“Is it also an Immortal Attendant of Xuanjian Pavilion?”

Emperor Cangze's voice was deep, slow, and serene, as if it were just an idle question. Yet the immortal in green robes received it like a sacred decree, answering cautiously, “This year, Xuanjian Pavilion was supposed to have fifty Immortal Attendants, all transformed from the white lotuses of Ice Heart Pond. However, we only got forty-nine. I sent Celestial Lord Hexu to take a look and only then discovered there was also a late-blooming Red Lotus here.”

“The period for transformation has already passed by several days. This Red Lotus seems to be struggling. Besides, it is said that the Red Lotus is a flower of the Demon Realm, which is not a very auspicious sign. If the Emperor feels it has some merit, it would be better to let me take it back to Bitai Palace. It would be good to refine it into a spiritual tool or an accessory.”

Wei Ming recalled Gui Heng once speaking of Chi Lian's origins, saying that when he was transforming, he was nearly plucked by Immortal Venerable Qingyang. So this was the moment he was referring to. Then the immortal in green robes before him must be that same Immortal Venerable Qingyang, who had always been at odds with Chi Lian.

The Emperor lowered his eyes, glancing at the lotus that had yet to bloom, its petals already showing a distinct, deep red. The hand hidden beneath his wide sleeve tapped lightly through the air. A streak of silver-blue light entered the water, swimming nimbly around the lotus like a fish.

Immortal Venerable Qingyang seemed not to have expected him to act. He was stunned for a moment, but Emperor Cangze had already started walking forward again. “The Red Lotus's spiritual consciousness has already awakened. It's just short of one final push. There is no need to steal its opportunity.”

The Emperor had said this casually, with no intention of reprimand, yet Immortal Venerable Qingyang seemed to have been stung, the smile on his face almost faltering. He turned back to cast a deep look at the Red Lotus but lost his composure for only that brief moment. He quickly composed himself and followed, and when he spoke again, his voice was once more warm and smiling, “The Emperor is merciful. It seems there are benefits to blooming late. Its opportunity is entirely due to meeting the Emperor.”

As the two figures receded into the distance, Wei Ming wanted to follow but couldn't keep up. He vaguely understood that this scene must be Chi Lian's memory. He floated back to the Red Lotus's side, stroking its soft, delicate petals through the air. A strange, sour feeling churned in his heart: Emperor Cangze had saved the untransformed Little Lotus from Immortal Venerable Qingyang's hands the moment he appeared, and even lent him a bit of immortal power to aid his cultivation. No wonder Chi Lian would later be so loyal and devoted to him. This foreshadowing was laid a bit too early, wasn't it?

With the Emperor's personal protection, by nightfall, the Red Lotus silently transformed into a human form.

This time, however, it was a scene that Emperor Cangze did not see, but which Wei Ming had the privilege of witnessing first: Beneath a deep blue sky, white mist drifted over the deserted lake. The crimson petals of the lotus stretched to their fullest extent, and from its heart flowed a spiritual light of intermingled gold and red. The light spiraled upward, blazing like karmic fire, before finally retracting inward and landing abruptly on the shore, transforming into an Immortal Attendant with red robes, black hair, and skin like jade and ice.

A few breaths later, a streak of white light shot across the sky and landed before the Red Lotus. It was the steward of Xuanjian Pavilion, alerted by his transformation. The immortal in ochre robes looked him up and down twice, his tone tinged with disdain as he spoke, “Really know how to cause trouble late at night. Let's go. Follow me to pay respects to the Immortal Venerable of Bitai Palace.”

All immortals who transformed possessed innate intelligence. The Red Lotus looked at his own reflection in the water—he wore no expression. He pulled a blade of water grass from the bank to tie up his long, loose hair—tying it very perfunctorily. He didn't even bother to straighten the hem of his robes, which had been disheveled from kneeling, and simply got up to follow the steward out of the garden.

It was a good thing he was born with such fine features; even disheveled and plainly dressed, his peerless beauty could not be concealed. They met no other immortals along the way. The steward recited the rules of conduct for Immortal Attendants to him by rote, though it was unclear how much he absorbed. When they arrived at Bitai Palace, the gate-keeping Immortal Attendant went to announce them. A moment later, they were summoned inside. The steward led him in through a side gate, chattering along the way, “The main gate of the immortal palace is only opened when a venerable god enters or exits, or on important occasions. Immortal Attendants normally use the corner gates. You must remember this clearly. Pay attention to your status in your future actions, and do not violate the venerable god's taboos.”

The Red Lotus grunted in acknowledgement. The steward added, “When you see the Immortal Venerable later, just focus on receiving his teachings. Do not speak or ask questions freely.”

