“Master, are we truly leaving just like that?”

“Although the Ink Chill Tower was renowned ten thousand years ago, eons have passed. Its glory has long been buried in the river of history. It is uncertain if anyone even remains.”

“But it is said the Ink Chill Tower possesses the Heavenly Book of Talismans! Now that we know their people are in Cloud Firmament City, isn’t this our chance?”

Tang Bizhu, Qin Meran’s disciple, spoke up the moment they stepped out of the City Lord’s Mansion. Inside, in the presence of the legendary Sang Shoudao, Qin Meran was a mere junior, and Tang Bizhu was a junior among juniors; neither had dared to breathe too loudly. But the moment they crossed the threshold, greed overcame fear.

Ink Chill Tower. The Heavenly Book of Talismans.

For any talisman master, these names held a temptation that could shake the heavens. They had assumed the Ink Chill Tower was a relic of the past, extinguished by time. But if it had resurfaced, letting it slip away would be a crime against their Dao.

Qin Meran hesitated. Her instincts told her to return to the Azure Mystic Sect immediately and report to her master, Guan Xuelan. Let the elders decide.

However, opportunity was a fleeting mist. If they left now, the Ink Chill Tower might vanish into the shadows once more.

“Since we are already here, we shall visit the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion first,” Qin Meran decided, her voice regaining its usual haughty composure. She swept her sleeves and led her disciple toward the commercial district.

On the way, Tang Bizhu couldn’t help but complain. “Master, the people at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion have been particularly arrogant lately. It was one thing for them to cut off our talisman cooperation, but now, even when we visit, we have to watch their moods.”

She huffed indignantly. “This disciple thinks we should teach them a lesson. Remind them that we are from a Sacred Land, not some common rabble.”

“…”

Tang Bizhu’s voice trailed off. She realized her master had stopped walking. Qin Meran turned, her brow furrowed in a deep, disapproving scowl.

Facing that cold gaze, Tang Bizhu shrank back. “Master…?”

“Have you been reading your books lately?” Qin Meran asked, her tone sharp.

“Yes, yes! This disciple reads the books of sages and worthies whenever there is leisure time!”

“Do the books of sages teach you to use power to bully others?”

“This…”

“Do the books of sages teach you to harbor resentment and scheme in secret?”

“I…”

“Or perhaps,” Qin Meran sneered, “do the books of sages teach you to chatter noisily like a common shrew?”

“This disciple…” Tang Bizhu froze, realizing her blunder. She immediately dropped to her knees on the street. “This disciple’s learning is insufficient. I have become attached to appearances and anger. I beg Master to punish me!”

“You must remember, the texts of the sages are meant to help you distinguish right from wrong, to clarify your heart, and to correct these vulgar faults.” Qin Meran looked down at her with self-righteous disappointment. “Stay downstairs and reflect properly. I will question you again later.”

With that, Qin Meran turned and ascended the steps of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Tang Bizhu was left standing awkwardly in the street. She pouted, resentment bubbling in her chest, though she dared not show it.

Master can’t even follow those rules herself, yet she lectures me, she muttered internally. It’s sheer hypocrisy.

Her thoughts drifted to a more pleasant subject. Junior Uncle Jiang is far more interesting. I wonder if his Dao Sword is finished? I heard he’s descending the mountain to gain experience soon. If I could travel with Junior Uncle Jiang… ah, that would be wonderful.

As she indulged in her daydream, Tang Bizhu’s eyes suddenly snapped open. She stared at a figure moving through the bustling crowd ahead.

It was a middle-aged Confucian scholar. At first glance, he seemed unremarkable. But as Tang Bizhu scrutinized him, a gasp escaped her throat.

“That person… why does he have an aura… just like Master’s?”

Meanwhile, inside the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Qin Meran was oblivious to the encounter outside. She sat in a private room, her cold gaze fixed on Su Rumei.

“Manager Su,” Qin Meran said, her voice laced with ice. “Since I have come here personally, you should know that you cannot simply brush me off with vague excuses today.”

“Senior Qin jests,” Su Rumei replied, bowing respectfully but maintaining a guarded expression. “If Senior has inquiries, Rumei will naturally share all she knows. There is no intention to deceive.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course.”

“Then let me ask you,” Qin Meran leaned forward, her spiritual pressure bearing down. “What is the origin of the faction cooperating with your Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?”

“This…” Su Rumei hesitated, looking troubled. “Senior, please forgive me. I truly cannot answer, for I myself do not know their exact origins.”

“Hmph!” Qin Meran slammed her hand on the table. “Manager Su, do you take me for a fool?”

Her patience was fraying. From the moment she entered, she had been probing for information about the mysterious source of the Perfect Dao Talismans. Su Rumei had remained impeccably polite, yet she offered nothing but empty circles.

The atmosphere in the room solidified. The nearby attendant turned pale, trembling under the weight of a Sacred Land Elder’s anger.

“Senior, you truly wrong me,” Su Rumei said with a bitter smile. “That faction has never contacted me directly. Our cooperation has always been through a single, one-way channel. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion truly does not know their roots.”

She paused, then added firmly, “Moreover, to speak presumptuously—even if we did know, Rumei could not say.”

Qin Meran’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? I have come in person, representing the Azure Mystic Sacred Land, and you still dare to withhold information?”

“I cannot say.”

