Du Chen woke up with a start. The intricate embroidered canopy above the bed and the delicate tassels hanging at the four corners came into focus. His mind was still a little foggy, and he sat up with a dazed look, unsure of where he was. The daylight was already streaming in. He stared at the colorful tassels for a while, then sluggishly got up, his face blank as he looked at the strange cloth shoes by the door. After scratching his head, he shuffled over and put them on.
He seemed to have heard some movement outside the door. A soft voice called out from beyond: "Has the Immortal Master woken up?"
"Oh, yes, I'm up," Du Chen answered quickly, realizing he had responded too hastily and immediately adjusted his clothes, tightening his collar.
Two maidservants entered, each holding a tray. Upon noticing Du Chen hadn't yet put on his outer robes, they quickly lowered their heads, placed the trays on the table by the window, and blushed as they bowed. Afterward, they retreated to the door and even thoughtfully closed it for him.
Feeling that he was dressed conservatively enough, Du Chen didn't notice their awkwardness. He was more curious about the items they had brought, so he stood up and walked over. He noticed two basins on the table—one with water, one without—along with a bowl filled with water, and a willow twig placed on the rim. A neatly folded towel lay on top of the bowl, and beside it was a small dish with a small amount of whitish powder.
Du Chen immediately understood the purpose of the basins and towel—clearly, they were for washing his face. But what was the willow twig and powder for? Could they be for brushing teeth? He dipped a little of the powder into his mouth and tasted it. It was salty, like salt.
He quickly turned to the team channel and asked, but received no reply. It suddenly dawned on him that the others had muted him last night. Gritting his teeth in frustration, Du Chen decided to proceed with his guess, as he couldn't wait for a response.
After a quick wash-up, Du Chen, relying on the faint memories from yesterday, hastily dressed in a disheveled manner. As he opened the door to leave, the two maidservants who had been waiting outside immediately stopped him and began helping him adjust his clothes.
With his arms raised stiffly like a wooden puppet, Du Chen asked, "Uh, are the others up?"
One of the maidservants, dressed in a yellow robe, bowed her head and answered, "The male Immortal Masters have already risen and are having tea in the front yard. The female Immortal Masters are staying in the back yard, but I am not sure if they have woken up yet."
Du Chen nodded, racking his brain and squeezing out a few words, "Lead the way to the front yard." The yellow-robed maidservant replied softly and guided him to the front yard.
In the main room of the front yard, the other four had already gathered around the table drinking tea. Li Er and his wife were also there, accompanying them. Although their eyes were red and swollen, they looked more spirited than before. It was true that a person with happy news would naturally appear refreshed.
"Wow, even I, who love to sleep in, am already up. Big Boss, you're really late," came the bright voice of Sang Tian as Du Chen entered the room.
Du Chen rubbed the back of his neck and twisted his shoulders before answering, "Ahem, I had a dream... But never mind that! Why did you guys mute me? What's the deal with that?!"
Tong Xinfen calmly raised her tea cup, elegantly blew on the floating tea leaves, took a sip, and replied, "Oh, I forgot. It's such a small matter..."
Cang Hai glanced at Li Er and the others, who were still surprised, and chuckled, "Let's not mess with him too much. Speaking like this in the current channel might frighten the locals."
"It wouldn't scare them. But if they could understand Chinese, they'd probably just vanish on the spot," Sang Tian muttered, and soon the mute status was lifted.
Du Chen sat down with great fanfare, grabbed a cup of tea, and drank a large gulp, "Ah, it feels so good to be able to say whatever I want in the team channel. By the way, when are we having breakfast?"
"We've already had breakfast. Didn't you see us all drinking tea?"
Du Chen wasn't too worried. Meanwhile, Sun Shi had already stood up and, with the help of several maidservants, started preparing breakfast for him. The thin pancakes made from mixed grains paired with porridge were just to his liking. As he ate, he looked around and said, "There seem to be a lot more servants now… Oh, the ones I saw yesterday during the meal, they're all from Li Chengfeng's family?"
