The golden-armored deities wore golden armor and golden turbans. In the sunlight, their armor shone brilliantly, looking heroic and extraordinary.
Seen from a distance, they looked like giants walking among tiny, miniature houses, yet their movements were extremely careful, handling everything with a gentle touch, creating a strong visual contrast.
When all the luggage had been packed, the leading golden-armored deity respectfully knelt on one knee, lowered its upper body, stretched out its palm flat toward Fang Jueqian, and said in a booming voice:
“Please ascend, Madam.”
The sound was like a great bell, vibrating through the surrounding forest.
Fang Jueqian was somewhat dazed, but he saw the rabbit carrying its small bundle hopping onto the hand without hesitation, cheerfully waving at him:
“Young Master, come up quickly, we are going to set off!” It wore the excited expression of an elementary school student on a spring outing.
Looking at the five giant fingers spread flat on the ground, each finger as high as his own ankle, Fang Jueqian swallowed hard.
Yet since a coward like the rabbit had jumped up first, there probably wasn’t any danger, right?
Fang Jueqian took a few deep breaths, barely suppressing his own fluttering excitement, and cautiously raised his left foot to step onto that palm.
The tactile sensation was tough yet soft, rich with flesh. It was hard to describe, because no matter how fine a carpet was, it could not grow thick flesh underneath.
Confirming it was safe, Fang Jueqian stepped up with his other foot as well. With both feet together, they didn’t even fill a single middle-phalanx joint of a finger.
“Young Master, here, here.” The rabbit waved at him from the palm at least seven or eight meters away.
Fang Jueqian walked over to it. Once both man and rabbit were seated in the center of the palm and each grabbed a finger for stability, the golden-armored deity slowly stood up, supporting the palm horizontally as it walked toward the mountaintop.
“Wow.”
“Wow.”
This was even more fun than the thrilling rides at an amusement park!
And no waiting in line!
Upon reaching the mountaintop, the servants came out to greet them. After the golden-armored deities moved the luggage to the designated locations, they began to shrink until they turned into several golden armor talismans, flying back into the smiling boy’s hands.
The boy put away the talismans, smiled and bowed to Fang Jueqian, and then led the way:
“Madam, please come this way. The Lord has already arranged your residence.”
Lord Lingxiao’s residence was truly massive. Fang Jueqian had visited a few times before, but it was always a whirlwind tour without the opportunity to appreciate the full view of the place.
He never expected there would even be a waterfall inside.
Standing beneath the waterfall and gazing at the white giant ribbon plunging three thousand feet down, Fang Jueqian could barely maintain his composure, while the rabbit had already dropped its jaw and could only stammer mutely.
The boy smiled and said: “Madam has a good eye. This was specially moved here by the Lord from the ten thousand mountains.”
The wind carried moist water vapor, feeling exceptionally pleasant when it brushed against the skin. It would surely feel even cooler in the midsummer.
Fang Jueqian closed his eyes to enjoy it for a moment, and when he opened them, a smile naturally bloomed on his face.
Not long after passing the waterfall, they arrived at his new home. The house was nestled within a bamboo forest, designed overall as a two-story bamboo pavilion with half of it suspended over the water. The moment one pushed open the door, the cascading waterfall could be seen not far away.
In the distance, the waterfall splashed and chimed; close by, the bamboo leaves rustled in the wind; before the door, clear streams murmured.
Was this heaven?
Fang Jueqian looked left and right inside the bamboo pavilion, completely satisfied with every single detail.
Or, to use a more accurate description, he could not possibly be more satisfied.
The accompanying boy smiled and introduced:
“Insect-repelling grass is planted beneath the bamboo pavilion, so Madam does not need to worry about mosquitoes, insects, snakes, or rats. I heard that Madam likes hot springs, and right behind this bamboo pavilion are two or three spring wells with varying temperatures, exclusively for Madam’s enjoyment.”
Well, the heavy words he had just spoken were met with an instant slap to the face.
Turns out he could be more satisfied!
Unable to contain his bubbling joy, Fang Jueqian spoke with a grin that reached his eyes:
“Can I live inside starting tonight?”
“Of course. The rooms have already been tidied up, you can move in today.”
That was simply wonderful!
Fang Jueqian was too excited for words. In fact, if there weren’t outsiders present, he would have been spinning around in circles of joy.
Seeing this, the boy tactfully offered his farewells. Before leaving, he presented an object:
“The Lord is away from the sect for a period and has entrusted Madam to keep this item close at hand. It can suppress heat toxins. If anything urgent arises, we can discuss it when the Lord returns.”
The Lord had actually gone out?
Fang Jueqian was extremely surprised, his initial overflowing joy instantly dropping by half.
He looked at the item presented by the boy and found it to be an entirely crystalline jade token without any carved decorations. It felt icy cool in the hand, remarkably calming to the mind and spirit.
The boy stepped back, and the rabbit trotted along after him:
“Wait, is there a map? I am afraid I will get lost when I go out to play.”
Only Fang Jueqian remained alone in the bamboo pavilion. Amidst the rustling bamboo leaves, he involuntarily recalled the voice and smile of the Lord, though that was how one described the dead, so no, no.
In short, he felt immensely grateful and couldn’t help taking out the communication jade, wanting to say thank you to the Lord.
But wouldn’t expressing it purely through text be too perfunctory? Better to wait until the Lord returned so he could express his gratitude in person.
