The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 245 False Alarm
“You guys are all lucky to have been assigned here. The job is easy; all you have to do is watch over the water. Unlike me, who has to fetch and deliver water every day, I’m so busy that I don’t have much time to cultivate. Sigh, his previous performance was just average. How did you discover his potential?”

The maid said that she did not know the identity of the Seventh Fairy. In her eyes, she had known Ding Lin before the Seventh Fairy, but when Ding Lin first arrived, he was mediocre and did not attract attention. Who would have thought that he would rise to prominence so quickly.

"You wouldn't be..." The maid suddenly seemed to realize something, her eyes showing suspicion.

The seven fairies maintained a calm expression, but their hearts tightened.

"You wouldn't have known each other while you were still outside the garden, would you?" the maid continued, leaving the rest of her sentence unfinished.

The seven fairies breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's true." The Seven Fairies nodded.

"No wonder! I was wondering how someone could have such a keen eye, making me seem like I was blind. It turns out we had a prior relationship." The maid revealed a knowing expression; this answer was exactly what she wanted.

By the small pond, the Seven Fairies remained calm and made a few more polite remarks. Seeing that the maid was still only marveling at her own judgment and had no other thoughts, they finally felt completely at ease.

The maid finally left.

The Seven Fairies looked down at the deep pool, their expressions as cold and clear as the water, lost in thought. After a moment, they took a step and walked towards the jade house, stopping in front of the door to wait quietly.

Before long, a surge of magical energy emanated from within, and the gate opened from the inside out.

The seven fairies turned their heads and saw Ding Lin, dressed in a green robe, about to walk out of the jade house. He still looked the same as before, but his temperament had changed drastically. Just then, a breeze blew towards him, but he remained calm and composed. He stood there like a vast ocean, unfathomable.

"Brother Jin, congratulations!" said the Seventh Fairy, genuinely happy for Ding Lin.

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days, my granddaughter. The house is now back to its rightful owner," Ding Lin said, a smile playing on his lips. He couldn't help but sigh, "It was also a stroke of luck. If I hadn't happened to reach that state of mind that day and had that flash of inspiration, I don't know how long I would have been stuck."

“What’s done is done. This world only cares about the result; no one cares about the path taken.” The Seventh Fairy said. After the Stone Monkey incident, her relationship with Ding Lin seemed to have grown much closer.

“Yes.” Ding Lin paused for a moment, then nodded. “In any case, it’s finally done. My granddaughter has worked hard these past two days and probably needs some rest.” Ding Lin added, “I won’t bother you any longer.”

"Brother Jin, unless absolutely necessary, you always seem reluctant to be with me. Is there some reason for that?" the Seven Fairies asked calmly.

"Granddaughter..." Ding Lin hesitated before speaking.

"Brother Jin, today is a good day for your breakthrough in cultivation. Let me be the host and celebrate with you." With a wave of her hand, the Seventh Fairy appeared in the jade house behind Ding Lin, displaying a jade table.

On the table were a jade pot, two golden goblets, and two futons, one on each side.

"Then I, Jin, thank my granddaughter for her kindness," Ding Lin said magnanimously after a moment of silence. The small jade house isolated profound knowledge, detached from cause and effect.

Ding Lin and the Five Fairies sat facing each other.

The five fairies took the jade pot, lifted it, and poured out a long stream of wine, which rippled into the cup. She filled both cups and then pushed one cup in front of Ding Lin.

No one spoke immediately; for a moment, the only sound in the room was the pouring of wine.

"This wine is a divine elixir, produced only in the Jade Pool. Although it doesn't taste good, it's rich in spiritual energy, which is very beneficial for cultivation. Brother Jin, you can try some first," the Seventh Fairy finally spoke up. After a moment of silence, she tentatively added, "Brother Jin, what about you and my Fifth Sister..."

“My granddaughter already knows everything,” Ding Lin said calmly, without a trace of nervousness, “I almost thought she wouldn’t care anymore after all this time.”

"Brother Jin, did you think I was going to stop you and Fifth Sister?" The Seventh Fairy paused for a moment before speaking.

Ding Lin took the golden goblet, took a sip, and the wine went down his throat. It was as bland as water. This wine was not only bad in taste, but it was also unpalatable. But then a line of heat slid down his throat, and a ball of spiritual energy fell into his stomach and was refined.

This tiny bit of tea is equivalent to Ding Lin's entire day of arduous cultivation.

"Love between men and women is commonplace. The suffering I have endured stems from scheming and has nothing to do with love. Why would I be prejudiced against it?" the Seventh Fairy said slowly. "To be honest, Brother Jin, according to the previous arrangement, I shouldn't have been assigned to this Peach Garden. I begged my aunt to let me switch jobs with Fifth Sister."

Ding Lin remained silent, knowing that there was more to the story of the Seven Fairies.

"Of course, I have no prejudice against love between men and women, but I have seen how cruel the laws of heaven are. From my great-aunt to my mother, none of them have come to a good end. My mother is still imprisoned, and my great-aunt is even worse off... Fifth Sister and I are sisters and close relatives, how can I not worry about her?" said the Seventh Fairy.

"What my granddaughter means is..." Ding Lin's eyes were dark and deep.

“Brother Jin, you may think I’m being materialistic by saying this, or you may resent me, but considering this time, I’ve been indebted to you, and I don’t want to lie to you.”

"If it were you in the past, I would have used any means necessary to prevent you from having any further contact with Fifth Sister. Although we are only of mixed mortal and immortal blood because of Mother's mistakes, we are still considered nobles. You, on the other hand, were just a mere demon in the lower realm. Although you have cultivation, in the eyes of my maternal grandparents, you are probably no different from my father. Even if you and Fifth Sister were to have a future together, it would only be a bitter end like that of my parents."

"A moment of pleasure and sentimentality can have to be repaid with a lifetime of regret. The price is far too terrible. I can't persuade Fifth Sister. You have been kind to me before, and I can't repay kindness with enmity. So I can only use some other means."

“The earlier exchange of tasks with Fifth Sister was my tactic,” the Seventh Fairy said. “But man proposes, God disposes. By some twist of fate, that monkey messed things up and brought them back to the original course. At the time, I originally planned to immediately crush the token and report to my grandmother.”

"But then I thought that a day in the heavens is like a year in the outside world. By the time I could control my body, I didn't know how many days would have passed outside. I was also afraid that my fifth sister had already shown something and was showing you unusual concern. That's why I gave up my thoughts and covered for her, afraid that she would be punished."

Ding Lin listened and felt the hardships the Seventh Fairy had endured. Perhaps the Fifth Fairy should switch places with her, and the Seventh Fairy would be more suitable to be the elder sister.

(End of this chapter)