"Yes, they were sent by Li Chengfeng. He's always very reliable in his actions. It seems like the people here are very enthusiastic about cultivation. They've heard that we can check for celestial roots, so they've all rushed to come," Sang Tian replied.
After breakfast, Li Chengfeng came to personally escort them. He led the group to the ancestral hall of Li Village, which was already surrounded by a crowd. When the village chief arrived with several people who had unusual hairstyles, the crowd immediately knew who they were and called out "Immortal Masters," bowing down in reverence.
Li Chengfeng led the group to a high platform to sit and then respectfully stepped aside. He introduced Du Chen and the others to the crowd, repeating the announcement that anyone interested could come forward. Several figures hurriedly dashed off to spread the news.
Li Chengfeng didn't pay them any mind. He then signaled for all his family members to come up to the platform. This time, there were more than ten young girls. Cang Hai glanced around and pointed to a five- or six-year-old boy. The boy, still dazed, had his father, who was overjoyed, immediately scoop him up.
Li Village had about forty households, with a total population of around three hundred. Except for the elderly, almost everyone, both men and women, came up to be tested. In total, over twenty people were tested in a short time, with only three having celestial roots. Most of them were under ten years old.
The people of Li Village reacted with either joy or disappointment. Li Chengfeng was very satisfied with the results. A one in a hundred chance was already quite high. He beamed as he invited Du Chen and the others back to the Li family ancestral house.
On the way back, Du Chen began talking about his dream again.
"…She was really stunning, like a celestial beauty, capable of toppling a kingdom. The only pity was that I couldn't quite hear what she said… Do you think she could be a beautiful ghost, like Nie Xiaoqian? Maybe she has some unfulfilled wish that I need to help her complete? We should check around, see if there are any beautiful women who died unjustly nearby. Yeah, it must be like that. That's why she gave me a dream…"
Du Chen grew more and more excited as he spoke, feeling as though he had turned into Ning Caichen, eager to save such a beautiful woman, even if she were a ghost. He considered it a stroke of good fortune.
Sang Tian, who was a little scared, edged closer to Cang Hai, who comforted her, "It's broad daylight, don't be afraid. Nothing's going to happen."
She bit her lip and said, "But after what the boss said, how can I sleep tonight? I already feel a chill at the back of my neck."
Cang Hai whispered a few words to her, but Sang Tian pinched him hard at the waist.
Tong Xinfen chimed in, "It's strange that only the boss got the dream, and she didn't even give any hints. How are we supposed to find her? Doesn't that seem odd?"
"Cough, you really believe him? I say it's just that this guy had some unsatisfied desires and had a wet dream," Cang Hai grumbled, suppressing the pain. His tone was a bit sharp. After saying that, he stopped paying attention to Du Chen, who was grumbling in embarrassment, and changed the topic. "Anyway, we should be discussing what we're going to do next."
"At this point, I don't even know if we can return. I think we need to find a way to settle down first," Sang Tian said.
"Actually, I think just hanging around in Li Village and eating and drinking is pretty good," Xiao Yue said with a smile.
Tong Xinfen gave him a sidelong glance and replied, "We're already in another world. Even if we treat this as a sightseeing trip, we should at least travel around and explore. If you're just planning to stay in a small mountain valley, you're no different from that fool who's always thinking about beautiful women."
Xiao Yue wasn't upset by the remark, and he just laughed and scratched his head.
"Hey! Can you stop speaking in riddles? Why are you picking on me for no reason?" Du Chen jumped up, but no one paid him any attention.
Tong Xinfen seemed to think of something and turned to Xiao Yue, saying, "I have a feeling that the little ghost's background isn't ordinary. Could you ask him if there's a way for us to return?"
Xiao Yue spoke with the little ghost for a moment. The little ghost lifted his eyelids and glanced at the group, moved his lips a few times, and then closed his eyes again. Xiao Yue's expression became complicated. He turned to the group and said, "OX says that breaking the void is possible, but it requires reaching the Great Ascension stage."
The group exchanged looks, unsure if this was good news. Cang Hai frowned and said, "If that's the case, we'll need to figure out how to cultivate. But how do we even start cultivating, and how long will it take to reach the Great Ascension stage?"
