His fingers, pinching the flower stem, moved slightly. A more exquisite spell emerged from his fingertips as spiritual energy infused the wilted petals of the flower, restoring their vitality.
It looked just as it had when freshly picked.
He gently picked up the flower and then gathered the other items.
A small piece of soft, fresh rice cake, still showing traces of being pounded, sat in a simple little dish, as if bartered from some farm household.
Yao Guanheng picked up the dish holding the rice cake when a spell suddenly popped out.
He paused for an instant.
As a sect elder, he was certainly not startled by this minor spell.
Rather, it was because he had discerned its content.
A short recording spell appeared, sketching a little stick-figure person in rough lines, like a pictogram.
The little figure pounded away at the rice cake on the dish, demonstrating the making process.
At the end, its stick-figure limbs like firewood sticks struck a hands-on-hips pose, while text appeared beside it—
“Rice cake, I pounded it myself.”
The spell dissipated in an instant.
In that moment of dissipation, the man pursed his lips in a soft chuckle.
A moment later, he picked up another item.
A small grass-woven basket, empty inside. Another spell jumped out, leaving a message: “Wild chestnuts, picked from the mountain.”
His eyes shifted slightly as he lowered his gaze to survey the scattered items on the ground.
No chestnuts in sight, but there was a small handful of nutshells in the corner—chestnut shells, apparently, though their purpose was unclear.
Yao Guanheng hesitated briefly before crouching down and touching the nutshells with his fingertip.
The stick-figure person jumped out again, scratching its head before pointing accusingly at the culprit.
“Sorry, Master. Silver Gray ate your chestnuts. Eat something else instead.
The culprit rat has been severely punished.”
A helpless look entered his eyes, though the smile at his lips did not fade. He continued to pick up another item.
This time, it was a portion of winter jujubes wrapped in broad leaves.
He carefully unfolded the leaves, nearly letting a plump jujube roll out, but no little figure appeared.
Yao Guanheng picked up one jujube and waited a breath, but the little figure still did not emerge.
Suddenly, however, he froze once more.
With his cultivation level, he could clearly sense the presence or absence of spell traces.
After all, her spells were not particularly sophisticated; he could spot these little tricks at a glance.
The winter jujube he held had an appetizing reddish-brown hue, but the man had no intention of eating it.
He moved slightly and lowered his eyes, placing it back on the leaves.
His slender, jade-like fingers moved gently as he refolded the leaves, once again concealing the enticing colors within the broad wrap.
His long lashes cast shadows, his ink-black eyes deep and profound.
The man restrained his gentle smile and silently gazed at the scattered little treasures on the ground.
He was about to step over them when he suddenly spotted a small tuft of fresh green leaf tips in a jade jar.
The jade jar floated up and flew into his hand. It was tea leaves.
Her little trick jumped out again.
The stick-figure person waved one arm at him excitedly while pointing at the fresh, tender green leaves with the other, as if sharing a discovery: “Wild tea, picked from the mountain!”
His fondness for tea was no secret; several spiritual tea trees were planted in front of the pavilion.
Yao Guanheng looked up at them. The spiritual tea trees stood lush and verdant.
He glanced around the rest of the area. The small building showed no obvious changes at first glance—it looked just as it had during his seclusion.
But upon closer inspection, the placement of objects bore traces of someone else’s touch. The marks were faint, as if someone had carefully examined them, handling and replacing each one with utmost caution.
The man moved lightly on his feet, his gaze slowly sweeping over these subtle traces.
A moment later.
Mountain spring water swirled around the plucked tender leaves, the tea floating and unfurling. A fresh green mist gradually rose in the jade cup.
Yao Guanheng silently lifted the cup.
The clear, fragrant liquid brushed against the cup’s sides, rippling gently.
On the small surface of water in his palm reflected a stunning face with a gentle smile.
Yao Guanheng’s lashes trembled lightly. He halted his movements, gazing at the faint smile on his own lips.
The empty pavilion was very quiet, with only faint wisps of cool mountain wind passing through, carrying away a barely audible sigh.
Li Yin tidied her wind-tousled hair.
She had known that Myriad Beasts Sect’s mode of transport was rather unique. Today, she had spent one pill as fare to have a spiritual crane carry her through the mountains, though the wind had been quite strong.
The player could now take sect missions independently.
She had picked up a new mission. The content was simple: go to a celestial pool to feed the fish.
The reward was fairly high, with no special requirements. It even provided premium fish food. Yet no one had taken it, and it hung prominently, falling into her hands.
The white crane flapped its wings and slowly descended onto a mountaintop. A deep blue lake was embedded in the snow, its surface shimmering with wavelets, fish occasionally leaping out.
The high altitude was cold. Li Yin shivered upon landing, suspecting the temperature difference was why no one took the fish-feeding mission.
She cast a warming spell on herself and crunched across the snow to the edge of the celestial pool. The fish, sensing food, gathered immediately.
Li Yin motioned for them to calm down, took out the fish food, and carefully broke it into small pieces to scatter later.
As she busied herself, a slender fish tail flashed across the glowing water surface in the distance.
A fan-like silver-blue tail fin slapped the water, splashing droplets. It was no ordinary fish.
Li Yin heard the splash and glanced up, but saw nothing.
The busy player lowered her head again, continuing to study the fish food.
The fish food in her hand was top quality, overflowing with spiritual energy and an enticing aroma.
Li Yin furtively pinched off a small piece and sniffed it. She had no idea what it was made of, but her two little pets at home would probably love it.
