The Karma of Tea and a Shadowy Alliance

Pushing open the courtyard gate, Ji Ning found himself in a large yard. The yard was overgrown with grapevines, peach trees, apple trees, and the like, but since it was already winter, everything naturally appeared rather bleak.

The moment he stepped inside, Ji Ning felt as if he had entered an ordinary commoner’s home.

Soon, Ji Ning’s gaze locked onto a distant figure—a gray-robed youth. The gray-robed youth was standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at a peach tree. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to the Grand Xia. This courtyard still has the same layout, almost unchanged from when I left back then. Tuoshan, thank you.”

“This is my elder brother’s only favored dwelling; of course it had to be prepared well,” the Celestial Immortal Tuoshan quickly replied.

The gray-robed youth turned his head to look over.

Ji Ning and the Diancai Immortal were both startled. This gray-robed youth’s gaze was deep and profound, like a frigid abyss, and his aura was far-reaching. Although they knew very little about him, both Ji Ning and the Diancai Immortal had a distinct feeling… that if they were to fight, they would likely be no match for this being before them.

“It seems this must be a top-tier figure among Celestial Immortals,” Ji Ning silently mused. The disparity in strength between Celestial Immortals could be enormous. It was just like how, among Return to Void Earth Immortals, Ji Ning could sweep through hordes of Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals. Among Celestial Immortals, the gap in power could be just as staggering.

“Greetings, Senior Tonghe,” Ji Ning said.

“Greetings, Daoist Tonghe,” the Diancai Immortal said.

After all, Ji Ning was still at the Return to Void level. Since he did not wish to expose his identity as a Daofather-level figure, he naturally had to follow the protocol of an ordinary Return to Void Earth Immortal and address a Celestial Immortal as ‘Senior’.

“Diancai? Ji Ning?” The gray-robed youth looked at the two of them, a faint smile on his face. He then pointed to a set of wooden tables and chairs nearby. “Sit.” With a wave of his hand, the dust on the tables and chairs vanished instantly.

The gray-robed youth took the initiative to sit down first, even taking out teacups and a teapot, pouring tea for Ji Ning and the Diancai Immortal. “These are tea leaves. You just brew them and drink. It’s a fairly common beverage in many major worlds, though it’s a bit rarer here in the Grand Xia World. Try some. This is from a tea tree I planted and picked myself.”

Ji Ning and the Diancai Immortal were both surprised, but they immediately tasted the tea.

Ji Ning felt a rich,醇香 (mellow aroma) spread from his mouth throughout his entire body, leaving an endless aftertaste. “Excellent tea.”

“Ji Ning, you also like drinking tea?” the gray-robed youth asked curiously.

Ji Ning was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, “I’ve had it occasionally.”

In truth, Ji Ning had just recalled his experiences of drinking tea in his past life on Earth.

“Tea has a lot of flavor to it. I specially sought out many masters to learn how to grow it. Choosing the right soil, the right water to irrigate with, different types of tea trees…” The gray-robed youth then laughed. “Haha, enough, enough. I’m having a good time talking, but I imagine you two are finding it quite dull.”

The Diancai Immortal asked curiously, “Daoist Tonghe, you sought out many masters?”

“All mortals,” the gray-robed youth replied with a smile.

“Mortals?”

Both the Diancai Immortal and Ji Ning found this astonishing. A Celestial Immortal taking a mortal as a master? That wasn’t something just anyone could bring themselves to do.

“I invited you two here today because I wanted to chat,” the gray-robed youth said with a smile. “Right now, the entire Three Realms are thick with the atmosphere of an oncoming storm. The Grand Xia World naturally cannot avoid it; some hidden forces are already stirring up trouble. To tell the truth, ever since the Battle of the Heavenly River, I’ve been living the life of a mortal, carefree and at ease. But now, even I can’t hold out any longer.”

“A mortal’s life?” the Diancai Immortal frowned.

