After several years apart, the four of them spent some time chatting about everything under the sun, their moods exceptionally bright.
"I heard from the White Tiger Clan that you two managed to produce Grade Four pills! Do they taste good?" Xuan Yang asked excitedly, as if suddenly remembering.
Shen Yan glanced at him. Was the most important thing about a Grade Four pill whether it tasted good or not?
Nie Shiyun rubbed his chin, recalling the experience. "The flavor is quite mild, but it has a unique, delicate fragrance. It’s not bitter on the tongue, and it has a very smooth texture once it dissolves."
Shen Yan was speechless. It turned out someone actually did make a point of remembering such details.
Zhai Bairong looked at Nie Shiyun and said calmly, "I specifically added some flavoring ingredients to that batch for you. Usually, they have no taste at all."
Xuan Yang looked a bit disappointed. "Does that mean if they were for me, I wouldn't get that extra service?"
Shen Yan: "..." To specifically flavor a pill for one's Daoist partner—it seemed Zhai Bairong wasn't quite normal himself.
When Xuan Yang was young, he had eaten many flavored pills refined by Zhai Bairong. But as he grew older, Zhai Bairong stopped pampering him so much. Nie Shiyun was quite pleased that he alone enjoyed this special treatment.
"Do you want some? If you do, it’ll cost extra," Nie Shiyun said.
Xuan Yang gritted his teeth. He calculated in his head that once he received his wages from Nie Shiyun, after all the deductions, there might not be much left for him and Shen Yan to spend. In the end, he painfully gave up on the idea.
He mused to himself that once he saved enough money, he would build a grand immortal’s cave with excellent feng shui. He would meticulously design every corner himself and fill it with the best treasures for Shen Yan to use.
He wasn't as clever as the two men before him and couldn't handcraft things himself; he could only rack his brains to offer up the best things he could find with both hands.
"Are you listening to me?" Nie Shiyun waved a hand in front of Xuan Yang, bringing the daydreaming youth back to his senses.
"Ah... Oh, no thanks. Ordinary ones are fine," Xuan Yang said hesitantly.
Nie Shiyun blinked. He had only been teasing Xuan Yang and hadn't expected the usually gluttonous bird to give up so readily. Seeing Xuan Yang’s expression of painful sacrifice, Nie Shiyun realized something. He looked at the couple before him, smiled, and said nothing more.
The atmosphere at the table was relaxed until a cry of surprise erupted from the cultivators just entering the establishment.
"Isn't that Master Refiner Nie?"
"Wow, it really is! We just heard you made new hair accessories and rushed to the workshop, but someone had already bought them all..."
"Master Nie, when will you be making new styles?"
Xuan Yang and Shen Yan turned their heads to see two beautiful female cultivators approaching with regretful expressions, their words and actions full of enthusiasm.
Zhai Bairong, long accustomed to this, silently sipped his tea.
Xuan Yang raised an eyebrow. What kind of money-making gimmick had Nie Shiyun cooked up now?
"I've been a bit tired these past few days. Perhaps I'll refine a few more in a couple of days. I'm honored that you like them," Nie Shiyun smiled politely. "After all, every piece I make is unique, so I can't produce too many at once."
The female cultivators' eyes lit up upon hearing this. "It's exactly because every piece is unique that they are so precious!"
Seeing that Nie Shiyun wasn't planning to give in immediately, they gave up on trying to get them directly from him. After a few more compliments, they went to sit at the other end of the room to order food.
Xuan Yang turned back and whispered, "Are you swindling young girls out of their money again?"
Nie Shiyun shot him a look of disapproval. "I act with integrity. How can you call it swindling?"
After some questioning, Xuan Yang and Shen Yan figured out that Nie Shiyun had found a new trade after arriving near the South Sea. One day, he noticed many shells and conches washed up on the beach. Not only were some of them rich in water-attribute spiritual energy, but they were also colorful and exquisite. He picked some up and tried to process them.
