Xie Lingyu wasn’t fond of bustling inns, so she had rented a temporary residence in Cangzhou.
The house was somewhat remote and not particularly large—just five rooms, including the kitchen—but it came with a small courtyard.
Unlike the Central Continent, the Xuanwu Kingdom lacked the foundation to establish dedicated cities for cultivators.
At best, there were small markets catering to immortals, and even these were sparse, appearing only once every few regions.
To Xie Lingyu’s eyes, the goods sold in these markets were all rather shoddy.
When cultivators from Xuanwu Kingdom’s sects ventured out on business, they usually lodged in mortal towns.
Given the remote nature of the area, most of these cultivators were at the Qi Refining stage, with the highest-ranking leader being a Foundation Establishment cultivator at best.
Such cultivators lacked the ability to conjure up a proper dwelling with a wave of their hand, and even if they painstakingly built one, it would be little more than a crude shack.
If I’ve gone to the trouble of cultivating immortality, living worse than mortals would be a joke—what’s the point?
Staying at an inn was far better—good food, good sleep.
Besides, once you’ve attained immortality, you ought to flaunt it a little. Even the lowest-ranking, most insignificant sect disciple would be addressed as "Immortal Master" by mortals outside.
Such praise was pure spiritual sustenance, giving these low-level cultivators the satisfaction of thinking—Damn, this immortality thing was totally worth it.
Xie Lingyu’s rented house wasn’t small for two people, though she hadn’t expected anyone else to move in.
Now, assigning each person their own room wasn’t practical, but none of the cultivators present were below the Golden Core stage—sleep had long become optional for them.
Except for Qinghe, the young flood dragon who had already reached the Nascent Soul stage. Every evening, before the sky even darkened, she’d claim she was sleepy and needed to rest.
She insisted that, as a juvenile among flood dragons, proper sleep was essential for healthy growth.
Xie Lingyu made a mental note of this excuse—she’d definitely report it to her master later.
In theory, aside from one extra room for Qinghe to sleep in at night, the others only needed a table and a few chairs.
After all, they were here to work, not vacation.
In the largest master bedroom, only three people were present.
Qinghe was happily munching on sweet pastries, with two large sacks of food behind her.
Xie Lingyu was brewing tea for Chu Xingchen. The trip had been rushed, so she hadn’t brought any spirit tea—just ordinary leaves.
Not that Chu Xingchen’s palate could tell the difference anyway; to him, tea was just flavored water.
Li Yingling and Li Xingtian, after familiarizing themselves with the place, had naturally gone to work without needing their master’s instructions.
The competition to be the master’s most considerate disciple was fierce these days.
After pouring the tea, Xie Lingyu glanced at Qinghe, who was still stuffing her face.
“Hmm, the taste of your tea is as familiar as ever.”
Hearing this, Xie Lingyu turned to Chu Xingchen. “It’s been a while. How have you been?”
Chu Xingchen smiled and nodded. “Not bad. Life’s been enjoyable, and I’ve taken on two rather interesting new disciples.”
“Oh?” Xie Lingyu hesitated before asking, “Since you managed to get the Great Heavenly Divination Token from my master, she didn’t give you too much trouble, did she? If she did, I’d like to apologize on her behalf.”
Bai Xuanling rarely acted on emotion—except when it came to Xie Lingyu. Most of the time, she was ruthlessly pragmatic.
Rather than assuming Bai Xuanling had taken a liking to Chu Xingchen, Xie Lingyu suspected her master simply recognized his latent potential—a dragon lurking in the depths.
Still, given Bai Xuanling’s temperament, she wouldn’t have resorted to violence upon their first meeting—but whether she’d said anything particularly harsh was another matter.
“Huh? You mean Senior Bai?” Chu Xingchen’s expression turned earnest. “Not at all. From the moment we met, it felt like we’d known each other for ages. Senior Bai has been incredibly kind and helpful to me.”
“Her words were gentle and witty, and her guidance has been meticulous. Many of our sect’s affairs were only resolved smoothly thanks to her assistance.”
“In fact, without Senior Bai’s help, my sect wouldn’t be thriving as it is now.”
Xie Lingyu was momentarily speechless. Though she shared a deep bond with her master, even she couldn’t bring herself to say such things.
Was her master really like this?
This sounded like shameless, over-the-top flattery—utterly unrealistic praise.
Qinghe, who had been happily eating, now shot Chu Xingchen a look of disdain.
Humans really have no bottom line. How can he spout such nonsense without batting an eye?
If anyone understood Bai Xuanling’s true nature, it was Qinghe—the flood dragon who’d had her horns sliced off by the old woman.
Swallowing her pastry, Qinghe said with palpable scorn,
“Friend, Bai Grandma isn’t here right now. No matter how much you suck up, she won’t hear it. Even if we’re buddies, I can’t bring myself to relay something this nauseating. She’ll never know.”
“I’m telling the truth…” Chu Xingchen sighed at their expressions.
Is honesty really so hard to believe these days?
From his perspective, Bai Xuanling had indeed provided immense help.
Whether it was sect construction or the distribution of his alchemical products, everything relied on her support.
Without her, he’d never have attained such prosperity.
Chu Xingchen still remembered the first batch of spirit stones Bai Xuanling had given him after their initial transaction.
The sheer quantity of gleaming stones in that spatial ring had been beyond anything he’d ever seen—like a dream to someone who’d grown up in poverty.
Qinghe shook her head. “Friend, enough. If you keep this up, I’ll lose my appetite.”
No wonder Xie Lingyu got fooled by this guy. He’s laying it on thick even when Bai Grandma isn’t around—imagine how shameless he’d be in person.
What a smooth talker.
Who knew Bai Grandma would fall for this?
No wonder she loves beating me up—I just don’t suck up enough.
Though this guy’s behavior is disgraceful, there’s still something to learn here. I’ll stick close to him these next few days, take notes, and try some flattery on Bai Grandma when I get back.
Xie Lingyu, too, seemed unable to stomach the praise and coughed lightly before changing the subject.
“What’s the situation on your end? Why are you investigating the water veins?”
Chu Xingchen nodded. “We’ve uncovered some clues. The root of the disturbances might be someone coveting an artifact in the Xuanwu Kingdom—something connected to the legendary guardian beast, Xuanwu.”
“The water veins seem closely tied to their objective. In Chizhou, controlled river demons have been dismantling dams.”
Xie Lingyu and Qinghe exchanged glances, quickly grasping the implications.
Chu Xingchen observed their expressions and chuckled.
“Seems like your opportunity and our investigation might be one and the same.”
Qinghe nodded vigorously. “Good friend, work hard on this! I’ll put in a good word for you and Martial Aunt with Bai Grandma!”
Chu Xingchen could only look at her with pity.
Didn't this flood dragon figure out Xie Lingyu's temperament yet? Such words should only be muttered to oneself in private. How dare it speak them right in front of her?
Sure enough, just a breath later,
a certain flood dragon was kicked straight out the door.
Qinghe watched as the door slammed shut instantly and couldn't help but grin.
A flustered Xie Lingyu was truly a sight to behold.
That kick wasn’t taken in vain—Qinghe loved every second of it.