Offering Salted Fish to Master - C15
Chapter 15
White Deer Cliff
During Liao Tingyan's absence, the Gengchen Immortal Mansion was lively with discussions about this ancestor who had emerged from his seclusion. Most of the younger disciples had never seen him, and their admiration quickly turned to fear after hearing about his history of reckless killings. Many privately branded him a demon who had fallen into evil ways, and if not for his high seniority, several of them would have already tried to remove him from the sect.
Those with knowledge of deeper realities each held their own thoughts. At first, many wanted to kill or control Sima Jiao. Unaware of the true situation, they formed two groups to confront him at the Three Sacred Mountains, but neither group returned. Eventually, Sect Leader Shi Qianlü opposed this majority, silencing dissenting voices and respectfully inviting the great ancestor down from the mountain. His principle was clear: no matter what Sima Jiao did—even if he hurt people from the sect—it didn’t matter.
Sect Leader Shi Qianlü was well aware that Sima Jiao only showed him respect because his own master had once cared for Sima Jiao at the Three Sacred Mountains. His master had even stopped Sima Jiao's birth mother from killing him. Because of this fragile link, Shi Qianlü had to approach Sima Jiao with great care, trying hard not to provoke his notorious anger. If Sima Jiao had to kill, it was better that he did so rarely, especially with high-ranking elite disciples.
๑‿︵‿୨🌸୧‿︵‿๑
Sima Jiao, accompanied by a snake and a beautiful woman, emerged from the Three Sacred Mountains without acknowledging anyone. The Sect Leader carefully guided him to stay temporarily at White Deer Cliff. This place was known as the most spiritually rich spot in the Gengchen Immortal Mansion, apart from the Three Sacred Mountains. White Deer Cliff featured a stunning area called White Deer Green Cliff, ideal for stargazing. The palatial buildings there were magnificent and ornate, especially the central multi-storey pavilion that projected an imposing presence.
Upon seeing the site, Liao Tingyan was instantly reminded of the phrases from the "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng,[1]" such as "Flying pavilions with cinnabar[2]" and "Cassia halls and orchid palaces[3]." She had never witnessed such beauty before. While the Three Sacred Mountains were indeed grand, they had long been neglected. In contrast, White Deer Cliff was vibrant and alive, filled with lush flowers and trees, with clouds and cranes soaring between the mountains, and herds of snow-white deer wandering along the mountain paths—truly a fairyland and an excellent vacation spot.
“Do you like it here?” Sima Jiao suddenly asked.
Liao Tingyan replied, “I love it!”
The Sect Leader and several carefully selected disciples accompanied them, smiling outwardly, believing that the Ancestral Master had taken a liking to this female disciple. Hearing their calm discussion, the Sect Leader felt a great sense of relief. It was rare to find someone who could interact with Sima Jiao normally; he was satisfied with his choice.
“Ancestral Master and his… lady, please feel free to stay here. Everything has been prepared. If you have any needs, just let us know, and we will surely meet all of the Ancestral Master’s requirements,” the Sect Leader said, being particularly considerate.
Liao Tingyan was taken aback. “Lady?”
However, Sima Jiao paid no mind to this designation and impatiently waved his hand to dismiss the Sect Leader. “Get lost.”
Liao Tingyan observed the Sect Leader, who had once shown great respect to Sima Jiao, and remembered her first impression of him—lofty and commanding, radiating authority. Now, however, he resembled more of a chief eunuch in the imperial palace. In comparison, Sima Jiao seemed like a tyrant with an awful temper, always holding back and finding it irritating to listen to others speak, often causing them to turn away.
As Liao Tingyan cast a longer glance at the Sect Leader’s back, Sima Jiao noticed her. He looked at her with a smirk that seemed to see right through her thoughts. “Feeling sorry for that old guy, Shi Qianlü? Don’t be fooled by his kind appearance.” Sima Jiao sneered and added, “He is the most ‘interesting’ person in this Gengchen Immortal Mansion.”
Liao Tingyan sensed there was a deeper meaning behind Sima Jiao’s words, but he offered no further explanation, merely letting out a cold laugh as he entered the palace. Inside, the attendants were not human at all but puppets, lacking emotion and programmed solely to obey commands. Liao Tingyan followed behind him and watched as Sima Jiao entered the main hall, found a seat, and coldly gazed out the window, completely ignoring her.
