"Hey, kid, come here and help me," called Zu Lian.
My heavy and tired eyes opened with reproach at his sudden call.
Ah, what exhaustion. For some reason, my body felt as if someone had used me as a beast of burden all day. Every part of me ached.
I motivated myself by thinking about my future without shortages, and with effort, I managed to get up and walk over to Zu Lian's side.
"My life is so hard," he murmured.
Zu Lian liked to exaggerate things and became more talkative at the least opportune moments.
I felt like telling him to go to sleep. I thought about it for a bit and decided not to; it wouldn't be right. He had treated me quite well. No one had treated me like that since my parents' death. Before Zu Lian's "kidnapping," I was treated like an invisible spirit.
"Master, how can I help? I hope this humble and useless orphan is able to carry out the task you wish to entrust me with," I bowed respectfully.
"No, it's nothing special. We're pretty close to the sect, and we might run into other cultivators at any moment. Come and help me cover my eyes, ears, and nose with this cloth," he said while handing me the cloth.
I looked at the cloth.
I looked at Zu Lian.
No, it's not my business. I won't ask why.
I didn't intend to, but my expression must have betrayed my confusion.
Zu Lian smiled slightly and, with a tired expression, murmured loud enough for me to hear:
"It's... to not fall in love."
The atmosphere, in a breath, became solemn. The shadows cast by the campfire stirred with the heaviness and silence of the moment.
I didn't respond. I didn't know what to say. That happens to me a lot lately.
For some reason, I felt like the atmosphere was pressing on my chest, making me feel demotivated and miserable.
I put the cloth on, leaving his mouth uncovered.
In silence, I returned to my makeshift bed and lay down to sleep.
Sixty breaths later... Zu Lian regained his composure.
"Sorry, my feelings affected the surroundings. Better tell me, what kind of weapons do you prefer? When we reach the sect, I'll provide you with a battle item. Think about it and let me know when we arrive."
Ah, it's night, just go to sleep. I once again suppressed those words.
For some reason, I had never seen Zu Lian sleep. However, it wasn't a detail I particularly cared about.
"I appreciate it, sir. But why do I need a battle item? Do immortal cultivators usually use them? Do they often fight with other immortal cultivators?" I asked, doubtful.
My chest thumped with nerves and fear.
I wasn't a violent person nor did I seek out fights. After all, I just wanted to live comfortably. Was that too much to ask? And I highly doubted it was a hard rule that immortal cultivators spent their time fighting and stabbing each other with cultivation tools.
"Of course. The path of immortal cultivation is a bloody one, filled with mountains of corpses. Being kind to your enemy is being cruel to yourself. Few make progress, while millions turn to dust. You must seize every resource that can help you even a little bit in your cultivation!" His voice became deep.
"........"
I swallowed.
I didn't know that immortal cultivators lived such a lifestyle.
I felt a little sorry for them. They must be pretty grumpy and antisocial, right? I sighed.
"The state you found me in is a test. My immortal cultivation partner got tired of me while we were in an arcane realm competing with other sects to gather golden energy and advance to the [golden core] realm. If she hadn't had one last act of kindness in giving me an artifact, it wouldn't have been possible for you to find me and help me. You are a coincidence the heavens sent to save me. I am also your coincidence to get out of that low lifestyle. That's how capricious the heavens are," his face twisted between melancholy and gratitude.
I listened and thanked the heavens. I ignored everything that came before. If I ever find myself in a fight with immortal cultivators, I'll throw my hoe and run into the forest.
+++
In the morning, when I had just woken up, I saw Zu Lian tapping his chest, abdomen, and head with his thumb.
"I just suppressed my cultivation to avoid noticing the female cultivators through spiritual energy," he explained unnecessarily.
"I'll need your help to walk. Normally, I can control my spiritual energy to cover a small area around me, but my cultivation isn't stabilized yet, and I'd prefer to avoid any incidents," he extended his arm.
I sighed.
After breakfast, we walked slowly in the direction he had pointed.
A few thousand breaths later, my nose hit an invisible wall. I screamed in pain.
"Ah, witchcraft! It's witchcraft again!" I panicked.
I had seen countless things appear from a tiny bag: Zu Lian jumping over trees, my sudden increase in strength, etc.
Still, I kept receiving surprising moments.
"No, calm down! It's the sect barrier," Zu Lian touched the barrier and told me. From his storage bag, he took out a multicolored stone, red, blue, and black. He struck the spot where I hit my nose, and a visible crack appeared. "Let's go."
Thus, we entered the sect.
With a hesitant step but firm will, I passed through the crack, guiding Zu Lian.
The view that greeted me was like falling into a river in the middle of winter. I wanted to take my eyes out and wash them to confirm they weren't dirty and making me see impossible things.
"B-but we were in the forest, how...?" I trembled in disbelief.
