Chapter 35 Upon reaching the shore, I must first eliminate my beloved; I truly…
The next day was the Dawn Picking Ceremony. This time, the secret realm of the Dawn Picking Ceremony was different from the past. Under the gaze of several elders, the treasure-hunting beast slowly swished its tail and finally pointed its tail to a corner of the map.
"Da Bei Zhuang?" Elder Mu stroked his beard, puzzled. "How come the place where the Dawn Blossoms were picked is in the mortal realm?"
The six realms are interconnected yet separate. Cultivators know about mortals, but mortals spend their lives as laborers, like frogs in a well. Even some people with spiritual roots may not know that cultivators exist in this world.
This is similar to how the strong can understand the weak, but the weak may never have the same perspective as the strong.
"It's just the mortal realm. Since it's already decided, let's just treat it as a trip." Leng Dandan, dressed in elder's robes, replied nonchalantly, her gaze shifting to another person.
In just a few days, Buzhou Mountain underwent a dramatic transformation. After Xu Jinan's death, the elders discussed the matter and decided to cancel the record of his life, not to reveal the things he had done during his lifetime, so as to give the deceased some dignity.
As Xu Jinan's only daughter, she inherited his position as elder and became the second young person in charge of Buzhou Mountain.
“It’s not that simple.” Elder Mu pondered, “You can tell how difficult this time is by observing how quickly the treasure-hunting beast detected the barrier’s fluctuations.”
The Treasure-Seeking Beast is a special spirit beast in this world. This beast must eat top-grade spirit plants to survive to adulthood. After adulthood, its sense of smell is also exceptionally keen, and it can quickly detect the location of treasures even if they are several continents away.
This time, the barrier that Zhaichen was opened by the combined efforts of the eight great immortal cultivation families. With so much manpower and resources, the treasures inside must be extraordinary. However, the treasure-hunting beast seemed to dislike it this time, wagging its tail slowly.
"This trip to pick the morning dew is likely to be dangerous." The elders, being experienced and knowledgeable, did not need divination to foresee the perilous journey.
Elder Mu nodded, "Besides, we are still in the mortal realm, and we cannot reveal our identities in front of mortals."
Where there is danger, there is bound to be treasure. It seems that the Mirror of Origin must be in a secret realm this time.
Meng Ji had previously used celestial phenomena to deduce that the location of the Origin Mirror was always uncertain. He disregarded the risk of backlash and used forbidden techniques, ultimately obtaining it in a secret realm.
Meng Ji understood: "It's alright. I'll lead my disciples on swords to a place a hundred miles outside Da Beizhuang Village, buy some horses there, and the whole group can get there in a day."
Actually, going even faster would be fine, but a group of people riding horses at night would cause panic among the surrounding villagers.
"In that case, you should set off immediately," Elder Mu said.
Zhai Chen isn't the only one; other major families have probably already set off. These days, being one step ahead can give you a significant advantage.
The people to pick the morning dew had already been decided. Since quality is more important than quantity, the number of people this time was not as large as before, only about twenty. After counting the number of people, they could set off immediately.
Before setting off, the disciples would be given a short rest.
At this moment, Meng Ji summoned Xiao Yun, took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve and handed it to her, saying, "Just give it to Madam, she will understand."
"Yes." Xiaoyun took the porcelain bottle with both hands, and asked mischievously, "Is it for Madam? Did the Immortal Lord specifically request it for Madam on behalf of Medicine King Peak?"
Meng Ji looked at the person who was not even as tall as his chest and smiled gently, "There's no need to go to Medicine King Peak for these medicines."
"But it was made for my wife."
The fear of external injuries worsening is simply the fear of infection. Once this principle is understood, many herbs in the medicinal field can be used.
Going to Medicine King Peak is merely a way of telling others to be mindful of their own position and not to covet other people's wives.
Xiao Yun exclaimed, "The Immortal Lord is truly amazing! Many young men in the mortal realm can't even distinguish the grains of the four seasons!"
