Rong Zheng returned to the manor owner's quarters, exhausted, and peeked through the moon gate to see a single oil lamp burning inside the room.

The dim, yellow light cast a small patch of warmth outside. Even from a distance, Rong Zheng felt the chill on her body slightly fade away.

She clasped her hands together, pressing them against her forehead, and took a few deep breaths.

This was her usual little gesture to soothe her emotions. Every time she went on a mission, she would find a secluded, dark corner to stay in alone, doing nothing but listening to her own breathing.

Just one more promise...

Du Hong had promised her that once she completed this mission, she could take the three things that rightfully belonged to her and leave for good.

From then on, everything about the Floating Pavilion, all the darkness, murkiness, and filth of the past, would have nothing to do with her.

She adjusted her mood and perked up. When Tao Mian heard the door being knocked, the lively and cheerful Little Hua had returned.

"Little Tao! I brought dinner from the kitchen. It's hot, come quickly."

Tao Mian sat on a high stool, legs apart, bent over, holding an unusually thick peach branch in his hand.

He was using a dagger to sharpen one end of the branch to a point.

"What are you busy with?"

Rong Zheng placed the food box aside, curiously turned her hands behind her back, and leaned in to look.

Tao Mian blew on it, closed one eye, and examined it.

"Getting ready in advance. In case the vengeful spirits in the house suddenly go wild, we'll have something to defend ourselves with, so you and I won't get drained here."

"Are the things in this house really that powerful?"

"As your Shi Fu, I can only say that if we can't win, you and I will have to join them."

"…"

Rong Zheng shivered, not daring to think further.

Tao Mian asked her to bring a stool to sit on, telling her to eat first if she was hungry, without waiting for him. He was particularly meticulous and patient when doing this kind of handiwork, not only trimming off the small branches from the peach branch but also carefully smoothing out the "scars" left behind until they became round and smooth.

The room was filled only with the rustling sound of wood. Rong Zheng couldn't help but be infected by his immersive state, and after sitting down, she rested her cheeks in her hands, watching Tao Mian's every move.

Immortals are always so serene. His clothes draped to the ground, his posture relaxed, like green mountains meeting water, tranquil and peaceful. Rong Zheng watched and became entranced, as if through Tao Mian, she was peering into more distant years.

"Little Tao, how do you live alone on the mountain?"

Rong Zheng couldn't imagine such a life. Her life was always in turmoil, but being swept up by the surging waves, busy without touching the ground, she didn't feel lonely.

However, Tao Mian was completely different. As long as he had a place to stand, whether in a bustling city or deep in the mountains, even without tea, wine, or flowers, he could be content and get along well with himself.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Before seeing it with her own eyes, Rong Zheng could hardly imagine that such a person could exist in the world.

The world is bustling, all for profit. The world is bustling, all for gain.

Rong Zheng hadn't read much, but this was a phrase Du Hong often had on his lips.

He said, "Little Zheng, you see, whether high officials or commoners, bustling through the streets, the only thing they can't avoid is the word 'profit.'"

"And I'm just an ordinary person in the world, far from being as good as you imagine."

At that time, Rong Zheng's life had only written down the name Du Hong.

She knew well that Du Hong was not a perfect person. He had a desire to seize and great ambition. Back then, to inherit the position of the old pavilion master, he didn't hesitate to use poison to kill the latter's legitimate son, taking his place and seizing everything from him.

The real young pavilion master died tragically in the wilderness, while the returning illegitimate son brazenly occupied what originally belonged to the latter.

And what role did Rong Zheng play in all of this?

She was the executioner who accompanied him, and it was she who personally delivered the fatal blow.

Du Hong's hands couldn't be stained with blood, so she took on all these dirty deeds.

The look the young man gave her as he turned back and looked up at her before dying lingered in her heart. She didn't understand how someone could face an executioner with such a sorrowful and nostalgic gaze.

He said, "Kite, oh kite, who will cut your string, who will return your freedom?"

Rong Zheng had removed the biggest obstacle for Du Hong and naturally became the most trusted person of the new pavilion master. She was personally promoted by him to the head of the Twelve Shadow Guards, and no matter where she went or how important the matter was, the first name that came to mind was always Rong Zheng.

Du Hong always joked that without Little Zheng, he would be like a person without arms and legs, just a thinking waste.

Praise from the pavilion master was rare, and even for Kite, who did everything perfectly, it was only occasionally a word or two.

Rong Zheng saved up those one or two, three or four sentences, like saving money, accumulating them in her heart.

It made her fearless, made her drink poison to quench her thirst, made her sharper, becoming a useful sharp blade.

