When Li Chen left the Holy Capital, the scene was quite "touching."
The New Emperor, Matvei, not only personally led his officials to escort him to the pavilion ten li outside the city, his eyes reddened with reluctance to part, but also gave thoughtful consideration to his master's life in his "twilight years."
As he saw it, secluded cultivation was always lonely for an expert.
Matvei had every consort and beauty in the palace who had once enjoyed Li Chen's "favor," regardless of their background, carefully dressed and adorned under the pretext that "serving the Witch Ancestor and going to the sacred land to cultivate is the highest honor."
He assembled them into a rather magnificent procession and sent them all into Li Chen's Witch Ancestor's Grotto-Heaven Paradise.
Not only that, Matvei solemnly promised Li Chen, "Master, how could you cultivate in seclusion without anyone to attend to your daily needs and ease your loneliness? Your disciple has considered everything. Starting this year, our Great Luo Dynasty will hold an annual 'Holy Maiden Selection,'
selecting beautiful virgins of respectable backgrounds and outstanding aptitude from across the land and sending them into your Grotto-Heaven Paradise to serve at your side. This will be an immense blessing and honor for them and their families, as well as a small expression of the Great Luo Imperial House's filial devotion to you, Master."
Looking at the flock of chattering beauties before him and Matvei's expectant expression that all but said, "Isn't your disciple filial?" Li Chen could not help smiling inwardly.
This disciple of his might still need tempering in cultivation and governance, but his knack for divining the "will from above" and catering to his master's tastes had come without a teacher, and pleased Li Chen greatly.
Maintaining the calm detachment of an