"Oh, this..." Xiao Kai furrowed his brows, feeling hesitant, "Yao Yuan mentioned last time that visiting there involves dual cultivation. I had decided not to go, but now, it's my own fault for accidentally breaking the sachet. If the head of a sect personally invites me, isn't it disrespectful to refuse?"
He then thought, "But if I go, do I really have to engage in dual cultivation with them? Although other cultivators are willing to go as guests, I only have my heart set on Xiao Zhu. If I can't accept Xiao Yue and Xiao Xin, how could I accept these unknown women?"
Seeing Xiao Kai's wandering gaze, Lantian Yu spoke, "During the time on Huangshan, didn't the Master promise to visit me as a guest?"
"Right, I did promise," Xiao Kai said, trying to deflect, "but I didn't specify the time..."
"Then... why did you summon me here today..." Lantian Yu also felt quite constrained but didn't dare to lose her temper. Her mind swirled through countless thoughts in an instant, and her bewitching eyes glanced at Xiao Kai's face. Suddenly, she shifted her gaze downwards and saw the bulge on the blanket he was covering, a male physiological reaction to desire. It was like a flash of inspiration to her.
"He beat around the bush so much, I thought he was truly clueless. Who would have thought that he's the real scoundrel, a despicable person!" Lantian Yu felt her face burning and her heart filled with fury and desolation. "I, Lantian Yu, am the leader of a major sect, yet today, I've been summoned here to fulfill the private desires of an initially unknown boy. This is truly a great humiliation!"
Lantian Yu was on the verge of losing her temper, but fortunately, her decades of cultivating qi were profound enough, and she managed to bear it. She gritted her teeth and spoke softly, "Since the Master is willing, Tiantian Yu will comply with the Master's request."
"What?" Xiao Kai was a bit dazed. "What did you say?"
Lantian Yu took a deep breath, gently lifted her skirt's waistband, and pulled it apart. The garment slipped down her smooth body, revealing lacy white underwear. Biting her lips, she whispered, "Let Tiantian serve the Master tonight. After just one night, if the Master keeps his word and makes a visit to my Flowing Cloud Water Pavilion to help resolve a huge crisis in our sect, then Lantian Yu will be satisfied."
This completely startled Xiao Kai, and he quickly shrank towards the bed, exclaiming, "Don't undress, don't come over, what are you... what do you want?"
Lantian Yu was already feeling deeply humiliated and seeing this scoundrel act like a victim made her almost burst into a rage on the spot. She was furious and desolate, thinking, "I, Lantian Yu, am the leader of a major sect, yet today, I've been summoned here to fulfill the private desires of an initially unknown boy. This is truly a great humiliation!"
Lantian Yu was on the verge of losing her temper, but fortunately, her decades of cultivating qi were profound enough, and she managed to bear it. She gritted her teeth and spoke softly, "Since the Master is willing, Tiantian Yu will comply with the Master's request."
"What?" Xiao Kai was a bit dazed. "What did you say?"
Lantian Yu took a deep breath, gently lifted her skirt's waistband, and pulled it apart. The garment slipped down her smooth body, revealing lacy white underwear. Biting her lips, she whispered, "Let Tiantian serve the Master tonight. After just one night, if the Master keeps his word and makes a visit to my Flowing Cloud Water Pavilion to help resolve a huge crisis in our sect, then Lantian Yu will be satisfied."
This completely startled Xiao Kai, and he quickly shrank towards the bed, exclaiming, "Don't undress, don't come over, what are you... what do you want?"
Lantian Yu was already feeling deeply humiliated and seeing this scoundrel act like a victim made her almost burst into a rage on the spot. She was furious and desolate, thinking, "I, Lantian Yu, am the leader of a major sect, yet today, I've been summoned here to fulfill the private desires of an initially unknown boy. This is truly a great humiliation!"
Lantian Yu was on the verge of losing her temper, but fortunately, her decades of cultivating qi were profound enough, and she managed to bear it. She gritted her teeth and spoke softly, "Since the Master is willing, Tiantian Yu will comply with the Master's request."
"What?" Xiao Kai was a bit dazed. "What did you say?"
