After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

Tianji Zi painfully parted with a few spirit stones and finally managed to get his share of Wen Tianxia’s seafood.

He narrowed his eyes as he savored a sip of wine and sighed in satisfaction. “Good wine. Good crab.”

Leaning against the window in Wen Tianxia’s room, he gazed outside through hazy, drunken eyes. The courtyard ginkgo trees had turned a brilliant orange-gold.

He paused.

“So autumn has come to the mortal world.”

“Perfect timing.” Wen Tianxia dismantled his crab with elegant movements that were anything but slow. “It happens to be crab season.”

“Though river crabs have richer, fuller roe and pair best with chrysanthemum wine. Sea crab might be better with something else...”

Tianji Zi burst out laughing. “You’re the one who told me to buy this wine. If it doesn’t pair well, that’s your choice, not my fault.”

He leaned back and poured another mouthful into his mouth.

“Besides, I think it’s perfectly good. At least it’s far better than whatever watery swill Stillwater Sect dug out from some forgotten corner.”

Wen Tianxia shook his head lightly. “You’re becoming more and more like a drunkard.”

“I learned it.” Tianji Zi’s eyes curved with amusement. “The more dissolute and carefree you look, the more people believe your divinations are accurate.”

“Besides, perfection is all well and good, but every cup of wine has its own charm in its own moment.”

He waggled his eyebrows at Wen Tianxia.

“Next time, when you’ve prepared the perfect wine to go with sea crab, it might not taste as good as this.”

His smile turned sly.

“This meal has the children’s thoughtfulness mixed into it too. You won’t say it aloud, but you’re delighted.”

“You talk too much.” Wen Tianxia lowered his eyes. “Still, since they went to the trouble, I was thinking of having someone find some river crabs so they can try them with chrysanthemum wine.”

“But trouble will begin arriving one thing after another soon. Who knows whether it will still be crab season by the time everything is over?”

He turned toward the window, his expression unreadable.

“Nothing in the mortal world ever stays,” Tianji Zi sighed. “If you’re happy now, then eat properly now. Why think so much?”

Wen Tianxia turned to look at him.

“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you.”

“Do your calculations truly never miss? Is there really nothing beneath heaven that ever catches you by surprise?”

“What nonsense.” Tianji Zi gave him a sidelong look. “I told you long ago. ‘Never missing a calculation’ is something other people say about me. I’ve never claimed it myself.”

“Plenty of things have surprised me. Let me count them for you.”

“Back then, I never expected the child of immortal and demon I’d gone through so much trouble to find would turn out to be a sickly little thing. And I certainly never expected that I, who’d hated children since I was young, would end up running all over heaven and earth for that brat, betraying my own sect just to find him a way to live.”

He shook his head in amusement and poured himself another cup of wine.

“Oh, right. With how high your standards used to be, I never imagined you’d end up with disciples scattered everywhere beneath heaven either.”

He laughed loudly.

Wen Tianxia laughed along with him. “When I first met you, you were still a sword cultivator. Probably the most unserious sword cultivator I’d ever seen.”

Tianji Zi swirled the wine in his cup, eyes blurred with drink.

“There were plenty of things I never expected.”

“I never expected Guiyi Sect to take me back in, or that they’d stand between me and the Esoteric Sect’s envoys. Even the fellow disciples I used to clash with protected me every way they could.”

“And I didn’t expect that immortal to simply let things go either. He never settled accounts with me and just let me jump around right under his nose.”

Tianji Zi grinned recklessly.

“Now that I’ve ruined such a major plan of his, I wonder if even he’s feeling a little surprised.”

“But the thing I expected least...”

He slapped the table and laughed.

“Was my youngest disciple. Back then, I sent him to stop Ji Ruxue and Yu Qingtang from meeting. He came back and told me he’d fallen for an immortal maiden. I even sighed over the unpredictability of fate, thinking he’d somehow gotten tangled up with another girl from the Esoteric Sect.”

“And then...”

He laughed hard enough to pound the table again.

“And then it turned out he’d fallen for that brat in the skirt!”

Wen Tianxia glanced at him. “You knew the truth and didn’t tell him? You just let him keep making a fool of himself?”

“How was I supposed to tell him?” Tianji Zi spread his hands and adopted an earnest, paternal tone. “Everyone has to suffer through the pains of love for themselves.”

