The waters of Lake Dongting stretched out in endless jade-green waves, mist rising in a vast, boundless haze. The lake was grand and wide, its waves crashing against the shore, each swell churning like a thousand layers of white foam. Liu Xiaolou had walked along the shoreline for half a day, eyes fixed on the lake's center, yet still couldn't see the small island that should have been there; Junshan Island, famed across the land.
Junshan Island wasn't some Grotto-heaven; it was a blessed land that anyone could see. That it remained out of sight showed just how vast Lake Dongting truly was, far beyond what Liu Xiaolou had imagined.
On the lake's northern shore was a narrow bay. The water slowed as it flowed in, becoming as calm as a still pond. The surface was covered with lotus leaves stretching as far as the eye could see. This was the famed "Lotus Pond That Touches the Sky."
After walking another three li, Liu spotted a stone pavilion in the distance, its base meeting the lotus-covered water. This had to be the drop point that Inspector Hou had mentioned.
Liu Xiaolou waited until nightfall. Seeing no one around, he put on a bamboo hat and pulled a black scarf over his face. Quietly, he stepped into the pavilion. Tapping around with his foot, he found a floor tile that felt loose. He tested it, and sure enough, it lifted up.
He slipped a small note underneath, set everything back in place, and left the pavilion. Now, all he could do was wait for a response.
On the northeastern shore of Lake Dongting stood a small market town called Yueyang Market. It had been built centuries ago by the Qingyu Sect, but they'd paid little attention to it since. As a result, it never gained much reputation. It had been just a little larger than the street stall market in Wuchao Town, and nothing close to the scale of Tianmen Mountain Market.
But starting last month, for reasons unknown, the Qingyu Sect had suddenly began investing heavily in the development of Yueyang Market. At this moment, over a dozen buildings were under construction along the streets, and the market's size had already doubled. Rumor had it that even more expansion was planned.
More important than buildings were the merchants. And the people. In addition to the storefronts already bearing the names of sects like the Zhanglong Sect, Dongyang Sect, and Tianmu Mountain, other prestigious orthodox sects such as the Jinting Sect from Jinting Mountain, the Taiyuan Sect from Mufu Mountain, and the Qingtian Sect from Qingtian Mountain had also been invited to open shops here.
Of course, if a market was to thrive, it couldn't just be about business. There had to be places for food, entertainment, and leisure too. That's why Mama Zhang and Sister Qing, both well-known in the alleyways of Wuchao Town, had been brought in by the Qingyu Sect.
The Qingyu Sect had been pretty rough when they dragged them over, but once they arrived, the treatment was downright generous. Each of them was given a large courtyard, for free.
Mama Zhang's place was called Red Jade, and Sister Qing's was Green Serenity. The two courtyards sat side by side, guarding either end of a narrow alley that the sect named Wuchao Alley—a clear sign of how much value the Qingyu Sect placed on them.
"So… Sister Qing doesn't want to come back anymore?" Liu Xiaolou stood in the main hall of the Green Serenity courtyard, looking up at the towering ceiling, nearly twenty feet high, and the grand space wide enough to host a hundred guests at once. He took in the colorful décor and couldn't help but marvel. Qingyu Sect had gone all out.
Sister Qing no longer looked anything like she did back when she worked the streets. She wore a yellow silk vest with green embroidery, a sheer white shawl, and a pink skirt edged in willow patterns. Clothes make the person, as they say, and with her naturally pretty face and graceful figure, she now looked every bit the lady of a noble clan; nothing at all like a street madam.
"One word from you, Xiaolou," she said, her eyes sharp as blades and fixed on him, "and I'd give all this up in a heartbeat. I'd go back to Wuchao Town and take care of you. Would you want that?"
Liu Xiaolou didn't dare answer. He didn't even dare ask what kind of answer she was really waiting for. All he could do was change the subject. "You're living in style now, Sister Qing. Qingyu Sect's treating you well, huh?"
"It's been fine," she said casually, "What brings you here all of a sudden, Xiaolou? Missing your big sister?"
Liu Xiaolou let out a sigh. "I've hit a bit of a wall in my cultivation. So… I was thinking maybe I could stay near you for a while and focus on my cultivation. But after seeing this place... I doubt I can even afford a few nights at Green Serenity. My pockets are painfully light."
Sister Qing smiled, lips just barely curving. "I'm practically half your master's wife. If you want to stay here, why are we even talking about money? That's nonsense. Go on, settle in. Green Pearl, take Xiaolou to the back courtyard. Fix up the room next to mine for him."
A beautifully dressed young woman stepped forward, moving like wind through willows. She wasn't quite curvy yet, but what she had was certainly noticeable. This was Green Pearl, one of Sister Qing's top girls; the kind who could carry a whole house on her back. She, too, was wearing fresh makeup and light powder, which only made her look even more striking.
