Unaware of the minor interlude occurring in the side courtyard, the cultivators had already moved to the adjacent yard. In the end, a total of twenty-odd children remained.
Upon seeing the cultivators enter, the young children immediately fell silent, most of them freezing in place with awkward, stiff limbs. An attendant called them forward to be tested once more. Since half the day had already passed, the cultivators might not have retained a deep impression of each child; this allowed them to scrutinize the candidates one more time. With fewer people, the process went quickly, concluding in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
"Additionally, there is my master’s second daughter, who did not attend the initial session," the attendant said, bowing respectfully. A young girl standing to the side stepped forward and performed a salutation. She appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old, but as she belonged to the host family, an exception was naturally made.
She placed her hand upon the glass orb. For the first time that day, a single-colored light emanated from within. Nie Shiyun could not help but feel surprised; it was a single water spiritual root.
The female cultivator from Pinyin Pavilion did not show any sign of astonishment, merely nodding to her. Nie Shiyun understood then; this child had likely been reported to Pinyin Pavilion by the family long ago, making her a pre-selected candidate. Pinyin Pavilion’s primary purpose for coming this time was to test this girl; hosting the general talent evaluation was merely a convenient byproduct.
"If no one has any objections, Pinyin Pavilion will take this child," the female cultivator stated. Her gaze was primarily fixed on Nie Shiyun as she spoke. In truth, this question was just a formality, as the other sects had originally come along as subordinates to Pinyin Pavilion. However, since Nie Shiyun was a Nascent Soul senior and was accompanied by another formidable figure, she had to treat him with due respect.
While a single spiritual root was excellent potential, a water root had absolutely nothing to do with artifact refining. Nie Shiyun was not so tactless as to try and snatch a disciple who had already been earmarked by others.
"Since Pinyin Pavilion organized this event, it is only natural that you choose first before we make our selections," Nie Shiyun replied politely.
The female cultivator from Pinyin Pavilion breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. She then selected several more young girls from the group, ranging from double to triple spiritual roots.
Nie Shiyun had initially assumed there would be more boys left in the end, but to his surprise, the majority of the twenty-odd remaining children were girls. On second thought, this was the mortal realm of an ancient era; some families were likely reluctant to send their sons away and hadn't allowed them to participate in the evaluation from the start. Recalling how Qi Xuan'er had mentioned that she and her sister, Qi Miaohan, had been sent away in a similar fashion, he felt another pang of melancholy.
"Senior Nie, please," the female cultivator from Pinyin Pavilion stepped back after making her choices.
Nie Shiyun had already made up his mind during the initial evaluation, so his selection went quickly.
Yunqing Pavilion now boasted three Nascent Soul cultivators. Furthermore, had Du Zhi not been so unsettled by the news of Qi Xuan'er's pregnancy last year, he likely would have advanced to the Nascent Soul stage by now as well. Outsiders felt that Yunqing Pavilion would gradually develop into something akin to the four major sects; even if they didn't abandon their original trade of artifact refining, it would only remain as a specialized feature of the sect. However, Nie Li and Nie Mingde had no such intentions; they only wished to guard their current legacy and flourish under the banner of artifact refining.
Most excellent artifact refiners possessed fire or gold spiritual roots, so Nie Shiyun’s range of choices was limited to begin with. In the end, he chose a total of five children. Upon hearing their names called, the children were both surprised and delighted as they hurried to Nie Shiyun’s side. Perhaps because he maintained a sufficiently dignified posture for the formal occasion, Nie Shiyun—who was usually quite well-liked by children—now intimidated them so much that they didn't dare look up, standing tremulously by his side.
Accustomed to Xuan Yang, who had been as lively as if he were on stimulants since he was still in his egg, Nie Shiyun found this quite unusual.
Once the two leaders had finished their selections, the remaining sects quickly decided the fates of the rest of the children, taking a few each. They were quite grateful to Nie Shiyun and Pinyin Pavilion. Although they knew these two parties had chosen based on spiritual root attributes, some large sects were known to disregard such nuances, sweeping up everyone with triple roots or higher only to dump them at the outer mountains of their sects to fend for themselves. This time, the two major parties only took what they needed, leaving some good prospects for the smaller sects.
Once the children's destinations were settled in the courtyard, the host family efficiently distributed silver to their relatives and sent them away. This silver had been gifted to the family by the cultivators upon their arrival the previous day; the spirit stones they produced so casually were rare and precious treasures in the resource-poor mortal realm.
While the daughter of the family patriarch could still share a few intimate words with her mother, most of the country folk simply took their silver, gave their children one last look, and departed without turning back.
Cultivators were used to tranquility. After nearly a day of this bustle, they retired to their respective lodgings at dusk to rest. The patriarch had originally arranged a banquet to host the cultivators, but this group, accustomed to spiritual food and Inedia Pills, did not give him much face and politely declined. The patriarch didn't dare take offense, merely assuming that the common food of the mortal realm was beneath their notice, and graciously cancelled the feast.