“Your Four Books Academy simply teaches too much. Look at your disciples. They’re so busy watching other people fall in love that romance doesn’t even feel novel to them anymore!”

Wen Tianxia: “...”

“Oh, right.”

Tianji Zi mysteriously leaned closer.

“Do you know why so many things catch me by surprise, yet everyone still thinks my calculations never miss?”

By now, Wen Tianxia had unknowingly dismantled more than half his crab.

He nodded. “I’m listening.”

“Whenever something unexpected happens, don’t panic.”

Tianji Zi solemnly raised one finger.

“And absolutely do not admit you didn’t see it coming.”

“Just smile.”

Wen Tianxia paused.

“Smile?”

Tianji Zi threw his head back with laughter.

“Smile freely. Smile like none of it matters. Stay calm and unhurried.”

“Then tell them—‘Just wait and see what happens next.’”

Wen Tianxia: “...And what happens next?”

“Who the hell knows?”

Tianji Zi propped his head on one hand, still laughing.

“Let them figure that part out themselves. At least you’ve saved face for the moment.”

Wen Tianxia closed his eyes.

“Absurd.”

“As expected of Academy Head Wen.” Tianji Zi wagged his finger. “I’ve always felt those two words suit me particularly well.”

“I’ll write them for you later.” Wen Tianxia finished his crab and wiped his hands with deliberate care. “Hang them over the entrance to Whatever Peak.”

“If you write it, I’ll hang it.”

Tianji Zi’s eyes curved with amusement.

Then he suddenly turned toward the air and asked with a smile, “Those Heavenly Realm envoys from the Esoteric Sect still busy?”

“Of course.” Wen Tianxia glanced at him. “Thanks to you.”

“They wanted to form an alliance with all the immortal sects. Then they started asking around and discovered that eight or nine out of every ten sect masters couldn’t even find their sect-master tokens. The whole affair nearly dissolved into chaos.”

“Hehe.” Tianji Zi smiled slyly. “Wasn’t me. Put that one on Daoist Idle Crane.”

He stretched lazily.

“They’ve already won over most of the sects that originally leaned toward the Esoteric Sect, along with most of those that intended to remain neutral.”

“Think they’ll still come looking for us?”

“They will,” Wen Tianxia said with certainty.

Tianji Zi sat upright. “Oh? Academy Head Wen has learned divination too?”

“The Esoteric Sect has never abandoned its second path—refining a pill to mend Heaven.” Wen Tianxia’s gaze remained calm. “You blocked their first path. Naturally, they’ll choose the second.”

“Did you really imagine he would simply give up and let you do as you please?”

“They’ll come to both Guiyi Sect and Four Books Academy.”

“Sword Sovereign Tianyi possesses an innate sword body. His daughter has an innate spirit body. And then there’s your Heaven-Questioning Body.”

Tianji Zi shrugged and pointed at him.

“Your Four Books Academy isn’t exactly lacking either.”

“Bones of a man of letters. A chess fanatic. A painting soul... and then there’s that fatal curiosity of yours.”

Wen Tianxia accepted this without protest.

“What comes will come.”

...

In front of the Sea of Books Formation, the others were happily feasting, showing absolutely no reverence whatsoever for Ye Chenyan despite his new status as master of this realm.

Chi Yantian threw an arm around his shoulders and laughed so hard he doubled over.

“So you actually got into an argument with that lousy rock? That’s what qualified you to become master of this realm? You argued your way into the position?”

Ye Chenyan raised a brow, looking slightly strange.

“I wouldn’t exactly say I won the argument.”

“Huh?” Chi Yantian’s eyes widened in shock. “Don’t tell me you didn’t even win!”

“Ahem.”

Ye Chenyan cleared his throat and was about to explain when his expression suddenly shifted.

He turned toward the sky.

“Someone’s coming.”

Scholar Xiao looked up as well, the smile still on his face.

“Someone coming? Or someone unpleasant coming?”

“Doesn’t look friendly.”

Ye Chenyan was already on his feet.

The demonic weapon appeared in his hand in an instant.

Everyone else drew their weapons and readied themselves.

Everyone except Ziyun, who was still enthusiastically licking a crab shell.

Yu Qingtang couldn’t bear to watch anymore and patted her.

“Hm?”

