"Hey, have you heard? Something huge happened at the Wutong Martial Banquet this time!"
"Do you even need to say it? Our Immortal Realm produced such a stunning figure, word's already spread through all Three Realms!"
"A Young Lord who's only cultivated for three years, that hasn't happened in a thousand years. I hear Immortal Elder Jinyao wants to take him up to the Heavenly Palace, accept him as a disciple, and personally guide his cultivation."
"Tsk tsk, Piaomiao can finally hold its head high. Young Lord Chongzhao won the Wutong Martial Banquet for our race and secured the hundred mile blessed land, that's no small feat. With a figure like him, I doubt Piaomiao will wait a hundred years before the rank of the Three Mountains falls to them."
"Now that's getting ahead of things. Kunlun and Yunxiao have a thousand years of foundation, they won't be replaced so easily. Besides, what you're talking about is small stuff. Our race may have won the banquet, but the ones who truly stole the show were the demon race. I hear Palace Lord Haoyue ascended to godhood in a single step in the Alien City, cut down the evil spirits, subdued the wicked dragon, saved both immortal and demon disciples, and then left without a trace, leaving the Immortal Elders of the Ninth Heaven thoroughly humiliated."
"Ugh, now the demon realm has another half god. I'm afraid our race is going to be reined in at every turn for the next hundred years."
"Palace Lord Haoyue was already a giant of the demon realm, famous for ages. Even as a half god he's only on the same level as Immortal Elder Jinyao. This Young Lord Chongzhao has managed this much after only three years of cultivation. Give him another hundred, and he may well surpass Palace Lord Haoyue."
"Exactly, you're an immortal yourself, how can you talk up the demon race and put down our own!"
The arguing in the teahouse went on and on. At the deserted fortune telling stall nearby, Bai Shuo, who had been sleeping face down all day, was woken by the noise. She stretched, glanced at the two or three copper coins in her cracked wooden bowl, yawned, and tossed the tattered banner reading "Never Wrong, Never Miss" into her basket before packing up.
Ever since her little disciple had left, life had been rather bleak.
"Oh, Immortal Bai, leaving so early today?" Old Man Song, who sold pork next door, called out.
"Sun's going down. Time to go home and sleep."
"What about your little disciple? Haven't seen him in a while."
"Ah, don't ask. His family struck it rich, he's gone home to enjoy the good life." Bai Shuo waved a hand and shuffled off in her straw sandals.
In the setting sun, Old Man Song puffed on his old pipe, blowing out two smoke rings, watching the figure with the little basket on her back. Somehow, he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.
With a crash, half of the thatched hut collapsed. Bai Shuo, her hair a bird's nest and her face covered in dust, crawled out from under the crooked tree that had half fallen on it. Two little paper figures clumsily held up a plate of burnt fish and brought it to her.
Bai Shuo put her hands on her hips, ready to scold them, but seeing the paper figures looking so pitifully wronged over the burnt fish, she said nothing, swallowed it down in a few bites, and rolled up her sleeves to fix the house instead.
She worked until midnight before the scattered pieces of the thatched hut were more or less whole again. Exhausted, her whole body aching, Bai Shuo collapsed onto her bamboo chair, sprawled out like a dead fish.
"Mumu, I'm thirsty..." Bai Shuo raised a hand and called out, but her voice trailed off halfway, falling silent.
She lowered her hand, dejected, sighed, and got up to fetch water from the one well in the yard. After searching around for a while without finding a single bowl, she picked a leaf, rolled it into a makeshift cup, and dropped it into the well. The well was too deep, and her spellwork wasn't good enough. The leaf tore halfway down, and the water gushed out, leaving nothing behind.
Bai Shuo felt a wave of dizziness and, unsteady, sat down against the edge of the well. She touched her chest, her mind growing hazy.
Ever since she had drawn her heart's blood in the Alien City, her vital energy had been damaged. If she hadn't stumbled into eating the Wutong Heart Flame by chance, Bai Shuo figured she'd have already kicked the bucket.
"Master!"
A voice seemed to sound beside her. Bai Shuo's head snapped up, and through the haze, she saw a young man running toward her.
"Mumu!"
Surprise and joy leaped into her eyes. She reached out to touch him, but her hand passed straight through his body.
