CHAPTER 141 - FINDING OUT IF VIOLET IS TALON-TED IN CULTIVATION
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Five days later there was a big commotion in the house. My apprentices woke up three hours before dawn to finish watering, weeding, and tending the crops, and give the maids enough time to prepare them for the upcoming visit to the Venerable Immortal Sage’s Pavilion. Lari, Kharli, Mo, and I were scrubbed, perfumed, groomed, coiffed, and attired in splendid robes hung with numerous accessories of the finest jade.
I thought it was all a bit much. If it was up to me, I would’ve dressed them in plain cotton robes to denote humility and simplicity, but Fengying assured me that it would be a mistake to look too ordinary when visiting the Dawn Skyblade Sect. They were said to be a poor sect who were always looking for ways to make more money. Therefore, it would behoove us to look like people they would want to curry favor with.
“Can I wear boots? I mean, it’s a mountain, you know!” I showed Yinuo and Fengying a pair of deerskin leather ankle boots. They didn’t quite go with the [Butterfly Beauty] costume set from the Cash Shop, but I wanted to wear something practical.
“My lady, I’ll find something better.” Yinuo rummaged in a wooden chest until she found a pair of embroidered silk shoes. “These are new, and they’re very comfortable.”
I eyed the shoes askance. The problem with the footwear of this world was that they hadn’t figured out arch support. The soles were completely flat.
Still, they were really pretty.
I gave in and tried them out. “They do go well with my outfit.”
“Lady Violet, you won’t be walking much,” said Fengying.
“Hmm. True. Okay, I’m convinced!” I twirled in front of a full-length mirror from the Cash Shop.
It took the maid three hours to prepare Kharli, Mo, and me for the visit. Thankfully, we were allowed to eat and drink while the ladies styled our hair into elaborate updos with a sweet-smelling mixture of beeswax, camellia seed oil, and perfume. Lari was allowed to simply tie up his hair in a high ponytail on top of his head secured by a tiny crown-like hair accessory with a hair stick inserted into it. I opted for a single hairpin with dangling pearls and gold ornaments while the girls got more hairpins as well as silver combs inlaid with iridescent blue kingfisher feathers.
“I’m making a lot of sounds when I walk,” I said to the others.
We all did. The various hanging hair and belt ornaments we wore made tinkling sounds whenever we moved. Kharli wore lavender silk while both Mo and Lari were wearing blue silk robes.
“That’s the sound of wealth making itself heard,” said Lari.
Kharli nodded. “This is the sound the merchants listen for!”
“It also lets commoners know when they should move out of the way for the nobility,” said Mo.
“Ah.” They didn’t get what I was saying at all. The tinkling sound of jade and other precious gems striking each other was poetic shorthand for a literary masterpiece or a person of outstanding talent. Weren't poets always writing about exactly this type of melodic chiming when a beauty was walking by?
Shuye met us at the main hall.
“Congratulations!” I said after everyone had exchanged greetings with my Farm Guide. “When can I visit your baby?”
“Thank you.” Shuye smiled. He was wearing a beautiful silk brocade robe embroidered with storks, but his long hair hung freely and was as shaggy as ever. “I’m afraid you can’t visit just yet. Babies are very delicate. Traditionally, they are kept at home and only family and close friends can visit.”
“Aw, that’s too bad. Why don’t you tell me about her?” This question of mine unleashed a torrent of words from a doting father who told us all about how adorable and sweet the baby was with her soft little cheeks, perfectly formed fingers and toes, shining brown hair, cute button nose, and sparkling eyes. I nodded and made the appropriate sounds of agreement whenever he stopped for breath, enjoying how blissful and content Shuye seemed.
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I gave him a few rolls of white cotton cloth that had already been cut into rectangles and hemmed for use as diapers as well as some swaddle blankets. He thanked me for the gifts and, since we were leaving for Cloud Terrace Peak, we left the items in the main hall to be delivered to his house by his messengers later.
We set off for the Three Great Fortunes Mountain range, with me, Kharli, and Mo in the flying carriage while Shuye and Lari opted for an ox cart. I would’ve thought Shuye would be more comfortable in the carriage, but, like Lari, he preferred the carts that were open to the air rather than the closed carriage. I guess the cart was better for sightseeing, and it was enchanted to shield its passengers from being buffeted by the wind, but I thought it was scary.
“Teacher, look, I think I see the three sacred lakes!” Kharli pushed the window curtain back and pointed at the glittering water below.
