Chapter 78

After bidding farewell to Lin Su and her companion, Hansu set out on her new journey with light footsteps. Ever since the incident where Su Yunmo escaped and an ignorant disciple shouted about it amidst a gathering of guests, Lord Zhan felt his dignity had been utterly disgraced. He no longer sent people to search for her, avoiding further scandal throughout the city. In his heart, he regarded this daughter as dead, though he secretly wondered how long her pampered nature could endure life outside.

As for Lin Tai, since Hansu had rescued him, his parents and friends had already taken assignments and left, freeing him from further entanglements. The burdens of their hearts were greatly eased. Hansu, always discreet, deliberately brought up Lu Tanxian's current rise to prominence to sound them out. Unexpectedly, Su Yunmo merely smiled quietly, showing no concern whatsoever. A task Hansu thought would be difficult was thus half solved. She left behind many pills, magical tools, formation plates, and spirit stones for them before departing.

Since leaving the Luo Star Realm, Hansu spent most of her time with Lord Rongling, relying on him, which naturally did little to advance her cultivation. So, following Lin Tai’s advice, she decided to try her hand at hunting.

Though the outskirts of Slaughter Meat City had various demon beasts, the place was crowded with hunters, and joining rashly could easily lead to disputes. Hansu had her eye on a small town three thousand li away—Wu Pavilion Town.

Wu Pavilion Town lay by the sea, yet it was one of the rare verdant, spiritual places in the Stone Imperial Realm. Thus, it attracted some of the realm’s rare Daoist cultivators. Though mostly solitary practitioners or small sects, they created the largest Daoist trading market in the realm. For it was a point where three realms met: demon pills from the Sea Mansion Realm, bones of rare sea beasts, all kinds of crystals from the Stone Imperial Realm, spiritual herbs and medicines from the Luo Star Realm...

Goods from all three realms could be conveniently acquired here. Gradually, it became one of the three great cities of the five realms. Though its scale was not immense, it was bustling and convenient—a place ideal for obtaining information and meeting people.

Upon entering Wu Pavilion Town, Hansu was immediately approached by a small boy. “Immortal Lady, are you here to buy a house, rent one, or are you looking for spiritual herbs, medicines, demon pills, demon bones, or formation plates? Whatever it is, Little Eight can handle it for you, Immortal Lady!”

Hansu wanted to refuse his sales pitch, but she did indeed need to rent a residence...

Little Eight, clever as a fox, saw her hesitance and pressed his advantage. “Is this your first time in Wu Pavilion Town, Immortal Lady? Then you surely need... Judging by your bearing, you must want to buy a residence, right? If so, I recommend Han De Street. It’s the largest and busiest main street here, with shops selling everything you could need. Step outside and it’s all at your fingertips. Would you like me to show you some houses?”

“But I only wish to rent for a while... Are there any rentals on this street?”

“Oh, you only wish to rent... That’s normal. High-level cultivators rarely settle in one place for long. But on Han De Street, properties are scarce and usually only sold, not rented. If you’re looking to rent, I suggest a place further out by the sea. The scenery is beautiful, it’s more secluded, and hunting sea beasts is most convenient there. It’s also where most visiting cultivators stay, so the residences may suit your tastes better. Though it’s a bit farther from Han De Street, that distance is nothing for someone like you, right?”

Hansu considered his words and found them reasonable, so she let him lead her to a seaside residence.

The guardian of the residence was a scruffy uncle. When Little Eight led her in, the man was seated with his feet propped on a table, a book with its title on the cover spread over his face, rising and falling with his deep breaths.

“Uncle Zhong, Uncle Zhong? I’ve brought a customer for you, wake up!” Little Eight’s clear voice quickly roused him. His fingers twitched, and he snatched the book from his face, drowsily lowering his feet. “A customer? You’re something, kid!”

He stretched and blinked. “Oh, a little beauty! Uncle will give you a twenty percent discount—which room would you like to rent?”

As he spoke, he made a hand sign, and what had served as his footrest transformed into a stone screen displaying a floor plan. The locations of the residences were marked, with red and green dots indicating occupancy.

Hansu chose an independent courtyard, flanked by tenants on both sides. The environment was tranquil, and both the sea and market were conveniently accessible. With a tap of her finger, the green dot turned red, and a jade token appeared on the stone screen—her “key” to the residence.

She paid three months’ rent upfront, and gave Little Eight a generous commission. Little Eight, evidently not used to such straightforward clients, lingered as if reluctant to leave, escorting Hansu all the way to her door. Before departing, he gave her his communication jade, inviting her to contact him if she needed anything.

Though Hansu had rented residences before, this was the first time she truly ventured out alone. Naturally, she felt both a sense of novelty and a touch of anxiety.

She placed the jade token in a small slot on the stone wall; it opened in response, and she entered her courtyard. She inspected her surroundings, set up layers of protection, then meticulously cleaned her domain.

Years of busyness had left her little time to create puppets, so she had only three. Besides the miniature walnut puppet adept at scouting and treasure-seeking, there was a household puppet skilled at cooking, cleaning, and piloting a boat, and an attack puppet with impenetrable bronze skin.

It had been long since she lived alone; the sudden quiet brought a faint sense of loneliness. So she released Xueling and the three puppets. Only the household puppet Rongrong cleaned diligently; the others merely added to the bustle. Xueling, recently parted from her parents after a brief reunion, was gloomy and listless, resting under a tree. The walnut puppet circled inside and outside the house, chasing after Rongrong in the small courtyard, where there was little treasure to find. The attack puppet Dashan, having received orders to tidy up, worked clumsily.

