Misstep

After showing them around the secret realm’s little garden, the next stop was naturally Yao’guang Floating Island.

After all, the entrance was right nearby.

However, Liu Yunan hesitantly glanced at the new disciples behind him.

After touring this area around the mountainside, most of the new disciples already had flushed, excited faces…

If he took them to the floating island as well, would that be too much stimulation?

He inwardly cursed himself for his lack of foresight. He had never considered this issue before.

After thinking it over, he decided to let everyone return to the dormitory area and rest first. They had spent two days on the Heart-Questioning Path, and even with spiritual energy nourishing their bodies, they were still bound to be somewhat exhausted.

On top of that, they had been excited throughout the entire journey. Liu Yunan was genuinely afraid that some of these new disciples would overexert themselves and faint later.

Thus, he turned to the group and said, “We’ll visit the rest of the sect tomorrow. That’s all for today. I’ll take everyone to the residential area to rest.”

At the same time, he took out a voice-transmission talisman and used his spiritual sense to enter a message into it for a moment before sending it to Qin Jianghe.

He then led the new disciples toward the residential area.

Because they were used so frequently, Lingxian Sect’s voice-transmission talismans were constantly being improved.

One type, for example, could be inscribed using one’s spiritual sense.

With this kind of talisman, whenever it was inconvenient to speak aloud, one could transmit messages directly through spiritual sense.

Before Lin Xiao entered seclusion, he had also been researching a communication tool that was supposedly far more convenient than voice-transmission talismans. Unfortunately, the moment to break through his cultivation had come too quickly. He had entered the Natural Platform before he could complete his research.

Once he had brought the new disciples to the residential area, Liu Yunan pointed at the rows of large thatched huts and cleared his throat.

“This place will be your residence from now on. Later, an elder will guide you in building your own dwellings. For the next few days, you’ll have to rest in these thatched huts.”

“If you get bored staying here, you may wander around the mountainside at your leisure and familiarize yourselves with the surroundings. You’ll be coming and going there often in the future.”

He then pointed to the very spacious hall situated on the other side of the mountain.

“That is the Cultivation Hall, where you’ll practice from now on. There are many cultivation manuals inside. If you have nothing else to do, you may go there and browse through them, choosing a few in advance and familiarizing yourselves with them.”

After explaining everything, Liu Yunan thought that should be all for the time being. Only then did he bring today’s itinerary to an end.

“All right. You’ve been walking around for quite some time, so you must be tired. Get some rest early. Dinner will be delivered shortly. Take this opportunity to get to know one another. From now on, you’ll all be fellow disciples.”

With that, he drew his peachwood sword, mounted it, and flew away from the new disciples’ residential area.

After hearing his words, the new disciples stared blankly at the rows of thatched huts in the open space ahead, feeling somewhat lost.

They had just finished touring the mountainside, a place filled with marvels and breathtaking beauty. Now they were suddenly being told that their residence was a thatched hut. The contrast was a little too great, and they needed some time to adjust.

Fortunately, it was only temporary.

Each of the thatched huts was quite spacious.

The floors had been paved with stones, with large wooden planks laid across them, apparently intended to serve as beds.

Each hut could accommodate roughly twenty people.

Previously, Liu Yunan and the others had worried that there would not be enough beds when the newcomers arrived, so they had built quite a few thatched huts. With only a hundred or so people at present, even if ten people shared each hut, several would still remain empty.

Apart from that, every hut had a huge water vat beside it. Several relatively flat stones had been placed outside, barely serving as tables.

There was nothing else.

However, many of these hundred-plus new disciples came from poor families, and several were even natives of Xiushui Village.

They were quite capable of accepting the thatched huts.

After Elder Liu finished explaining the arrangements, they obediently entered the huts and took out the simple bedding prepared inside the storage pouches they had received from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

The small bags looked no different from ordinary purses, but when opened, they contained an entire world within—an astonishing amount of supplies!

When they had first received them, they had followed Elder Liu’s instructions and opened them to take a look, leaving them amazed.

Even during the tour, they had secretly opened the pouches again and again, fascinated by them.

After examining them along the way, they naturally became familiar with the different items inside.

The simply dressed, even shabbily dressed, newcomers had already begun taking action. Only then did those dressed in finery, whether rich or noble, come back to their senses.

So what if they had to live in thatched huts?

If others could live there, so could they!

Regardless of why the immortals had made such arrangements, these people had gone to great lengths to join the sect. They certainly would not quibble over such a minor matter.

They followed one after another, imitating the movements of those nearby who were spreading bedding across the wooden planks inside the huts. Awkwardly, they began their future lives of cultivating immortality through self-reliance and doing everything for themselves.

The ratio of men to women among the hundred-plus disciples was roughly equal.

They spontaneously divided themselves into two groups and headed in opposite directions.

The men occupied the several huts on the left, while the women took those on the right.

Two empty huts stood between them, serving as a boundary.

Some of the women were living alongside so many people for the first time and felt a little awkward. But then they remembered that this was the land of immortals. From now on, everyone would not only be fellow disciples but also seekers of the immortal path. They should not be constrained by mundane conventions.

The trace of shyness in their hearts gradually faded.

Some of those who had been physically frail had worried that staying in a thatched hut open on all four sides would make them ill. Yet after entering, they discovered that the temperature inside was remarkably comfortable.

After Zhu Xiurong efficiently spread out her own bedding, she noticed a little girl beside her struggling with a mattress, her tiny arms and legs working furiously as sweat beaded on her forehead. She went over and helped the girl arrange it.

Once the bed was made, the little girl revealed a row of small, adorable white teeth. With an innocent smile and a bright, childish voice, she said to the gray-haired Zhu Xiurong, “Thank you, Granny! Granny, my name is Tong Wan. My father says I’m a lovely piece of jade. You can call me Wanwan!”

Hearing this, Zhu Xiurong nodded kindly.

“All right. From now on, Granny will call you Wanwan.”

At that moment, a man’s voice came softly from not far outside the thatched huts, calling toward the women’s area.

“Aunt Yang, how are things over there?”

Hearing Liang Zhonghuai’s voice, Zhu Xiurong knew that he was worried about her but could not come over because it would be inconvenient. She gestured to Tong Wan, then rose and walked outside.

She saw Liang Zhonghuai standing before the several huts separating the men and women. Zhu Xiurong looked relaxed as she said to him, “Don’t worry, Zhonghuai. I’m doing just fine.”

Seeing that she had met the daughter she had been longing for all these years and that her entire condition had improved considerably, Liang Zhonghuai was sincerely happy for her.

“When do you plan to go see her?”