Chapter 399 - A Letter From The Empress

Dong~ Dong~~

Over the foggy Black Star Sect, the noon bell chimed, and the late spring breeze swept across the eighteen peaks, bringing the dryness of early summer.

On the thousands of steps of the mountain, young boys and girls, regardless of whether they came from aristocratic families or were just the kids of some nameless rogue cultivators, were all walking step by step, advancing toward the mountain gate.

After seven years, the Black Star Sect's disciple selection was finally held again.

Every time the entry selection came, some of the old disciples would come to the road that the new disciples had to pass and set up tents and stalls to earn some extra money.

Some sold pills refined by themselves and talismans, others sold healing herbs or even tips from their skills and experience that could help pass the selection...

To these old disciples, those young masters and young ladies from the big families were all fat fish that could be tricked into paying a lot of spirit stones with just a few words.

"Spirit Gathering Pill~~ Super high-quality Spirit Gathering Pill, essential for cultivation~~"

"Roasted chicken~~ Secret recipe roasted chicken~~"

...

Among the many stalls, there was one stall that particularly stood out.

The stall owner had a head full of rare silver hair and was wearing a light purple uniform that only high-ranked disciples of the Black Star Sect could wear. At her waist was a high-grade spirit sword that looked like it was made by Mr. Liu of the Sword Pavilion...

Feng Yu Die sat on a small bench with her arms folded like a Bodhisattva statue. When the young cultivators who had climbed the mountain to participate in the selection saw her, they immediately cupped their hands and bowed deeply before quickly running away.

However, they only bowed and didn't ask her about those things for sale at her stall...

At this moment, a young lady who looked like she came from an aristocratic family walked to her stall cautiously and cupped her hands.

"Greetings, Senior."

"Hi... do you want to buy magic tools or pills... I..."

Feng Yu Die solicitously asked the customer, but before she could finish her words, she saw the girl running away like the wind.

"What are you doing? I don't eat people. Why are you all running so fast..."

Feng Yu Die sighed and then glanced at the two disciples who had set up their stalls next to her.

She noticed that these two had been sneaking glances toward her from time to time since she had set up her stall, so she asked with a frown, "And you two, why are you staring at me all the time? Just say it if you have something to say."

"Uh..."

The two were shocked. They both were outer sect disciples of the Black Star Sect, and their current cultivation level was only at the Qi Refining Perfection. One should know that the stall owners on this road up the mountain were mostly at the Qi Refining stage, like them.

Still, it was okay for a Core Formation stage cultivator to set up a stall as well.

The main thing was that the stuff she sold was really beyond description.

One of them plucked up the courage to ask. "Young Miss, are you so free? Why are you setting up a stall here..."

Feng Yu Die pouted as she asked back, "Can't I?"

"It's not that you can't... It's just that these things you're selling..."

Feng Yu Die froze and looked at those things on her stall that she had fished out from the storage bag of a demonic cultivator. "I got them from demonic cultivators a while ago, but they are all high-quality magic items."

She pointed to a purple and gold cauldron carved with five poison symbols. "This is a cauldron for raising high-grade toxic parasites..."

Then, she pointed to a long, bloody whip with thorns. "This is a Blood Heart Whip fed with human blood..."

Finally, she pointed to a glass bottle wrapped in paper in the middle of the stall."As for this! Humph~ This is my stall's treasure, the 'bird' of a Deification stage cultivator!"

"??"

Seeing the two men turn livid, Feng Yu Die rolled her eyes and ignored them. Anyway, these two could not afford it, so she continued to look for buyers.

At this time, a tired and sweaty girl came up step by step, propping on her knees. Behind her, came a maid in the late stage of the Foundation Building...

Feng Yu Die took a look and felt that they looked familiar, but she didn't think much of it.

The girl's clothes were made of good fabrics, and she had a maid, so she must be very rich.

Thus, she waved and yelled. "Little sister, do you want to buy a magic item? What do you like? I'll give you a 20% discount..."

After climbing over a thousand stairs, the delicate young lady, who was already panting from exhaustion, didn't feel like looking around. But hearing this voice, she suddenly became energetic again.

She slowly raised her head and looked towards Feng Yu Die, then tilted her head and called out. "Eh? Second auntie?"

?

Feng Yu Die was dumbfounded. She looked around left and right, but there was no one else.

"Huh? What?"

Seeing Feng Yu Die's expression, the maid following the young lady hurried forward and bowed. "Hongyu greets Senior Feng."

"Hongyu..." Feng Yu Die suddenly realized. "Oh! You are Empress... cough cough... Sister Tong's maid?"

"I am honored that Senior Feng remembers me."

Hongyu smiled stiffly, and then spread her hand to the exhausted Liang Ating, explaining, "Elder Tong asked me to send her to participate in the Black Star Sect's selection."

"Oh~~ I see."