As for Hansu herself, she sat under the tree with Xueling, sipping spiritual wine. Rongrong’s efficiency was high—by the time Hansu had drunk two or three cups, the entire residence was spotless. Satisfied, Hansu planned to head out in search of something to do.

Though her purpose was to hunt sea beasts, she knew none of the local rules, so she decided to take on some tasks first to quickly familiarize herself.

She packed away her puppets and went out with Xueling. Little Eight had provided a simple map marking the general layout of Wu Pavilion Town. Following it, she soon found the task board.

It was a small plaza, ringed by shops, with three large stone screens at the center.

Anyone wishing to post a task could register, after which it would appear on the screens by category.

Hansu studied them carefully and found a task quite suited to her. It was posted by a local solitary cultivator, who claimed to have discovered a strange palace on the nearby seabed. It appeared long abandoned, with weak energy emissions, but its protective formation was difficult to crack. He hoped to find several companions to explore it, preferably a formation master. As he was a mid-stage Golden Core, he sought others of similar rank, ideally with expertise in formations.

Curiously, the task seemed far more interesting and tempting than those inviting people to hunt fifth-tier sea beasts, yet had attracted no applicants. She was intrigued, but as she was alone and the task involved the seabed, if it were a trap, she stood little chance.

She hesitated, about to give up, when she overheard someone nearby reading aloud, “A palace on the seabed, strong formations, seeking fellow Golden Core cultivators to explore, especially formation masters... Ji Senior Brother, both of us are Golden Core, Tanxian is only Foundation Establishment, but she has skill in formations. Why not join forces and explore together? I’ve never seen a seabed palace.”

“Zi Junior Sister, this task has been posted for days with no applicants—there must be something suspicious. All three of us are outsiders; under the local powers' influence, we may fare poorly. Let’s look for something else.”

“Heh, I didn’t expect Ji Uncle to be so cautious. Maybe no locals understand formations—given our combined strength, why fear these solitary cultivators?”

If the previous voices were unfamiliar, the last was unmistakably someone Hansu knew. She couldn’t help glancing back—it was indeed Lu Tanxian. As for the two beside her, could they be the twin Thunder Spiritual Roots her senior sister had mentioned in recent correspondence?

Ever since Lord Rongling had advised her not to disguise herself when traveling, Hansu had grown used to showing her true face. After all, she had done nothing immoral or made enemies; why not walk openly? She simply hadn’t expected to meet acquaintances here.

“Oh, isn’t that Senior Aunt Jiang? Fancy meeting you here!” Lu Tanxian recognized her and immediately called out to the sneaky Hansu.

“Tanxian, who is she?” The man and woman beside Lu Tanxian turned to look.

“Right, when Senior Aunt Jiang went traveling, Zi Senior Aunt hadn’t yet formed her core, so you wouldn’t know her. Let me introduce you: this is Jiang Hansu, daughter of Daoist Lanhe, master of Spirit Mist Peak, and the brightest talent of the Yaohua Sect.”

Hansu had to stop and turn back, smiling awkwardly. Hearing Lu Tanxian’s introduction, she started to explain, “I’m not...” but was interrupted, “Brightest talent? I don’t see it.” Zi Huanshan, seeing Hansu was also Golden Core—though at the sixth stage—and lacking any presence, appearing delicate and naive, was irritated.

Moreover, since Hansu appeared, Ji Yan’s gaze hadn’t left her—watching her thoughtfully, which Zi Huanshan found intolerable. So she blurted out a barbed remark.

Lu Tanxian, however, seemed oblivious to the tension, laughing as she retorted, “Of course she’s the brightest—formed her core at forty-three, unheard of throughout history. Zi Senior Aunt and Ji Senior Uncle are rare talents, but...” She covered her mouth, giggling.

Though she only spoke half her sentence, Zi Huanshan knew exactly what was implied. Strangely, she didn’t react to Lu Tanxian’s obvious provocation, but instead glared fiercely at Hansu, pulling Ji Yan’s hand, “Let’s go—let’s see that seabed palace.”

Ji Yan seized the opportunity, “Ji Yan of Spirit Cloud Peak—greetings, Senior Sister Jiang. Are you also interested in the seabed palace? Why not join us? What do you think?”

Zi Huanshan was even more annoyed, about to object, but Lu Tanxian interjected, “Great! You may not know, but Senior Aunt Jiang’s mastery of formations is so high that even the Heavenly Machine Hall invites her to teach. With her along, it’ll be much safer.”

Hansu was helpless, not knowing what had gotten into Lu Tanxian. She could see Zi Huanshan’s hostility, yet kept pushing Hansu forward. It was clear none of these three were ordinary; she’d be crazy to go with them.

Half an hour later, the four of them had joined the solitary cultivator who posted the task.

If Hansu’s mind was swayed, it was all due to Lu Tanxian. Who knows what she’d been up to in recent years—her tongue had only grown sharper. She cornered Hansu verbally, making it seem her refusal would mean abandoning the younger generation to danger, and shaming Spirit Mist Peak. Zi Huanshan, though still unhappy, somehow was persuaded by Lu Tanxian and followed along, as if Hansu’s refusal would make her the sect’s villain. As for Ji Yan, he maintained his thoughtful expression throughout.

In the end, Ji Yan asked Hansu to join, promising that he and his companions meant no harm, swearing by their inner demons never to betray her. Thus, she had no choice.

The solitary cultivator had gathered several friends, making seven in total; except for Lu Tanxian, all were Golden Core, giving Hansu’s side the advantage. Their worries eased, and they listened as the solitary cultivator explained the situation.

Author’s note: I have exams these days, so updates will be every other day at most. I’m truly sorry, and hope to update faster after the exams. Also, many thanks to zeng274 for the grenade! After three exams yesterday I was exhausted, but remembering today was update day, I still got up to write...