After my grandmother called me home in my dream, my spiritual energy revived

Chapter 281 Choosing a Residence
Although she was looking forward to meeting the two True Lords, Song Miaozhu, as the newly appointed True Lord Lingchu Xuanji, knew that the most urgent task was to settle down and familiarize herself with her duties and work environment.

The first thing to do is choose a place to live.

Although she has achieved immortality and is not afraid of heat, cold, hunger, or thirst, and does not need a place to shelter from the wind and rain like mortals, she still retains the mentality and habits of a mortal.

After all, isn't the purpose of a lifetime of arduous cultivation in pursuit of immortality to achieve a carefree and unrestrained life after attaining enlightenment?
Now that I have a relaxed job and nothing to worry about, I naturally want to treat myself well and create a comfortable and pleasant home.

According to the knowledge imparted by the Heavenly Dao, the True Lords have two options for residence: one is to have a small personal grotto-heaven in the sleeve of a hundred-patterned, thousand-craft garment, and the other is to reside within the Hundred Arts Heavenly Crafts Realm under their jurisdiction.

Although that small grotto-heaven was initially nothingness, it could bear immortal power and change at will.

With her authority over all arts and crafts in the mortal realm, she could conjure up exquisite works of art with a mere thought.

On the Suzhou embroidery screen, peonies of different colors bloom on both sides in succession; the rosewood beams and pillars are automatically joined together by mortise and tenon joints; and the blue and white porcelain floor tiles are laid out one by one.

What's even more wonderful is that these creations all carry the authentic essence of the raw materials: she can smell the fragrance of sandalwood, touch the smoothness of silk, and feel the warmth of porcelain.

However, she soon discovered a flaw.

Although these objects are exquisite, they always lack a lively spirit.

The flowers and birds on the screen do not sing, and the flowers in the porcelain vase do not sway. Although the space is magnificent, it is like a meticulously arranged exhibition hall.

No matter how beautifully a residence is decorated, it is still inevitable to feel lonely living alone.

She couldn't help but think of the power of the True Lord of All Spirits to bring life to all things. His immortal power could transform into mountains, rocks, streams, flowers, trees, birds, beasts, insects, and fish. If she could ask him for help to infuse her little cave with some immortal power, the little cave would become even more livable.

If I could ask that colleague for help to inject some life into this grotto, it might make my dwelling more vibrant. At that time, it wouldn't be impossible to live a pastoral life similar to that in the human world in my own little grotto.

Settling down within the territory of Baiyi Tiangong offers a different kind of fun.

Everywhere you look, there are amazing sights. The Chengxin Lake next to the Paper Art Fairy Palace is sparkling, the Yunjin Plain outside the Embroidery Fairy Palace stretches for miles, and the ancient boxwood trees stand tall around the Wood Art Fairy Palace.

What's even more wonderful is that countless little fairies, transformed from the essence of things, frolic here. White cranes made of Xuan paper dance in the clouds, maids made of celadon brew tea under the eaves, and fairy deer carved from sandalwood stroll through the forest. It's lively and extraordinary, no less magnificent than the human world.

What captivated her most was the changing day and night in the Celestial Craftsmanship Realm. During the day, the endless embroidery scrolls in the sky would unfold their most splendid patterns; at night, those embroidery threads would transform into a galaxy, and palaces throughout the celestial palaces would light up with palace lanterns that were transformed from glass lamps.

Settling down here means you can not only appreciate the beauty of all kinds of arts and crafts at any time, but also be accompanied by the essence of these things, and you will never feel lonely.

Song Miaozhu now possesses a long lifespan, so she can choose neither option.

She could easily build her main residence in the Hundred Arts Celestial Crafts Realm, while simultaneously setting up an exquisite villa in her Sleeve Grotto. After all, the methods of immortals are but a thought away.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but smile and began to think about specific arrangements.

