The Jade Wutong Immortal Realm

"In the seventh year of Tian Feng, the government stopped providing stipends to students. Last year, His Majesty ascended the throne and went even further, abolishing the Civil Service Examinations outright. From then on, the path of letters was cut off, and there was no way to climb to the heavens."

"Ha! After ten years of hard study by lamplight, we've ended up at a dead end. Never mind becoming officials and educating the people—even keeping ourselves fed is a struggle. It's truly laughable!"

"Good for nothing! We're nothing but useless, book-devouring fools!"

"Ahem! Brother Hong, be careful what you say, careful what you say. Drink up! Let's not talk about state affairs!"

Bang!

"Why the hell are we still drinking? All I can think about now is making money, understand?"

"Hehe! If you're only looking to earn a little spending money, I happen to know a way, Brother Hong. Care to hear it?"

"I'm listening!"

Buzz, buzz!

A jumble of voices reached his ears, the hubbub growing clearer. It sounded as though a crowd had gathered, talking about something.

The language was unfamiliar, yet he could understand it.

His body gradually emerged from the state of being "possessed by a ghost." His fingers were the first to move.

His fingertips felt cold. The rough, solid texture beneath them told him he was touching a stone table.

His nostrils quivered, and a rich, heavy fragrance drifted in.

Light and shadow flowed before his eyes, like a bolt of lightning splitting a pitch-black sky.

"Hong Yuan"'s eyelids trembled. At last, he opened his eyes and looked upon this world.

He had transmigrated!

The memories still churning in his mind like a rising tide slowly helped him understand everything.

There had been no coincidence of sharing the same name. After all, the writing and language were different, though a look through his memories suggested that this world and his past life were flowers with a certain resemblance.

His former name and all his past experiences were meaningless now. There was no need to elaborate.

This body's name was Hong Yuan. He was from Qingxu County, Linjiang Prefecture, in the Great Yin Dynasty.

He had once been an outstanding student at Qingxu Academy, with a bright future ahead of him. But after Emperor Yongchang ascended the throne and the news arrived that he had issued the Stop Tribute Edict and abolished the Civil Service Examinations, Chen Huanshan, the academy's dean, packed up his valuables the very next day and fled with his wife, two concubines, and sister-in-law.

The academy's students cursed and grumbled, carved a stele to denounce the decision, and vented their sorrow and anger. In the end, they could do nothing but go their separate ways.

Hong Yuan hadn't even had time to take off his scholar's robe before he was tossed into the marketplace, forced to find flexible employment.

Nearly a year had gone by in the blink of an eye.

"Heh! You're awake!"

A soft laugh reached his ears.

Hong Yuan shuddered, jolted from his hazy dream. He rubbed his temples and looked up to meet a square, handsome face with rugged features and a thick beard.

The man smiled at him. His gaze paused on Hong Yuan's face, then he gave another "heh." "Of all the newcomers, little brother, you're the last to wake up."

"Newcomers?"

Hong Yuan leaned on the stone table and stood. "S-sir, what do you mean? And where is this place?"

He kept calm as he asked, his eyes unconsciously taking in his surroundings.

The man before him looked to be about thirty. He was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, dressed in well-tailored black. His entire bearing spoke of toughness; he looked like someone best not crossed. But bloodshot veins were faintly visible in his eyes, and the skin around them was dark.

Perhaps he hadn't been sleeping well lately!

He was in a spacious courtyard beside a body of water. The lake wasn't large and had been dug by human hands as a decorative feature. Pavilions stood on all sides around it, with winding paths leading into secluded corners. The grounds were vast.

At the far end of the garden stood a massive incense burner, nearly as tall as a man. Wisps of fragrant smoke drifted from within.

Hong Yuan sniffed. This was where the scent he'd caught in his daze had come from.

As a man of letters, Hong Yuan was no stranger to incense. After all, the great writers of an earlier age had left behind the famous line, "When no carriages or horses come to visit, burn incense and sit reading."

Burning incense, brewing tea, hanging paintings, and arranging flowers were all considered refined pursuits of scholars, with incense-burning ranked first among the four.

Hong Yuan used to buy incense recipes now and then. After a bath, he would burn a stick of incense and sit down with a book, enjoying the peaceful, leisurely moment.

But most of the incense he bought was low-grade. After burning, it always left behind an unpleasant, lingering smell of grass and wood. On the rare occasion he indulged himself, he would buy a box of mid-grade incense, enough to make him wince at the expense for ten days or half a month. Sometimes, using it even gave him a faint sense of guilt.

But the incense in this burner was rich and fragrant, sweet and mellow. As he breathed it in, it felt like a wisp of pure energy shot straight to the crown of his head, lifting his spirits.