Curious about its composition, she even tasted a bite, thinking she might as well take some back to study.
Li Yin figured the fish wouldn’t tattle.
As she schemed this, before she could pocket any, a clear, youthful male voice cut through the water sounds.
“You human are truly shameless, even stealing the fish’s food.”
The voice huffed lightly.
Then, amid the pattering water, a silver-blue figure emerged from the lake.
Li Yin looked toward the sound. Behind a nearby reef poking from the shore emerged a beautiful, glamorous face, androgynous at first glance.
A thin forehead band crossed the bangs on his forehead, strung with a few translucent pearl drops on the right side, making his entire face shine even more brilliantly.
His loose black hair held hints of blue sheen, and thin, cicada-wing fins protruded from between the hair at his face’s sides—
Li Yin had seen them in the sect’s illustrated handbook: merfolk ear fins.
A merfolk in the celestial pool.
That was her first thought. Her second was—
Oh no, the fish really did tattle.
In her surprise, the beautiful merfolk not far away propped his hand on the reef, his handback against his lips, gazing at her with displeasure, as if she had disturbed his rest.
His upper body seemed draped in a thin gauze veil, pale as starry blue skies, barely covering his snow-white skin and bones.
Though partially blocked by the reef, his clear collarbones and slender neck were fully exposed.
Li Yin realized his temper might not be good.
Ignoring his earlier words, she simply held up the fish food and gestured: “Want some?”
A silver-blue fish tail flashed by, too quick for Li Yin to see clearly.
He swiftly retracted his tail and slapped the water hard, splashing a huge wave toward the person on shore.
Li Yin stepped back, barely dodging the spray, and unsurprisingly heard the merfolk’s cold mocking huff.
From that tail slap—not hand, tail—she also sensed his cultivation was higher than hers.
Li Yin squeezed the fish food in her hand.
“Open up. I’ll feed you.”
The girl on shore showed a pure and generous smile as she wound up and hurled it, nearly smashing the fish food into the merfolk’s pretty face.
Seeing him dodge sideways, the girl remained innocently pure: “Why didn’t you eat it?”
She had clearly meant to hit him!
The merfolk grew annoyed, a faint blush tinting his cheeks, even his translucent ear fins dyed a peach-blossom pink.
He moved his lips, clearly about to say something unpleasant.
Li Yin swiftly scattered the rest of the fish food, patted her hands, and walked away, enjoying her “not listening, not listening” peace.
Mission complete, she flew off on her bird, leaving the bad-tempered merfolk slapping the water with his tail.
After turning in the mission, Li Yin returned to the small pavilion and found her master had emerged from seclusion.
Dressed in blue robes, he sat at the table, seemingly brewing tea. She called out: “Master?”
“I met a merfolk today.” She hurried to the table in a few steps, sat down, propped her chin, and watched her master brew tea as she asked, “Why would a merfolk appear here?”
Whether by the game’s lore or the introductory books, merfolk should be in the Outer Sea.
“You saw the merfolk?” Yao Guanheng lowered his eyes, not looking at his little disciple across from him. “He rarely shows himself…”
There was only that one merfolk in the sect, unmistakable. He parted his lips and explained the origins.
“Rumor has it he was blown to the continent by a storm in the Outer Sea. He was badly injured and picked up by evil cultivators along the coast, suffering much coercion…”
Hearing this, Li Yin recalled another fact.
Merfolk were treasures all over: their tears formed merpearls, scales could be used in pills, and their clan had special weaving techniques to make valuable gauze veils.
As he spoke, Yao Guanheng suddenly paused.
Among the many benefits of merfolk, the most obvious was their beauty.
That merfolk’s experiences were unfortunate, and he was born too alluring. There were unsavory rumors in the sect that the evil cultivators had even forced him to transform for dual cultivation…
Mere rumors—he had no intention of sharing such filth with his disciple.
But Li Yin suddenly noticed her master looking up at her, somewhat hesitant.
“That merfolk…” he said slowly, “Merfolk have lifespans different from humans, very long. Though that one is over two hundred years old, he is actually not yet of age.”
Merfolk only counted as adults after transforming. Li Yin, whose knowledge was shaky, had completely forgotten this point.
With her master’s odd attitude, she nodded vaguely, half-understanding.
The merfolk was indeed beautiful. Per her master’s words, he was a beautiful, strong, tragic figure.
But she only remembered his bad attitude, even splashing her with water.
Seeing her expression unchanged, Yao Guanheng lowered his gaze again: “In short, after such experiences, that merfolk harbors hatred toward humans. After sect cultivators rescued him, he has been kept in the celestial pool to recuperate quietly, rarely appearing.”
As for those fish-feeding missions, they were set by the sect elders, hoping the merfolk would interact more with humans to resolve his resentment.
He pursed his lips, his fingers quietly rubbing the cup. After a few breaths, he continued: “However, I recall there is a bounty in the sect. If any disciple can heal the merfolk’s injuries, there will be a reward.”
After he spoke, Yao Guanheng saw his little disciple’s eyes light up.
Li Yin immediately sat up straight: “Really? What’s the reward?”
Her reactions before and after were night and day.
Yao Guanheng watched her suddenly perk up and chuckled helplessly: “It’s a long-standing bounty from the sect. The reward seems to be selecting a good technique from the Scripture Pavilion.”
Now that was something that woke her right up.
The excited player showed a confident, determined expression as she claimed the mission.