In a cave dwelling in the back mountains of the Chaotian Immortal Sect, Chi Zu, who was sound asleep, suddenly woke up: Has my wife arrived? Chi Zu excitedly transformed into a beam of light and rushed to the sect gate.
The disciples guarding the inner gate only felt a gust of wind flash by. They looked around but found nothing, then went back to their naps. In the past few days, people from various sects had been visiting to attend the wedding ceremony of Young Master Yang of the sect. They were guarding the inner gate, so they were not as tired as the outer gate disciples, who had to continuously activate the sect's grand array, open the barrier, and receive visiting sect members.
Ye Ju's ship finally arrived at the Chaotian Immortal Sect at the end of winter and entered its mountain gate. They were now within the range of the Chaotian Immortal Sect's protective barrier. Standing at the bow of the ship, the group's eyes lit up as they saw majestic, perilous mountain ranges shrouded in mist, like a fairyland. They saw magnificent palaces and pavilions built on floating islands, hundred-zhang waterfalls cascading down, and immortal cranes playing in the water. Sect disciples were flying back and forth in the sky on their swords, creating a lively scene!
Not far away, many flying ships were suspended in the air. Steward Zhu informed Ye Ju that these were the flying ships from various sects coming to attend the ceremony, lining up for registration.
Ye Ju was awestruck. Truly worthy of the Chaotian Immortal Sect! Steward Zhu had mentioned on the way that the Chaotian Immortal Sect was the foremost immortal cultivation sect on the Tianchen Continent, possessing blessed lands with abundant spiritual energy and rich cultivation resources. Inner disciples enjoyed top-tier cultivation treatment.
"Wife, you're here!" Suddenly, Zhi Meng was embraced by a burly man who had barged onto the ship.
"Let go! Who are you? Hugging and embracing in broad daylight, have you no shame?" Zhi Meng was startled when she was embraced but relaxed upon recognizing a familiar presence. However, she became angry, remembering how this foolish fellow had left without looking back or showing any reluctance. She immediately raised her hand to strike.
"Wife, you don't recognize me?" Chi Zu had no idea his wife was about to explode with anger.
"Ha, who are you? You remember me? Was the outside world fun? Did you forget all about me, not even sending a message? You've made me so angry, I'm going to beat you!"
Chi Zu was beaten by Zhi Meng, ducking and dodging, shouting, "Wife, don't be angry, I miss you terribly, stop hitting me, ow~~~ it hurts~~~ it hurts~~"
"Still 'I'? Whose 'I'? Huh? I'll beat you to death, you silly ox!" Zhi Meng became even angrier, unleashing her full repertoire of martial arts.
Ye Ju felt the gazes from the nearby flying ships and her face grew hot. These two were causing her embarrassment. With a wave of her hand, she sent the couple into her spatial realm. Xiao Bai and Xiao Wang You were watching the spectacle with great interest. When the two suddenly disappeared, they knew they had entered the realm and eagerly followed to watch the fun. Zhi Meng, still enraged, didn't notice the change of scenery and chased Chi Zu around the island in the realm, beating him soundly to vent her anger.
Through their journey and with the spatial realm's upgrades, Steward Zhu and the others, having significantly improved their cultivation, could now enter the realm. Xiao Wang You and Xiao Bai watched the commotion for a while before coming out again. Ye Ju had also upgraded the island barrier passes she had previously given them into keys that allowed free entry and exit to the spatial realm. Therefore, unless Ye Ju, the owner, disagreed, they would not be restricted.
Arriving at a platform, Ye Ju disembarked to register. Everyone else from the ship also came down. The craftsmen from the island, who were previously outer disciples of the Chaotian Immortal Sect, were grateful to be back in the sect. Ye Ju gifted each of them spirit fruits suitable for their cultivation and then dismissed them. To be safe, Steward Zhu had Zhi Meng use her dream manipulation to alter their memories, making them forget everything about the island. Even if they recalled it, they would believe it was just a dream.
After completing the registration, Ye Ju stored the ship into her spatial realm in front of everyone. The Purple Bamboo ship, disguised by Xiao Zi, looked like an ordinary vessel, and no one suspected that its owner was the renowned Fairy Ye, owner of the Nine-Tailed Fox divine beast.
At this moment, Ye Ju just wanted to keep her hidden identity intact to avoid unnecessary trouble. Little did she know, Tian Ji of the Seven Star Guard was on his way with two troublesome individuals.
The people waiting nearby who hadn't registered saw Ye Ju, a young woman, effortlessly store a flying ship with a wave of her hand. They dared not underestimate her, knowing that a spatial realm capable of storing a ship of this size was immeasurably valuable. The wealth of an ordinary sect leader was comparable to this. They all speculated that Ye Ju was either a prodigy from a reclusive great sect or an elder of a minor sect, given her apparent age of around twenty-four or twenty-five. She was young, her cultivation was not yet discernible, and her attendants were quite respectful towards her.
A disciple from a medium-sized sect, while registering, glanced at the roster. Ye Ju and her party had been ahead of him.
He saw the roster read "Penglai Sect, Ju Xun." After filling in his own sect's name, he left in deep thought. He found Ye Ju very familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
The yellow-robed disciple from the Chaotian Immortal Sect who was guiding Ye Ju did not witness Ye Ju storing the ship. Hearing his senior disciple mention that their sect's name was unfamiliar, he developed a dismissive attitude and directly led them to a dilapidated courtyard.
"Fellow Daoists, as many major sects and aristocratic families have been visiting the sect recently, accommodations are limited. Please bear with us for now." The yellow-robed disciple spoke arrogantly, bowed, and then left.
Steward Zhu saw his former sect treating the fairy this way and was about to speak, but Ye Ju stopped him.
"Fairy, how about I inform Yang'er? The sect's discipline is so lax. What are the Discipline Hall and Enforcement Hall doing!" Zhu Ye had not returned to the sect since being injured and leaving two hundred years ago. As the former peak master in charge of the Discipline Hall, seeing this scene filled him with anger and heartbreak!
"There's no need, Steward Zhu. I don't mind. This is good; it will save a lot of trouble." Ye Ju truly didn't mind. Snobbishness was common everywhere.
Ye Ju rolled up her sleeves, preparing to clean. Steward Zhu held her back and shook his head. He then cast a cleansing spell, and the room immediately became clean and bright, spotless. Ye Ju smiled and shook her head. She liked to do things herself but was always held back by those around her. Even cooking was no longer her turn. Ah You's culinary skills were as superb as his medicine-making skills, and the taste was even better than hers.
The courtyard was laid out in a "回" shape. Upon entering, one passed a screen wall to reach the courtyard. The main house was in the center, with side rooms on the right, having seven or eight rooms sufficient for living. The kitchen was located on the left, along with servants' rooms.
However, the kitchen was merely decorative. Few cultivators cared for their appetites, as most ate辟谷丹 (grain-abstinence pills) and never used a kitchen, so it was empty. Fortunately, Ye Ju had stocked plenty in her spatial realm. The realm was now in eternal spring, and Ah You had long since planted spirit vegetables and spirit rice, so there was no shortage of food.
At this moment, ingredients had been taken from the spatial realm, and Ah You and Xiao Wang You were already busy in the kitchen. The aroma of food wafted out.
"Smells so good~~~" A voice suddenly called from outside the door...