There was an old-established incense shop in Qingxu County called Yun Jian Workshop. Its most prized possession was a premium incense recipe named Ten Thousand Miles Cloud Travel. After Hong Yuan had grown familiar with the old shopkeeper, curiosity got the better of him, and he asked what made Ten Thousand Miles Cloud Travel so special. The shopkeeper hesitated again and again before finally burning a pinch of incense no bigger than a fingernail.

Hong Yuan had been astonished by its fragrance. But compared to the scent filling this entire garden, Ten Thousand Miles Cloud Travel suddenly seemed ordinary.

"And the burner is so huge—how much incense must it hold? What's more, they've left it outside, letting its fragrance fill the whole garden. What extravagance! This is simply too extravagant! If that old shopkeeper knew about it, he'd probably beat his chest and wail that such a treasure was being wasted!"

Hong Yuan's thoughts ran wild.

The bearded man in black raised an eyebrow and replied with a smile, "Oh? That's an interesting question, little brother. Didn't they tell you?"

"They?"

Hong Yuan looked surprised, then shook his head. "I really have no idea. I only remember drinking with a friend that day, then getting completely drunk. When I woke up, I was here. I'd be grateful if you could explain things to me."

"My name is Yang Lie!"

The bearded man in black pointed to himself, then gave a hearty laugh. "A friend? Heh! Looks like you got here through your friend's connections. But now that you're here, you'll find out soon enough, even if I don't tell you..."

He turned to face the little lake in the garden and spread a hand. "This place is called the Jade Wutong Immortal Realm. It's the Daoist sanctuary of the Seven Immortal Maidens."

The Jade Wutong Immortal Realm?

The Seven Immortal Maidens?

Immortals?!

Hong Yuan was startled. There were actually immortals in this world?

No one had told him that!

In his spare time, "he" had secretly browsed through unofficial histories, strange tales, and other such books. They were full of stories about ghosts, gods, swordsmen, and heroes, as well as demons and monsters preying on humans for blood. But he'd always treated those outlandish tales as entertainment. Who would ever take them seriously?

Seeing the shock on Hong Yuan's face, Yang Lie nodded slightly. "The seven Immortal Maidens are Lady Si Yan, Hehe Immortal Maiden, Lady Yu Po, and..."

Yang Lie's voice trailed off. His expression turned awkward, his smile stiff and unnatural.

"Hehe, I'll leave the remaining Immortal Maidens for you to learn about on your own, little brother! In any case, everyone chosen to enter the Jade Wutong Immortal Realm has extraordinary talent. Whether they can truly stay depends on the Immortal Maidens testing their aptitude, but..."

He looked Hong Yuan up and down again, more closely than before. "In all my life, I've never seen anyone with talent and bearing like yours, little brother. Even if your aptitude is poor, I imagine they'll still let you stay."

"What's the benefit of staying?" Hong Yuan was growing more and more confused. And those Immortal Maidens' names sounded rather improper. Could this Jade Wutong Immortal Realm be some kind of unorthodox sect?

Uneasy, he recalled the many dark cultivation novels he'd read in his previous life. Just as he was about to press for more details, a sneer came from not far away. "The benefit? Naturally, the Immortal Maidens will bestow immortal blessings."

A few paces away, a Hook-nosed Youth leaned against a corridor pillar with his arms crossed and a cold look on his face. His narrowed eyes swept over Hong Yuan like a hound sizing up its prey.

Hong Yuan frowned slightly. He sensed a trace of hostility from the other man.

Still, he didn't rise to the challenge. He merely smiled and asked, "May I ask how I should address you, brother? And what do you mean by an immortal blessing?"

"Don't bother trying to get friendly. I have no duty to answer your questions."

The Hook-nosed Youth glanced at Yang Lie, then closed his eyes and went back to dozing.

"Immortal blessings, huh..." Yang Lie sighed, then said no more.

Hong Yuan didn't press him. Instead, he looked around at the others in the courtyard.

Compared to the vast garden, there weren't many people. A quick glance suggested around twenty, scattered into several groups.

Some had gathered in twos and threes, murmuring among themselves. Most, like the Hook-nosed Youth, had found a corner to themselves, sitting or standing with all sorts of expressions.

Some looked cold and indifferent. Others were excited, with a hint of anticipation and longing. Some looked uneasy and conflicted, while a few glanced around with blank, bewildered faces, unsure what to do.

All twenty or so were men. The youngest looked like boys, while the oldest were men in their thirties or forties.

The longer Hong Yuan looked, the stranger his expression became.

For every one of them, young or old, had regular features and a dignified bearing. The boys of seventeen or eighteen and young men in their twenties were naturally handsome, with fine, clear features. Even the men in their thirties had their own charms: some were muscular and imposing, others refined, graceful, and charming...

As for the man who looked to be over forty, though his temples were touched with gray, he carried himself with easy grace. His eyes still shone like lacquer, and when he smiled, the wrinkles on his handsome, refined face did not make him any less appealing. If anything, they added a deep, weathered charm.

Hong Yuan suddenly looked toward the Hook-nosed Youth.

