The one-eyed old man ultimately could not resist the allure of delicious food and agreed to join, as his immortal sect was left with only him. If he didn't take disciples, his lineage would be cut off on this Tianchen Continent. He had only one condition: when Ayiu took disciples in the future, he must accept one to inherit his sect.
Ayiu happily became his disciple and agreed to this request. As long as he didn't have to leave his fairy mistress, he didn't care.
The one-eyed old man was also invited to attend the ceremony at the Chaotian Immortal Sect. He wouldn't have come, but before leaving, his master who had ascended appeared in a dream and told him that his disciple's fated encounter should be during this trip. As expected, if the disciples of the Chaotian Immortal Sect hadn't looked down on him and assigned him to the small courtyard next to Ye Ju's, he wouldn't have met his little disciple. He simply found bringing attendants troublesome, so he traveled alone on his flying boat.
After becoming a disciple, the one-eyed old man moved into Ye Ju's small courtyard and never left. Every day, he waited for his little disciple to feed him three meals. When he ate his fill, he felt like his past millennia had been wasted. He would also take the time to teach Ayiu and the others his sect's cultivation techniques, not to be a master in name only. The one-eyed old man could have ascended long ago, but he needed to find an inheritor for his sect's legacy. Thus, he suppressed his cultivation and spread rumors to find a disciple, searching for hundreds of years without finding anyone he fancied. Now that he had found one through this fated encounter, his wish was fulfilled, and he felt even more at ease. The small courtyard was often filled with his hearty laughter.
It was just that someone was always snatching food from him, making him exclaim "disrespectful to elders" daily, while also happily competing with Xiaobai. The one-eyed old man now knew that this little fairy was the master of the Nine-tailed Fox divine beast, which explained her low-profile demeanor.
This day, Qilin arrived again. Chaoyangzi could not find Ye Ju in the cave dwelling prepared for her, so he began to investigate where Ye Ju and her companions had gone. It was Qilin's sensitive nose that led the way. As the one-eyed old man and Xiaobai were fighting over a roasted fish, Qilin smelled it and descended from the sky, swallowing the roasted fish in one gulp. After eating, it complained that the fish was too small. Finally, after being "attacked" by an old man and a young girl, it pitifully ran off to tell its master. Hearing that Ye Ju and her companions were in a secluded guest courtyard of the Chaotian Immortal Sect, Chaoyangzi's expression hid a brewing storm, and he disappeared in a flash of light.
After that day, most of the outer disciples responsible for receiving guests were expelled from the sect. The person in charge of this matter, who was Chaotian Ci's maternal uncle, was sentenced to three hundred strokes by the Disciplinary Hall, beaten half to death, and then thrown before Chaotian Ci's mother.
Chaotian Ci's mother trembled with anger, her lips quivering. Finally, she ran to the Sect Leader, crying. Chaoyangzi merely glanced indifferently at his father and said coldly, "Her reach is too long." The Sect Leader of the Chaotian Immortal Sect silenced himself and instead confined his concubine for half a month.
Meanwhile, after Tianji rescued Yun Ya and Yun Yi, he flew at full speed, heading straight for the Chaotian Immortal Sect.
Arriving at the Chaotian Immortal Sect that day, the formation token he carried close to him faintly glowed. He knew that Divine Venerable Ye Fairy had also arrived. The Canglan Sect was a major sect, so their group received preferential treatment and were led to the guest courtyard specially prepared for distinguished guests. Not only was the spiritual energy abundant, but a spirit gathering formation was also set up in the courtyard. This was incomparable to the small courtyard where Ye Ju and the others were staying.
When Chaoyangzi arrived that day, Ye Ju and her companions were having hot pot. As Chaoyangzi entered the courtyard, everyone fell silent. When they were assigned to this shabby small courtyard, both Ayiu and Xiao Wanyou had their thoughts. Xiaobai, being a divine beast, might not understand the complexities of the mortal world, but Ayiu and Xiao Wanyou, having experienced hardship and seen the faces of people since childhood, understood the nature of people's flattery and meanness. They all thought Chaoyangzi had done it intentionally, as if Ye Ju had been forgotten since their arrival. What kind of hospitality was this?
