"Master Ji Lu? Nice to see you, Senior Sister Sun," Lin Xin said with a lowered head, honorifically, upon hearing that someone from the Elixir Hall had come, and that it was someone sent by Master Ji Lu, he hurriedly paid his respects.
"No need for formalities. Follow me," Sun Zhiwen said with a smile.
Lin Xin dared not delay, for she had been kindly waiting for him outside, and he was not sure how long she had been there. She had given him a truly grand face.
The two hastened, one after the other, following along the riverbank, and soon arrived at the mist-filled stone steps.
The little tower next to the stone steps was still there, at the entrance, a few new disciples had just entered to collect their new disciple packs. All of them were being led by senior brothers and sisters, and this unintentionally reminded Lin Xin of his own initial arrival here.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a year had gone by.
"Let’s go, Junior Brother," Sun Zhiwen began climbing the first step of the staircase, looking back at Lin Xin.
"Yes," Lin Xin quickly responded, using the Concealment Formation Technique to hide his cultivation level. Although he didn’t know if it would work, hiding it was always better than not.
He followed Sun Zhiwen up the stone steps, both of them moving swiftly, as fast as ordinary people running.
Before long, they had ascended hundreds of steps without realizing it.
Lin Xin sensed the white mist around them growing thicker; looking back, he could only see about ten meters down the staircase, beyond which all was shrouded in white fog, obscuring his view.
"Stay close to me and don’t lag behind. I hold the formation entry token. Without it, you’d be completely lost in this fog, then devoured by the mountain spirit beasts that protect this place," Sun Zhiwen warned from ahead.
Lin Xin hurriedly acknowledged.
He had always been curious about the misty area above the Sword Sect, and now that he was truly encountering it, anticipation welled up in his heart.
The two then fell silent and sped up their ascent.
Amid the swirling mist, on the endless grey and white stone staircase, from a distance, two small figures steadily moved upwards.
Around them, the white mists, as if alive, constantly tried to engulf the two but were kept at bay by an invisible barrier.
Time ticked away, until Lin Xin began to feel winded, struggling to keep pace with Sun Zhiwen, when a blurry courtyard and pavilion finally appeared in front of them.
Looking up, the pavilion was concealed among the white mist and green foliage, indistinct, as if real and illusory.
"Be careful," Sun Zhiwen’s voice came through once again from upfront, "This area is frequented by Qi Cultivators. Stay close to me; if something happens, I can’t save you."
"Alright."
Lin Xin looked around; the courtyards and pavilions on both sides were shrouded in white mist, seated only along the sides of the stone staircase, and looking upward, the path ahead was still shrouded in hazy fog, with no indication as to the length of the stone steps.
They walked towards a pavilion on the right, crossing a white jade arch bridge, beneath which flowed pale green water with pink lotuses floating on it, and several golden carps swimming back and forth.
Lin Xin didn’t have time to look closely and continued following Sun Zhiwen off the bridge, turning east and west, passing through a series of pavilions, corridors, and passageways, quickly arriving at a small courtyard with a black stone statue standing upright. It was of a sword-bearing man, posed as if he were about to fly on clouds, with white stone-carved mist at his feet.
Just then, two children with hair buns on their heads approached from the opposite direction, dressed in clean white, with red lips and white teeth, looking exceptionally lovely.
They were both girls, about twelve or thirteen years old, one carrying a black stone jar, and the other holding a delicate yellow wooden box. Upon seeing Sun Zhiwen, they quickly bent their knees and bowed.
"Greetings, Fairy Sun," said the child with a clear voice. Coupled with the surrounding mist, and the Eight Trigrams and Yin Yang fish patterns frequently seen on the walls and floor, the whole place exuded an otherworldly and dreamlike aura.
"Little Cloud, Little Rain, is the elder brother still in the Elixir Room?" Sun Zhiwen casually asked.
"Yes, but a venerable guest has just entered, and it seems like there’s something important," the child on the right respectfully answered.
"A venerable guest? From where?" Sun Zhiwen continued to inquire.
"From outside," the child on the right promptly replied.
"From outside..." Sun Zhiwen nodded, showing she understood, and then turned to Lin Xin, "Elder Brother is receiving a guest, we’ll wait outside for now."
"Alright," Lin Xin replied.
They were led by the children into a side room, where they were served tea, and they waited patiently.
Sun Zhiwen, with a calm demeanor, took a sip of tea and entered into a state of cultivation.
Lin Xin, however, carefully observed his surroundings.
At a glance, this place looked much like any Daoist establishment.
But a closer look would reveal that the ground, the walls, and even the ceiling were made of a unique, black, hard stone. This stone was special, with natural, fine patterns on its surface, resembling human skin.
Sitting in his place, facing the door, Lin Xin looked out to see only white mist outside, obscuring his view. After the children served tea, they had long since left. The two sat quietly in the room waiting.
After about half an hour, a child entered the room again.
"Fairy Sun, the guest and the master invite you over," the child said.
Sun Zhiwen nodded upon hearing the words, stood up, and began following the other out. Lin Xin also quickly followed and left the room.
Heading left out of the door and following the lengthy corridor ahead, a figure was approaching from the opposite direction.
