An Agreement to Stand Watch

After a moment's thought, Su Yao summoned Little Red through the Prism.

A quarter of an hour later, Little Red fluttered its wings and entered the hall from outside. It then landed beside Su Yao, tilted its head, and rubbed against his palm, blinking its big, dark eyes with affection.

Su Yao reached out and gently stroked the feathers on its neck, and smiled:

"Go to White Sand Mountain and Ziyan back to me. Tell him to put aside what he's doing and come back to the mountain to see me first."

Upon hearing this, Little Red did not rush to move. Instead, it nuzzled its head into Su Yao's palm, making a series of low cooing sounds. Its wings fluttered slightly, and it glanced at the Storage Bag at Su Yao's waist out of the corner of its eye.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

Seeing this, Su Yao laughed and scolded:

"You're the best at bargaining." He took a Origin-Nurturing Pill from his Storage Bag, but didn't hand it over immediately. "Go quickly and come back quickly. Don't linger on the way."

Little Red's eyes lit up as it stared at the pill, and it nodded eagerly. Su Yao then handed the pill over, and Little Red took it in its mouth, tilted its head back, and swallowed it, then shook its feathers contentedly.

Then it tilted its head and chirped twice, as if asking which direction White Sand Mountain was in.

Seeing this, Su Yao took out a Jade Slip slip and placed it on his forehead, engraving the path to White Sand Mountain into it. Remembering that Little Red was still unable to speak, he also took out a token and handed it over.

"With this token, he will surely return with you."

Seeing this, Little Red caught the token and the Jade Slip, let out a clear cry, and transformed into a streak of crimson light, rushing out of the hall and disappearing into the mountains and forests in an instant.

Watching Little Red leave, Su Yao couldn't help but sigh. If there were someone in the Cloud Talisman position or the Primordial Magnetism Attainment Status, communication wouldn't be a problem within ten thousand miles, and it wouldn't be this troublesome.

Then he got up and went outside the hall. It would probably take a while for Ziyan to return, so he went to look for Zilin and Yang Xiu first.

Upon arriving at the welcoming hall at the foot of the mountain, turn left. Both sides of the welcoming hall are guest rooms provided for guests. The left side is for fellow practitioners of the Mysterious Gate sect, while the right side is for guests outside the Mysterious Gate.

Zilin and Yang Xiu would not go to the cave abode arranged for them in the back mountain unless they needed to meditate or cultivate. Instead, they preferred the quiet place in the guesthouse.

After walking another two miles along the mountain road, Su Yao finally arrived at this place, where he saw Zilin practicing her swordplay in the open space ahead.

Today, Zilin was not dressed in her usual palace attire, but rather in a purple robe. It was the time when pear blossoms were falling and about to bear fruit. With Zilin's sword moves and the movement of her body, several pear trees around her were covered with snow-white pear blossoms.

The combination of white and purple is breathtakingly beautiful.

Seeing this, Su Yao couldn't help but whisper:

"Clad in purple robes, her sword gleamed softly in the snow; her white sleeves fluttered as she went and then lingered."

"A myriad of blossoms fill the eye, but meeting you today has temporarily brightened my vision."

Upon hearing the voice, Zilin withdrew her sword, turned around, and saw that it was Su Yao. She smiled and said:

"Brother Dao, instead of instructing your disciples, what brings you here?"

Su Yao stepped forward with his hands behind his back and smiled, saying:

"I had something to discuss with you two, but I ended up feasting my eyes first."

Upon hearing this, Zilin blushed briefly, then quickly changed the subject, saying softly:

"Fellow Daoist, why don't you wait a moment? I'll go change my clothes and then call Fellow Daoist Yang to come and discuss this further."

Su Yao nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Zilin drew her sword and headed towards her residence, "Shuyu Xiaozhu".

Su Yao followed and sat down on a stone bench nearby.

There are about twenty elegant rooms here, each with a small courtyard. Zilin lives in the innermost room, while Yang Xiu lives in the innermost room, "Zhenliuju".

A moment later, Zilin slowly walked out, dressed in her usual purple palace attire, followed by Yang Xiu, who was now wearing a gray robe.

Upon seeing Su Yao, Yang Xiu said:

What business do you have with me today, fellow Daoist?

Su Yao didn't respond, but instead stood up and invited the two to sit down.

After the three were seated, Su Yao said:

"We don't know the current situation in Proclaiming Earth, but we cannot let this delay our cultivation progress. Therefore, I propose that the three of us take turns on guard duty, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu pondered for a moment and then nodded, saying:

"This method is excellent. The three of us will take turns; whoever gains insight can go into seclusion, while the other two will look after matters in the mountains. This way, our cultivation won't be delayed, and the disciples and affairs in the mountains won't be left unattended. I have no objections."

Zilin did not respond immediately. She lowered her eyes slightly and hesitated for a moment before saying:

"But no one can say for sure what will happen with the Proclaiming Earth), what if..."

Upon hearing this, both Su Yao and Yang Xiu were taken aback. After a long while, Su Yao finally spoke:

"Fellow Zilin's words are reasonable, but..."

Before they could finish speaking, the three of them changed their expressions and hurriedly took out wooden boxes from their Storage Bag.

A faint white light emanated from it, and a poem appeared:

"Drawing my sword, I slash at the pillar, my father's heart aches; cracking the screen, I still yearn for the imperial bedchamber."

Alas, the immortals are arrayed on the imperial bed, forbidding the autumn wind from chilling Weiyang Palace;

We must wait until three winters have passed; do not inquire about the year from the deep mountains.

The three men read it, and their expressions varied.

Yang Xiu was initially delighted, but then he suppressed his joy and pretended to be indifferent, saying:

Now that the wooden box has been shown, we truly need not worry every day.

Su Yao nodded, his gaze falling on Zilin.

Zilin kept her head down, her hands unconsciously twisting her sleeves.

After a moment, she finally raised her head, but dared not look directly at Su Yao. Instead, she glanced at the stone table between the three of them and spoke softly:

"Just now... I was overthinking it. Fellow Daoist has put so much effort into planning for everyone, but I was only thinking about the worst-case scenario, and almost ruined the important matter." Her voice grew softer and softer. "Fellow Daoist, please don't take it to heart."

Seeing her like this, Su Yao smiled and said:

"Why do you say that, fellow Daoist? Your 'what if' was something I should have considered. If you hadn't raised this concern, the wooden box might not have revealed the poem. In fact, I should be thanking you."

Zilin was slightly taken aback when she heard him say this. She raised her eyes and met Su Yao's exceptionally bright eyes.

Their eyes met, and she felt her heart skip a beat for no reason. She quickly looked away, but a faint blush crept onto her ears as she whispered:

"I'm glad you don't blame me, fellow Daoist."

Yang Xiu, observing their expressions, smiled slightly and then changed the subject:

"If that's the case, then it's settled. However, there needs to be a set procedure for how the shifts should be arranged."

Su Yao said:

"How about we rotate every three months, with two people going into seclusion and one person on duty?"

Yang Xiu immediately nodded:

"Makes it possible."

Zilin thought for a moment and said:

"Then we shall do as you say, fellow Daoist. But who will come for the first three months?"

Su Yao and Yang Xiu exchanged a glance, and Yang Xiu laughed first:

"Naturally, Fellow Daoist Su should go first. In this Pear Garden, your word carries the most weight in matters big and small. I'll take a three-month break first."

Zilin chuckled upon hearing this, her previous restraint vanishing completely.

Su Yao shook his head helplessly and stopped refusing.

"Then it's settled."