Zhang Xian hummed a little tune as he returned to the Cloud Raiment Pavilion’s annex. From afar, he could already hear silvery laughter ringing out from the courtyard.

Pushing the door open, he saw Lin Yinyin playing and frolicking with Yun Zhen’er. The little loli had new crimson jade pendants tied to her twin ponytails. As she ran, red light shimmered around them, making her little face flush.

“Brother!”

“Uncle!”

Zhang Xian stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Lin Yinyin’s slender waist. Smiling at Yun Zhen’er, he said, “Little girl, your form of address isn’t quite right. You call Yinyin ‘Sister,’ so why call me ‘Uncle’?”

“Because… because Uncle looks old.” Yun Zhen’er blinked her big eyes innocently.

Lin Yinyin couldn’t help but giggle. Zhang Xian concealed his true appearance outside, looking like a simple, honest middle-aged man. Only when alone with her would he reveal his original handsome features.

Zhang Xian stroked his stubble. “Well, we can’t mess up the seniority. From now on, Yinyin, you’ll have to call me ‘Uncle’ too. And you, Yun Qi, you should also call me ‘Uncle’.”

Lin Yinyin cooed sweetly, “Whatever you like, I’ll call you anything. Uncle! Uncle!”

Yun Qi, standing under the corridor eaves, rolled his eyes and walked over. “Alright, enough teasing. The Pavilion Master requests your presence.”

Zhang Xian was taken aback. The Pavilion Master of the Cloud Raiment Pavilion was a true heavyweight in the Southern Region and actually wanted to see him personally.

In an elegant room on the third floor of the Cloud Raiment Pavilion, sandalwood incense filled the air.

【Ding! Discovered a 55-point Daughter of Destiny: Yun Wanqing.】

【Yun Wanqing’s Favorability towards you is 10. Binding successful.】

A woman was seen kneeling before a low table; she was the acting Pavilion Master of the Cloud Raiment Pavilion.

Her features were like a painting. A plain white silk gown flowed around her like water. Her dark hair was simply gathered with a jade hairpin, a few stray strands falling against her snow-white neck.

She appeared to be only around thirty years old, with an extremely beautiful face and skin as lustrous as fresh snow. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains tinged with azure, and the outer corners of her eyes slanted slightly downward, carrying a hint of weariness.

Her gaze was gentle as autumn water. Seeing Yun Qi lead Zhang Xian in, she revealed a faint smile. “Fellow Daoist Zhang Xian, it’s our first meeting.”

She looked almost exactly like a grown-up version of Yun Zhen’er, just a more serene one. Zhang Xian hadn’t expected both mother and daughter to be Daughters of Destiny—truly worthy of a prominent family.

“Greetings, Fellow Daoist.”

“Aunt.”

Zhang Xian and Yun Qi took their seats. Yun Wanqing lightly raised her delicate hand, and two cups of spirit tea silently slid before them. “Thank you for gifting my daughter that magical artifact. She likes it very much.”

“As long as Zhen’er is happy.”

“So! Auntie, my judgment is good, right? I’ve brought an honored guest to our Cloud Raiment Pavilion,” Yun Qi quickly claimed credit.

“Otherwise I wouldn’t have recommended you for the position of Internal Affairs Commander,” Yun Wanqing said with a slight smile. “I heard Fellow Daoist Zhang has another batch of high-grade magical artifacts for sale.”

“Of course. This time we can trade one hundred pieces first.” As he spoke, Zhang Xian took out a large chest and continued, “I’ll still have to trouble your esteemed pavilion to help me gather more information on rare treasures and materials. I’m very satisfied with this batch of Immortal Ascension Grass; this is additional compensation for Pavilion Master Yun.”

Why is it for my aunt?

Yun Qi opened the chest. “Holy crap!!!”

Inside were neatly arranged high-grade spirit stones—a full thousand of them.

“Damn! These high-grade spirit stones! The information about the Immortal Ascension Grass came from me! Shouldn’t these be for me??” Even someone as worldly-wise as Yun Qi couldn’t quite hold back his reaction.

Although the exchange rate between different grades of spirit stones was calculated at one to one hundred, high-grade spirit stones were difficult to mine and refine and could fetch prices as high as 130 to 150 on the black market. This many high-grade spirit stones were worth nearly one hundred and fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

And he just gave them away! Yun Qi suddenly felt like a country bumpkin.

Yun Wanqing appeared unperturbed on the surface, but her assessment of Zhang Xian’s strength rose another notch internally. Being able to produce so many high-grade spirit stones wasn’t just a symbol of wealth; it was also an indication of the power behind him.

