Immortal of the Nine Realms

“Lord Fang—no, Duke Fang...” Fang Qingyao spluttered, a blush had blossomed on her cheeks.

Jin Nan and the others couldn’t help but feel a little strange. Not only did Fairy Yu seem to have an unspoken relationship with Fang Chen, but that seemed to be the case with Fang Qingyao as well...?

Daoist Yu glanced over at the group. “Everyone, it’s my turn now, right?”

“Let her choose for herself,” said Fang Chen suddenly.

Daoist Ya was slightly stunned, then a glimpse of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes. But due to Fang Chen’s background, he repressed his unhappiness and reluctantly agreed, “Sure, she can make her own choice.”

“Young Lady Fang, who do you wish to take as your master?” asked Fang Chen with a smile.

Fang Qingyao had gradually calmed down by now, and she found herself conflicted. After a while of silence, Fang Qingyao shook her head slightly. “I don’t want to cultivate.”

She doesn’t want to cultivate?

Jin Nan and the others were all stunned.

The emperor of Grand Xia also stared intently at Fang Qingyao.

All eyes were on her.

Was this young lady even sane? Why would she refuse this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Li Maocai and her maidservant were anxious, and they wished they could open their mouths and choose a sect for Fang Qingyao in her stead!

Fang Chen was surprised. “Why?”

“If I leave, who will help to take care of the orphans and widows in the Hall of Compassion...” mumbled Fang Qingyao.

When her maidservant heard that, she fell silent. She knew that Fang Qingyao always had Fang Chen on her mind, but due to the vast difference in their status, she never opened up about her feelings for him. Now, as long as Fang Qingyao became a cultivator, she would be able to narrow the gap between them. Realizing her feelings for him wouldn’t be as unattainable as it once was....

Alas. She was going to give up this opportunity for the sake of the orphans and widows of the Hall of Compassion. Only her maidservant knew how difficult this decision was for Fang Qingyao.

After Abbess Qing He whispered a few words to Abbess Zhu Yue, Abbess Zhu Yue immediately stood up and looked at Fang Qingyao. She asked, “Are you willing to join our Concealed Moon Hermitage, young lady?”

“Abbess Zhu Yue, we agreed to let her choose for herself,” grumbled Daoist Ya in displeasure.

Abbess Zhu Yue ignored him as she continued to stare intensely at Fang Qingyao.

Fang Chen smiled lightheartedly, then said, “Young Lady Fang, immortal fate is hard to come by. Your temperament is very compatible with Concealed Moon Hermitage’s cultivation technique. As for the Hall of Compassion, don’t worry, I will make sure that it will be in good hands after you leave.”

Abbess Zhu Yue nodded subtly at Fang Chen as an acknowledgment of gratitude. For this, she owed him a favor.

Elder Jin Nan and the others sighed inwardly, and Daoist Ya looked grim. Since Fang Chen had spoken, they had no choice but to give him face. Now, it was all up to her whether she was willing to join the Concealed Moon Hermitage.

Fang Qingyao was still undecided.

Upon seeing that, Fang Chen immediately pointed to the Grand Xia Emperor and the court officials. “Even if I can’t look after the Hall of Compassion, His Majesty and the hundreds of court officials would do so. Who would dare mistreat the orphans and widows there?”

The emperor was surprised he was brought into this but he still nodded in agreement nonetheless. “Duke Fang is right. I assure you; I’ll have my men watch over all the Halls of Compassion. You can be at ease as you leave to cultivate,” he reassured her. “Once you’ve achieved some success in your cultivation, you may of course return and visit them.”

“Yes, yes,” persuaded one of the court officials.

The other officials quickly followed his cue and started nagging her to accept.

Many voices of persuasion rang among the crowd as well.

“Sister Fang, once you become an immortal, you can establish more Halls of Compassion.”

“Xiao Wu will undergo the spirit measurement later. If he passes, he will be a divine immortal just like you.”

