Chapter 16

At the place where the Yangtze River and Han River mingle and flow, to the point that the heavenly stems and earthly branches are indistinguishable... this is Cloud Dream Marsh.

Cloud Dream Marsh is, in the words of ordinary folk, the place where immortals dwell—in fact this saying cannot be said to be wrong, for the deity of the Four Rivers, the River Lord, truly resides here.

Mist rises and rosy clouds glow, forming a magnificent view—this is Cloud Dream Marsh.

On the surface, Cloud Dream Marsh appears to be merely a 'lake marsh', but it is not that simple. In fact, this is the confluence where the Han River enters the Yangtze River, a gathering of many large and small lakes and rivers. These waters divide this low-lying land while also interconnecting with each other.

And the River Lord's family, as well as the many immortals who depend on him, reside here.

At the end of autumn and start of winter, this is the ebb tide, yet the depths of Cloud Dream Marsh are still filled with water vapor; palaces and terraces loom faintly within this mist, indistinguishable from the legendary abode of immortals.

Girls in light gauze clothing frolicked and played as they passed through the corridor, only quieting down after being glared at by an older aunt.

"You are newcomers; you should be all the more careful in your speech and conduct!"

"Yes!"

After the aunt left, the girls glanced at each other and laughed again.

"Come to think of it, we've been here for over two months and still haven't seen a single immortal!"

"There are plenty of chances to see immortals; the young miss has returned!"

"Did the young miss return three days ago?"

"Yes!"

Someone couldn't help but tiptoe and gaze toward the building among the many pavilions and terraces, as if doing so would let them see something clearly.

Having been in Cloud Dream Marsh for over two months, they have mainly been studying various rules and skills, and know little about this place. Yet they also know that Cloud Dream Marsh contains many rivers and lakes brimming with spiritual energy, and that the deepest, finest few of these rivers and lakes are home to the River Lord's family.

However, the River Lord's family does not live together in one place; they have built residences on different islands in the hearts of various rivers and lakes.

The 'Fairy Maiden Pool' where they now reside was originally an annex to the River Lord's personal residence, the 'Tranquil Lake', and will reconnect with it during the flood season—this shows how excellent the location is.

The Fairy Maiden Pool is small and exquisite; its area is far inferior to that of Tranquil Lake, and its central island can be called a pocket-sized one (of course, all this is relative to the scale of Cloud Dream Marsh—in fact this place is already quite large). Yet the Fairy Maiden Lake's spiritual energy is ample, not lacking that of Tranquil Lake, and its exquisite scenery surpasses all the rivers and lakes of Cloud Dream Marsh.

This is the residence of the River Lord's cherished daughter, where one can easily see the parents' love and protection for their child.

They understand the child's desire for independence, giving her ample private space, yet they keep her under their watch, ready to attend to her at any moment.

"So boring~~ really so boring!" Gan Tian half-immersed in the pool, her upper body leaning against the white stone at the bank. This is a semi-open pool, surrounded by waterside pavilions and terraces forming a crescent shape. Around it are planted many exotic flowers and strange grasses, and oddly protruding rocks are laid out; as the water mist rises slowly, they appear and fade.

This semi-open pool is for Gan Tian's exclusive use; no one may touch it when she is absent. Moreover, because it is deliberately protected and the water quality here is indeed outstanding, the pool's water is highly transparent—literally, one can see to the bottom at a glance.

Splash— Gan Tian slapped the water surface several times.

The maid Xiao Bai laughed as she lifted Gan Tian's damp hair: "Miss, you just came back—why do you feel bored again? Cloud Dream Marsh is so vast; how could it fail to hold you?"

"Not exactly... but having lived in Cloud Dream Marsh for so many years, where haven't I been? It's lost its appeal." Gan Tian pouted, turned again, propped her arms on the white stone, and rested her chin on her hands: "Xiao Bai, it's a real shame you didn't go out with me—I've been to so many places!"

The places Gan Tian has visited on her outings are actually not that many, but when she returns, having passed through many places together with Wuxin—Wuxin is a retainer of his household; this name is not his original one, but a self-chosen moniker of a single character. As for his original name, according to his own account, he has already 'abandoned' it.

"... Uncle Wuxin is truly kind!" Gan Tian exclaimed feelingly.

Actually, after laying cards on the table with her, they could have simply brought her back directly, but they returned to Cloud Dream Marsh by ordinary means. Likewise, coming home, this is a way that can be enjoyed along the way.

Although not spoken aloud, Uncle Wenxin truly favors her especially.

"Miss... you must be joking," Xiao Bai shivered... these maids all fear Uncle Wenxin; seeing him is like a mouse seeing a cat, making it hard to imagine what Gan Tian means by 'truly kind'.

"Not at all!" Gan Tian made a face, kicked off with her feet, left the shore, and dove into the water.

In the past she could not be said to be good at swimming—she could only splash about in the shallow water—but now she is absolutely capable of making even expert swimmers break a sweat.

She submerged completely; because the water quality is superb, everything underwater is crystal clear. Ignoring the special conditions of the bottom, it looks hardly different from the view on shore.

Since coming into this world, she has been inseparable from water—who let her father be the most powerful water deity, the River Lord! Living in an environment everywhere water, over time she sometimes feels she is herself a fish.

Slowly adjusting her breathing, Gan Tian lay on her back in the water, arms spread, using minute adjustments to maintain the afloat state.