"Oh, little Immortal Master," said Green Pearl with a playful laugh, covering her mouth as she led the way, "you and your master really must've been tied to our Sister Qing in a past life. First it was your master, now it's you; she can't stop thinking about you two. Since you're here, you might as well stay."
Liu Xiaolou glanced at her proud little smirk and couldn't help thinking of what Tan Bajhang had said the other day about "those two mounds, just right there in your face." He instinctively closed his eyes and groaned, "Ah!"
"What's wrong, little Immortal Master?"
"I saw Brother Tan not long ago. He still can't stop thinking about you."
"Which Brother Tan?"
"Tan Bajhang, of course."
"Ah, that little bastard. Tell him to get over here already! He still owes me five taels of silver. I was soft-hearted and let him buy on credit, and now it's been three months without a trace!"
"It was just a bit of credit, Green Bead. No need to go as far as calling him a bastard. He probably doesn't even know you're in Yueyang Market now."
"I wasn't trying to insult him. Last time, he shoved his head into my chest wrap and made me call him that."
"Uh…"
"Anyway, this courtyard's nice and quiet. You can stay here for now, little Immortal Master. The main room's Sister Qing's. You'll stay in the west room. I'm in the next courtyard over. Come visit me when you've got time. I don't know anything about your Sanxuan Sect techniques or whatever, but I'm willing to learn. I'd even become your disciple, little Immortal Master, seriously." She giggled.
Liu Xiaolou felt his heart skip at the teasing. His mind wandered. He imagined guiding a young female disciple, pointing out acupoints and teaching her pulse techniques. His pulse quickened, but after a few beats, he forced it down. He was a cultivator, after all.
"My sect's poor," he said. "Even worse off than Brother Tan. At least he has a clan to fall back on. Me, I've got no one and nothing. How could I afford to take you in as a disciple?"
The west room was tidy enough, with all the furnishings and essentials in place. Green Pearl brought over two embroidered cushions from who knows where, one short, one long. She laid them out on the floor for him.
"This short one's for when you cultivate alone. The long one," she said with a playful glint, "is for when you're dual cultivating."
Liu Xiaolou put a hand to his forehead, exasperated. He couldn't very well explain that he hadn't even reached the stage where dual cultivation was possible yet; he'd never hear the end of it from the whole Green Serenity courtyard. So, he pretended not to hear her at all.
After Green Pearl left, Liu Xiaolou finally settled down, shut the door, and focused on his cultivation.
It wasn't until dawn the next day that Sister Qing came back, yawning as she passed by. She peeked through the crack in the door and saw Liu Xiaolou sitting cross-legged in cultivation, then went straight to her room and collapsed into bed. Yueyang Market wasn't even finished yet, but thanks to the Qingyu Sect's deliberate efforts to promote it, word had already spread far and wide. Visitors were pouring in from all corners of the land. Sister Qing had been rushing around the courtyard arranging welcomes and accommodations, barely touching the ground. Even if she wanted to dual cultivate, she didn't have the energy for it.
It was afternoon before she finally woke up. She had food and wine sent in and invited Liu Xiaolou to join her for a meal. During the meal, she flirted non-stop, peppering their conversation with risqué jokes and double meanings.
Liu Xiaolou found himself no match for her banter. She got the better of him several times, so he changed the subject, asking about how she and the others had been forcibly moved here by the Qingyu Sect. Naturally, that led to mentioning Steward Hou, who'd been in charge of the relocation.
She said, "The one who moved us here was Steward Hou, you know, the same man you sold spirit wine to at Ghostdream Cliff. He was fierce back then. I didn't expect him to be so harsh. I even thought about cozying up to him, just to make him go easy on us and let us stay in Wuchao Town. But I saw pretty quickly that it wouldn't work, so I didn't let him take advantage of me. Don't worry, Xiaolou; your 'master's wife' only opens her heart to the people of Sanxuan Sect."
"So he's the one in charge of you now?" asked Liu Xiaolou.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Whenever there's trouble, we go to Steward Hou. The Hou Sheng you mentioned; that's his older brother. After both courtyards were moved here, he came by a couple times too. But all he did was listen to music. Didn't drink, didn't spend the night, didn't even leave a coin. None of us liked him."
Liu Xiaolou was surprised. "Sister Qing, you have someone here who can play music? Isn't that a bit... unprofessional?"
She shot him a glare. "How crude! These aren't the Wulong Mountain days anymore. We have to recruit talent now. Took me forever to find one. Her name's Yong'e. Not much to look at, though. Only plays the pipa, never smiles. That's why she's not very popular."
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