Clouds Slightly Slanted, Whispers of the Wind

"Let me test you, how many opening moves are there in Chinese chess?" Chen Xia asked the cultivator next door from the doorway of his small house.

The neighboring cultivator who sold medicine hesitated for a moment, then asked carefully, "Are you asking from your perspective, or from a normal person's perspective?"

"From mine, of course," Chen Xia replied.

"Opening with the horse," the cultivator answered without hesitation. He had lost count of how many times Chen Xia had tricked him into playing the horse move.

"You really understand me," Chen Xia praised.

"By the way, where's Bai Lu? I haven't seen him come out in many days. Didn't he used to love coming out to inquire about news from the sects?"

Chen Xia glanced at the small house, then shook his head slightly and said, "He won't be inquiring anymore."

People always grow, for better or worse.

Since he didn't have that talent, even if he entered a sect, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the cultivation progress later on. In the end, he would still have to face reality.

So realizing it earlier wasn't entirely a bad thing.

These days, Bai Lu still liked to drink. He would call Chen Xia every day for a few drinks, saying that a couple of drinks were good for the body and could soothe the mind.

Chen Xia didn't have many worries, so he naturally didn't need soothing, but seeing Bai Lu's troubled appearance, he decided to keep him company for a few drinks.

Having Chen Xia as a drinking companion was probably the peak of Bai Lu's life. Even the Emperor Capital would be envious.

When Bai Lu got drunk, he would start speaking his mind and revealing his worries.

"Chen Xia, am I very stupid? Why am I only realizing this now?"

"This is called having a clear understanding of yourself. It's good news," Chen Xia comforted him, swirling the wine in his cup without drinking.

Bai Lu shook his head, as if trying to sober up, but only got drunker. He asked in confusion:

"Really? But why don't Yu Jun and Hao Lin want to talk to me anymore? It's like there's a thick wall between us. I can't climb over it, and they don't want to come over."

"That just means you're not true friends," Chen Xia replied.

"No," Bai Lu shook his head, his drunken face showing some stubbornness as he continued:

"We are true friends, we are..."

His tone gradually softened, filled with deep sorrow as he murmured:

"At least we used to be."

"You said it yourself, 'used to be.' Time passes, people change. Are you still best friends with your childhood playmates?" Chen Xia asked in return.

Bai Lu was stunned into silence, either not knowing how to respond or simply too drunk.

After a while, he said softly:

"Thank you for your advice. I feel much better now."

Chen Xia frowned.

Had he given any advice?

"I'll go to the selection one last time. Just to fulfill all the wishes of my younger self. If I don't succeed this time, I'll go back to my hometown."

Bai Lu sighed softly, having made up his mind.

Chen Xia didn't say anything more. He finished the wine in his cup in one gulp, put the cup down, and lay back in his rocking chair.

The night was gentle.

Bai Lu's body stirred as he began the meditation practice he hadn't done in a long time.

Childhood dreams can still be pursued in adulthood!

The white jade bells chimed softly.

Emperor Zhou walked in from behind the curtain of bells and curiously asked the cultivator inside:

"Why would the esteemed ancestor of the White Jade Sect want to meet me in secret?"

Sitting before him was an elder wearing white jade armor, his face as firm as stone with a faint glow of cinnabar. He was already of the supreme white jade lineage, with unfathomable cultivation. He gazed at Emperor Zhou and asked slowly:

"Emperor Zhou originally belonged to the Emperor Capital's Saint. Why have you come to congratulate the Crimson Saint on emerging from seclusion?"

Emperor Zhou lightly flicked his sleeve and sat down directly on the heavy chair in front of him, raising an eyebrow as he asked:

"Your Ancestor Star invited me, so I came. What's the matter? Now that I'm here, are you not welcoming me?"

"Haha," the White Jade Ancestor laughed, his eyes slightly slanted, revealing a hint of mystery as he asked again:

"Aren't you curious about who invited you?"