Even an entity as strong as the Cloud Raiment Pavilion ranked firmly within the top three in terms of financial power in the Southern Region. Yet they owned only two mines capable of producing high-grade spirit stones.

“We are deeply grateful for Fellow Daoist’s generous gift. The Cloud Raiment Pavilion naturally wishes to reciprocate this kindness in some small measure,” Yun Wanqing said gracefully. “From now on, for any items Fellow Daoist sells through us, our pavilion will take only ten percent of the profit.”

Zhang Xian clasped his hands in thanks.

【Ding! Gift of 1000 high-grade spirit stones to Yun Wanqing successful. Return triggered: 100,000 high-grade spirit stones returned.】

Comfortable.

Zhang Xian thought to himself; it really had to be someone with substance like Yun Wanqing who could directly absorb a thousand high-grade spirit stones.

Not like little Yinyin—she couldn’t handle even a bit.

After discussing some more details about business for a while longer, Yun Wanqing said, “Yun Qi, step outside for a moment. Fellow Daoist and I have some private matters to discuss.”

Oh? Yun Qi retreated with a gossipy look on his face.

As the door closed behind him, the soundproofing formation in the elegant room activated automatically.

Zhang Xian was also curious and gazed at her stunning beauty. He had done his homework beforehand and roughly knew about her life story.

Yun Wanqing was at the late Golden Core stage. Her father was the Patriarch of the Cloud Raiment Pavilion family. The Patriarch had been in seclusion for many years. Yun Wanqing had been intelligent since childhood and, as the eldest sister in the clan, had managed more than half of the pavilion’s affairs for over a hundred years now under the title of Acting Pavilion Master—she was truly its de facto ruler in power.

Her Dao Companion came from a background as a rogue cultivator; their relationship had been very good. However, many years ago, during her pregnancy, she suffered injuries that nearly killed her; this resulted in her daughter, Yun Zhen’er, being born with an incomplete soul.

The Cloud Raiment Pavilion expended enormous manpower and resources to preserve Yun Zhen’er’s life but only addressed the symptoms, not the root causes. For this reason, her Dao Companion ventured into secret realms multiple times seeking vitality for their daughter. Unfortunately, he once became trapped within one such realm; he has been missing ever since—for two hundred years now.

Wealthy, stunning, with a daughter, a widow—and crucially also a Daughter of Destiny. These were labels Zhang Xian assigned her.

“Fellow Daoist possesses resolve firm as bedrock; this palace deeply admires it,” Yun Wanqing’s voice was as clear as spring water. “However, in this palace’s view, Fellow Daoist seems headed down the wrong path.”

“Oh? What does Pavilion Master mean by that?”

Yun Wanqing lightly tapped the tabletop with a fingertip; the tea liquid suddenly inverted, forming a mirror reflecting the scene within Zhang Xian’s dantian.

A green vortex-shaped form surrounded by swirling, unending spiritual energy.

Yun Wanqing tapped again; as if a wisp of wind passed through, the spiritual energy dissipated, revealing a gray inner core inside.

“Fellow Daoist is a heaven-sent genius using a False Core technique to condense a Spirit Root. Though you have a method to improve your own Spirit Root quality, ultimately, the False Core technique is like rootless duckweed; the path of cultivation is severed and difficult to tread toward the Great Dao.”

Not only was she beautiful, but she also possessed keen insight. Her cultivation was high enough to see through the origin of his technique. Being exposed, Zhang Xian merely smiled, saying, “So what? The path of cultivation inherently defies the heavens. As long as a sliver of hope exists, this one will not give up.”

“Will not give up…” Yun Wanqing murmured softly; how could she give up on Yun Zhen’er either? With an incomplete soul, her daughter should have died early, but she found ways to forcibly extend her life until now.

“This palace will not inquire into the origins of Fellow Daoist’s small world, only hopes that if Fellow Daoist ever encounters a treasure capable of mending the little girl’s soul…” When she lifted her gaze, those autumn-water eyes held a plea within them. “…this palace is willing to pay any price! Similarly, what Fellow Daoist seeks, this palace will also exhaust all efforts to search for.”

The reason she kept Zhang Xian behind was precisely because she saw this point about him.

He had a mere mortal physique, yet he could embark on the path of cultivation and even possess such financial resources. Thus, she thought to form a good connection; what if his small world possessed a treasure capable of mending her daughter’s soul? What if he might encounter one in the future?

For the sake of her daughter, she did not want to miss any opportunity.

“Naturally. If the opportunity arises, I will definitely save little Zhen’er,” Zhang Xian replied, feeling a thread of shared sympathy and kinship with her plight.