Union Festival Grand Ceremony

Liu Qingyan spoke of the matter with a smile on her face.

"About a month ago, an uninvited guest came calling. He was dressed in such rags that he looked even more miserable than an ordinary rogue cultivator, yet he actually claimed to be a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect."

Shen Qingzhou raised a brow.

She continued, "The junior sisters guarding the gate saw that he had neither a travel pass nor an identity token. They took him for some mad cultivator who had run in from who knew where and wanted to drive him off directly."

"Who would have thought that man had such a foul and stubborn temper? He immediately started fighting several junior sisters on the spot."

"Though he was at the Sixth Level of Qi Refining, he was rather formidable. Several junior sisters were no match for him. Fortunately, Junior Sister Qin was there."

Liu Qingyan said with some pride, "She is the genius of our Plain Maiden Sect. She cultivates the Blazing Sun Heart Method of the Chamber Sun path, and her unyielding nature is famous."

"And then?"

Shen Qingzhou asked with keen interest.

"Later, Junior Sister Qin fought him to a draw. One's spells and lineage could not deceive others. He gave his name as Lu Chen, and after his identity was verified, he really was a disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect."

"Who would have thought Lu Chen was also a one-track-minded fellow? For some reason, he would not stop pestering Junior Sister Qin, convinced that she was his fated one, following behind her every day."

Liu Qingyan smiled faintly.

"Junior Sister Qin naturally did not indulge him. Every few days, she would beat him up. Now... their temperaments seem rather compatible. There are even faint signs that they have taken a liking to each other."

Lu Chen...

The corner of Shen Qingzhou's mouth could not help twitching.

That fellow's luck truly was peculiar.

"Looking at it this way, Fellow Daoist Lu has turned disaster into blessing."

"Isn't that so?"

Liu Qingyan nodded with a smile.

"However... Qingyan would actually rather keep Fellow Daoist Han here."

The woman's tone had become considerably more serious.

"The guest elder position is only a beginning."

"Fellow Daoist Han's talent in talisman drawing is of great use to our sect."

"If you are willing to deepen your ties with our sect, or rather... form a Daoist partnership with one of our cultivators, then our sect's Heart Moon Canon is not something we cannot let you see."

The harmony of yin and yang was itself the foundation of the Great Dao, and this was the very core of what the Plain Maiden Sect cultivated.

They had never rejected joining with outsiders. On the contrary, they wished to use this path to perfect their own Dao arts.

Shen Qingzhou listened quietly, without revealing any particular expression on his face.

"Then I thank you for your generous favor, Fairy. It is simply that I have always been used to freedom. This matter... allow me to return and consider it carefully."

He then changed the subject and casually asked about the Earth Spirit Sect.

Liu Qingyan unhurriedly lifted her teacup, her expression calm.

"It is nothing more than incense offerings and sacrifices."

"Someone from the Earth Spirit Sect sends over a large sum of incense money every year, merely in exchange for the convenience of spreading their teachings here."

"We cultivators seek the Great Dao of immortality. To us, mortals are no different from the grass and trees on the ground. Whom they wish to believe in or which deity they wish to worship, what does that have to do with us?"

Shen Qingzhou silently calculated in his heart.

This Plain Maiden Sect was far more complicated and pragmatic than he had originally imagined.

Trying to pry their core secret arts from this group would likely be far from easy.

"Oh, right. When the time comes, several fellow Daoists from the Earth Spirit Sect will also come to join the festivities. I see that the talismans Fellow Daoist Han draws all belong to the Wèi Earth lineage. I imagine they would be quite willing to get acquainted with you as well."

Shen Qingzhou always felt that something was a little strange, yet he could not say exactly what it was.

"Could it be that the Earth Spirit Sect is planning something?"

Even the power of Dao Strife stirred more actively, but what exactly were they doing this for?

Liu Qingyan personally saw Shen Qingzhou out of the pavilion.

"The Union Festival is approaching. There will be a grand auction on Heartmoon Lake then, and our sect's treasures kept at the bottom of the chest will all appear. Fellow Daoist Han, you must not miss it."

"Certainly." Shen Qingzhou nodded in agreement, took his leave, and departed.

With his current wealth, he still had quite a few chances to obtain the treasures he wanted.

He had not gone far when a group approached from the opposite direction. At their head was a middle-aged cultivator, with two young women following beside him—the sisters Lin Shuying and Lin Weiyue.

