Chapter 1246: Newcomer
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
"What are you waiting for? Quickly pack your things!"
The steward impatiently said this when he saw Zuoyan Xiaoyu in a daze.
She was an outer-sect disciple, and as such her job was determined by the Miscellaneous Chores Department. Their orders were like a royal decree to her, so how could she refuse them?
To put it into perspective, outer-sect disciples were ranked lowest on the totem pole. They were too insignificant.
Zuoyan Xiaoyu bit her lip and accepted that indeed, with her status, she was not fated to serve Yi Yun, a powerful personal disciple who treated her well.
She smiled bitterly and said, "I'll leave with you… but when Young Master Yi started his seclusion, I stood in this spot to wait for him. At the moment, I still serve Young Master Yi in Sunken Moon Tower, so if I am to leave, I must wait for him to come out of seclusion to inform him that I'm leaving…"
The seclusion grounds in Sunken Moon Tower had its own array formation. Once it was activated, any information from outside could be transmitted in.
Unfortunately, warriors would sever their perception while in seclusion. They needed to be oblivious to everything that was happening around them, or they would not be able to focus their mind on breaking through. It was for this reason that warriors would seek expert guardians to protect them while they cultivated.
Under the current circumstances, Yi Yun would not be able to detect that Zuoyan Xiaoyu was leaving. Therefore, as his maidservant, she felt that she should not leave without a word.
However, the head steward became impatient when he heard Zuoyan Xiaoyu's words. He snorted coldly and said, "Who do you think you are? You are only a servant that usually serves tea and massages. The best you can hope for is to catch the eye of someone and become a concubine. If not, you will be forever a maidservant. Do you really think you are that important to a personal disciple? Bidding farewell? Quick, leave with us!"
The person who spoke was a dark-skinned steward. He looked like a mortal in his forties.
Zuoyan Xiaoyu was a mere outer-sect disciple and was unable to put up any resistance. She gave the tightly-shut door to the cultivation chamber a meaningful and longing glance before leaving with the dark-skinned steward.
…
A day later, in the cultivation chamber, a gray flame whirled around in mid-air. Amid the flowing flames was a gentle seven-colored light; and within it, one could vaguely make out a sleeping girl's face.
That girl was none other than Ling Xie'er.
Ever since she awoke, she became fused with the Heretical God Fire Seed. Now, while she slept, Yi Yun could sense that Ling Xie'er's soul power was constantly increasing. He guessed that when Ling Xie'er's soul power reached a certain apex, she would undergo a new metamorphosis. It was unknown what Ling Xie'er and the Heretical God Fire Seed would evolve into.
"My cultivation level has finally broken through to the fifth-floor Dao Palace realm. It's time to leave."
Yi Yun took a deep breath as the surrounding black flames and pure Yuan Qi rushed into his body as though he was a whale intaking water.
Yi Yun opened the array and walked out of the cultivation grounds. It was already night and there were orange-yellow lights lit in Sunken Moon Tower. There was a faint tea fragrance in the air that left Yi Yun feeling refreshed.
Yi Yun suddenly felt that a maidservant taking care of his daily tasks was quite a nice thing to have. In the past, he had been alone for too long and began to feel somewhat lonely.
Yi Yun pushed open Sunken Moon Tower's door and walked into the room, where he saw tea already prepared on the table. There were two plates of intricate desserts sitting beside the tea.
These desserts were another thing that the Myriad God Ridge gave solely to its personal disciples. Typical disciples had no chance of enjoying such perks.
A few of the desserts had been painstakingly chosen, with different colors and shapes placed together in an elegant and harmonious arrangement.
And on the table was a bronze heating stove. Hot air effused from it, maintaining the desserts' warmness and soft texture.
Yi Yun knew that Xiaoyu had no way of knowing exactly when he would finish his seclusion. As such, she must have freshly prepared all of this every day. She was quite thoughtful.
Just as he was thinking over the matter, he heard the maidservant room's door open from upstairs. A girl in a red dress stood by the door with an elegant posture. She was beautiful with her white skin effusing a healthy glow, making her look very endearing.
However… she was not Zuoyan Xiaoyu.
Yi Yun was taken aback. A girl had suddenly appeared in his Sunken Moon Tower and was living in the room on the second floor. This left him a little bewildered.
"Who are you?" asked Yi Yun.
The girl gave Yi Yun a poised bow and beamed. She said, "My name is Duanmu Qingwen, an outer-sect disciple that entered the Myriad God Ridge seven days ago. I was formerly tending the herbs in the southeastern herbal gardens. Yesterday, people from the Miscellaneous Chores Department instructed me to serve you, Young Master Yi."
"Young Master, you have been in seclusion for four days, am I right? You must be tired. I have made some Misty Flower Tea for you and have lit a stove of Sunken Water Fragrance. Young Master, I wonder if you like to drink alcohol? If you do, I'll warm a pot. You can take a bath first, and drink while soaking in it."
The red-dressed girl said all this as she arrived on the first floor like a gust of wind. She even pulled open the door to the bathroom on the first floor.
The bathroom in Sunken Moon Tower was extremely spacious. The bathing pool was made of superior suet jade and it was filled with water. There were flower petals of every color scattered across the water surface. Thick steam effused from it, blurring out the entire area. Just one look at it made one feel comfortable.
"I have filled the pool with Myriad God Ridge's main peak's ten-thousand-year-old Melted Ice Water. It has just been heated up and I have scattered petals from the Five-colored Flower. It has quite a refreshing effect. Young Master, are you satisfied with this? If you are, let me help you into the bath."
As Duanmu Qingwen spoke, she picked up the tray of tea. The tray made of softwood could float on the water. By placing alcohol and tea on it, one could imbibe it at any time during a bath. It was extremely convenient.
Duanmu Qingwen wanted to invite Yi Yun into the bath but it was not appropriate for her to pull Yi Yun's hand. Therefore, she stood by the bath's entrance, watching Yi Yun earnestly and with watery eyes.
At that moment, Duanmu Qingwen appeared poised and dignified. But in fact, she was feeling somewhat nervous. Although she came from the Duanmu family and enjoyed a particular status in the Wenyue Country, she knew how low her status was in the Myriad God Ridge. Compared to personal disciples, the difference was as stark as the difference between night and day.
Back when Duanmu Qingwen missed the opportunity to serve personal disciples, she had been somewhat disappointed. But despite abandoning hope, a twist of fate suddenly offered her such an opportunity.
As such, she cherished this opportunity even more.
Although her Duanmu family wielded great power, her patriarch was aged. His lifespan was coming to an end and if she could not hold up the family, the Duanmu family's position would be in extreme danger.
Now, she had been in Sunken Moon Tower for a day. Therefore, she was naturally meticulous and careful for there was no way she could neglect Young Master Yi—the person she needed to serve.
However, despite how much anticipation she had, she did not see any look of satisfaction on Yi Yun's face. Instead, she was panicked to find that he was frowning.