Li Jian woke up the next day in a small cottage outside the city. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Xuan Lang keeping watch by the bedside.
“Immortal Master, you’re awake?”
Noticing that he had regained consciousness, Xuan Lang hurriedly reached out to help him sit up and thoughtfully handed him a cup of tea.
The familiar furnishings in the room left Li Jian feeling somewhat dazed. This time, he clearly remembered that he had been battling the fierce-faced female demon inside Changle Pavilion last night. Unfortunately, having fallen victim to the demon’s bewitching smoke, he had been no match for her.
Just as he was about to have his cultivation stolen by the female demon, an external force had suddenly appeared…
It seemed someone had stepped in to rescue him.
“Did you bring me back last night?” Li Jian asked.
Standing off to the side, Xuan Lang lowered his gaze and nodded. “Mm.”
“Then do you know who the person was that saved me from the female demon last night?” he asked again.
Li Jian hadn’t even had the chance to get a clear look at the person’s face; he only vaguely remembered that they were both enveloped in a shroud of black mist. That person had plunged in alone and pulled him out.
Amidst the haziness, it had felt like an immensely reassuring and familiar sensation, yet he couldn’t immediately recall where he might have encountered it before.
Xuan Lang paused for a moment, raising his eyes to appraise Li Jian’s expression. Seeing no trace of suspicion, he shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
Perhaps feeling that this explanation wasn’t quite enough to convince Li Jian, he added, “When I arrived last night, there was only the Immortal Master in the room, and everything outside was completely undisturbed, so I have no idea who it was. Seeing that the Immortal Master was vomiting blood and unconscious, I simply brought you back.”
“In that case, does this mean the fierce-faced female demon has already been eliminated?” Li Jian muttered to himself as he sipped his tea.
He still felt a lingering sense of uncertainty. Without witnessing the fierce-faced female demon’s demise with his own eyes, he feared she might make a comeback and wreak havoc upon even more people.
As the two of them were talking, the anxious voice of Scholar Liang rang out from outside the courtyard, calling out loudly, “Immortal Master Li! Immortal Master Li, are you home?”
Casually draping an outer robe over his shoulders, Li Jian followed Xuan Lang outside.
The moment he saw Li Jian emerge, Scholar Liang hurried forward at a run, sprinting two steps in one. Words jammed in his throat as he gasped heavily for air.
While Li Jian was still leisurely tying the buttons of his outer robe, he cast a sideways glance, and Xuan Lang obligingly poured a cup of tea for Scholar Liang, signaling him to drink slowly.
“Immortal Master Li, big news!”
Swallowing a gulp of tea in a rush, Scholar Liang drew a long breath. “Last night in the dead of night, Qiushui, the head courtesan of Changle Pavilion, went missing. Mother Hua has been searching everywhere since dawn, and after half a day of frantic looking, she’s practically turned Yangyang City upside down.”
Scholar Liang had first heard about this when passing by the entrance of Changle Pavilion early that morning. In the span of just an hour or two, the news had spread across half of Yangyang City.
The proprietress had discovered the person missing in the middle of the night. Although someone had offered a hefty sum to have Miss Qiushui perform a song, and the proprietress knew Qiushui would undoubtedly refuse, she had steeled herself and gone anyway—after all, with so much silver on the table, it would be foolish to turn it down.
Upon knocking on the door, however, she discovered the room was empty. She immediately dispatched servants to search, yet combing Changle Pavilion from top to bottom yielded no trace of her.
The proprietress refused to believe it. She had personally kept watch by the front entrance throughout the night, making it impossible for any maiden to slip outside.
Every maiden who entered Changle Pavilion signed an indenture; even if someone vanished, it should have gone through the proprietress’s hands rather than disappearing out of thin air. Since the proprietress hadn’t panicked over the previous disappearances, it was clear she genuinely had no idea about Miss Qiushui’s disappearance tonight.
Li Jian turned his head to look at Xuan Lang. As their eyes met, the two of them instantly understood.
Naturally, they were well aware that Qiushui was the fierce-faced female demon. With the female demon eliminated the previous night, the head courtesan naturally vanished along with her, and even the spells the demon used to control the proprietress had expired simultaneously. That explained why the proprietress was completely clueless while the person had vanished.
Observing their expressions, Scholar Liang saw no hint of surprise and immediately drew his conclusion.
“The moment I heard the news, I wondered if it might be related to the two of you. From the looks of it now, is it true?”
Li Jian nodded. “Just as you suspect, Qiushui was the face-stealing monster you’ve been looking for. She previously controlled Mother Hua to make those maidens vanish without a trace and without anyone else knowing.”
“You mean…” Scholar Liang swallowed hard. “That monster has already been exterminated?”
Hongxiu’s deep hatred had finally been avenged?
Scholar Liang cast an eager, hopeful gaze toward the two of them. Li Jian remained silent, but Xuan Lang spoke up in his stead: “Yes. Last night, Immortal Master Li put himself in grave danger and eradicated the female demon. She will never appear again, so you can rest assured.”