She needn't worry about breathing; she could soak like that all day.

When Gan Tian resurfaced, she couldn't help opening her palm; after getting wet, she could see a faint red mark on her palm, vaguely a mysterious character—this was why she could stay underwater so long.

Her father could also frolic in the water at will, so when she widened her eyes in surprise at her own 'superpower,' her father merely said offhand, 'Looks like you took after me.'

Such an 'inherited superpower' phenomenon isn't common even in this Xiuzhen world, but it's really just that.

According to her parents, once she began cultivation and learned various immortal arts, there would be plenty of ways to avoid water; such a talent sounds miraculous, but in fact it merely indicates the inheritance of a certain bloodline.

However, in the world of Xiuzhen, bloodline inheritance isn't important either... Xiuzhen hardly ever have offspring. In such circumstances, inheritance is extraordinarily difficult, making a blood‑tied transmission method seem very unreliable.

"Miss! Lord Jiang has sent someone!" As Gan Tian drifted farther from the lakeside pavilion, Xiao Bai shouted loudly.

Gan Tian quickly swam back, lifted her head, and asked, "What's the matter?"

"The messenger said... said it seemed a minor river god somewhere had gotten into trouble and was being punished, and Lord Jiang asked you to go have a look." Although Xiao Bai was merely a mortal, she had seen quite a bit in Yunmeng Ze, and river gods weren't necessarily all someone she could look down on.

As the largest of the Four Rivers, the Yangtze has a vast drainage basin and numerous tributaries. Even the named, important branches number in the dozens to hundreds, and if the criteria were loosened a little, the eligible tributaries would likely number in the hundreds.

As for the insignificant tributaries, there are always several thousand to tens of thousands.

Simply put, Lord Jiang oversees tens of thousands of water deities—who knows how many minor river gods lurk in every nook and cranny! Ordinarily, such river gods would want to visit Lord Jiang, but without official business they probably couldn't even enter Yunmeng Ze.

"It's just an insignificant river god—surely there's a chief water official to keep it in check, so why bother Lord Jiang? Or perhaps this low‑status river god committed some major offense?" Xiao Bai guessed wildly.

She took the large cotton towel handed by the maid beside her and wiped Gan Tian's hair.

As for Gan Tian's chest‑high traditional Chinese dress, it was made of a special fabric that didn't get wet when exposed to water, making it very convenient to wear when going into the water.

Gan Tian thought for a moment, then a flash of inspiration struck her and she laughed: "I know which river god it is! Didn't I just tell you about what happened in Cocoon Town? It might be the deity of the Washing‑Silk River there."

Xiao Bai let out an 'ah,' then furrowed her brow, hands on her hips, indignant: "That bastard?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Thinking that the jerk was about to suffer terrible misfortune, Gan Tian was overjoyed; she didn't wait for her hair to dry, just ran out with her hair loose, and those behind her didn't bother to chase.

In Yunmeng Ze, the structures on each lake‑center island are connected by various bridges and cloud‑walks; if they cannot be linked that way, small boats ply the waterways.

The Fairy Pond and Tranquil Lake are originally one body, and they have cloud‑walks and bridges.

Gan Tian passed through the labyrinthine palace corridors, then stepped onto the cloud‑walk—from an architectural standpoint, it's hard to fathom how this cloud‑walk linking the main building of the Fairy Pond's lake‑center island with that of Tranquil Lake's lake‑center island could be erected, with such length and support; it's unscientific!

Yet that's how the immortal realm works—turning the impossible into possible.

Maids coming and going on the cloud‑walk saw Gan Tian running past without stopping, and they all stepped aside.

"Thanks for making the trip," said the man in white robes, tall and lofty like the clear blue sky and white clouds, his gaze shimmering like rippling waves; though his tone was gentle and mild, it made onlookers dare not meet his eyes.

"Jiang Lord was being polite..." the visitor clasped hands, paused, then continued: "The Star Lord said, this person is Jiang Lord's subordinate; the several charges are all unforgivable. Yet this person is cunning, and somehow managed to find loopholes in all of them. The Star Lord also finds it hard to outright suppress them; I think it's best for Jiang Lord to handle them, leaving nothing to say."

"How careful of you Star Lords, then that's fine." As they were speaking, suddenly a pink figure ran in and flung into their embrace.

"Dad! Have those bad guys been sent over for you to deal with?"

In a place where others dare not raise their voices, someone actually behaved so rudely and insolently. The guest at first didn't realize who it was, but after a moment it became clear: this is none other than the pearl in the palm of Jiang Lord and the Kunlun Gui Immortal Maiden, as it's said that Jiang Lord and the Gui Immortal Maiden dote on this daughter without limit.

"Why the rush? Those who've been sent over won't run away." Gan Cheng brushed the wet hair from their daughter's face, revealing a smile.

Only those who have seen how the Four Rivers Jiang Lord laughs at this moment can know how aloof their usual smile is; if one must describe it, this smile of theirs is like clouds dispersing and rain clearing, the sky bright and vast.

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Thanks to the little angels who voted for me as overlord or poured nutrient solution during the period from 2020-04-2007:56:00 to 2020-04-2109:00:55~

Thanks to the little angels who poured nutrient solution: Zouge 1 bottle;

Thank you very much for everyone's support; I will continue to strive!