“What is it?” Bu Ting sealed the entire Zhenyao Prison with a wave of his sleeve and turned to look at the letter in Nan Feng’s hand.
“Master, your disciple has a favor to ask of you.” Nan Feng stuffed the letter into his sleeve, looking embarrassed and uncomfortable.
After seeing Nan Feng put away the letter, Bu Ting walked down the steps and asked, “What is the matter that has you so troubled?”
He also wanted to know what kind of thing could make his disciple rush over with a letter, even forgetting to hide his emotions.
“Fellow Daoist Zhi You gave that gourd to my disciple…” Nan Feng asked in a low voice, “That gourd is very important to Fellow Daoist Zhi You. I would like to return it to him after you have used it.”
Bu Ting looked up at him and asked, “Is there anything else besides this matter?”
Nan Feng shook his head.carpreads.pages.dev
“Take it.” Bu Ting tossed the gourd to Bu Ting. “You’re the head disciple of the Jiutian Sect, and the future sect master of the Jiutian Sect. Remember, don’t get too close to disciples from minor sects.”
Nan Feng explained, “If it weren’t for fellow Daoists Jiu Hui and Zhi You stopping the evil cultivator in time, I’m afraid the evil energy would have spread far and wide. I just couldn’t bear to see Fellow Daoist Zhi You lose his beloved gourd. Please rest assured, Master. As a disciple of the Jiutian Sect, I would never favor any sect because of personal feelings.”
“Very good.” Bu Ting was silent for a moment, then chuckled. “You understand people and know good and evil. Go, return the gourd to the people of Wangshu Pavilion.”
His disciple had apparently contradicted him twice recently.
“Yes, Master.” Nan Feng took two steps, but couldn’t help but turn back. “Master, the evil yao’s curse is ridiculous. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Bu Ting raised his hand slightly, without turning his head, and said in a flat tone, “I, your teacher, have never cared about curses. You may go.”
“Your disciple takes his leave.” Nan Feng bowed and slowly turned to leave.
As he passed by the main hall, he glanced at the neatly trimmed grass, recalling the vines that had grown wildly that night.
Several Elders investigated for several days and nights in a row, but they failed to find the person behind the scenes. This incident seemed to be an idea that someone had suddenly come up with, without any warning or even a purpose.
Neither enemy nor friend, like a… bystander, who used the Jiutian Sect to create a spectacle, and once the spectacle was over, this person left.
The jade lion regained its imposing aura, and the mural was restored to its former glory and majesty. Only the jade statue of the master was removed as per the master’s orders.
“Eldest Senior Brother.” Two core disciples hurried over and stood before Nan Feng. “Senior Brother, we followed Yuan Wo the entire time until he returned to his sect. We observed outside the sect gates for two more days and didn’t see him contact anyone.”
“I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Junior Brothers.” Nan Feng looked up at the stars in the sky, his brow furrowed.
Was the prophecy unreliable, or did someone deliberately intervene, causing the prophecy to occur?
-—–
A few days after the weather cleared up, it started snowing again on New Year’s Eve. Yu Jing called for Zhi You and Jiu Hui. “According to the tradition of previous years, our sect will arrange for the younger generation to deliver New Year’s greetings to the two neighboring sects. In the past few years, Chang He and Luo Yan have been running errands. This year, it will be your turn.”
Because new faces were more likely to receive a gift.
“We’ll go now?”
“Go early and come back early, so you can go into the city with your Senior Brothers and Sisters tonight.” Yu Jing took out the prepared congratulatory gifts. “You’ve only just joined the sect this year, so go to Wenxing School and Wanhuo Sect to make yourselves known. That way, they’ll know that I, Yu Jing, have taken on two satisfactory disciples.”
Jiu Hui opened the box containing the congratulatory gifts, which held some preserved fruit and two bottles of homemade peach blossom wine. Very good, very characteristic of their Wangshu Pavilion.
