After returning to the marketplace, Huaxin grabbed Yun Miao, who was still thinking about buns. First, she used the water from her canteen to wash the dust off Yun Miao’s hands and face.
Then she untied Yun Miao’s loose braids and carefully redid them, finally clapping her hands in satisfaction.
“All right, now let’s go eat some buns.”
Yun Miao, transformed from a little mud monkey back into a presentable person, blinked her eyes. Suddenly, she lifted her two damp hands and slapped them onto Huaxin’s face.
“I’ll wash you too!”
Huaxin was startled by the icy touch. Seeing Yun Miao about to run, she immediately chased after her and, as if her hands had a mind of their own, grabbed Yun Miao’s soft cheeks and pulled them outward.
They stretched out.
By the time she realized what she was doing, Yun Miao’s round apricot eyes and mouth had been stretched into three comical straight lines.
Huaxin tried hard to suppress her rising smile, keeping a stern face as she said, “Well, I kindly helped you tidy up, and this is how you repay me?”
Yun Miao mumbled, “Sowwy, I won’t do it again.”
“Glad you know—…hmm?”
Huaxin paused, just realizing something was off with Yun Miao’s apology, but Yun Miao had already twisted away and slipped from her grasp.
Watching Yun Miao’s cheerful figure running off, Huaxin couldn’t help but smile wryly, then quickly followed.
Granny Hua, Guan Dahai, and Gao Zhu were already waiting by the stall. As Yun Miao and Huaxin walked over, Guan Dahai immediately opened the steamer basket.
Instantly, a wave of wheat and meat aroma wafted out, making everyone’s mouth water.
Yun Miao picked up a Shengtian Giant Meat Bun and took a huge bite.
When the steaming hot meat filling mixed with juices flowed into her mouth, she first whimpered from the heat, then whimpered again because it tasted so good.
No one could understand what she was saying, but they saw her holding up a bun and “woo-woo”ing, while handing each of them a big bun, signaling with her eyes for them to eat quickly.
Huaxin hesitantly accepted the bun offered to her mouth, feeling glad she’d made Yun Miao wash her hands just now. But as soon as she took a bite, she had no time to worry about such trivial matters.
The bun’s skin was perfectly fermented, soft and delicious, the meat filling savory and fragrant. The inner layer of the bun had soaked up the rich, sweet meat juices, creating another indescribable flavor.
With one bite, all the flavors merged in her mouth, making her feel as if she’d ascended to the clouds. The warm food filling her hungry stomach brought a different kind of contentment.
Without realizing it, Huaxin finished an entire Shengtian Giant Meat Bun and looked in surprise at the steamer on the rustic stove.
Guan Dahai, already tired and hungry, was amazed by the delicious meat bun and immediately began praising it with shining eyes.
“This is the best meat bun I’ve ever eaten! How did you make this? It’s just too good!”
“Even though that fat old man is sly, his bun-making skills really are top-notch. Just for this, I…uh, but five taels of silver for one is still too expensive. If it were one tael, I’d buy it.”
Yun Miao was also amazed by the taste. No wonder Full-immersion Helmets on the market are so expensive, and every time a new model comes out, it sells out instantly.
Turns out immersive games have this kind of benefit—delicious food without gaining weight. Who wouldn’t love that?
Too bad this was just ordinary food, with no bonus effects. So Yun Miao generously stuffed the entire basket of buns into Guan Dahai’s arms.
After all, in the later stages of the game, you could get as many of these attribute-less junk items as you wanted.
Of course, even if the buns had attributes, Yun Miao wouldn’t have been stingy—she was an Immersive Player.
Players like her became deeply engrossed in the game’s story, treating annoying NPCs with utmost stinginess—rather not do quests than give even a blade of grass to an NPC they disliked.
Even if the game made certain NPCs unattackable, they’d still run over and swing at the hated NPC a few times every day to vent their anger.
