Seeking the Tao in the Mortal World

When reaching the main mountain of Myriad Tao Immortal Palace, Qin Yi couldn't help but feel ashamed.

When he first went to the eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling sect, it was a bustling and tacky town. He didn't visit the entire town, so he didn't know what the 'town hall' was like. When he went to the piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting sect, there was an immortal mountain range with only Ju Yunxiu's house, showing the style of a hermit.

Before this moment, he had never thought about why this place was called Immortal Palace.

Until he saw the massive white jade palace atop the main mountain, shrouded in ethereal mist, adorned with jade trees and crystalline blossoms, with immortal celestial melodies lingering in the air, he finally realized this was a palace, not an immortal sect.

However, there weren't any maids or fairies (female cultivators) here, only some guards. When they saw Qin Yi, they nodded in greeting. One person said, "Junior Qin, come with me."

They probably heard Palace Master's request to meet Qin Yi.

Following the guard into the palace, he was surrounded by offices. There were various departments handling internal affairs. People walking around with materials, and someone asked,

"Cloud Nine Sword Pavilion sent a letter to ask about the practice match that they proposed sixty years ago. How do we reply now?"

"They still remember what happened sixty years ago? These swordsmen are so persistent. Get lost, our Immortal Palace values peace. No one has the time to have a practice match with those mad swordsmen?"

This must be the diplomatic hall.

"Have the cultivation resources distributed to the disciples in May been prepared as usual?"

"Ugh, basically everything is ready..."

"Yes or no, what does basically mean?"

"It was stated before that the piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting sect would no longer be allocated monthly resources, and Qin Yi didn't even take any... But this time they have just accepted some new disciples. This portion..."

"Prepare them quickly, do you really think Ju Yunxiu can only play the piano? It is said that Qin Yi is not easy to deal with. His arms are as thick as your legs, and he is carrying a thick mace!"

"… I will do it asap."

This is must be the internal affairs hall... By the way, who in the secret realm has such a big mouth? How did the news of me wielding a mace spread so quickly?

"Is Celestial Pivot Heaven Palace out of their mind? They promised to exchange the star meteorite iron, but then regretted it. Go and ask the one who is in charge..."

"I asked. He said that Ming He wants to refine her noble weapon and needs a large amount of concentrated star meteorite iron, so they canceled the exchange."

"Bah, this is the number one in Divine Land? Old country town is more like it!"

Okay, this is the commerce hall.

Qin Yi walked slowly through the corridor with his mouth curled up. He was a little happy to hear Ming He's current situation here.

Apart from not being very dignified, they are actually doing something. When I passed by the outer palace in South Li Kingdom, the ministers were similar. This undignified behavior is probably due to the fact that Palace Master doesn't care about the affairs here. If the Palace Master enforces the rules strictly, they will be much more solemn.

Is there a Deputy Palace Master or Inner Hall Supervisor who supervises these people? At least there must be a supervisory position, otherwise with such a Palace Master, the operation would have been paralyzed.

As he walked all the way inside, the voices of people gradually faded away. There was still no maid to be seen. It was already gradually deserted. The distant palace was looming in the clouds, feeling a little quiet and distant.

The guard stopped and pointed to the main hall in the distance. "Palace Master is in front. We are not allowed to enter here without permission. Junior Qin can just go up on your own."

"Thank you." Qin Yi cupped his hands and watched the guard leave. He looked up for a while and then walked up the steps slowly.

"Stick Stick, can you sense anyone inside?"

"I don't know." Liu Su's voice sounded in his mindsea. "Don't talk to me. This Palace Master will undoubtedly be at the Boundless Essence Stage, which is stronger than the Radiant Yang Stage. Such a person will be famous no matter what era he is in. Now I have no confidence to hide from him. He might even find out the extraordinary background of the mace. "

Qin Yi nodded, but he wasn't too worried. Various signs indicate that this Palace Master might not be here at all.

Stepping into the hall, the entire hall was filled with smoke, which obscured the figure on the high seat in the middle. Only a faint shadow could be seen. Qin Yi used his eyesight enough and even used his spiritual force, but he couldn't see through the smoke.

Qin Yi, "…"

Palace Master laughed. "Ju Yunxiu couldn't even see my shadow here. Aren't you satisfied to see my shadow?"

Qin Yi said helplessly, "Does Palace Master also know that your absence will arouse everyone's curiosity?"

"What does it matter if I show up or not? The Immortal Palace operates as usual, and the disciples continue to grow. Under my supervision, some people don't dare to mess around. They have to rival honestly. Isn't that enough? I organized the Myriad Tao Immortal Palace not just to be a babysitter. Why would I meddle in the others' obsessions? Do you think I'm that free?"

