The cold wind blew, and the wind chimes hanging at the door to remind the shopkeeper of the arrival of guests whirred, making a pleasant hum, like thunder in the silent night.
"Welcome to visit our shop."
The waiter looked up dazedly, "What kind of herbs do you need?"
"No need," the voice said gently, "I came here to get medicine."
The waiter was almost awake and looked over subconsciously.
The figure stood against the moonlight, and the moonlight happened to be facing away from him, illuminating his outline clearly.
Three thousand black hairs spread out behind him, and apart from a simple black robe, he had no other accessories on his body.
There was a hint of sickness between his eyebrows and eyes, and he was as handsome as a monster that had walked out of a strange story or legend. There was a ghostly aura around him, and he was strange and beautiful, not like an ordinary person.
The young man held a disciple card between his bony fingers and handed it to the counter with his wide sleeves slightly lowered.
As the sleeves of the robe fluttered, the waiter seemed to see a strange pattern flash by on the corner of the robe.
The pattern was extremely unique, embroidered with fine silver thread. The threads were densely packed and extremely delicate, and it was obvious at first glance that it was made of top-quality fabric.
Ordinary people certainly cannot afford to wear such fabrics, and even those who practice cultivation would not spend precious materials to make a piece of clothing that has no practical value.
The combination of the two made even a waiter like him, who had been sitting at the gate of Taiyan Sect for many years and was used to seeing the proud children of the first sect, gasp inwardly and quickly jumped up: "Please wait a moment, Immortal."
The shopkeeper did instruct him to do something like this, but it was a few years ago. The waiter hurriedly searched behind the counter and finally found a jade box from the bottom of the pile of miscellaneous items and handed it over respectfully.
"You've already paid for the medicine you requested last time."
"Thank you very much."
The young man's deep profile flickered in the darkness for a moment. He gathered his sleeves to his mouth, coughed twice, and took the jade box.
It was a long time until the mysterious young man in black disappeared through the door that the waiter came back to his senses.
He tidied up the bottles and jars that he had just knocked over in his haste and talked to himself.
"Strange... When did such a disciple appear in the outer sect?"
What the young man was holding just now was clearly the identity card of an outer sect servant disciple of Taiyan Sect.
Every disciple of Taiyan Sect has an ID card. The ID cards of inner disciples, chief disciples and outer disciples are all different, so there is absolutely no possibility of getting the wrong one.
The waiter thought for a long time but couldn't find any clues from his memory. At the same time, he always felt that there was something wrong.
His eyes swept across the red lantern burning faintly on the shop door, and when they touched a certain white scribble, his pupils suddenly shrank.
No... Wait?!
Thinking of the pattern he had just vaguely seen on the corner of the young man's robe, the waiter broke out in cold sweat on his forehead. He fell to the ground with a look of fear and panic.
He finally knew why he felt familiar with the pattern.
—That is clearly the pattern that must be embroidered on the shrouds burned for the deceased during the Cold Clothes Festival.
####
Time passed slowly, and more than half a year had passed.
Before daybreak, the humble abode at the foot of Taiyan Mountain was already noisy.
Hanshe is the unified residence for Taiyan Sect's outer disciples. It is composed of small rooms divided by wooden boards and covered with thatched roofs.
"Today the demon tribe is coming to form an alliance with our sect. Do you want to join in the fun?"
The disciple who got up early to collect herbs brought back a piece of important news, which immediately sparked widespread discussion.
"The demon race? Form an alliance with us?" Someone exclaimed, "Don't they always look down on human monks?"
"I don't know. It is said that the demon tribe first proposed this matter." The disciple who brought back the news said, "Just now, I saw all the peak masters and elders led by the headmaster to the square."
Now that the sect's top leaders have been dispatched, this matter must be done.
This is a big deal!
The outer disciples in the courtyard started discussing with each other.
The outer sect disciples were basically the lowest level people in the cultivation world. Even if they discussed it intensely, they probably couldn't come up with anything. Their identities meant that they couldn't get involved in many of the sect's internal affairs.
At this moment, a door was gently pushed open.
Many disciples in the courtyard who noticed this lowered their voices.
The young man pushed open the door and glanced around the courtyard.
His face was pale, his eyes showed no expression of either sadness or joy, and he was wearing only an extremely simple black robe, but it could not hide his extraordinary beauty and unparalleled handsomeness.
“Cough cough cough…”
He took only two steps before he stopped where he was and started coughing bitterly. A faint blush appeared on his pale face.
"Friend Zong, is your body... okay?"
One disciple was so frightened that he stepped forward cautiously and asked a question.
