Banquet Immortal Platform?

Li Ye’s brows furrowed slightly.

That wasn’t anything special. During the late summer and early autumn, all the immortals of the Nine Heavens loved to go to the Banquet Immortal Platform for feasts and casual conversation. Anyone with high enough cultivation could see it by passing through the Longevity Forest.

Of course, a low-level small immortal like her might be trapped in the Longevity Forest for a lifetime without being able to leave. Asking him to take her there was reasonable enough.

However.

Licking his teeth, Li Ye felt somewhat annoyed.

He had never liked that place. A group of long-winded old immortals gathering together to talk about things that provided no benefit to cultivation. Whenever they saw him, they would smile flatteringly. But whether it was the kind-hearted Tai Shang Lao Jun or the supposedly diplomatic Supreme God of the Qian Clan, the looks in their eyes all carried some degree of wariness and apprehension toward him.

It wasn’t interesting at all.

“Who do you want to find there?” he asked, lowering his eyes.

…

…

Er’er nervously rubbed her hands together and mumbled vaguely, “It’s not that I need to find anyone specifically. I just heard that the immortal fruits at the Banquet Immortal Platform are sweet and juicy, and I wanted to try them.”

“I’ll take you to the Immortal Fruit Forest instead.”

Her little face fell. Er’er pursed her lips, wanting to object but not quite daring to. She could only gaze at him with pleading eyes.

What was the use of pretending to be pitiful? Li Ye sneered inwardly. Everyone knew he was the least sentimental person. How could he possibly soften his heart for such a pathetic display?

“Let’s return to the Upper Bing Palace first.”

“Oh.” Responding dejectedly, Er’er hung her head and climbed onto his cloud with no energy, like a small cabbage that hadn’t been watered for ten days, wilting as she sat beside his leg.

The surroundings retreated rapidly in a blur of light and shadow. Li Ye glanced at the stone in his hand, then at the small creature by his leg.

“When we get back, continue practicing the immortal technique I taught you last time.”

Practice again? Er’er tilted her head thoughtfully and nodded hesitantly, “Alright.”

Li Ye: “…” What was with that reluctant tone?

He had never seen such an unambitious immortal!

Slightly angered, Li Ye swept his sleeve and tossed her into a corner as soon as he crossed the threshold of Upper Bing Palace.

Er’er tumbled to the wall, looked around the spacious palace, and muttered quietly, “There’s not even a bed.”

Still wanting a bed? Li Ye became even more irritated and pointed sharply at the throne above: “Go meditate there.”

Having ascended to immortality yet still thinking about living in comfort was truly inappropriate.

Looking in the direction he pointed, Er’er felt nervous and lowered her head, “I’d rather just sit over here.”

She still had unfinished business with Kan Ze, and being too close to the boss wasn’t beneficial.

Lifting the hem of her clothes, she sat down in the corner, held her breath to concentrate, and began searching for Kan Ze in her divine consciousness.

Perhaps intimidated by her earlier stubborn will, Kan Ze’s tone was noticeably softer this time: “Why is the immortal power in your body so chaotic?”

Chaotic? Er’er examined herself and indeed found that all five elements of immortal power—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—were present in her dantian.

“One must specialize in a single path to achieve greatness.”

Who didn’t know that principle? Er’er pouted. If she had any talent for immortal cultivation, she wouldn’t have tried to learn everything and ended up mastering nothing.

When she first entered Taihe Xianshi’s sect, Er’er had desperately studied immortal techniques and absorbed spiritual energy to honor her imperial father and mother’s offerings. While her senior brothers and sisters would meditate for four hours, she would meditate for eight. She listened to teachings more attentively than anyone else and used several cartloads of rice paper to record the essential techniques.

But she wasn’t cut out for immortal cultivation. After a hundred years of practice, the mortal world had already undergone immense changes, her imperial father and mother had passed away, and she still had only a tiny bit of spiritual power.

She had been unable to support her crumbling country or keep her imperial parents alive. Her father’s insistence that she pursue immortal cultivation seemed like nothing more than a joke recorded in the history books.

After that, Er’er stopped practicing diligently. She had already achieved immortality, and the people she wanted to protect were gone. Living an idle life seemed just fine.

Until she had that dream.

Her eyelashes trembled, and Er’er instinctively wanted to shut Kan Ze out.

“Don’t worry,” Kan Ze spoke softly. “Our fates are bound together. I won’t betray your secrets.”

He still had the nerve to say that? Er’er felt slightly angry: “You deceived me.”

“It was necessary,” Kan Ze sighed. “Li Ye cannot be allowed to live, as you know too.”

That wasn’t a reason to lie! Er’er was very angry. “I even said I would take you home, but you just used me as a weapon.”

“When I met you as I was dying, we formed a death contract,” Kan Ze explained, somewhat apologetically. “A death contract cannot be broken. With your immortal body, I no longer have the opportunity to fight Li Ye to the death, so I had no choice but to resort to this strategy.”

Not only did he use her, but he also implied she was useless.

Er’er angrily pushed him back into the darkness with one slap.

Kan Ze wanted to say more, but it was too late.

The surroundings returned to silence. His immortal power could not penetrate her in the slightest, nor could he hear her divine consciousness anymore.

How could this be? Kan Ze couldn’t understand. Although he was still recovering from serious injuries and couldn’t subdue her, he had regained some strength over the past few days. There was no reason why she could suppress him so easily.

Was it because she was the host? He looked at his hand in confusion.

Li Ye sat in his elevated position, casually glancing in Er’er’s direction a couple of times.

When other immortals meditated, they emanated an ethereal immortal aura with a lofty bearing. But she was different, leaning against the wall corner with a pitiful expression, looking like someone who had been evicted and was now homeless on the streets.

Unable to bear the sight any longer, Li Ye raised his hand.

Er’er was still angry when she suddenly felt the ground beneath her soften.

A dragon-carved pear wood step-bed rose from the floor. Silken brocade quilts wrapped around her, warm and smooth.

Pushing aside the bedding, Er’er looked toward the throne in shock: “Master?”

How did he know what her bed in the mortal realm looked like?

Li Ye didn’t even look at her, just closed his eyes to regulate his breath. After a moment, perhaps feeling her gaze was too intense, he waved his hand again and created a landscape folding screen in front of the step-bed.

Er’er’s eyes widened.

Wasn’t the boss supposed to despise her for being extravagant and indulgent, seeking comfort? Yet he had conjured a step-bed for her in Upper Bing Palace!

Li Ye hadn’t intended to do this.

Earlier, he had asked Zhu Yan to investigate her karma. The mirror of past events Zhu Yan brought back was filled with images of her curled up in bed in the mortal realm.

“Oh, it’s raining outside. Perfect for sleeping.”

“Ah, such warm sunshine. So suitable for sleeping.”

“I’m not in good spirits today. Better sleep.”

…

After watching it all, Li Ye remembered nothing except this step-bed and his disciple who slept like a pig.

Clean background, no ulterior motives—he was pleased about that. But he truly couldn’t comprehend how someone so lazy could achieve enlightenment and ascend to immortality.

A child’s misconduct is the father’s fault. He had told Zhu Yan before that this person’s degradation was the parents’ responsibility. How could they indulge her so?

Yet now.

Glancing at the step-bed that clashed so severely with the surrounding black stone pillars, Li Ye felt a toothache coming on.

It was truly puzzling.

How had he unconsciously started indulging her as well?