Yu Jing touched her purse, slowly took out two purses, and threw them into Jiu Hui and Zhi You’s arms: “Take it, spend it sparingly.”
“Thank you, Master. You are the best master in the world.” Jiu Hui skillfully flattered her master, opened her purse, and glanced inside. There were spirit stones, silver, and even a specially prepared red envelope. She happily held up the gifts. “Zhi You and I will set off now.”
“Let’s go, let’s go, hurry up and go.” Yu Jing covered her empty waist, feeling sorry for the purses she had given away.
Jiu Hui’s master’s eyes were still fixed on the purse in her hand, so she quickly stuffed the purse into her storage ring, lest her master change her mind.
After leaving the main hall, Luo Yan, who was building a snowman, saw the two of them come out and sighed, “Junior Brother and Junior Sister, the new clothes you’re wearing today are really beautiful.”
“I’ve been saving this to wear today.” Jiu Hui twirled around for Luo Yan, her fiery red cloak blooming like a plum blossom. “Senior Sister has such good taste. I think it looks great too.”
Luo Yan reached out to brush the snow from her hair. “You and Zhi You should leave early and return early. Don’t delay on the road. Tonight, our sect and the City Lord’s Mansion have prepared a fireworks show for the city’s people. If you return late, you’ll have to wait until next year’s Mid-Autumn Festival to see it.”
“I’ll set off now.” Jiu Hui glanced at the snowman on the ground, turned around, grabbed Zhi You’s sleeve, and ran. As she ran, she summoned her flying sword and jumped on it. “Senior Sister, remember to save us some delicious food for tonight.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get yours.” Luo Yan watched her junior brothers and sisters leave in a hurry and laughed out loud. They were her own junior brother and sister, after all. She thought her junior brother looked more dignified and elegant in his cloak than other male cultivators; and her junior sister looked more charming and beautiful in her big red cloak than other young girls.
In previous years, she still thought that the young men and women of the Wenxing School and the Wanhuo Sect were likeable, but this year, she felt that the children of the other sects were not very good, and only her own children were the most likeable.
But that thought only lasted a few moments, because she lowered her head and found that the snowman’s nose she had carefully built had been knocked off by Jiu Hui’s cloak tail.
“Jiu Hui!” Luo Yan put her hands on her hips in anger. “No wonder you ran so fast. You were feeling guilty. You little brat!”
Moments later, her anger still hadn’t subsided. A small origami bird flapped its wings and circled her, its beak incessantly repeating, “Senior Sister Luo Yan, I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
She was both angry and amused. She reached out and grabbed the paper bird in her palm: “You really don’t save me any worries!”
-—–
“Fortunately, Senior Sister Luo Yan didn’t find out.” Jiu Hui kept looking back, and after making sure that her Senior Sister wouldn’t catch up, she let out a long sigh of relief and sat down cross-legged on the flying sword: “Zhi You, which sect should we go to first?”
“Wanhuo Sect.”
“Why?”
“It restrains you. The sooner you go, the sooner you can leave.”
“That’s true.” Jiu Hui propped her chin up with one hand and tilted her head to look at Zhi You. Aunt Jiao’s craftsmanship was really good. The cloak looked especially good on Zhi You.
Inside the Wanhuo Sect.
The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect asked his disciple, “The people from the Wangshu Pavilion delivering this year’s congratulatory gift, have them arrived yet?”
“They’ll come sooner or later.” The disciple looked outside. “How could they miss such a good opportunity to take advantage of us?”
“How can you speak that way.” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect glanced at his disciple. “We are all neighbors. The Wangshu Pavilion is weak and insignificant. It is only right that we look out for them.”
The disciple looked at his master in confusion. “Master, you didn’t used to be like this in the past…”
“The past is the past, and the present is the present.” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect said, “If it weren’t for the two disciples from the Wangshu Pavilion who did their utmost to stop the demon cultivator from causing chaos the other day, how could you and I be sitting here waiting for them to deliver their congratulatory gifts today?”
The disciple was skeptical: “What can a disciple of Wangshu Pavilion… do?”
