This conjecture was not without foundation. These people were all the sort who would never loose the hawk before seeing the hare; they might well have secret channels through which they could learn a thing or two.
As he pondered this, Shang Qingzheng began giving orders to the wildcat in his arms:
"Stop clinging here. Go pray us up two sets of tables and chairs."
At this, Chi Yu reluctantly raised her head, gave a soft meow, and jumped down from Jiang Yang's arms.
She went to the middle of an open patch of ground, suddenly stood upright, and alternated her two snow-white paws as she bowed up and down to the empty air.
The next moment, rich golden light descended, gathering into a beam that shot toward the heavens and became an auspicious cloud suffused with golden haze. Like warm sunlight spilling over the earth, it shone so brightly that they could not keep their eyes open.
A short while later, the radiance faded. Two sets of tables and chairs had truly appeared out of thin air, with openwork chair backs, floral carvings on the tables, and smooth solid wood, all looking brand-new.
"Oh!"
Jiang Yang turned to look and could not help clicking his tongue in wonder:
"Little Sixteen must have made further progress in using her immortal foundation."
Having spent day and night with her, Shang Qingzheng had long since grown accustomed to this. She merely nodded and said:
"Come sit down and talk. No need to keep standing around."
"With her, good things never come true, but bad ones always do. She's always using spells to tease the disciples below us—she's a seasoned offender by now. Making tables and chairs is wasting her talents on trifles."
With Jiang Yang present, Little Sixteen was not afraid of