"It's nothing. It's just an old problem."
Zong Ci waved his hand lightly, not taking this little matter to heart.
At this point, he paused, and then asked casually, "What's going on with the demon race you were talking about?"
"This is the news that Fellow Daoist Liu just received. It says that the demon tribe wants to form an alliance with our sect!"
"Yes, yes, it is said that the sect's top leaders have already gone to the door to greet us."
As soon as he asked, many outer disciples chattered and vied with him to explain.
Although he had not been a disciple for long, Zong Ci had a very good reputation among the outer disciples of Taiyan Sect and was highly respected.
He has a gentle personality, good looks, lazy and elegant, and his swordsmanship is unparalleled. He stands out like a shining star among the boys and girls who are only in their teens. Often, disciples will come to him to form a team when they encounter difficult tasks, and he never refuses. Many outer disciples have received his favor.
Whenever a disciple obtains some medicinal herbs that can nourish the body during a mission or by chance, they will be sent to him as soon as possible.
Because everyone knew that Zong Ci was weak, and not in the ordinary sense of the word. He was the kind that would be difficult to recover from even if he embarked on the path to immortality.
It is said that this bone defect has also affected his cultivation, which is why Zong Ci is still only at the third level of Qi Refining Stage and has been unable to make any progress, which is a pity.
"I see."
After listening to the explanation, Zong Ci nodded, as if thinking about something.
"So, Brother, should we join in the fun?"
After this disciple asked the question, all the outer disciples in the courtyard looked over, as if they were following Zong Ci's lead.
The huge yard was unexpectedly silent, with no one speaking out in opposition.
"Go." Zong Ci smiled slightly. He glanced at the disciple who seemed particularly enthusiastic. "Since the guest has come to form an alliance, we are also part of the Taiyan Sect. There is something exciting to watch, so why not go?"
"Brother Zong is right, let's go there quickly."
Then all the disciples walked towards the mountain gate in a mighty procession.
Since they are all below the foundation building stage, they cannot learn to fly with flying instruments, so everyone uses the most primitive method - walking.
Fortunately, the outer gate is located at the foot of Taiyan Mountain, not too far from the mountain gate, and can be reached in about an incense stick of time.
The group of outer disciples came in a mighty procession, attracting a lot of attention along the way.
Zong Ci walked in the front, wearing a solid black long gown with wide sleeves, but he was as beautiful as an orchid and a jade tree, making people unable to take their eyes off him.
The senior members of Taiyan Sect who were already waiting in front of the mountain gate also noticed the arrival of this group of outer disciples.
"Strange, do outer disciples usually have such organization and discipline?"
The leader of Danfeng Peak took a quick glance and looked surprised.
The outer sect disciples were the bottom of the entire sect. They were screened out at the first screening when entering the sect. They were all four or five spiritual roots, which was not a promising existence. Not many of them succeeded in entering the inner sect. Most of them were marginal disciples who did not break through the foundation before their lifespans were about to end.
Tai Yan Sect did not force outer disciples to come this time, so the fact that they were all present in such an orderly manner was beyond the expectations of many sect leaders.
The heads of each peak had come to greet them early with their elite disciples. However, the number of elite disciples was small, and there were not many inner disciples to join in the fun. As a result, when the outer disciples entered, the square was crowded with people, which looked quite impressive.
As soon as the Danfeng Peak Master finished speaking, many Peak Masters focused their spiritual consciousness on the black-clothed young man and investigated him.
His demeanor and appearance are both excellent, but unfortunately his cultivation is low and his steps are unsteady. He is only at the third level of Qi Refining Stage.
The headmaster was about to say something when suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared in the sky.
A majestic and luxurious palace came by, surrounded by clouds and mist, like a fairy palace in the sky.
What a generous deal!
Everyone gasped.
From a distance, you can see pavilions, towers, bridges and flowing water, which are extremely elegant.
Such a rare flying magic weapon must be at least a magical weapon.
Above the palace, the Demon King, wearing a crimson crown, stood facing the wind. His narrow and long phoenix eyes were slightly raised, and the corners of his eyes were dyed with an extremely enchanting red.
Behind him, all the civil and military officials of the demon clan were dressed in gorgeous clothes, holding court tablets in their hands, with solemn expressions, and lined up neatly in a zigzag shape.
"Immortal Qingyun, how are you?"
As you get closer, you can see that the man's face is close to the end of people's imagination of the word "beauty", which is a beauty that transcends gender. Moreover, there is a natural charm in his every move, and the unstable monk can't take his eyes off him at all.