Qin Yi suddenly felt that it made sense, but after thinking about it, it still felt wrong, "But if the Palace Master shows up from time to time, those rivals won't exist. The Immortal Palace will be much more peaceful. Why bother evoking some people's scheming thoughts?"

"What good is that? The Immortal Palace is full of obsessed people. Without any trouble, they really thought they are free from worries. Fortunately, there is Tian Jizi. Everyone knows how to take precautions. Otherwise, there would only be a bunch of obsessed people."

"But boss, Tian Jizi has started killing his disicple now. Can you really control the situation?"

"Zhou Yuncheng is not dead at all. It's the Tortoise Shell Substitution Spell. Tian Jizi can cheat you guys, but not me."

Qin Yi's mouth was half open, speechless.

"Myriad Tao Immortal Palace is different from the evil sects. We do not rule our people based on strength. Therefore, the people of the planning sect also have human feelings. Tian Jizi has been plotting all his life. Would he really disappoint his disciples? Not only did Zhou Yuncheng not die, but he also received more rewards. This is to encourage his disciples to take the initiative to take on such bad things in the future. This is the real plan." Palace Master leisurely said, "You thought you have ruined their plan, but he didn't lose anything in fact."

My guesses were all wrong, and I even guessed whether Senior Ju would be like that. No wonder she wanted to talk to me...

Qin Yi was dripping with cold sweat. I'm so dead…

After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "Even so, he has lost the trust of Palace Master, because no matter how he concealed it, Palace Master still found out about his disciples colluding with outsiders to harm his fellow disciples. It is no longer an honest match and not the internal rival that Palace Master wants. This matter has offended the bottom line of Immortal Palace.”

Palace Master clapped his hands and laughed, "Yes, you're right."

After saying this, there was no more.

Qin Yi listened intently to hear how he would deal with Tian Jizi, but he suddenly stopped talking... Qin Yi couldn't help but ask, "Then?"

"Then what? Should I tell you the matter between Tian Jizi and I?" Palace Master smiled. "You little kid still want to participate in the struggles of the Radiant Yang Stage cultivator?"

Qin Yi snappishly said, "It's not that I want to participate, it's that he wants to mess with me! If you don't want to tell me, forget it. What's my reward? At least I can use more means to save my life."

His awe of this Palace Master was all gone. How can I put it in words? His attitude and tone... seem that he is very familiar with me. There is no sense of distance, so I can't respect him at all... Is this what they called approachable?

"Don't worry about your life. He has signed a contract with the chess fanatic. Du Pingsheng's master made the contract. He can't take action against you personally. You can even raise your middle finger in front of him."

Qin Yi was delighted. "Really?"

"Really." Palace Master said a little funny, "But the reward I give you is more interesting. Do you want it?"

"Of course."

"Well, you said it." Palace Master paused, and a jade pendant suddenly fell from the sky.

Qin Yi subconsciously grabbed it, and the Palace Master's voice spread across the mountain. "I'm now appointing Qin Yi to be the inspector of the Immortal Palace. He will investigate all the illegal things such as offending rules, corruption, bullying, collusion with beastkins and evildoers."

Qin Yi was furious. "You set me up! How can you dump your responsibilities on me!"

"Why do you say that?" Palace Master regained his composure, "At least for now, it's useful to you, isn't it?"

-

On the way back, the people in the Immortal Palace cast strange and wary gazes at Qin Yi. and they looked full of vigilance.

There was little girl who fell down and dropped a stack of jade slips on the floor.

Qin Yi was dumbfounded and tried to help her up, but the little girl ran away.

Qin Yi helplessly hurried out of the Immortal Palace, unfolded his handkerchief, and ran away.

"What a scam..."

Liu Su said, "Why? He can not care and so do you. If they see you doing nothing for a while, no one will take you seriously. They will still befriend you. On the contrary, you can always turn your face anytime. This is so convenient.”

"Huh?" Qin Yi looked at the mace in the ring in surprise. "You seem to know a lot, Stick Stick. Have you been in the system before?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Liu Su hummed twice without giving a clear answer, but she just said, "This Palace Master is too high level. I don't dare to release my divine thought* for fear of getting into trouble. So if you expect me to find out if he is here, forget it.”

"Whatever." Qin Yi curled his lips and said, "He is just an old fox. I even doubt whether he was from the scheming sect."