Lantian Yu took a deep breath, gently lifted her skirt's waistband, and pulled it apart. The garment slipped down her smooth body, revealing lacy white underwear. Biting her lips, she whispered, "Let Tiantian serve the Master tonight. After just one night, if the Master keeps his word and makes a visit to my Flowing Cloud Water Pavilion to help resolve a huge crisis in our sect, then Lantian Yu will be satisfied."
This completely startled Xiao Kai, and he quickly shrank towards the bed, exclaiming, "Don't undress, don't come over, what are you... what do you want?"
Lantian Yu's face, already ablaze with humiliation, saw Xiao Kai feigning innocence, making her even more frustrated. She felt like bursting into flames but managed to contain it. Through clenched teeth, she softened her tone and said, "Since the Master wishes it, Tiantian Yu will comply with the Master."
Feeling at a loss, Xiao Kai saw through the open door of his room and quickly ran out with his bare feet, slamming into someone and causing a commotion.
"Ah!" It was a man's exclamation.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" These were three women's exclamations.
"Who are you?" Xiao Kai rubbed his forehead, vexed, and shouted, "How did you sneak into my room?"
"And who are you?" A rather tender voice of a girl was heard, "Where did my master go?"
"You answer my question first," Xiao Kai raged, his voice raising several pitches, "This is my home. If you sneak in like thieves or bandits, then that's what you'll be taken for!"
"Bandit? You're the bandit here!" a fiery voice, even louder than Xiao Kai's, retorted, "Have you ever seen such beautiful bandits like us? You look like a thief, sneaking around with your head down; you're obviously here to steal something."
"You... you..." Xiao Kai was so angry that he couldn't speak, "You're distorting the truth, and being unreasonable!"
"Hehe, Second Sister, Third Sister, let's not make a fuss," a calm and gentle voice intervened, "we're here for a reason. Sir, could you tell me where the chosen Master is?"
As soon as this voice spoke, Xiao Yue and Xiao Xin's voices echoed, "Master, what's happening?"
The scene at this moment was in complete chaos. Xiao Kai, still trying to make sense of the situation, heard Lantian Yu sigh behind him, "Master, these are my three disciples. Let's not quarrel but come inside."
"Uh..." Xiao Kai turned around in astonishment and saw Lantian Yu, in only her close-fitting garment, leaning against the door. Her long, jet-black hair hung behind her, her dazzling starry eyes making her appear as beautiful as a painting. When he looked back, he saw three women, each with a distinct temperament—one young and naive, one fiery, and one calm and quiet. They all shared clear, bright eyes, snow-white skin, and were stunningly beautiful.
At this moment, Xiao Kai felt a bit overwhelmed. Recently, he had encountered too many beautiful women. These women, born of celestial and spiritual energy, were rare to find, and yet, one after the other, they had appeared before him. He had barely met Lantian Yu when, in the blink of an eye, three disciples had emerged, all of them incomparably beautiful.
Xiaoyue and Xiaoxin were shocked when they saw Lantianyu, exclaiming, "The six major sects!"
Lantianyu's eyes also showed surprise as she looked over, saying, "Demon?"
"Clang!" The three beautiful women at the door immediately drew their long swords.
Xiaokai hurriedly extended his arm to stop the three people, then turned around and chuckled, "Xiaoyue, Xiaoxin, it's alright, go back to your room, these are all my friends."
"Yes, master." The two little foxes bowed and couldn't help glancing at Lantianyu. Seeing the scantily clad appearance of Lantianyu, they naturally knew what Xiaokai was up to in the room, so their eyes betrayed a hint of resentment. They quietly returned to the room.
The three women looked dubiously at Xiaokai, then at their master. Seeing their master nodding slightly, they sheathed their swords and hastened to approach Lantianyu. The dignified one among them asked first, "Master, your attire, does that mean...?"
She only asked half of the question. The three of them looked at each other, instantly showing a mix of indignation and humiliation. The most fiery one suddenly pressed the sword hilt, drawing the long sword out again.
Lantianyu's face turned solemn, and she said coldly, "Ningxiang, what are you doing?"
Ningxiang, full of resentment, said, "I...I..."
Lantianyu's voice turned even colder, "Have you forgotten what I said?"
Ningxiang lowered her head and said, "Disciple dare not." Reluctantly, she sheathed her sword again.
Watching the two instances of drawing and sheathing the sword, Xiaokai found it puzzling and couldn't help but chuckle. With his smile, the grief and resentment on the faces of the three women deepened, but Lantianyu's expression remained calm as water. She said, "Master, these are my three hopeless disciples."