“If you want to live long, you must avoid getting entangled in Karma,” the gray-robed youth explained with a smile. “What is Karma? If you make a friend, and that friend falls into danger, you naturally feel obligated to help. That is Karma! If, like me, you hide yourself away in a mortal’s minor world, avoiding all contact with other Celestial Immortals, to the point where the outside world thinks you are dead… my friends and enemies all believe I am deceased, so naturally they won’t come to trouble me. This is what is meant by ‘severing Karma’.”

“Free and unfettered, naturally I can live long, live for eons.” The gray-robed youth looked at the Diancai Immortal and laughed. “After this calamity is over, Daoist Diancai, you could try a ‘feigned death’, then hide away in a mortal minor world. You might not die for billions of years. That is, unless you encounter another great calamity like this one that no one can escape.”

Ji Ning and the Diancai Immortal were both struck speechless.

They understood…

This was indeed a good way to ‘live long’, but it wasn’t something just anyone had the willpower for. A dignified Celestial Immortal, living the life of a mortal? That took tremendous resolve.

“Senior Tonghe, you say this calamity is coming and none can escape?” Ji Ning pressed.

“Perhaps those lofty Daofathers will still be safe,” the gray-robed youth said. “But for Celestial Immortals like us, or even True Immortals and Empyrean Gods, I suspect… it will be very difficult to avoid. This calamity, from what I know, has already swept across the Three Realms. This small place of ours, Anchan Commandery, is also in chaos. Take the Blood God Church, for example.”

“Senior, you should be able to destroy the Blood God Church, right?” Ji Ning said.

“Destroying the Blood God Church would be easy. I could go there once and wipe them out. But if I did that, my Anchan Northmont clan would probably become the ‘thorn in the side’ of those hidden forces.” The gray-robed youth said. “So we just keep at it, slowly playing games with the Blood God Church. The advantage of going with the flow is that when the true calamity arrives, we can all bear it together.”

The Diancai Immortal asked, “Hidden forces? Which force?”

“I don’t know that either. I imagine you also know, Diancai, that chaos is spreading everywhere throughout the Grand Xia Dynasty. Clearly, those crazed sects, schools, and tribes all have someone supporting them from the shadows.” The gray-robed youth said. “I even suspect that some of the feudal lords have already defected to these hidden forces.”

“Feudal lords defecting?” Ji Ning and the Diancai were both startled.

“The waters are too muddy now. No one knows what’s really going on. Even the Xia Emperor himself dares not make a true move. Everyone is building up their strength, quietly preparing.” The gray-robed youth said. “Dealing with those hidden forces is the Xia Emperor’s business. What we need to do is survive, to ensure our tribes and our sects survive. So I also hope that Daoist Diancai and Ji Ning, the two of you, will stand together with me and Tuoshan. Let us join hands… to protect the Black-White College, to protect the Yan Mountains, and to protect my Anchan Northmont clan.”

Ji Ning and the Diancai Immortal exchanged a glance.

“Alright.”

“Naturally.”

Both Ji Ning and the Diancai Immortal nodded in agreement to this alliance.

Gathered together, sticks are hard to break!

Since the Black-White College and the Anchan Northmont clan had always been on good terms, it was only natural for Ji Ning and his master to stand with them, forming an alliance with the Anchan Northmont clan.

“May I ask, seniors, do you know of any force in the Grand Xia World that is skilled in the ‘Basilisk Combined Formation Technique’?” Ji Ning asked.

“Basilisk Combined Formation?”

The gray-robed youth and the Celestial Immortal Tuoshan both looked puzzled.

“There are forces in the Three Realms skilled in the Basilisk Combined Formation, but as for the Grand Xia World, I haven’t heard of any,” the gray-robed youth shook his head. “Tuoshan, do you know? You spend more time in the Grand Xia; you should know better than I do.”

“I’ve never heard of it either. The Basilisk Combined Formation is no ordinary formation,” the Celestial Immortal Tuoshan shook his head.

The next morning.

Ji Ning arrived at the Heavenly Treasures Mountain in Anchan City. He was personally received by a Celestial Fox female Immortal, who was also the highest-ranking member of this Heavenly Treasures Mountain branch.

