Chapter 56: Du Xian Sect 14 Part 1

Night fell like a curtain, the silver moon hung like a plate, and stars rained down like drops.

Fiery trees and silver flowers bloomed, the jade pot of light swirled, and Treasure Pearl County resembled a bright pearl scattered upon Trapped Dragon Hill. On the day of the Pearl Seeking Festival, lights from myriad households wove across it, scattering brilliant radiance.

“What a lively scene. We really came to the right place.” Xun Ji stood amid the music and dancing, weaving through the crowded streets, and sighed in admiration as he looked up.

He wore a brocade robe of fish-belly white embroidered with water-pink silk. A red jade hairpin slanted through his bun. Amid the flowing lantern light, his brows resembled distant mountains, his eyes flying stars—like an immortal stepping on the moonlight from a painting, descending to the mortal world.

Lu Yun Ting still wore his black coarse cloth short outfit and stood half a step behind him, staring unwaveringly at his profile. He gave a soft “Mm.”

“Young Master Liu!” A street vendor selling masks recognized him and called out enthusiastically. “Want to try one of these handmade masks for fun?”

Xun Ji leaned in close. Sure enough, they were hand-painted: animals, ghost faces, each one lifelike.

“Only folk artisans can do this,” Xun Ji sighed. “Back when I went to temple fairs, the stalls on both sides sold wholesale junk from small commodity markets.”

He picked up a tiger mask and held it to his face, asking Lu Yun Ting, “How’s this? Fierce enough?”

Lu Yun Ting glanced at him, then reached for another mask on the stall—a silver one with scale patterns—and handed it to him. “This suits you better.”

The vendor praised profusely, “Excellent taste, young master! This is the Snake Girl Lady mask, a limited edition—only one made!”

Of all things, he picks a snake mask. Is this little bastard testing me? Xun Ji felt a jolt of suspicion but kept a calm expression on his face. He took the mask and nodded in satisfaction. “This one it is. Fair exchange—I’ll pick one for you too.”

He handed Lu Yun Ting a mask with erect ears and a black nose.

The vendor shut his eyes and gushed, “Great eye, young master! This little earth dog mask is a bestseller. Every year, plenty of ladies and misses buy them for their husbands!”

Lu Yun Ting stiffened. “I don’t need…”

Xun Ji smiled at him.

Lu Yun Ting met his gaze for a moment before compromising. He paid with silver, put on the dog mask.

Smart move. Xun Ji smugly donned the Silver Snake Mask and sauntered off to other stalls.

“Found it!” A girl’s slightly childish voice came from a street corner.

“Hey, isn’t this Blacksmith Li’s daughter Mianmian?” The townsfolk gathered around. “Found a Treasure Pearl so quickly—Mianmian’s a lucky one!”

Li Mianmian held up a sparkling stone pearl, her delicate little face full of excitement.

“Mianmian, what wish are you making?” someone asked curiously. “In past years, girls who find pearls mostly pray for marriage. You’re still young, but wishes aren’t too early.”

“No way!” Li Mianmian declared crisply. “I wish for my dad to pass down the blacksmithing craft to me! Once I master it, I’ll expand the Li Family Blacksmith Shop all the way to the capital!”

“Whoa, who knew this little girl had such ambitions!” Good-natured laughter rippled around. “You shouldn’t wish that on the pearl—you should wish it on Blacksmith Li!”

Blacksmith Li stood nearby, looking embarrassed yet surprised, as if he hadn’t expected his daughter to say such a thing.

“Blacksmithing passes to sons, not daughters—that’s the rule handed down for generations. Besides, a girl learning this trade—how will you find a good match later?”

But Li Mianmian had no patience to listen. She ran toward the zhe tree hung with Treasure Pearls, shouting as she went, “Rules be damned! No good match be damned! If this year’s wish doesn’t come true, I’ll wish again next year. If not then, the year after! As long as I’m alive, I can make wishes—and as long as I live, I’ll do what I want!”

“Well said.” Xun Ji showed his approval. “The future looks bright.”

“See? The blacksmith’s daughter has no interest in marriage—she just wants to carry on and expand the family craft. Little Beauty and Little Cui must have their own wishes too, not just romance with Little Handsome.” Xun Ji seized the chance to brainwash Lu Yun Ting.

Lu Yun Ting gazed thoughtfully at him. “Does A Xun have a wish?”

Xun Ji paused. A wish? He wanted to complete his tasks smoothly, accumulate enough points to revive, return to his original world.

But could those be called wishes?

Wishes were probably more straightforward, deeper yearnings. Regrets that jolted him awake in midnight dreams, hopes that flickered amid the mortal smokes and fires.

He seemed to have one.

“What is it?” Lu Yun Ting studied him closely. “Who was A Xun just thinking of?”

Xun Ji cleared his throat and turned away. “We haven’t found a Treasure Pearl yet—wishing’s pointless.”

“Who says we haven’t?” Lu Yun Ting produced two round, crystalline stone pearls like a magician.

The pearls themselves weren’t precious—just stones coated with glowing paint to mimic Night Luminous Pearls. The county office made them uniformly, hiding them around the county the night before for folks to find and play with.

“The county folks hid them sloppily, so I picked up two casually.” Lu Yun Ting described his cheating without batting an eye.

Xun Ji looked at him somewhat speechlessly. Du Xian Sect Great Senior Brother, a model of the Cultivation World, reduced to snatching stone pearls from mortals.

“You want these pearls that badly?” Xun Ji asked curiously. “Got a wish to make?”

“Of course.” Lu Yun Ting agreed. “Tell me your wish, A Xun, and I’ll tell you mine.”

Childish. Xun Ji shook his head firmly. He wouldn’t fall for it. What wish could this blockhead make? Probably something like the sect enduring forever, the immortal path lasting eternally.

Fish and dragons danced through the night, lanterns blazed, mortal clamor roared.

Amid the revelry, Lu Yun Ting leaned to his ear and whispered, “I hope Little Beauty and Little Cui are the same person.”

Xun Ji: “…?”

Lu Yun Ting wore the dog mask, hiding his expression—only his eyes gleamed black as night.

“Does A Xun think my wish can come true?”

Clang. A Treasure Pearl rolled to the ground.

A five- or six-year-old boy chased after it, stumbling. “Wahhh, my pearl! The one I just found!”

The pearl finally stopped. The boy ran up joyfully, bent to pick it up—then the ground split open with a long fissure.

The pearl rolled toward it. The boy instinctively reached out, his feet on the edge.

“Watch out!” Xun Ji shouted sharply and bolted toward the boy. But one figure was faster.