“The trees in the forest will continue to grow. If these withered and rotten old trees are not cut down, the saplings below will not be able to grow.” Uncle Wu chopped down the dead old tree and pointed to a tree next to it that had been struck by lightning but had already sprouted new buds. “This tree survived after being struck by lightning. If you are interested, you can take some branches back to make magic weapons.”
“This tree… should be two thousand years old. It could be used as a magic weapon.” Uncle Wu trimmed the dead branches and used magic to bring some water to the sapling. “But the quality is a bit poor. I have some ten-thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood. I’ll get you two pieces when I get back.”
“Thank you, Uncle Wu. I shouldn’t need it for now…” Zhi You followed behind Uncle Wu, learning how to prune and catch bugs on these big trees.
“You can never have too many things. Even if you don’t need them now, you might need them later.” Uncle Wu was dressed elegantly, but his movements were clean and efficient as he pruned the branches. “Now that you’re in our Shanghuang Village, you’re one of us. You and Little Jiu Hui are the only children in the village. If the elders give you something, just take it.”
“There’s a common saying in the mortal world: ‘When an elder gives you something, you can’t refuse it.’” Uncle Wu supported himself against the trunk of the tree and picked two fruits from the top of the tree, tossing them to Zhi You. “A child should act like a child.”
Zhi You held the two fruits in his hands, feeling a little at a loss.
“It’s almost dark, let’s go home.” Uncle Wu put away his axe and walked back with Zhi You. “They’re making your favorite honey chicken wings for dinner. If you go back late, Xiao Jiu will have eaten half of them in the kitchen.”
“Jiu Hui really likes to eat this?” Zhi You asked.
“What doesn’t she like to eat?” Uncle Wu said with a disdainful tone, but his eyes couldn’t hide his smile. “When I took her to the city when she was little, there was someone selling roasted flatbread on the side of the road, and she could squat there and watch for half an hour.”
Zhi You couldn’t help but wonder how adorable Jiu Hui would look squatting beside the baked flatbread stall. “Did she get to eat the baked flatbread?”
“They saw her a little girl squatting beside a stall, and both the diners and the stall owner were stuffing her with pancakes.” Uncle Wu shook his head. “The villagers also dote on her. From childhood to adulthood, she has never suffered any major grievances. In the current state of the world, I don’t know whether this is good or bad.”
“You too.” Uncle Wu glared at Zhi You. “I said so much, but all you care about is whether or not she had a bite of that roasted flatbread.”
Zhi You honestly lowered his head, not refuting Uncle Wu’s words.
He followed behind Uncle Wu, crossed the stone bridge at the village entrance, and returned to the brightly lit village.
The village had no other children, but there were chickens and dogs. The kitchen in the east was filled with smoke from cooking, and Auntie Jiao and Auntie Liu were spinning cloth under the tree. Grandpa Bu and Grandpa Long were chasing chickens in the corner, and some other elders were sitting together in twos and threes, chatting and laughing.
When they saw Zhi You return, they all greeted him with smiles and asked him to sit down.
Uncle Wu saw that Zhi You’s gaze was searching all over the village, and he knew what he was looking for. He reached out and took the axe from Zhi You’s hand. “Go look in the kitchen.”
“Thank you, Uncle Wu.” After greeting his elders, Zhi You ran through the bustling village towards the kitchen.
As he walked to the kitchen yard, Zhi You heard Jiu Hui’s voice coming from the yard.
“Village Chief Grandpa, this mushroom is so brightly colored, is it poisonous?”
“What poison? I picked them myself. Can you not trust me?”
“I don’t mind eating anything, anyway, I won’t get poisoned. But Zhi You can’t eat it. Don’t cook these colorful mushrooms.”
“Get out of the way. If you can’t cook, go to the side and clean the vegetables and peel the garlic.” The village chief pushed Jiu Hui out into the yard, stuffed a handful of garlic and a bunch of vegetables into her hands, and shut her out of the door.
Jiu Hui walked to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down. She threw the garlic and vegetables on the table and took out a fruit from her pocket to munch on.