Feng Yu Die nodded blankly, and then looked Liang Ating up and down, trying to match her with the Liang Ating she remembered, but they didn't seem to match...

She hadn't seen Liang Ating since the Dragon House incident.

"I knew you wouldn't chase me away..."

Si Xuanji puffed up her cheeks and pinched his face, but in the end, she seemed to reluctantly accept it. She propped herself on the ground with both hands, relaxed her shoulders, and squinted, looking up at the sun in the sky.

"Sigh... Young Master Ye, I told you, I can't be your cultivation partner. You don't have to chase after me like this."

"I know."

"Then, why do you still..."

"Can't two friends bask in the sun together?"

"...Whatever, do what you want."

Si Xuanji sighed slightly, shook her head, and gently smoothed Ye Anping's bangs.

At this moment, a flying sword suddenly streaked across the sky, causing Si Xuanji to look up in confusion, only to see a young girl in a silk dress, spinning around with the flying sword.

Shortly, there was a shout of "Ouch!", and with a wail, the girl directly crashed into the spiritual shield on the Thunder Peak hillside and fell off the flying sword.

Splash---

Like a depth bomb, she directly splashed into the lake where Xuanji and Ye Anping were relaxing.

Ye Anping was also startled and he sat up, turning to look. The lake was rippling with a series of bubbles, and Liang Ating poked her head out and spat out a mouthful of water.

"Pfft-- Ouch... where is this? Why is there a wall in the sky of the Black Star Sect..."

"..."

Ye Anping stared at Liang Ating in shock. Why did this girl come to the Black Star Sect?

Where was Brother Liang?

Oh, Brother Liang should still be in seclusion and it wasn't time to come out yet...

At this time, Liang Ating also noticed Ye Anping on the shore. For a moment, she was stunned in the center of the lake, then she paddled over, climbed onto the shore, opened her arms, and pounced on Ye Anping. "Uncle!"

Still a little confused, Ye Anping quickly reached out to hold her face to prevent his clothes from getting wet. Si Xuanji, who was beside him, also had a curious expression and asked, "Mr. Ye, who is this?"

"Well..." Ye Anping hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Si Xuanji's ear and whispered, "Nangong's treasure."

"..."

Hearing this name, Si Xuanji looked at Liang Atting again and immediately understood that this girl was the only remaining descendant of the Nangong family.

Liang Ating looked with a dumbfounded expression as Ye Anping and Si Xuanji whispered. She shyly shrank her neck, shifted her gaze, and, as if she suddenly understood something, she cupped her hands in salute. "Liang Ating greets the Third Aunt!"

?

Si Xuanji was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Ye Anping, as if asking: Did you teach her that?

Ye Anping was puzzled and asked back, "What third aunt?"

Liang Ating tilted her head. "Is it my fourth aunt?"

Ye Anping's face darkened, but he said jokingly, "Just call her auntie... hiss---"

Si Xuanji frowned and pinched his waist, then glared at Ye Anping. "Just call me Sister Xuanji."

"...Okay!" With an innocent look, Liang Ating quickly cupped her hands and bowed again. "Ating greets Sister Xuanji!"

"Good."

Ye Anping rubbed his waist before becoming serious. "Ating, why did you come to the Black Star Sect?"

"Elder Tong asked me to participate in the Black Star Sect selection and also asked me to give a letter to you, uncle."

"Well..."

Liang Ating cocked her head. "Well?"

Ye Anping blinked and sighed speechlessly. "Well... where's the letter?"

"Oh!"

Liang Ating nodded. She quickly reached into her storage bag, took out a crumpled envelope, and handed it over with both hands:

"Uncle, here."

"Huh..."

Ye Anping tore open the envelope, opened the letter, and read.

"Young Master Ye, Ating reached Foundation Building a while ago, so I want her to continue cultivating in the Black Star Sect. If possible, I hope you can help me watch over this girl occasionally."

These words were written at the top of the letter, but there was a lot of blank space below, as if hinting at something.

Although Ye Anping was not sure, he condensed his spiritual energy on his fingertips and swept across the letter paper.

Just as he expected, after the sword finger swept across, more lines of words suddenly appeared in the space below.

"Some time ago, I received a jade slip from Yue Xuanming, the commander of the Justice Division. It said that after the Imperial Sect was destroyed, the Justice Division was driven to the eastern border of the Central Region and stationed at the Eastern Great Wall.

---Recently, I heard that demonic cultivators seem to be frequently approaching the eastern border of the Central Region. I'm afraid they're planning something big.

---I know that I am no longer the Empress of the Imperial Sect. The Imperial Sect no longer exists, but there are still many upright people in what remained of the Justice Division.

---Therefore, I have a presumptuous request. I wonder if you could ask Young Miss Xiao to ask the Immortal Matriarch to take in the remnants of the Justice Division. This should also be a good thing for the Black Star Sect.

--Tong Zilan."