When Xiao Kuang returned to the Purple Cloud Palace, swaying along with a sleeve full of "local specialties" from the east and west, he vaguely felt that the atmosphere inside the palace seemed a little different.
As for exactly how it was different, his thick-witted mind could not put it into words. It was just a feeling—like... it was a little "brighter"? A little more "solid"?
Only when he wandered into the main hall and saw several maidservants busy at work did he pause in slight surprise.
The leading Dragon Girl was named Ao Qingxin. Where her brows had once always carried traces of the panic and humility left behind by the Dragon Race's calamity, she now seemed calm as still water, her aura smooth and complete. Her pale blue palace robes seemed to bear flowing water-patterned Dao marks that naturally circulated, faintly radiating the majesty of a ruler of the Four Seas. She was carefully nourishing a spiritual herb with an innate water spirit pearl, her movements practiced and her control over the Law of Water exquisitely precise.
The Phoenix Girl was named Feng Wanxia. The pride she had once possessed as a member of the Phoenix Race had been replaced by a restrained nobility, and the true meaning of nirvana seemed to flicker in her eyes whenever they opened and closed. A thread of pure Southern Bright Lihuo danced at her fingertips as she helped Xiao Kuang repair that charred barbecue grill. She controlled the flame's temperature perfectly, melting the metal without damaging the runes on the grill itself, displaying an unprecedentedly fine command of the Law of Fire.
The Kirin girl, Qi Yaoguang, had changed most visibly of all. She had already possessed a gentle temperament, but now she carried an added weight and serenity like the earth itself. Barefoot, she walked across the white jade floor of the hall. With every step she took, tiny, imperceptible sparks of vital spiritual light rippled outward, making even the jade beneath her feet appear warmer and more lustrous. She was sorting through the ores Xiao Kuang had tossed around carelessly. With a stroke of her delicate hand, those unruly innate metal qi and earth qi became exceptionally docile, sorting themselves into categories.
Even the two stone lions yawning at the entrance seemed to have gained a faint sheen upon their stone hides. Their yawns had grown smaller too, carrying the lazy contentment of creatures that had eaten and drunk their fill.
What astonished Xiao Kuang most, however, was Xi He and Chang Xi.
The two of them were doing nothing, merely sitting quietly beneath an osmanthus tree—potted version—and playing chess. Yet the originally cold and aloof lunar aura surrounding them had become incomparably rich and profound. It was as though they were no longer simply drawing upon the power of the Taiyin Star, but had themselves become part of the source of yin, perfectly merging with the Heavenly Dao environment of the Purple Cloud Palace. Their auras were vast and enduring, bottomless beyond measure.
Their cultivation had clearly remained at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, without any breakthrough, yet they felt more stable and terrifying than many great powers who had only just entered the Quasi-Saint realm! It was the solidity of foundations tempered to the utmost limit, closely linked to the source of the Primordial Chaos—especially the Purple Cloud Palace, where the Heavenly Dao manifested!
Xiao Kuang scratched his head. Though he could not understand the exact changes, he felt this was a good thing. It proved that the feng shui of his Purple Cloud Palace nurtured people well!
"Yo, you're all here? You all look pretty rosy!" he greeted them with a grin.
Seeing him return, the women all stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully. "Welcome home, Dao Ancestor." Their voices held less of the fear and helplessness they had once felt, and more heartfelt... familiarity and acceptance? There was even a barely noticeable trace of closeness.
They themselves might not have fully realized it, but after staying in the Purple Cloud Palace for so long, bathing day and night in the source of the Heavenly Dao—though contaminated by salted fish—and Primordial Violet Qi—though used as light tubes—and listening to Xiao Kuang's various crooked theories, however unwillingly, their Dao foundations, primordial spirits, and even true spirits had been undergoing subtle yet earth-shattering transformations. The reduction of karmic burden was merely superficial; on a deeper level, they had gained affinity for and adapted to the source of the Great Dao.
This place was absurd, and that salted-fish Dao Ancestor often infuriated them beyond endurance, yet without realizing it, they seemed to have become somewhat... unable to leave it. The outside world might be wonderful, but nowhere else allowed their cultivation to advance so naturally.