She held the composed girl and said, "This is my eldest disciple, Bailu, 23 years old." Then she held Ningxiang and said, "Ningxiang just turned twenty." Finally, she held the youngest, "This is Qinghong, only seventeen this year, a rare genius in our sect, and also the biggest hope of my Liuyun Waterside."
Xiaokai nodded, "Lantianyu, you don't need to introduce so many to me. You mentioned something about a 'huge crisis.' If I can help, I won't refuse, but you should put on your clothes before we continue talking."
He said this very earnestly and did not sound pretentious. Lantianyu was taken aback and suddenly realized, thinking to herself, "I have misunderstood. It turns out he's interested not in me, but in my three disciples. However...no matter whom he wants, we can only agree."
Among the three women, Bailu was the quickest to react. Upon hearing Xiaokai's words, she immediately smiled and said, "So you are the chosen sect leader. I didn't expect you to be so young. The three of us initially misunderstood. We apologized for the earlier standoff with the leader."
"Not at all. I'm not surprised," Xiaokai said. "I'm just curious. Isn't the Red Thread of Fate supposed to only work for you, Master? How did you all come here?"
"Who said it only works for the master?" Ningxiang glared at him. "The four of us have our destiny threads inside. If it's only the master's, you wouldn't so readily agree to help."
"Oh, then why were you at the door?" Xiaokai asked again.
"Humph, who said we can't be at the door?" Ningxiang retorted. "We just happened to appear at the door. What's wrong with that? Can't we be there?"
Xiaokai looked at her inexplicably, choosing not to say anything. He realized that reasoning with a temperamental woman was pointless.
Lantianyu said, "Since the sect leader is willing to help, shall we set off now?"
"Okay," Xiaokai nodded. "Let me tidy up and I'll be ready soon."
The two little foxes heard that Xiaokai was going to Liuyun Waterside, both wore a resentful expression. Xiaokai couldn't help but smile bitterly. He knew they must have misunderstood, but he didn't know how to explain. He could only tell them to be safe and then hurriedly left.
Xiaokai flew south in Lantianyu's Seven Treasures Golden Boat and saw continuous mountain ranges passing by, endless water surfaces. According to his estimates, they should have already crossed the border and be flying over another country, but the scenery he saw didn't match his expectations.
After flying for about half a day, the Seven Treasures Golden Boat slowly descended on a mountaintop. Looking around, there were only trees as far as the eye could see. Xiaokai couldn't figure out where they were and couldn't help but ask, "Is this the Greater Khingan Range?"
Lantianyu shook her head.
"Would it be Shennongjia or Zhangjiajie?" Xiaokai continued. "I don't think there are such large forests elsewhere."
"No need to guess," Lantianyu said. "We cultivators have our own territories for each sect. For example, there's the Tian Du Yin Peak in Huangshan, and Emei's Emei Yin Peak, all hidden from the sight of ordinary people. Liuyun Waterside naturally has its own territory. "
Xiaokai took a deep breath and, looking at the endless forest around him, asked, "Is all this vast land your territory?"
Lantianyu smiled faintly, showing a hint of pride. "Although Liuyun Waterside's territory is the largest in the cultivation world, we cultivators are without desire. These places have no practical significance. The places we truly live and cultivate are still ahead."
Following the four women for a few minutes, Xiaokai turned a corner and suddenly saw a vast and magnificent complex of pavilions and buildings. The buildings stretched from where he stood to the distant horizon, disappearing into the jungle, like a winding dragon lying amidst boundless mountains and ridges.
All these pavilions and towers were built with high-quality wood. The window frames, floors, and pillars were all carved with various patterns and hollow designs, adorned with colorful stickers. The decorations and small items were abundant, giving the place a magnificent and overwhelming feel.
Beneath these pavilions, to Xiaokai's amazement, a flowing stream extended, making the sight even more stunning. With mountains and ridges already displaying natural wonders, the sudden appearance of a river between them was an incredible miracle. What's more, all the buildings were constructed following the flow of the river, some meters above the ground, covering the river with precision. This incredible craftsmanship was sure to astonish any master craftsman in the world.
The peaceful and carefree scene of countless beautiful female disciples traversing above the mirrored water surface was enough to make anyone, no matter how busy or anxious, temporarily free from worldly worries and calm down instantly.