On the other hand, they were especially enthusiastic toward NPCs they liked, grinding monsters daily and waiting at the NPC’s spawn point—bruised and battered but on time—just to give them precious loot and raise their favorability a bit.
Although Yun Miao’s affection for these NPCs hadn’t reached that point yet, she was genuinely having a good time with them now.
Guan Dahai was also delighted, hugging the steamer basket as if he’d been blessed.
Huaxin snorted, “You were so stingy last night, but now you’re so generous.”
She still remembered Yun Miao tricking an entire bottle of Detoxification Pills from her last night.
Yun Miao said righteously, “That’s because we weren’t close yesterday.”
Huaxin: “Then give me a Detoxification Pill to try.”
Yun Miao replied firmly, “No way!”
Huaxin choked, then coldly picked up a meat bun and took a vicious bite. “Fine, keep it, I don’t care anyway!”
Granny Hua and the others watched from the side, laughing heartily. The rest of the time, the group chatted and ate buns.
By the time everyone was full, there were still about a hundred buns left. Granny Hua packed them up with the bamboo shoots and put them into her storage pouch.
Yun Miao watched enviously from the side.
Granny Hua said helplessly, “Don’t stare. All the big sects will give new disciples a storage pouch. Once you join Xuantian Sect, you’ll get one too.”
Having lived long, she’d seen a lot and naturally developed a mysterious air. Some people were born extraordinary—you could tell at a glance. Huaxin was one of them, and so was this little girl Yun Miao.
So, even though the Initiate Recruitment of Xuantian Sect was said to be harsh, with only one in ten passing the test, Granny Hua was certain they would both succeed.
Yun Miao asked, “So when are the people from Xuantian Sect coming?”
Before Granny Hua could answer, she felt the light above suddenly dim. A huge shadow appeared beneath their feet, growing larger and larger as it moved.
She looked up and smiled. “Look, they’re here.”
Yun Miao had already looked up when the shadow fell. Over Black Jiao Ridge, a massive Three-Masted Immortal Ship had appeared without anyone noticing.
Its entire hull was built with exquisite and complex mortise-and-tenon joints, seamless and as if it were one piece.
The ebony wood of the ship shone with a heavy luster that came from the passage of time.
At the prow, a Dragon Head held a jewel in its mouth, imposing and majestic, while Cloud Patterns floated on both sides with a graceful flair.
Twelve towering masts stood on the deck, each bearing a giant white sail. Only one sail was currently unfurled, billowing in the wind.
On top of the twelve masts hung twelve deep black banners, flapping in the wind, each bearing two wild, snow-white characters: Xuantian!
It was like a drop of water splashing into boiling oil—the already bustling market instantly erupted. Many people shouted in excitement.
“It’s Xuantian Sect!”
“The Xuantian Sect ship is here!”
There wasn’t enough open space on this leveled ground for such a huge ship to land, so it simply hovered over a less crowded area.
Two Xuantian Sect disciples flew down from the ship to maintain order, reminding everyone not to push or trample.
Once the noisy crowd gradually quieted, a voice finally came from the ship.
“All who wish to join Xuantian Sect, step forward.”
Granny Hua’s voice followed, reaching Huaxin and the others. “Xin’er, I’ll see you off to here.”
Yun Miao asked curiously, “Granny, aren’t you coming with us?”
Granny Hua chuckled, her raspy laugh sounding like an old crow.
“I’m already half-buried in the ground, what would I join the fun for? If I failed that damn Wenxin Formation again, wouldn’t I be laughed to death?”
As she spoke, she untied the storage pouch from her waist and fastened it to Huaxin’s, her dry, warm hand stopping Huaxin from refusing.
“No need to refuse. If not for your mother’s life-saving kindness back then, I’d have been long gone from this world. Take it, and remember—living well is more important than anything.”
“When your mother was alive, she said the same thing. ‘Xin’ means joy and hope; she only wished for you to grow up safe and happy. Nothing else.”