Delighted by this apparent disinterest in treating her as an accessory, Liao Tingyan quickly slipped into a side hall to find the room prepared for her. She reached for a mirror to examine her appearance, and with just one glance, her survival instinct surged to an all-time high.
What a celestial beauty! She had always been pretty, but now she seemed almost radiant, her own reflection captivating her. Liao Tingyan touched her ample chest and curvaceous figure, feeling as though with this body, she could live another hundred years. Which girl wouldn't want to experience the joy of looking in the mirror each morning and feeling a surge of excitement?
Simultaneously, Liao Tingyan reflected on Sima Jiao’s various reactions and speculated that he might be either impotent or have a different sexual orientation. Faced with such stunning beauty, he showed no signs of being affected by female charm. What was going on? Even she, as a woman, was nearly entranced.
Being so beautiful, she decided she should dress in something even prettier and style her hair beautifully. To her delight, Liao Tingyan discovered that the puppet attendants in the corner were surprisingly intelligent. When she expressed that she lacked elegant clothing, they quietly supplied her with numerous dresses. These gowns appeared to be crafted from a mysterious, lightweight material, floating effortlessly and giving the wearer an ethereal, almost immortal quality. A wide variety of colors and styles were provided, alongside an array of accessories, jewellery, shoes, and more, filling her room to the brim.
What a divine life! Liao Tingyan immediately forgot about the troublesome Sect Leader and threw herself into a joyful dress-up session, thoroughly enjoying the experience and losing herself in the moment.
Just as she was about to try on a stunning red gauze dress, with her own clothes already removed, the door swung open abruptly.
Sima Jiao, who had seemed inclined to be alone a moment earlier, entered the room irritably and asked coldly, “What are you doing? Who allowed you to run around?”
Liao Tingyan instinctively covered her body, but upon seeing Sima Jiao's expression, she thought, Why bother? This guy seemed completely uninterested in women, as if he hadn't even noticed her beautiful curves. Irritated, he kicked away the lovely clothes and accessories scattered around. "Come with me."
Liao Tingyan rolled her eyes while quietly putting on the red gauze dress.
"Where are we going?"
Sima Jiao replied with a cold smile, "Didn’t I say? When I come out, everyone will die. Now, of course, I’m going to kill people."
Liao Tingyan replied, "Sorry to disturb you, I’ll take my leave."
Sima Jiao noticed her expression. "You don’t want to go?"
Liao Tingyan cursed inwardly, Damn you, the truth buff was back. To her surprise, she said aloud, "I don’t want to go."
Sima Jiao's face darkened. "If you don’t go, I’ll kill you first."
Liao Tingyan quickly responded, "I’m fine now; let’s go right away."
Sima Jiao seemed caught off guard by her words and looked at her again, her gaze complicated. "Why don’t you want to go?"
Liao Tingyan answered, "I’m afraid of seeing dead people."
Without the truth buff, Sima Jiao wouldn’t have believed her. A person from the Demon Realm, afraid of dead people? There are far more dead than living in the Demon Realm. People from the Demon Realm are generally crueller than cultivators. How could someone like her be a spy?
He asked with confusion, "Could it be that you’ve never killed anyone?"
Liao Tingyan replied, "Never."
Sima Jiao fell silent. He truly couldn’t comprehend what the people from the Demon Realm were thinking when they chose her. Did they really intend to interfere with the Gengchen Immortal Mansion by sending someone like her? The residents of the Gengchen Immortal Mansion often seemed more self-destructive than the Demon Realm itself.
[2] The phrase "Flying pavilions with cinnabar" likely refers to scenes depicted on historical Chinese carved cinnabar lacquerware, where pavilions, people, and flying elements such as cranes or bats are common motifs in landscape designs. Cinnabar is the brilliant red pigment (mercuric sulphide) used to colour the numerous layers of lacquer in these intricate art pieces.
[3] Cassia Hall and Orchid Palaces may be references to fictional locations in a particular fantasy world, such as in a story or game.
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