“Daoist Ji Ning, what business brings you to Heavenly Treasures Mountain today?” The Celestial Fox female Immortal had an astonishingly seductive charm, her alluring figure faintly visible beneath the sheer gauze.

Ji Ning said, “I would like to investigate some intelligence regarding the ‘Basilisk Combined Formation Technique’.”

“The Basilisk Combined Formation?” The Celestial Fox female Immortal was taken aback. “Very well. Daoist Ji Ning, please wait a moment while I search.”

“Alright.” Ji Ning nodded.

This wait lasted nearly half an hour.

Ji Ning was surprised to see a silver-haired man appear before him… it was the very same ‘Celestial Fox’ he had encountered when he had sold that arrow at the Grand Xia Dynasty’s capital. Many of the branches of Heavenly Treasures Mountain throughout the Grand Xia Dynasty were managed by Celestial Foxes, as Heavenly Treasures Mountain was founded by the ‘Ancestral Celestial Fox’, who was this silver-haired man before him.

“Daoist Ji Ning wishes to know about the Basilisk Combined Formation?” The silver-haired man looked at Ji Ning.

“Senior Ancestral Celestial Fox, why have you come to Anchan?” Ji Ning asked in surprise.

The silver-haired man smiled. Ever since the Xia Emperor had determined that Ji Ning had a deep background, Ji Ning’s status within Heavenly Treasures Mountain had been elevated to a very high level. Even many Celestial Immortal Patriarchs didn’t have access to this level of authority. When he inquired about intelligence, this branch of Heavenly Treasures Mountain immediately transmitted the message to headquarters. Once the headquarters received it, this Ancestral Celestial Fox personally hurried over.

“When I learned you were investigating the Basilisk Combined Formation, I came,” the silver-haired man said.

“Does this matter involve a great deal?” Ji Ning asked, surprised.

“En.” The silver-haired man nodded. “This matter involves a very great deal, and the intelligence is also very precious. Even if a Celestial Immortal were to come asking, my Heavenly Treasures Mountain would not give them such intelligence. However, the Xia Emperor thinks highly of you, so this intelligence can be given to you.”

Hearing that the Xia Emperor thought highly of him, Ji Ning couldn’t help but smile wryly. “He wasn’t angry that I didn’t take the Evergreen Sword Immortal as my master back then?”

“Who you take as your master is primarily your own choice. No matter what, you are still a citizen of the Grand Xia World, one of our own. Would the Xia Emperor be so petty-minded as to hold a grudge?” The silver-haired man laughed.

Ji Ning immediately felt relieved.

He could tell…

The Xia Emperor clearly intended to build a good relationship with him.

“This Basilisk Combined Formation?” Ji Ning looked at the other.

“The Basilisk Combined Formation, throughout the entire Grand Xia World, is only known to be used by one force: the Cloud of Blood Tower,” the silver-haired man said.

“The Cloud of Blood Tower?” Ji Ning was puzzled. He had never heard of it.

“This is a very mysterious assassin organization, and the number one assassin organization in the Grand Xia World.” The silver-haired man flipped his hand, producing a thick book which he handed to Ji Ning. “This book contains a detailed record of a series of intelligence regarding the Cloud of Blood Tower, as well as the connections between the Cloud of Blood Tower and some other secret forces. These many forces, including the Cloud of Blood Tower, all belong to the same hidden hand behind the scenes. They are also the greatest foe of our Grand Xia.”

Ji Ning was shocked.

So much intelligence regarding the hidden hand behind the scenes in the Grand Xia World was recorded here. Such intelligence was truly precious. And the Xia Emperor was willing to let him see it?

“Don’t want to see it? This is detailed intelligence that cost who knows how many lives to uncover. Although it can’t completely reveal the face of the hidden hand, it can at least give you a blurry picture of them.” The silver-haired man held the thick book in his hand.

Ji Ning laughed, then reached out and took the book.