Hearing this, Li Jian couldn’t help glancing at Xuan Lang. Noticing the unwavering conviction in his gaze, Li Jian smiled slightly.
With Xuan Lang speaking with such absolute certainty, Scholar Liang’s mind was instantly put at ease. Overwhelmed by emotions too deep for words, he dropped straight to his knees with a dull thud, kowtowing to express his profound gratitude to Li Jian.
Prior to this, he had never imagined he would live to see the day Hongxiu was avenged.
“The monster has been eliminated, but… Hongxiu is never coming back.” Amidst his joy, a profound wave of desolation washed over him.
To him, Hongxiu was his entire world.
She accompanied him through his studies, offered him comfort, and even took care of his daily life leading up to his examinations. Without Hongxiu, there would be no Scholar Liang today.
Hongxiu’s departure was undeniably a devastating blow. Previously, it was solely the desire to avenge her that had kept him stubbornly clinging to life; now, however, he felt he had lost any reason to continue.
With a helpless sigh, Li Jian patted his shoulder. “The departed are gone, and those who remain must live on carrying their share as well. I imagine Miss Hongxiu would never wish to see you waste away like this.”
The fierce-faced female demon had claimed that all men were fickle, capable of loving someone to the point of life and death simply because of a pretty face, only to cast them aside and seek someone new the moment they grew tired.
Having never genuinely experienced romance or treated anyone with sincerity in her entire lifetime, she naturally couldn’t understand what mortals meant when they praised the vow of a lifelong companionship between a single pair.
“Don’t worry, I understand. I will definitely not continue to wallow in despair.”
He understood Li Jian’s meaning, as well as Hongxiu’s expectations for him. They had once made a promise that once he passed the imperial examinations and became a jinxuan scholar, he would definitely redeem Hongxiu and make her his scholar’s wife.
Looking as though he had finally resolved his mind, Scholar Liang declared, “The thing Hongxiu wanted most to see in her lifetime was me heading to the capital for the imperial examinations and achieving success. I’ve missed my chance once; this time, I will definitely bring back fine results and never let her down.”
After Scholar Liang took his leave, the system’s voice chimed in with long-awaited notification:
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the quest. Progression +1, and you have unexpectedly obtained the fierce-faced female demon’s special bewitching smoke.]
[Friendly reminder: This particular bewitching smoke not only anesthetizes the senses and nerves, but can even control a person’s consciousness. If the target harbors deep affection, once they inhale the smoke, the host will manifest in their eyes as their beloved. The effect lasts for precisely one shichen (two hours), so the host is advised to use it with caution.]
It was naturally not System 301 speaking, but rather the task-triggering automated bot the customer service of customer service.
Li Jian didn’t mind; after all, this wasn’t the first day he had been ignored by this broken system.
However, he was quite intrigued by the reward gifted by the system. He had witnessed firsthand how formidable the smoke was when he fell victim to it; a mere inhalation, regardless of how profound one’s cultivation might be, left one incapable of breaking free in the short term, entirely at the mercy of others.
Furthermore, the system had just mentioned that if the target had someone in their heart, he could transform into the appearance of their beloved. In that case, couldn’t he use it on Xuan Lang to test the efficacy of his攻略 (progress/seduction) efforts?
Refined from the millennium-old cultivation of a female demon, this was truly a marvelous treasure.
In the end, Qiushui was never found within Changle Pavilion. Even with the proprietress pulling strings behind the scenes and turning Yangyang City upside down, she couldn’t uncover a single clue, leaving Qiushui’s disappearance as an unsolved mystery.
Over the next few days, word spread that a new head courtesan had emerged in Changle Pavilion. As for her name, Li Jian had listened to it once and promptly forgotten it, unable to recall it no matter how hard he tried.
He didn’t care, primarily because another pressing matter demanded his attention.
Li Jian mentally calculated the dates; it was roughly time for the Immortal Lord of Donglu Mountain to descend to the mortal realm.
He wondered if the Immortal Lord of Donglu Mountain would personally select Xuan Lang to ascend the mountain. Given his aptitude, entering the Chengxun Sect shouldn’t pose much of a problem, meaning he wouldn’t need any additional preparations.
Over these past few days, the banquets hosted by various prominent families in Yangyang City had grown increasingly numerous. They cast their nets wide, terrified of missing out on a chance to cozy up to someone important.
These aristocratic clans had plenty of wealth, but their vision was severely lacking. They threw banquets left and right out of fear of omission, completely failing to factor in Xuan Lang—the person with the highest probability of entering an immortal sect.
As everyone knew, whichever young master managed to follow an immortal lord into an immortal sect would bring immense honor to his family, while also serving as a valuable connection within the immortal realm. Should any critical matters arise later, having someone to put in a good word always proved useful.
Mortals, naturally, loved playing these games.
