Outside the Qiankun Hall in the center of the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace, disciples in the exclusive attire of the Immortal Palace stood every few meters on every road. Several well-equipped guard teams, enhanced by spiritual power, were constantly patrolling the surroundings. The atmosphere in the Immortal Palace was heavy everywhere, clearly indicating something significant was happening.
In the center of Qiankun Hall, even with several hundred people standing there, it still seemed somewhat desolate. Although the attire of the group in the hall, like those outside, bore the unique symbols of the Immortal Palace, the material, craftsmanship, and patterns were several grades higher than those of the personnel outside. Although these people had all restrained their auras, their eyes revealed a shrewdness and experience honed by time.
The several hundred people in the same hall were not chatting loudly. They were vaguely divided into several different circles, talking in low voices. During their conversations, everyone had serious expressions and grave demeanors. Until a small, exquisite bell in the southeast corner of the hall chimed, these people stopped their discussions and returned to their respective positions.
“Greetings, Immortal Lord Si Yin.”
The beaded curtain at the entrance of the inner hall swayed slightly. A slender, fair hand lifted the hanging beaded curtain. The hem of a pristine white robe fluttered, and a woman of extraordinary temperament walked out from the inner hall.
The woman walked to the only chair on the dais. She nodded slightly to the crowd below and said, “Fellow immortals, there’s no need for excessive courtesy. Please rise.” Her voice was clear and pleasant, not at all like that of the one who controlled the power of the Immortal Palace.
Facing such a woman, the many powerful immortals in Qiankun Hall dared not show the slightest disrespect. Those present were all elders with extremely deep seniority. They all knew, more or less, how terrifying this person was.
“Bring her in.” Her clear voice was, as usual, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. But no one dared to ignore these words. Immediately, someone entered the side hall and brought out the young woman from inside.
Lin Wuxi was dressed in a green robe. Coming from the side hall, she did not bow. Instead, she stared blankly at the person on the dais. The guard leading her glared at her fiercely, signaling her to quickly bow.
Lin Wuxi’s gaze was complicated. Looking at that young woman, she finally bowed.
“I am willing to exchange the Purple Lotus treasure for a position as a disciple of the Immortal Palace. I hope the Immortal Lord will grant my request,” Lin Wuxi said in a clear voice. As she spoke, someone had already walked up to the dais carrying a tray covered with a cloth.
The cloth covering the tray was lifted. A purple lotus, emitting a faint glow on a crystal tray, appeared before everyone.
The Immortal Lord on the dais didn’t even look at this precious purple lotus, nor did she look at Lin Wuxi in the hall. Her eyes only seemed to gaze vaguely at the mist-shrouded mountains outside the hall. She said lightly, “A unique treasure is precious. You could have exchanged it for other, more valuable conditions than this. Why do you only wish to enter the Immortal Palace?”
This was also what most people in the hall wanted to ask.
Lin Wuxi lowered her head. Her quiet voice contained a certainty that even she herself hadn’t noticed: “There is something important to me in the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace. I cannot pretend to know nothing and leave. Some things, I must understand clearly. Besides, being able to meet that person because of this… I also feel it’s worth it.”
The blissful tone in her voice when she said this was exactly that of a young woman immersed in love.
“What did you say?” There was a slight peculiarity in the tone of the person on the dais. “What did you mean just now?”
“Li Yu.” Lin Wuxi said the name. She lifted her head, which had been lowered, and looked at the Immortal Lord on the dais with hazy eyes: “I think… I’ve fallen for Li Yu.”
The person sitting on the chair felt her head spin a little. The scene before her eyes seemed somewhat unreal, making her feel as if she were in a dream: “How could you get involved with her?”
That Li Yu had indeed ascended to the immortal realm with her, and she had indeed been staying in this Immortal Palace. But she couldn’t understand how things had suddenly become like this.