Inside Bitai Palace, pavilions and towers were layered and scattered, the scenery magnificent and opulent. Neither the ground nor the railings were stained with a speck of dust; a single glance revealed that someone meticulously cared for it at all times. As he was only receiving an Immortal Attendant, there was no need for Immortal Venerable Qingyang to open the main hall for him, so he took his seat in a side hall. He had changed into a purple robe and was leaning lazily on his throne. After receiving the Red Lotus's kowtow, he casually looked him over and asked in a drawn-out voice, “Do you have a name?”

The Red Lotus said, “No.”

Immortal Venerable Qingyang thought for a moment, then suddenly a smile touched his lips. “You were born late, and you transformed late. Why don't we just call you Chi Lian? How about it?”

The Red Lotus didn't know what was so funny about that and didn't reply. Below, the steward hurriedly chided in a low voice, “Hurry up and thank the Immortal Venerable for bestowing a name!”

He then said expressionlessly, “Thank you, Immortal Venerable.”

Immortal Venerable Qingyang pretended not to see the subordinate's small actions and waved his hand. “Your aptitude is poorer than the other Immortal Attendants. You were lucky this time; the Emperor took pity and helped you pass the trial of transformation. The path of cultivation ahead is fraught with difficulties, and you won't have such good fortune again. You should abide by your duties, be diligent and responsible, and cultivate with dedication. You must not be lazy or rely on luck. Do not fail the opportunity the Emperor has given you.”

This time, without the steward's prompting, Chi Lian said, “Thank you, Immortal Venerable.”

He only seemed to know how to say “no” and “thank you,” a complete pretty blockhead. Immortal Venerable Qingyang couldn't be bothered to waste more words on him and said to the steward, “Take him back. Starting tomorrow, have them learn to work in Xuanjian Pavilion.”

And so, Chi Lian became one of the Immortal Attendants of Xuanjian Pavilion. According to the rules set by Bitai Palace, male immortals wore white and female immortals wore blue. Although Chi Lian's original form wore red, he had to change into an unadorned, undecorated white robe like the other Immortal Attendants, hiding plainly amidst the clouds, mist, and pavilions, performing only daily chores like serving tea, fetching water, and cleaning dust.

White Jade Capital was the residence of all immortals in the Heavenly Court, but it was still divided into various ranks. The Xuanjian Pavilion on the Third Heaven was the dividing line. Above the Third Heaven lived immortals with official ranks, and above the Ninth Heaven were the palaces of the Heavenly Emperors and the Heavenly Emperor. Below the Third Heaven, however, was where the unranked and untitled Immortal Attendants, wandering immortals, itinerant immortals, and heavenly soldiers and generals lived.

Most of Xuanjian Pavilion's Immortal Attendants lived in the immortal city on the Second Heaven. The atmosphere in the city was a bit livelier than above, with many bustling market districts. Chi Lian used the first sum of money he saved to buy an old sword. In his leisure time, he disliked mingling with crowds of immortals and was rather half-hearted about cultivating immortal arts. His only hobby was to browse through sword manuals in sundry shops, then go back and figure them out bit by bit on his own.

His colleagues would sometimes see Chi Lian practicing his sword. With the exception of a few who were naturally cynical and found his independent ways annoying, most of the Immortal Attendants had gentle and peaceful temperaments. Although they didn't care for all the fighting and killing and couldn't tell good swordsmanship from bad, they often encouraged him. They even praised his swordsmanship as exquisite, saying that whether he was chopping wood or mincing dumpling fillings, it was always incredibly clean and efficient.

This plain life continued for nearly half a year. Chi Lian's cold temperament didn't change much, but he gradually grew accustomed to interacting with others in his capacity as an Immortal Attendant. From the Heavenly Emperor down to the Divine Lords, half a year was enough for him to recognize all the various gods of White Jade Capital, yet he never saw Emperor Cangze again.

This year was the Ten Directions Annual Banquet. As was custom, the lords of the Ten Continents of the world came to White Jade Capital to report on their duties, and the Heavenly Emperor held a banquet in Xuanjian Pavilion to entertain them. The banquet lasted for three consecutive days. After finally enduring until the last day when all the immortals had departed, only a dozen or so Immortal Attendants were left in the garden to clean up the mess. As Chi Lian and his colleagues were using spiritual power to clean up the scattered cups and plates one by one, they suddenly heard a rustling sound from the woods behind them.

His ears perked up. The motion of his hands didn't stop, but he held his breath and paid close attention to the sound behind him. A moment later, the sound grew closer and more distinct, finally alerting the others as well. One asked in confusion, “What's that sound?”