What was going on? Bai Shuo looked at her palm, then glanced up. Under the tree was still the same old locust tree, but now there was a version of herself lying there, sound asleep.
She turned. Her little disciple had already reached the well. He carefully drew up water and hurried off toward the back of the hut, cradling it in his hands.
Bai Shuo quickly got up and followed behind him.
In the dim little kitchen, a small stove was already lit, and the well water was heating in a small pot. Her disciple dropped in two or three petals shimmering with spiritual energy, then pulled a jar of Jade Pool water out from some hidden corner and quietly added a spoonful.
Outside the kitchen, Bai Shuo stared, dumbfounded.
The immortal peony herb and Jade Pool spirit water were black market treasures. Where had this little blockhead gotten them?
She thought of the spirit pearls that occasionally went missing from her qiankun pouch, and nearly steamed with rage.
No wonder that ever since she'd come to Nanhai City, her spellcasting hadn't improved, yet the spiritual energy within her had grown far steadier than back on Piaomiao Island. This little spendthrift had been using materials like these just to brew her tea.
Even as Bai Shuo grumbled to herself, the water in the pot came to a boil. Her disciple quickly poured it into a bamboo bowl and carried it out, beaming.
Bai Shuo turned to look. The young man crouched by the bamboo chair, holding out the tea eagerly, and called out softly.
"Master, the tea's ready."
The figure on the bamboo chair sat up lazily, stretched, and drank the tea he held to her lips in one gulp. Then she smacked her lips and patted him on the head.
"Mumu's tea is just the best! So sweet! Disciple, make more tomorrow!"
"Alright."
The corners of her disciple's mouth curved up, joy shining in his eyes.
Not far off, Bai Shuo's face darkened. She really was an idiot, she wanted nothing more than to walk over and kick herself. Just then, she looked up to find the disciple under the tree had turned his head toward her.
Those eyes seemed to see the real Bai Shuo. He gazed at her plaintively, pressing his lips together, looking somewhat wronged.
"Mas..."
Her throat tightened, and she found herself walking toward the old locust tree without meaning to. But the moment she took a step, a flash of spiritual light passed, and the two blurred figures under the tree dissolved into scattered points of starlight before her. Within the starlight, her disciple's clear, wronged eyes kept watching her.
The wind blew past. Nothing remained but moonlight filtering through the leaves and the bamboo chair creaking as it swayed beneath the tree.
It had only been an illusion left behind by a spell, nothing advanced, any cultivator could manage it.
Bai Shuo trod over the dry weeds in the yard, pursing her lips.
How had she ended up taking on a disciple like this? Whoever said he was slow witted, he certainly knew how to hit her right in the heart.
But Mumu, you're a monster the likes of which comes along once in a thousand years. Your master here is no match for you.
She turned around dejectedly and stepped on something hard. Looking down, she found a jade flute, crystal clear and green.
Ah Zhao.
Bai Shuo froze, then picked it up and held it in her hand.
She looked over the messy, dark, deserted little courtyard, and gripped the flute tightly.
Forget it. Never mind whether he was a half god now, never mind whether he was headed up to the Ninth Heaven to become Jinyao's disciple. If she didn't go take one look at those two fools and ask them just what gave them the right to abandon her, the anger sitting in her chest wouldn't settle even if she lived another hundred years.
Without stopping, she dug a hidden jar out from the corner of the kitchen, slung her ragged cloth bag over her shoulder, and slapped a flight talisman against her chest without hesitation. In an instant, she vanished into the moonlight.
On Wutong Phoenix Island, in the Xiaoyao Pavilion, Fan Yue lay on the couch, head lowered, eyes half closed. Fragrant incense curled through the air, and his fiery red robes had fallen open across half the couch, revealing the faint outline of a star array on his chest.
Although the Wutong Martial Banquet had ultimately been won by a young man of the immortal race, such a major disruption had occurred midway through that the division of the hundred mile blessed land at the border between the two realms remained disputed. For the sake of fairness, the phoenix clan had invited all the leading figures of both the immortal and demon races back to Phoenix Island.