“Zhi You?” Jiu Hui noticed Zhi You standing at the entrance of the courtyard and quickly waved at him. “Come and help me peel garlic and clean vegetables.”
Zhi You walked up to Jiu Hui, picked up a garlic chive, and asked awkwardly, “How do you clean this?”
“Don’t remove the yellow leaves. Just separate the leaves from the stems.” With someone helping her, Jiu Hui felt at ease to munch on the fruit and slack off.
She watched Zhi You’s serious expression, as if he were studying a complex formation while picking vegetables, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “As long as there are no bugs or yellow leaves, it’s fine. You don’t have to be so serious.”
“This is my first time preparing vegetables.” Zhi You placed the prepared vegetables neatly together. “It’s quite interesting.”
“It doesn’t matter. Next, you’ll dig soil for the first time, weed for the first time, and collect eggs for the first time…” Jiu Hui finished her fruit, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and began to peel garlic. “This is mountain village life.”
“I like it very much.” Zhi You gently brushed away the mud from the root of the vegetable. “I like everything here.”
He took out a fruit from his sleeve. “Uncle Wu picked it just now. I had one, and it was very sweet.”
So he left the remaining one to Jiu Hui.carpreads.pages.dev
“Uncle Wu is treating you like a child.” Jiu Hui took the fruit from Zhi You’s hand and took a big bite. “It’s really sweet. Uncle Wu’s fruit-picking skills are the best in our village.”
When Jiu Hui praised the fruit for being sweet, Zhi You’s eyes and brows softened.
“I knew little Jiu Hui would be slacking off.” Grandpa Long walked into the yard carrying a plucked chicken. Seeing Zhi You peeling garlic and Jiu Hui eating, he laughed out loud. “Zhi You, don’t spoil her. She’ll be even lazier in the future.”
Zhi You shook his head. “I’m not spoiling her.”
“Grandpa Long, are we having chicken stew tonight?” Jiu Hui only listened to what she wanted to hear. She looked at the chicken in Grandpa Long’s hand. “The chickens outside just don’t taste as good as our own.”
“Of course, our chickens are different from the ones outside.” Grandpa Long took the peeled garlic. “I’ll go to the kitchen to cook.”
Zhi You carried the prepared vegetables and followed Grandpa Long into the kitchen.
The kitchen in Shanghuang Village was very spacious, with countless spices neatly arranged on the shelves. Zhi You saw some spice jars with shocking words written on them, such as “Jian Tree Fragrance,” “Dragon Scale Powder,” “Gan Tree Fruit,” “Ten Thousand Year Ginseng Whiskers,” “Mermaid Pearl Powder,” and “Black Turtle Shell.”
Zhi You silently shifted his gaze away.
The village elders really didn’t treat him as an outsider at all.
“Add some ginseng whiskers and turtle shell to the chicken soup.” The village chief sprinkled a spoonful of mermaid pearl powder on the honey chicken wings. “Mermaid pearls nourish the skin and protect the eyes. Zhi You and Little Jiu Hui are young, so it’s good for them to eat some of this.”
The village chief noticed that Zhi You was still in the kitchen, so he filled a bowl with chicken wings and handed it to him. “Go out and play with Jiu Hui, but don’t go too far. Dinner will be ready in an hour.”
After speaking, he pushed him out the door.
“It smells so good.” Jiu Hui followed the scent and approached Zhi You. “Let’s go listen to Auntie Jiao and the others gossip about the other villages while we munch on chicken wings.”
The two of them held the bowl that was bigger than their faces and approached Auntie Jiao and Auntie Liu. Jiu Hui fed each of the aunties a chicken wing and pulled Zhi You to sit down on a small stool. “Aunties, tell us again about the feud between White Tea Village and Green Tea Village next door.”
“Didn’t I tell you about this last year?”