“Not only can they do great things, but they’re also smarter than you.” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect was extremely dissatisfied with his disciple’s intelligence. “When the people arrive later, remember to welcome them in politely. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master.” The disciple touched his head. Was he really that stupid?
He walked out of the inner hall and saw his junior sister leading a man and a woman towards him. The man was tall and handsome, with an air of nobility. The woman had a jade hairpin in her hair and was exceptionally beautiful. The two of them were a striking pair, and even he couldn’t help but look at them a few more times.
He thought to himself, could they be new disciples recruited by a major sect? Why had he never seen them before?
“Senior Brother, two fellow Daoists from Wangshu Pavilion have come to visit. Please inform the Sect Master.” After the Junior Sister explained the identities of the visitors, the Sect Master’s disciple was momentarily stunned before reacting. “Master has already instructed me to wait for the two of you here. Fellow Daoists, please follow me.”
“Oh my, it’s little friends Jiu Hui and Zhi You.” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect saw that the visitors were Jiu Hui and Zhi You, and he stood up to greet them with a smile. “Please, have a seat.”
“Junior pays respect to the Sect Master.” Jiu Hui handed the congratulatory gift to the disciple and bowed to the Sect Master of Wanhuo Sect. “My master said that today is New Year’s Eve. Although cultivators have long lifespans, they can also celebrate with the common people. This junior and Zhi You are visiting your esteemed sect for the first time. If we behave inappropriately, please forgive us, Sect Master.”
“Wangshu Pavilion is adjacent to our humble sect. We have been looking out for each other all these years. In terms of closeness and distance, it’s fine for you to call me sect uncle.” The more Wanhuo Sect looked at the two, the more he liked them. He even felt a little regretful in his heart. Why didn’t he accept the two into his sect back then?
The sect master’s disciple saw his master and Jiu Hui talking about everything under the sun, from cultivation to comprehension, and couldn’t help but suspect that his master wanted to poach Wangshu Pavilion’s talent.
When Jiu Hui and Zhi You got up to take their leave, the Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect repeatedly tried to keep them. After hearing that Jiu Hui still had to visit the Wenxing School, he could only give the two of them a pile of meeting gifts before regretfully watching them leave.
“Master, why do you value those two so much?” His disciple muttered in a low voice, “No matter how good other people’s disciples are, they are still from other families.”
“What do you know?” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect sighed. “Those who can save all living beings at a critical moment are all people with great fortune. Even if they are not people with great fortune, but just ordinary cultivators, we should treat them with respect for their contributions to saving the world.”
Two young cultivators, who dared to stand up at a critical moment and could come up with a solution, were already rare.
“Wangshu Pavilion really lucked out.” The more the Sect Master of Wanhuo Sect thought about it, the more unwilling he became. He had his disciple invite Elder Luo: “Elder Luo, you were responsible for the sect’s recent disciple recruitment. Did you happen to notice Zhi You and Jiu Hui during those few days in Wenxian City?”
“Of course I noticed them.” Elder Luo had a deep impression of these two people. One was noble and extraordinary, like an immortal descending to the mortal world. However, after testing his aptitude, it turned out to be the worst of the worst. That Jiu Hui was even more infuriating. He had put down his old face and personally invited her to join the Wanhuo Sect, but she would rather listen to her fortune-telling old man at the village entrance than join the Wanhuo Sect.
What fire could restrain her? Just because their Wanhuo Sect had the word “fire” in its name, it didn’t mean that the entire sect loved to play with fire. What was this nonsense about restraining or not restraining?!
After explaining the incident to the Sect Master, Elder Luo huffed, “This old man has never seen such a foolish little girl!”
“Alas, it seems that our Wanhuo Sect is not fated to have these two children. It is not their fault.” The Sect Master of the Wanhuo Sect was very depressed. He waved his hand and walked out of the main hall, his back looking desolate and lonely.
