The Immortal Lady did not partake in mortal food, yet she served her guests a table full of rare delicacies, each dish precious and exquisite.
Zhu Maonian had reached high office, frequenting the Palace of the Crown Prince in his youth and later moving about the imperial palace. He prided himself on his refined tastes, but upon seeing this spread before him, he realized that even the emperor might not dine so well. Living in such a celestial realm, feasting on such delicacies, with no need to rise before dawn, no need to be caught between two factions unable to move, no need to handle political affairs - compared to all that, Immortal Lady Wen's life seemed far more carefree.
"Given the short notice, I apologize for any inadequacies in the preparation," Immortal Lady Wen said with a gentle expression, gesturing to one of the dishes. "This pork knuckle comes from a unique beast found only in Falling Flower Valley. It's been stewed to perfection, melting in the mouth - most suitable for the elderly."
The old lady leaned forward slightly. "How thoughtful of you, Immortal Lady."
"This peach gum is from last year's harvest, all produced within Falling Flower Valley. Madam, please try it. If you like the taste, you're welcome to take some when you leave."
Lady Zhang smiled. "Just looking at it and smelling it, I can tell it's no ordinary fare. It's my good fortune to taste it."
Immortal Lady Wen was very pleased with their attitudes. She then pointed to a bowl of soup in front of Madam Xu, saying, "I heard from Changle that you've recently given birth. This soup was specially prepared by my steward, with ample ingredients. It's extremely beneficial for postpartum women."
Madam Xu, whose eyes had been darting about in wonder since entering Falling Flower Valley, now bowed gracefully. "Thank you for your kind consideration, Immortal Lady."
"You're all Changle's family, it's only right that I take care," Immortal Lady Wen looked towards Zhu Changle, who squinted her eyes in a smile. The Immortal Lady smiled back, "If I don't treat you well, I fear Changle's master might come and overturn my Falling Flower Valley."
"That won't happen!" Zhu Changle waved her hand. "Master hasn't left home in ages. Every day, she's either drinking or sunbathing. When I can finally beat her, I'll forbid her from drinking and sunbathing every day. I'll chase her out to socialize with friends, hahaha. By then, she might even come to catch up with you, Immortal Lady."
Zhong Ningmei had retired from public life for nearly ten years, and her retirement was different from others. Most people would still maintain some old friendships, merely abstaining from jianghu affairs. But Zhong Ningmei's retirement meant complete disappearance. Although people knew where she lived, she wouldn't see anyone who came to her door. Not only would she not see them, but those who persisted in bothering her would get beaten. Of course, even after being beaten, they still wouldn't see her.
Now, hearing about her from her disciple's mouth, Immortal Lady Wen couldn't help but ask, "Does she not practice martial arts anymore?"
"She stopped long ago. She says what she has is enough," Zhu Changle said, eyeing the table full of food and audibly swallowing. "Immortal Lady, isn't it a bit cruel to let me look but not eat?"
Immortal Lady Wen covered her mouth and laughed softly. She picked up her chopsticks first and symbolically put a small bite into her bowl. "My mistake, I didn't realize Changle was hungry. Please, help yourself."
The old lady picked up her chopsticks, followed by Zhu Maonian and Lady Zhang, then the Zhu siblings, from oldest to youngest. Zhu Changle was the youngest, naturally the last, but she didn't try to cut in line, obediently waiting her turn.
Immortal Lady Wen was somewhat surprised. From their meeting until now, Zhu Changle's behavior had indicated that she wasn't one to rigidly adhere to rules, yet she observed all the proper etiquette. What luck Zhong Ningmei had, to have such a disciple.
Her gaze swept across the group, finally landing on Qiuli. This man's martial arts were profound; she couldn't fathom his depths. The surname Qiu... she knew of one family, but as far as she knew, that family had no heirs for years. Besides, this man's age didn't match up.
Zhu Changle ate with her head down, thoroughly enjoying every bite. Everything was delicious! She wanted to kidnap Falling Flower Valley's chef and take them home! No, that wouldn't work, she'd have to get her master to come. She couldn't beat Immortal Lady Wen! Yes, she'd get her master to fight Immortal Lady Wen. Winning and taking a chef wouldn't be too much, right?
The more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Zhu Changle made up her mind to go and persuade her master as soon as she'd escorted her family to their destination.
While her mind wandered off track, Zhu Changle didn't skimp on praise, keeping Immortal Lady Wen smiling throughout the meal.
