Chapter 24: The Awkward Master-Disciple Relationship, the Mysterious Aspects of Master Master Hongmei

Having transmigrated for over a decade, everything Yulou had ever heard or seen could not compare to the shock of the scene before his eyes.

What a scene it was.

At dusk, the sunset on the horizon, like a red persimmon, gradually sank into the ground.

Yet where True Person Danri stood, the blazing sun hung high in the distant sky like a great sun at high noon.

A resplendent golden-red light poured down from the second sun, falling upon every single thing between heaven and earth.

Even Yulou's cheeks were tinted with that golden-red hue.

Wang Yuan was still worried it might be a trap, but Yulou was already certain—no one would dare act so brazenly on Red Lantern Terrace's turf, except for their own people.

"So this is True Person Danri? Danri, Danri—sure enough, the title wasn't given for nothing."

Zhong Ningyao was a cultivator with a fire-wood spiritual root; her father, Master Master Hongmei, was deeply skilled in fire arts, and she knew all too well what a second sun in the sky meant.

That was the boundless magic power of a Purple Mansion cultivator, the supreme deterrent with which Red Lantern Terrace suppressed its five-million-li domain, and the wondrous realm countless cultivators yearned for all their lives yet could never attain.

Yulou noticed a person rise into the air from the residence of the garrison cultivator of Qing Xi Fang; that person flew into the sky above Qing Xi Fang and, with a casual gesture, raised the protective formation of Qing Xi Fang.

"Why is Jiang Baobian raising the formation?" Yulou looked toward his senior sister.

"To hand over control. Once True Person Danri arrives, Jiang Baobian has to play the obedient grandson."

Zhong Ningyao was a woman of discernment; she had guessed half of it right.

Jiang Baobian did have to play the obedient grandson, but True Person Danri had no need for control of any formation, nor did he care in the slightest about the paltry authority of the garrison cultivator of Qing Xi Fang.

This Purple Mansion cultivator of Red Lantern Terrace had come to Qing Xi Fang with the Merit Hall branch of Red Lantern Terrace—he came bearing a mission, and had even deployed Red Lantern Terrace's renowned treasure, the Jin Wu Chasing the Sun.

The second sun in the sky was, in truth, the afterglow left behind as the Purple Mansion cultivator piloted the Jin Wu Chasing the Sun through the air.

If Jiang Baobian had not hurried to raise the formation, then as long as the Jin Wu Chasing the Sun slowed even a fraction in stopping, the spiritual resonance of Qin Yun Qing Xi would have been evaporated clean by it, and any loose cultivators in the market whose cultivation was insufficient would have been gravely wounded by the light—or even killed outright.

"Senior sister, should we still go watch the horse races?"

Yulou felt this was no time for the pleasure of horse-race gambling.

Zhong Ningyao's expression faltered, and she said hesitantly.

"Let's skip the horse races—any time will do for that, after all I only wanted to take you two to broaden your horizons.

You two go back and stay with your family elders first; the Wang Shi are vassals of Red Lantern Terrace, so there may be a chance to meet the Purple Mansion cultivator directly.

Yulou, if it's possible, ask your family's Laozu Sect whether they can take my father along to pay his respects.

Whether it works out or not, this senior sister will give you a gift of thanks; if it does work out, my father will offer a generous reward as well!"

Yulou turned it over in his mind, then replied.

"Understood. Wait for my word."

Saying this, he pulled Wang Yuan—who was still ready at any moment—and the two returned to Fu Yuan Ju.

Watching their retreating backs, Zhong Ningyao's brows knit tightly.

Today Zhong Ningyao had taken the two brothers to the horse races intending to use the chance to bring up this matter, but the Merit Hall branch's early arrival had disrupted Master Master Hongmei's plan.

Nominally, Master Master Hongmei and the two brothers had a master-disciple relationship, but the Lay Practitioner Master Master Hongmei had earlier accepted a discipleship fee of five thousand spirit stones.

Now her father also had a favor to ask of the Wang Shi.

This kind of master-disciple relationship could not be called anything but awkward.

In the great hall of Fu Yuan Ju, loose cultivators were frantically exchanging information; every face wore an expression of either excitement, anxiety, or agitation.

"Before I came back I heard a fellow Daoist at peak Qi Refining say that the red flying vessel in the middle is where the Merit Hall branch of Red Lantern Terrace is.

They say a great Purple Mansion cultivator is operating it from within—that's why it has such a tremendous presence."

"It's not just Red Lantern Terrace—there are two flying treasures in the sky that don't belong to Red Lantern Terrace."

"I know, one of them is the traveling carriage of a Xian Alliance Walker, but what faction does that white stone tower beside it belong to?"

