At the third quarter of the Mao hour, Cloud City slowly woke from its morning mist. The ancient blue-gray walls towered above, solid and imposing. The gates and arrow towers looked as though they still held military purpose, but in truth it was just the craftsmen showing off — the Qingyuan Sect forbade mortal nations from warring with each other.
With a heavy rumble, the copper-studded iron gates swung open. The crowd waiting outside surged into the city like a breaking wave. The morning drums boomed, stirring the people within the walls from their dreams.
Looking south along Vermilion Bird Avenue, two tides of humanity merged into one flowing current. The shops lining the street slowly awakened one by one, bringing the entire city to life.
Inside Fortune Cloud Tavern, a few early customers had arrived.
On the second floor by a window, a young man in a blue robe sat staring blankly at the bustling street outside. Several small dishes on the table remained untouched except for half a bowl of the tavern's famous yellow-rice porridge, which clearly didn't suit his taste.
This young man was Gu An. He had entered the city late the previous afternoon and, seeing it was nearly dark, didn't visit Senior Sister Yun. Instead, he found an inn to stay the night.
But as he ate his porridge that morning, he remembered that Senior Sister Yun never told him where she lived. That left him sitting there dazed.
Gu An rubbed his forehead and laughed at himself, deciding he'd ask around at the city office later. He lifted the bowl and took another sip.
"Is something not to your liking, honored guest? If any dish isn't right, Fortune Cloud Tavern will gladly replace it." A middle-aged man in gray approached — the shopkeeper, judging by his tone.
"No problem with the food," Gu An said with a small smile. "I just don't have much appetite today."
The shopkeeper relaxed. "If you need anything, just call for one of the boys downstairs. They know Cloud City well — where the clinics are, which ones charge less but still cure fast."
Gu An nodded. As the man turned to leave, something clicked, and Gu An hurriedly stopped him."Shopkeeper — do you know of Senior Sister Yun Xiuyan?"
The man thought for a moment. "Surname Yun… then she must be from the royal family. Guest, are you perhaps an immortal master from the Qingyuan Sect?"
"Yes. My senior sister is in Cloud City, but she didn't mention her residence." Gu An confirmed.
The shopkeeper immediately dropped to his knees, trembling and begging forgiveness.
Gu An frowned. He understood that mortals feared cultivators, but kneeling every time he tried to talk to someone was honestly just inconvenient.
"Stand up. Speak normally."
Still trembling, the shopkeeper rose. "If the immortal master means the Lady Yun from the royal bloodline who joined the Upper Sect — there are only three of them in the past decade. Two are women. The eldest princess joined twelve years ago, and His Majesty waived a year of taxes to celebrate it. The younger princess joined last year, though for some reason no tax exemption was granted."
Gu An immediately understood. The eldest princess must be his Senior Sister Yun Xiuyan."Do you know where she lives?"
"Yes, honored immortal. They say the celestial estate called Tianyun Courtyard houses all the immortal masters."
"And where is that?"
"Walk straight down Vermilion Bird Avenue toward the palace. Tianyun Courtyard is south of the palace. Storytellers say the garden has flowers that never wither year-round and landscapes that stay green through all eight seasons — incredibly beautiful!"
Gu An nodded, tossed him a silver ingot, and headed out.
…
Gu An eventually reached Tianyun Courtyard. The walls were tall, hiding the scenery inside, but he could sense faint spiritual energy leaking out.
Two armored guards stopped him at a round archway."Please halt. This is Tianyun Courtyard."
A token shot out from Gu An's storage pouch, glowing as it spun in the air. The guards' faces paled and they immediately stepped aside.
"Forgive us, immortal master — we didn't recognize you."
Gu An smiled slightly. "You're just doing your duty. I'm here to visit Senior Sister Yun Xiuyan. Where is her residence?"
A guard pointed. "Follow this white-jade path straight ahead. Near the end you'll see a few small courtyards. Hers is the one with two spirit trees inside."
These guards were trained by the Yun family specifically to guide visiting cultivators and knew basic details about the area.
Walking along the white-jade path, birdsong and floral scents filled the air. Gu An even spotted several spirit herbs growing behind marked boundaries, clearly looked after with great care.
Near the end of the path, he finally saw the courtyard. Two jade-spirit fruit trees stood tall inside, their branches blossoming with pale white flowers.
"No wonder she's the disciple of Real Person Qingshao… two first-tier jade-spirit fruit trees alone would bring in a mountain of spirit stones every year." Gu An couldn't help but sigh.
"These were a birthday gift from my third uncle. They aren't worth much. If you like them, take two fruits later."A cool voice sounded behind him.
Startled, Gu An turned around. A woman stood there, having appeared silently like moonlight on still water.
Her face looked carved from fine porcelain, her skin pale as early winter snow. Her brows slanted like slender winter branches, her nose sharp as a frost-forged blade. Her eyes were deep and still, like midnight ice reflecting moonlight, her lashes dark and long. She wore a pale blue flowing-cloud robe with faint spirit patterns. Her raven-black hair was held by a single jade hairpin.
She was staring at him.
Bright as autumn chrysanthemums, serene as spring pines.
Yun Xiuyan's brows lifted slightly. "Are you going to stand there blocking the door? I'm going in."
Gu An awkwardly stepped aside. "I'm coming in with you, Senior Sister."
She pushed the door open and walked in. Gu An followed.
The courtyard was half a mile wide. Over a dozen jade-spirit fruits hung on the trees. Jade-slab paths divided the grass into neat squares of green.
A small pond lay in front of the house, with a rock garden and a pavilion. The pond actually produced spiritual mist — a natural spirit spring. Gu An realized once again what true luxury looked like.
"Waaaugh~"
A purple blur crouched by the pond, swallowing a fish whole. Gu An and Yun Xiuyan watched the fish bulge awkwardly in its throat before finally sliding down.
Yun Xiuyan stared at the creature in silence.
Gu An forced a laugh. "Senior Sister's spirit beast is… uh… truly pure-hearted."
Yes — it was the same silly Purple Cloud Goose he'd met when delivering the letter. He thought it was goofy then, but this was a whole new level.
Yun Xiuyan quickly examined Gu An's reaction. Seeing he wasn't shocked or mocking her, she quietly relaxed.
Then she shot the goose a cold look, thinking, You stupid bird… stealing my ice-crystal fish was one thing, but embarrassing me in front of my junior? You're finished.
Outwardly she remained calm. "You joke too much."
The Purple Cloud Goose clearly sensed danger, fluffing its feathers nervously. Seeing its master staring, it waddled over and rubbed against her leg like a pitiful child.