The other party’s reaction was too intense. Kong Hou looked at the purple-robed female cultivator’s fervent eyes and the four cultivators behind her who seemed to have found the light of life in their joy. She took a slight step back. Huan Zong stepped forward, shielding Kong Hou behind him. “What business do you have?”
“Xianzi Kong Hou, we five are Jixiang Pavilion disciples. Being able to see Xianzi today has made us lose composure in our joy. Please forgive us, Xianzi.” After her wild delight, Ge Jin realized her reaction had been too intense and hurriedly explained: “Because disciples have recently encountered a difficult matter with nowhere to seek help…”
“What senior martial sister means is that meeting Xianzi made us extremely happy.” Hong Ling ran to Ge Jin’s side, tugged at her sleeve, and bowed to Kong Hou. “Greetings to Xianzhang and Xianzi.” Senior martial sister’s personality was too honest. Even if she really was happy about finding help, she shouldn’t say it so directly. What if Xianzi Kong Hou heard this and turned to leave? Then their lives would be lost.
Kong Hou watched the red-clothed female cultivator smile apologetically and explain. It was difficult to pretend she hadn’t seen through their intentions, so she simply asked directly: “What trouble have you encountered?”
“No, no trouble.” Hong Ling waved her hands. “We’re just too happy to see Xianzi.”
“In that case, I’m relieved.” Kong Hou said with a smile. “Farewell.” She tugged at Huan Zong blocking her way. “Huan Zong, let’s go.”
Seeing Kong Hou really planning to leave, Hong Ling panicked: “Please forgive me, Xianzi. I misspoke just now. Actually, we really do have a small matter we’d like to trouble you with.”
“A small matter?”
“Mm… a matter that’s neither big nor small.” Hong Ling’s voice was as weak as a mosquito’s buzz.
“Is it urgent?” Kong Hou glanced at the sky outside.
“Not urgent, I suppose.” Hong Ling thought about it. When the matter would happen and how it would happen—they hadn’t divined any of that. It was really difficult to say whether it was urgent or not.
“If it’s not urgent, please temporarily rest at the small courtyard. When I return tonight, I’ll discuss it with you in detail.” Kong Hou turned to Huan Zong. “Huan Zong, shall we send them to the courtyard first, then go shopping?”
Huan Zong nodded.
“No need.” Lin Hu said. “Miss Kong Hou, I happen to have business to attend to at home. I can walk with them. You also don’t need to return too early tonight. I heard there will be a very beautiful lantern festival tonight. Young master and miss can enjoy the lanterns.”
Having said that, without waiting for Kong Hou to refuse, Lin Hu turned to the Jixiang Pavilion disciples: “Fellow daoists, please come with me.”
Ge Jin’s hand hidden in her sleeve touched the divination bones. She nodded to Lin Hu: “Much obliged, dao friend.” This cultivator had resolute features, a broad forehead and bright eyes—one could tell he bore righteousness. Most importantly, he had an extraordinary bearing and profound cultivation. Being with him would be even safer.
Seeing the Jixiang Pavilion disciples return to the courtyard with Lin Hu, Kong Hou finally relaxed and said to Huan Zong: “Let’s go.”
The main street bustled with people coming and going. Men, women, old and young brushed past shoulder to shoulder. Ordinary people and cultivators wove among each other. Roadside had many stalls selling snacks, all surrounded by quite a few diners. Smelling the oily fragrance drifting from all directions, Kong Hou said to Huan Zong: “Huan Zong, how is the dao of sword cultivators different from us internal qi cultivators?”
“Among the three thousand great daos, each travels their own path, each different from the others. But no matter what dao, none can exist without the nourishment of heaven and earth.” The noisy street was quiet for Huan Zong. What he heard and saw was only this young lady beside him. “The dao is born from the heart; follow what the heart desires. You’re still young. Hearing too much about others’ daos isn’t good for you. This isn’t achieved in a day, and what others say isn’t suitable for you.”
Since entering the Heart Stirring stage, Kong Hou had a vague comprehension in her heart about the great dao of heaven and earth. But this comprehension was too fuzzy. She couldn’t even distinguish whether she was overthinking or whether her mental state had changed due to advancing cultivation.
What was the dao of heaven and earth about?
What was most important about the dao of the human heart?
She had devoted herself to training under her sect, gaining courage and benevolence. But just understanding these—could that successfully lead her onto the great dao of ascension?
A faint fishy smell entered her nostrils. Kong Hou lost interest in discussing the dao. She turned and looked around. The smell came from a shop selling salted dried fish at the street corner. Compared to the snack stalls, this salted fish shop could be called desolate—even passersby would cover their noses and hurry away.
