A Little Fate

Thinking of the rumored immortal sect in Xiushui Village, the coachman guessed that perhaps this thing was made by them.

He recalled hearing the butler's son bragging to the servants before, saying that their master had been lamenting at home because he had been away on a business trip and missed the chance to buy a residential plot in Xiushui Village.

By the time he returned, even the land in the surrounding areas of the village had been completely bought up.

With nowhere to vent his anger, the furious master blamed his wife for lacking foresight and not seizing the opportunity to buy a piece of land in Xiushui Village. He complained that all she knew was rouge, powder, flower banquets, and poetry gatherings, and that she never shared his burdens.

The coachman sat alone under the shade of a tree, letting his mind wander through the various messy affairs of their household.

Meanwhile, Niu Xiaoxue was walking briskly straight into the village, completely ignoring her father, Niu Dafu, no matter how much he shouted from behind.

With people constantly coming and going in Xiushui Village, no one paid them any attention.

Nowadays, the Lingxian Eatery by the drying ground in the center of the village, the Lingxian Academy by the mountain stream, and the Questioning Heart Path at the foot of the North Mountain had become must-visit spots for tourists coming to Xiushui Village.

These three places had the most people.

Besides these, there were a few other bustling spots in the village.

At this time, in several previously uneven areas of Xiushui Village, workers were in the midst of zealous construction.

These were exactly the business locations selected by Lin Xiao and Village Chief Du.

Although Lin Xiao could have built them himself using materials, he ultimately chose to pay regular wages and hire people to do the construction.

There would only be more of these things in the future. It was enough for him to build the sect well; for everything else, it was better to follow normal procedures. Moreover, this could also help stimulate the local economy around Xiushui Village.

Niu Xiaoxue only had the Lingxian Sect in her heart. After casually asking a passerby for directions, she headed straight for the foot of the North Mountain.

Aside from noticing the large crowds, she had no mind to pay attention to the various changes in Xiushui Village.

When Niu Xiaoxue arrived at the foot of the North Mountain, her eyes were immediately drawn to the mountain path lined with lush peach blossom trees.

It wasn't until she walked closer involuntarily that she noticed a very conspicuous wooden sign standing beside the mountain path.

Written neatly on it were the words: Do not enter casually, or bear the consequences.

The wooden sign was very new, as if it had been recently set up there.

Having learned to read and cultivated to the first level of Qi Condensation within a year, Niu Xiaoxue could naturally understand the contents written on the sign.

She pondered for a moment and ultimately did not rashly step onto the Questioning Heart Path. Instead, she faced the mountain and respectfully called out in a clear voice:

This humble girl is Niu Xiaoxue, and I wish to join the Lingxian Sect!

Her voice wasn't particularly loud, but Niu Xiaoxue felt that the immortals on the mountain should be able to hear it.

She thought that once the people on the mountain heard her voice, they would come down to investigate.

However, the situation she expected did not occur.

For a long time after she shouted, there was still no movement on the mountain at all.

At this moment, Niu Dafu finally caught up, panting heavily.

Seeing his daughter standing foolishly at the foot of the mountain, he walked over. Just as he was about to say something, a very elderly-looking man suddenly appeared at the beautiful entrance of the mountain path.

That old man was none other than Li Zhanying, who was temporarily staying in Xiushui Village.

Opening his eyes and finding himself back at the entrance of the mountain path, Li Zhanying was in a daze for quite a while before completely pulling himself out of his previous dreamscape.

Turning his head and seeing Niu Xiaoxue not far away, he smiled amiably:

Little girl, are you here to join the sect? It is not yet time for the Lingxian Sect to accept disciples.

Seeing him come down from the mountain path with a demeanor completely different from ordinary tourists, and noting his very calm tone when mentioning the Lingxian Sect, Niu Xiaoxue felt that this old man was definitely no ordinary person.

Looking at his composed and unruffled appearance, Niu Xiaoxue intuitively felt that he must be an immortal cultivator.

Taking it for granted that he was a senior of the Lingxian Sect, she immediately said respectfully:

Junior Niu Xiaoxue greets Senior. This junior sincerely wishes to join the Lingxian Sect. My spiritual roots are quite decent; I hope Senior can make an exception.

Hearing this, Li Zhanying smiled and shook his head. His divine sense swept over her, and not knowing what suddenly came to mind, he said to her:

This old man is not a member of the Lingxian Sect, so I cannot make an exception for you. However, you and I are fated. Would you be willing to cultivate under me?

Li Zhanying deliberately did not give his name, simply tossing out this abrupt question and waiting to see Niu Xiaoxue's reaction.

From the time he left the royal capital until he settled down for a short stay in Xiushui Village, it wasn't that he had gained zero insights, but they were indeed quite few and did not offer much help for his breakthrough.

Feeling hesitant and somewhat anxious, Li Zhanying had been taking a stroll in the village a few days ago when he suddenly heard tourists discussing the Questioning Heart Path.

Figuring that he was idle anyway, he quietly stepped onto the Questioning Heart Path.

He originally just wanted to give it a try to see if it would be of any help to him, but he never expected that he, a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, would actually fail to pass the Questioning Heart Path set up by this sect!

Furthermore, even with his cultivation at the Nascent Soul stage, upon entering this Questioning Heart Path, he was completely unaware that he was in a dreamscape.

After experiencing an unforgettable lifetime inside, he was pushed out by the Questioning Heart Path and denied entry.

Although he failed to pass the Questioning Heart Path, after returning, Li Zhanying carefully savored the dream experience and felt he had benefited greatly.

Thus, he went a second time, and a third time.

Today was his fourth time entering the Questioning Heart Path.

He could feel that as he made mental adjustments after carefully savoring each experience, the resistance he faced within the dreamscapes of the Questioning Heart Path became smaller and smaller.

He figured that if he continued to sincerely adjust his mindset in this way, perhaps it wouldn't be long before he could pass the trial of the Questioning Heart Path.

But that was not his goal.

The reason he entered this Questioning Heart Path time and time again was not to successfully pass it and ascend the mountain.

Rather, he discovered that every time he reflected on and changed from his dream experiences, his state of mind would shift. At the same time, his cultivation realm, which had remained entirely stagnant for many years, actually began to show signs of loosening.

Although it wasn't guaranteed that he would successfully break through and advance upon passing the Questioning Heart Path, this was absolutely an unexpected breakthrough point for him.

And when he came out this time and saw this little girl outside, for some unknown reason, he felt that she shared a bit of destiny with him.

Having cultivated for so many years, he actually strongly believed in the existence of heaven's will in the unseen world.

Therefore, when he saw Niu Xiaoxue and felt that connection, the question simply blurted out of his mouth.

Hearing this, Niu Xiaoxue was somewhat surprised.

She hadn't expected to guess wrong; this senior was actually not from the Lingxian Sect.

But listening to his meaning...