Chapter 16: Tales of Yang Yuan

A few days later, at a roadside tea house outside Yang Yuan City in the Western Spirit Kingdom.

Three young women sat on either side of a tea table by the window, sipping on a cup of tea that wasn’t exactly high-end, while casually surveying the official road outside, looking quite relaxed.

Each of the three women had their own beauty and distinct aura, and the white-robed girl, with her unique attire and pure black hair, naturally attracted many glances from patrons inside the tea house, even causing the owner and staff to look over repeatedly. However, they seemed to have grown accustomed to this scene, paying no mind to the varied stares and simply continued their low conversation.

“So, does it really take a whole six months for the fairy island to appear again? What about its location?”

“I can’t be sure; the fairy island’s appearances vary each time. This mysterious and magical island moves frequently and has no fixed coordinate for staying.”

“And whenever the fairy island is about to descend, there are fairy envoys dispatched to the capitals of the four countries to inform the current four saints of its specific location and information, and they initiate competitions within their respective nations, eventually converging to select outstanding talents qualified to ascend the fairy island.”

“This is one of the most grand and prestigious events in our Ancient Spirit Realm, the ‘Four Saints Selection Tournament’.”

“Wow, it suddenly feels like the tone has changed drastically…”

“Hmm? Did Vilyric-senpai just say something?”

Looking at the graceful yet gentle gray-haired girl—Ling Feng—who made that puzzled expression, the priestess, who had been traveling with them for several days and grasped many customs and common knowledge of this Ancient Spirit Realm, smiled and shook her head.

“It’s nothing, just some musings from foreign habits. But speaking of which, Miss Ling Feng doesn’t seem very surprised that I’m here for Lingyin Fairy Island; you accepted that explanation quite readily and even offered clues easily. Is there some reason for that?”

“~”

With a flick of her bangs, the gentle breeze from outside the tea house lifted Ling Feng’s gray hair lightly. Though it was a small action, combined with her noble demeanor and stunning beauty, it left several neighboring tea patrons speechless.

Bai’er shot them a sharp glare, stopping the unabashed scrutinizing stares.

“Vilyric-senpai might not know, but my Ancient Spirit Realm is well-connected and can even link to many worlds. Although the number of outsiders has significantly decreased since the four saints descended to stabilize the chaos, and with the control of the fairy island, they still come one after another.”

“And in this peaceful age, the reasons for outsiders visiting mainly include study, travel, or seeking the divine to ascend to that legendary realm of immortals for guidance. Therefore, your reasoning, Vilyric-senpai, is quite reasonable.”

“Is that so? Well, I didn’t expect it would take over six months to wait; that feels like quite a long time…”

The usually quiet Bai’er, who only occasionally glanced outside and had not proactively spoken much, unexpectedly turned her head to join the conversation.

“It’s not long at all. Under normal circumstances, the interval for Lingyin Fairy Island appearing can reach ten years or even several decades. Many may only get to see it once in a lifetime. But this time, it’s only been less than three years, and the fairy envoy suddenly visited again, announcing that the fairy island will be opening soon…”

“So, the timing of your arrival is quite coincidental yet unfortunate.”

Although Bai’er didn’t make her point entirely clear, having experienced the recent incident at the Wu Family Village, Vilyric could roughly guess what she meant by “coincidental” and “unfortunate.”

The priestess didn’t mind, but rather than any so-called grand event or new era, she was more focused on the information hinted at in Bai’er’s words.

“Hmm? It sounds like you have some unique understanding of the situation regarding Lingyin Fairy Island?”

Ling Feng smiled slightly, naturally continuing the conversation.

“To be honest, Bai’er was actually the runner-up in the last ‘Four Saints Selection Tournament’ from the Spirit Kingdom; she once ascended the fairy island and gained the appreciation of Lord ‘Wu Qu’ among the Seven Hidden Stars, receiving guidance for over a month. In our Western Spirit Kingdom, she is considered a leading figure of the younger generation~”

“Only third place, nothing to brag about… It’s not like I won the championship. In the final match, I was thrown past tenth place…”

Given such generous praise, Bai’er, despite being a martial artist, turned a few shades red on her fair face, quite embarrassed, and reflexively turned her head away again.

But Ling Feng remained noncommittal.

“The final match is a competition among the strongest in the entire Ancient Spirit Realm, not just our Western Spirit Kingdom. Among them were even outsiders like you, Vilyric-senpai. Moreover, the ‘Four Saints Selection Tournament’ has no age limit; it’s already a remarkable honor for you, Bai’er, to achieve such a great result at such a young age. There’s no need to belittle yourself.”

“Wasn’t it just that many powerful individuals didn’t participate for various reasons? Not to mention, if you were willing to intervene…”

“Ahem.”

Ling Feng’s reminder made Bai’er realize she had misspoken. She quickly stuck out her tongue, interrupting the already somewhat off-topic conversation and pretended to look out the window.

The reason was simple; a staff member from the tea house had brought a new pot of tea nearby, replacing the nearly empty one before the girls, and as if to linger a bit longer, he leisurely tidied up the empty teapots while smilingly engaging in conversation.

“You ladies seem to carry yourselves exceptionally well; could it be that you’re also here in Yang Yuan City to participate in the recruitment by the Prefect, seeking some opportunity?”

“Hmm?”

Vilyric, initially uninterested, suddenly became slightly intrigued by these words.

“Recruitment? What kind of recruitment? Did something happen to this city’s lord… the prefect?”

Seeing the black-haired girl respond to the throwaway comment he made, the staff member, who had originally braced himself for being ignored, perked up visibly and quickly stopped, laughing heartily.

“No, no, no, the venerable Prefect is a noble figure, how could he have difficulties? But a few days ago, during the incredible celestial alignment event, I’m sure all of you saw the spectacle of the seven stars aligning with the moon, right?”

“Hmm, and what about it?”

“Hehe, this…”

The staff member rubbed his hands mischievously, and before Vilyric could react, Bai’er, as if she were already familiar with this routine, tossed a coin toward him, which he deftly caught with both hands, and his attitude immediately became even more earnest.

“Oh yes, dear guest! Very generous of you!”

“Actually, a few days back when the seven stars aligned, during the rare appearance of the moon that hadn’t been seen in a millennium, it was reported that about twenty miles outside Yang Yuan City, near the tidal valley, someone witnessed the legendary auspicious beast, Qilin!”

Upon hearing this, Ling Feng slightly furrowed her brow but quickly returned to normal. Although it was a subtle change, it did not escape Vilyric’s keen observation.

Of course, both women remained silent and listened intently to the staff member’s description.

The staff member quickly stuffed the coin into his pocket and smiled mysteriously.

“This Qilin is something else! It’s said that it was the one who fought alongside the West Saint and bestowed the power of the indomitable bloodline protection, helping the West Saint establish the current Western Spirit Kingdom amid chaos.”

“It’s a pity that shortly after the kingdom was founded, the first West Saint retreated into the mountains, and the Qilin that accompanied him disappeared quickly, never to be seen again. Who would have thought that it would appear in such a ghostly place as a tidal valley today?”

“Ladies, if this Qilin’s appearance is real, wouldn’t that be a major event for our Western Spirit Kingdom? Thus, the Prefect has issued a recruitment notice, gathering talented individuals and extraordinary figures to seek traces of the holy beast, and if found, hehe…”

   

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