Facing the passersby’s expressions of disgust, the shop owner remained very calm. His gaze toward passersby seemed to say: You are all ignorant mortals.
Not knowing whether it was the owner’s mysterious calm expression that was too attractive, or because she had never eaten salted fish before, Kong Hou suddenly felt somewhat curious. She said to Huan Zong: “Huan Zong, wait for me here. I’ll go look at the salted fish shop.”
The owner was just about to find a book to pass the time when he turned and saw a finely dressed young lady standing at his shop entrance, her eyes bright and shining. He put down the book in his hands and looked at her. Had she gotten lost, or had her money pouch been stolen?
“Shopkeeper, do you only sell salted fish here?” Kong Hou looked at a fish dried on the left wall that was even larger than a person. Such a big fish—how long would it take to finish eating?
“You want to buy?” The owner saw the young lady was fair and clean, dressed exquisitely. Instead of buying flowers or pretty dresses, what was she doing coming to his salted fish shop?
“Yes.” Kong Hou nodded. “I’m preparing to send some back to friends. Do you have any recommendations?”
The owner didn’t ask further questions. He took down several different fish from the hanging rack and placed them on the counter: “These fish have relatively mild flavors, suitable for you outsiders’ tastes.”
The salted fish were all dried as hard as tree bark. Kong Hou couldn’t tell what differences these fish had besides size: “Then prepare one hundred for me.” If she bought too few fish, when the senior sisters at the dining hall prepared them, there wouldn’t be enough for everyone in the sect to eat.
One hundred? Was this young lady planning to buy them back to resell at a markup?
The owner pulled out a cloth bag from the counter: “Each fish is one and a half spirit stones. A one-time-use storage bag is fifty spirit stones. Altogether two hundred spirit stones.”
“Shopkeeper, can you give me a discount?” Kong Hou touched her storage ring and began counting spirit stones.
“Small business. No haggling.” The owner glanced at her and took out a blue salted fish from the counter. “Since you’re buying so many, I can gift you one sea fish. This fish isn’t a native Yan City fish—I caught it at sea some years ago.”
“Then many thanks, shopkeeper.” Kong Hou paid the spirit stones, turned to look at Huan Zong standing in the distance, thought for a moment. “Give me another two hundred, pack them separately.” Liuguang Sect had more people, so their demand for fish would certainly be greater.
After packing two hundred salted fish, the owner sold another one-time-use storage bag. This time without Kong Hou asking, he stood up and took a wooden box from the shelf. From inside, he took out a fish dried that was entirely golden and only half a palm wide, tossing it on the table. “Bonus gift.”
Buy one hundred and get a big fish, buy two hundred and get a small fish. The shopkeeper didn’t seem very good at arithmetic.
Kong Hou didn’t say more. She picked up the storage bag and ran in small steps toward Huan Zong: “Huan Zong, let’s go mail things.”
Looking at the storage bag in her hands, Huan Zong wanted to speak but hesitated, yet still agreed. Arriving at the courier station, he discovered Kong Hou only mailed one storage bag to Yunhua Sect. “This bag isn’t being mailed back?”
“This bag is what I bought for you.” Kong Hou handed the storage bag to the courier station personnel. “Your sect has more people, so I bought a bit extra.”
Huan Zong: “…”
“Thank you.”
“No need to be polite. It wasn’t expensive.”
In the salted fish shop, the owner sat on a reclining chair, lazily flipping through a story book in his hands, as if all the clamor outside had nothing to do with him.
“Mother, didn’t you want to buy salted fish? There happens to be a shop here…”
“Hey!” The woman interrupted her son’s words. “This shop owner is black-hearted and ruthless. A single salted fish actually sells for one spirit stone. Looking at all of Yan City, who would sell things this expensive? Unless they have a problem with their brain.”
“Hmph.” The owner turned a page of his book and rolled his eyes.
“Look at the whole street—which shop doesn’t have customers? Only his place has no one.” The woman said. “I think his shop will close sooner or later.”
The owner closed his book, stood up and walked to the entrance: “Many thanks for aunty’s reminder. I’ll close now.” Having said that, right in front of the woman and her son, he heavily shut the door.
The woman and her son hadn’t expected that even speaking in such low voices, the other party could still hear. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, even though the other party closed the door right in front of them, they weren’t in a position to say anything.
“How strange—how did he hear us?” The woman felt rather resentful and pulled her son away quickly.
Night slowly descended. Yan City’s streets hung full of beautiful lanterns. Many women walked shoulder to shoulder with their lovers, the lanterns in their hands reflecting red on their faces.
“Kong Hou.” Huan Zong called out to Kong Hou. From his storage ring, he took out a hand-held glazed lantern. With a light tap of his finger on the glazed lantern, it emitted a shimmering bright light—extremely beautiful.
