Immortal of the Ages

When Zhao Menglin closed her doors for business, her celestial formation would be active. Ordinary visitors would know not to knock, and especially not with such force!

"Does this mean the visitor ranks above Zhao Menglin?" Feng Yao asked as she put away her Nethersea Dragon Bow and Bloodfire Dragon Arrows.

"Not necessarily, could be someone close to her," Yun Xiao replied, pulling out the black jade array matrix. Under his command, the device swirled with thick mist and shifting lights, revealing through its haze a young girl knocking from outside.

"Is there another way out of this Menglin Pavilion?" Feng Yao asked. She used to ignore such matters, but now, she was getting involved.

"None. The formation can open, but breaking through the wall might cause a stir."

After all, they were on Harmony Street, the busiest in Harmony City.

"Then we wait," Feng Yao said with a pout.

Approaching the door, they saw it still thundering from the knocks, the other side relentless.

"Auntie! Open up quick, the Palace Selection at Harmony Divine Palace is about to start! Hand me the Ice Soul Mystic Spear!"

"She's also trying to enter the Harmony Divine Palace; that Ice Soul Mystic Spear is likely her ticket in. Without it, she won’t leave, holding us up," Feng Yao grumbled.

This girl was calling Zhao Menglin auntie, which meant she was her sister’s daughter.

In the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, where no male lineage existed, the title of aunt held an intimacy only second to that between mothers and daughters, or sisters.

"Zhao Menglin! You’re messing around with lilies again, aren’t you? So annoying, just give me the Ice Soul Mystic Spear, and I’ll leave you be!" The girl outside didn’t leave, instead, her shouts grew louder, drawing the gaze of many passersby.

Hearing this, Yun Xiao got a glimpse into Zhao Menglin’s lifestyle. Decisively, he handed the Ice Soul Mystic Spear to Feng Yao, saying, "Open the door, hand this to her, and if she asks, tell her Zhao Menglin isn't here."

"You think that'll work?" Feng Yao paused.

"Try it. We can't afford more delays." Yun Xiao urged.

If they had left earlier, they wouldn’t have been caught right at the door.

It wasn’t that they feared the knocking girl, but on Harmony Street, unfamiliar as they were, and Yun Xiao having looted Zhao Menglin, they were not without guilt.

Feng Yao then took the Ice Soul Mystic Spear to the door, shouting, "Stop knocking, here I come!"

The noise outside ceased abruptly, and she cracked open the heavy iron door, protected by its streaming celestial formation.

Through the gap, they saw a young girl in purple who bore some resemblance to Zhao Menglin, hands on hips, her gaze coldly meeting Feng Yao’s.

"Take it!" Feng Yao tossed the Ice Soul Mystic Spear out.

The girl in purple took the Ice Soul Mystic Spear, examining it closely, confirming it was precisely what she had sought.

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With the key item for the Palace Selection in hand, her tense emotions relaxed. She muttered to herself, "What a drag!"

After speaking, she turned to leave.

But Feng Yao hadn't even had the chance to sigh in relief when the girl, still cradling the spear, turned back and asked, "Where’s my aunt? Too busy to even put on a shirt and come see me?"

"She's out, not here," Feng Yao replied.

"Not here? Busy on such an important day as the Palace Selection? She couldn't even come to see how I'd perform?" The girl rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

Feng Yao offered no response, following Yun Xiao’s earlier advice, and began to close the door.

"Hey!" The girl in purple suddenly glared at her, sizing her up. "You must be Wanyan Guifen, right!"

House of Wanyan, Fragrance of Osmanthus? Feng Yao almost winced at the name.

Just as she was about to deny it, Yun Xiao quickly advised her to affirm it.

"So what if I am?" she retorted.

"I never thought you'd be a devil. My aunt's taste in companions is getting weirder!" The girl eyed Feng Yao curiously, then said, "What are you standing there for? Let's go!"

"Go?" Feng Yao raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't my aunt mention in her flying talisman that I should take you with me to the Palace Selection? If you're not willing, just say so. You're wasting my time," the girl said, pouting.

Hearing this, Yun Xiao pieced the story together.

Zhao Menglin was known for her dalliances with numerous women, recently getting involved with someone named Wanyan Guifen, though her whereabouts were unknown.

Coincidentally, the girl in purple had mistaken Feng Yao for Wanyan Guifen.

Considering Yun Xiao’s concern about a devil girl like the War Princess participating in the Palace Selection, having someone familiar might provide a foundational identity, reducing scrutiny.

"Go with the flow," he advised Feng Yao.

Not one to miss a cue, Feng Yao grasped Yun Xiao’s intent and responded, "Then I'm grateful for the help, sis."

"Hmph." The girl in purple scoffed, clearly looking down on Wanyan Guifen, but compelled by her aunt’s influence, she waved dismissively, "Keep up, don’t get lost."

"Alright." Feng Yao then stepped out of Menglin Pavilion. When she straightened up, the girl in purple, barely over five feet tall, didn't even reach her chest.

