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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 58 (202): [Sharing a Carriage with an Immortal]
(58th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Late afternoon, the sunlight was perfect.
Qiu Prefecture City was already bustling with festive cheer, a constant stream of carriages and horses filling the streets with endless noise.
Most residents remained oblivious to the tense atmosphere surrounding the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, only those involved knowing that the true challenge would begin when night fell.
In the Clumsy Garden, the Hidden Ones continued to contemplate the Silver-Boned Celestial Clan's skeletal remains, their faces grim and devoid of any festive spirit.
Humans were meant to cherish and love life, yet they had become silent monsters consumed only by cultivation.
This wouldn't do.
Li Weiyi walked around the courtyard where the Silver Coffin was placed, unable to bear the sight any longer. He pulled Yin Shiyi along, and they drove to a large restaurant in South City, buying an entire carriage full of delicious dishes, cooked meats, fresh vegetables, and several jars of century-old wine.
Back at the Clumsy Garden, Li Weiyi closed the Silver Coffin's lid.
He drove all the Hidden Ones who were meditating and cultivating out of the courtyard.
"Cultivation ends here for today. I've bought back tea, wine, and food. Even if you keep cultivating, you'll need time for your New Year's Eve dinner."
"Yin Ershi Wu, go set up a large table by the lake."
"Ershi Si, go prepare some hot dishes. Yaoyin, help her."
"Yin Shi Wu, go build a bonfire. It might snow again tonight."
"Yin Shi Liu, go buy more firecrackers..."
After Li Weiyi's arrangements, the Hidden Ones gradually set aside their initial resistance and displeasure, each becoming absorbed in their own tasks.
Once everything was prepared, they all gathered around a long wooden table, gazing at the array of dishes and fine wines.
Their spirits soared.
The Hidden Ones clinked glasses, sharing tales of their extraordinary experiences over the past few years, laughter filling the air.
Li Weiyi, however, remained frowning. Yin Ershi Si's cooking was simply inedible. It seemed she wasn't very skilled, having entrusted the task to the wrong person.
Night had fallen.
Yin Jiu and Yin Shi, clad in Nightwalker's Garments, entered the Clumsy Garden, their forms materializing from invisibility. Hearing the laughter echoing from the lake, they were utterly astonished, convinced they had come to the wrong place.
They reached the lake's edge and gazed at the bonfire and revelry across the water, a sense of unreality washing over them.
Since joining the Hidden Sect, everyone had been constantly busy, either discussing serious matters, retreating for solitary cultivation, or carrying out missions.
At most, they would gather in small groups to discuss cultivation techniques.
They had rarely experienced such a warm, joyful atmosphere, a feeling of returning home.
Yin Shi Yi Snake stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and launched into a spirited, saliva-flying account of his perilous battle with an Ember Spirit expert at the Bing Juze Lake.
The Hidden Lord appeared silently behind Yin Jiu and Yin Shi, smiling: "Go on, you're all Hidden Ones. Young people are bound to find common ground."
Li Weiyi spotted the three figures across the lake and immediately waved and shouted to them.
The other Hidden Ones turned their gazes toward them as well.
"Stop dawdling! I'll go fetch those three myself."
Yin Ershi San, thoroughly drunk, ran across the water, dragging the three figures across the lake and forcing them to sit down at the table, even the Hidden Lord.
After another three rounds of drinking, Yin Ershi San draped an arm over the Hidden Lord's shoulder, wrapped his arm around his neck, and began to weep, confessing his anxieties about not possessing a Pure Immortal Physique and failing to grasp the Battle Technique Intent of the Jiu Li Gods.
The other Hidden Ones stared in stunned silence, exchanging bewildered glances.
Who had ever dared to be so brazen in the Hidden Lord's presence before?
Fortunately, the Hidden Lord showed no displeasure. Instead, he gently comforted Yin Ershi San, speaking to him like a brother and a father.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Yin Jiu, Yin Shi, Yin Shiyi, Yin Shi Wu, and Yin Shi Liu entered the main hall of the third courtyard to discuss the details of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival.
The Hidden Lord listened in.
Li Weiyi, as if he had already given up on the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, didn't join in.