Things had happened too suddenly, making her heart incredibly cluttered. She hadn’t paid attention to the look in Lin Wuxi’s eyes when she spoke.
“She was the one who took care of me when I was exhausted from separating the Purple Lotus. She’s very good,” Lin Wuxi said.
“Is that so? I understand. I’ll accept the Purple Lotus. From now on, you are an official disciple of the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace. You may leave first.” The person on the dais waved her hand, gesturing for Lin Wuxi to leave first. She felt her temples throbbing and could no longer think clearly.
The ceremony ended with extreme speed. The Immortal Lord strode back to her sleeping chambers, summoned the Immortal Palace’s guards, and said to them, “Quickly go and investigate what has happened between Li Yu and Lin Wuxi these past few days. Do not miss anything.”
“Yes.” The Immortal Palace guards bowed their heads, saluted, and quickly retreated. They always unconditionally complied with the Immortal Lord’s decisions.
Even after leaving Qiankun Hall, the Immortal Lord still felt her head throbbing. She paced back and forth in her sleeping chambers, feeling extremely vexed in her heart. A dark glint flickered in her hand, but ultimately, she didn’t unleash it.
Stay rational, the Immortal Lord closed her eyes and told herself. No matter how things are, I must remain rational.
Outside Qiankun Hall, after Lin Wuxi withdrew, she saw a graceful young master standing elegantly in a corner. He was currently fanning himself with a folding fan, looking at Lin Wuxi with a smile.
“You’re out. The Immortal Lord didn’t make things difficult for you, did she?” The speaker’s voice was as gentle and warm as jade.
Lin Wuxi smiled at him. “Don’t worry, she was very good to me.” A gentle breeze blew, lifting the strands of hair by Lin Wuxi’s ear. The man’s gentle scholarly air, the woman’s elegant composure; the two looked perfectly matched as they spoke.
The grey figure, who had been standing nearby, smiled meaningfully and said, “Alright, I still have matters to attend to, so I won’t disturb your date. I’ll be going first.” The grey figure seemed to be in an excellent mood and left smiling.
“Um…” Li Yu glanced sideways at Lin Wuxi and said casually, “I’ve heard that the flowers in the Immortal Palace’s garden are in full bloom recently. I wonder if the young lady would be willing to stroll with me?” The speaker clearly looked like someone completely immersed in the river of love.
“I was just thinking the same. Thank you for the invitation, Young Master.” Lin Wuxi replied with a smile.
The Nine Heavens Immortal Palace naturally had a garden. Not only did it have one, but it was also very large. It not only had many spiritual flowers and spiritual trees unique to the immortal realm, but also many ordinary flowers and trees transplanted from the mortal realm, such as peach blossoms, peonies, daisies, roses, and wintersweet. All of these had a place in the garden.
And now, it was precisely the blooming season. Petals fluttered throughout the garden, and the entire garden was immersed in a sea of blossoms, making it the most suitable place for conversation.
Li Yu and Lin Wuxi walked side by side on a small path in the garden. All around them was an expanse of flowers. A faint fragrance lingered between the two, creating a delicate, ambiguous atmosphere.
“To think I would meet Miss Lin again in the Immortal Realm, I, Li Yu, am truly honored.” In this atmosphere, the handsome and elegant young master spoke first.
“Thank you. Wuxi also didn’t expect that I would already be acquainted with Young Master Li. These past few days, thank you for your care, Young Master.” Lin Wuxi smiled, her serene face appearing incredibly beautiful amidst this sea of blossoms.
“Miss Wuxi, actually, a long time ago, I…” Li Yu gazed obsessively at Lin Wuxi’s face, about to say the words he had wanted to say since their first meeting.
In Immortal Lord Siyin’s bedchamber, a figure sat on a luxuriously decorated couch, daintily sipping tea from a cup. Looking at the guards reporting back, the voice that spoke was once again devoid of emotional ripples: “Speak.”