What stretched before me was a vast and immense body of water, much wider and longer than the rivers I knew. When I focused my eyes, I could make out a blurry shadow in the distance, surrounded by a mist that covered a piece of land. A tree silhouette pierced the clouds, and tiny figures were riding various objects to transport themselves from the tree to the shore and vice versa.
Swords, shields, yellow clouds, turtle shells, winged beasts, etc. Each one had its own way of avoiding getting wet.
"Do you see it? This is the sect I belong to!" he puffed his chest out.
"The tree you see is called the Celestial Node. There are many different nodes in all kinds of environments. These nodes are what allow us to cultivate. The one you see is a small node and only allows us to cultivate the [preparation of body and spirit] properly. It's hard for cultivators in the foundation stage and later stages to advance just by relying on the tree, so we use various methods to collect energy from the node, make pills, grow herbs and beasts, etc. This way, we gather large amounts of spiritual energy and make constant progress in foundation establishment. For later stages, you need to go to arcane places where there are nodes with high spiritual energy, but their environment makes it difficult to establish a sect. Nearby sects join together, and the superiors modify the environment for a certain period of time so disciples can compete and make progress. Although some cultivators are exceptions, their advancement requires meeting conditions other than spiritual energy... Like me. I have to fall in love and pair up with cultivators stronger than me to advance to other realms. However, cultivators at higher levels usually don't pay attention to males with lower cultivation than them, so I only end up pairing with cultivators at lower levels. I help them advance to stages above mine, and at those moments, they leave me. That's how I gather the spiritual energy from the stage they reached, which allows me to advance. I must be careful not to fall in love with cultivators more powerful than me because if I don't manage to pair up with her and make her my Dao partner, I'll suffer internal injuries and lose all my cultivation. Do you understand why I have bandages?"
Suddenly, without reason, he gave a detailed explanation of his situation.
"I understand, master," I replied, though I didn't understand anything.
One of the figures in the sky suddenly descended on a yellow flying cloud. It was an extremely handsome young man, with long hair covering part of his face and a red staff on his waist. On his back, he carried a giant turtle shell. He stood on the cloud, put his fists in front of his face, and bowed.
"Hello, Elder Zu Lian. It's a pleasure to be in the presence of the venerable one after so many years! Your return must mean you've advanced to the Golden Core, right? Congratulations! With your power, the sect is now a much safer place for my younger brothers and sisters! Sister Wandian will finally be able to smile without worry!" said the young man.
"Oh, it's you... hmm, sorry, I know who you are, but for some reason, I don't remember your name. Can you tell me again?" Zu Lian said, embarrassed.
"Hahaha, don't worry, venerable. It's no problem, there's no point since you'll forget it again! I won't waste your time and I'll return to the sect to inform them of your arrival and warn the sisters of the sect to retreat to their immortal caves!" the young man quickly left.
The flying cloud left a yellow trail behind. It made a sound like flatulence. What a curious object.
"..."
"It's not what you think, I'm not an uncontrollable animal. It's just that I can't control who I fall in love with, and I don't want to hurt the disciples. So I agreed with the sect to take some precautions."
"I didn't say anything, master. This humble disciple does not judge the master's intimate life."
++++++++
The young man returned and confirmed that the preparations were ready. He said that the female disciples were already in a safe place. At no point did he acknowledge my presence.
Zu Lian thanked him and took a small jar and an oar from her bag.
"Row," he ordered.
I rowed gladly. My new strength excited me. I broke the water. In less than 20 breaths, we arrived at the island.
Once on the island, I was able to fully admire such a strange and beautiful landscape.
At the center of the island stands the giant tree, known as the Celestial Node, whose roots spread throughout the land, and whose trunk rises towards the heavens, piercing the clouds.
The tree is small among the nodes, but still, it is so vast that its highest branches seem to touch the stars, and its trunk is so thick that it seems like a mountain in itself. The sect has built its dwelling on the branches, leaves, and trunk of the tree. The disciples perform cultivation and seek to achieve immortality. The branches of this tree, as strong as iron, intertwine with the clouds, giving the sensation of walking on them, creating a labyrinth of walkways and floating temples, each dedicated to a different aspect of immortal cultivation.
The structures on the branches blend with the vegetation, forming a landscape of suspended gardens, stone temples, and structures made of wood and bamboo that integrate perfectly with the tree. Some of the lower branches house meditation areas, while the higher ones are reserved for the masters and the most advanced cultivators. The disciples of the sect live in harmony with nature, as the tree and its roots possess a mysterious power that enhances their cultivation.
The celestial nodes are considered sacred, as they are believed to be the link between the mortal world and the immortal realms. As one ascends through its branches, the spiritual energy becomes slightly stronger, but it is a misery compared to the other celestial nodes. Due to the quality and quantity of the spiritual energy it produces, it is clear that this node has already passed its golden days and is not far from the end of its life. It has only about 50,000 years left. It is in its final breaths.