Just as Fang Jueqian put away the communication jade, the rabbit scampered back with a map in its mouth that it had presumably just begged from the boy:
“Young Master, something terrible has happened!”
Fang Jueqian glanced at it and found that this thing was much harder to decipher than an ordinary map.
“What terrible thing?”
The rabbit hopped onto the table and spread out the map.
“I just asked, this is the Lord’s residence.” It poked a spot on the map, then poked another spot. “And this is our residence. Young Master, have you noticed something?”
Fang Jueqian strained to recognize the terrain on the map. The tutoring sessions of late hadn’t gone to waste; as he studied it, his face gradually lit up with delight:
“Uh, there is a garden, a waterfall, and a bamboo forest in between. Wow, it looks like there is an orchard further back! Let us go take a look later!”
“There is an orchard too? I wonder if the fruits are ripe. Ah, that is not the point!”
The rabbit bounced up and down excitedly on the map, sending a few strands of white floating fur dancing freely in the air. “Young Master, have you not realized yet? Your residence is way too far from the Lord’s!”
“Eh?”
“In this world, which cultivation partners live this far apart! What you did before was great, but next, you need to press your advantage, move into the Lord’s dwelling as soon as possible, or at least live somewhere nearby.”
Fang Jueqian blushed, but then remembered the solemn sentence the Lord said during their last meeting, “I am not a cut-sleeve,” and immediately wilted:
“The Lord and I, Husband and I are only friends. Between friends, it is better to keep a little distance.”
“Young Master, you are muddle-headed. Do not forget your current position.”
“Ah, what position?”
“You are the Lord’s cultivation partner, a position from which there is no retreating. Old Master is no longer around, so if you lose the Lord’s favor, an abyss awaits you.”
If Bage were sent to an imperial palace, it might actually have a brilliant future ahead.
Fang Jueqian couldn’t help muttering internally.
What Bage said seemed quite logical on the surface, but it didn’t know that there wouldn’t even need to be competitors, because in another decade or two, the Lord would ascend anyway.
Alas, he wondered if he would still be able to live on Qingjing Peak after the Lord ascended.
Would he get kicked out?
Reluctantly looking around the scenery before him, Fang Jueqian finally made a difficult decision:
“I have decided.”
The rabbit suppressed its excitement:
“Young Master, have you figured it out?”
“Mn, I have figured it out.” Fang Jueqian also suppressed his excitement. “Since there might not be a chance later on, I am going to seize the time and enjoy it properly.”
Although he failed to reach a friendly consensus with Bage, Fang Jueqian’s life after moving remained incomparably pleasant and cozy.
Anyone living in such a scenic waterfall-view room would find it hard to remain depressed or disheartened.
Fang Jueqian even had a flash of inspiration and opened all the doors and windows on the second floor.
That way, every morning when he opened his eyes, he could see the misty cloud shadows and hazy mountain shapes outside, making his chest feel wonderfully open and expansive.
At night, he would fall asleep to the roaring sound of water, frequently dreaming of the ancient battlefields of galloping horses and iron armor, with the setting sun shining on snowy nomadic dust.
With the Lord away from home, the pressure of cultivation was also much reduced. Fang Jueqian returned to the leisurely lifestyle he had when he first arrived at Qingjing Peak, having nothing else to do besides attending classes every day.
With nothing to do after returning from afternoon classes, he would pick up a fishing rod and fish in the lake before his door, using a straight hook to boot.
The rabbit had initially tried to urge him to keep his fighting spirit up, but ever since a boy informed them that a small patch of carrot fields had been specially planted near the orchard, its fighting spirit vanished into thin air. It was missing all day long until dragging its round belly back at dusk.
Yet such a leisurely life had only one unsatisfactory aspect.
Because of the previous lesson, with the Lord away, Fang Jueqian didn’t dare soak in the hot spring even though he had the cold jade in hand. He could only sigh at the spring from afar, and then start anticipating when the Lord would return.
Unfortunately, as time slowly ticked by, the Lord still hadn’t returned, while the atmosphere of tense preparation for academic examinations in Class Wu grew increasingly intense.
One afternoon, as Fang Jueqian returned from school and passed through the garden, he heard the intermittent meowing of a cat.
Acting on a whim, he followed the meowing toward the bridge, though the path felt increasingly familiar the further he walked.
As he crossed the water garden bridge, Fang Jueqian finally remembered that on two previous occasions when he met the Lord, it seemed to be right around this vicinity.
Thinking of this, a wave of nostalgia washed over him. Seeing in the distance the pavilion where he first met the Lord, he was about to step inside to take a look when he heard the cat’s meow once again.
Fang Jueqian turned around and spotted a familiar figure beneath the tree by the waterside pavilion not far away.
That person was squatting on the ground, holding a strip of meat and listlessly teasing the cat on the ground.
When the cat advanced, the meat strip retreated; when the cat lunged, the meat strip flew away; until the poor cat was tormented so much it collapsed onto the ground, exposing its fluffy white belly and letting out a flattering, softened meow, finally earning a bite of the meat. Unfortunately, after chewing a few times, the meat strip flew away again.
Fang Jueqian froze, but upon recognizing who it was, a smile naturally broke across his face:
“Husband, you are back!”
Suddenly a gentle breeze swept through, scattering the small white flowers blooming on the tree and showering both of them from head to toe.
The youth teasing the cat not far away stopped his movements, straightened up, and looked at Fang Jueqian.
As he looked, a faint smile seemed to linger on the corners of his lips:
“Mn, I am back.”