Within a few days, a reply arrived to the letter that had been sent out. Guan Nan's identity was confirmed, and because she had once entered the Western Regions alone and carried secrets, Emperor Huizong's letter, along with most of the letters confirming her identity from Futu Temple, were sent together.

"You mean, Emperor Huizong of Qing invited me to be a guest elder?"

Lu Zhaozhao played with the letter in her hand; the Qing Dynasty seal on it was something she was used to seeing.

"Yes, yes, you are incredibly capable. You were able to enter the enemy camp alone and escape unscathed. Now is the time when we need talented people. Emperor Huizong of Qing is a great clan in the country and he welcomes heroes from all over the country. He will naturally favor you."

The one who answered was the leader of the group that had surrounded her that day. Now that he had confirmed her identity, he was extremely respectful to Lu Zhaozhao.

Lu Zhaozhao raised an eyebrow, a smile spreading across her lips.

She had something she wanted to confirm with her sect. She thought that since this was a timeline from a thousand years ago, it would take a lot of effort, but unexpectedly, the opportunity was presented to her right in front of her.

With doubts piling up in her heart and depression hard to resolve, she knew there was no time to lose. On the very day she received the letter, she set off alone with her sword, intending to go straight to Qinghui.

We passed through Pingyang along the way. At that time, Pingyang was far less prosperous than it would be in later years, but the town still thrived in trade despite the war and was beginning to take shape as a metropolis.

The outskirts are still covered with lush forests, only now the area is much larger than it was a thousand years later.

Following her previous memory, Lu Zhaozhao walked deeper into the forest. When she reached a certain spot, she suddenly sensed something was wrong. She thrust her sword into the ground, and it began to distort and become almost blurry, but it returned to normal after a moment.

She stood there for a moment, gazing intently at a certain spot for a long time, then turned around and headed straight for Emperor Huizong of Qing without further delay.

As we walked down the mountain, we looked up and saw that the mountains stretched straight to the heavens.

The mountain gate soars into the clouds, shrouded in ethereal mist, and the majestic stone tablet is inscribed with the two large characters "Qing Hui," ancient and solemn.

Amidst the precipitous peaks and forests, stone ladders and plank roads are linked together. Rushing torrents and waterfalls roar and crash against the cliffs, turning rocks into thunderous roars in the valleys, resembling the legendary, misty, and elusive island of Yingzhou, as described by sea travelers.

Seeing this, Lu Zhaozhao's heart stirred slightly.

A thousand years later, the Qing Dynasty's Huizong sect was one of the three major sects in the world. Although it was still surrounded by an aura of immortality, it was inevitably tainted with some worldly dust. The Qing Dynasty's Huizong sect before us, though ancient and simple, had a unique Taoist spirit and immortal demeanor.

Lost in thought, a disciple happened to pass by and saw a man standing in front of the gate. He stepped forward and asked, "May I ask your honorable name and what brings you to our sect?"

Upon hearing the voice, Lu Zhaozhao turned her head and saw a child who looked to be only ten years old, dressed in Qing Dynasty clothing. Although his face was young, the Daoist intent between his brows was undiminished.

Lu Zhaozhao bent down, lowered her voice, and replied, "My name is Guan Nan. Your sect invited me to be a guest elder. However, I am new here and do not know the way. Could you please lead the way, young Taoist priest?"

The child bowed respectfully and said, "I was unaware of your presence, fairy. I apologize for any offense I may have caused. I should have led you there immediately, but the situation is tense. I would appreciate it if you could show me your credentials before we can enter."

Lu Zhaozhao found his serious expression rather endearing, and smiled as she handed him the letter.

The young Taoist priest carefully examined the letter from top to bottom, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong with it, he placed it back exactly as it had been handed to him, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Please follow me."

Lu Zhaozhao followed the young Taoist priest toward the mountain gate.

Perhaps due to the wartime conditions, there were more than twice as many disciples guarding the mountain gate as there were a thousand years later. Each of them frowned and watched the people coming and going, their hands lightly placed on the weapons at their waists, the weapons in their sheaths making a slight sound, their vigilance was evident.

The young Taoist priest stopped at the entrance, said "Wait a moment" to Lu Zhaozhao, then stepped forward and handed the letter to one of the disciples, said something, and the disciple carefully checked it, returned the letter, stepped back and waved to signal that he could pass.

The young Taoist priest nodded, walked up to Lu Zhaozhao, and said, "I've kept you waiting, Fairy."

Lu Zhaozhao raised her eyebrows and smiled, saying it was alright, and continued forward with him.

As they ascended the Heavenly Ladder, Lu Zhaozhao couldn't help but ask curiously, "Is the security always this tight?"

The young Taoist priest replied in a childish voice, "Originally, there were two teams of ten people each taking turns on duty, but a few days ago a demon caused an disturbance, so we have increased our vigilance."

"A demon? Just one?" Lu Zhaozhao noticed the details in his words and was immediately surprised. The Qinghuizong was a powerful and influential sect, yet a demon could charge at them alone.

"It was a demon captured by the sect leader. Its cultivation was extremely high. A few days ago, it took advantage of the sect leader's absence to cause trouble and tried to join forces with demons outside the mountain to escape. Fortunately, the sect leader returned in time, which quelled the disaster."

The young Taoist priest frowned as he recounted the incident, then let out a long sigh of relief, seemingly still shaken by the near-disaster he had caused.

Lu Zhaozhao lowered her eyes, her smile fading: "I see."

They walked in silence until she was led to a large hall. Looking at the location, she thought for a moment and realized it must be the council hall.

There was only one old man in the hall at the moment, whom the young Taoist priest called the Great Elder.

After the elder smiled and dismissed the young Taoist priest, he turned and looked at Lu Zhaozhao with a smile.

Looking at the kind old man in front of her, Lu Zhaozhao felt a little uneasy at his smile, so she immediately cupped her hands in greeting and said, "I am Guan Nan, greetings to senior."

The old man smiled and helped her up, saying, "Since you've come, you're a distinguished guest. My surname is Yun, and you can call me Elder Yun, just like everyone else."

Yun? This surname alerted Lu Zhaozhao. Her master, the chosen one of the Heavenly Dao in this book, also had the surname Yun. Could there be a relationship between the two of them?

Elder Yun, unaware of her deep thoughts, continued, "The sect leader went out again a few days ago and will not be back for some time. Please stay here for now, Fairy. The sect leader will come to find you when he returns."

Lu Zhaozhao nodded, accepted his suggestion, and followed the disciple he indicated to the guest quarters.

Before the disciple leading the way left, Lu Zhaozhao stopped him and asked, "Do you know when your sect leader will return?"

The disciple bowed his head and said, "Normally, it would take more than a month. The sect leader went down the mountain half a month ago, so it should take at least another half a month before he returns."

"Thank you." Lu Zhaozhao smiled at him. The disciple was about to leave when he suddenly stopped, turned around and said, "By the way, fairy, please don't go to the back mountain. That's a forbidden area of ​​our sect."

"The back mountain?" Lu Zhaozhao was thinking when the disciple suddenly spoke, attracting her attention. She looked up and saw that the disciple, who had been keeping his head down, had raised his head at some point, with a different look in his eyes.

"Yes, there are many evil spirits locked up in that back mountain. It's very eerie, especially at night. Fairy, you must not go there!" The disciple spoke earnestly, but Lu Zhaozhao always felt something was off.

"Okay, thank you."

Having received a reply, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and left with a smile.

As Lu Zhaozhao watched his departing figure, an outrageous thought flashed through her mind, and her original suspicions intensified.