"The so-called scheming is not as exaggerated as you think... Everyone has a scheme. The scheming sect in Immortal Palace is just obsessed with it. Compared with others, they like conspiracies and calculations. It does not mean that their schemes are deeper. Of course, with divination, it is easier to scheme others. But since the heaven secret is secret, they are just normal people who like scheming. "

Qin Yi was startled, "That makes sense. I've always treated them as some kind of professional and scared myself. In fact, they screwed up the collusion with Temple Great Joy. It's so stupid. They were lucky to have Tian Jizi clean up the mess for them."

"Tortoise Shell Substitution Spell..." Liu Su sighed, "My strength still hasn't recovered to where I want it to be. I can't even see through this."

"What level are you at now?"

"Just think of it as the soul power of the Cloud Riding Stage perfect state. Of course, the soul entity is different from your physical body. I don't want to say the details."

"That means you're stronger than me, right?"

Liu Su put the mace on her hips, "Of course I'm stronger than you! By a lot!"

Qin Yi was thoughtful. "Then if they think they understand my strength now, they will still misjudge me when the time comes."

Liu Su smiled. "Hey, my strength is not yours."

"There is no need to be that clear... What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours..."

"Then is your dear Senior Ju mine too?"

"Ugh... Ugh..." Qin Yi didn't know how to react.

When he arrived at the main mountain of Ju Yunxiu, it was completely dark. The night sky was gently adorned with a few twinkling stars. Together with the cicadas chirping, they created a serene atmosphere. Qin Yi was quiet for a while. The environment around Ju Yunxiu always made him calm down and find the most tranquil hues among all the hustle and bustle of the world.

Qing Cha said from inside the house, "It's summer, Master. I'm going to see the lotus flowers in Mount Lotus tomorrow."

Ju Yunxiu replied lazily, "Yo there by yourself some other time. Now go and open the door. The bastard is here."

Qin Yi pushed the door open by himself, picked up Qing Cha who was about to open the door, and walked in.

Qing Cha, "…"

Qing Cha suddenly felt gloomy.

A Master who always soaks me to make tea and a Master Junior who is always ready to pick people up... Maybe these two will be together...

"What took you so long?" Ju Yunxiu was lazily leaning on a soft chair and reading a book.

As the weather turned hotter, she was not wearing the previous dress, but a light silk dress. She didn't have much cover in her room. If he looked closely, he could still vaguely see the bellyband hidden under the silk dress…

This vagueness was far more sultry and beautiful than anything else.

But Qin Yi, who had read hundreds of books, wasn't distracted at all. He glanced briefly and looked away, "Senior Ju should have heard the order of Palace Master, right?"

"Yes." Ju Yunxiu said lazily, "So you are here to monitor how I bully Cha Ye? And then punish me for committing internal cruelty?"

Wow, this idea isn't bad. Qin Yi's throat twitched, and he reluctantly said, "Why are you so familiar with this?"

"I read a lot of books." Ju Yunxiu finally put down the book, half-smiling, "How are you going to punish me, Sir Inspector?"

Qin Yi sat next to her seriously and said with a smile, "Sing a song to me?"

It was a joke, but as soon as he said that, his heart was moved. The way of piano was more than just a musical instrument. He had even brushed off Xi Xiangzi with rap and dancing, and that was common to everyone. In other words, Ju Yunxiu could actually sing.

How alluring it is to see her sing a little song softly.

"Want to hear me sing? It's not impossible." Ju Yunxiu smiled slightly, "You have done an excellent job in getting first place in the tao conference, so I have to give you a reward, right?"

"Right right."

"But Sir Inspector, can you please explain when Tian Jizi killed Zhou Yuncheng, what did you mean by the look you gave me? Hmm?"

Qin Yi sweated profusely. "About that..."

"Are you afraid that I will also burn bridges with you?"

"Uhm… No, no, I have never thought of it that way!" No matter how stupid Qin Yi was, he knew how to respond. "At that time, I was thinking that the disciples of their planning sect are really pitiful and our piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting sect is so wonderful. We care and love each other so much. I’m so lucky to have such a senior sister. I really did not choose the wrong sect at the beginning...

"Pfft..." Qing Cha burst out laughing. "Master Junior, if you had a tail, you would have waggled it cutely just now."

Qin Yi's face turned red.

But Ju Yunxiu was very satisfied. The slight displeasure of being questioned disappeared. Although she knew that he was just saying nice things, she felt pleased. So her attitude toward Qin Yi had become milder. She said, "Did you learn those sweet words from the book?"

"Senior Ju is really knowledgeable."

"But are they only applicable to women?"

Qin Yi said righteously, "They can be applicable to fellow seniors and juniors!"

Ju Yunxiu finally laughed out loud.