“I’ve heard it, but Zhi You hasn’t, so tell it again, tell it again~”
“Alright, then I’ll tell you again…”
As the chicken wings in the bowl gradually dwindled, Zhi You also understood the grievances between the two tea clans amidst Jiu Hui’s exclamations. It was probably because of a dispute over whose village’s tea was the real top-grade spirit tea, the two villages had caused a lot of trouble until the young master of the Green Tea Village fell in love with the young lady of the White Tea Village, and this conflict gradually subsided.
“Their child was Bai Yan, the one I call Little Bai.” Jiu Hui opened her mouth to let Zhi You put the last chicken wing in her mouth. After finishing the chicken wing, she wiped her mouth and hands. “Bai Yan’s mother became the new village chief of White Tea Village, so he became the young master of White Tea Village.”
“His parents’ love is truly interesting.” Zhi You took out a handkerchief and wiped Jiu Hui’s fingertips, lowering his eyes as he asked, “Are the feelings between the young masters and mistresses in these villages near Nushen Mountain very good?”
“They are close in age and grew up together, so their relationship must be pretty good.”
“What about you?” Zhi You asked Jiu Hui.
“I’m not like them.” Jiu Hui stood up and walked slowly through the village, with Zhi You accompanying her.
“By the time I could walk and talk, they had already spent many years together.” Jiu Hui smiled. “When I was a child, I preferred to go to the city outside of Nushen Mountain to play.”
Zhi You’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. Could it be that those young masters had ostracized Jiu Hui?
“When I was a few years old, I could beat them to the ground. They felt humiliated and even avoided me when walking.” Jiu Hui shook her head. “I thought they were just big and useless, so I didn’t bother with them.”
“That young master Bai Yan…”
“Little Bai and Kong Cangnan were different. When I was a child, they were also children.” Jiu Hui recalled, touching her chin. “If we’re really talking about it, it seems like only the two of them were familiar with me. I didn’t have much contact with the young masters from the other villages. Some of them probably don’t even know what I look like.”
“Jiu Hui, Zhi You, come home for dinner!”
Behind them, the voices of their elders called them back to eat.
“Coming! Be right there!”
Jiu Hui grabbed Zhi You’s sleeve and ran back. She would be scolded if she returned late.
Zhi You’s hand under his sleeve trembled as he stretched out two fingers and gently held a small corner of Jiu Hui’s sleeve, following her as she ran.
The night wind blew up his sleeves, covering his two fingers that had took up all his courage, and also concealing his pounding heart.
Although the news of the Sect Master of the Jiutian Sect being injured hadn’t spread throughout the entire cultivation world, the Sect Masters of the Ten Great Sects had already received the news.
The Palace Master of Changshou Palace looked at Bu Ting’s pale face and withdrew her hand from his pulse. Her expression was solemn. “What exactly happened? Why is Sect Master Bu so badly injured?”
Bu Ting coughed lightly, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
“Palace Master, the Sect Master has taken the pill, but it had no effect. Why is that?” Third Elder was very worried.
“The person who injured Sect Master Bu left their spiritual energy in his spiritual platform. However, this person showed mercy and did not intend to take the sect master’s life.” The Palace Master of Changshou wiped her hands. “As long as he suffers for a sufficient amount of time, he will naturally recover.”
“How long will it take to undo it?” Third Elder asked with concern.
“I don’t know either.” The Palace Master of Changshou shook her head. “Only the one who injured the Sect Master would know.”
“The only person in the entire cultivation world who could injure Sect Master Bu is Sect Master Qiu Hua. But Sect Master Qiu has been in seclusion for some time now. I wonder who else could have done this?” The Palace Master of Changshou’s expression gradually became serious. “Who exactly did the Sect Master meet these past few days?”
The Third Elder remained silent.
Bu Ting opened his eyes and said calmly, “I went to see Lord Fuguang.”
“Are you out of your mind?!” The Palace Master of Changshou Palace abruptly stood up, her face extremely unsightly. “Sect Master Bu, why would you go and disturb the Immortal Lord?”
The Third Elder saw that Changshou Palace Master had taken the initiative to get angry, so he quickly explained what had happened.
