Chapter 602: It Is Already Memory

Several days later, the one seated at the very top was naturally the host of this land, the Mountain God’s concubine, Lady Peacock, sitting beside him. Slightly below sat the senior disciple of Fuqiu Temple.

In addition to several Daoists from Fuqiu Temple—Master Xuanming, Daoist Bai Luan, and Master Moyu—the Mountain God’s protectors: the Green Lion, White Elephant, Crocodile Dragon, and Black Bear; several protectors of Lin Jue from Fengshan; several new disciples recruited by Ji Yang after becoming abbot; the abbots of several Daoist temples in the mountains; and Lin Jue’s third disciple, returned from the frigid northeast, along with Zi Yun, whom she had summoned from Fengshan, and Zi Yun’s young apprentice.

Master Yi Li and Daoist Jiang were also invited, bringing with them Daoist Qing Xuan, who had also become a deity; the Old Ancestor of Tianshan and several western deities had traveled far to attend the banquet.

Also present was Luo Gong, the Fourth Aunt of Jian Dao Peak.

It was fortunate that the Mountain God’s palace was large enough to accommodate many tables.

On the tables were original dan fruits, Yuanqiu immortal fruits, pigeon tofu, mountain loquat ice jelly, fried magnolia flowers, and a thousand-day wine brewed from immortal fruits.

The fox and the cat stood up and punched each other with soft, powerless fists.

“Thank you all for your help.”

The Yishan Mountain God, still appearing as a middle-aged man in splendid robes, looked clearly weakened and raised his cup to address everyone.

“Thank you all for your help.”

Lin Jue also raised his cup to the guests.

But their reply was again the same phrase:

“Thank you…”

This battle aided Lin Jue and Fuyao, aided the Mountain God, aided the Old Ancestor of Tianshan and the several nature deities of the west, aided the three elders—it was impossible to say who helped whom, who owed whom thanks; it was merely mutual aid.

The only ones who truly helped out of pure goodwill were the several senior disciples of Fuqiu Temple who had no ties to demons, and the Daoists dwelling in Heishan.

They could have stayed entirely uninvolved; the Nine Heavens would not have troubled them. Yet although Daoists usually secluded themselves in quiet cultivation, seeming distant from the mortal world and speaking little of grand principles, beneath their detached, ethereal demeanor lay a profound stubbornness.

As the senior disciple had said—

We have long received the Mountain God’s grace and care; how could we flee in fear of death when a great calamity approaches the mountains?

So all raised their cups and drank.

“Fine wine!”

“This is the thousand-day immortal wine brewed by the Mountain God of Langtou Mountain—even immortals can get drunk. Fellow Daoists who have not yet cultivated immortality, don’t overindulge,” Lin Jue explained and warned, “there is also ordinary thousand-day wine available.”

“This is wonderful!”

The third disciple’s eyes were already gleaming.

Sitting beside him was none other than Princess Hua.

Lin Jue smiled faintly and raised his cup one by one—to the Old Ancestor of Tianshan, whom he had not seen in years, and to Daoist Jiang and Master Yi Li.

The great hall was filled with noise.

Everyone drank and chatted with one another.

The youngest disciple was simple—

She merely used her chopsticks to pick up a fried magnolia flower, leaned close to examine it, brought it to her mouth for a bite, chewed, then held it up again to study it closely.

Within the two layers of golden-brown batter, a petal was faintly visible, about half the size of a palm, with some thickness, rendered translucent by high heat, clearly distinguishable from the batter, offering a slightly soft texture that required careful tasting to savor the petal’s flavor.

This was something she had been curious about for many years.

“Grandmaster, is it delicious?”

A little girl sat properly and asked cautiously.

“Try one.”

The youngest disciple reached out, pinched a piece and handed it to her, then took a original dan fruit: “Keep it in your robe; eat it before bed tonight.”

“Thank you, Grandmaster.”

The little girl was very well-behaved.

Another woman beside her spoke up:

“Master, it’s strange—recently, while tending to the immortal fruits in the mountains, I found that one of the Yuanqiu trees you planted years ago had ripened and was ready to be harvested, but then it suddenly died for no reason, only to come back to life again moments later! Yet the immortal fruits on your elder brother’s mountaintop remained untouched!”

“There’s such a thing?”

“Yes! Isn’t that strange?”

“As long as it’s alive, who cares why?”

“But even though it came back to life, all the fruits fell off! Master, please investigate what happened—who’s behind this? I must find them and demand compensation!”

“How would I know…”

The youngest disciple ate the fried magnolia flower and scratched her head.

Glancing sideways, she saw several senior disciples thanking the Old Ancestor of Tianshan for his thousand-year snow lotus; she quickly raised her cup and respectfully toasted the Old Ancestor, who in turn expressed gratitude for their aid, and both sides pledged to maintain lasting friendship and frequent exchanges.

Just as she set down her cup, the new abbot of Xianyuan Temple came forward to pay respects to the elder immortals.

Seeing this, the abbots of the other secluded Daoist temples in the mountains also stepped forward to bow to these immortal elders.

In their own time, when they cultivated in the mountains, apart from the Mountain God, they had never seen any immortals. They assumed these Daoists felt the same—but never had they imagined that one day, when the Nine Heavens sent their troops, they would not only witness immortals but also drink and feast alongside them.