That night, when all was quiet, four figures leapt onto the rooftops. They didn't even bother to conceal their movements, boldly heading towards the valley's exit.
"Immortal Lady, should we follow them?" asked a voice.
"No need," Immortal Lady Wen replied, eyes closed, enjoying a massage from her steward.
The steward hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm afraid those who ambushed them earlier have been exposed."
"There are only four of them. Although I don't know the background of that Qiuli, given his age, his abilities must be limited. They surely won't be able to wipe out all four sects with just four people, nor do they have such a ruthless nature."
"To make a move on your territory is like slapping your face. You..."
"To violate the rules so blatantly on my territory is what truly slaps my face," Immortal Lady Wen opened her eyes. Her expression remained gentle, but her words carried a cold edge. "If they had the ability to truly detain them, that would be one thing. But is Zhong Ningmei's disciple so easy to deal with? Even if they managed to capture the others, she would still escape. That Aunt Feng by her side is said to have nine lives. If they can't beat her, I might not even be able to catch up if she flees. By then, everyone would know that I, Immortal Lady Wen, broke my oath. Would Zhong Ningmei sit idly by while her disciple was bullied? If they want me to bear the consequences of drawing her out of retirement and stirring up a bloodbath in the jianghu, they should consider whether I'm willing."
"You did this on purpose?"
"Some people's ambitions are growing too big."
The steward smiled. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. You're truly formidable, Immortal Lady."
"You think that Zhu Changle doesn't know?" Immortal Lady Wen stood up and walked to the door, looking up at the night sky. It was a beautiful night, the stars twinkling brightly. It was time to clean house.
"Tomorrow, send Banlian's head to the Dragon-Breaking Sect."
The steward was shocked. "Immortal Lady!"
"A traitor, what use is there in keeping her?" Immortal Lady Wen turned around, her expression inscrutable. "Zhuo Jin, have I been too lenient these past few years, leading you all to misunderstand something?"
Zhuo Jin's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt down. "I wouldn't dare to think such things."
"You'll handle this personally."
"Yes."
The group rode their horses at a leisurely pace. Dingding, swinging his horsewhip, asked, "Little Zhu, are you really so sure that Immortal Lady Wen won't harm your parents and the others?"
"Do you think my master is easy to provoke?"
Dingding wore an expression that said 'you've asked a stupid question'. "There are countless levels between a little demon and a great demon. Don't compare yourself to Master Zhong just because you have the title of little demon."
"Then do you think someone like Immortal Lady Wen, who values her reputation and likes to scheme, would risk confronting my master over this?"
Dingding nodded thoughtfully. Given Master Zhong's blood-soaked past, indeed few would dare to provoke her.
"If something happened to me on Immortal Lady Wen's territory, who else would my master seek out?" Little Tail snorted, and Zhu Changle patted its back to soothe it. "She might want to use me to embarrass my master, but she definitely wouldn't dare to take my life. This afternoon when Qiuli was drawing the map, I suddenly remembered what your grandfather said. He said that the Dragon-Breaking Sect has been expanding its territory aggressively in the past two years, already breaking the balance of power among the Four Sects of Central Anhui to become the leading sect. This point would further fuel their ambitions. Do you think Immortal Lady Wen would tolerate her subordinates harboring such ambitions? Especially when these ambitions might involve replacing her?"
A Little Zhu willing to use her brain was doubly lethal. Dingding had always acknowledged this point, though of course, he would never tell her that. He clicked his tongue, "Your greatest protection is your master."
"I want to carve 'Beloved Disciple of Zhong Ningmei' on my forehead to see who dares to provoke me!"
Zhu Changle said these shameless words with utter conviction. Dingding couldn't be bothered to respond and rode ahead. Then, thinking of something, he turned back, "Why don't we announce it with gongs and drums behind us, make them retreat?"
Qiuli couldn't help but smile. These two were equally shameless; neither could claim superiority over the other.
"I'd like to do that too, but we can't now," Zhu Changle sighed. "They're probably framing each other by now. The eastern faction using the western faction's sword techniques, the western faction using the northern faction's palm techniques, the northern faction using the southern faction's knife techniques. If they really kill me in this mess, who would my master go after?"
That made sense. Dingding nodded.
"Young Miss, we need to speed up," Aunt Feng reminded from the side.
"Little Tail is already getting restless. Qiuli, let's race."
Qiuli put away his fan and tapped his horse's head. The horse immediately started running.
Zhu Changle laughed heartily. "Hahaha, Qiuli, you're cheating! Little Tail, hurry up, we can't lose!"