What they didn’t realize, however, was that stepping into an immortal sect was tantamount to severing ties with the mortal world. Once entering the sect, immortals might not descend the mountain for decades, and mortals would forever lose their trace. Even closest kin would find themselves separated as if by worlds. Therefore, such calculations ultimately proved futile.
Li Jian had once heard that a senior within the Chengxun Sect many years ago had experienced precisely this. Because he was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao and possessed peerless talent, he isolated himself from the world entirely after entering the Chengxun Sect. When his mortal relatives fell gravely ill and passed away, his younger brother even sent people to beg at the mountain gates, yet he never once descended the mountain to save them or bid a final farewell.
It was said that his younger brother still harbored deep resentment toward him to this day, believing that despite having the ability to offer rescue, he had simply stood by and watched his family member pass away without even sparing an inquiry, rendering him unworthy of being part of an immortal sect.
As for what happened afterward, Li Jian had no idea.
Just as he was calculating the dates, a pageboy-looking figure approached from outside the courtyard. Raising his eyes, Li Jian saw the pageboy freeze in his tracks, not daring to step an inch closer.
The person hesitated and asked, “Excuse me, are you Immortal Master Li Jian?”
Noticing that the servant’s domestic servant attire looked somewhat familiar, Li Jian asked amiably, “What is it?”
Hearing Li Jian respond, the pageboy hurriedly plastered on a flattering smile and said, “I am from the Zhao family of Yangyang. My master is hosting a banquet at our estate tomorrow for his grand birthday, and my young master specifically sent me to invite Immortal Master Li to attend the feast.”
He paused for a moment, the slip of paper in his hands slightly crumpled, but still carefully extended it forward. “This is the invitation from my master.”
According to the Qi family, this Immortal Master Li had a habit of hitting people; he wondered if he might end up getting beaten up for no reason.
The Zhao family’s eldest young master, Zhao Chengyu?
Resting his chin in one hand, Li Jian used his other hand to toy with a pastry on the plate. His ink-black hair cascaded loosely over his shoulders, and he showed no intention of reaching out to take the invitation.
He had never had any dealings with the Zhao family. Aside from Song Zhiyuan and the Qi family, he wasn’t particularly close with anyone else. No one else had invited him—why would the Zhao family personally come to invite him to their banquet?
“Are you certain you’re here to invite me?”
The pageboy hesitated. “It is definitely Immortal Master Li.”
The pageboy wasn’t entirely sure if this was the right person; although the man looked ethereal enough to have stepped out of an immortal sect, he knew for a fact the name was “Li Jian.”
“Alright, go back and tell your eldest young master that I will attend on time.”
Since the invitation had already been delivered to his doorstep, Li Jian couldn’t very well refuse. With a flick of his wrist and a subtle movement of his fingertips, the invitation in the pageboy’s hand flew up into the air through thin air, landing steadily right beside the plate of pastries on the stone table.
The pageboy was utterly terrified—he had never witnessed such a scene before, which only deepened his conviction that the man before him came straight from an immortal sect.
Then Li Jian watched as the boy cupped his fists, turned on his heel, and bolted away without ever looking back.
Listening from inside the room, Xuan Lang waited until the pageboy had completely vanished from sight before stepping out with a cup of tea. He glanced at the invitation on the table; it was exceptionally exquisite, clearly having cost a hefty sum.
Xuan Lang asked, “Is the Immortal Master planning to go?”
Li Jian nodded. “Since they personally delivered the invitation, why wouldn’t I?”
“But…”
Xuan Lang looked somewhat concerned. He had long since heard that the Zhao family was no ordinary clan, and Zhao Chengyu himself was far from an ordinary person. That man harbored deep calculations and never did anything without personal gain, which made Xuan Lang somewhat suspicious of Zhao Chengyu’s motives in inviting Li Jian.
Reaching out, Li Jian pulled him down to sit beside him. The tea wasn’t hot, so he poured a cup and handed it to Xuan Lang. “I actually heard that this upcoming Zhao family banquet isn’t just celebrating Old Master Zhao’s birthday. Do you remember how many days it’s been since the Grand-daughter of the Changsun family returned to Yangyang?”
Xuan Lang replied, “The Zhao family has always wanted to forge a marriage alliance with the Changsun family.”
Given the Changsun family’s standing in the capital, an alliance with them was certainly a case of the Zhao family punching well above their weight class. Moreover, Li Jian had long heard that this Miss Changsun possessed peerless beauty, excelled in every art from zither and chess to calligraphy and painting, carried herself with unblemished virtue, and was exceptionally well-read a renowned aristocratic lady even in the capital.
As for Zhao Chengyu, he possessed nothing more than a decent facade, spending his days indulging in brothels and pleasure quarters. Leaving aside his personal character, he was an absolute good-for-nothing wastrel. If he wished to win the hand of such a distinguished young lady, he would naturally have to resort to some underhanded tricks.
“Exactly. That’s why they intend to use tomorrow when all the prominent families of Yangyang City are gathered to cement this affair.”