“What in blazes, they're bigger than my head, freak! Everyone mingling with that aunt of mine is abnormal." The girl in purple craned her neck to look up at the towering figure before her, her heart taking a slight hit as she cursed inwardly, "Makes sense… I guess you have to be that tall to lug those massive things around…"

As she stewed in her thoughts, Yun Xiao emerged from the Menglin Pavilion. Although he slightly bowed his head, the girl captured his striking features at a glance.

She paused, a strange and novel discomfort rising within her. She suddenly felt like vomiting!

"Damn it! I felt a flicker of interest for a mere slave, utterly disgusting."

Growing up in the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, a woman would never admit to such attraction; her mind cleared with a churn of her stomach.

She really wanted to kick these two out, but glancing at the Ice Soul Mystic Spear in her hand, she suppressed the nausea to ask, “Is this slave yours, or my aunt’s?”

“He was left to serve me,” Feng Yao responded.

Knowing the slave belonged to Zhao Menglin held back the girl’s impulse to strike him.

Her reaction was understandable! It was like suddenly finding a lump of dung appealing, only to realize what it truly was, leaving one feeling as if they’d consumed it.

"Let’s get out of here, damn it all!" The girl in purple, face full of disgust, waved dismissively and strode away with the Ice Soul Mystic Spear.

Yun Xiao smoothly closed the doors of the Menglin Pavilion, exchanging a glance with Feng Yao.

"Wanyan Guifen," Yun Xiao slightly smirked.

"Grow up," Feng Yao shot him a look, hurrying after the girl in purple.

"She’s called Zhao Mengmeng," Yun Xiao reminded.

"How do you know?" Feng Yao asked, surprised.

“I’ve seen her flying talismans with Zhao Menglin,” Yun Xiao explained.

Feng Yao realized then why he had boldly allowed her to assume such an identity; he had his reasons.

“What if the real Wanyan Guifen shows up?” Feng Yao asked softly.

“What you need to do is secure your footing in Harmony Divine Palace before she does,” Yun Xiao advised.

With that, she felt the pressure mount. Pressure turned into motivation. She gritted her teeth, thinking, having entered the Fourth Dao Tribulation, what was there to fear! Bring it on!

Yet, curiosity lingered, and she whispered, “How do two women manage... that sort of thing?”

“How would I know? I’m not a woman,” Yun Xiao retorted.

"Then, what about two men?" she asked curiously, pushing boundaries.

"Do I look like I'm interested in men?" Yun Xiao retorted, his tone flat.

As they conversed privately, the girl in purple, Zhao Mengmeng, suddenly turned and cautioned, "There are a few sisters with me, all notable figures. When you meet them, keep your words few and stay off to the side."

"Understood," Feng Yao nodded.

Zhao Mengmeng then dismissed her.

Soon, the three had left Harmony Street. Just beyond, Yun Xiao observed a celestial palanquin, white as a palace and ethereal as a cloud. Below it, thousands of young men with pale faces bowed low in the snow, motionless as turtles.

"Wouldn't it be faster to power this palanquin with celestial power? Why rely on manpower?" Feng Yao questioned, puzzled by such a display.

"People live for comparison," Yun Xiao explained. "The phenomenon exists because men, unlike celestial power, are scarce. So even if celestial power is more effective, they choose manpower to showcase their superiority."

"How do you know everything, always ready with an explanation?" Feng Yao scoffed.

"Looking at you, one would think you had three heads and knew nothing," Yun Xiao shot back.

Feng Yao was left speechless.

Zhao Mengmeng then ascended into the snowy white palanquin.

Yun Xiao, of course, could not follow; he waited below.

"Am I really going?" Feng Yao, unfamiliar with such proceedings, was visibly uneasy.

"The pig's fattened, now it must learn to run," Yun Xiao remarked.

"You can't live without teasing me, can you?" Feng Yao gritted her teeth.

"Yup," Yun Xiao agreed.

"Damn it..." She bit her lip, muttering under her breath as she stepped into the palanquin, while Yun Xiao stayed behind.

"Brothers, hello," he greeted the male slaves beneath the palanquin.

They looked up at him with dim eyes, then quietly shifted, making room for Yun Xiao to join in carrying the palanquin.

"Well then..." Yun Xiao sighed.

With a thunderous start at Zhao Mengmeng's urging, the 1,000 slaves began to run, carrying the palanquin with a stability rivaling that of a divine ark—a skill in itself.

Yun Xiao joined them, his gaze sweeping over the faces around him—each different yet marked by the same dazed, hollow misery, as if they lived in purgatory but were forced to smile.

Each had their own story, their own origins, but now, they shared the same scripted life of suffering.

Living was pain, yet death was not an option.

How many among the myriad of beings suffered so?

As they raced through the icy world, inside the luxurious palanquin, a few privileged young ladies enjoyed their leisure, the peace of the ages, in comfortable splendor...

JustLivingJL's Thoughts

"The pig's fattened, now it must learn to run," Yun Xiao remarked.

Then, fly! - JL