"It was you," Emperor Zhou replied calmly, his expression unchanging, though inwardly he was slightly surprised, realizing that this trip to the Ancestor Star might not be so simple.

"That's right," the White Jade Ancestor nodded in acknowledgment. "The Crimson Saint needs a hundred years of seclusion. Without a leader, the sects under the Ancestor Star will have to rely on their own abilities."

"So, which position do you want?" Emperor Zhou asked again.

The White Jade Ancestor chuckled lightly, not rushing to answer this question, but instead began to introduce the power distribution of the Ancestor Star.

"Hehe, among the sects of the Ancestor Star, the Three Thousand Flame Feather Sect of the Crimson Saint is undoubtedly at the top. This position cannot be shaken. I wouldn't dare to think about it even if I had a thousand lives."

"Below that are the Three Mountains and Five Sects. The reason the Three Mountains are in front is that they have one more cultivator at the peak of the Heaven Mending Realm than the Five Sects."

"As for my White Jade Sect, we only need to defeat the weakest of the Three Mountains, the Mysterious Gate Mountain, in the sect ladder battle to ascend from the Five Sects to the Three Mountains, becoming the White Jade Mountain."

"You want me to help you in the ladder battle?" Emperor Zhou frowned and asked.

"The Crimson Saint doesn't like outsiders interfering in Ancestor Star affairs, and I remember that the Emperor Capital's Saint doesn't care about these things. So, I hope you can be an honorary Grand Elder in the White Jade Sect and help us win the position of the Three Mountains."

"As long as you agree, the White Jade Sect will give you two-tenths of our sect's wealth as a token of gratitude. If we succeed, we'll add another tenth!"

Emperor Zhou narrowed his eyes, not agreeing immediately, but asked: "Aren't you afraid of angering the Crimson Saint?"

"That's why we need to act before the Crimson Saint emerges from seclusion," the White Jade Ancestor said with a bright smile, continuing:

"By the time the Crimson Saint comes out, the White Jade Sect will already be one of the Three Mountains. Knowing the Crimson Saint's temperament, we'll get a scolding at most, maybe not even a punishment."

Emperor Zhou's eyes kept changing as he asked in a deep voice: "How dare you play tricks on a Saint? Where did you get such courage?"

"Haha, if I, as a native cultivator of the Ancestor Star, am not afraid, why should you, an outsider, be scared? By the time this is done, you'll be long gone."

Emperor Zhou's eyes flickered, realizing the logic in this. Moreover, the Crimson Saint was known throughout the realms for being relatively easy to deal with, and two-tenths of the entire White Jade Sect's wealth was an enormous temptation. He nodded deeply and said:

"I agree. Let's each make an oath not to betray this agreement!"

"Good!"

Inside the room, heavenly oaths were sworn.

Spring and autumn come early, the sun and moon are slow.

The street outside was unusually lively, with many cultivators out early, walking along the road into the city towards the interior.

The day of the great selection for the inner sects was approaching. Both new and old cultivators wanted to try their luck. If they were chosen by a sect, it would truly be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate.

"I heard that on this selection day, ninety percent of the inner sects will start recruiting. With so many sects, do you think we have a chance to enter one of them?"

"Haha, if you really get in, you'll be a great inner cultivator. We'll have to call you 'sir' when we see you."

"No need, no need. Just call me 'dad'."

"Go to hell."

The cultivators heading for the selection chatted enthusiastically, their laughter and voices constant.

Bai Lu stood at the doorway, staring blankly.

He seemed to see his past self.

After the cultivators had walked far away, Bai Lu came to his senses and called into the house:

"Hurry up, hurry up, the ferry is about to leave."

"Coming," Chen Xia's lazy voice came from inside as he walked out of the doorway, his green robe fluttering.

This was Bai Lu's last attempt at selection.

He might as well accompany him.

The clouds slanted slightly, and a gentle breeze blew.

Let's go!