Chapter 88 Ascending the Mountain

The sky resembled a dome of green glazed tiles, casting wisps of greenish light upon the verdant trees at the base of the mountain. From time to time, the cries of one or two kingfishers added a touch of vibrant life to this world suffused with green.

Near the foot of the mountain, two youths dressed in silk robes squatted on the ground, bored. One of them, holding a branch nearly as long as his own arm, paused in his idle drawing of circles in the dirt. He tilted his head and asked his companion, "What do you suppose the immortal masters are up to, bringing so many people back up the mountain over the past few days?"

"Who knows? Sigh, before the mountain gates were opened, the two of us stood guard here; now that they are open, we are still standing guard here. Truly, everything comes down to strength," sighed the other youth, who was younger in appearance yet seemed somewhat more mature.

"..."

The youth with the branch tossed it aside, wearing a crestfallen expression as he let out a heavy sigh. Every time he discussed matters with this companion of his, the conversation invariably veered toward determination and resolve. Yet the reason youths like them were even able to ascend the immortal mountain was certainly not because of talent or innate potential.

Aside from having fair skin and pretty faces, waiting for the day when some immortal master might take a fancy to them and pluck them away, he could hardly conceive of any other meaning in life. Hard work? In the great mountain looming behind them, individuals with extraordinary talent were as numerous as carp crossing a river. Yet how many of them truly managed to distinguish themselves and wield absolute authority? Aside from those few at the very peak who had blood ties to the powerful, the rest were merely bending their knees and bowing in servitude. The more one saw of this, the greater the fear and the more absolute the loss of drive—a true tragedy.

"Someone is coming..." Suddenly, the ambitious youth sprang to his feet, threw back his shoulders, and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a mild and obliging smile gracing his face.

The other youth also quickly straightened up, though his smile differed from his companion's; beneath his tender youthfulness lay a hint of obsequiousness entirely unbefitting his age.

Bordering the broad path at the foot of the immortal mountain lay a fathomless lake. While the surface of the lake appeared calm and tranquil, everyone on the immortal mountain knew that its depths teemed with countless fierce demonic beasts. Without carrying the immortal mountain's exclusive token, even an immortal master would be attacked indiscriminately by the beasts lurking beneath the water.

The lake wound around the immortal mountain. At this moment, a lone bamboo skiff drifted slowly across the water toward the mountain path, carrying two men and a woman. Both men possessed the graceful carriage of jade trees in the wind, and the girl seemed somewhat familiar.

As the boat approached, the youth wearing a purple-gold crown leaped ashore, his light, dragonfly-like grace dazzling the two guards. The other youth accompanying him disembarked at a more leisurely pace once the skiff drew near the bank.

The two guards' gazes were instantly captivated by Qi Hui, completely failing to notice the respectful demeanor the youth in the purple-gold crown assumed as he waited for the two passengers to step ashore.

After Chen Hongxu and Qi Hui landed, the youth surnamed Kong gave a light cough, snapping the two mountain-guarding youths back to their senses.

Both youths trembled, dropping to their knees to prostrate themselves as they respectfully declared, "We respectfully welcome Immortal Master Kong back to the mountain."

"Mmm," the youth surnamed Kong acknowledged noncommittally. To the utter disbelief of the two youths, he bowed, raised a hand, and made a polite gesture inviting them to proceed.

Chen Hongxu smiled and ascended the steps, with Qi Hui following closely behind. Once the two of them had climbed onto the staircase, the youth surnamed Kong stepped forward to follow them.

The two youths did not dare to rise until the trio had vanished from sight, completely missing the faint, beautiful lotus flower that shimmered and faded upon Immortal Master Kong's forehead.

***

"That little girl must be the saintess chosen by Immortal Master Wang Liwang, right?"

"It's not a matter of 'must be'—it definitely is her. A girl whom even Immortal Master Kong treats with such respect, and who walks right behind a young man like that—she's bound to be someone of immense importance."

"One day..."

The youth clenched his fists tightly. For mountain guards like them who had never even set foot upon the summit, the major events on the immortal mountain naturally had nothing to do with them. Was that a misfortune? Or perhaps a blessing.

The reason the immortal mountain remained so mysterious—aside from its unreachable location—was the entrenched arrogance of its people over thousands of years. In the eyes of those dwelling upon the immortal mountain, anyone hailing from this place needed not only pride, but arrogance. The prevailing sentiment on the mountain was that everyone outside the immortal mountain was nothing more than pigs and dogs. Just as no one in the mortal world would bother discussing their home address with pigs and dogs, the immortals held the same view.

