19: Immortal Master Descends

After the last freezing rain of the first lunar month, the snow on the back mountain of Li Family Village finally began to melt, revealing the blackish-brown soil and withered grass stems beneath.

The air was no longer bone-chillingly dry and cold, but carried a hint of dampness, the breath of all things stirring.

The blue bricks and grey tiles piled beside the courtyard wall of Li Dashan's house were particularly striking in the thawing mud.

The timber for building the house was also fully prepared, just waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more and the frozen ground to thaw before breaking ground.

But at this moment, the family's thoughts were not on those few future new tile-roofed rooms.

On the first day of the second lunar month, before the sky was fully bright, the flame of the oil lamp leaped in the low main room of Li Dashan's house, reflecting faces full of tension and expectation.

Li Dashan wore his most decent jacket, washed until it was white, and clutched a small coarse cloth bundle in his hand, which contained the dry rations and water prepared for Li Qingfeng.

Mrs. Zhang's eyes were somewhat red, and she was repeatedly tidying Li Qingfeng's collar, her mouth rambling with instructions:

"Don't run around when you get to town, stay close to your father... there are many people, don't get lost in the crowd... drink water if you're thirsty, eat cakes if you're hungry..."

Li Qingfeng stood with his back straight, wearing a new padded jacket specially sewn by his mother from thick cotton cloth; his face was tense, his lips pursed into a line, and his palms were covered in sweat.

The eldest brother, Li Qingshan, stood silently to the side, holding a sturdy wooden stick.

The second brother, Li Qinglin, was also unusually quiet, his eyes circling Li Qingfeng, carrying envy and a bit of unexplainable apprehension.

"Father, Mother, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you... are all going?"

Li Qinghe's voice broke the somewhat heavy atmosphere; he stood in the shadows by the door, his tone calm.

Li Dashan looked at his youngest son, his gaze complex.

He knew the reason why the fourth son wasn't going—fear of being spotted by the Immortal Masters, which could bring disaster.

He nodded forcefully, his voice low but carrying an unquestionable decisiveness:

"All of us! To give Qingfeng courage! You... stay at home and watch the house."

Li Qinghe gave a hum of agreement and said no more.

He looked at his third brother, who was surrounded by the whole family and clearly nervous yet pretending to be calm. The Qi Ming Pulse Gate deep between his brows moved slightly, and a trace of cool spiritual energy flowed through his eyes.

He clearly "saw" the six-inch-long phantom of the Spiritual Root within his third brother's body, fluctuating slightly with its owner's nervous emotions.

"Let's go! The sky is about to brighten! Don't miss the hour!"

Li Dashan took one last look at Li Qinghe, a gaze that contained many things—instructions, worry, and a deeply hidden trace of apology.

He took a deep breath and pushed open the creaking, broken wooden door.

The cold wind rushed in, carrying the scent of damp, cold earth.

Li Dashan led the way, Mrs. Zhang followed closely holding Li Qingfeng's hand, and Li Qingshan and Li Qinglin protected them on either side; the figures of the family of five soon disappeared into the morning mist permeating the village entrance.

Li Qinghe stood within the cold threshold, watching his family's receding backs until they were completely out of sight before slowly closing the door.

The house instantly became quiet, leaving only the occasional soft crackle of the unextinguished firewood in the hearth.

He walked back to his small room and sat cross-legged on the cold earthen bed, but he did not Cultivate immediately. His mind was calm, yet it involuntarily drifted to Black Mountain Town, twenty miles away... Black Mountain Town, Ascension Platform.

This was originally just a slightly larger open space paved with bluestone in the center of town, but now it was completely submerged by a tide of people.

People from every nook and cranny of the Dahuang Mountain villages came surging in like a tide, bringing the eligible young boys and girls from their families.

Clamor, shouts, and the crying of children mixed together, deafening.

The air was filled with the smell of sweat, dust, and an aura of anxious unease.

Li Dashan's family squeezed into the periphery of the crowd, like a few leaves in a stormy sea, being pushed and shoved as they struggled to move forward.

Li Dashan gripped Li Qingfeng's wrist tightly, while Li Qingshan and Li Qinglin used their bodies to protect their mother, Mrs. Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang's face was pale, and she clutched the front of her clothes tightly, her eyes fixed on the wooden platform built temporarily in the center of the clearing, a few feet above the ground—the Ascension Platform.

Time passed bit by bit, the sun gradually rose, and the crowd became increasingly restless; complaints and urgings rose from all sides.

The Town Guards responsible for maintaining order brandished their whips and shouted loudly, trying to control the situation, but it seemed like a drop in the ocean before the massive tide of people.

"Why hasn't the Immortal Master arrived yet?"

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

"It's so crowded! Don't push from the front!"

Just as the crowd's anxiety reached its peak—

"The Immortal Master is here!" someone shouted, their sharp voice piercing the clamor.

The crowd suddenly went silent, and countless gazes were cast toward the sky in unison!

"Buzz—!"

A strange hum, like a harp string being plucked, tore through the noisy sky without warning!

Following that, two streaks of blinding light, like lightning tearing through grey cloth, arrived in an instant from the distant horizon!

The speed was so fast it almost exceeded the limits of Mortal vision!

One second they were on the horizon, the next they were hovering directly above Ascension Platform!

They were two long, narrow, streamlined, and strange Flying Shuttles! Their entire bodies shimmered with a cold, metallic luster, and their surfaces were covered in complex and mysterious runes.

The Flying Shuttles hovered quietly, about three zhang above the ground, silent and soundless, yet emitting a suffocating, majestic pressure!

Like two invisible giant mountains, they crashed down upon everyone's hearts!

The clamor was instantly silenced, as if it had been strangled!

Tens of thousands of gazes, filled with unparalleled awe, fear, and fervor, stared fixedly at the two hovering Flying Shuttles!

The hatch doors of the Flying Shuttles slid open silently.

Two figures floated out, crossing the void as if stepping on invisible stairs, slowly descending onto the Ascension Platform.

A man and a woman, both wearing ancient-style, wide-sleeved, greenish-grey Daoist Robes.

The man was about thirty years old, his face cold and his eyes indifferent, as if viewing the masses beneath his feet as mere ants and dust.

The woman was slightly younger, with a clear and beautiful appearance, but her brow also carried an icy coldness that kept people at a distance.

The invisible pressure they emitted caused the originally noisy square to fall into an instant silence! Everyone subconsciously held their breath, and even children's cries were tightly muffled.

The two landed on the platform, their gazes like lightning, slowly scanning the dark, silenced crowd below.

Those eyes held no warmth, only a high-and-mighty scrutiny and... indifference.

It was as if they were looking at a swarm of insignificant insects.

The Flying Shuttles did not depart; the hatch doors remained open.

Quite a few people could be vaguely seen sitting inside—children of seven or eight years old, as well as teenagers. Each was dressed differently, but their expressions all carried tension and a trace of hard-to-detect pride.

Clearly, they were the lucky ones who had already been tested and selected from other areas around Black Mountain Town.

The cold male Immortal Master stepped forward; he did not speak, but simply raised his hand casually.

A scroll shimmering with pale golden runes, appearing as if condensed from light, appeared out of thin air, hovering in mid-air.

A cold, emotionless voice, like the grinding of metal, rang clearly in everyone's ears, drowning out all other noise: