A world without glitz
Beyond the water mirror, in front of the Taixu Gate, a gentle breeze rippled the lake. Epiphyllum quietly gazed at the calm surface before her, a wave of emotion welling up in her heart. This was an artificial lake built specifically for this Immortal Cultivation Conference, but the Taixu Gate no longer held its former glory. Even decorative ornaments like the blue lotus in the water were too expensive to purchase.
"Brother, I haven't seen Shui Jing in a hundred years, and your skills have become so much more refined." Xu Hua, standing by, exclaimed in sincere admiration. He had always held Qi Yiwen in deep respect when it came to spiritual cultivation. Qi Yiwen was a natural cultivator.
Just as everyone was lost in wonder at the Water Mirror's magic, Tanhua suddenly noticed something amiss. "Wait, Master Brother, why haven't those powerful monsters we anticipated appeared in this Water Mirror?" She frowned, her gaze fixed on the mirror. All she saw was two women wandering aimlessly through the dense jungle.
Yet, Qi Yiwen didn't seem to mind Epiphyllum's question. As he gazed into the water mirror, his long, crow-feather-like eyelashes cast fan-shaped shadows across his eyelids. The Tai Chi jade pendant at his waist suddenly shone with a lustrous luster, illuminating his jawline like an ice sculpture. As a red shadow flashed across the water mirror, his knuckles unconsciously rubbed the dark lines on his sleeves. His eyes flickered, revealing an expression Epiphyllum had never seen before, like the ripples left by a dragonfly lightly skimming the surface of water—faint, yet lingering and spreading silently in the same spot.
Xuhua also noticed this. He just wanted to get closer, hoping that he was not too blind to see it.
"Master! Master!" Two sharp, rapid cries pierced the tranquil and vast sky above Taixu Gate like sharp swords. At this moment, there were three people standing there, but only one of them had ever accepted a disciple: Xu Hua.
The story goes back nearly two thousand years. Xu Hua had gone down the mountain alone for a drink and some merrymaking. Perhaps the wine was too rich, and he unknowingly drank a few more glasses. As he staggered down the street, a figure suddenly caught his eye. Was it the young man's strikingly handsome face that captivated him, or was it his muscular, upright figure that captivated him? Perhaps even Xu Hua couldn't say for sure. Yet, in that moment, still slightly tipsy, Xu Hua unhesitatingly raised the banner of the Taixu Sect, confidently declaring the young man a natural swordsman. And so, to the astonishment of the crowd, Xu Hua successfully brought the young man back to the Taixu Sect.
Sword training, as a unique form of cultivation, is actually a technique Xuhua himself created, using the sword as a medium for practice. The young man Xuhua had chosen and brought into the Taixu Sect was originally named Li Sifang. He now shoulders a crucial mission: guarding the Taixu Sect's secret treasure, the Taixu. This mission is known only to the four present.
Li Sifang came running at a furious pace, not even caring about his tattered shoes. His palace belt hung askew at his waist, his jade pendant jingling against his iron key. A hole in his right boot revealed a bloodstained silk stocking, and each step left a faint red footprint on the white stone steps. His fingers, clutching the scroll, trembled slightly, and between his nails was cinnabar from the rescue efforts.
His bewildered appearance suggested something extremely urgent had occurred, completely distraught, forcing him to run desperately to report the news. When he finally reached Xuhua, breathless, he barely had time to catch his breath before he shouted, "Master, this is terrible! Your exquisite copy... has been burned!" With trembling hands, he handed over the remaining fragment of the scroll. It was now clear that the original complete scroll was gone, its pages reduced to ashes, leaving only the solitary scroll as a testament to its past.
The master remained calm, but his apprentice was terribly anxious! The three of them stared intently at the unusual phenomenon appearing in the water mirror, and suddenly realized the whereabouts of the secret treasure. However, faced with this situation, they felt helpless and frustrated. Why did their guardian beast always like to escape and play?
After all, he was his own disciple, so naturally, the master had to comfort him. Xu Hua gently patted the young man's shoulder and said softly, "Don't worry, this is not a big deal."
Meanwhile, Li Sifang watched the fire on the scroll grow larger and larger, his heart aching with regret, wishing he could die immediately to atone for his sin. After all, that was the sect's secret treasure! But seeing his master and his two other uncles so calm and composed, he became even more anxious.
At that moment, Qi Yiwen suddenly said, "I'm going to Luo'an Town to visit an old friend!" After that, his eyes could no longer move away from the bright and charming girl in the water mirror. It turned out that when he saw the girl startled by the others, his excitement instantly surged like a tidal wave. And deep in his heart, he always cherished, rejoiced, and remembered her.
Hearing this, Xuhua frowned and asked suspiciously, "Old friend? Besides the two of us, who else could he call his friend? Could it be that anyone else would want to deal with him?" For a moment, Xuhua and Tanhua looked at each other, both bewildered. Finally, they decided to play rock-paper-scissors to decide their fate—the loser would stay and monitor the competition.
Tanhua controlled the water mirror, giving Qi Yiwen the full scope. He didn't head to the dense forest, but instead went to Luo'an Town. Qi Yiwen stood alone in front of Luo'an Town's renowned tailor shop, examining his outfit. He was quite satisfied; Tanhua's disguise skills were indeed quite effective. His face and clothing had already changed dramatically since entering the water mirror.
As far as he knew, he had heard this news from Tanhua. In the town of Naroan, there was a tailor shop called "Linlin." The owner, Jingbai, was actually a spring guest from the deep sea. Rumor had it that he was a former singer and now a tailor.
The meticulously crafted garments of his shop, embodying their name, "Linlin," are like water acting as a mirror. When a person wears these garments and stands before a bush of flowers, they see their own reflection shimmering on the water's surface. The person in the water is like the moon on earth, or like the indelible cinnabar mole on the heart.
This was precisely the reason why Qi Yiwen had chosen this location for the trial. He straightened his body, raised his chin slightly, and, revealing a hint of pride, walked into the tailor shop. He muttered, "According to the sayings in the Grand Illusionary Realm, this place is a perfect place to pick up girls!"
A string of shell wind chimes hung beneath the "Linlin" sign. Qi Yiwen opened the door, startling the white cat napping on the counter. Suddenly, a muffled "dong" sounded from the inner room, followed by the rustling of fabric falling to the ground. The beaded curtain parted, revealing the tailor's indigo-stained fingertips—the blue seemed alive as it swayed beneath her skin.
The Wuhuazhi once recorded: "There is a dace in the sea, with a human face and a fish body, hands and feet, and its cry is like that of a child."
In reality, Jingbai had already sensed Qi Yiwen's approach, but as long as this guest hadn't truly crossed the threshold, then nothing had much to do with him. After all, if he became associated with this person, it wouldn't be a profitable business.
Meanwhile, Chen Ye, trapped in the dense forests of the southwest, was exhausted. She could only stare longingly at the sun, high in the sky, gradually setting in the west. Her already empty, unfulfilled stomach grew weaker, until it felt as if even a trace of strength had been drained from her. She casually picked up some wild fruit from the roadside, hoping to catch her breath for a while. The system's warning chime was perfectly timed: "This is poisonous. Host, be careful with your consumption."
"I'm hungry, system." Chen Ye finally understood the system (artificial intelligence) that was bound to her - it had no vision at all.
"There is a sandalwood box in the host's left sleeve, which is a storage magic tool. Follow me and recite 'Quietly close the street to the west, and think of the immortals on the sea.'" The system looked at Chen Ye's cowardly look and kept complaining, "I really shouldn't have skipped the tutorial." Chen Ye also heard the cold mechanical voice of the system as a tone of disgust.
"This big pancake is great. Would you like some, Saint?" I broke the pancake in half and handed it to Meimei's left cheek.
The faint aroma to her left made Meimei feel uneasy. As a person with a strong family background, how could she be tired or hungry all day long? Meimei waved her hand, rejecting the natural temptation of food.
