Volume 1 Chapter 20: Arrival at the Profound Star Sect
Tn: Edited at 5 / 16 / 2025
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After strolling through the flower fields with Feng Yudie for a while, Ye Anping made his way to Pei Lengxue to explain the situation about the attendant arrangement and what she should watch out for once she entered the Profound Star Sect.
Pei Lengxue, naturally, was rather unwilling. She insisted that wherever he went, she would go too. It was only after Ye Anping repeatedly assured her that he would find time to visit her later that she begrudgingly agreed to follow Feng Yudie to the sect.
A few days later, with Feng Yudie mostly recovered, Ye Anping urged them to depart from the Hundred Lotus Sect as soon as possible—before any complications could arise.
And the reason for this urgency?
That would be because Kong Yulan had been under the impression that Feng Yudie would be taking her son to the Profound Star Sect to study. If she ever found out that it was actually Pei Lengxue going instead, she would no doubt hound both Feng Yudie and Ye Anping endlessly with her usual nagging and manipulations.
Which was precisely why, by the time Ye Ao and Kong Yulan realized the three of them had snuck off, the group had already been gone for several days.
. . . . . . .
One and a half months later.
Pei Lengxue and Feng Yudie finally arrived at the Profound Star Sect.
Drums echoed faintly amidst the mist-covered peaks. The sect itself stood high above the clouds, its eighteen mountain ridges towering like blades into the sky.
Due to a no-flying policy, the two were intercepted by several Profound Star Sect disciples as they neared the mountain gate. The disciples scolded them thoroughly, forcing them to put away their flying swords and climb the mountain on foot.
The mountain path was bustling—like a marketplace during a festival. Crowds jostled against each other, and every ten meters, another vendor had set up a small stall.
Many of these stalls were operated by Profound Star Sect disciples, taking advantage of the new arrivals to earn some side money.
They sold everything—from grilled skewers and snacks, to basic talismans, rare herbs, and elixirs. Prices were wildly inconsistent, and some shady noble heirs even tried to pass off fakes for profit.
Still, the atmosphere was lively and festive.
As she walked along the path, Pei Lengxue looked around wistfully, wishing her dear senior brother could be here with her, instead of this white-furred vixen sticking to her side like glue.
Even worse, that vixen had been chirping in her ear non-stop since they started the climb.
"Junior Sister Pei, Junior Sister Pei! Want some candied hawthorn? I'll buy it for you!"
"No thanks. I only eat what my senior brother buys me."
"Ooh, look at that cute plushie! Want it? I'll get it for you!"
"No need. My senior brother's already bought me plenty."
"Hey, those pills look pretty useful. Want to stock up? My treat!"
"No need. Senior brother already packed everything I need."
Feng Yudie kept trying, warm smile plastered on her face, while Pei Lengxue remained cold as a glacier. But giving up wasn't in Feng Yudie's vocabulary. She'd spent the entire month and a half trying to cheer Pei Lengxue up.
"Junior Sister Pei~ You haven't smiled once this entire trip! Why don't you tell me what I can do to make you happy?"
Pei Lengxue frowned, annoyed. After a moment's thought, she replied frostily, "If you roll on the ground like a dog, I might be happy."
There were still quite a few people on the path. Pei Lengxue assumed such a humiliating suggestion would finally shut her up.
But she had underestimated Feng Yudie's shamelessness.
Without a moment's hesitation, Feng Yudie raised an eyebrow, dropped to the ground right in front of her, and rolled across the path like a puppy. She even lifted a paw and stuck out her tongue.
"Woof! Woof-woof!"
"… …"
Pei Lengxue nearly exploded on the spot.
With that single action, all the nearby disciples stopped to stare at them.
Instantly, Pei Lengxue's face flushed scarlet. Utterly mortified, she stormed ahead, pretending she didn't know Feng Yudie at all.
Seeing her reaction, Feng Yudie just beamed brightly and started hopping after her like a frog.
"Woof! Woof! Junior Sister Pei, you smiled! You finally smiled! You look so pretty when you smile! Smile more, okay?"
"… …" Pei Lengxue quickened her pace.
"Woof woof! Wait up, Junior Sister Pei! Don't leave me behind! Woof woof!!"