If it weren't for the incident at Mist Tower, if such a thing hadn't happened...

Rong Zheng closed her eyes deeply, her lips twitching slightly.

When she wasn't looking at the Immortal, the Immortal quietly looked at her.

The sound of sharpening the peach branch had stopped at some point.

"Little Hua." Tao Mian didn't ask why Rong Zheng returned late, where she had been, or why she showed such a restrained expression. He simply made a pact with his disciple.

"Once we resolve the matter at Phoenix Rest Manor and return to Peach Blossom Mountain, Shi Fu will make a pact with you."

"A pact?" Rong Zheng was puzzled. "If Little Tao needs my help with something, just say it. Any promise I make, I will keep."

"A promise is one-sided, but a pact is between two people. Shi Fu has things for you to do and things to do for you."

"I..." Rong Zheng was a bit at a loss. In the past, she always did things one-sidedly for Du Hong and then received rewards.

Those rewards were nothing more than treasures and gold, insignificant to Du Hong.

The pavilion master would never do anything for her.

"Agree quickly, or you'll miss the chance. I'm getting old, my memory isn't good, and I might forget by tomorrow."

"Okay."

Under Tao Mian's urging, Rong Zheng had to nod.

Seeing her agree, the Immortal smiled.

"The question you asked me, once you return to the mountain, you'll naturally have the answer, no need for me to elaborate. Alright, it's getting late. Finish your dinner and rest well tonight."

"Rest?" Rong Zheng regained her energy. "Little Tao, the things in this house are not easy to deal with. How can I rest? It's terrifying. Besides, if you have a plan, tell me, and I'll help you!"

Tao Mian lightly tapped the edge of the table with the peach branch in his hand.

"The mountain man has his own clever plan, just watch."

Although she didn't understand what the Immortal was up to, Rong Zheng obediently ate dinner and then leaned back in her chair to wait.

Tao Mian continued to meditate, legs crossed, sitting in the center of the bed.

He hadn't touched his dinner, and when Rong Zheng urged him to eat something to fill his stomach, he politely declined.

As night fell, Rong Zheng yawned, her head nodding.

Perhaps she had expended too much energy during the day dealing with Du Hong, for she was especially tired tonight.

She wanted to say something to the Immortal, but she didn't even have the strength to utter clear words and could only let herself fall into slumber.

As her even breathing began, the Immortal quietly opened one eye, peeking at his disciple.

After confirming she was asleep, he opened his storage pouch, placed the sleeping Fifth Disciple inside, closed the pouch, shrinking it back to its original size, and tucked it securely into his sleeve.

This way, no matter how much noise was made outside, Rong Zheng wouldn't be harmed in the slightest.

After completing this task, Tao Mian took out all the incense and candles he had prepared in advance, placing them at intervals around the room in a circle.

He tapped the peach branch on the ground twice, and all the candles simultaneously ignited.

In the eerie cold light, behind each candle appeared the soul of a cultivator, all the deceased souls looking towards Tao Mian standing at the forefront.

Tao Mian's demeanor was relaxed, his expression calm. Facing the cultivators present, he straightened his sleeves, bowed slightly, and cupped his hands.

"I must trouble you, fellow Daoists. Today, Phoenix Rest Manor faces a calamity; we shall not return until it is broken."

The souls returned the gesture, the scene silent and solemn.

After the salute, the cultivators sat cross-legged, forming various hand seals, silently chanting.

Tao Mian glanced at the moonlight outside the window, and the peach branch tapped the ground again.

This time, it was no longer as light as a swallow's tail skimming water.

The first strike was like a mountain bell, creating deep cracks in the ground.

The second strike was like thunder splitting the sky, shattering all the decorations and furnishings inside the house, tiles falling, and the building swaying as if about to collapse.

The third strike was like a dragon emerging from the sea, as if the entire manor was enveloped by a giant net descending from the sky, shaking violently!

A barrier expanding outward from the manor owner's quarters collided with a barrier contracting inward from the manor's four sides, the two forces of the same origin but opposite directions almost crushing the manor to pieces.

Amidst the continuous sounds of breaking and collapsing, a sharp cry tore through the sky.

The house had mostly collapsed, and through the bare roof, Tao Mian could see a dark red giant phoenix flapping its wings above him. Although it had the appearance of a phoenix, its wings were bloodstained, its eyes cloudy, and thick shackles wrapped around its feet, binding it deeply to the manor, unable to escape.

Tao Mian, being an Immortal, felt a pang of sorrow witnessing a divine bird reduced to such a state.

"Both humans and birds must be bound."

He sighed, looking up at the person on the phoenix's back.