During the spring equinox, the wheat is jointing, the fierce sun hangs directly above, and the clouds rise.
Dragon Lake Mountain is not exactly a Spirit Mountain, but it does have a Spirit Vein, which has attracted several small families and sects to establish themselves here. A modest cultivator marketplace has ford at the foot of the mountain.
The tavern by the street in the marketplace is bustling with people and very lively.
The spirit food sold at the tavern is not particularly noteworthy; it's satisfactory at best. However, its unique green plum wine is popular among the local female cultivators.
The green plum wine is brewed with spirits that are unique to Dragon Lake Mountain. Its taste is mild with a slight sweetness, accompanied by the unique fragrance of wine, making it one of Dragon Lake Mountain's specialties.
Dantai Qingrun sat by the window, drinking alone, and gazed out through the window.
After the Netherworld's downfall, for the past twenty years besides cultivation, her main task had been "exterminating bandits," tracking down and eliminating the evil cultivators causing chaos within the border.
Compared to what Lu Qingshan did, what she was doing seed far too insignificant.
But that doesn't an her actions were without significance.
Dantai Qingrun was not exceptionally gifted, even with training at the tower. With her talent, she barely managed to break through to the Sixth Realm in twenty years.
But she was also pragmatic, never indulging in unrealistic fantasies. She only focused on fulfilling her responsibilities, much like how that man took on the responsibility of guarding the Eastern Domain.
Everyone has their own responsibilities.
This ti, she ca to Dragon Lake Mountain because of an intel report that certain cultivators were spreading rumors under the guise of the imminent Dao-Demon war, inciting unrest, and it needed thorough investigation.
At this mont, Dantai Qingrun put down her wine glass and looked toward the staircase.
A man and a woman were ascending the stairs, their heads just coming into view.
The man was calm and gentle, and the woman was graceful and charming, their actions affectionate, clearly a pair of closely bonded Dao companions.
But this wasn't the main point, nor was it why they caught Dantai Qingrun's attention.
Her "professional" sensitivity made her sense a dangerous aura from this seemingly young Dao couple.
She discreetly scrutinized the two, trying to find any clues.
The Dao couple sat at the only empty table, ordered so ordinary spirit food from the tavern, and then requested a pot of green plum wine.
At the next table, four female cultivators sat; they appeared to be a master and three disciples group. By their deanor, it was obvious they were sword cultivators.
A few occasional overheard remarks let Dantai Qingrun know these four weren't Eastern Domain cultivators but ca from the Central Heavenly Realm.
Their master had co to the Eastern Domain to visit friends, bringing the three sister disciples along, likely to broaden their horizons.
It seed they indeed had seen much of the world, as the three won had been chattering nonstop from the beginning, their small mouths continuously discussing the local customs and scenery they encountered along the way.
"Even after more than ten years, when I think about the Eastern Domain's Sword Sect Master being a man younger than , it still feels incredible," remarked the eldest senior sister, a woman with a hint of allure in her eyes.
"It would be nice to catch a glimpse of this young sect master, even from a distance," the youngest sister dreamily said, blinking her eyes. "They say that besides his unparalleled talent, his appearance is also exceptionally handso, I really want to see how handso he is."
"You cheeky girl, thinking about n, aren't you!" the second sister teased.
"I'm not..." The youngest sister began to reply, but suddenly fell silent.
Because, the man from the Dao couple who had just sat at the table beside them, been savoring the green plum wine, suddenly stood up, looked at them incredulously.
"Did you say the Sword Sect Master of the Eastern Domain is younger than you?!" The man directly asked the eldest senior sister.
The eldest senior sister was stunned but still instinctively nodded, and then she saw an incredibly complex emotion flash through the man's eyes.
It was an inscrutable complexity.
"Has the Sword Sect Master changed?" He asked again after receiving confirmation.
"You're not from this domain, are you?" Before the eldest senior sister could answer, the youngest sister tilted her head, looking skeptically at the man, muttering to herself, "Even if you're not from the Eastern Domain, you should know..."
The man froze, clearly not understanding why she asked this question, but after thinking for a mont, he nodded and replied, "I am an Eastern Domain cultivator."
"So, the current Sword Sect Master... who is it?" Although he didn't get a direct answer, based on their reactions, the man deduced the answer and hesitated for a mont before asking again.
"Of course, it's , who else could it be but Lu Qingshan!" The youngest sister replied without thinking.
Her cheeky words imdiately elicited a round of laughter from others in the tavern.
Dantai Qingrun couldn't help but smile.
It's not that the girl was being disrespectful; rather, the na Lu Qingshan was so renowned it's beco legendary, known throughout the Seven Domains.
From the great cultivation experts of the Ninth Realm to the novice cultivators just beginning Qi Refinent, who doesn't know Lu Qingshan?
Moreover, this is the Eastern Domain.
That man isn't a naive child, and he's an Eastern Domain cultivator. Asking such a question, to others, it didn't seem like a genuine inquiry, more like stirring the pot.
Although she could see that the man seed genuinely unaware.
Could he have just erged from seclusion after decades in closed cultivation?
User Comments
0 comments from readers