As Xiaokai and the four women appeared, there was a stir on the pavilions. A clear and pleasant voice came from above, "Look, the sect leader and three senior sisters are over there, and they are accompanied by... Oh my! They brought a man along!"
It had been many years since any male cultivator showed up at Liuyun Waterside, and Lantianyu had been a model of chastity for decades. The sudden appearance of the four superior figures with a man at Liuyun Waterside created quite a sensation. According to the rules of Liuyun Waterside handed down by the ancestors, it was an unbreakable rule, and this man must be here for dual cultivation. Having caught the eye of any of the four was certainly a blessing earned through three lifetimes of good fortune.
Seeing the countless beautiful female disciples pouring out from the pavilions, Xiaokai felt a bit nervous. He followed closely behind Lantianyu, walking without looking around. Finally, they entered the central passage of the building.
The girls, being naturally lively, were not intimidated by the sect leader's authority and began to speculate chaotically. Numerous pairs of jade hands pointed at Xiaokai and deliberated on the potential relationship between him and the four women.
Lantianyu knit her brows slightly and raised her voice, "This is Yanzhao, the contemporary sect leader of the Tianxuan sect. He is a valued guest of Liuyun Waterside. It's not appropriate for you to gossip and speculate. Please, step back!"
Upon hearing the words "Chosen Sect Leader," the curious expressions in the eyes of these girls grew even stronger. It was clear that they had also heard about Xiaokai's glorious deeds at Huangshan. However, when the sect leader expressed her displeasure, they immediately shut their mouths, although their eyes still shone brightly as they obediently stepped back. They watched as Lantianyu brought Xiaokai into the pavilion.
From the outside, only the long structure of the flowing clouds and water pavilion can be seen. It's not until you enter that you realize the spaciousness is not inferior to its length. Lantian Yu walks quite fast, flowing like water beneath jade feet. After walking for more than ten minutes, she finally stops and says, "Master, we have arrived."
In front of them is a door in this entirely wooden structure, a door made of what appears to be metal, clearly indicating its unusual nature.
"This is the place where important discussions take place inside our flowing clouds and water pavilion," Lantian Yu explains. She extends her hand, and after a moment of preparation, a white light appears on her hand. She presses it against the door, and it opens silently. "This door does not have any keys or locks, it is opened by the secret technique of our flowing clouds and water pavilion, so it is very secure."
Curious, Xiaokai steps inside, only to find a plain room with nothing unusual. He asks, "Is there anything mysterious about this place?"
As soon as he speaks, Xiaokai is startled to find that there is no sound coming from his own mouth. It is as if he had just moved his lips without producing a single sound, yet he knows he definitely spoke those eight words.
Unable to help himself, Xiaokai asks again, but once more, there is complete silence. It is as if he has suddenly lost his voice and has become mute.
Concerned, Xiaokai looks up and sees the four women entering the room, with Lantian Yu gently closing the door and smiling at him. Bewildered, Xiaokai immediately seeks help from the silent book: "Xiaoguan, what is happening?"
"Don't be afraid, Kai ge," Xiaoguan yawns lazily, "it's just a simple auditory block, nothing too technical."
As Xiaoguan speaks, Lantian Yu flicks her finger and several white lights envelope the room from the ceiling, covering the entire room in a glow. Suddenly, Xiaokai can hear a voice again: "Master, this is a formation set up by the senior experts of our sect, capable of isolating all information. Whatever we say inside, no one else can hear."
"Hmm, making a mountain out of a molehill," Xiaoguan sneers, "linking such trivial magic to senior experts, the cultivation world is truly decadent!"
Nodding, Xiaokai looks at Lantian Yu, who appears mysterious, and his curiosity is piqued. "Leader Lantian, do you have a secret to tell me?"
"Of course," Lantian Yu says solemnly, "what I am about to say is the highest secret of our sect!"
She looks at her three female disciples and adds, "Originally, this was a secret passed down within the flowing clouds and water pavilion. However, due to certain circumstances, I have to tell the chosen leader, and as you are chosen, you must remember that these words must never be spoken outside."
The three women listen to their master's serious words and nod in agreement.
Xiaokai, however, is bewildered, not knowing how he ended up choosing these three women as dual cultivation partners. He quickly asks, "Master, about dual cultivation..."