Chapter 159 - 122: The First Day

Chapter 159: Chapter 122: The First Day

"That’s not an option."

"Sacrificing a city of people to slay a Sixth Realm Great Demon is already the best possible outcome. If we don’t, once the Great Demon perfects its magic, countless more will suffer."

"But the mortals of this city are innocent! They were just living their lives, yet they must be sacrificed because of the terrifying consequences of a Cultivator’s desire."

"Enough arguing! If you won’t help me, I’ll go slay the demon myself!"

Lu Changyuan opened his eyes.

’I dreamed about the past... It was a bad dream.’

Sunlight filtered through the snow-dusted bamboo and fell upon the ground, casting layered shadows that exuded a sense of peace.

From beside him came the Little Fairy’s sleepy mumbles, "Brother Lu, hehe, Brother Lu."

Lu Changyuan patted the Little Fairy on the head.

"Ngh..."

Lu Changyuan said helplessly, "Time to get up."

"Just a little longer."

The Little Fairy groggily opened her eyes. She saw Lu Changyuan’s profile, then retracted her head and pulled the blanket over herself. She snuggled softly against him, using him as a bolster pillow.

"The sun’s high in the sky."

Lu Changyuan watched as the little koala used her Time Taoist Skill. Time inside the room instantly began to stretch. "Just for the time it takes one incense stick to burn."

’Who knew how much time would pass outside during that ’one incense stick’?’

Helpless, Lu Changyuan could only move the Little Fairy’s hands aside, arrange them properly, and then quietly slip out of the room.

Just then, the door to the adjacent room opened. The Silver-haired Maiden emerged, dressed in pale green and white, her hair held up by a single wooden pin. She saw Lu Changyuan step out, and her red pupils fixed on him with a gaze that seemed to hold some new quality.

Su Youwan wasn’t wearing her blindfold.

Her lips curved. "Happy New Year," she said.

Lu Changyuan returned the greeting, then asked, "Why didn’t you say so yesterday?"

Last night, they had shared a meal, drunk the Daoist Sect’s aged wine, and played around until midnight. They only went back to sleep after the incessant CRACKLE of firecrackers had mostly faded.

The Silver-haired Maiden was silent for a moment. "For me, the next day only begins when the sun has risen."

’That’s a fair reason, I suppose.’

The maiden’s red pupils were devoid of emotion—neither happy nor sad—like a clear, suspended mirror.

But then she spoke, "Why was there no noise last night?"

Lu Changyuan froze for a second. "What noise?"

He stared at the maiden, and she stared back. They stood there, eyes wide, for a long moment before he finally understood Su Youwan’s meaning. He was left rather speechless.

Last night, the Little Fairy had simply held him and slept, uncharacteristically doing nothing at all. Perhaps she was tired from playing, or perhaps she knew she was no match for Lu Changyuan and was conserving her energy.

CREAK.

The door behind Lu Changyuan was pulled open again. The Little Fairy rubbed her drowsy eyes and complained, "My Lord, why are you up already?"

"Didn’t you say you wanted to sleep a little longer?"

The Little Fairy’s hair, looking like it had been thoroughly flattened by Lu Changyuan last night, was now sticking up in places, which looked rather cute. "My Lord is already up, so what’s the point of me sleeping?!"

’So it wasn’t that she was attached to the bed, but to the Lu Changyuan who was in it.’

The Little Fairy waved a hand, covered her small mouth, and let out a tiny yawn. Only then did she say, "Miss Su."

Su Youwan hummed in response.

Xia Lianxue blinked. "I’ll go make some porridge. My Lord, you go wake up Senior Sister."

’Me? Wake up Qiu Yuehan?’

The Little Fairy had already walked off. Recalling the sight of sword practice in the snow last night, Lu Changyuan went to Qiu Yuehan’s door and knocked.

No response.

He knocked again. Still no response.

’Do all these Fairies, who usually recover their energy through meditation, become late sleepers once they get back into the habit of sleeping?’

Just as Lu Changyuan was debating whether he should open the door and go in, it was suddenly pulled open.

Lu Changyuan’s thoughts slowly froze. A figure with skin like ice and bones of jade blossomed before him. Smooth black hair and a moon-white bodice wrapped around a delicate body. The pure, sweet scent of a maiden and a Fairy, carrying a slight warmth, rushed to greet him.

His eyes were still generously treated to the sight of her long, shapely legs.

The Moon Fairy’s expression was impassive. "Do you need something?"

"Tang’Er sent me to tell you to come for porridge."

Qiu Yuehan nodded, then said, "Do you want to come in?"

Lu Changyuan shook his head and took a step back.

’The Qiu Yuehan right now has a bit of the Nether Monarch’s aura about her.’

’The Fairy’s boudoir seems like it’s about to turn into a man-eating cave. Better not.’

Before long, the Little Fairy had finished making the porridge. She hadn’t even brought it out yet, but its sweet fragrance was already wafting over.

Snow Pear and Lotus Seed Porridge.

’The Little Fairy probably used her Time Dao again to ripen the ingredients,’ Lu Changyuan guessed, ’then picked them fresh to make the porridge.’

’The Time Dao is just too convenient.’

’We’ll even be able to eat seasonal fruits in the winter. If the Little Fairy became a fruit merchant, she’d definitely rake in piles of silver.’

Xia Lianxue ladled a bowl for Lu Changyuan. "Jiayi should be on the mountaintop. I’ll take some up to her later."

Lu Changyuan picked up the porridge bowl, not bothering with a spoon. He squinted and took a sip. The warmth traveled down his throat and into his stomach, spreading a comfortable feeling throughout.

"My Lord, I have to go back to Miao Yu Palace for a look."

Lu Changyuan asked, confused, "What for? Why go back to Miao Yu Palace?"

The Little Fairy cupped her face, her eyes sparkling. "I only came over in a daze because of the Celestial Tribulation. I never got to handle things over there properly."

’Xia Lianxue is the Miao Yu Palace Master, after all. She can’t just abandon such a huge estate.’

"I’ll go back and make some arrangements, and give Han Qiu some instructions while I’m at it. We need to come up with a plan for what comes next."

Han Qiu was the only one of the three True Masters to survive.

The Little Fairy smiled softly. "And I have to bring my dowry over."

The Daoist Sect was Lu Changyuan’s territory. A bride follows her husband. She would have to open up her little burial mound, take out the wedding dress she had buried in there when she thought she was going to die, and bring it with her.

Also, the Little Fairy had to return to her place of seclusion to see if she could find a way back to Yao Guang. She was feeling a slight sense of crisis now.