Among the Three Realms of the present age, the demon race now had Fan Yue as a half god in addition to Zhenyu and Chang Mei, while the immortal race, over the past thousand years, had produced only Jinyao at the rank of half god. Had it not been for Phoenix Emperor Feng Yin, who possessed the body of a god but had not yet ascended to the Realm of the Gods, and had the phoenix clan not always been on good terms with the immortals, the demon race would have gained the clear upper hand.
That the Palace Lord of Haoyue was cold and aloof by nature was known throughout the Three Realms, and since the Xiaoyao Pavilion was the most secluded place available, the phoenix clan had arranged for him to lodge there, making him a neighbor of the Phoenix Emperor in the Wutong Forest.
The roast chicken on the nanmu table before the couch had sat there for a full two hours, and still the figure on the couch had not moved.
Hua Hong poked Cang Shan, who stood guard at the door like a small mountain, and peered inside. "Tsk tsk tsk, he won't even eat the roast chicken. Do you think he's trying to starve himself to death?"
Cang Shan didn't so much as glance at her, too weary to bother with a woman who clearly had a death wish.
Hua Hong poked him again. "You didn't see it, ugh, how clingy he was back in the Alien City, wanting kisses, wanting hugs, all that was missing was him lifting her up over his head. You think that old bastard in there still rememb..."
A blur of silver, and two strands of the blacksmith's loose hair were sliced clean through. A silver chain flew past her cheek, cold and precise, before retreating back into the room.
Hua Hong's eyes went wide. She didn't dare breathe.
"Come in."
The cold voice came from inside the room. Cang Shan glanced at Hua Hong. She blinked, let out a long breath, and turned to go in with him.
On the couch, Fan Yue toyed with the silver chain, looking over at her indifferently.
Hua Hong's heart lurched, and she immediately wiped the playful smile off her face.
Well, their master had really come back.
"Palace Lord. Elder Fengxian sent word that in three days, the phoenix clan will hold a joint assembly, to formally bestow the Heart Flame upon Chongzhao of Piaomiao, and to discuss the division of the hundred mile blessed land with both the immortal and demon races."
Cang Shan's voice rumbled. Hua Hong raised an eyebrow. "The banquet turned into such a mess, and the phoenix clan still took it upon themselves to handle things, I'd wager they've already made up their minds. With three half gods on our side now, do the immortals really think they can still contest us?"
Hua Hong's temperament had always been brash, and she was accustomed to speaking this way in front of Fan Yue.
"With the Phoenix Emperor still around, what wouldn't the immortal race dare." Fan Yue narrowed his eyes. "Haoyue Palace's true enemy right now is not the immortal race."
Hua Hong's expression cooled. "Palace Lord means the one behind the chaos in the Alien City?"
Fan Yue nodded, rose, and walked to the door, gazing out. The whole sprawling landscape of pavilions on Phoenix Island lay before him. His gaze settled briefly on the Qianqiu Pavilion, farthest to the west.
Ever since Zhenyu had arrived on Phoenix Island, he had been staying at Qianqiu Pavilion.
"This Wutong Martial Banquet in the Alien City was set up for me from the start. Who do you think, among the Three Realms, wants me dead the most?"
Cang Shan spoke in a low voice. "The immortal race prides itself on being noble. They wouldn't stoop to something as vile as sacrificing another race."
Fan Yue looked at Hua Hong. "Whoever is behind this doesn't just know my movements like the back of his hand, he knows your identity too. With the tiger clan already extinct, he wants to unify the demon race, which means both Chang Mei and I must die."
"What a delusion. He only dares hide in the gutters like a rat, playing these underhanded tricks. I'll tear his nest apart!" Hua Hong's eyes reddened, and she made to charge off.
"Come back." Fan Yue's voice was cold and sharp. "You dug three feet into the ground at the Alien King's Palace and still found no trace of him. He's already a half god, and even if I struck at him myself, I might not be able to take his life. Between Lengquan and Haoyue, it's long been a fight to the death. There's no need to rush now."
"Yes." Hua Hong forced down the killing intent and anger in her eyes, then suddenly asked, "Now that you've woken this time, Palace Lord, has your cultivation risen another level?"
Fan Yue glanced at her, understanding why she asked, and answered plainly. "The reason I was able to sever the black dragon's spirit that day was because its divine nature was suddenly awakened. Otherwise, I had no certainty of victory."
"You awakened the black dragon's divine nature?"