Chen Hongxu naturally harbored doubts about the address provided by the youth surnamed Kong. However, the other seven servants—none of whom were even immortal masters—had failed to survive the Li family's interrogation and had died. Consequently, the words of the youth surnamed Kong remained the sole account available.

This was why Chen Hongxu had bothered to waste a thread of slaughter to transform him into a lotus slave.

The three of them walked and stopped intermittently. It was not due to fatigue, but rather because the immortal mountain truly contained many wonders unlike anything in the outside world.

All manner of bizarre trees, exotic herbs, rare birds, and strange beasts—none of which they had ever heard of or seen before—wove together a landscape resembling a pristine paradise.

After half a day, they crossed paths with seven or eight groups of individuals who appeared to be immortal masters. The youth surnamed Kong handled all these minor interruptions effortlessly. Judging by the attitude these fellow immortal masters displayed toward him, it was not difficult to guess that his original status on the immortal mountain had been far from low.

At this moment, the trio stood outside a welcoming pavilion halfway up the mountain. The youth surnamed Kong and Qi Hui remained silent, unable to understand why Chen Hongxu was showing interest in such a dilapidated pavilion that seemed on the verge of natural collapse.

Chen Hongxu stared at the pavilion for a moment, closed his eyes in thought, and asked, "Is someone living in this pavilion?"

This question was certainly not directed at Qi Hui, who had only been on the immortal mountain for a few days. Therefore, the youth surnamed Kong pondered for a moment before answering uncertainly, "It seems an old man lives there."

The reason he was uncertain was that, as a lofty immortal master, he had never paid any attention to a mere welcoming pavilion halfway up the mountain. Apart from lowering his status, he simply lacked the time for such trivialities.

When all was said and done, the character of the youth surnamed Kong was not excessively malicious. Aside from selecting two sixteen-year-old maidens from his Kong clan to become the saintesses of the immortal mountain, he had not indulged in casual romantic entanglements. This was the exact reason Chen Hongxu had not discarded him after extracting useful information.

"An old man?" Chen Hongxu raised an eyebrow. How could a mere old geezer—someone whom even the youth surnamed Kong barely paid attention to—manage to establish a foothold on the immortal mountain? One had to remember that the immortal mountain valued exceptional strength or striking beauty above all else. An old man?

Just as suspicion arose in Chen Hongxu's mind, a voice interrupted his train of thought.

***

"My lord, you have returned?"

Two identical voices rang out in unison as a pair of women, resembling each other by ninety percent, approached hand in hand. They stood respectfully beside the youth surnamed Kong, their expressions of delight clearly genuine.

"Why have you come here?" The youth surnamed Kong frowned.

"Just now, Little Seven's maid mentioned that the lord seemed to have brought back a fair and pretty little girl. We couldn't wait, so we came to take a look."

The expression of the youth surnamed Kong shifted drastically, and he rebuked sharply, "What nonsense are you babbling about? Have you no sense of decorum?"

Up to this moment, he still had not figured out the relationship between Chen Hongxu and Qi Hui; how could he dare allow these two concubines to speak wildly? Leaving aside Chen Hongxu's terrifying, freakish strength, the mere thought that a single stray thought from Chen Hongxu could make him wish for death while unable to die left him utterly devoid of any daring or disloyalty.

The two beauties turned pale with fright under the rebuke of the youth surnamed Kong. Just as they were about to drop to their knees and beg for mercy, Chen Hongxu waved a hand dismissively and said, "Don't waste time. Let's head up the mountain."

The youth surnamed Kong respectfully complied, turned to glare at the two women, and after a moment of hesitation, said, "My lord, I wish to let them follow us. They are also wretched souls."

With a sudden sense of surprise, Chen Hongxu glanced sideways at the youth surnamed Kong and nodded. The youth was clearly trying to protect the two women; otherwise, once he reached the summit of the mountain, the news of his betrayal could no longer be concealed, and given the methods of the people dwelling atop the mountain, these two women would undoubtedly be hacked to pieces.

Seeing Chen Hongxu agree, the youth surnamed Kong let out a long breath, a hint of genuine warmth replacing his mechanical, formulaic obedience.

Ignoring the horrified expressions of the two women—after all, the only person whom the youth surnamed Kong would address as "my lord" seemed to be the almighty immortal—Chen Hongxu cast a pensive glance back at the pavilion, casually flicked the Jiajia beetle from his lap, and strode up the mountain.

After the five of them departed, the air within the pavilion rippled. A face covered in wrinkles materialized vaguely like a ghostly apparition. Staring at the empty mountain path where the figures had vanished, he murmured softly, "An opportunity..."

Meanwhile, a beetle resting atop a tree branch stared at the pavilion with eyes blazing with brilliant light...