The boy came to stand before Jian Dan, bowed respectfully, and then cautiously spoke. "Greetings, Senior. Bai Bai was being a little naughty and ran to your feet. May this junior take him away?"
Jian Dan found his manners acceptable. She gave a small wave beside her feet, and the little white mouse leapt back into the boy's arms.
The boy quickly cupped the mouse in his hands. Bai Bai swayed dizzily for a moment, then gave a sudden hop and began squeaking non-stop at the boy, stamping his feet and waving his tiny claws toward where Jian Dan sat.
Listening to his spirit pet, the boy's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He covered the mouse with his other hand, bowed to Jian Dan, and stepped aside without another word. Silence returned to the grand hall.
Meanwhile, Yue Liang followed Yu Yuanhai into the back hall, where she was led to a teleportation array.
Yu the steward handed Yue Liang a round blue jade token and explained its use. "Yue Daoyou, this token is your pass into the Treasure Pavilion. The guardian will examine it and allow you inside to claim your prize. Once you've selected your item, the array will send you directly back to the rear hall of the Affairs Hall. I will be waiting here for you."
"Understood. Thank you for the reminder, Steward Yu. May I enter the array now?"
"Please."
Yu Yuanhai gestured toward the short-range teleportation array in the center of the room, signaling her to proceed.
Yue Liang hopped down from Yu Yuanhai's shoulder and transformed into the form of a six-year-old girl. As the array activated, her small figure vanished from the room.
When she appeared again, she stood before a ten-meter-high water mirror. The surface reflected her child form for a moment before revealing her true form within.
"Whose little brat are you? How did you end up in the Treasure Pavilion?"
A vigorous, aged voice sounded by her ear.
Hearing but not seeing the speaker, Yue Liang bowed to the water mirror and answered in a crisp voice. "I am Yue Liang, from Tianyue Peak, Jian Lu Zūnshàng family. I have come today to collect a sect reward."
She straightened and took out the blue jade token from her robes. The moment it appeared, the mirror drew it inside.
Yue Liang stood obediently, knowing the senior was verifying the token's authenticity.
"Hm. The token is genuine. You are here on behalf of your master to collect the reward?"
"Yes."
"You have one quarter of an hour. When time is up, you will be sent out automatically."
"Yue Liang understands!"
As the exchange ended, the water mirror before her transformed into a golden door that slowly swung open.
Yue Liang, already familiar with the process, marched forward on her short legs and stepped inside.
The Treasure Pavilion's guardian, Tian Shou Zhēnzūn, stroked his short beard and poured himself a cup of spirit tea in the void, watching Yue Liang's every move through the mirror.
The name Jian Lu had been appearing in the jade slips on his desk more often of late. The young woman was now listed as one of the Heavenly Sword Sect's core disciples, marked for focused cultivation. From what he had gathered, she possessed the qualities of a true sword cultivator, an uncut gem that would shine brilliantly with a bit of polish.
A few days earlier, Jian Lu had aided Tian Yun Zhēnzūn in destroying an evil artifact and earned the right to enter the treasure vault. He had thought to meet her in person, yet she had simply sent her spirit pet instead, a clear sign that the pavilion's treasures held little attraction for her.
Tian Shou Zhēnzūn began wondering if he should stock the pavilion with more materials that might tempt the sword-obsessed.
After all, Heavenly Sword Sect cultivators were a battle-hungry lot, often shut away in the sect honing their blades, then heading out to seek worthy opponents whenever they hit a bottleneck. Advancing through combat was their way, and the higher-tier treasures in the pavilion often gathered dust, rarely exchanged or claimed.
Inside, Yue Liang found herself standing before a towering ancient tree. She craned her neck but could not see its top. With a hop, she landed on its trunk. On closer inspection, she saw that every branch bore a white halo, some large, some small, each containing treasures faintly visible within.
Scratching her head, she remembered her goal was to choose a defensive artifact. But with so many branches, how was she to know which held such treasures?
If you don't know, ask. Yue Liang clasped her hands toward the empty air from her perch on a branch. "Senior, I wish to choose a defensive treasure. Where should I look?"
"On the seventh layer of branches."
Tian Shou's voice came from the void.
"Many thanks for your guidance, Senior!"
With proper courtesy, Yue Liang tapped her toes on the branch and darted up to the seventh tier. She circled once, then, just as she had done when choosing from the Purple Sky Sect's collection, closed her eyes and grabbed one at random.
Tian Shou Zhēnzūn chuckled. Choosing a treasure entirely by luck—he had rarely seen such a method.
The moment Yue Liang's hand closed around her prize, she was teleported out.
Heavenly Sword Peak, Affairs Hall, Grand Hall
Jian Dan was recording her finalized list into a jade slip, intending to have Jian Ning confirm it tomorrow. If they were not on duty and had no special assignments, she would transfer the chosen people to her side.
After storing the jade slip, she looked up and saw the boy still standing across her desk. In his hands, the white mouse stubbornly turned its tiny green-bean eyes toward her. When it met her gaze, it flicked its tail and squinted its eyes in a fawning manner.
"Heh. Quite a clever little thing. What's caught his eye on me?"
Jian Dan asked the boy.
Hearing her soft, melodious voice, the boy looked up to find the senior addressing him. He flushed and bowed again, unsure how to answer.
"Senior…"
Jian Dan sent out her spiritual sense to sweep over the mouse. At once, Bai Bai's fur stood on end like needles.
"So it's a Treasure-Seeking Mouse."
She had spoken its identity aloud. The boy could only nod stiffly in acknowledgment.
"Let me guess. He's telling you I'm the greatest treasure of all, and if you follow me, you'll never run out of precious things?"
The boy's face turned crimson. He stuffed Bai Bai back into the front of his robes, bowed again, and said, "Please forgive him, Senior. Bai Bai's cultivation is lacking. He cannot tell things apart properly. I apologize on his behalf."
He bowed once more.
Jian Dan raised an eyebrow with a faint smile. "It isn't your fault, but his. Hand him over to me and I'll deal with it."
The boy froze, clutching his robes protectively. He shook his head, troubled. "Bai Bai was raised by my own hands. His mistakes are mine as well. Please punish me instead, but do not harm him."
The little mouse, sensing it had gotten its master into trouble, wriggled free of the boy's clothes. With a quick slide down the robe, it landed before Jian Dan, spread its tiny paws as if shielding its master, then pointed to itself as if to say, I'm right here.
The boy grew anxious and rushed forward, waving at the people behind him. One of them took out a transmission jade slip—no doubt calling for help.
Moments later, Yu Yuanhai emerged from the back hall. Seeing the scene, he stepped forward and bowed to Jian Dan. "Zūnshàng, please forgive them. This is my clan's junior, Yu Zongfan, who came to visit me today."
Yu Zongfan and the mouse both froze. The senior before them was actually a Unity-stage Zūnshàng, while the strongest in their family, the Ancestor, was only at the Divine Soul stage.