A mountain breeze brushed past Chen Xingcai's skirt hem as she slowly descended the stone steps, recalling the chaotic scene at the He Ling Sect and unable to suppress a smile.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. It seemed her senior martial brothers and sisters were all still "single dogs"—a strange term her father had once casually mentioned, yet it fit perfectly.
Senior martial brother Xiao Chen was busy with sect affairs day and night. Though Xiao Ling'er accompanied him, they always kept a distance. Senior martial brother Jiang Ce seemed womanizing, yet he didn't even have a Dao companion. As for Li Hanzhou... never mind.
The most infuriating was Xiao Ling'er. Clearly infatuated with senior martial brother Xiao Chen, she had now given up, wandering 仙灵城 with Bai Li every day, living a life of debauchery that made Chen Xingcai want to stamp her feet.
"Sigh..."
The young girl sighed softly, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of her black hair. The mountain mists swirled around her, making her figure appear even more ethereal.
Unknown to her, in the distant Upper Realm, someone was plotting because of her very thoughts—
In the Upper Realm, Ziwei Heaven, the Wulindao Palace.
Palaces paved with white jade floated among the clouds, immortal cranes circled, and brilliant auroras shone everywhere.
The interior furnishings were simple, containing only a cold jade table on which lay a jade slip that emitted a faint glow.
Beside the table, a stunningly beautiful woman sat as if in a painting.
She wore a simple white long skirt, its hem embroidered with faint silver patterns like flowing stars.
Her long, black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, held up by a single white jade hairpin that revealed her slender neck.
Her skin was like snow, her features as if painted, her lips like bright red cinnabar. Though eons had passed, her face remained as vibrant and beautiful as a sixteen-year-old girl.
Most striking were her eyes—deep as a cold pond, yet vast as the starry sky, as if they had seen all the world's vicissitudes, yet were devoid of any emotion.
Zhu Qingcheng.
The master of the Wulindao Sect, the ruler of Ziwei Heaven, one of the oldest Immortal Venerables in the Upper Realm.
...
At this moment, Zhu Qingcheng sat quietly before the cold jade table, her fingertips gently caressing the jade slip. Her gaze was as deep as a still pond.
Outside the palace, the sea of clouds churned, and the aurora's light on her plain white robes shimmered with a faint silver halo, making her appear as cold and distant as the moon.
Suddenly, light footsteps sounded outside the palace.
A child in a cyan Daoist robe walked in on a cloud, his face looking no older than eleven or twelve. An ancient bronze bell hung from his waist, chiming softly with each step.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Qingcheng slowly rose and bowed to the child, her respectful stance without a hint of subservience.
"Daoist boy, you have traveled far. Has the Master sent a decree?" Her voice was as clear as jade, yet held a hint of barely perceptible anticipation.
The Daoist child shook his head and took a cyan jade slip from his sleeve, handing it over. "The Master has no time for such trivial matters."
Zhu Qingcheng's gaze flickered slightly as she accepted the jade slip. "Then this is...?"
"It was the idea of a senior brother," the child said with a blink, his tone casual. "He said this might be of some use to the Venerable Immortal, so he asked me to deliver it for you to see."
Zhu Qingcheng's fingers caressed the jade slip, her expression unchanged. "Since it is not the Master's decree, I suppose there is no need for me to follow what it says."
The Daoist child was not surprised and instead said with a smile, "Why don't the Venerable Immortal take a look first? Perhaps this matter can also solve some difficulties for your sect, killing two birds with one stone?"
Zhu Qingcheng was silent for a moment before finally sending her divine sense into the jade slip.
In an instant, countless information flooded her sea of consciousness—
Her eyes flickered slightly, as if for a moment there was a ripple, but it quickly returned to calm.
Seeing she had finished reading, the Daoist child said no more, simply cupping his fists in a salute. "I have delivered the message. The jade slip has been delivered, so I shall take my leave."