Hearing this, Meng Ji couldn't help but chuckle. After thinking for a moment, he took out a bottle of candied fruit from his sleeve and gave it to her to eat for fun. "Alright, go and take care of Madam."
He had a lot to say to his wife, but since he wasn't giving her any advice in person, she probably wouldn't listen. He decided to wait until they got the Mirror of Origin from the secret realm before trying to resolve their issues.
In a secluded corner, Meng Ji gave another detailed instruction, which Xiao Yun noted down. However, there were some contradictions, so she had to ask, "Hey, Immortal Lord, you said that Madam loves to sleep in and can't get out of bed every day, and you want to go along with her and not actually get up so she can sleep a little longer. But how can we make sure Madam eats breakfast?"
There is a solution to this problem, but even though Xiaoyun is clever, she has been living in a prestigious family for a long time and can't think of a solution outside the rules for the time being.
“Bring it to her bed and coax her to eat.” Meng Ji suggested this method, but even he found it hard to accept eating in bed, so he sighed and said, “First, try to persuade Madam properly. If there is really no other way, then we can use this method.”
Xiao Yun suddenly realized what was going on. After confirming that the Immortal Lord had nothing more to say before setting off, she grabbed the medicine and candied fruit and ran off in a flash.
"Madam, Madam." Xiaoyun returned to Wugou Pavilion and hurriedly went to bring Yaojin medicine, but saw that Yaojin had put on her outdoor clothes. "Madam, where are you going?"
Half a day had passed, and Yao Jin had already finished dressing up.
Her black hair was long and smooth, and she had never styled it herself, so she simply tied it into a high ponytail. Because she needed to get somewhere quickly, she had to abandon her flowing but cumbersome dresses and wear a very "simple" outfit.
But how simple can Yao Jin's clothes really be?
Xiaoyun looked at the lady in her emerald green scholar's dress, the hem of which flowed like a rosy cloud. She looked fresh and delicate, but the lady had styled her hair in an oddly unconventional way, which was quite cute. Xiaoyun couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Madam, let me do your hair."
Even though Yao Jin was in a hurry to leave and follow Meng Ji, she couldn't help but feel a stirring in her heart when she heard about combing hair.
Xiaoyun is small, but she is skillful and knows a lot of tricks.
She pouted, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, then you'd better hurry up."
Her black hair fell loose. Xiaoyun first picked up a comb, dipped it in some jasmine water, and gently smoothed the hair. Then, she compared the position of the back of Yaojin's head to make sure that the hair bun could be seen from the front. Then, she began to comb her hair with her fingers like a comb.
Several strands of hair were braided into small braids, and before long, a single bun was almost formed.
This is the first time I've ever styled a single curl after using a double curl comb. What I used to think was too childish now looks unusually playful.
It would be wonderful to take this fairy godmother back to the Demon Realm.
Yao Jin swung his leg and glanced at Xiao Yun, "Xiao Yun, what do you think of Buzhou Mountain?"
The lady's hair was smooth, but it was also coarse and stiff, so Xiaoyun had to be extra careful to keep it in place, lest it mischievously stick up if she wasn't careful. "It's fine."
The single-coil bun was taking shape, but it still needed jewelry to match. Xiaoyun opened the box and looked through it. "Madam, do you know, I never knew there were immortals in this world before. But when I came to Buzhou Mountain and saw the Immortal Lord and so many elders, I was immediately shocked."
In the imperial city, all sorts of legends exist, from stories of fox-spirited scholars to tales of princesses and scholars, all revolving around power.
If there are a few unofficial histories that mention immortals, they are mostly about Maoshan magic and the like, which are not as interesting as storybooks, and are far removed from the reality of immortals.
Yao Jin's gaze was immediately drawn to the box full of hairpins and ornaments. Her eyes lit up as she reached out to pick out the hairpins and ornaments. "It's just that you can't imagine it. Besides, there are no immortals in this world."
