldn't openly oppose him, the chief of the Zhuanshui Clan. But the clan's own Loose Immortals—especially those who were already powerful—weren't much lower in status than he was. Unless he fell out with them and called upon a Celestial Immortal Ancestor to enforce the clan rules, he couldn't force them to obey.
Before his tribulation, Ju Hua had barely possessed the strength of a top-tier Loose Immortal. Though he'd failed the tribulation, once he converted the tempering of the Heavenly Tribulation into strength, he'd at least be a top-tier Loose Immortal.
A top-tier Loose Immortal from the clan could give a chief like him plenty of headaches!
Now that Ju Hua had voluntarily declared that he would follow the clan's arrangements, Zhuanshui Qing was naturally in excellent spirits!
P.S. The lore of Desolate Era is both sprawling and complicated. Before writing this book, I reread the entire thing and took notes on some important parts, but it's still inevitable that I'll miss or get some things wrong. If that happens, please point it out. I'll fix what I can right away, and if I can't, I'll add the details later!
Don't just ignore everything and flame me for disrespecting the original. I want to respect the original, too!