"It wasn't me." Fan Yue paused. "A half god's cultivation isn't enough to awaken a dragon god's divine consciousness."
Hua Hong blinked. "If even you couldn't do it, who else was in the stone hall who could have awakened the dragon god's divine nature?"
The one behind it all had sacrificed an entire race for the sole purpose of erasing the dragon god's divine nature, turning it into a pure weapon of slaughter. If not even Fan Yue could awaken it, then who could have?
A sly, mischievous face suddenly surfaced in Fan Yue's mind. His brow creased. Just then, a wutong leaf drifted down from the tree in the courtyard, floated into the pavilion, and landed right in his palm. Something flickered between his brows, and he turned and left.
"I'll be in closed cultivation for the next few days. I'll attend to the matters between the two races in three days. Don't disturb me unless it's important."
Fan Yue left in a hurry. Hua Hong raised an eyebrow and suddenly spoke. "She's gone back to Nanhai City. With how clever she is, and how much she values her own skin, the matters between the two realms won't touch her again."
Fan Yue's steps paused for a moment before he turned and went into the inner chamber.
The instant he was gone, Cang Shan's tense expression relaxed. He looked at Hua Hong and frowned.
"Why bring up that half immortal in front of the master again? Ever since he ran into her, nothing good has come of it."
"Idiot. She's spun our Palace Lord around in circles, tricked him into becoming her little disciple, and nearly got a full fledged half god killed in the Alien City. Any one of those things would have gotten most people killed several times over. Look at that little half immortal's head, still sitting fine and sound on her shoulders, sturdier than a stone pillar. Not bring it up? What good would that do?"
Hua Hong rolled her eyes and sauntered out.
Not far off, deep in the Wutong Forest, a woman in plain cloth lay lazily across a branch of the massive ancestral wutong tree, a wooden gourd hanging at her waist. A flash of spiritual light, and Fan Yue, who had just said he was going into closed cultivation, appeared beneath the tree.
The young woman in the tree opened her eyes, stretched, and looked down at him.
"Palace Lord of Haoyue."
"The Phoenix Emperor summoned me. May I ask why?"
Fan Yue looked at the only deity remaining in the lower realm, raising an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised.
He had heard of this Phoenix Emperor before, the only fire phoenix in over a hundred thousand years to be born defying the heavens, ascending to godhood at only a hundred years of age. Her age, by the standards of an ordinary immortal, would make her still just a girl.
But the moment he saw her eyes, Fan Yue knew the rumors were false. Within those eyes lay clearly the weight of a thousand years of hardship.
Feng Yin stretched again. "In a few more days, it will be my master's birthday, and I need to travel far. There's a matter I'd like to entrust to the Palace Lord."
Her voice was bright and clear, easy enough to understand, yet even someone as composed as Fan Yue was taken aback for a moment.
Before today, he and Feng Yin had not even exchanged a nod, let alone anything approaching acquaintance. These words hardly seemed the sort one would say to someone met for the first time.
"What matter would that be? Please, Your Majesty, speak."
Fan Yue was puzzled inside, but his expression remained calm and composed.
Feng Yin suddenly leapt down from the tree, landing before him.
"What did you just say?"
Fan Yue blinked. "Please, Your Majesty, speak."
"Say it again?"
A muscle twitched at his temple.
"Your Majesty. Please. Speak."
Feng Yin coughed once, stroking her chin as she circled around him, her eyes glinting with an inexplicable strangeness.
Not until the Palace Lord of Haoyue finally frowned and forced a few words out of his throat. "Phoenix Emperor... Your Majesty?"
What was wrong with the phoenix clan? Was this god not quite right in the head?
The moment the thought surfaced in Fan Yue's mind, his lips stiffened. He could almost picture that half immortal hopping around beside him, shrieking, "Phoenix Emperor's an idiot, Phoenix Emperor's an idiot," in that infuriating way of hers.
Seeing impatience surface in his eyes, Feng Yin finally came to her senses, hopped back, waved a hand, and coughed. "I've caught a chill recently, my body's out of sorts, and my ears aren't working well either. Please bear with me, Palace Lord."
Fan Yue was speechless. If he hadn't clearly sensed the divine aura radiating from the person before him, he would have thought he'd run into a ghost.
