Longzang

Chapter 875 The Middle-Class Fairy
There is a difference between immortals and mortals; this is not just a saying, but can be seen in their age.

If we were to calculate based on the full lifespan of an immortal, Madam Bao would only be in her middle age now. Even if she is not in her prime, she is at least still quite charming.

However, most of the immortals from aristocratic families have taken elixirs that consume lifespan to break through bottlenecks, so very few of them can truly live past 20,000 years old.

To be honest, although Madam Bao is more than eight thousand years older than the current Palace Master of Taichu Palace, under ideal circumstances, the two could still be together for ten thousand years, which would be a beautiful story.

Just by looking at the old lady's appearance, one can tell that she doesn't have much time left. It's just unknown whether she was injured when she was young or took some kind of potent medicine to enhance her cultivation.

Immortals are very concerned about their appearance, and there are unspoken rules regarding it. First, their appearance must reflect the clarity of their Dao heart; second, their appearance should be as close as possible to their remaining lifespan. Someone like Madam Bao, with her appearance, likely doesn't have much time left.

However, Yan Shi was not Xuan Yue; he only asked one question and said nothing more. He simply accompanied the old lady into Qingming, walking around and looking at various places.

As they approached the herb garden, the old lady suddenly stopped, her gaze falling on the immortal rooster. The rooster crowed loudly, its feathers instantly bristling, and it assumed a fighting stance.

The old lady's expression was somewhat strange. She said, "It's very strange that there's a celestial rooster here. When I walk with you, the celestial rooster seems quite hostile towards us. Why is that? Doesn't it recognize you as the Palace Master of Taichu Palace?"

Yan Shi hesitated for a moment, carefully considering his words, and then said, "The Immortal Chicken has no deep entanglement with my Taichu Palace. Strictly speaking, it can be said to be Wei Yuan's friend, and then it made this place its home. That's roughly it."

"How strange." The old lady withdrew her gaze, and the ruffled feathers of the immortal rooster slowly calmed down.

After surveying the area, the old lady remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "What I have seen and heard along the way has truly astonished me. I never imagined that during my years of seclusion and recuperation, such a talent would emerge in the world!"
A full 20,000 Dao Foundations! It truly dazzled my eyes. No wonder the Nine Kingdoms could be considered famous generals for exchanging two for one against the Witch Clan, yet Wei Yuan could consistently achieve ratios of one to five, one to eight, and even one to ten.

Looking back over three thousand years, in terms of sheer power and dominance, the Martial Ancestor is undoubtedly number one. But when it comes to changing the world, we'll probably have to look to Wei Yuan in the future.

Yan Shi hadn't expected the old lady to have such a high opinion of Wei Yuan. He wanted to add a few words of praise, but for a moment he couldn't find the right words.

The old lady continued, "We all know that Yun'er is disobedient and has essentially eloped. But she is also an unparalleled genius of our Bao family's generation, and I'm not just boasting. How could such a genius be given to your Taichu Palace out of thin air?"

Yan Shi nodded. In the past, it was customary for scions of noble families to study at the Tai Chu Palace. The most outstanding candidates for immortality would definitely return home to inherit their immortal positions and preside over their families. Only when the family's immortal ancestor was in his prime, or when there were other candidates for immortality, could they choose to remain at the Tai Chu Palace.

Those who deviate from the norm like Bao Kongqing, the Immortal Master of the Fifth Generation, are actually extremely rare.

Yan Shi was aware of these rules, and immediately said, "I have no intention of breaking the old rules. Bao Yun is currently training here, and she can graduate after she reaches the Dharma Form stage. If she wants to go back and take over the Bao family in the future, I will certainly not stop her."

This is a tacit understanding and balance formed between the aristocratic families and the Taichu Palace over thousands of years. Yan Shi is not a short-sighted person and will not destroy the established practices of many years for personal gain.

In the more than three thousand years since the establishment of the palace, as many as eight immortals have returned home after completing their studies at the Taichu Palace and eventually ascended to the position of immortal. During the reign of these immortals, each family was basically the most steadfast ally of the Taichu Palace.

On the contrary, during the years when Bao Kongqing served as the palace master, the relationship between the entire Bao family and the Taichu Palace was almost irreconcilable. At that time, the immortal of the Bao family almost sided with the enemy.

Therefore, Yan Shi was quite cautious, letting Bao Yun choose for herself. Now, the Bao family has begun to show its outstanding potential, and the magnificent scene of three generations of immortals living in the same era seems to be right before their eyes. Even the Xiao family is inferior.

But the old lady said, "It's not that Yun'er can't stay in Taichu Palace. After all, although my grandson Xuanxuan is a bit dim-witted, can't distinguish friend from foe, is easily swayed, and looks like his mother... at least he has a long lifespan, probably another one or two thousand years, so there's no need for Yun'er to succeed him. But..."

What's the story behind looking like his mother? ... Yan was completely baffled, but there's always a "but" in everything, so he could only listen attentively.

"...I said back then that Wei Yuan was Bao Yun's husband, and you agreed at the time. My bracelet is practically priceless; you, a middle-class fairy, would probably have to save it up for most of your life. It wouldn't be shameful to consider it as Bao Yun's dowry..."

"Wait, Madam, please explain yourself clearly. What is meant by 'middle-class fairy'?"