Chen Ye's eyes were fixed on the steaming hot pancake, and she muttered to herself, "This world of immortal heroes is wonderful. A random spell can shock her forever." The moss beneath her feet had appeared out of nowhere, and Chen Ye slipped, unaware of a hidden trap nearby. She almost fell into it.
With half its body stuck in the net, it resembled a bamboo rat suspended upside down. Her hand, handing over the pancake, froze in mid-air, the oil stain casting a comical glare on Meimei's cheek. Suddenly discovering the trap, the candied fruit box in her arms tipped over, and the various preserved fruits rolled out in a rainbow pattern across the boy's gorgeous robe.
She could feel a large net beneath her feet, either intended to catch her or trap her. Fortunately, Meimei reached out and grabbed one of her arms. Chen Ye struggled to stand up, and the trap beside her finally revealed its full extent.
Beneath the vast net, a man was already trapped. He was dressed in a magnificent golden robe that shimmered brightly in the sunlight. His hair ornaments were exquisite, and the small bells hanging from them swayed gently with his movements, emitting clear, melodious sounds.
However, the silver bells weren't the most eye-catching thing. A closer look revealed a silver belt wrapped around the man's slender waist. The belt was as bright as moonlight, emitting a faint silver glow. Even more striking was the staggering number of green jade pendants dangling from the belt.
Just by looking at the man's attire, Chen Ye knew for sure: "This guy must be very wealthy. He's definitely an important supporting character in this world!"
At this moment, a familiar voice of the system suddenly came from Chen Ye's mind: "Congratulations to the host for successfully unlocking the key figure - Xiao Xinshui, the young master of Qingyu Palace." Upon hearing this news, Chen Ye couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
Xiao Xinshui, who was trapped in the trap, also discovered Chen Ye, half of his body trapped in the cloud net. He seemed to have found a life-saving straw and shouted loudly: "Kindhearted person, please save me! If you can get me out, I will give you fifty taels of silver. How about it?"
A peacock embroidered in gold thread shimmered in the net. The boy's hair crooked as he struggled, revealing a scaly red birthmark behind his ear. The jade pendants on his waist clashed, producing a strange pentatonic melody. As he raised his head to call for help, the silver locket collar above his Adam's apple suddenly shone with a dazzling light.
Xiao Xinshui had been trapped here for quite some time. Initially, he thought it was just a trap set by a hunter, and that he could easily escape with his own skill. However, no matter how hard he climbed, he could never reach the edge of the trap. It was only then that he realized the seemingly ordinary web was actually a powerful magical weapon—the Cloud Net.
Xiao Xinshui was already deep in this trap, crying out at the top of his lungs, his throat practically choking, but no one responded. He secretly groaned. If he sent a message to his parents for help just because he'd fallen into a trap, he'd be humiliated. He was afraid everyone in Qingyu Palace would point fingers at him, mocking him for being a worthless mama's boy. He never quite shook off this stigma.
Thinking of this, Xiao Xinshui gritted his teeth and decided to raise the stakes to attract others' attention. So, he shouted again at the top of his voice: "Whoever can rescue me, I will reward you with 100 taels of silver!" However, the two people standing by the trap remained indifferent, as if they had not heard his shouts at all.
Chen Ye stood aside, trying to recall the story outline given by the system. She realized there seemed to be no clear record of the scene before her, but she did recall a similar scene. Normally, the hero and heroine should meet here and begin a romantic relationship, but why did this role now fall to an insignificant male character? This left Chen Ye deeply confused.
At this moment, Meimei suddenly took action. It turned out that this net was woven from extremely precious ice silk, and its toughness was beyond imagination. To break it, the most effective method was to use fire.
Meimei couldn't help but curse inwardly as she cast her spell. She'd seen plenty of foolish people in her life, but encountering two such foolish connections at once was truly unprecedented. Chen Ye snapped back to his senses and quickly reached out to cover Meimei's mouth, trying to stop her from continuing.
"Don't be impulsive, Saint! Don't save this wild man on the street!" Chen Ye said anxiously, lowering her voice. She knew that Meimei's actions could cause a series of unexpected troubles and consequences, and she had to stop them in time. Saving the first one would save the second one.
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