Instead, he stood by the lake with the young Hidden Ones, setting off firecrackers and preparing to welcome his first New Year in this world.
The firecrackers crackled, and fireworks bloomed in the sky.
Noticing that Yin Ershi Si, though smiling, seemed troubled, her brow furrowed with worry, Li Weiyi walked over with his hands clasped behind his back: "White-Eyed Ershi Si, I'll teach you a finger technique. Want to learn?"
Yin Ershi Si was taken aback, then laughed: "It wouldn't be that Cihang Enlightenment Finger that's already spread throughout Qiu Prefecture City, would it?"
"Why not? It's exactly that technique."
Li Weiyi continued, "If you can cultivate it to my level, you might even achieve Divine Intent, condensing a unique Divine Intent."
"You think anyone can achieve Divine Intent as easily as you did?" Yin Ershi Si knew that this guy had not only cultivated one Divine Intent but had practically trampled the Nine Springs Pure Immortal Physiques into the dust.
Li Weiyi stood before her: "So, are you going to learn it or not?"
"Yes!"
Of course, Yin Ershi Si wanted to learn.
In fact, few young Martial-Mystic Cultivators in Qiu Prefecture City wouldn't want to. They all believed this technique was incredibly powerful, profound, and of extraordinary origin.
Beneath the fiery sky, Yaoyin glanced at the two figures - one teaching, the other learning - in the distance.
A breathtaking smile bloomed across her exquisite, snow-white face.
Though they often bickered, a genuine concern lingered between them.
After the five most powerful Hidden Ones concluded their discussion, Yin Shi departed first. His identity remained that of the Immortal Qinli of the Immortal Forest.
Yin Jiu and Yin Shi Yi headed toward Taoli (Peach and Plum) Mountain. Less than two hours remained until the final batch of invitation slots and the rules for the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival were announced.
Many young Martial-Mystic Cultivators had already gathered beneath the Profound Heaven Stone Wall by morning.
Those as unhurried as Yaoyin were rare.
Hidden Lord approached Li Weiyi: "Two hours remain until the New Year's bell tolls at the fifth watch of the midnight hour. It's not too late to change your mind. Once the bell rings, I can no longer protect you from leaving the city."
Li Weiyi smiled: "I didn't participate in their discussion because I knew they represented the Jiu Li Hidden Sect and the Jiu Li Clan. They bear a heavy responsibility to fight for the Jiu Li Clan. They have no choice but to face immense danger."
"But I'm different," Li Weiyi said, "I'm just going to watch the excitement. I won't get involved in the Hidden Dragon Competition, so it shouldn't be too dangerous."
Hidden Lord shook his head with a sigh: "You... I hope you're telling the truth. It's good for you to go and gain some experience. Your generation of young Martial-Mystic Cultivators is truly a golden age in a thousand years. The figures who make it into the top ten would undoubtedly be the best of the best in any other era."
"Ten years of chaos have forged countless Young Dragons."
"Think of it as a chance to broaden your horizons and see what kind of dazzling talents are rising to prominence in the world today. In as little as five years, or at most ten, many of these individuals will defy the odds and become Immortal Realm giants, transforming from Young Dragons into True Dragons."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, and above all, avoid taking unnecessary risks. Yin Jiu and Yin Shiyi have assured me that they will help you obtain a Dragon Seed and an Immortality Pill, as well as the Battle Technique Intent of the Jiu Li God Battle Technique. Your cultivation speed won't fall behind theirs."
Without a Immortality Pill, achieving Immortality within a Sixty-Year Cycle is an almost impossible feat.
In the last Sixty-Year Cycle, only Zuoqiu Ling managed to do so.
But with the aid of a Dragon Seed and a Immortality Pill, the most exceptional talents have the chance to achieve Immortality in just a few years.
What temptation was this?
It was precisely because he feared Li Weiyi wouldn't be able to restrain himself and would try to grasp something beyond his current cultivation level that the Hidden Lord had spoken these words.
Someone was risking their life for him.
"You said it yourself: 'Contentment brings no shame, restraint avoids danger,'" the Hidden Lord cautioned repeatedly.