The Three Great Fortunes Mountain range was named after the three lakes whose waters were said to grant various blessings. They were the Easing Pain, Revealing Insights, and Granting Good Fortune Lakes.
“Lovely. I hope we can visit the [Heaven’s Eye Grotto].” That was a place where one could fish, but I mostly wanted to visit because it was a really pretty place in Adventure Incarnate.
“I have never heard of [Heaven’s Eye Grotto],” said Kharli.
Mo scrunched her face up in a very adorable way. “Teacher, it’s not in the System map.”
“That’s because it’s a secret, hidden place. No, don’t ask me for any details. I’ll tell you later if I spot it. By the way, for now, don’t mention it to anyone,” I said.
A few minutes later, we arrived at Cloud Terrace Peak where the Venerable Immortal Sage lived. I was hugely disappointed when I saw that the fabled Divine Elixir Pavilion was simply a group of small wooden houses. Sure, they had a great view of the surrounding granite peaks, but in Adventure Incarnate, the place was surrounded by sparkles and a glowing mist, giving it a wonderfully fantastic appearance.
“I thought the Sage’s house would look more… otherworldly,” I said to Shuye after he helped me down the carriage.
He gave me a strange look. “I always forget that you can’t see or sense qi. The Divine Elixir Pavilion has a strong immortal aura around it.”
“Wow.” I was impressed. For Shuye to say that the aura was strong must mean it was exceptionally powerful for a human cultivator’s abode. After all, in this world, humans were much weaker than clan members.
Shuye, as the highest-ranking person among us, led the way. I followed right behind him with my apprentices trailing in my wake. We made a very pretty procession if I do say so myself. I was surprised when the door to the nearest house opened and disgorged two old men with long white hair and snowy beards. They were both wearing the stereotypical white robes and loose-fitting pants that actors wore in ancient martial arts movies. Even though I couldn’t sense qi auras, I could tell from his bearing that the older man was the Venerable Immortal Sage himself.
We all cupped our hands and bowed deeply, even Shuye, and started the lengthy process of formal introductions and greetings. I almost had to wipe away a tear on seeing my three little apprentices behaving with grace and perfect manners.
Was this how a proud parent feels when they show off their kids?
The other elderly person was the Sage’s great-grandnephew, the current Sect Master of the Soaring Crane Sect. They welcomed us inside one of the inner pavilions which served as their main hall where we seated ourselves according to rank and had tea which was served by the Sect Master himself.
After the expected small talk in which I did my best to wax poetic about the gorgeous mountain scenery, I got down to business.
“Venerable Immortal Sage, I’ve brought some gifts for you.” I took out the first of the required quest items, the [Harmony Whisper Moss]. The System text said that I only needed one, but I’d bought eight from the Cash Shop since I figured more was better.
“That’s- By the gods, it’s Silken Veil Moss! Quick, get the jade boxes!” The Sage’s eyes widened and a look of great horror flashed across his face as he jumped up and grabbed the items from me.
We stayed seated and exchanged looks of confusion as the two old men rushed outside, doubtless to get the aforementioned jade boxes.
They returned shortly, without the items. The Sage sat down and gazed across the room at me with a broad smile and a twinkle in his eye. “Young lady, thank you for the moss, but such precious things must be stored in special jade boxes. They will quickly deteriorate if left out in the open too long. You kept them in your soul space?”
A soul space was, in immortal cultivation terms, a pocket dimension within the cultivator's consciousness, serving as an interspatial storage where weapons, treasures, and artifacts could be safely housed.
When I nodded, his voice softened and he assumed a benevolent yet condescending air. “Good. You’ve offered me quite a valuable ingredient. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Eh? So easily? I hadn’t even given him the rest of the stuff. “Venerable Immortal Sage, I’d like to offer you these items. I hope you can make the Paramount Serendipitous Celestial Pill for me.”
“Yes, I will.” The Sage smiled and stroked his beard.
“And also… Venerable Immortal Sage, I wonder if it would be possible for me to learn the basics of alchemy from you?” I asked.
The Sage stroked his beard and nodded to the Sect Master who got a small wooden chest from the side of the hall and placed it on the table beside me. He opened the lid to reveal the transparent crystal sphere inside it.
“Please put your hand on this Soul Essence Stone. It will show us whether or not you have a Spirit Root and assess your potential for cultivation,” said the Sage.
Incredible! This was exactly the way it was shown in Chinese fantasy TV shows, wasn’t it?
I placed my hand on the crystal.