"Huh? It's Han... Big Brother Han?" Lin Weiyue had sharp eyes and recognized Shen Qingzhou at once, crying out in surprise.

Lin Shuying and the middle-aged cultivator also looked over. When they saw Shen Qingzhou emerging from the Plain Maiden Sect's private pavilion, with Liu Qingyan still standing at the entrance and seeing him off with a smile, they were all stunned.

"Fellow Daoist Han."

The middle-aged cultivator, who was the Lin Clan's steward, stepped forward and cupped his hands, his attitude becoming far more respectful.

"I never expected to encounter you here, Fellow Daoist. What a coincidence."

Shen Qingzhou nodded in greeting but said nothing more. He brushed past them and soon merged into the crowd on the street.

Lin Weiyue stared at his departing figure and muttered, "Sister, who... who exactly is he?"

Lin Shuying shook her head, her own thoughts a mess.

"So that talisman master was actually him?"

Three days later, it was the day of the Union Festival.

A faint fragrance and misty moisture drifted through all of Flower-Washing City. The lake at the city's center was vast, its surface reflecting the sky.

Streams of light rose from all corners of the city, descending onto the viewing platforms built along Heartmoon Lake and the floating stone seats.

Shen Qingzhou had changed into a gray robe. From a viewing platform, his field of vision was quite broad. This was the convenience brought by status and position.

He concealed his aura, appearing to be nothing more than an ordinary Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

By dusk, the setting sun hung on one side of the sky, while the newly risen moon occupied the other.

He had once thought Heart Moon belonged to Lunar Yin, purely yin in nature. But now, it seemed this path might be more complicated.

The heart was the dwelling of the spirit and the source of thought, like this lake, capable of reflecting all things.

Shen Qingzhou pondered, "If Lunar Yin Heart Moon contains only the lust of men and women, then that interpretation is far too shallow... If I wish to establish my foundation upon the Cloud-Rising Torrent Path, I must surely gain a deeper understanding and attainment of Lunar Yin, which guides all waters."

The Cloud-Rising Torrent Path was the third path he had seen back then.

Buzz.

With the toll of a bell, a white jade lotus platform rose from the center of the lake. Plain Maiden Sect disciples dressed in colorful robes flew onto the platform, with Liu Qingyan at their head.

Today, she wore a moon-white palace gown. Her gaze swept across the crowd as she announced the beginning of the Union Festival grand ceremony in a clear voice.

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the Plain Maiden Sect, an eagle's cry came from the northern sky.

A massive eagle with azure feathers flew over and landed in an open space beside the viewing platform.

Shen Qingzhou's movements paused.

Several figures jumped down from the eagle's back. The leader was dressed in a disheveled manner and still carried a wine gourd in his hand. Who else could it be but Xu Zhaoye of Sunken-Sand Fort?

Shen Qingzhou was not worried about being recognized, as he had already disguised his appearance. He was merely somewhat curious—did the Plain Maiden Sect truly have such prestige?

Was it worth gathering the three great sects here at once?

Or was it... for another purpose?

As Shen Qingzhou speculated, the atmosphere in the venue changed.

The previously noisy lakeshore fell silent in an instant.

A heavy aura came from the east.

Shen Qingzhou looked up.

A group of people flew over on escape lights, clad in yellow Daoist robes. He recognized their identities at a glance.

The people of the Earth Spirit Sect had arrived.

At their head was a bald middle-aged man with an utterly ordinary appearance, the sort who would disappear forever once thrown into a crowd.

Yet it was precisely this man who caused every cultivator present, including Liu Qingyan of the Plain Maiden Sect, to become respectful.

The Qi Seed within Shen Qingzhou's body began to churn uncontrollably. The Dao Strife ability in his sea of consciousness issued frantic warnings, as though alerting him to the appearance of a natural enemy.

He stared fixedly at the man in the lead.

He exerted far greater pressure than Lu Chen, yet not in a grand and majestic manner... Instead, he possessed a solemn, dignified quality, as though he were not a living person.

The man sensed something and swept his gaze through the crowd.

When his gaze passed over the corner where Shen Qingzhou stood, though it was merely a casual glance, Shen Qingzhou felt as if he were facing a great enemy.

So strong.

"Xu Sheng..."

Shen Qingzhou's expression darkened.