Du Chen, however, was quite excited. "Didn't Old Li say there are cultivation sects around here? We could join one, right? Having hope is better than having none!" Du Chen felt the situation was developing just the way he wanted. He remembered reading all those cultivation novels online and imagined a future of immortality and freedom. He laughed foolishly to himself, mumbling, "In the future, I'll master the Dao and roam the world, ha ha ha…"
Upon returning to Li's house, Li Chengfeng once again asked about their next destination. Since they had already discussed it, Cang Hai replied, "We wish to go to Lingyu County and then on to Zhenlian City."
Li Chengfeng had already anticipated this and nodded without surprise. "Let me have my son prepare a carriage to send the Immortal Masters on their way."
While they were talking, Li Chengfeng's wife sent several maidservants to present the group with new clothes and travel provisions. The clothes were made of fine cotton, tailored to each person's measurements. They were soft to the touch with delicate stitching, and there were also some hair ornaments for the women and two chests of gold and silver. The group politely refused but still accepted the gifts, which caused an uproar among the Li family members.
Li Chengfeng then called for his second son, Li Tonglin, to come and pay his respects. He instructed him to send Du Chen and the others to the county in the afternoon.
After lunch, Li Chengfeng sent out a black-covered carriage. Before they left, he expressed his thanks, and Cang Hai exchanged pleasantries with him. Li Er and his wife also came to see them off, their eyes tearful yet full of joy.
Du Chen got into the carriage and was surprised by how spacious it was. It could easily fit seven or eight people. The interior was cleverly designed, and when Li Tonglin got in, he pulled out some snacks and tea from a hidden compartment under the car's base. Seeing Du Chen's curiosity, he showed him other secret compartments on the roof and walls of the carriage. Though their conversation was a bit clumsy, they got along very well. During their casual chat, Du Chen learned a few things.
It turned out that Li Tonglin was the father of the only boy in the Li family with celestial roots. The journey to the county would take several dozen miles, and they expected to arrive before dinner. That evening, they would stay with a relative of Li Chengfeng who worked as a small manager at Baoqi Pavilion in Lingyu County and was well-informed.
The journey was bumpy, but they didn't talk much. Less than two hours later, they arrived at the city gates of Lingyu County.
It seemed that people in this world held a deep reverence for cultivators. At first, the guards at the city gates were arrogant and demanded a travel permit. However, when they learned that Du Chen and the others were cultivators, they hesitated, then immediately bowed in panic and respectfully allowed the carriage to enter the city after Cang Hai cast a spell on them.
The carriage followed the main road and arrived in front of Baoqi Pavilion. Li Chengfeng's relative seemed to have received the news early and was already waiting at the door. This person introduced himself as Li Tongyu, around thirty years old, wearing a black embroidered satin robe with jade ornaments at his waist, looking quite prosperous. The sky was getting late, so Li Tongyu climbed onto the carriage shaft and led everyone to his home. After a round of greetings, and serving tea and making the guests comfortable, he finally brought up some news:
"In a few days, it will be the 10th day of the month. I've heard that the Nanxi Sect is recruiting new disciples in Zhenlian City. Is that the reason you Immortal Masters have come?"
Upon hearing this, Li Tonglin immediately lost his composure, jumping to his feet and urgently asking, "Do you know if there are any restrictions?"
Li Tongyu slowly stroked his long beard, contemplating for a moment before replying, "I haven't heard anything specific. It should depend on whether one has celestial roots. Are you planning to go?"
"No, it's for my son, An Fang," Li Tonglin said joyfully. "The Immortal Masters will be able to check celestial roots, and my son has a fortunate connection with the celestial realm. Now that I hear you speak of recruitment, if he could enter a sect and cultivate, would that not be a great blessing?" He was about to return to Li Village to notify his family.
Li Tongyu looked surprised but did not stop him. Instead, he said, "If you Immortal Masters are not in a hurry, why not rest here in Lingyu for a day and travel with them the day after tomorrow? What do you think?"
The five of them found it agreeable, so they agreed.
That evening, lying on the exquisite bedding in Li Tongyu's house, Du Chen once again dreamed of the peerless beauty.