Since the time of Yu the Great, the immortals have long since perished, or ascended to other heavens and are no longer in this realm.
But Xiaoyun had no idea about any of this. She picked up the few small, lifelike silk flowers that the lady had chosen and put them in the lady's hair. "But this place is almost the same as the fairyland I dreamed of. The immortal lord is the kind of immortal I dreamed of."
Immortals are like immortal lords, gentle and refined like white jade.
Yao Jin disagreed with Xiao Yun's previous statement: "Didn't you see it last time? A group of grown men even tried to kill a pregnant woman. Do they deserve to be called immortals?"
“But that woman is a demon, and evil and crooked ways are inherently…” Xiaoyun stammered for a long time, but couldn’t really finish her sentence. In her opinion, pregnant women should not be treated like that.
Upon hearing this, Yao Jin understood that they were not on the same path. She was unwilling to force them, much less use her status as a lady to exert pressure.
But a pang of regret lingered in her heart. "I have to go."
These words were truly resolute, and Xiaoyun immediately opened her mouth wide, tears welling up in her eyes, "Where is Madam going? Is she going to abandon me and the Immortal Lord?"
"Of course not, I'm going to find the Immortal Lord." Yao Jintou was a little unaccustomed to addressing Meng Ji by his Daoist title for the first time, but he got used to it after a while.
Xiaoyun is a good person, but if we can't become like-minded, she's just someone Mengji has arranged to be by his side.
If she wanted to secretly follow Meng Ji, she couldn't let him know beforehand.
Xiaoyun stopped crying instantly. "Madam wanted to see you as soon as possible after the Immortal Lord finished his business. What a wonderful surprise!"
For an ordinary couple, this gesture would certainly be thoughtful. But for them, it would probably be a shock.
Yao Jin didn't want to say much, he just waved his hand and said, "Go and help me prepare some luggage."
Having dismissed everyone, Yao Jin slowly wandered through the connecting corridor of Wugou Pavilion.
This place is truly wonderful. The palace stands amidst the mountains and clouds, and you can see the sky with just a glance. For thousands of miles, there is a misty fog that seems to make you feel like an immortal if you stay here long enough.
But this should be the last time she walks through this place. She can't help but feel a little sentimental. Habit is a terrible thing. After staying here for a long time, she has actually developed a bit of reluctance to leave this place.
Suddenly, a shadow fell on the eaves. Yao Jin looked up and saw the red umbrella with thirty-two ribs slowly spinning, enveloping her.
In the thick fog, the umbrella resembled the evening mist on shimmering water, captivating the soul. It was also like the person who made the umbrella, exuding an unparalleled sense of inclusiveness from beginning to end.
Yao Jin stared blankly at the umbrella, his hand slowly rising, but suddenly Xiao Yun's words echoed in his ears—"But that's a demon, evil and crooked paths are inherently..."
"What is it anyway?" Xiaoyun didn't finish her sentence, but Yaojin understood.
"Demons deserve to be killed." — Chu Fengliu suddenly appeared behind Yao Jin, and the words he uttered unexpectedly overlapped with Meng Ji's words from that day at Medicine King Peak.
Chu Fengliu was doing this on purpose. He had been there for a while, and his appearance now was merely to reaffirm Yao Jin's stance.
"After all these years, your tongue is still as sharp as ever." Yao Jin gripped the umbrella tightly, her face turning cold, and the warmth in her eyes vanished instantly.
Chu Fengliu said casually, "It was never going to happen anyway. Do you think Meng Ji would tolerate a demon as his wife? I'm afraid that when he finds out that the person he's with day and night is a demon, he'll be eager to draw his sword, Frostflower."
Suddenly, he paused, his words carrying a deeper meaning, "Upon reaching the shore, one must first eliminate the one one desires; this is a required course in the ruthless path."
"Alright, time to set off, let's shake the gold."
These words still touched Yao Jin, whose expression grew even more displeased upon hearing them. She gripped the umbrella handle tightly and said, "You're too talkative. My affairs are none of your business."
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