The Palace Master of Changshou Palace did not improve her expression because of his explanation, but instead became even more furious: “Just because you don’t believe the divination results of Zhenxing Tower, you went to disturb the Immortal Lord. Bu Ting, I think you’re really crazy!”
“If we don’t go after him, are we just going to let the demons and yaos wreak havoc?” Bu Ting spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, expressionless. He wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth. “There’s no other Gan tree in this world that can help us refine the immortal cauldrons.”
“Perhaps it was wrong five hundred years ago.” The Palace Master of Changshou Palace also had an unsightly expression. “For those ten cauldrons, our masters, Mu Qi, the Immortal Lord…”
“We guarded those ten cauldrons with fear and trepidation, building the most magnificent prison in the world for the Immortal Lord, waiting anxiously for the catastrophe to strike again day after day.” The Palace Master of Changshou stumbled and sat down. “We did everything we could, but the catastrophe still didn’t disappear. Could it be that what we did was wrong from the very beginning?”
“I think you’re the one who’s crazy.” Bu Ting looked at her with an expressionless face. “If the Palace Master is afraid and wants to retreat, that’s your Changshou Palace’s business. We of the Jiutian Sect will never take a step back. If demons do evil, I will eliminate them. If yaos have evil intentions, I will kill them.”
“But everything in the world doesn’t always go according to our plans.” The Palace Master of Changshou Palace said in a decadent tone, “Bu Ting, have you ever thought that by putting all our hopes on the Immortal Cauldron, we are actually pushing the world into a real desperate situation?”
Bu Ting clutched his chest and suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.
“Impossible.”
“Absolutely impossible…”
-—–
The weather gradually cooled down, and Jiu Hui received a letter from Wangshu Pavilion for her and Zhi You. Jiu Hui noticed that Senior Brother Yan Bo had also sent Zhi You a few books.
“My Years of Getting Rich in the Mountain Village…” Jiu Hui glanced at the title of the book. “Eldest Senior Brother’s book titles are getting weirder and weirder.”
“These books… were written by Eldest Senior Brother?” Zhi You was somewhat surprised.
“Did you not know that Eldest Senior Brother’s favorite hobby is to record gossip and write storybooks?” Jiu Hui flipped open “My Years of Getting Rich in a Mountain Village”: “A man ends up in a remote mountain village and becomes the zhuixu of an impoverished woman. Using his knowledge and experience from outside the mountain village, he helps the orphan and her family get rich…”
“How much does Eldest Senior Brother like writing about those zhuixus?” Jiu Hui closed the book and tossed it aside. “Five out of ten protagonists are zhuixus.”
Zhi You put the book away. “I wonder if Master misses us?”
“I don’t think that’s what it means.” Jiu Hui pointed at the letter. “Master said it’s not easy for us to go home, so she wants us to go back after the New Year.”
“The Sect Master of the Jiutian Sect was injured and has been vomiting blood for days, and even the Changshou Palace is helpless?” Jiu Hui raised an eyebrow. “Who beat up the old fart so badly?”
Zhi You’s eyes held a hint of a smile. “I don’t know either.”
“Of course you couldn’t know. Even I don’t know, so how could you possibly be aware?” Jiu Hui glanced at Zhi You and continued reading the letter. “Master also said that the Jiutian Sect seems to be investigating new disciples who joined the sect last year. The neighboring Wenxing School and Wanhuo Sect have already been investigated.”
“Is it because our Wangshu Pavilion is poor and weak that we weren’t investigated?” Jiu Hui waved the letter around with a swish, “Aren’t they looking down on us?”
“Have they found anything?” Zhi You asked.
“Nothing was found.” Jiu Hui handed the letter to Zhi You. “Master said that Bu Ting might have contracted a serious illness, which is why he went mad.”
“Yes.” Zhi You nodded. “Master is right.”
Jiu Hui raised an eyebrow. “Zhi You, you’ve become naughty.”
“What?” Zhi You blinked, his face full of innocence.
