Chapter 109: An Unfortunate Encounter

Her words came with such readiness that it was clear—there was hope in having her guide us to the Wuji Palace.

I bowed respectfully and said, “I humbly ask the fairy to lead the two of us to Wuji Palace.”

“Two of you?” Lan Duo’er furrowed her delicate brows and tilted her head to glance behind me. A sudden chill flashed in her eyes, causing Pink Puff, who was hiding behind me, to shiver involuntarily.

Stammering, I said, “Fairy, if you have matters to attend to, we... we will find our own way up the mountain.”

This woman had quite the temper—best not to provoke her! Grasping Pink Puff’s soft paw, we stiffened our bodies and tightened our necks, intending to skirt around her and move forward.

But barely a few steps had we taken when Lan Duo’er’s voice rang out again.

A sense of unease tightened inside me, and I had no choice but to stop, turning back to her with a strained smile. “Fairy, might you have further instructions?”

“Instructions? How could I possibly command my little junior brother? I simply wish to take you to Wuji Palace.” She hesitated for a moment, then smiled sweetly and stepped in front of us, blocking our path.

Timid Pink Puff didn’t know what to do and immediately tugged at my clothes, retreating behind me for protection.

Inwardly, I scorned Pink Puff’s lack of loyalty, yet I forced a smile and said to Lan Duo’er, “Then I gratefully accept. Thank you, fairy.”

With that, she flicked a long silk ribbon from her sleeve. Pink Puff and I were lifted into the air, the yellow silk wrapped around our waists. Though bound, it wasn’t tight. We passed over the towering mountains and lush forests until a magnificent palace came into view.

The palace sat atop Lingyun Mountain, yet the terrain was perilous. The front of the palace jutted out over a half-empty space, and beyond the gate was a wooden platform. Lan Duo’er led us there, flying above a bottomless abyss—dark and unfathomable.

Seeing Pink Puff’s face calm and unafraid as he gazed into the distance, I forced down my own fear and joined him in looking toward the towering mountain peak, deliberately ignoring the void beneath our feet.

“Respectful welcome to the Venerable Yuanxu,” came a loud, sonorous voice from the direction of Wuji Palace.

“Respectful welcome to the Sect Leader.”

Following the voices came the faint sound of strings and flutes, mingled with chanting sutras—an overwhelming cacophony that stirred unease in my heart.

Suddenly, Lan Duo’er stopped. She tugged at the silk ribbons binding us, holding us back, then turned to fly in the opposite direction.

Puzzled, I glanced toward the palace gate but saw no one of great importance—no Third Uncle, no imperious, expressionless old Yuanxu.

Confused, I asked Lan Duo’er, “Fairy, do you know which esteemed visitor has arrived at Wuji Palace? Why are we not proceeding, but instead turning back?”

Lan Duo’er frowned slightly, grumbling, “Little junior brother, didn’t you hear? That stinky old man at the gate was loudly shouting ‘Respectful welcome to Venerable Yuanxu’ and ‘Respectful welcome to the Sect Leader’!”

“Yes!” I widened my eyes and nodded.

Lan Duo’er waved her long sleeve, summoning two clouds of auspicious mist. She loosened the silk ribbons around Pink Puff and me, her face tinged with helplessness. “I originally intended to use the ribbon to take you both to Wuji Palace, but I hadn’t expected that just outside the palace gate, we would be so ill-fated as to encounter my revered master and the Sect Leader, your master, little junior brother.”

She shook her head again. “We’d better wait here perched atop these clouds until my master and the Sect Leader—your master—enter Wuji Palace. Then we can follow quietly afterward.”

“Why?” I asked, puzzled by her actions.

“To avoid an awkward encounter after being so late.”

With that, Lan Duo’er steered the clouds toward a bamboo grove on the mountain peak, concealing us beneath the tranquil shadows of the bamboo.