Zhu Qingcheng gave a slight nod. "Thank you for your trouble."
The Daoist child turned and left, the bronze bell chiming softly as his figure gradually disappeared into the sea of clouds.
The palace fell silent once more.
Zhu Qingcity lowered her gaze to the jade slip in her hand, her fingers unconsciously tightening.
After a long while, she sighed softly, and the jade slip in her palm turned into specks of starlight, vanishing without a trace.
...
Zhu Qingcheng stood before the Cold Jade Palace, her fingertips tapping the void. A wisp of spiritual light transformed into a green phoenix that flew toward the horizon. Soon, the distant clouds and auroras churned, and a graceful figure approached on a cloud.
Xi Yan wore a light purple gauze skirt, her sleeves fluttering like butterfly wings.
She was exceptionally beautiful, her apricot eyes clear as springs, her small nose delicate and exquisite, her lips naturally red. A silver butterfly hairpin in her black hair seemed to flap with her movements. Her skin was fairer than snow, with a faint pink blush, like the most delicate peach blossoms on a branch in March.
Her most captivating feature was her eyes—holding an innocent ignorance of the world, yet with a hint of slyness in their流转.
"Master!"
The young girl cheerfully rushed to Zhu Qingcheng, her skirt swirling into a graceful arc. Silver bells in her hair tinkled like a mountain spring.
A hint of softness flashed in Zhu Qingcheng's eyes. "Xi Yan, your opportunity has arrived."
"What opportunity?" Xi Yan tilted her head, a strand of hair falling to her cheek. "Are you going to teach me a new cultivation method?"
"The Wulindao requires you to first experience affection before severing it," Zhu Qingcheng said, gently stroking her hair. "It is time for you to enter the mortal world."
Xi Yan's eyes widened in alarm, grabbing her master's sleeve and shaking it. "No! I want to serve you my whole life! What's so great about those smelly men!" She pouted. "That Immortal Lord who came last time practically had his eyes glued to the junior sisters! It was disgusting!"
Looking at her most beloved disciple, Zhu Qingcity sighed inwardly. Xi Yan had outstanding talent, yet she could not make progress on the "Path of Affection." In contrast, those disciples of average aptitude had long since weathered their emotional tribulations and entered the state of heartlessness.
"It's not about marrying someone," Zhu Qingcheng suddenly changed her tone. "There is a sect in the Lower Realm that requires you to go undercover."
"Undercover?" Xi Yan's eyes lit up. "Like in the storybooks?"
"Yes," Zhu Qingcheng said, taking out a jade slip. "The Xianling Sacred Land, the Tian Alliance."
Xi Yan took the jade slip and swept her divine sense across it, her face immediately breaking into a wide grin. "Oh, good! The Tian Alliance looks interesting!" she suddenly thought of something and warned warily, "But Master, promise it's just undercover work!"
"Naturally," Zhu Qingcheng said, gently pulling her into an embrace.
In that moment of embrace, Zhu Qingcheng's fingertips moved slightly, and an intangible talisman silently entered Xi Yan's mind.
It was the "Heart Tribulation Seal," a secret art of the Wulindao—it would not affect her mind, but would transform into the sharpest emotional tribulation when she fell in love.
Xi Yan was completely unaware and rubbed her head against her master's shoulder. "Don't worry, Master. I'll dig up all the Tian Alliance's secrets!"
Zhu Qingcheng released her and looked at this innocent, carefree face. "Go."
Xi Yan nodded obediently, yet her ey
es shone with eager anticipation.
Zhu Qingcheng waved her wide sleeves, and a starry portal slowly opened in the void, revealing vague silhouettes of mountains and rivers within.
Xi Yan turned and gave her master a sweet smile before stepping into the light without hesitation. The hem of her purple skirt traced an arc in the void and vanished in an instant.
The portal closed behind her, leaving only a few strands of starlight drifting in the palace.
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