“Reporting to the Immortal Lord, as this humble servant knows, Li Yu was invited by Immortal Huiyu some days ago to care for Lin Wuxi, who was exhausted from losing the Purple Lotus. The two seem to have fallen in love at first sight, and their relationship warmed up quickly in a few days. Even when Lin Wuxi entered the palace to present the Purple Lotus, that Li Yu was waiting outside the hall. Currently, they are admiring flowers in the garden.”
“Is that all?” Immortal Lord Siyin put down the teacup and asked.
“This humble servant dares not omit anything. Indeed, this is all.”
“Alright, you may leave.” The voice was as calm as usual, yet it seemed to carry a hint of weariness.
After the guards left, Immortal Lord Siyin sat on the couch for a long time without moving. It wasn’t until a gentle breeze blew in from the window that the teacup by the Immortal Lord’s hand, the wooden table beside it, and the carpet beneath the couch all turned to dust, scattering in the wind, leaving only the solitary couch in the center.
“Attendants, prepare to go to the Imperial Garden.” The figure stood up and strode towards the door.
“Look, what’s that over there?” Lin Wuxi interrupted Li Yu, excitedly running towards it. Li Yu looked. In the southeast, amidst the expanse of blossoms, there was a patch of distinctly different green. It was a half-person-tall cluster of bushes, sparsely dotted with only a few pale yellow flowers.
“Strange, what is this plant? Why have I never seen it before?” Li Yu wondered. He had no memory of ever seeing this type of plant.
“This is Mingyun Tea,” Lin Wuxi murmured in a voice only she could hear. This is the Mingyun Tea I planted myself in the Mortal Realm, the unique scenery of the Xuantian Secret Realm, the Mingyun Tea I drank with Senior Sister.
I was a mere mortal, yet I planted something that now grows in an Immortal Realm garden.
“What were you saying just now?” Li Yu didn’t quite hear what Lin Wuxi said.
“Nothing, let’s go.” Lin Wuxi seemed a little dejected.
“Um, Miss Wuxi, I wanted to tell you just now…” Li Yu chased after her, ready to finish what he hadn’t said.
“The Immortal Lord arrives!” A rich, melodious voice happened to interrupt Li Yu’s words.
The two hurriedly retreated to the side, bowing their heads to await that person’s arrival.
Amidst the faint floral fragrance, that person approached with elegant, slow steps—a calm and leisurely grace unique to those of high status. The gentle breeze rustled the hem of their flowing, heavy robe, causing the semicircular jade pendant at their waist to tinkle.
“This year’s flowers are indeed very beautiful, aren’t they?” A clear, melodious voice sounded close by. Lin Wuxi slightly raised her head and saw that person’s delicate, smooth chin.
Clutching the porcelain bottle in her hand, Lin Wuxi stared into that person’s eyes. “They are indeed beautiful, but in this lowly one’s heart, the most beautiful is still that patch of green tea hidden in a corner of the garden.”
The slightly curved figure seemed to sway faintly, then turned, showing their back to the two beside them. “No matter how beautiful the tea plant is, it cannot bloom for too long and will soon wither. How can it compare to these flowers, now in their prime?”
“The garden scenery, the flowers, all of it—one merely appreciates them according to their season. But tea, with its pure and quiet fragrance that lingers on the palate, holds a special place in my heart, no matter the season.” When Lin Wuxi said this, the corners of her lips held a smile, and the light in her eyes was so bright one dared not look directly at it.
“Hmph.” The figure snorted disdainfully and started walking towards the bedchamber. Only when they were some distance away did a soft sentence drift back on the air: “Follow me.”
She was speaking only to Lin Wuxi. For some reason, the Immortal Lord deliberately avoided looking at Li Yu, who stood beside Lin Wuxi, gazing at her affectionately, from beginning to end.
“This…” Li Yu was about to say something more, but Lin Wuxi had already stood up. She turned back, gave him a kind smile, and followed that person’s entourage towards the temporary palace.
Good work 👏