“Let’s go buy some things in the city and send them back to Master and the others.” Jiu Hui pulled Zhi You along and said to Grandpa Bu, who was under the tree at the entrance of the village, “Grandpa Bu, Zhi You and I are going to the city today. Don’t make lunch for us.”
“Got it.” Grandpa Bu said to Zhi You, “Zhi You, keep an eye on Little Jiu. Don’t let her run around.”
Zhi You stayed in the village for a while, and the whole village could see that Zhi You was an honest child. If these two caused any trouble, then it must be Jiu Hui’s idea.
Jiu Hui grabbed Zhi You and ran. After they had run far away, she turned to Grandpa Bu and said, “Grandpa Bu, don’t worry. I definitely won’t cause any trouble.”
Grandpa Bu shook his head helplessly.
After entering the city with Jiu Hui several times, the people in the city had become familiar with Zhi You. Even the guards at the city gate would affectionately call him “Young Master Zhi”.
“Miss Jiu, Young Master Zhi.” Today, the guards’ faces were unusually serious. When they saw Jiu Hui and Zhi You, they quickly called out to them, “If you don’t have any important business today, don’t enter the city.”
“Uncles, what happened?” Jiu Hui’s smile faded when she saw the fear and panic on the faces of the two uncles guarding the city. “Did someone come to cause trouble in the city?”
“There are immortals here,” the old city guard whispered. “Those immortals are so imposing that we dare not look at them for too long.”
“Immortals?” Jiu Hui frowned. “Why would immortals visit a remote city like ours?”
The gatekeeper shook his head. “These immortals look very difficult to deal with. I heard that they are disciples of a major sect. I think you should go back today.”
“It’s nothing.” Jiu Hui consoled him. “Uncle, have you heard of the Jiutian Sect?”
“Who in the world doesn’t know the great name of the Jiutian Sect?”
“The Jiutian Sect’s head disciple is my friend.” Jiu Hui patted her chest. “With his favor, even the disciples of other major sects will have to give me some face.”
“Miss Jiu is that formidable?!” The gatekeeper and the people nearby who heard this suddenly became excited, and the fear on their faces diminished: “Is the disciple of the Jiutian Sect very powerful?”
“Of course he’s formidable. He’s the head disciple of the Jiutian Sect. Do you know what a sect’s head disciple is? It means he’s the heir to the Jiutian Sect, the next sect master.”
“Whoa!” the crowd exclaimed, “He’s actually this powerful?!”
“As expected of Miss Jiu, she even knows such a formidable figure.”
“Our little Jiu Hui is so promising, so it’s no wonder she’s able to get to know the successor of a sect!”
No one doubted the girl from the remote town when she said she knew the sect’s head disciple of the Jiutian Sect, which showed how much everyone trusted Jiu Hui.
In less than half an hour, news that someone recognized the Jiutian Sect’s head disciple spread throughout the entire city.
“Sect Master, Eldest Senior Brother.” A Jiutian Sect disciple walked into the room and glanced at Nan Feng with a strange expression. “A rumor about Eldest Senior Brother has been circulating in the city.”
“Cough, cough, cough.” Bu Ting wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced at Nan Feng, and asked the disciple who had delivered the message, “What rumor?”
“A woman in the city claims that she and the Eldest Senior Brother are close friends, and that all the cultivators in the world should give her some face.” If he hadn’t discovered that the people in the city were not as afraid of him as they had been in the morning after he went out, he wouldn’t have known that there was such a rumor.
“Master, this disciple has never been to this place before, so it’s impossible for me to know any women here.” Nan Feng poured a cup of hot spirit tea into Bu Ting’s hand. “Please, Master, be clear.”
“It must be some ignorant country girl who heard about the Eldest Senior Brother’s reputation and dared to fabricate such a lie.” The disciple’s tone was slightly contemptuous. “This place is poor, and the people here are not very knowledgeable, so they dare to make up such a lie.”
Bu Ting took a sip of spiritual tea, barely suppressing the pain in his spiritual platform that felt like a raging fire. “Let’s go out and take a look.”