“Nephew, is there something wrong with your master’s… mind?” Elder Luo asked the sect master’s disciple, utterly bewildered. “Someone looked down on our sect, but instead of getting angry, he started reflecting on himself?”
Was this still their irritable sect master?
It seemed that he was seriously ill.
-—–
Jiu Hui and Zhi You arrived at the Wenxing School and were also warmly received by the school’s master.
“Miss Jiu Hui, Fellow Daoist Zhi You.” Qing Heng’s ears turned a little red when he saw Jiu Hui. “It’s been months since we last met. How have you both been?”
“Everything is fine.” Jiu Hui still remembered Qing Heng, the warm and honest young man who had been willing to let them hitch a ride on his flying ship back to the sect. Unfortunately, the flying ship had been split into four pieces by a Demon Cult’s Dharma Protector, and the few of them from Wangshu Pavilion had had to rely on the gourd to slowly float back to the sect.
“That’s good. Please have some tea.” Qing Heng brought tea, fruits, and snacks to the two of them before leaving the inner hall.
Most disciples of the Wenxing School were mild-mannered and easygoing, or else they wouldn’t have let Wangshu Pavilion frequently mooch rides on their flying boats. When a young disciple saw Qing Heng come out, he approached him with a blush on his face and asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother, who was that woman you greeted just now…”
“That’s the core disciple of the Pavilion Master Yu of the Wangshu Pavilion. She’s only eighteen this year.” Qing Heng saw his junior brother blushing and looking shy: “Don’t think wildly here. I’ll give you a day off today. Go out and have fun.”
When they heard that they didn’t have to cultivate today, everyone cheered, called their friends, packed their things, and prepared to go out.
“Where are you all planning to go to play?”
“What’s so fun about Fanxing City? I’m telling you, within a few hundred miles, the most lively and fun place on New Year’s Eve is Taolin City.”
“What could be fun in a city like Taolin City, which is protected by a small sect?”
“You haven’t been there, so you don’t know how great that city is.”
“As noon approaches, I invite you two junior nephews to stay for a meal,” said the Sect Master of Wenxing School. “This is your first visit, and if I fail to keep you for a meal, my heart will be ill at ease.”
“Sect Master Xie, then we will respectfully accept your offer.” Jiu Hui agreed with the flow of things.
Perfect, another meal saved.
-—–
“Yu Luan, what are you looking at?” Qing Heng instructed the kitchen to prepare the meal, and when he came out, he saw the new inner sect disciple who had just joined the sect this year lingering at the courtyard gate. He said, “Master is having a banquet. If you have anything to do, tell me.”
“I, I’m fine.” She had only heard that someone from Wangshu Pavilion had come to visit the sect master. Recalling that day in Wenxian City when she had seen Jiu Hui with people from Wangshu Pavilion, she had guessed that Jiu Hui had joined Wangshu Pavilion, so she wanted to ask about Jiu Hui’s recent situation.
These days, whenever she thought about Jiu Hui following the people from Wangshu Pavilion to mooch a ride on their flying ship, while she pretended not to know Jiu Hui because she felt ashamed, she felt uneasy inside.
That day, Jiu Hui must have seen her, but she didn’t come over to talk to her because she saw her hiding behind her Senior Brothers and Sisters.
Yu Luan couldn’t even understand why she had such an absurd idea at the time. Just because Jiu Hui had joined a small sect and had come to mooch a ride on the flying boat, she was afraid that others would know that she knew Jiu Hui. Every day since then, she had blushed at her shameful thoughts at the time.
Jiu Hui, a young girl from a remote village, was naive and ignorant about the outside world. She had no relatives or friends, but she had betrayed Jiu Hui’s friendship.
She clutched the purse at her waist tightly. Even this purse was something Jiu Hui had retrieved for her from a thief. She was too ashamed to tell the sect’s head disciple about this incident, so she lowered her head and left in a hurry.
Qing Heng looked at Yu Luan’s back with confusion. Was his face that scary? Why didn’t his junior sister dare to say anything when she saw him and just turned around and left?