Well, would you look at that, this old phoenix probably never heard the word "please" out of that old bastard's mouth before, hehehe. Feng Yin's heart bloomed with delight, though her face stayed perfectly serious. She couldn't help turning her head away to mutter to herself.
"What did the Phoenix Emperor say?"
Seeing her peculiar, muttering demeanor, a muscle twitched at Fan Yue's brow.
"Nothing, nothing."
Before he could speak further, Feng Yin's palm moved, and a wooden box appeared in her hand. Spiritual energy leaked from within it. Fan Yue's expression changed, and he fixed his gaze on her.
"What does the Phoenix Emperor mean by this?"
"I wouldn't dream of letting the Palace Lord act for nothing. What's in this box is my token of thanks."
Fan Yue narrowed his eyes. "How does the Phoenix Emperor come to have such a thing?"
"The Palace Lord should know, divine wood carries a spirit, and its aura draws its own kind. Years ago, a fragment of divine wood fell near the ancestral wutong tree, and I was delighted to find it, so I kept it. When the Palace Lord arrived on the island, I sensed something, and thought this piece should be returned to its rightful owner."
Fan Yue's expression tightened, and he stepped forward. "Your Majesty knows the origin of this thing?"
"An ancient Bodhi. My eyes aren't so poor that I couldn't recognize the Palace Lord's true form."
"Then does Your Majesty know why, eight years ago, my true form scattered and my divine wood turned demon, appearing in the demon realm?" Fan Yue's eyes suddenly burned with intensity.
"That, I don't know. This world has no shortage of calamities. Perhaps the Palace Lord simply failed to survive a trial." Feng Yin shrugged, then added seriously, "There's no need for suspicion. The Palace Lord and I have no entanglement from any past life."
Fan Yue calmed himself. Given the Phoenix Emperor's exalted standing across the Three Realms, she had no need to lie. Exactly why he had failed his trial, and who the person in his memories was, would likely only become clear on the day he reassembled his true form.
His expression settled, and he took the wooden box from her hand. "Whatever the Phoenix Emperor wishes to entrust to me, please speak plainly. I will see it done for Your Majesty."
"It's nothing too serious. In a few days, I'll owe a junior a favor. All the Palace Lord needs to do is find that child a dao companion before she ascends to godhood, and personally officiate the marriage."
"What?" Fan Yue froze, thinking he must have misheard. What was the Phoenix Emperor asking him to do?
"You heard correctly." Feng Yin clasped her hands behind her back, then suddenly leaned in close to his face, holding up two fingers. "What I'm entrusting to you is matchmaking. As for who she is, you'll find out in a few days, Palace Lord."
Fan Yue's face turned livid, and before he could explode, a flash of spiritual light, and Feng Yin transformed into a phoenix feather shooting straight into the clouds. "This is my request, Palace Lord of Haoyue, please be sure to see it through. Palace Lord! Until we meet again!"
The clouds stirred, the moon vanished behind the wutong trees, and the Phoenix Emperor disappeared into the sky.
Fan Yue looked down at the piece of Bodhi wood in his hand, his temples throbbing.
At the same moment, Zhenyu stood atop the Qianqiu Pavilion, watching that streak of divine light vanish into the sky, and let out a soft sound of surprise.
"She actually left."
"Who does the Palace Master mean?"
Fu Ling had noticed nothing of the ripple of divine light, and looked utterly confused.
Zhenyu said nothing more, his expression only growing grave. Fu Ling stole a careful glance at his face and said, "Palace Master, even though Fan Yue escaped with his life this time, we didn't come away empty handed."
"Go on."
"The Palace Lord of Haoyue appears to have a weakness. If we make proper use of it, Haoyue Palace won't remain an impregnable fortress." Fu Ling finished speaking in a low voice, and when no response came from Zhenyu, a soft laugh suddenly rang out. She looked up uneasily, only to find him watching her with an amused expression. Her heart lurched, and she quickly lowered her head.
"If Haoyue Palace has a weakness, why wouldn't my own right hand have one too." Zhenyu's words carried an implication of their own, and he suddenly asked, "That boy, the fuling flower seal on him, when did you plant it?"
Fu Ling's head snapped up.
In a side chamber at the northernmost end of Phoenix Island, a golden core wreathed in black energy crumbled to ash in Songfeng's hand.