Huaxin’s eyes reddened.
“Granny…”
Granny Hua smiled and nudged her. “By the way, this low-grade storage pouch doesn’t keep things fresh.
Once you join Xuantian Sect, ask your senior brothers and sisters to open it and return the buns and bamboo shoots to Yun Miao. If you leave them in too long, they’ll go bad.”
“Go on now, all of you. Granny wishes you smooth entry into Xuantian Sect, to transcend the mundane and become Immortals, to roam the world freely, travel from the North Sea at dawn to Cangwu at dusk, to watch the waves rise and clouds fade, and to attain true freedom!”
Huaxin took a deep look at Granny Hua, then turned resolutely and walked forward without another word. She knew Granny meant well, but she couldn’t agree.
As long as her enemy lived, she wouldn’t sleep peacefully—how could she talk about freedom and leisure?
She didn’t want freedom now. She wanted revenge!
Guan Dahai and Gao Zhu cupped their fists to Granny Hua. “We’ll take your blessings, Granny.”
“Take care, Granny.”
Yun Miao, keenly aware that Granny Hua and Huaxin’s conversation was packed with game plot information, should have seized the chance to ask questions.
But perhaps because the full-immersion game made the mood so heavy, she found herself unable to speak.
So she gave up asking and instead waved to Granny Hua. “Granny Hua, after we join Xuantian Sect, we’ll come play with you!”
Granny Hua was startled, then smiled and waved back. “All right, when the time comes, Granny will welcome you with open arms.”
Yun Miao responded, then quickly caught up and grabbed Huaxin’s hand. Only then did she notice Huaxin’s hands were rough, with many calluses in her palm.
She sneaked a glance at the long blade at Huaxin’s waist, marveling again at the game’s realism—it felt just like… real life.
Huaxin, lost in her thoughts, suddenly stopped. She didn’t look back at Yun Miao, only stared straight ahead.
“What did you just say to Granny?”
Yun Miao replied, “I said, after we join Xuantian Sect, we’ll come play with her. Granny said she’ll welcome us with open arms, and prepare the tastiest roast chicken, the tenderest suckling pig, the finest wine, and…”
Huaxin’s eye twitched. “Nonsense, Granny only said she’d welcome us. Don’t go making up strange promises for her!”
Yun Miao was surprised. “Eh? You heard that? Then why did you ask me?”
Huaxin pulled Yun Miao along faster. “Just asking. Hurry up, the others are already ahead of us.”
***
When all the aspiring disciples had gathered in the clearing before the ship, Yun Miao looked up to see a limping old granny float gracefully onto the ship’s rail.
With a wave of her sleeve, Yun Miao felt a cool breeze, her body grew light, and she, along with the others, was swept up several zhang into the air, landing gently on the Immortal Ship’s deck.
Today, nearly two thousand people had gathered at Black Jiao Ridge. Even after subtracting the elders, guards, servants, and vendors, there were still over a thousand true applicants.
The crowd pressed in, making the once spacious deck packed to the brim.
The limping old granny announced, “Everyone may rest in the cabins. We will wait here for one stick of incense. When it burns out, we set sail.”
A young boy with a topknot beside Yun Miao asked crisply, “What if someone can’t make it in one stick of incense?”
The old granny’s gaze swept the crowd calmly. “Then they are not fated for Xuantian Sect. No need to force it.”
With that, she tapped her toes and flew to the high lookout, gazing into the distance like an ancient stone statue.
Seeing that the Sage Granny didn’t want to socialize, everyone could only look hopefully at the Xuantian Sect disciples on deck. A few bold ones tried to get close.
“Fairy, may I ask…”
“Immortal Elder…”
“I am from the Zhu Clan of Pandaren State…”
“Silence!”
Before they could finish, a tall female disciple with a long whip at her waist stepped forward.
Her cold, sharp voice seemed to explode in everyone’s ears, startling many and making the noisy crowd instantly fall silent.