Xiao Kuang waved a hand and flopped back into his massage chair, beginning to pull out the "local specialties." "Come, come, let's split the loot! Ah, no, I mean, let's hand out benefits! These are peaches from the Demon Race, stones from the Witch Race, Bitter Bamboo from the west... Everyone take some and see what tastes good or is fun to play with!"
The women looked at the pile of strange items of uneven quality, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Still, they stepped forward and each chose a little, accepting this "gesture of goodwill."
After distributing the items, Xiao Kuang seemed to suddenly remember something. His gaze turned toward Xi He and Chang Xi as he asked, "Oh, right. Big Sister Xi He, Little Sister Chang Xi, I've always heard you mention your master, Wangshu... Where is she currently in seclusion? Could you invite her to the Purple Cloud Palace for a visit? We could play mahjong together, chat about the moon—wouldn't that be great!"
The moment he said this, the previously relaxed atmosphere instantly froze!
Ao Qingxin, Feng Wanxia, and Qi Yaoguang instinctively stopped moving, holding their breaths.
Xi He and Chang Xi trembled at the same time, and the chess pieces in their hands fell onto the board with a sharp clatter.
"Master?!"
"Master Wangshu?!"
Why had Xiao Kuang suddenly asked about their master? What was he planning?!
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Xi He and Chang Xi's minds like lightning, leaving their hearts in utter turmoil and setting every alarm bell ringing!
They wanted Master to come! If their master could come to the Purple Cloud Palace, she would surely enjoy these endless benefits as well. Her karmic burden would diminish, her Dao foundation could be reforged, and perhaps the losses she had suffered when transforming into the Taiyin Star could be restored! Besides, would it not be a wonderful thing for master and disciples to reunite?
They did not want Master to come! But... but this Dao Ancestor acted absurdly and spoke without restraint. What if he treated their master... the way he treated the Queen Mother of the West and them, spouting lewd nonsense or even getting handsy? How could their master, with her cold and noble nature, endure such disrespect? And if he forcibly kept their master behind to "serve tea and water"... that would be a crime against both master and Dao, one that could never be redeemed even with ten thousand deaths!
What was more, they still carried that deadly Primordial Violet Qi on them! How could they explain it if their master found out? Say that the Dao Ancestor had stuffed it into their hands for fun? Would their master believe them? Would it anger the Heavenly Dao and implicate their master?
The two conflicting emotions clashed fiercely within them, making their expressions shift constantly. For a moment, they did not know how to answer.
Xi He drew a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm, though her voice carried a faint, imperceptible tremor. "In reply to the Dao Ancestor... after Master transformed into the Taiyin Star, her true spirit entered a state of slumber. She has been cultivating in seclusion deep within the core of the Taiyin Star and will not emerge except during a calamity. This junior... this junior does not know how to contact her either."
Chang Xi hurriedly nodded, her little face pale. "Exactly, exactly! Master's place of seclusion is the Taiyin Star's greatest secret. We cannot disturb her either."
They instinctively chose to conceal the truth and evade the question. They feared their master would be humiliated if she came, feared she would miss this opportunity if she did not, and feared the unpredictable consequences above all else.
Hearing this, Xiao Kuang pouted in disappointment. "Oh... is that so? What a shame. I'd wanted to invite her over to see you two, and maybe exchange ideas about how to decorate the moon more beautifully..."
Hearing his nonsensical words, Xi He and Chang Xi became even more determined that they could not allow their master to come for the time being!
At the same time, an intense sense of urgency rose in their hearts—they had to increase their strength as quickly as possible! At the very least, if their master did arrive someday, they needed the ability to protect her and ensure that she would not fall into such an awkward and dangerous situation as this!
And the source of it all was that hateful yet... impossible-to-leave Dao Ancestor before them!
Xiao Kuang was completely unaware of their complicated feelings. He merely muttered to himself, "Looks like I need to find a way to strengthen the moon signal. Maybe I can make an interstellar call?"
Heavenly Dao, secretly watching: ...(Alert level max! Warning! Detected that the agent is attempting to harass the ancient innate divine being Wangshu! Risk unknown! Isolation recommended!)...
Before you continue