Under the cover of night, Li Weiyi, clad in a black Nightwalker's Garment, emerged from the Clumsy Garden. He strode along the Heaven and Earth Avenue, wide enough for ten carriages to travel abreast, toward the Profound Heaven Stone Wall at the foot of Taoli (Peach and Plum) Mountain in the heart of the Prefecture City.
He was going to retrieve his invitation!
The Inner City of Qiu Prefecture City was divided into City Domains arranged in an Eight Trigrams formation, with streets named after the trigrams.
The Upper Qian and Lower Kun streets ran north-south.
As the night deepened, the streets grew deserted. Only at the foot of the towering, ancient Ancestral Mountain in the city center did a raucous clamor persist, audible even from miles away.
The young heroes of the Twenty-Eight Prefectures had already gathered there.
"Clatter, clatter!"
Behind him, the sound of hooves echoed across the empty, wide avenue, accompanied by the turning of metal wheels.
Li Weiyi initially paid little attention, as many Martial-Mystic Cultivators were traveling to the Profound Heaven Stone Wall by carriage tonight. But the hoofbeats grew closer, pressing toward him from the right side of the street.
Li Weiyi stopped, immediately channeling his spiritual power and becoming alert.
The carriage was drawn by a Silver-Horned Deer, a Strange Beast with a massive body and gleaming silver horns, commonly seen in the Lingxiao Realm.
The carriage halted beside him.
A familiar and melodious female voice called from within, "Get in."
Li Weiyi was taken aback.
After a moment's hesitation, he climbed aboard.
Instantly, an intoxicating fragrance filled the spacious, luxuriously decorated carriage, a stark contrast to its simple exterior.
A Spirit Bone Lamp, inlaid in the right side of the carriage wall, emitted a faint blue glow.
Jiang Ning, veiled in white, sat at the innermost part of the carriage, her jade hands hidden in her sleeves.
The Blindfold Dragon Gauze had been removed.
Her exquisite eyes, more radiant than the Spirit Bone Lamp, shone with a breathtaking brilliance.
Anyone who met her gaze would find it hard to look away, wanting only to lose themselves in her eyes, to explore the secrets hidden within her soul, to uncover her deepest emotions and thoughts.
Li Weiyi, a man of self-control, didn't want to fall into the emotional abyss of her gaze. He quickly averted his eyes and turned to Zhuang Yue, who sat opposite him on the right side.
"What a pair of crimson Demon eyes," he said with a smile, "Even more beautiful than your previous eyes, though they don't quite suit your temperament."
Zhuang Yue, who had been sitting upright, flushed slightly at his compliment. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
The elderly driver, clad in a black robe, gently flicked his whip.
The Exotic Beast Carriage continued its slow journey.
Li Weiyi took a seat opposite Zhuang Yue: "If I recall correctly, Feather Immortal once said that Luantai Envoys are forbidden from being alone in a room with a man. Does this count as being alone in a room?"
Zhuang Yue corrected him, "It's forbidden to be alone in a room together."
"That's not what you said when we first met," Li Weiyi replied, "Back then, I didn't even have the right to see an Envoy's true form."
Jiang Ning gazed at him, her voice soft, "This meeting, as it is, is irregular. If someone were to report it, it would cause quite a bit of trouble. But after much deliberation, I still felt it was necessary to meet you before the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. Li Weiyi, what will it take for you to give up on participating in the festival? I want you to leave Qiu Prefecture City immediately."
Li Weiyi met her gaze, her Immortal eyes so close he could clearly see each long, curved eyelash and the complex emotions swirling within them.
His heart fluttered. He shifted his gaze to the Spirit Bone Lamp on the wall.
Jiang Ning and the Hidden Lord's repeated warnings made it clear that the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival was far more dangerous than anyone had imagined.
Everyone could smell the blood in the air, and they felt powerless against the unfolding events, swept along like leaves in a storm.
Li Weiyi said, "Feather Immortal, you must understand one thing: I am your creditor. You owe me a great deal of money and a favor. If anyone is to give orders, it should be me ordering you, not the other way around..."
Jiang Ning interrupted, "I'm not ordering you. I simply want an answer. Then I'll do everything I can to help you escape this danger and repay your favor. Li Weiyi, why are you being so stubborn?"
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END OF CHAPTER
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