Love & Redemption
Chapter 66 - 23 The Call of the Immortals

Chapter 66: Chapter 23 The Call of the Immortals

Gao’s Ancestral Hall was located on the shore of Hongze Lake, at the foot of Gao Mountain.

Although the February worship assembly had not yet arrived, the area in front of the ancestral hall was already overcrowded. Even the lake was packed with various painted boats, and the shore was so crowded that one could hardly walk through.

The carriage stopped far away on the opposite shore. The group got off and saw a splendid temple standing on the opposite bank that was two or three stories high. In front of the temple were five stone pillars adorned with hanging lamps and streamers, creating a very grand atmosphere—one that even common wealthy families and nobles could not match.

Zhong Minyan frowned upon seeing the bustling crowd across the bank and said, "Why are there so many people? The worship assembly hasn’t even started yet."

Fang Yizhen replied with a smile, "Zhong Shaohua is unaware, but these days Gao Xian will reveal her holiness in the ancestral hall and leave a register to select the people who will serve her in the mountains this year. Therefore, everyone is gathered here, hoping to be chosen by the immortal and be blessed with a chance to cultivate."

Everyone listened in silence. Since childhood, their training had been aimed at cultivation. In the Five Great Sects, from ancient times to the present, from top to bottom, very few ever truly became immortals or even saw one. They had no idea that in Gao Mountain, a true god resided and even chose young men every year—a complete revelation.

There might be some secrets hidden within, or perhaps it was not an immortal at all but a demon... or maybe just a fabricated miracle. However, the people of Zhongli City, men and women, young and old, were extremely devout. Voicing doubts would be impolite, and if it caused public outrage, it would be quite pointless.

Thereupon, Yu Sifeng said with a smile, "Since the immortal is selecting the fated ones in the near future, why doesn’t Young Master Fang go too?"

"I was going to go, but who knew I’d run into you bullies..." Fang Yizhen muttered in his belly, yet with a look of distress on his face, he said, "My father is old and frail. He dares not travel far." Anyone could tell that he was lying, and by his expression, it was clear he too yearned to be chosen.

"Why talk so much! Since there’s a spectacle, why not go see!" Linglong flipped her braids back and, grabbing Xuanji’s hand, started to head there.

Zhong Minyan saw the commotion across the bank and realized it would take some effort to push through. He hurriedly grabbed Linglong and turned to smile at Young Master Fang, "When fate comes calling, it’s unstoppable. It’s your luck to have met us. To repay you for showing us the way, let’s get you inside now!"

After speaking, he winked at Ruo Yu, who instantly understood, and with a grin, picked up the puzzled Fang Yizhen by the scruff of his neck and leaped towards the lake.

"Wait... wait a minute! Hero! Hero... My good man! Big brother! I know I’m wrong!" Fang Yizhen, thinking they were about to throw him into the lake, panicked and started to shout erratically. The green-blue waters of the lake suddenly loomed before him. Instinctively, he closed his eyes, but instead of feeling the splash of the water, his body suddenly grew weightless, as if he had taken flight.

He opened his eyes in alarm and saw himself being held aloft, standing firmly on the blade of a sword, with the rippling waters of the lake below. Indeed, he was flying—flying over Hongze Lake!

A chuckling voice came from above, "Young Master Fang, though this may be a bit rash, it’s much more interesting than riding in a carriage, right?"

He numbly nodded, still not quite believing what was happening.

They could fly... Could they also be immortals?

People in front of the ancestral hall were left agape, witnessing several figures flying across the lake, riding on a cloud, their forms ghostly. They circled slightly above the entrance of the hall and then abruptly soared up, landing on the temple’s eaves.

Ruo Yu gently set Fang Yizhen down, and he collapsed to a seat behind the Chao Feng Beast, legs weak from the thrilling experience and unable to utter a word.

Zhong Minyan and his four companions sat on the rooftop, looking around while laughing, "The view really is nice from here, water in front and mountains behind. Gao Xian truly knows how to pick a place."

The people who were still busy crowding the entrance of the ancestral hall were taken aback. To sit on the eaves of the ancestral hall was greatly disrespectful, but those few had flown there and seemed out of the ordinary with fine features, possibly being mountain spirits or earth gods, so no one dared to rebuke them. Instead, they whispered among themselves below.

"These heroes... this is really not a good place to sit..." Fang Yizhen, pale as a ghost, said with a trembling voice, "Nobody has ever dared to sit on the ancestral hall’s eaves..." Having said that, he stood up, but the ancestral hall was two or three stories high and the eaves sloped, and as soon as he stood, he felt dizzy and helplessly clung to the Chao Feng Beast’s head, squatting back down.