On closer inspection, the man's features were a little sinister, but he was still good-looking—handsome, even. In a short drama from his previous life, he would have stood out in roles like "Evil Emperor" or "Devil Lord."

Hmm?!

Did the Jade Wutong Immortal Realm only take in good-looking people?

It made sense, come to think of it. This was an immortal realm; having ugly people around would hurt its image, wouldn't it? Even the Carefree Sect only accepted handsome, dashing men and beautiful, graceful women!

Xu Zhu? He had plot armor!

Now Hong Yuan could understand why the Hook-nosed Youth seemed to harbor inexplicable hostility toward him.

In fact, it wasn't only the Hook-nosed Youth. Every now and then, a few of the people in the garden cast him unfriendly looks.

Hong Yuan sighed.

He didn't blame these people or resent fate. This was all "his" own fault—his actions, his consequences. He would bear them himself and never shirk responsibility!

It wasn't that these people were narrow-minded and envious. What had they done wrong? The only one to blame was Hong Yuan, born with such an unparalleled, peerless face!

Even now, wearing nothing but a simple blue-green robe, nearly a year of struggling in the marketplace had done nothing to diminish his handsome bearing or natural, otherworldly grace.

Among this crowd of handsome young men, calling himself "a crane among chickens" would be too arrogant. But even modestly, he could say he stood head and shoulders above the rest!

Amid the hubbub, lights began to flicker on inside the pavilions and corridors on all sides. In an instant, they seemed to join together into a brilliant fire dragon.

A few gasps of astonishment rose from the crowd. At the same time, a clear note rang through the air, like a limpid spring leaping over stones, echoing across the garden.

As if in response to a signal, the Hook-nosed Youth leaning against the pillar twitched his ear and abruptly opened his eyes. With a few long strides, he pushed through the crowd toward the lakeshore.

Yang Lie, standing beside Hong Yuan, had no time for him now either. He hurried after the others on his long legs and craned his neck toward the lake's center.

Several others did the same. Recalling Yang Lie's earlier words, Hong Yuan guessed that these people must be "old hands" at the Immortal Realm, while most of the rest, like him, were first-time visitors.

A fresh-faced newcomer looked puzzled. "Sirs, what are you doing?"

"Hehe! Immortal Maiden Miaoyun has arrived. Even though I've come to the Immortal Realm a few times, I don't always get the chance to hear her celestial music. We're lucky this time."

The speaker was one of the "old hands," a square-jawed, heroic-looking man in his thirties with thick brows and large eyes.

"Quiet!" the Hook-nosed Youth barked. His sharp gaze swept across the crowd as he growled, "Don't make a sound. If anyone spoils the Immortal Maiden's mood, I won't let him get away with it!"

Immortal Maiden Miaoyun!

Was he about to see a cultivator?

Hong Yuan couldn't help feeling nervous and expectant. With a jumble of emotions, he looked toward the lake.

It was nearing dusk. The sky was darkening, and pale rays of sunset filtered through the clouds, bringing little warmth or light. On this autumn evening, a breeze drifted across the small lake, sending ripples spreading outward and bringing with it a sudden chill.

Suddenly, thin veils of mist seemed to drift in with the wind and spread across the lake, as if it had donned a light, milky-white gauze robe.

Amid the swirling mist, a vague, ethereal voice seemed to sing in the distance. Waves surged and rolled across the lake, dampening the flowers and trees swaying along the shore.

On the mist-veiled water, at the center of the lake some seven or eight zhang away, a serene and elegant stone pavilion suddenly appeared, as if it had materialized out of thin air and fallen from a heavenly realm beyond the skies into the mortal world.

"Ah!" The wondrous sight drew startled cries from the crowd.

Hmm?

Hong Yuan's eyes flickered. He glanced at those around him and saw mostly awe and shock on their faces. Then he looked toward the stone pavilion that had suddenly appeared at the center of the lake, furrowing his brow slightly.

The mist had risen from the lake's center and quickly spread out, obscuring everyone's view. But Hong Yuan had seen clearly through the veil of mist. The pavilion had shot up from the bottom of the lake in the space of a breath or two!

He had even heard a crisp "ka-ka" sound from beneath the lake. He guessed it was the noise of some kind of mechanism grinding into motion.

"Immortal Realm? Immortal Maidens?" Hong Yuan began to doubt it.

"And the pavilion is more than twenty meters away, with mist in the way. It's one thing that I can see clearly, but I can even hear sounds from beneath the lake. That's astonishing! Since when did my eyesight and hearing become this good?"

"Transmigration perks? Did my senses become sharper, or did my physical abilities improve?"

According to his memories, "he" had spent years immersed in books and buried in a sea of study. Though he was young, he had already developed "short-sightedness"—in other words, myopia. It hadn't been too severe, but how could he possibly have such sharp eyesight now?

At any rate, it was a good thing.

Hong Yuan mused to himself.