“That’s right, please don’t give up a good opportunity like this for us old people. You are a kind-hearted girl, once you become a divine immortal, you can help treat our sicknesses in the future.”

At one glance, there were many elderly people and children dressed plainly, and most of them even had disabilities, but they were nonetheless in relatively good spirits.

“Young Lady Fang,” mouthed Fang Chen, “don’t let them down.”

His words helped shatter her hesitation, and her eyes gradually turned determined, shining with resolution.

She nodded firmly and walked toward Abbess Zhu Yue.

She accepted solely for one reason: she didn’t want to disappoint any of them.

Abbess Zhu Yue’s eyes flashed with satisfaction, and she quickly announced to Daoist Ya and the others, ”This is the only disciple we will accept into the Concealed Moon Hermitage. We won’t compete with you anymore.”

Hearing that, Daoist Ya’s displeasure lessend.

Among the crowd, the maidservant looked bewildered and muttered, ”Is the young lady going to become a nun?”

What a complete curveball... she hadn’t expected this at all.

And so, the spirit measurement continued.

Meanwhile, while everyone was gathered at the imperial city gate, Huang Sihai, Niu Jue and the others had arrived in an ordinary courtyard. Several dry corpses were sprawled in front of them. These dry corpses were recently carried out from the room without any concealments done to them. Each dry corpse’s face remained terror-stricken.

”They are all here, my lord,” said Niu Jue in a low voice as he waved his hand. Soon, a terrified-looking middle-aged man was brought over.

Huang Sihai looked at the middle-aged man. ”Are they the owners of this place?”

The middle-aged man mustered up his courage to look at the corpses and the corner of his eyes turned red. ”I-I-It’s Elder Liu and the others.... How did they end up in this miserable state?”

”You’re their neighbor. Did you happen to notice anything unusual?” asked Huang Sihai solemnly.

Niu Jue and the others looked grim. The last time they encountered the dry corpses was due to the incident at the Hall of Compassion. The incident had caused a chief pacifier to escape from the Guards station, and Qin Dong, the deputy minister had to die in court. Many officials were also implicated, and now, shortly after the incident, something similar had happened again. At such a critical time, too!

”Yes, I saw Elder Liu’s grandson leaving with an old man,” replied the middle-aged man quickly.

”There’s a survivor.” Huang Sihai’s expression became solemn. ”Let’s go. If you see that old man, point him out to us, but don’t make any noise to avoid alarming him.”

The middle-aged man nodded quickly. ”Yes.” He dared not refuse Valiant Saber Guards.

The lord indeed has good foresight to order me to patrol the capital. It seems that the Spirit Blood Sect’s cultivators have already infiltrated the city, thought Huang Sihai to himself.

Back at the plaza, and amid the crowd, many pairs of eyes surveyed the surroundings; however, since everyone’s attention was focused on the spirit measurement, no one noticed anything unusual.

Not long after, the middle-aged man suddenly exclaimed but his mouth was quickly covered by Huang Sihai, causing his voice to turn muffled.

”Just point him out,” said Huang Sihai quietly.

The middle-aged man quickly pointed toward a direction.

Following his line of sight, Huang Sihai saw an old man holding a child. The old man had sparse hair and appeared sick and frail, seemingly half foot into his grave.

”Hmm?” Suddenly, the old man sensed something as he quickly turned his head around and scanned the surroundings. Even though he found nothing unusual, a faint suspicion flashed uncontrollably in his eyes.

While everyone was busy with the spirit measurement, a Valiant Saber Guard quietly approached Fang Chen and whispered a few words to him.

Fang Chen nodded slightly, signaled him to retreat, and acted as if nothing had happened. He continued to watch figures come and go for the spirit measurement.

As the sky gradually darkened, numerous torches were lit around, illuminating the area brightly. The spirit measurement continued, and obviously, Jin Nan and the others had no intention of resting during the night. They were cultivators, so they did not need to sleep.