Lin Xin originally hadn’t paid much attention, but as the person drew closer, he was slightly surprised.
The individual appeared calm, dressed as a wealthy merchant, and looked no different from a typical middle-aged man.
But...
This person’s two ears were extraordinarily massive. Each earlobe was as large as a football, resembling two huge sacks of flesh dangling down to the waist. As they walked, their ears swayed and jostled, creating quite the spectacle.
Noticing Lin Xin staring at his ears, the man turned his gaze and offered a friendly smile.
Sun Zhiwen and Lin Xin quickly returned the smile, not uttering a word. They brushed past each other.
"What’s that...?" As the person walked away, Lin Xin couldn’t help but ask.
"That’s a person from the Outer Regions, monks from the Long-Eared Kingdom are all like that. You’ll get used to seeing it after a while," Sun Zhiwen responded indifferently.
"Long-Eared Kingdom?" Lin Xin exclaimed in curiosity, "Does it mean everyone in the entire country has ears like that?"
"Yes," Sun Zhiwen smiled, "The realms Qi Cultivators encounter are different from what you knew before. As you see more over time, you’ll get used to it. The wonders and peculiarities of the Outer Regions are endless; don’t be so shocked."
Lin Xin nodded, suppressed a series of questions in his mind, and continued following Sun Zhiwen. They passed a small pond steaming like a hot spring and quickly arrived at a pavilion near several pink-flowered trees.
In the pavilion, Ji Lu was sitting in front of a low table with a small charcoal brazier on which sat a vermillion teapot, carefully handling it.
What was strange was that wisps of steam billowed from the spout of the teapot, twisting through the air, continuously morphing into vague, misty butterflies of vapor.
These butterflies only existed for a moment. Barely flying a meter from the spout, they naturally faded away. Fortunately, new vapor butterflies kept emerging from the teapot incessantly.
"Come, come, join me for some Butterfly Tea I’ve just acquired," Ji Lu invited without standing up, seemingly aware of their arrival and speaking softly with his back to them.
"This is this year’s new harvest."
"I’ll pass. Have you finished making your elixirs, Brother? You really do have leisure time," Sun Zhiwen said, somewhat helplessly. "I still have tasks to attend to. Since I’ve brought the person you asked for, I’ll be leaving."
Ji Lu turned, smiling.
"Thanks for your hard work, Sister. In the midst of preparing for the Tingjian Conference and still helping out your senior brother here."
"It’s not a hardship. After all, I have tasks to claim and rewards to receive," Sun Zhiwen replied softly, "I’ll take my leave now."
"Alright."
Lin Xin also hurriedly nodded and bowed to Sun Zhiwen, watching as she departed.
After Sun Zhiwen left, Ji Lu waved Lin Xin over.
Lin Xin entered the pavilion, noticed a cushion obviously meant for him opposite Ji Lu, and sat down cross-legged.
"Regarding the Human-faced Fruit matter, you did very well," Ji Lu began, immediately getting to the point, which made Lin Xin’s heart skip a beat.
"Thank you for the praise, Senior Uncle. I only did what a conscientious person ought to," Lin Xin hastened to reply.
Ji Lu did not respond, carefully took out two cinnabar teacups, and gently lifted the teapot to pour tea for both of them.
The tea was crystal clear, shimmering like quicksilver with a faint silver glow, truly remarkable.
As the tea was poured into the cups, the vapor butterflies gradually dissipated into nothingness.
"I called you here to seriously look at you, as you are from our Red Pine City lineage," Ji Lu said calmly. "Secondly, to share a cup of this unique Butterfly Tea with you. Elder Zhong Xuan has already mentioned your situation to me. I spent a good sum to acquire this that stabilizes Inner Qi, not expecting you’d have resolved the issue on your own."
Lin Xin felt a warmth in his heart at these words, thinking that Ji Lu truly lived up to his title as a Senior Uncle, genuinely supportive and reliable in times of trouble.
"You’ve gone to a lot of trouble and worry for me..." he quickly interjected.
Ji Lu smiled faintly.
"It appears you have already reached the Innate level. I wasn’t very optimistic about you before, yet I didn’t expect you to reach this level within a year. Even your great-uncle Bo Yunzi was quite surprised when I mentioned it to him. Moreover, there are rumors from the Formation Hall about your talent in Formation Techniques."
"It’s all an exaggeration. How could your disciple live up to such exaggerated stories, when everything I’ve learned has been wrestled for amidst life and death situations," said Lin Xin, looking down helplessly.
"So what if it is? You may not compare to the astonishing talents of the Dugu siblings, but a spot among the next Four Young Elites isn’t out of your reach," retorted Ji Lu, undeterred.
"The Four Young Elites?"
"The top four Innates of Tingjian Valley are dubbed the Four Young Elites. They receive manifold support and attention from the Sect, along with many privileges and are considered reserve Qi Cultivators. Of course, the Dugu siblings, with their Spirit Gathering Physique, are not included. They are merely passing through Tingjian Valley; they’re beyond comparison, as they’re destined to become Great Perfection Qi Masters... possessing the Innate Dao Foundation that so many envy and long for..." Ji Lu sighed, seemingly resigned to the unfairness of fate.
He then picked up his teacup and downed the tea in one gulp.