“For you.” Huan Zong pushed the lantern handle into Kong Hou’s hand. What others had, this young lady should also have—and hers should be better than others’.
“So beautiful.” Touching the jade bead tassel hanging from the glazed lantern, Kong Hou said with delight: “What kind of lantern is this?”
“An ordinary glazed lantern.” Huan Zong smiled. The night wind stirred his robe hem. Though clearly a cold and distant person, at this moment he appeared incomparably gentle.
The glazed lantern illuminated the path beneath their feet and drew countless passersby’s attention. Because the glazed lantern was too beautiful, the young lady holding it was too lovely, and the finely dressed young master accompanying her was so handsome that people thought he was an immortal descended from heaven.
Walking together, it was very difficult for people to ignore their existence.
“I’ll show you a little technique.” Having received such a beautiful lantern, Kong Hou was very happy. Her free hand formed a finger seal. When she opened her hand again, butterflies like light and fire flew from her palm. The gleaming butterflies danced in a circle around Huan Zong, finally transforming into points of firefly light and disappearing.
Huan Zong watched the last point of firefly light vanish and heard the wind blow into his heart.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Each beat so clear, so forceful.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Seeing Huan Zong still staring dazedly at the dim sky, Kong Hou smiled and waved her sleeve. Countless butterflies flew out.
The light on the butterflies illuminated her face and also illuminated Huan Zong’s eyes.
On the viewing tower, An He stood quietly at the highest point, watching the young lady holding the glazed lantern in the night, and those butterflies dancing all over the sky. This was a very simple illusion technique. Anyone with sufficient cultivation could perform it.
Using such a simple illusion technique to transform butterflies to show a sword cultivator with unfathomable cultivation—what difference was this from a child who just learned to walk telling an adult, look how fast he can run?
However, these butterflies were very beautiful…
In the small courtyard, Ge Jin, Hong Ling, and the others had no mind for sleep. They sat at the stone Eight Immortals table in the courtyard, drinking tea that had long lost most of its flavor, their hearts unsettled.
Lin Hu brought a tray to exchange them for a fresh pot of tea: “Fellow daoists should rest first. Tomorrow morning we’ll accompany you all to Jixiang Pavilion. Whatever matters there are, everyone can discuss on the road.”
“Senior.” Ge Jin stood and cupped her fists toward Lin Hu. “Long nights bring many dreams. We’d still prefer to wait for Xianzi Kong Hou to return so we can explain things clearly.”
“Young master and Miss Kong Hou probably won’t return for a while longer…”
“Within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Xianzi Kong Hou will return.” The junior martial brother put away the jade turtle shell he’d tossed on the table and stood up. “Please forgive juniors’ rudeness, senior. We’d like to go to the gate to welcome Xianzi Kong Hou.”
Lin Hu: “…”
“Please, as you wish.” Lin Hu also knew some cultivators skilled at calculation and divination—for example, Yuexing Sect among the Ten Great Sects, whose calculation abilities far exceeded other cultivators. But even Yuexing Sect wouldn’t pull things out to divine at every turn.
Though divination masters weren’t skilled at combat, they were very respected by cultivators. Almost no one dared to easily offend them. It was said that cultivators who walked the path of divination had the ability to comprehend heaven and earth, so they were also viewed by everyone as the mouth and ears of the great dao of heaven and earth.
Everyone still relied on the great dao of heaven and earth to cultivate and become immortals. Who could go against the great dao?
Jixiang Pavilion disciples like these, who divined at every turn whether there was something happening or not, were truly oddities among divination masters. Weren’t they afraid that the great dao of heaven and earth would find them annoying for troubling it about everything and make their hexagrams inaccurate?
Lin Hu followed the Jixiang Pavilion disciples to the main gate and saw the young master in white robes like snow appear with Kong Hou at the end of the small alley. Miss Kong Hou held in her hand the divine artifact Qingming Lantern that could repel evil and suppress demons, her casual manner as if she were holding an ordinary illumination lamp.
“Why are you all standing at the gate?” Kong Hou saw them and quickened her pace to come before the Jixiang Pavilion disciples.
“Xianzi, we still have matters we want to tell Xianzi.” Ge Jin bowed to Kong Hou. “Related to our hexagram.”
“Then I’ll go in to talk.” Kong Hou turned to Huan Zong. “Huan Zong, I’ll go in with them first.” She raised the lantern in her hand. “Thank you for giving me this lantern. I’ll treasure it well.”
At the cold and quiet gate, Huan Zong and Lin Hu stood facing each other.
Lin Hu sighed: “Young master…”
Huan Zong’s glazed eyes looked toward him: “Mm?”
What exactly had been wrong with Lin Hu lately?