Hearing this news, Xuan Yang, inside the jade space, felt a bit of regret. He had wanted to taste whether the food of a so-called great mortal family was any good...
"You didn't come out at all today."
Hearing Nie Shiyun say this, Xuan Yang—who only manifested after they returned to their room—curled his lip while eating a watermelon provided by the host family. "I watched for a while from the space. It was truly boring!"
Nie Shiyun couldn't argue; it indeed had been tedious. Xuan Yang had been genuinely excited before coming to the mortal realm, but now he finally knew there was nothing particularly novel about it.
"Ah." Nie Shiyun casually used a toothpick to pick up a piece of watermelon and held it to Zhai Bairong’s lips.
If they were outside, Zhai Bairong would certainly not have agreed to such an improper act. However, in private, he had long since been swayed by Nie Shiyun’s theories. After all these years, his habits moved faster than his thoughts; without much consideration, he opened his mouth and ate it.
The watermelon was likely the finest quality the family could find—sandy, sweet, and juicy. However, the piece Nie Shiyun had offered was a bit large, and some pale red juice smeared onto Zhai Bairong’s lips and the corner of his mouth. Before Zhai Bairong could reach into his storage ring for a handkerchief to wipe it, Nie Shiyun leaned over and naturally licked away the sweet juice with the tip of his tongue.
"See, it saves a bit of effort," Nie Shiyun teased.
As the saying goes, the drinker's heart is not in the wine; Nie Shiyun followed up with several more kisses, which had nothing to do with watermelon juice at all.
Clutching his own large bowl of watermelon, Xuan Yang said indignantly, "Watch your influence! There’s still a living person right here!"
Zhai Bairong cleared his throat and backed away slightly.
Nie Shiyun asked curiously, "It’s not like you haven't seen this before. If you don't want to watch, just go back to the space and sleep!"
Xuan Yang choked for a moment. It was true; he had seen far more than this when he was little! But in the past, he always felt it was nothing—just a boring physical act that both humans and animals performed...
But seeing it in the last couple of years always made him feel incredibly irritable!
"I’ve been in the space all day; I don't want to go back. I’m going to that restaurant from yesterday to eat. Are you two coming?" Xuan Yang stood up with a "whoosh."
"We'll come find you later," Zhai Bairong said tactfully.
Xuan Yang gave an "oh." Before leaving, he didn't forget to dump the rest of his bowl of watermelon into his mouth, chewing and swallowing greedily as he walked out the door.
Once his figure had completely vanished, Zhai Bairong reflected, "He really isn't young anymore. We should avoid doing these things in front of him."
Nie Shiyun frowned. "But I haven't even done anything yet, just a couple of kisses. Wasn't it always like this before?"
Zhai Bairong wasn't entirely sure either. In the past, Xuan Yang would watch them kiss without batting an eye; this time, it didn't seem to be embarrassment. Yet, it also didn't seem like the dissatisfaction of a child seeking parental attention. It was truly difficult to understand.
Nie Shiyun puzzled over it and proposed a hypothesis: "Do you think... could this be the late-onset puberty of the demon race at twenty-odd years old?"
"At twenty-odd, a member of the Phoenix clan shouldn't even be at the adolescent stage yet, right?" Zhai Bairong said hesitantly.
The two "parents" discussed it in the room for a long time without reaching a conclusion. Nie Shiyun turned his head and happened to see Zhai Bairong’s profile as he stared toward the door where Xuan Yang had left, his face set in serious contemplation.
Though he had looked at this face for many years, his heart still fluttered every time he saw it.
Nie Shiyun stood up from his chair, walked over to Zhai Bairong, and leaned down quietly, bracing himself on the armrests of Zhai Bairong’s seat.
When Zhai Bairong didn't hear a response for a long while, he turned his head only to be caught in a kiss by the waiting Nie Shiyun.
"Mmh..."
Where the previous kiss on the lips had been a mere sampling, now that Xuan Yang was gone, Nie Shiyun invaded more wantonly. For a moment, their lips and tongues intertwined, and neither could tell which side the sweet, lingering taste of watermelon originated from.
"Ai, children grow up and there's nothing to be done. Don't think about it anymore," Nie Shiyun said, sighing with an exaggerated air of a worried old father.
Zhai Bairong was amused by his deliberately sorrowful act and reached out to embrace Nie Shiyun. Nie Shiyun was pulled down by the waist; with years of unspoken understanding, they knew exactly what came next. With a casual wave of a hand, the door that had been pulled to was now tightly and securely sealed.
Seeing him approach silently, Zhai Bairong smiled softly and closed his eyes to welcome Nie Shiyun’s kiss.