"What a coincidence, I've seen that same kind of white stone tower~"

"Oh, do tell!"

"Come on, out with it."

"Sigh, my throat's a bit dry, forgot~"

The loose cultivator who knew the origin of the white stone tower started putting on airs; Bai Lu, who was slacking off behind the counter, couldn't stand it any longer and was about to speak, but a loose cultivator—whether truly foolish or just pretending to be—spoke up first.

"Waiter here—come, bring this fellow Daoist a pot of spirit tea!"

Bai Lu immediately beamed with joy, and no longer felt like sharing information for free; she hurried to pour the tea.

She first took half a qian of ninth-grade spirit tea, then added half a liang of ordinary tea, and with a smile delivered it to the easy mark.

That was how Fu Yuan Ju sold its spirit tea—if they used only spirit tea, those loose cultivators wouldn't be willing to buy it.

The loose cultivator putting on an act and bluffing his way through the tea took a sip of the spirit tea without noticing anything off, and drank it with great gusto.

"You lot don't know, Red Lantern Terrace changed to a new Sect Master a few years back—a person from the Huang Clan, a great clan of Purple Mansion cultivators.

You may not have heard of the Huang Clan; they specialize in business between sects and great clans of the Wunan Cultivation World.

I once worked for the Huang Clan for a few years, and that white stone tower is the Huang Clan's Hundred Treasures Market!

It looks like just a small stone tower, but inside it's a great market—maybe a third the size of Qing Xi Fang—and it's all run by people of the Huang Clan.

In the past, this kind of Hundred Treasures Market only stopped at the clan lands of great clans, great sects, and Purple Mansion sects—it wouldn't come to a market like Qing Xi Fang that's full of Qi Refining cultivators.

It's probably because someone from the Huang Clan became the Sect Master of Red Lantern Terrace that the Hundred Treasures Market came along with the Merit Hall branch!"

"The Merit Hall and the Hundred Treasures Market are here to do business, so why did the Xian Alliance's traveling carriage come along too?"

"Go ask them yourself—the Xian Alliance serves all cultivators, so if you ask, they might just tell you."

"You go, I'm not going!"

"They're just fooling ghosts—no one believes their nonsense!"

The loose cultivators were chattering away in a muddle, while Yulou quietly made his way to the counter.

"How's the situation in the small room in the back courtyard?" Yulou asked.

"Bring us some food, send it to our room," Wang Yuan said.

"Always thinking about eating!" Wang Yulou glared at his younger brother.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Wang Yuan didn't understand what his brother was playing at.

"We're going to meet the Clan Head later!"

Wang Yulou couldn't spell out his idea of mooching a meal off the Clan Head, so he just nodded slightly, but Wang Yuan clearly didn't get it.

"Then please bring it a bit later, thank you."

With a helpless little smile, Wang Yulou said nothing more.

Eat, eat, eat — always eating!

Glancing at Wang Yulou, then at Wang Yuan, Bai Lu lowered her head without a flicker of expression and replied softly in a voice the unaffiliated cultivators couldn't hear.

"I'll arrange it right away. As for the small rooms in the back, about half of them were moved into today. The Old Ancestor came by in the afternoon to take a look and laughed very happily."

Wang Yuan nodded in understanding. This Miss Bai Lu, who spent years running errands, was a sensible and sharp person.

"Do you know why Master didn't personally ask the Clan Head to come along to pay respects to True Person Danri?"

Leading his foolish younger brother toward the rear courtyard, Wang Yulou tilted his head and asked.

"Afraid the Clan Head would refuse and make him lose face?"

That was a hard question to answer; Wang Yuan scratched his head a little.

"No. Master is about to reach Foundation Establishment, but he doesn't want to choose a faction to attach himself to just yet.

If he went to the Clan Head himself to ask, the Clan Head would certainly agree, and afterward it would be hard to refuse the Clan Head's invitation to join Wang Shi."

Wang Yulou was now increasingly feeling that his own Master was no simple man.

Extremely shrewd in handling affairs, a dab hand at business, and his cultivation and Dao attainments were both extraordinary.

He didn't seem like an unaffiliated cultivator without backing.

"Brother, you're overthinking it. Master could just found his own clan."

"Ha, true enough, maybe I'm reading too much into it."

Regarding Wang Yuan's naivety, Wang Yulou didn't explain. Noticing Tang Nianqiu keeping watch at the front desk of the wooden building, he asked respectfully.

"Uncle Nianqiu, where is the Clan Head now?"

Tang Nianqiu set down the account book and pointed upstairs, saying.

"Upstairs. He's still revising the layout of the small rooms."