Although autumn had already arrived in the outside world, bringing with it a solemn and desolate air, the Red Dust Pure Land was a place of fragrant birdsong and verdant grass. Patches of delicate pink peach blossoms linked together, fluttering down colorfully to land atop Daoist Nun Qingyu's head.
Daoist Nun Qingyu's cold and exquisitely beautiful face was somewhat gloomy, and she allowed the peach blossom petals to settle on her head. She gazed mournfully at Holy Maiden Jing Xin's cave abode not far away, feeling as if she had been abandoned.
There were three people inside the cave abode: one was the Red Dust Ancestor lying on the bed, one was her own disciple, and the other person, no matter how she thought about it, should have been her! Why had that person been replaced by Jiang Li! Daoist Nun Qingyu hung her head in dismay.
There was nothing to be done. Who could she blame but herself for not being a descendant of the Red Dust Ancestor... She had merely been brought back to the mountain by the previous Sect Master in the prime of her youth, and she had no resistance to the Red Dust Ancestor's charm.
Originally, she refused to believe it, and with a heart full of yearning, she went to gaze upon the Red Dust Ancestor's immortal visage as she slept. Soon, that yearning soured and turned into a desire for possession, after which she was jointly invited out by Holy Maiden Jing Xin and Jiang Li.
It was just that their methods were a bit crude. Damn it, why was Jiang Li perfectly fine, while I, the Sect Master, was treated like an outsider! Inside the cave abode, whether it was due to the change in environment or because the time had simply come, the Red Dust Fairy slowly began to awaken.
She opened her eyes, her distinct black and white pupils gazing at the two people before her. The moment she opened her eyes, Jiang Li felt the entire cave abode light up, momentarily dazzling him. The Red Dust Fairy had a muddled and innocent look as she asked softly, "Who are you?
And where is that fool who only knew how to giggle foolishly?"
"Your thirty-sixth generation descendant, Jing Xin, pays her respects to the Ancestor."
Holy Maiden Jing Xin performed a grand salute to the Red Dust Fairy.
"The seventy-second generation Human Emperor greets the Red Dust Fairy."
"You are my descendant? Who am I? And what is a Human Emperor?"
The Red Dust Fairy's eyes were hazy, confused by the actions of Holy Maiden Jing Xin and Jiang Li. Holy Maiden Jing Xin asked, "Ancestor, how much do you still remember of old acquaintances and past events?" The Red Dust Fairy looked completely lost.
"I only remember waking up from inside a giant crystal. Outside the crystal, something seemed to be binding me..."
"After I broke free of the restraints, I walked down the mountain and kept heading east, passing through two small towns before reaching a forest. The further I walked, the sleepier I became. Finally, I found a large tree and fell asleep..."
"When I woke up, I found myself in a golden house. A man was staring at me痴痴. He wouldn't answer when I asked him questions, only giggling foolishly. I found it boring, so I fell asleep again..."
"This happened a few times, and then you two appeared before me."
The Red Dust Fairy seemed unaccustomed to speaking so much at once, pausing several times in between.
"Then do you remember anything about the Immortal Realm? Or perhaps the matter of your descent to the mortal world?"
The Red Dust Fairy shook her head gently. Holy Maiden Jing Xin and Jiang Li exchanged a look. The Red Dust Fairy had lost her memories after her revival, or perhaps a body-born spirit did not retain previous memories.
Jiang Li's brow furrowed slightly. He felt that there was something wrong with the Red Dust Fairy's words. He used his spiritual power to construct a three-dimensional map of the Red Dust Pure Land and showed it to the Red Dust Fairy.
"This is where you woke up, Fairy. After that, you walked in this direction, correct?"
The Red Dust Fairy nodded.
"Then you passed through these two small towns and finally arrived at the forest?"
The Red Dust Fairy nodded.
"You walked through during the daytime?"
The Red Dust Fairy nodded. The two of them chatted with the Red Dust Fairy for a while longer, telling her some things about her past that they had learned from ancient records, and also spoke a bit about the current state of the Nine Provinces.
Seeing that she was feeling sleepy again, they settled her in before leaving the cave abode.
"Is there a problem?"
"I'm not sure what the specific problem is, but there's definitely a problem," Jiang Li said, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Ever since I asked for the key to your treasure vault, you all couldn't even afford to buy Spirit Grain and had to go down the mountain to find ways to earn spirit stones. Although I returned the key out of consideration for you, you all learned your lesson. You brought over some mortals from the Dream River Dynasty and had them settle here, right?"
Everyone in the Nine Provinces can cultivate. The term "mortal" in the Nine Provinces refers to cultivators who can only linger in the early Qi Refinement Stage for their entire lives. Hearing the words "I returned the key out of consideration for you," Holy Maiden Jing Xin blushed slightly but still nodded.
"These mortals formed towns and cultivated Spirit Grain, which they handed over to us annually."
"And that's where the problem lies. The Red Dust Fairy passed through two small towns consecutively in broad daylight, on foot. With her looks, how could the townspeople possibly not have known? But you never received any such news, leading to your own ancestor being missing for three years without anyone knowing!"
By the time Jiang Li was halfway through his sentence, Holy Maiden Jing Xin had already realized it. That's right, the Ancestor's tomb chamber was in a remote location, so it was reasonable that no one saw the Ancestor walk down the mountain.
But for her to pass through bustling towns in broad daylight and still not be seen was inexcusable.
"That shouldn't be possible. Each town is overseen by a Golden Core Stage junior sister. The quality of the Spirit Grain provided by those two towns is also excellent every year. How could there be a problem with them?"
Jiang Li glanced at Holy Maiden Jing Xin, his expression showing a hint of disdain for her intelligence.
"Instead of solving the problem you've discovered, you first deny that the problem exists."
With that, he transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the two small towns. Holy Maiden Jing Xin stomped her foot in anger, took a book out of her storage ring, and threw it viciously to the ground. Weren't men supposed to like slightly silly girls?
Useless book, it doesn't work at all. And to think Master swore that this book was especially effective, claiming it was an extremely popular bestseller in the Nine Provinces. On the cover of the book lying on the ground was written in bold characters: "One Hundred Ways to Make a Man Take the Initiative"—by Teacher Qingyu.
Holy Maiden Jing Xin also transformed into a streak of light, following behind Jiang Li. A while after Holy Maiden Jing Xin had left, Daoist Nun Qingyu saw the book on the ground, sighed softly, and picked it up. She had written it, after all. ...
The two small towns were built along a small river. Thus, the town upstream was called Upper River Town, and the one downstream was called Lower River Town. The names were simple and easy to understand.
Unlike Green City. Even after five hundred years, Jiang Li still couldn't figure out what part of Green City was "green." The town was prosperous, a scene of thriving activity.
Mortals lived and worked in peace, not troubled by their inability to cultivate to higher realms, nor did they feel inferior for serving a group of fairies their entire lives. The residents of Upper River Town were all busy with their own affairs. Street vendors hawked their wares, boasting about their handmade goods to high heaven.
Shop assistants warmly greeted customers. The back kitchens were alive with roaring fires as delicious dishes were cooked. Families gathered around tables to eat, and some were preparing for the autumn harvest.
Everything seemed so normal, no different from any other town inhabited by mortals. But in the eyes of Jiang Li and Holy Maiden Jing Xin, it appeared exceedingly strange. A chill ran down Holy Maiden Jing Xin's spine, and she shivered.
They could not detect a single trace of life here! Whether it was the street vendors, the shop assistants, or the cooks, they were all dead people! The entire Upper River Town was a city of the dead!
There wasn't a single living person!
(End of Chapter)