Ziyun lifted her head in confusion, looked around, then paled in alarm.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

Yu Qingtang sighed and plopped the crab shell onto her head.

“You can hold that up as a shield.”

The Girl in the Bamboo couldn’t help glancing at him, her expression complicated.

Yu Qingtang’s eyes widened slightly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

After a moment of silence, she said, “The students at the spirit-beast facility say that when raising a spirit pet, you shouldn’t spoil it too much.”

Yu Qingtang: “...She is not my spirit pet! She’s independent!”

Ziyun rubbed herself against his side.

“If there’s food, I don’t mind not being independent!”

Ye Chenyan slowly turned his head toward Yu Qingtang.

Yu Qingtang put on an extremely serious expression and pressed a hand firmly against Ziyun’s huge fluffy head.

“We’re facing a powerful enemy. Don’t undermine morale.”

Then he secretly gave her fur a stroke.

Ye Chenyan: “...”

“So this is one of those legendary Heavenly Realm envoys?”

Chi Yantian rolled his shoulders. Light flashed in his eyes as he sneered.

“A Soul Transformation cultivator. Doesn’t look like much.”

“None of you move yet. I’ll go test him out and digest my meal while I’m at it!”

A man in flowing robes descended gracefully from the sky, his expression indifferent and his entire bearing unmistakably Esoteric Sect. A strip of silk was pinched between his fingers.

Chi Yantian clearly disliked him on sight and was just about to launch himself into the air.

Someone else moved first.

A hidden bolt suddenly shot toward the Heavenly Realm envoy from behind.

It struck him, and he promptly plunged headfirst out of the sky.

Everyone froze.

They looked at one another.

“You did that?”

“Wasn’t me!”

A figure emerged from behind them.

Ying Wujue cleared his throat. His face was unnaturally pale, and he coughed softly.

“It’s been a long time, everyone.”

“You!” Chi Yantian stared at him strangely. “Wait. What exactly are you doing here?”

This senior disciple of the Esoteric Sect had suddenly comprehended the true meaning of love back in Nanzhou, abandoning emotionlessness for human feeling, at which point his white hair had turned black again.

After that, no one knew where he had disappeared to.

And now he had suddenly shown up here...

Scholar Xiao looked at him with a smile.

“From the look of you, Brother Ying, I doubt you’ve come in your capacity as a Heavenly Realm envoy of the Esoteric Sect.”

The Girl in the Bamboo spoke quietly.

“He’s injured.”

Ying Wujue fell silent for a moment.

Then he cupped his hands before them and bowed deeply.

“I came here shamelessly to ask for your help.”

Ye Chenyan narrowed his eyes. “With what?”

“Let me guess.”

Yu Qingtang rubbed his chin.

Judging by the story’s usual habit of stitching plotlines together, this was probably where some twist of fate would connect them to the plotline of storming the Esoteric Sect to rescue Ji Ruxue.

He lifted his head confidently and pointed at Ying Wujue.

“You want us to save Ji Ruxue, right?”

“Yes.”

Ying Wujue gave a bitter smile. He was clearly in no condition for further pleasantries.

“Master... wants her to merge herself with the Heavenly Dao and complete it.”

“Junior Sister is only at the Out-of-Body stage. She is nowhere near strong enough to merge with the Heavenly Dao. Master said he would use immortal power to help her accomplish it...”

He coughed and weakly shook his head.

“But this is far too abnormal!”

The Girl in the Bamboo vanished soundlessly and reappeared with the unconscious Heavenly Realm envoy who had fallen from the sky.

She studied Ying Wujue for a moment.

“They’re both at Soul Transformation, yet he knocked the other man unconscious in a single strike. He shouldn’t be underestimated.”

“It seems Brother Ying has had opportunities of his own,” Scholar Xiao said with a laugh. “The situation certainly is strange. But this is internal Esoteric Sect business. How exactly are we supposed to help?”

“We can’t simply storm the Esoteric Sect and steal away your holy maiden, can we?”

Yu Qingtang muttered quietly, “I mean... we could.”

Ye Chenyan turned and stared at him.

Yu Qingtang leaned close to his ear and whispered a reminder.

“There are opportunities waiting in the Esoteric Sect too. We need to make the trip.”

He paused.

“And there’s a terrible old joke.”

A trace of confusion appeared on Ye Chenyan’s face.

“Huh?”

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