The local refiners who saw him said he was being too idealistic. Such things were pretty, but the material was too brittle. Forget making them into Dharma treasures; even as ornaments, they would shatter if bumped during a fight. If they were worth any money, crowds of people would have been picking them up long ago.
They had a point, but after pondering it for a while, Nie Shiyun solved the problem at its root.
When he went to the artifact workshop and produced exquisite, beautiful, yet durable defensive accessories, it sparked a craze among the female cultivators in town. Many local refiners were dumbfounded.
They went to investigate secretly and finally understood: Nie Shiyun hadn't actually processed the shells at all. Those items weren't shells at all, but composite materials molded into the shape of shells. He then ground the real shells and pearls into a coating. This way, the original water-attribute spiritual energy was preserved, the items became indestructible, and they gained various properties from the other materials used.
"But then it's not a real shell anymore."
Although some refiners were indignant, the fact remained that these low-priced accessories sold incredibly well. The female cultivators didn't care what material they were made of; being practical and beautiful was enough.
In a small town without high-level refiners, everyone was shocked by this method. They couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret, wondering why they hadn't thought of it themselves.
Nie Shiyun simply said, "It’s really nothing. Most high-level refiners could conceive of this method." Deconstructing and reorganizing materials, combining craftsmanship with the right elements to achieve a result where one plus one is greater than two—wasn't that exactly what refiners did?
Xuan Yang clicked his tongue. "But high-level refiners look down on these little trinkets; they think it's beneath them. And so, you're the one making all the money."
Nie Shiyun was noncommittal. "In the end, these are things meant to be used by people. There's no such thing as 'beneath' one's status. Besides, isn't small profit with quick turnover a good thing? This is just for a bit of novelty anyway. Once the trend passes, I'll stop selling them."
Zhai Bairong smiled. "You always have new ideas, regardless."
He never worried about Nie Shiyun in that regard.
Furthermore, they weren't actually short on money. Zhai Bairong had learned several low-tier Grade Four pill formulas; selling a single bottle could net tens of thousands of Immortal Crystals. Nie Shiyun was also capable of refining Grade Four treasures. Making a proper weapon would earn far more than this, but he had the leisure and interest to do something fun, which Zhai Bairong felt was the most precious thing of all.
Xuan Yang felt his eyes ache looking at the two of them. He had actually been worried about these two fellows on the way here! They had now advanced to the Great Enlightenment stage, mastered their techniques, lived a leisurely life by the mountains and sea, and could even earn extra pocket money. The one he should be worried about was his own impoverished self!
After finishing their meal, Xuan Yang and Shen Yan decided to wander around the city. Nie Shiyun asked if they wanted to find a place to stay there as well. Xuan Yang and Shen Yan discussed it; Shen Yan didn't care where they lived, but Xuan Yang didn't like the seaside. Thus, they decided to stay in an inn for a few days and head back soon.
Hearing this, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong said they would return with them in a few days. Once Yunqing Pavilion was built, they would certainly be stationed there, making it convenient to travel around. This coastal abode could only be considered a vacation home, a place to stay for a few years whenever they wanted to avoid outsiders.
Xuan Yang and Shen Yan treated the next few days like a vacation. The atmosphere near the South Sea was very different from the Central Plains or the North. However, after a while, Xuan Yang began to feel uncomfortable. He found the climate too warm and humid, and the salty sea breeze felt sticky. Even his feathers in his original form started to look a bit lackluster.
Five days later, the four of them set off together.
Before leaving, Nie Shiyun made one last batch of shell-shaped jewelry for the artifact workshop. At the time, he hadn't expected that upon learning these were the final pieces, the cultivators in town would frantically compete and bid for them. After all, terms like "limited edition" and "discontinued" were captivating no matter which world one was in.
Nie Shiyun figured that since no one was making these trinkets in the South Sea region, they would surely sell well in the Central region far from the sea, or even back in the Middle Realm. Thus, he took plenty of raw materials with him before leaving. Later, just as he thought, he sparked another small trend among female cultivators elsewhere, but that was a story for another time.
