When the video started, fog filled the screen. Thankfully, moments later, the fog dissipated to reveal a majestic scenery composed of one large mountain. Tianyi recognized the mountain as Jade Peak. The point of view changed as it got closer to the mountain, revealing the intricate details and Jade Peak Palace. The camera flew into Jade Peak Palace's garden, and within the garden was an amazing scene. Tianyi's eyes lit up.
In the garden, sitting under the pavilion, swinging on the swings, or just drinking tea on the stone table, were women who were as beautiful as blooming flowers. Tianyi recognized them. They were members of the Eighteen Flower Fairies, or more famously known as the Love-Scorned Fairies.
When did they film this? Tianyi mostly stayed at Jade Peak Palace, so he was quite surprised they filmed this without his awareness, and Su Bojing didn't say anything either.
Back to the video, the fairy closet to the camera looked up from and smiled. It even caused Tianyi's heart to flutter. The cameraman is obviously female. There's no way any of the Love-Scorned Fairies would smile at a man.
The fairy who smiled stood up from the stone seat and walked towards the camera, and reached out as if to grab the viewer's hand. Once grasped, she pulled them towards the pavilion at the center of the pond. Then the music entered Tianyi's ears. Thanks to being around Daoyi for so long, he recognized the sound of the pipa, erhu, guzheng, guqin, and other instruments that comprised the tune. The song was slow yet emotional.
As if on cue, all the other fairies present all appeared at the pavilion in front of the viewer and began dancing to the song. It was a very mesmerizing sight. Had Tianyi not known that visual and auditory techniques couldn't be transmitted through his Xiyi Talisman, he would have thought there was a bewitchment spell cast on it.
After about fifteen seconds, words started to appear. The lyrics weren't sung like the singers on Earth, where the tone would flex according to the music. The lyrics were closer to elongated words with the barest inflection, like reciting a poem.
As for the song itself, it basically amounted to saying that being single was awesome and that love was literal feces.
Well, I wouldn't expect anything else from them. Tianyi thought. If the Eighteen Flower Fairies suddenly started believing in true love, then he might receive a scare.
The video went viral. Already there were over a thousand likes. Which was saying something, considering that it was only recently that the number of Xiyi Talisman sold was around five thousand. This was twenty percent of the user base!
On the other hand. How did they think of making a music video? Although the style is a bit different, this is definitely a music video. Hmm, I should also add a music player function to the Xiyi Talisman...later when I regain my ability to use qi.
It still baffled Tianyi to no end that it was the Eighteen Flower Fairies that first uploaded a music video. They had no reason to even buy a Xiyi Talisman with their status or the thought process to create one. If anything, Tianyi expected Daoyi to upload the first one.
"What're you watching?"
Speak of the devil. Tianyi turned around to see Daoyi walking towards him. "Daoyi."
"Tianyi." Daoyi greeted back. "So, what are you watching?"
"The Flower Fairies' music video? I never expected them to make such a thing." Tianyi said, not hiding his surprise at all.
"Oh, they didn't." Daoyi took a glance at the video in Tianyi's hand. "I taught them."
"You did? Why?" Tianyi couldn't help but ask.
Daoyi giggled. "Did you forget? It would be too obvious if I made the first music video. Didn't you tell Xi Ri and me to hide our identities as reincarnators? Well, Xi Ri is going to be credited as the Xiyinet's creator as a bait, so he doesn't really count."
"But how does that relate to you teaching the Flower Fairies to make music videos?" Tianyi asked, still perplexed.
"Sometimes, you're so slow," Daoyi said as she stroked her hair. "If I directly made music videos, wouldn't it make me catch people's eyes? I had them make it first so I could 'copy' them. And, there is an additional effect of using them as bait."
Tianyi felt his lips twitch. I never expected you to use the Flower Fairies as bait.
"Did you need anything? You usually don't visit me when I'm in my room." Tianyi asked, trying to steer the topic away.
