Chapter Sixteen: A Reunion After a Thousand Years

As the words fell, eight neatly dressed young immortals walked out from within the palace gates, standing outside in two rows of four. The people on the ground, along with the small demons and spirits who had managed to sneak up the mountain, could barely restrain their excitement, rising to their feet and turning their eyes toward the palace entrance.

I stood at the back, hands clasped tightly together, my gaze fixed unwaveringly on that palace gate, waiting for his appearance.

A thousand years—it had been a thousand years since our last meeting. I did not know if he would still recognize me as I am now, but deep within, I could not help but nurture a sliver of hope, hoping that, despite the crowd, he would still notice me.

Mist drifted among the immortals, the ancient zither resonated, and across the sea of people, I waited, hoping for a single glance from him.

The palace gates swung wide open. He emerged, clad in purple robes, tall and slender, surrounded by an aura of celestial energy. His long hair was bound with a crown, inlaid with a purple lotus flower that gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight. He seemed like an exile newly descended to the mortal realm—no, he was truly an immortal.

“Master.”

The young immortals lining both sides of the palace gate knelt before him as he stepped forward.

“Wow, the Purple Lotus Immortal Lord is so handsome. No wonder so many women from across the Six Realms risk everything to sneak to Lingyun Mountain just for a glimpse of him. Some even disguise themselves as men to climb up here and attempt to become his disciples.”

I don’t know who spoke those words, but a sudden unease gripped me. Had someone discovered me? I looked around carefully, scanning the crowd, and saw a snake demon not far behind who’d spoken. When he noticed me watching him, he smiled slightly and pointed at a small, slender boy in front of him, then leaned to whisper with a nearby toad spirit.

I glanced at the boy, studying him closely, and noticed two piercings in his earlobe. So, it was another female demon disguised as a man, sneaking to the summit of Lingyun Mountain, hoping to become Purple Lotus’s disciple.

It seemed Purple Lotus truly attracted all manner of bees and butterflies. Even demons risked disguising themselves as men to come here for him. In the heavenly realm where he resided, surely the immortal maidens watched him constantly, yearning to claim him for themselves.

The thought was frightening. No, today, this matter of apprenticeship must succeed; I cannot fail. In this life, Purple Lotus will belong to me alone. No other woman shall have any connection with him.

With this in mind, I shot an irritated glance at the rabbit spirit. How reckless—her cultivation not even five hundred years, yet she dared climb the mountain to seek Purple Lotus as her master. Courting death, and with a single look, the snake demon had seen through her disguise. She would never reach Purple Lotus’s side.

“Such beauty as Purple Lotus Immortal Lord’s—aside from the former Demon King and Fox King Cang Yue, I doubt any demon in our world could match him.”

The two small demons in front of me whispered their admiration.

It seemed that most of those gathered outside the palace today were not humans, but demons, spirits, and some lesser immortals.

I looked up at Purple Lotus. Beneath the golden palace gate, his expression was neutral, eyes slightly raised, his gaze shimmering like water. His lips parted as if in a gentle smile, yet on closer inspection, there was no expression at all.

All around, the crowd was clamorous; those who’d been dozing on the ground, whether human or demon, had risen, raising their arms and shouting his name.

I, however, felt apart from it all, watching him across the crowd. After a thousand years, today, I was finally reunited with him.

“Everyone, please quiet down.”

Yunxiang Moyu spoke up to quell the din, then stepped forward to stand before Purple Lotus, bowing respectfully. She spoke quietly to him, and after Purple Lotus nodded in assent, she turned and made her way toward us.