“You—”

“Senior, please calm your anger,” Su Rumei interjected quickly, bowing lower. “This junior intends no offense to the Azure Mystic Sacred Land. But you have cooperated with us for years; you know our rules. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion values confidentiality above all else.”

Su Rumei looked up, her expression earnest. “Senior is a well-read immortal maiden, a student of the sages who understands reason. You once praised our pavilion for strictly upholding its rules. If we were to break them now, how could we have stood tall for so many years?”

The response was neither humble nor arrogant. It was a soft wall that Qin Meran could not break without compromising her own self-image as a “reasonable scholar.”

Stymied, Qin Meran fell silent for a moment before abruptly changing tactics. “How many people are in the Ink Chill Tower?”

“Ink Chill Tower?” Su Rumei blinked, her confusion genuine.

“You truly do not know?”

“I do not know.” Su Rumei shook her head, then her eyes widened. “Does Senior mean to say… the faction cooperating with us is the legendary Ink Chill Tower?”

Qin Meran did not answer. she stared fixedly at Su Rumei’s face, searching for any flicker of deception.

After a long silence, Qin Meran concluded that the woman was telling the truth. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was merely a pawn; they had no idea they were dealing with the Ink Chill Tower.

“Since the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion upholds its rules, I shall respect them.”

Qin Meran stood up to leave. Su Rumei hurriedly rose to see her off, maintaining her composure. However, beneath her heavy robes, her back was soaked with cold sweat.

Just as Qin Meran reached the exit, a blur of motion rushed toward her, blocking her path.

“Immortal Qin! Are you returning to the Azure Mystic Sacred Land already?”

“You are?” Qin Meran frowned at the intruder.

“This is the newly appointed Head of our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion,” Su Rumei introduced quickly.

New Head? Qin Meran paused, appraising the young woman.

Wan Xiaobei stood before her, radiating youthful energy and wealth. The Wan family behind the pavilion was a financial titan, their influence rivalling even first-rate sects. This girl was likely the famed genius daughter of the clan.

“I have long heard that Immortal Qin of Ink Scroll Peak is peerlessly elegant,” Wan Xiaobei gushed, her eyes sparkling. “Seeing you today, I feel ashamed of my own inferiority. Sister, you are truly beautiful!”

“We cultivators should not concern ourselves with the appearance of the physical shell,” Qin Meran replied stiffly. As a scholar, she detested being reduced to her looks.

“I disagree!” Wan Xiaobei shook her head earnestly. “For someone like Immortal Qin—powerful, well-read, and reasonable—being beautiful only completes the image of a perfect immortal maiden!”

Her large eyes were filled with such sincere admiration that Qin Meran found it difficult to maintain her stern façade. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Does Head Wan have business with me?”

“Yes, yes!” Wan Xiaobei nodded vigorously. “I have a favor to ask of Immortal Qin!”

“Speak.”

“I wish to ask Immortal Qin to deliver something for me.”

“Deliver what?”

“This!” Wan Xiaobei blushed crimson as she produced a sealed letter.

“A letter?”

“Mhm.” The girl twisted her fingers together shyly. “I… I have long admired Immortal Qin’s junior brother. Although we have never met, I have yearned for him for a long time. So… I handwrote a few poems. I hope… Immortal Qin could do me the favor…”

Her voice dwindled to a mosquito’s hum.

Qin Meran felt a flicker of amusement. It was charming to see a young girl harboring such spring feelings. Jiang Xun certainly has a way with women, she thought.

“I understand,” Qin Meran nodded, taking the letter. “I will personally hand it to my junior brother, Jiang Xun.”

“Thank you, Immortal Q—eh?”

Wan Xiaobei stopped mid-bow, her expression turning confused. “No, no! Who is this Jiang Xun? What nonsense is that?”

She looked at Qin Meran with wide eyes. “Isn’t Immortal Qin’s junior brother the Azure Mystic Sword Immortal, Venerable Immortal Gu Xiu?”

The faint smile on Qin Meran’s face froze into a rigid mask. “This letter… you want to give it to Gu Xiu?”

“Of course!” Wan Xiaobei nodded enthusiastically, her face lighting up again. “Venerable Immortal Gu Xiu! Clad in blue robes, wielding a white sword, fighting heaven and earth for the Azure Mystic Sacred Land. A peerlessly elegant figure! Who else could it possibly be?”

Qin Meran fell into a suffocating silence. The name was like a curse.

Oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature, Wan Xiaobei excitedly fished another item from her robes. “Right, right! I previously visited Green Mountain City, where you and Venerable Immortal Gu stayed. I even obtained this!”

Qin Meran looked over numbly.

Wan Xiaobei held up a piece of fine silk. “This is a rubbing I took from the Spring Breeze Stone in Green Mountain City!”

She unfurled the silk with reverence.

On the fabric, written in a script that was flowing, unrestrained, and wildly elegant, was a single line of poetry:

From now on, I shall laugh with the spring breeze, and live as an immortal of longevity in the mortal world.

“It is said this line was left by Venerable Immortal Gu Xiu,” Wan Xiaobei sighed dreamily. “Just looking at this poem, I feel as if I can see him—carefree, unfettered, standing above the dust of the world.”

She looked up at Qin Meran, her eyes shining with innocent cruelty.

“Immortal Qin… Has Venerable Immortal Gu Xiu now become that immortal of longevity from the poem?”