Chapter 98: Chapter One: Purple Micro

Following the old man’s instructions, Pei Ye buried him beneath this willow tree.

The old man had lived in seclusion for eighteen years, with no relatives or friends; his death concerned only the farewell between the two of them, and Pei Ye had already agreed.

The boy stood before the grave for a moment, shouldering the cat as he descended the mountain; behind him, the drooping willow branches gently brushed the mound.

Back in the city. Unlike the usual custom of extinguishing lamps at sunset, tonight nearly every household burned lights, and the clamor of voices had not yet subsided.

Pei Ye walked slowly along the street, head bowed, returning to the county yamen, where the noise here was noticeably quieter.

Xing Zhi had already been standing at the door; seeing him return alone, she sighed inwardly—when she discovered they had left the room, she knew what would happen.

Without asking, Xing Zhi lightly patted his arm: “The [Purple Micro] Illuminator from Immortal Platform has arrived; they have some questions in the back courtyard.”

No wonder the atmosphere had grown quieter; Pei Ye nodded and walked inside.

Xing Zhi tugged gently at his sleeve: “The Purple Micro Illuminator is a senior from the Daoist Orthodoxy, specializing in fate and divination, with profound cultivation and a gentle disposition.”

Whispering here could not possibly escape the Heavenly Tower’s ears—it was merely a matter of whether they chose to listen; Xing Zhi’s caution proved the man inside was truly “gentle.”

Pei Ye thanked her and headed toward the back courtyard.

Upon entering the back courtyard, he did not need to ask which room—the unfamiliar old man sat beside a stone table beneath a pear tree.

Ming Qitian stood nearby.

As soon as Pei Ye entered, the old man gestured for him to come closer, as if he already knew him.

Pei Ye hesitated, holding the cat, but the old man gestured again, motioning for him to bring the cat along.

Pei Ye walked toward the tree; as soon as he entered within a zhang of the old man, his hearing suddenly dulled, as if plunging from air into water.

In an instant, it returned to normal; Pei Ye turned back in surprise, but saw no “membrane” as he had felt.

Yet all external noise had vanished.

The old man bore none of the ethereal, lofty bearing one might expect of a Purple Micro Illuminator; frankly, he did not live up to the title.

He wore a coarse hemp robe, the kind Daoists don for wandering travels—durable and dirt-resistant, but unattractive; now it looked as if he had worn it for two days, his clothes and boots dusted with grime.

The old man had a long face with dignified features, some wrinkles, and was perhaps over sixty years old; seven small red dots marked his forehead in the pattern of the Big Dipper.

Unlike Yue Muzhou or Chang Zhiyuan, he lacked a striking aura; if one must compare, he resembled an old deer.

Perhaps due to the gravity of the matter, Pei Ye saw little “gentleness” on this face—but that meant nothing; his own old man smiled often, yet was anything but gentle.

“You are Pei Ye?” the old man said calmly.

“Yes, my lord.”

The old man nodded, gazing quietly at him, saying nothing more.

His gaze held no pressure—calm, serene—but gradually, Pei Ye felt his body being “unveiled” on some level; he looked into the old man’s eyes and suddenly froze—the pupils held swirling stars.

The old man turned his head: “Ming Jianzhu, you may leave. I will speak with this young man alone.”

Ming Qitian shook her head: “No need. I’ll walk with him later.”

“Hmm…” The old man glanced at her twice, nodded, then turned back to Pei Ye; his eyes now held no starlight. “Your body is clean—nothing remains.”

Only then did Pei Ye realize the old man had been checking for the Immortal Lord’s residue; he bowed in thanks.

The old man turned to the black cat: “A celestial hunter born with innate knowledge… can you tell me your origin?”

The black cat shook its head: “I don’t remember.”

“Good.” The old man did not press further. “Pei Ye, Ming Jianzhu told me you were accidentally caught up, possessed by the Immortal Lord. Have you had any further contact with Him since?”

Pei Ye paused, about to speak, when Ming Qitian said: “No. After I rescued him, he had nothing more to do with it.”

The old man glanced once more at Ming Qitian, nodded, and said: “Good. Then that’s all—just checking for lingering hazards.”

He gestured for them to leave.

The old man clearly did not care much for Pei Ye; after all, this was the first appearance of such a strange and powerful enemy, leaving behind vivid, shocking traces—and a boy from a small city, caught in the fallout and shielded by Yunlang Mountain, was hardly worth much attention.

Pei Ye and Ming Qitian stepped away from the pear tree; behind them came the sound of robes slicing through the air, rising into the sky; Pei Ye turned to see the Illuminator, titled [Purple Micro Northern Pole Great Emperor], ascending into the night, heading toward Xin Cang Mountain.

“He’s going to check for the Immortal Lord’s residue,” Ming Qitian said.

“Mm.”

Ming Qitian asked: “Has Elder Yue left?”

Pei Ye pressed his lips together and nodded, letting out a soft “Mm.”

“Will you begin sword training tomorrow?” Ming Qitian said, glancing at his eye sockets. “Sorry—do you want to rest a few days first?”

“No need. Your time is precious—follow your plan. Besides, aren’t you going northwest first?”

“I want to teach you some things first, so you can practice during this time.”

“Oh… thank you.”

“Hmm. Will you stay at the county yamen tonight?”

“Yes.”

“Then see you tomorrow. There’s still the matter of the Zhanxinliuli to discuss.” Ming Qitian nodded. “I noticed Xing Zhi looking for you—apparently Zhu Gaoyang has woken and wants to see you.”

Pei Ye blinked: “All right. I’ll go now.”

…

Pei Ye arrived outside the room; the lamplight filtered through the window lattice, sliced into blocks, then stretched across the courtyard.

As Pei Ye looked toward the window, a shadow passed within, projected onto the wall—the familiarity came from Xing Zhi.

Muffled voices drifted out; though only twelve hours had passed since their farewell, the man’s voice felt strangely familiar to Pei Ye.

“Why do you have this jade pendant?” One could imagine the man frowning slightly. “I gave it to someone.”

“She gave it to me herself, to bring back to Long Jun’s Dongting—did you give it to her, intending to give her everything inside?”

“…Fine. Send him the jade pendant’s storage.” A faint rustling of objects.

“Ah! What are you doing? Where are you putting all that?”

“Just put it in your little gourd for now.”

Pei Ye gently knocked on the door.

Inside, silence fell; a shadow drew nearer beneath the lamplight, then the door opened—it was Xing Zhi.

“Xing Shi, I heard Brother Zhu is awake,” Pei Ye said.

Xing Zhi stepped aside with a smile; Pei Ye entered and immediately saw a man in a white nightgown leaning against the head of the bed, his long hair tied and hanging like a black silk ribbon down the edge; now he stretched his neck to reveal a bright, handsome face.

Seeing the boy standing whole and unharmed, his eyes curved, and his pale lips curled into a warm smile.

(End of Chapter)