Even Steward Zhu doubted. What he didn't know was that this was the result of a power struggle between his sister, the Sect Leader's wife, and the Sect Leader's concubine.
It was Ye Ju who broke the silence: "Qingyang, you're here. Sit down and eat with us! Xiao Wanyou, go get an extra set of bowls and chopsticks."
The one-eyed old man didn't care who had arrived. He only knew that there was one more person competing for food.
Chaoyangzi sat down calmly. He didn't explain why he had come so late to find her.
"Uncle, do you want to go see mother?" Chaoyangzi picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of meat. The tender and juicy meat exploded with flavor in his mouth, tasting exceptionally delicious. He hadn't eaten like this in a long time; ever since returning from the island, he had been subsisting on辟谷丹 (bigu dan - abstinence from grains pills) and hadn't eaten fresh food.
"No need. You'll see her on your wedding day. Oh, right, I have recognized the fairy as my master. From now on, I will be addressed as Steward Zhu when we are out." Steward Zhu spoke while eating; there was no other way, or there would be no soup left. His own people were already quite the eaters, and he hadn't expected Ayiu's master to be even more so. His stomach never seemed full; as long as there was food, he could eat indefinitely.
After a few bites, Chaoyangzi's appetite was whetted. Seeing that Divine Venerable Ye Ju and the others were all wolfing down their food at the same pace, the awkward atmosphere that had filled the courtyard upon his entry had long since disappeared. He curved his lips upwards. The Divine Venerable had always been like this. Realizing this, he also buried his head and ate heartily. This time, Zhi Meng, Chi Zu, and Xi Mo were not present at the table; they were in seclusion within the spatial artifact.
Ye Ju was the first to finish eating. Looking at the remaining people who were all engrossed in eating, she drank a mouthful of spiritual tea with satisfaction. These people probably didn't know that when someone else was competing for food, the food would become particularly delicious.
After the meal, everyone was drinking tea and eating spiritual fruits in the courtyard. Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. Ye Ju knew it was Tianji. What surprised her was that Tianji was followed by two unexpected individuals.
Xiao Wanyou went to open the courtyard gate. Upon seeing the two people following behind, Xiao Wanyou immediately became alert and guarded.
"Xiao Wanyou, don't be nervous," Steward Zhu Ye followed behind. He had also noticed the people following Tianji when he opened the door, but he thought these two probably wouldn't remember them. The abilities of the Zhi Meng clan were trustworthy.
"Fairy Ye, Tianji has come to pay his respects." Tianji, realizing the presence of the two behind him, changed his address. He couldn't help it; the two insisted on coming along, so he brought them.
"Tianji, where did you come from? And who are those two behind you?" Ye Ju also pretended to be ignorant. Those two scoundrels had been left by Steward Zhu in the freezing snow, yet they were still unharmed. As expected, their fate was not to perish!
"These two were rescued from snow wolves on the way," Tianji explained the circumstances. So that's how it was!
"What are your names, fellow Daoists?" Steward Zhu interjected.
"I am Yun Ya, and this is my junior brother, Yun Yi. Are you friends of Daoist Tianji? We've shamelessly intruded!"
Chaoyangzi noticed the slightly unusual atmosphere among them but didn't ask further. He turned to look at Ayiu, whose expression was odd. Using the excuse of asking Ayiu to grind ink for him, he took Ayiu into his room. He set up a barrier and asked for the whole story.
The Yun Ya duo didn't think much of it, only seeing Chaoyangzi's opulent clothing and assuming he was a noble young master from some major sect. When they arrived at this courtyard, they thought Tianji was meeting someone of no consequence. However, as soon as they entered the courtyard, he sensed that the cultivation of the people within was unfathomable...