Upon returning to the Central Plains, the first thing Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong did was visit the White Tiger Clan to finalize the site selection. Although they had long known of the duo's advancement, seeing two Great Enlightenment cultivators appear before him—and knowing their skills as alchemists, refiners, and array masters had all improved significantly—the White Tiger Clan manager couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
"Young Master Xuan Yang, are you actually going to be responsible for the management of Yunqing Pavilion?" The White Tiger Clan manager looked with a smile at Xuan Yang, who was off to the side munching on peanuts.
"Yeah, I can't just be a freeloader forever, can I? I have to support my Daoist partner!" When Xuan Yang mentioned his partner, his face was full of pride and triumph. Since Shen Yan hadn't come with him today, no one was there to check his boastful words.
After speaking, he rubbed his arms as if he had goosebumps. "Also, don't call me 'Young Master.' It doesn't feel right."
The White Tiger Clan manager followed his lead smoothly. "Very well. After all, your father stands on equal footing with the leader of our White Tiger Clan, so we subordinates naturally wish to show you respect. But since you dislike it, we shall address each other as ordinary fellow Daoists."
Xuan Yang was very satisfied with this and nodded, saying that was for the best.
The White Tiger Clan manager watched this and came to a conclusion. Although the Phoenix Emperor paid close attention to Xuan Yang—and had even sent someone to awkwardly inquire about him after hearing he had visited recently—it seemed Young Master Xuan Yang’s heart wasn't with the Phoenix Clan at all. His heart was entirely with his human partner and the two humans, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong, who had raised him.
In the future, if the White Tiger Clan mentioned Xuan Yang more often to the Phoenix Emperor and looked out for Nie Shiyun on Xuan Yang’s behalf, they could likely maintain good relations with both sides quite easily.
Nie Shiyun glanced at the White Tiger Clan manager, knowing at a glance that the man was making some calculations. However, they were in a partnership based on mutual interest to begin with; as long as there was no ill intent, it was enough.
The site selection went smoothly. The White Tiger Clan generously ceded a piece of land under their name to Nie Shiyun. They had a long history and deep foundations; they didn't lack such a small area. Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong took a tour and found it was indeed a land of auspicious feng shui, quiet amidst the bustle and not far from the towns where humans gathered. They were very satisfied.
It made them feel a bit nostalgic for the original Yunqing Pavilion. That, too, had been a peaceful place within reach of the world—quiet and serene on the mountain, yet with a touch of the mundane world just down the slope.
As the two of them personally supervised the construction, and occasionally even lent a hand themselves, the prototype of Yunqing Pavilion gradually appeared on the previously empty mountain. The new Yunqing Pavilion wasn't an exact replica of the original, yet the traces of the home in Nie Shiyun’s memory could be seen in many small details.
"I wonder how everyone is doing lately. We haven't seen them for decades; I don't know if the other sects in the outside world have noticed something is wrong." A look of nostalgia appeared on Nie Shiyun’s face.
The fact that he, Zhai Bairong, and Xuan Yang had ascended was a secret. Otherwise, the entire cultivation world would have flattened Yunqing Pavilion to force them to hand over the method of ascension. Even if they explained, no one would listen; they would only believe that Yunqing Pavilion held a secret they refused to share.
Now that they had been missing for decades—though a few decades of seclusion was nothing unusual for cultivators—the fact that three prominent figures of Yunqing Pavilion had vanished for so long would eventually strike people as suspicious.
"This matter cannot be rushed. You have already achieved many things that others could not; do not push yourself too hard." Zhai Bairong patted the back of Nie Shiyun’s hand, comforting him.
"That’s true." Nie Shiyun smiled and turned his hand over to clasp Zhai Bairong’s.
Even though they knew that emotions weren't literally transmitted through touch, simply doing this allowed them both to feel at peace. It was truly miraculous.