Just like that, chased down several winding mountain paths by the little mutt Feng Yudie, Pei Lengxue finally snapped.
With a fierce glare, she spun around and kicked straight at her.
But Feng Yudie had been expecting this. With the precision of a seasoned opportunist, she caught Pei Lengxue's leg and clung to it like a lifeline. No matter how hard she kicked or tried to shake her off, Feng Yudie refused to let go.
"Woof woof!!"
"AAAAHHHHH—!!"
. . . . . . .
At the same time, Ye Anping had just arrived at the market street below the Profound Star Sect.
The day after Feng Yudie and Pei Lengxue left the Hundred Lotus Sect, he had quietly slipped away as well.
The reason he hadn't traveled with them was because he made a quick detour to the Immortal Merchant Guild, where he spent a hefty sum to acquire a peddler's permit.
As previously mentioned, Feng Yudie could only bring one person into the sect with her, and his spirit root wasn't enough to qualify as an entry disciple. After thinking things through for two days, he came up with a different plan:
He'd open a shop near the Profound Star Sect.
That way, he could remain close—keeping tabs on the sect, helping his junior sister when needed, and maybe even making some money on the side to buy precious materials or magical tools for their future cultivation needs.
But before opening a shop, he needed to do a little market research.
He wasn't yet sure what kind of shop he should open, so for now, he ducked into a random teahouse, ordered a pot of Dragon Well tea, and purchased a copy of the local market report. He sat in a corner booth, sipping slowly as he read.
"Hey, did you guys hear about that?"
"Hear what?"
"Just earlier, near the main gate, some cultivators saw a girl pretending to be a dog in front of another girl."
Ye Anping froze mid-sip, black lines forming across his forehead as he heaved a deep sigh.
The phrase "pretending to be a dog" stirred an ominous memory in his mind—something from the game.
In the game's story, the female lead was initially cold toward Feng Yudie. No matter how many times Yudie tried to strike up a conversation, she was completely ignored. In desperation, she asked the heroine what she could do to make her happy. Half-jokingly, the heroine told her to act like a puppy and roll on the ground.
Without hesitation, Feng Yudie had dropped to the floor and barked twice.
It worked. The heroine had laughed, her eyes crinkling with delight.
"…Don't tell me she just pulled that same stunt on my junior sister."
Ye Anping pinched the bridge of his nose and took another sip of tea, silently mourning his dignity. Then, he shifted his attention back to the room around him.
At another table nearby, a few Profound Star Sect disciples—clearly not high in cultivation—were grumbling about how sore their backs were after today's martial arts class, thanks to the elders' merciless drills.
That's when an idea sparked in his mind.
If he wanted to open a shop that allowed him to easily gather intel inside a cultivation sect, there were two top-tier options in a place like this: taverns and brothels.
Get a cultivator drunk, and they'd spill just about anything.
Unfortunately, the market already had more than enough taverns, many backed by established powers. He couldn't compete.
As for brothels… that wasn't even an option. To run one, you needed the support of rogue sects who could "supply" the girls, and he wasn't about to go down that shady road.
But—there was a similar option.
After weighing his thoughts, Ye Anping quickly paid for his tea, then made his way to the business registration office in the market district.
There, he grabbed a token and submitted his Shop Permit Application Token.
The disciple in charge of reviewing new business licenses raised a brow as she scanned his form, flipping it back and forth before squinting at the listed business type.
"Fellow Daoist… what exactly is 'therapeutic treatment'?"
Seated across from her, Ye Anping paused, then smiled confidently.
"It's a form of massage therapy I learned from a wandering cultivator some years ago. Hard to explain in words, but if Senior Sister has a moment, I could give you a demonstration. If it meets your expectations, perhaps you'd even be willing to recommend it to your fellow disciples."
The senior sister frowned slightly and glanced around. The room was filled with cultivators filing paperwork and registering shops.
"Right here?" she asked skeptically. "You're going to do this… 'therapeutic' thing in this office?"
Ye Anping raised an eyebrow, a calm and professional expression on his face.
"Why not? A short demonstration is all I need. Please, give it a try—you'll understand immediately."