Qin Yi breathed a sigh of relief as if this chat was over.

"Zhou Yuncheng may not be dead. Although I couldn't see through Tian Jizi's trick, I could guess it." Ju Yunxiu finally changed the topic. "Palace Master must be able to see through it, so he ordered you to be the inspector to put a leash on the scheming and planning sect. At least, they would think twice before colluding with outsiders. The inspector represents the Palace Master. Unless they are sure to overthrow Palace Master in one fell swoop. Otherwise, they will never dare to cross the line again.”

"Well, this is indeed a warning to Tian Jizi. It means that Palace Master knows what he is doing."

"So it's not for you to coerce your senior into singing."

Qin Yi said shamelessly, "Where's the reward that you mentioned?"

Ju Yunxiu waved her hand, "Qing Cha, sing a song for your Master Junior."

Qing Cha turned around and ran away. "The evidence of bullying Cha Ye is conclusive. Sir Inspector, you must help me!"

Qing Cha was sensible to run away. Suddenly, there were only a man and a woman left in the wooden house. Her clothes were half-covered, her face was slightly red, and she looked slightly shy. The charm overflowed in an instant.

Qin Yi swallowed and said in a low voice, "Senior Ju, if you don't want to sing, let me play a song for you."

Ju Yunxiu looked at him with shining eyes. "Okay."

Qin Yi took out the Clouded-Mount Flute, and Ju Yunxiu looked at him with a blushing face as he put it to his lips.

A soft melody sounded from the flute. It was cheerful and refreshing in this summer evening. It was like a pair of birds chasing each other and playing in the forest. The male bird sang to attract the attention of the female bird.

Ju Yunxiu bit her lower lip gently with an extremely red face. She softly muttered. "You're bad."

Liu Su covered her ears in the mace.

Shameless! You even said that there is nothing between you and your senior? What have you done while I was away during this period?

-

She said 'You're bad', but Ju Yunxiu still leaned on the soft chair with her chin in her hand and looked at Qin Yi without interrupting or refusing to listen. Her eyes showed a mixture of shyness and complicated resistance.

It was ambiguous.

If they could stay as tao friends forever, she would play the piano in the clouds, and he would play along with his flute. Then they would look at each other, smile, and say 'good morning.'

What a great relationship… It was so pure and comfortable.

But there was somehow an inexplicable meaning between them.

However, such an inexplicable feeling was rare for Ju Yunxie, and she didn't want to erase it.

She knew Qin Yi had a similar feeling.

In Qin Yi's heart, he also cherished the ethereal harmony of the flute and piano and the serene and transcendent feeling of their connection. There was no intense romantic longing between them but rather a natural attraction, a pursuit and desire for beauty. This was human nature.

But now, everyone in the Immortal Palace thought that they had an affair, so they had to keep a distance. They were even closer to each other than before. Weren't they deceiving themselves to think that they were just close friends?

Their relationship had long changed.

Ju Yunxiu could hear the complicated feelings in Qin Yi's heart from his music.

This song did not have an overt implication of courting. If so, it would definitely arouse Ju Yunxiu's rejection. In fact, the meaning of his song was actually the warm and natural feeling that carried a hint of ambiguity.

He was actually quite a man at heart.

These meanings were difficult to express in words, but they could be expressed implicitly in music, which was unique to the musicians' special way of communication. Even if the uncivilized  Liu Su regained her peak power, she might not be able to understand it. She would only think that he and Ju Yunxiu had an ulterior relationship. But when Ju Yunxiu listened to it, the hint of a soulmate would only become stronger and stronger and she didn't want to interrupt it.

The flute sound finally subsided, and the night returned to silence.

Ju Yunxiu was still looking at Qin Yi and said nothing.

She had always thought he was good-looking.

Qin Yi said, "Senior Ju, you said you wanted to give me a reward, but I played a song instead. This is unfair."

Ju Yunxiu pouted and said, "I'm not singing. Change your request."

Seeing her pouting coquettishly, Qin Yi's breathing quickened subconsciously. He turned his head slightly. "Forget it, I'll keep the reward for later."

Seeing how he was avoiding, Ju Yunxiu wanted to tease a little. She deliberately moved closer, breathing softly on his cheek. "You really don't want it?"

Qin Yi leaned back a little. "Woman, don't play with fire."

Ju Yunxiu showed a charming smile and hooked her finger, "A little Piano Heart Stage bro acting like a big man. Who are you trying to impress?"

Qin Yi gritted his teeth and moved closer. He hit the invisible barrier with a pop and his face was deformed.

Ju Yunxiu laughed. "Pervert."