The youngest disciple was momentarily lost in thought, recalling the past.

Back then, the abbot of Xianyuan Temple was Master Wangji, whom she and her senior disciple revered; she and her senior disciple were merely two young Daoists, and she had known several others in Xianyuan Temple. Yet time passed swiftly, and now she and her senior disciple had become the immortals they once heard of in the mountains and once sought on Tiandoufeng, while the abbot of Xianyuan Temple was now an unfamiliar junior.

The Five Elements Immortal, skilled in combat, had a simple mind; she felt a pang of nostalgia but could not articulate it, and remained stuck, deeply uneasy.

Master Xuanming, Daoist Bai Luan, and Master Moyu discussed what the Nine Heavens would do after Zi Di’s imprisonment: one said Jade Mirror Emperor might take over the Nine Heavens; another said Fuchi Shenjun had just returned, so Zi Di’s position might remain; a third said Jian Tian Fu Mo Emperor, revered by mortals and recognized by the Nine Heavens, would likely contend with Jade Mirror Emperor.

Daoist Jiang, Daoist Qing Xuan, and Master Yi Li sat drinking, savoring the immortal fruits and pastries; Daoist Jiang slightly raised her cup and clinked it with Lin Jue’s across the distance.

The fox and the cat chased each other over to them, bumped against her knee, then darted off in another direction.

Suddenly, flutes and songs rose in the hall, and moonlight spilled down.

It was the immortal skilled in illusionary arts, drunk, who had risen and summoned the moon from within the hall, then drawn forth from it a celestial orchestra and dancing maidens, who now floated and twirled in midair.

When the banquet ended, many were drunk.

Especially those with weak cultivation and those who drank too much.

The third disciple was completely plastered.

Lin Jue and the youngest disciple, along with Daoist Jiang, left the Lotus Peak Mountain God’s palace and strolled through Yishan.

Along this path walked the very people who had built it.

On the right, ancient pines jutted from the cliffside like pavilions, their branches heavy with orange-red pine blossoms; on the left, several azaleas, peach, and apricot trees bloomed profusely, and countless unknown mountain trees, thorns, spirit plants, and rare herbs—all bloomed under the Daoists’ magical power. A crow chased a sparrow overhead; the mere rush of its wings sent several petals loose from their branches, drifting in the wind like threads.

“Back then, when we first met in Yixian, I never imagined you two would one day attain such power,” Daoist Jiang said slowly as they walked.

“Back then, I didn’t know you were a deity.”

“Speaking of back then—it’s too far away.”

“Indeed…”

In the mountains, spirits and demons still trembled in awe; seeing them, they spoke up:

“May I ask, Immortals, have the heavenly soldiers departed?”

“They have departed.”

“Will they return?”

“Probably not.”

All three answered gently.

The path soon neared its end.

It was Fuqiu Peak, familiar to them.

Behind Fuqiu Peak, peach, apricot, and azalea trees filled the slopes, now more dazzling than even the depths of Yishan, nearly covering the entire mountain. The group halted and gazed; their first memories were of the young Daoists gathered beneath the peach trees, drinking and admiring blossoms—and of course, the old Daoist.

“In a while, the Emperor will send someone to visit you and speak with you,” Daoist Jiang suddenly said.

“Will you come?”

“…”

Daoist Jiang paused, then shook her head:

“I won’t come.”

“Good.”

Lin Jue nodded.

Generally, Daoist Jiang was both his close friend and a Yuanjun under Jade Mirror Emperor; whenever Jade Mirror Emperor wished to communicate with him, she served as the intermediary.

This in fact revealed her stance—

If Jade Mirror Emperor wished to test his attitude, persuade him to support him, or request his aid, the ideal choice would naturally be Daoist Jiang. He would certainly send her.

But Daoist Jiang refused him.

Clearly, she understood this matter was of grave importance, and thus refused to involve her friendship with Lin Jue and the youngest disciple as leverage to put them in a difficult position.

If conflict arose, if those close to oneself chose to stand aside, it meant siding with the other; if those close to the other chose to stand aside, it meant siding with oneself.

And this would clearly affect her standing with Jade Mirror Emperor.

“I’m going back.”

“Farewell, Daoist.”

Lin Jue and the youngest disciple saw her off.

The crow and the sparrow also stopped flapping their wings, maintaining their chase distance, and turned to watch her.

A flash of divine light! Daoist Jiang was gone.

Lin Jue and the other stood still, gazing ahead.

Among the blooming flowers, faint voices could be heard.

Zi Yun was playing with her young apprentice, making the child laugh heartily.

Two young Daoists carrying food boxes walked along a narrow path through the blossoms; upon seeing them, they immediately bowed respectfully:

“Greetings, Two Senior Grandmasters.”

"There were some immortal fruits left over from today’s feast; our master told us that eating too many of them is useless, so he asked us to deliver the remainder to Immortal Source Monastery for the Daoist companions there to enjoy, so nothing would be wasted."

The two young Daoists quickly continued forward, and just around the corner, they vanished into the blooming peach blossoms.

Lin Jue could not help but glance again at his young junior sister.

He suspected that at this very moment, both of them were thinking the same thing—

This Mount Yishan, this mountain path, this grove of flowers, and the Immortal Source Monastery it led to, had become their memories—but right now, even younger Daoists were living through them.