Zhong Minyan laughed heartily, patted his shoulder, and said in a loud voice, "Young Master Fang, do you know how vast the world is? The sky is our cover and the earth our bed. Where in this world can we not sit?"

I am a good citizen, how can I be compared with you bullies! Fang Yizhen’s inner curses were nearly belting flames, yet he dared not let it show on his face. He could only say with trepidation, "While that may be so, offending the immortal is something I truly cannot afford..."

Alas, no one paid him any attention. Xuanji and Linglong took out snacks and fruits they had brought from the carriage and started distributing them to everyone. They even sat under the eaves of the ancestral hall, munching away.

Their location was high up, and in front stretched the endless waters of the lake. It was just too bad that, in the coldest months of winter, there wasn’t much scenery to admire—only the north wind howling, flapping everyone’s clothes and hair. It also made Fang Yizhen shiver uncontrollably from cold.

"When will the immortal arrive?" Xuanji asked with his mouth full of snacks.

All eyes turned to Fang Yizhen, who alone knew the answer. His face was pale, whether from cold or anger was unclear, and he said tremblingly, "I... I don’t know. Fellow heroes, let’s... let’s go down. If the immortal comes and sees this, it... it would be highly disrespectful..."

"What’s there to be afraid of? We are here," Linglong rolled her eyes at him, having no respect for such a spinelessly timid man.

"Speaking of which, she is coming here to pick people by name, how would she know everyone’s names?" Xuanji asked again.

Zhong Minyan pondered and said, "If she really is an immortal, naturally she would know everything."

Do immortals really know everything? Xuanji’s eyes widened in disbelief, feeling that this wasn’t the case, but as for why not, she couldn’t articulate it.

"Maybe she just strolls around the city from house to house when she’s got nothing better to do!" Linglong bit into a pear. "After all, immortals don’t have much to do, just gossiping about household trifles! It’s only natural she’d know after peeking here and there over time."

So that’s how it is! Xuanji suddenly realized.

Fang Yizhen, hearing their nonsensical talk, couldn’t hold back anymore and said loudly, "The immortal is a sacred and enlightened being, there’s nothing in this world that she doesn’t know! Naturally all things respond to her! You know nothing... Can you please not spout nonsense here?"

Seeing him get worked up, Zhong Minyan laughed and said, "Young Master Fang, there’s no need to get angry, to tell you the truth, we are people of the cultivation world..."

Before he could finish, suddenly a fragrant breeze wafted by. It was a scent they had never smelled before, as if the fragrances of a thousand flowers combined with the spices of a thousand herbs, blended with the gentleness of spring and the freshness of autumn winds. At one whiff, it put one into a trance of euphoria, instantly clarifying and enlightening the mind, and leaving the body indescribably comfortable.

Fang Yizhen’s complexion changed and he said urgently, "The immortal has come!"

Everyone heard the sound of tinkling jade coming from behind, as if truly someone was approaching slowly. They all turned around, but there was no one behind them, just a faint wisp of light purple smoke drifting by, enveloped in auspicious light and surrounding by a cluster of auspicious qi, pausing just for a moment near the eaves before vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Slowly floating down from the sky was a light purple note, landing perfectly on the eaves. Zhong Minyan picked it up, and could also smell the rich musk fragrance from the note, which felt lingering and tender to the touch. The handwriting on the note was graceful and neat but listed only four names, presumably the ones she had chosen.

The crowd below the ancestral hall grew louder, and eventually, someone couldn’t restrain themselves and shouted, "Whose names are written on the paper?! Read it out loud quickly!"

As soon as this was said, the crowd became clamorous. Zhong Minyan cleared his throat, going with the flow, "Then I shall read it! Rong Liangyu. Ju Zhaoyan. Zhuang Jing... Fang Yizhen..."

Everyone was startled; unexpectedly, Fang Yizhen’s name was among them. Those waiting below the ancestral hall, upon hearing that the immortal had left names, knelt and kowtowed one after another. Those who were chosen, whether they came themselves or were represented by family and friends, were overjoyed to the point of tears, hastily heading home to spread the news.

Fang Yizhen, too excited to care that he was still on the eaves, was visibly elated and exclaimed repeatedly, "I am chosen! It really is me! Oh heavens... this..."

While everyone was in an uproar over here, Yu Sifeng suddenly noticed Xuanji standing up, staring in the direction from which the "immortal" had come, with a slight furrow in her brows, as if pondering something.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

Xuanji shook her head, raised her hand as if to grasp something in the air, pulled it to her nose, and took a light sniff.

"Demon energy." She spoke softly, "I smelled some demon energy." (To be continued, for more information, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, support the author, support original reading!)