Qin Yi stood up angrily. "The days ahead are long. We are not done yet!"

"Hey, wait a minute." Ju Yunxiu grabbed him.

Qin Yi was stunned and looked down. Ju Yunxiu's delicate hand was holding his palm...

Ju Yunxiu's face turned slightly red, but she pretended to be nonchalant and said, "It's not like I've never taught you how to paint, so why are you being pretentious?"

Liu Su made a meaningful 'oh' sound in the mace, which then turned into a 'tsk tsk'.

Qin Yi said helplessly with a red face, "Okay, why are you stopping me?"

"Show me the painting you got today."

Qin Yi knocked on his head. He was here to ask Ju Yunxiu about this.

The woman portrait he obtained from the ancient tomb and the portrait of Ju Yunxiu he exchanged from Zheng Yunyi only had an aura and were not spiritual items. Even the sword-holding woman and young Ju Yunxiu in the painting did not form a painting soul.

However, the painting that Palace Master would use as a reward for first place was obviously different. It must be a noble weapon of higher quality.

Qin Yi took out the painting scroll and unfolded it. It was a picture of red rocks with a mandrill climbing on the rocks. As soon as the scroll was unfolded, he felt like he was in a new place. The mandrill looked over with ferocious eyes.

There was a powerful might in the painting, but the purpose was not yet known. This was a treasure that was made by the painting sect, which was a new item that Liu Su didn't know about.

"Is this a noble weapon?" Qin Yi asked, "Are you sure this is in a set with the two previous paintings?"

"Whether a painting becomes a noble weapon or not depends solely on the material and the methods used in its production. It has nothing to do with the content. Different content will only produce different effects." Ju Yunxiu took the scroll and looked at it for a while, then she said with affirmation, "This and those two paintings are indeed the same set."

Qin Yi asked, "What is the effect of this painting?"

"This is not a combat noble weapon, but a trial space." Ju Yunxiu suddenly smiled. "Maybe it's just right for you."

Qin Yi's eyes lit up. "How do I use it?"

"Of course you get into the painting and fight with the mandrill." Ju Yunxiu said, "The painting has become an illusory world, which is very beneficial to your actual combat training. If you are defeated by it, you will leave the world. If you defeat it, it will recognize you as its master, and it will gain power as you level up… By the way, noble weapon can be used in the painting world, but physical weapons can be used. Isn't it suitable for your martial arts training?"

Qin Yi asked carefully, "What level is this mandrill?"

"Pellet Condensation Stage beastkin, which corresponds to the Cloud Riding Stage." Ju Yunxiu smiled, "But after all, it is just a soul in the painting, not as smart as a living creature. It is indeed a suitable training tool for you. ”

Qin Yi nodded and planned to go in and practice when he had time. He had advanced several levels of immortal cultivation in the Immortal Palace, but his martial arts had been stuck at the Muscle Alteration Stage for a long time.

Ju Yunxiu put the three paintings together, looked at them repeatedly for a while, and said with a frown, "I can't make a connection between them. They are still missing paintings."

Qin Yi was silent.

If I have to gather them all, I might have to break into her Master's tomb, which is difficult to request.

Ju Yunxiu glanced at him and smiled slightly, "Every life is born with nothing and takes away nothing after death. Since Master scattered these paintings instead of destroying them, it means that he was also conflicted and knew someone would collect them. If I guessed it right, these paintings must not have been buried with him in his tomb, but they were placed in an outer chamber. However..."

Qin Yi looked at her.

Ju Yunxiu rolled up all three paintings and handed them back to Qin Yi, then she said with a serious expression, "I will not break Master's enchantment for you. You can do it yourself. Master's enchantment is combined with the way of piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Outsiders can’t understand it, but you can... But you’re not allowed to go until you reach the Cloud Riding Stage.”

Qin Yi bowed and said, "I understand."

Ju Yunxiu obviously did this for his own good. She was afraid that his cultivation would be too low.

Seeing that he understood her intention, she smiled and asked, "What did Palace Master give you? Just an announcement?"

"There is a jade pendant, but it doesn't seem to be a noble weapon." Qin Yi took it out, and his eyes suddenly widened.

What the hell is the shape of this jade pendant? I didn’t notice it before. Why is it a chicken feather shape?

Ju Yunxiu took the chicken feather jade pendant and looked at it over and over with a strange expression for a long time. It was indeed not a noble weapon, but a relatively common jade embryo. It was temporarily shaped into this design. She shook her head in confusion. "Palace Master used to be so solemn, why would he make such a boring joke... It's really puzzling."

TL: Maybe it's only high value if Qin Yi refines it himself?