“Master, you’re not feeling well. Let your disciple handle this matter.” Nan Feng regretted a little. If he hadn’t been living in Taolin City and refused to return to the sect, his master might not have been injured.
“I’m fine.” Bu Ting stood up. “The Wenxing School calculated that the key to healing my injuries is in a few nearby cities, so I’ll go and take a look.”
The disciple was deeply prejudiced against this place: “The nearby cities are all remote and poor. It doesn’t look like there are any experts here.”
Nan Feng frowned and looked at the disciple. “Wenxing School and our sect have been on good terms for many years. Since he said so, there must be a reason. If your words reach the sect master’s ears, wouldn’t it ruin the many years of friendship between our two sects?”
“This disciple spoke out of turn!” The disciple quickly apologized.
Nan Feng ignored him. He wanted to reach out to support Bu Ting’s arm, but Bu Ting raised his hand slightly. “No need, it’s just a minor injury.”
“Yes.” Nan Feng suppressed the worry in his heart.
Bu Ting walked downstairs and glanced at the city lord who kept bowing and nodding to him. He said coldly, “Step back.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” The City Lord quickly retreated. Once he was out of the inn’s main entrance, he finally managed to let out a sigh of relief.
“City Lord.” The captain of the guards whispered in the City Lord’s ear, “Good news, we’ve found someone who has connections with a cultivation sect.”
“Who is it?” The city lord was overjoyed.
“Miss Jiu Hui went out to study last year and became friends with the head disciple of the Jiutian Sect.”
City Lord: “Ah?”
The Jiutian Sect’s head disciple, he was in the inn ah.
The master and servant turned their heads and saw several immortals walking out of the inn’s main entrance. They both shrank back in unison.
The City Lord asked in a low voice, “Miss Jiu, is it true that she knows Immortal Nan Feng?”
“Miss Jiu… she wouldn’t lie to us, would she?” the captain of the guards said, sounding uncertain.
Nan Feng glanced at the master and servant whispering in the corner. Miss Jiu?
He didn’t know any of the so-called Ninth Miss or Eighth Miss*!
TN: Jiu is also the sound of the number 9
This woman was truly shameless. How dare she ruined his reputation like this?
“Nan Feng?” Jiu Hui held a half-eaten fried dough twist in her hand, looking at Nan Feng who had appeared here in surprise: “Why are you here?”
“Jiu Hui? Zhi You?” Nan Feng was even more surprised than Jiu Hui. “How did you get here?”
Wasn’t it said that she was going to Tianhe City along the way? How was it convenient to go south and north?
“My home is in a village outside the city.” Jiu Hui took a bite of the fried dough and said righteously, “Didn’t I tell you when I was in Taolin City that my home is in a remote village?”
“But didn’t you say…” Nan Feng remembered that the matter of Shiyi could not be known by the sect, so he changed his words and said, “Didn’t you say that you lived in the village, so why are you in the city now?”
“Even villagers can come to the market.” Jiu Hui finished eating the fried dough twist in a few bites. “I brought Zhi You to the city to buy fried dough twist.”
“Miss Jiu Hui.” Bu Ting looked at the little girl in a light blue dress in front of him. “Long time no see.”
“Immortal Venerable Bu.” Jiu Hui seemed to have just noticed Bu Ting’s appearance. “Junior has met Immortal Venerable.”
Zhi You cupped his hands behind her without saying a word.
“What a coincidence.” Bu Ting walked down the steps in front of the inn. “Since you’re new here, would you mind showing us around the city?”
He wondered if she was really a local or if she was doing it on purpose.
The city lord, the captain of the guards, and the townspeople who were secretly watching from the sides straightened their backs when they saw Jiu Hui chatting and laughing with the immortals.
It turned out that there really was someone above them. This was perfect!
Author’s Note
Little Garlic Chive: I wish you all a happy winter solstice, full of joy!
Citizens of Nushen City: Who said that Miss Jiu is the hope of the entire village? She’s clearly the hope of the entire city, the pillar of the entire city, that’s for sure!
What, is Miss Jiu really a person from their city? Of course she is, they watched her grow up!