Zu Lian explained to me.
I didn't listen much. I was busy admiring every detail of the most fantastic place I had ever seen in my short, poor, orphaned life.
My perception of the world changed. I realized that this world is much more beautiful and strange than I could have ever imagined with my limited perception.
Only now could I understand what the concept of an immortal cultivator meant. I had misunderstood it. I was ashamed inside.
An arbitrary disciple, and very handsome, guided us to Zu Lian's branch, since he didn't trust and kept the bandages on.
His paranoia must be a result of experience.
Zu Lian's house was not one that cultivators like the ones I was used to would live in. It was more like a mansion in my eyes.
Crystal-clear water fountains.
Harmony of vegetation and plenty of meat—sorry, animals.
The atmosphere emitted a spiritual energy five times stronger than the common places in the sect, they told me. I could feel it was like a refreshing environment entering my body.
When we arrived at Zu Lian's house, an immortal fairy, with jade-like beauty, pure and without malice, descended from the third floor of the house to the mortal realm.
"Father! You're finally back!" she exclaimed.
"Wandian! My dear daughter," Zu Lian finally removed the bandage covering his head and rushed to embrace the immortal fairy, who had descended from the third floor.
"My dear daughter, forgive this irresponsible father who abandoned you without warning for 15 years and went to another sect to chase after that cultivator who came for the sect's competition and turned out to be the bastard daughter of our enemy sect's master," he sobbed and begged for forgiveness.
The immortal fairy, with jade-like features, pulled away from Zu Lian and wiped her tears.
"Father, I know it's because of your cultivation technique. You don't need to apologize. I'm so glad you survived your 18th assassination attempt by your Dao partner… I swear that if I meet one in the future, I will make them pay. This is a debt of blood," her gaze turned cold and murderous.
Zu Lian petted her head and, with a trembling look, spoke.
"No, the last one is different. I'm alive because she showed me compassion in the end. I can't hold a grudge against her or any of the others, for this technique of mine is strange, and I am unaware if it somehow affects their behavior."
Despite ranting about being cruel and making a sea of blood without compassion toward his enemies, it seemed that Zu Lian had compassion for his ex-partners. My father taught me that those who do that are called hypocrites.
"No, it's just that you fall in love with crazy women," replied the immortal fairy with a jade-like face.
Zu Lian coughed with false sincerity. It was obvious he was pretending.
"Anyway, this is a benefactor who helped me advance to the Golden Core realm. He's a bit absent-minded and stubborn, but he is kind, humble, and generous. From now on, he's my son. I'm promising you to him."
The immortal fairy, with her jade-like face, looked at me and analyzed me from head to toe after the emotional reunion.
"Father, he's ugly," she replied, pleading softly as she covered her mouth with her hand.
"I know. He's ugly, very ugly, almost like a curse from the heavens. But when you grow up and experience the hard and cruel life of an immortal cultivator, you'll realize that outward appearance is a cruel illusion that traps you, and what truly matters is inner beauty. Look at me. My experience is the living proof of my words. I'm not saying you should marry him or consummate the act right now. Be companions for 200 or 300 years and then decide what to do. I won't say anything if you decide not to make him your Dao partner. Also, the ugliness can be removed once he cultivates."
The immortal fairy, jade-faced, looked at me and reluctantly agreed.
200 years... I've never met anyone over 40 in my life... Also, what else is going to grow? The women of her age in my village already had children my age... My parents were 19 when they died, I thought.
"Alright, father. He's your benefactor. Even if I can't give him my love, I'll take care of him and protect him like an older sister. Thank you so much for saving father," she thanked me, taking my hands.
"It was nothing, your father already paid me with plenty of meat. My parents once told me they would watch me from the beyond. I don't want them to look at me and be disappointed in me. They'd drop a lightning bolt on me if they see I've become cruel or shameless," I trembled.
That was the kind of personality my parents had. You never knew what unreasonable actions they'd take.
The fairy named Wandian laughed at my fears. What's so funny about seeing someone so scared? Zu Lian's words don't seem wrong. Fairy appearance, demon heart.
We see faces, but we don't know hearts.
Demonic fairy.
+++
The life of a cultivator is perfect in my opinion.
Doing strange poses that make you feel like you're renewing yourself.
Free food.
Cozy housing.
I even had reading and writing lessons from the demonic fairy.
She told me that despite the impression I gave, I had a good head on my shoulders.
"How is it possible that you're so smart? Did you eat a wisdom demon?" she asked incredulously, while rolling her eyes for some reason.
I couldn't help but puff out my chest with pride.
"No, it's my own talent," I replied.
It only took me 6 years to learn to read and write.