The Immortal Attendants turned to look and saw only lush vegetation and slightly swaying tree shadows, with no sign of anyone. They thought they had misheard and were about to turn back to their work when a foul, fishy wind suddenly rushed at their faces. From high up in a tree, a ferocious, enormous snake head abruptly descended. With a flick of its scarlet tongue, it instantly coiled around the Immortal Attendant closest to it and pulled him into its belly!

“Ah—!”

A scream erupted and then abruptly stopped. The giant snake, its tail hooked onto a tree, used its agile body to swing lightly through the air, arriving in front of the Immortal Attendant who had just screamed. It opened its mouth and swallowed him as well.

Everyone present froze as if turned to ice. They dared not move, dared not run, and dared not even scream for help, terrified that they would be the next one eaten by the giant snake.

The Immortal Attendants of Xuanjian Pavilion were all transformed from flowers and trees. When the Heavenly Emperor had them descend into the world, it was to serve the gods; he never truly regarded them as proper deities. These Immortal Attendants had never even cultivated immortal arts, let alone mastered any methods of combat. To put it bluntly, they were weak and easy to bully. Facing a bloodthirsty, frenzied beast like this, they were completely powerless to fight back.

The giant snake probably harbored similar contempt. Seeing that none of them moved, it wasn't in a hurry to eat. It swung its tail and slowly slithered down from the tree, circling the people, flicking its tongue out from time to time to frighten them. When the beautiful Immortal Attendants were scared pale, their eyes brimming with tears, it grew even more excited. It raised its head high, preparing to pick an appealing one to eat.

Just as it opened its serpentine mouth again, revealing fangs slick with saliva, the Immortal Attendant it had targeted could no longer stand. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, bursting into hysterical sobs. In that brief moment of distraction, a heavy, high-footed plate made of refined gold came flying from behind. The sound of its flight was masked by the weeping. With a clang, it struck the giant snake's head, knocking it more than a zhang away.

Chi Lian leaped onto a long table and sprang forward, drawing his sword. He barked sharply at the dumbstruck Immortal Attendants, “Run! Now!”

The giant snake was dazed by the blow, but it was an ancient mythical beast, after all. Its skin was like copper and its bones like iron; it could even withstand talismans and spiritual arts. Such a small plate couldn't cause it much harm, but it thoroughly enraged it. Before Chi Lian could get close, its tail twitched like a steel whip and swept through the air, striking him across the waist and drawing a gush of fresh blood!

Chi Lian fell heavily into a flowerbed. Ignoring the sharp pain in his abdomen, he rolled on the ground, dodging the snake's second whip-like strike. Then, he grabbed a vine with one hand and swung himself away. Seizing the moment the giant snake snapped at empty air and its mouth closed, he stomped on its mouth mid-air. Leaping high, he channeled all his strength and the momentum of his descent into his longsword. With a "puchi" sound, he pierced its left eye.

Spurred by the pain, the giant snake flew into a frenzy, thrashing and rolling wildly on the ground. Its massive body crashed through and destroyed swathes of rockery and trees. Chi Lian held onto the sword for dear life, hanging from its head. His back was nearly shattered by countless hard impacts, and he didn't know how many bones in his body had broken. Finally, he was flung off, sword and all. With the obstruction gone, the wound in the snake's eye instantly erupted in a shower of blood.

Chi Lian was in no better shape. He had landed on a broken stone pillar, a blow that nearly cost him half his life. He collapsed in the rubble, unable to even crawl. The giant snake, however, had been driven completely berserk. Unwilling to let him go, its scales stood on end, and it opened its mouth to lunge at him again.

Chi Lian's entire body was wracked with excruciating pain. He was only a breath away from fainting. He had truly reached a dead end, with no option but to wait for death. However, he was a ruthless person whose ferocity and killing intent were no weaker than the giant snake's. At the moment of life and death, a sudden burst of strength came from nowhere. He grabbed the longsword beside him, aimed it at the giant snake's scarlet upper jaw, and, closing his eyes, stabbed with all his might—

Cold snake blood instantly soaked his sleeve, followed by a shower of black blood that drenched him from head to toe. But the fatal fangs never landed on him. The giant snake's massive body swayed as if it had suddenly lost all its strength. Maintaining its wide-open jaw, it crashed thunderously into a nearby pile of rubble.

Chi Lian lay on the ground for a long while, his face covered in blood. He saw no further movement from it and finally confirmed that he was safe. He had just let out half a sigh of relief when his vision went black, and a searing pain shot through his eyeballs.

The snake's blood was poisonous.

Using his longsword as a crutch, he struggled to his feet. Disoriented, he stumbled around for a few circles. On the verge of exhaustion, he finally heard the babbling of a stream. His legs immediately gave out, and all the strength left his body. With a "plop," he fell stiffly into the pond.