"Traitorous disciple!" He coughed lowly, his already somewhat aged face looking even more worn.
"Second Uncle." Er Yun hurried over with a bowl of medicinal broth infused with spiritual energy and held it out to him. "Senior Brother brought this fate on himself. Please don't grieve for him any longer, and take care of your health."
Songfeng waved a hand. "Do you think I don't know that? He's been proud and arrogant since childhood. A hundred years under my guidance and he never managed to rid himself of his greed. If I'd sent him to the Heavenly Palace for punishment sooner, he wouldn't have caused such disaster."
"Uncle, don't blame yourself. That you couldn't bear to take his life was only your compassion," Chongzhao said, trying to console him.
Songfeng looked over at him, looking rather comforted. "Zhao'er, it's fortunate we have you. If you hadn't helped the Palace Lord of Haoyue destroy the evil spirits in the Alien City and rescue the young immortal and demon disciples there, offsetting our fault with merit, Piaomiao might well have faced annihilation this time."
"Uncle..." Chongzhao's expression paused, as if he wanted to say something, but Songfeng clapped his hand down heavily on his arm. "Immortal Seat Jinyao has chosen you to enter the Heavenly Palace for guidance, and on this trip to the Alien City, you also forged a bond of life and death with the Kunlun sword cultivators. Misfortune has indeed brought fortune along with it. Zhao'er, let your senior brother be a warning to you. You must never let yourself become entangled with the demon race or evil spirits in the slightest, or you'll repeat his mistake!"
The scene of the fuling flower seal shattering flashed through Chongzhao's mind, as Songfeng's worried coughing sounded beside him.
Chongzhao came back to himself and said solemnly, "Yes, your disciple will keep Uncle's teachings firmly in mind."
Late at night, Chongzhao left Songfeng's courtyard. He walked, stopped, walked again, and finally came to a halt beneath a stone pavilion.
With both races gathered on Phoenix Island, lights blazed in the distance, and disciples from various sects passed by in twos and threes now and then. Only Songhe Courtyard, where Piaomiao was housed, remained utterly deserted.
Under the moon, Chongzhao pulled the jade flute from his robes. At whatever thought crossed his mind, the corner of his mouth had barely begun to lift when the image surfaced in his eyes, Bai Shuo in the stone hall, running toward Fan Yue without a second thought. A surge of turbid energy rose in his chest. He grunted low in his throat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.
A stream of spiritual power suddenly poured into his spirit platform from behind. As it entered his body, it steadied his heart, which had nearly slipped into deviation.
"If you're injured, you should be resting properly. With your foundation this unsteady, you could slip into deviation!"
Chongzhao heard the light scolding in the newcomer's voice, his expression shifting slightly. He looked up and said nothing.
Fu Ling let out a soft sound of surprise and raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you staring at me like that? Not calling me a demon witch this time?"
"Thank you," Chongzhao said suddenly.
Fu Ling blinked. "You, what did you say?"
"Thank you for saving me those several times, my lady."
The corner of her mouth curved up. "So you do have a bit of conscience after all. What, spending a few days in the Alien City with that little fox girl from the fox clan and now you're not shouting to kill us demons anymore?"
Chongzhao shook his head and said in a low voice. "Immortal and demon are different. I have no wish to be further entangled with you, my lady."
"You!" Fu Ling flared with anger, her face turning cold. "Ungrateful!"
She flicked her sleeve and turned to leave, but Chongzhao's voice rose behind her.
"You have saved me more than once. In the future, if there is anything you need of me, as long as it doesn't compromise the honor of my immortal race or endanger Piaomiao, whenever you ask, I will do everything in my power."
Fu Ling's steps paused. She pulled a porcelain vial from her robes and tossed it into his hands. "Who wants that. If you think you can repay me, your cultivation's still got a long way to go."
She turned and walked away. Chongzhao stared blankly at the vial in his hand and sighed.
At that same moment, a thousand miles away, up among the clouds, Bai Shuo flew along crookedly, her little cloth bag slung over her shoulder.
A gust of wind blew past, and her flight talisman was instantly scattered.
"Ahhhhhh! I'm done for, waaaaah!"
A single miserable scream rang out as Bai Shuo plummeted wildly down through the clouds.