"I'm just here to tell you that I'll be leaving the sect to temper myself. Well, it's not really to temper myself but to investigate who killed my Xu Clan." Daoyi replied.
Tianyi had question marks above his head.
"My mother's clan. The one that got massacred because they held a fragment of a divine artifact." Daoyi said.
"Oh!" Tianyi made a face of understanding. "Right, I knew that."
Daoyi gave a knowing smile, causing Tianyi to cough into his fist. "Right, so when are we leaving?"
"We?" Daoyi asked.
"Of course. Since it involves a divine artifact, I don't feel that it is safe for you to go alone. So I'm coming along." Tianyi said.
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"Tianyi, I'm going with Sister Ling. I don't think she will appreciate your presence." Daoyi sheepishly said.
"Grk!" Tianyi remembered quite well the Sister Ling spoken about by Daoyi. Her full name was Ling Haitang, a gorgeous woman and disciple of one of the Eighteen Flower Fairies. Had it not been for Tianyi's status as Mengfei's son, he would've likely drowned from all her scathing words she used to insult men. That didn't prevent her from giving him the stink-eye, though.
In her words, "The only blight in the legendary Sword Empress's life is her son."
To say they got along like cats and dogs was an understatement. And they never even spoken to one another at that!
"And, this is something I want to do by myself. If I relied on you, I would let down my mother. Plus, you're way too strong. The place I'm investigating right now's top expert is only at the Unity Realm." Daoyi said.
"What? There's no way I'm way too strong. I can't even use my qi in shape or form. If anything, I've gotten far weaker!" Tianyi denied vehemently.
Daoyi gave him a deadpanned look. "There's a new crater at the foot of Jade Peak from your punch."
"What can I say? The mountain offended me." Tianyi continued to deny.
The two locked gazes as if unwilling to budge. However, it soon dissolved into laughter.
"Alright, take care. Without Xi Ri here, I'll be a little lonely." Tianyi stopped for a moemnt as he recalled something. "Wait for a second. Since I won't be going with you, I'll lend you some of my artifacts. It's not like I can use them anyway."
Saying so, Tianyi went into the storage room and brought out an immortal boat the size of his hand, a purple jade pendant, and a cloak, among other things. Daoyi recognized all three of them. The boat was the immortal boat that Tianyi frequently used, the pendant was the core of the Mountains and Seas Formation, and the cloak was the one Tianyi used at Dragon Palace in the Demon Cage Realm.
"Thank you," Daoyi didn't reject Tianyi's offer. She knew since it involved a divine artifact, it was likely that an immortal would be behind her clan's extermination.
Once Daoyi left, Tianyi sighed and walked towards his mother's room. Even if Daoyi accepted his offer, Tianyi wouldn't be able to go because Mengfei commanded Tianyi to cultivate wholeheartedly.
Tianyi had explained his dilemma to Mengfei. She proposed that he cultivate in the secret space that she prepared when he explored his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Tianyi was resistant to the idea as he had to endure loneliness, and he couldn't pinpoint a sense of time, but he ultimately accepted.
He was afraid that his lifespan would run out before he even reached the peak of the Singularity Realm. So he could only grit his teeth and endure loneliness to earnestly cultivate instead of cruising along like had before.
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A few days later, Daoyi arrived at the Mortal Severance Gate at the entrance of the Buzhou Immortal Sect. A woman wearing bright red clothing like that of a wedding dress stood next to the gate, waiting for her.
Her hair was ink-black and appeared as fine as silk. Between her brows was a red flower mark, and the lower half of her face was covered by a gauzy red veil, but her dazzling eyes were more than beautiful enough. They weren't as good-looking as Tianyi's, in Daoyi's opinion. Then again, there wasn't likely anyone who had more beautiful eyes than Tianyi or her master.
"Sister Ling, did you wait long?" Daoyi asked out of courtesy.
"No, I just arrived." Ling Haitang said. The lower half of her was covered, but passersby got the distinct impression that she was smiling. "Shall we go?"