There's no rush in the Little Cave Heaven. Only with the immortal power of the Myriad Spirits Transformation True Lord can the Little Cave Heaven truly have mountains and water, and beautiful scenery. It would be better to find a place to stay in the Hundred Arts Heavenly Craft Realm first.

Song Miaozhu's gaze lingered near the Paper Art Fairy Palace before finally settling on the shore of the Clear Heart Lake.

The lake resembled a giant inkstone, its calm surface reflecting the endless scroll of the sky. Whenever a gentle breeze blew, it would create ripples of ink. She gazed intently and discovered that the lakebed contained the essence of calligraphy masterpieces from past dynasties.

Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" transforms into a swimming fish shuttling through the water, Yan Zhenqing's "Draft of a Eulogy for My Nephew" sways like water plants, and Su Shi's "Cold Food Festival Scroll" lies quietly at the bottom of a lake like a pebble.

The weeping willows by the lake have a unique charm; each one is carefully cut from the finest Chengxintang Xuan paper.

The willow leaves are as thin as cicada wings, and they have a translucent texture in the sunlight. When a gentle breeze comes, thousands of willow branches sway together, making a unique "rustling" sound, as if playing a piece of paper music.

Under the shade of the trees, several old men, shaped like Duan inkstones, are playing chess, the chess pieces landing on the stone table with a crisp sound.

The spirits she brought seemed to particularly love this place.

Zhangli, Yuelin, Guanhong, and Yanfeng were still playing mahjong in the paper sculpture pavilion by the lake. The little paper servants rode little paper horses through the paper willow forest, the paper soldiers lined up to compete on the paper grass, the paper water rhinoceros and the paper Xuanwu were having a water fight in the lake, and the spirit paper horse was the most lively. Sometimes it galloped across the lake, splashing up ink-black water with its four hooves; sometimes it rushed into the grass, startling a group of paper butterflies.

Song Miaozhu's gaze passed over the willow grove and landed on the green bamboo grove not far away.

The bamboo stalks are made of Xuan paper dyed with indigo, and the bamboo joints are carefully decorated with ink-colored patterns.

Bamboo leaves are as thin as cicada wings, with finely serrated edges, making a rustling sound even clearer than willow branches when they sway in the wind.

This reminded her of her time in Xiaozhushan.

Although the bamboo there is a real plant, the same lush and verdant atmosphere is conveyed.

She imagined building her home between the bamboo forest and Chengxin Lake: the paper house would face the lake, with shimmering water visible from the window; the bamboo forest behind would provide shade, and the wind would create a familiar rustling melody; in her leisure time, she could look out the window at the lake and watch the fish formed from her calligraphy frolic in the water; when she felt like it, she could stroll through the bamboo forest, chat with the paper spirits in the forest, or play cards with Yue Lin and the others.

This dwelling, with its ethereal charm yet down-to-earth atmosphere, perfectly suited her taste.

After Song Miaozhu conveyed her thoughts to her spirits, they immediately took action.

The spirit that had been watching the paper dolls play mahjong flew to the bamboo forest and the edge of Chengxin Lake, where it released its true form.

A small courtyard appeared by the lake.

White walls, black tiles, and bluestone brick paving. It is similar in style to the Xiaozhushan spirit house, but the layout is rapidly changing according to Song Miaozhu's wishes.

The thousand-piece paper wind chime under the eaves moves automatically without wind, making a crisp sound.

The patterns on the carved window lattice extend on their own, transforming into designs of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums.

Even the brass rings on the courtyard gate automatically adjusted their positions, eventually settling at the most appropriate height.

The main house faces Chengxin Lake, and opening the carved wooden windows allows you to take in the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains.

The backyard connects to the green paper bamboo grove, and the bamboo tips gently brush against the eaves, making a rustling sound.

In the side courtyard, a space was specially reserved where a paper-mache locust tree rose from the ground, and a set of paper-mache tables and chairs appeared under the tree.