"They're neither rich nor poor, not as stingy as Xu Wangu or Lü Changhe. They have some disposable income, but it's limited, and they still have to be careful with their spending. If a major event occurs, they could be brought back to square one. They're what you'd call middle-class immortals. There have been quite a few interesting novels lately that focus on the troubles of middle-class immortals. They're very original," the old lady said with a smile.

Although Yan Shi was considered wealthy during the Yu Jing era, the Yu Jing era and the immortals were not comparable. Now, in front of Madam Bao, he was called a middle-class little immortal and had no temper at all.

"This matter..." Yan Shi pondered without speaking.

Madam Bao smiled and said, "What, you don't want a seed of ascension to immortality? If you want to back out, that's fine too. At the time, we only heard about six families, not many at all. But I still need to return that bracelet, right? If Wei Yuan can't repay it, you, as the palace master, have an inescapable responsibility."

Yan Shi's mind flashed with Ji Liuli's face, and he could only sigh inwardly before nodding and saying, "What are you saying, Madam? I always keep my word."

"Then it's settled. With this matter settled, I can rest easy. I'll go back and recuperate peacefully, and try to live to see Yun'er's wedding day." After saying this, the old lady passed away.

Yan Shi felt like something was missing. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that the old lady had gone around Qingming for a long time but hadn't seen Bao Yun at all.

Besides, Yan Shi felt that something was not quite right. The entire Qingming exuded a sense of unnaturalness and eeriness. However, with the Peerless Dao Domain present, Yan Shi's divine sense was suppressed, making it quite difficult to scan the entire Qingming.

On the surface, everything seemed normal in Qingming, and Yanshi couldn't find anything wrong with it.

At this time, the fighting on the front lines had gradually subsided, the Wu tribe's offensive had slowed down, and there were signs of a withdrawal. Since Wei Yuan was exiled, human life had been sealed off, the Yellow Springs Cave Heaven was without a master and no longer active, and the intercepted Heavenly Dao had returned to Heaven and Earth.

As long as Wei Yuan doesn't return, the Yellow Springs Grotto-heaven will naturally shrink and die within a few decades. This isn't exactly irreversible damage; a grotto-heaven of another attribute can be built to replace it later.

Another major impact is that the cultivators of Qingming can no longer enter the human world through dreams. Fortunately, Wei Yuan had built many formations in advance, and nodes were also set up in the city lord's mansions of major cities, immortal cities, alchemy temples, weapon forging workshops, medical clinics and medicine gardens. The power of the human world can be called up at the nodes, so the operation of Qingming is still relatively normal.

Each city is urgently expanding its lord's mansion, transforming it into the center of government affairs. Without the assistance of ordinary people, the current bureaucracy is simply unable to handle so many matters.

After the initial chaos of the first few days, Qingming miraculously returned to stability and order, with everyone performing their duties and continuing to propel Qingming forward.

Immortal Lord Yanshi stood in the air for a long time, but to no avail. He couldn't figure it out, so he had no choice but to leave.

After his figure disappeared, the fairy chicken in the herb garden suddenly opened its eyes, looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, it spread its wings and revealed a figure hiding underneath. It was none other than the little national teacher of the Northern Liao!

The celestial rooster pushed the little national advisor with its wings, saying urgently, "You should leave now and never come looking for me again. We will have nothing to do with each other anymore! If it weren't for the great help you gave me a few days ago, I would never have seen you again! If Wei Yuan comes back and finds out that we met, he will misunderstand again!"

The young imperial advisor looked resentful: "He stole you away! It's only been a few days, how come you've changed your attitude? What do I lack compared to him?"

The rooster said, "Don't you know what you've done? You scumbag!"

"Wait, how am I a jerk? Besides, what does it matter if I'm a jerk or not? Aren't you a rooster?"

"What's wrong with a rooster? Why can't I criticize you? You scumbag!"

A moment later, the young imperial advisor fled in sorrow, never understanding where he had gone wrong.

The immortal rooster wouldn't say that chatting with the old Taoist priest every day would make him eat two extra bowls of rice. The young imperial advisor, on the other hand, would only say good morning and good night, and deliver meals at set times; he didn't know how to appease the immortal rooster when it was in a bad mood.

……

Amidst the everyday bustle of life, Wei Yuan closed the history book he had just finished reading, turned around to look at the now empty library, and seemed lost in thought.

He was standing by the window at that moment, glancing out as if by chance. The sky outside was quiet, and those terrifying gazes had disappeared.

He tucked the history book under his arm and walked toward the bookshelf.

The grand hall was now empty; all the hundreds of Wei Yuans had vanished, and books were scattered all over the floor. It seemed something had happened; the Wei Yuans had disappeared in an instant, and many books, still open, lay on the ground.

Wei Yuan walked past one bookshelf after another until he reached the last shelf. Beyond this shelf lay the main hall's entrance, which was open. Through the door, he could see a long and deep corridor, with side corridors leading to other halls on either side. He wondered what those places were.

Wei Yuan strolled towards the palace gate. Just as he stepped over the bookshelf, he suddenly saw a young girl hurrying out of the side corridor. When she reached the main corridor, she turned her head and their eyes met.

The girl was plain-looking, nothing special.

Wei Yuan glanced at her casually, then turned around, placed the book in his hand on the bookshelf, picked up a new one, and walked towards his usual spot by the window without looking back.

The girl stood quietly for a moment before turning around and walking away along the main corridor.

After that, Wei Yuan would see the girl's figure every time he approached the palace gate.

(End of this chapter)