Daoyi nodded, and the two left under the gazes of many disciples. The image of two beauties, one in a royal blue and the other in a dazzling red, was quite spellbinding.
After the two traveled far enough, Daoyi brought out an immortal boat and enlarged it for the two of them. Ling Haitang looked at her own immortal boat and then stared enviously at the one Daoyi brought out. "Your master treats Sister Jiang very well."
Daoyi only smiled. It would probably be better not to mention that the immortal boat was Tianyi's. Who knows, Ling Haitang might reflexively jump out.
Along the way, Daoyi reviewed the information on Ling Haitang. She was the newest member of Flower Peak, and she had already been part of Flower Peak for over seventy years. This was due to Flower Peak's stringent requirements for its members. The two biggest requirements were being female and hating men.
Among the disciples, she was somewhat famous in the sect for entering the late Nascent Soul Realm at a hundred and twenty years old. And now, at a hundred fifty, she entered the peak Nascent Soul Realm.
Ling Haitang's story started in the Fu Dynasty. The Fu Dynasty was a dynasty that had over ten thousand years of history, unlike the Xi Dynasty. As such, the Fu Dynasty had a much higher ratio of cultivators to mortals. Like Daoyi, Ling Haitang was the descendant of a noble family, the Ling Family.
Unlike Daoyi, Ling Haitang's life in the Ling Family was much better due to possessing a superior spiritual root and being the child of the main wife. As such, she had a fiance who was a member of the Fu Imperial Family. Ling Haitang had been head over heels for him. She would have given up the chance to become a disciple of the Buzhou Immortal Sect had it not been for her father's orders.
And so, bearing the pain of parting, the prince waited for Ling Haitang to come back. However, absence makes the heart go yonder, and surprise, surprise. When Ling Haitang endured loneliness and cultivated to the Core Formation Realm to be allowed to leave the sect, she found out that her fiance had married her concubine-born sister!
Daoyi really had to stop herself from rolling her eyes when she learned of the matter at this point.
Ling Lihua, like her sister Ling Haitang, was born extremely talented. In fact, she had been favored by her father more due to her obedient personality and superior spiritual vein, a heavenly spiritual vein. Unfortunately, it was also because of that malleable personality that she failed the Buzhou Immortal Sect's trial while Ling Haitang succeeded.
Ling Haitang made a fuss when she discovered the truth. She made a fuss, but no one, not even her father, stood at her side. Furthermore, her sister had reached the Nascent Soul Realm with the prince's resources and allowed the prince to become an emperor.
In fact, were it not for the fact that they were afraid of offending the Buzhou Immortal Sect, they would have wanted Ling Haitang to tribute everything she had to the cheating couple. After having her heart broken and stomped, Ling Haitang was finally disgusted by them and left—vowing one day to return her pain back to them manyfold.
After entering the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, Ling Haitang had asked Daoyi to come with her. Part of the reason was due to Daoyi's status.
Ling Haitang never stopped sending information back to her family, and by extension, her former fiance. This wasn't out of kindness, but a constant reminder that they were just minor figures, barely worth a fart. As such, the Fu Dynasty was very clear on Xi Mengfei's strength and status. It could be considered tying Daoyi to her ship for her plan.
The second reason was more altruistic, at least for Ling Haitang. She wanted Daoyi to see that no matter how honest or handsome a man was, they were all liars. She wanted Daoyi to adopt the same worldview as her and distance herself from men, especially Tianyi.
Daoyi only understood part of her plan, but she still acquiesced. Ling Haitang didn't know that the Fu Dynasty was a part of the forces that attacked the Xu Clan. She was happy to use Ling Haitang as a smokescreen.
Daoyi couldn't find any traces of the orchestrator of the Xu Clan's demise, so they had obviously hidden their traces extremely well. Instead, the orchestrator had utilized the local forces to exterminate the Xu Clan. And Daoyi was hoping to discover the answer from the emperor's mouth, Ling Haitang's former fiance.