Jiu Hui and Zhi You had a sumptuous lunch at Wenxing School. As they walked out of the main hall under the gentle gaze of the Wenxing School’s Sect Master, she looked up at the sky and said, “It’s snowing heavily.”
Zhi You took out an umbrella from his storage ring and opened it to shield Jiu Hui’s head. “Let’s go.”
Jiu Hui hopped on the snow with both feet and said smugly, “When we get to Taolin City, I’ll teach you how to draw rabbits with your feet.”
“Good.” Zhi You curved his lips into a slight smile, held the umbrella, and walked to her side, continuing to shield her from the heavy snowfall.
“Miss Jiu Hui.”
Zhi You’s slightly raised mouth corners drooped down. He turned his head to look at Qing Heng who was chasing after him: “Fellow Daoist Qing Heng, what else do you need?”
Qing Heng held two umbrellas in his hands. Seeing the umbrella that Zhi You was holding open, he put his umbrellas behind him. “It’s nothing. You two fellow Daoists, take your time.”
“Alright.” Zhi You nodded slightly. “Thank you, fellow Daoist.”
“Fellow Daoist Qing Heng, farewell.” Jiu Hui cupped her hands towards Qing Heng, turned around, and skipped forward. Zhi You followed closely behind her. Even though Jiu Hui occasionally skipped out of the umbrella’s shade, he didn’t get angry. He just tried to stretch his arm as far as he could.
Qing Heng lowered his head to look at the umbrella in his hand and sighed softly. He did not continue to follow and see her off.
If he followed them any further, it would be meddling in other people’s business.
Inside the Wenxing School, Jiu Hui and Zhi You did not fly on swords. When they were approaching the main gate, Jiu Hui saw Yu Luan standing under a tree. She stopped and turned her head slightly to look at her.
Yu Luan walked back and forth in the snow, leaving a trail of footprints behind her. Hearing footsteps behind her, she quickly turned around and saw that it was Jiu Hui. She excitedly took two steps forward, then stopped with a blush on her face.
“Sister Yu Luan!” Jiu Hui trotted over to Yu Luan and hugged her, smiling brightly. “Long time no see. How have you been lately?”
“I’m good, I’m really good.” Yu Luan’s eyes were red as she reached out her trembling hands to hug Jiu Hui back. “What about you? How have you been doing at Wangshu Pavilion?”
She didn’t blame her. It turned out that she didn’t blame her. Yu Luan felt even more ashamed of herself at that time. She buried her face deeply in Jiu Hui’s shoulder.
“My master accepted me as her core disciple, and my Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, and sect uncles in the sect all took good care of me.” Jiu Hui’s voice was extremely clear, as if she was completely unaware of Yu Luan’s dodging and evading that day. “My master only has two disciples, Zhi You and me, and she is very attentive to us on a daily basis.”
She let go of Yu Luan and pulled Zhi You over, saying, “This is my Junior Brother Zhi You. He may not be much of a talker, but he’s very considerate.”
When Jiu Hui said he was her junior brother, Zhi You raised his eyelids and glanced at her, but he still silently lowered his head.
If she liked, she could call him Junior Brother outside.
-—–
Fuguang Palace.
The snow fell more and more heavily, as if it wanted to bury the entire palace under the snow.
A puppet placed the letters from the Ten Great Sects on the cold jade table.
Letters had piled up on the table, and some had been blown to the ground by the wind, but no one bothered to pick them up.
“The Immortal Lord, is still in meditation.” The puppet guarding the room turned its head stiffly and looked at the motionless person on the bed. “Do not disturb, wait until… Immortal Lord wakes up.”
The bed curtains rustled slightly, and the person on the bed sat up.
He lifted the bed curtains and looked at the snow fluttering outside the window. He used his spiritual power to summon the topmost letter.
“Jiu……tian Sect.”
Author’s Note:
Little Garlic Chive: Let me introduce you to my taciturn little junior brother~
Zhi You: Oh.