Chapter 571: A Female Companion (I)
While mortal sword disciple struggled within the Forest of Swords, Everblade City was slowly recovering from its demon disaster. The teleportation array was fixed after a couple of hours thanks to a mysterious Spirit Lord. That person seemed to have an unfathomable background. No other immortals interrupted their work or even tried to talk to them.
Chen Wentian was curious but could only observe from afar. The secret art of creating teleportation arrays using spatial-attribute spiritual energy was something controlled by the upper levels of the Immortal Association. Even the kings of the subcontinent probably weren't allowed to know.
After the array was fixed, thousands of mortals flooded in from the neighboring provinces. Everblade City had a long history. Sects, organizations, and businesses; even if they called the city home, there were many branches elsewhere that could return to provide assistance.
The rest of the demonized puppets were quickly taken care of. By the time night fell, the city was quiet and peaceful. The two Spirit Kings, Immortal Solemn Duke Huang Wuji and Immortal Scarlet Sea Hai Dan, were still searching for the demons. It seemed that they wouldn't return for a while.
Chen Wentian bet that they wouldn't be able to find a single trace. He had an idea where the demons were hiding because he had placed multiple shadow anchors on the other poisoned immortals. That place was impossible to find unless a powerhouse at the Spirit Emperor Realm came. Even then, they would have to look in a very specific place.
As for him and the other two survivors, nobody doubted them but they weren't exactly allowed to leave. This matter was simply too big. Too many human immortals had been lost in one go. The Immortal Association was still mobilizing for a comprehensive investigation. More Spirit Kings would probably come and they would want to question the three of them.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Chen Wentian looked up from his meditation and sensed a familiar aura. He opened the door with his spiritual energy, revealing a female figure that leaned against the frame. Her attire was a little different from before. It showed a bit more skin around the neck area and there was a hint of cleavage. There was an ambiguous air about her.
Immortal Phoenix Legend Shi Shi looked a few decades younger tonight. Her eyes were watery and shining with a strange emotion. Her complexion was rosy and warm. Perhaps it was due to her already recovering from her previous injuries. Or maybe...
He sniffed. There was the faint aroma of makeup and perfume. It also seemed like she had just taken a bath. All of this filled his mind with uncertainty. He had no idea what to say or how to greet her.
"What are you doing?" Shi Shi broke the silence.
He shrugged, "Nothing."
She smiled slightly, "Good, have a drink with me."
She slipped into the room without waiting for an answer and closed the door behind her.
He was taken aback briefly before deciding to just go with it. He usually did not agree to other people's whims but at least Shi Shi wasn't a stranger. She was also fairly attractive so he didn't mind it as much.
Shi Shi beckoned to him and strode to the balcony that overlooked the city. She swept her palm over the small table and several porcelain bottles appeared along with a multitude of small cups. The bottles had several different colors; green, red, purple, and even blue.
Chen Wentian sat down opposite her with a blank expression.
"Don't worry. My wine isn't poisoned." She said.
He coughed awkwardly and nodded.
She tilted her head and studied him, "Why are you so tense? What are you thinking about?"
Chen Wentian straightened up. He was indeed actually too unnaturally. This was because if a lone woman entered his quarters at night, it was usually one of his disciples and they almost always ended up having sex. His mind had automatically drifted to such thoughts but he quickly cleared them from his head.
"Since Elder Sister Shi offered, I won't be too courteous then. What kind of wine are these?" He asked in a natural manner.
Shi Shi scoffed and waved her hand, "What elder sister? You make me sound so much older than you. Just call me Shi Shi and I will call you Wentian."
"Alright." He said.
"Anyways, these are some fruit wines that my sect produces. We have a large number of orchards so this is only natural. Here." She took two cups and poured from the green bottle, "This is a ten-year Green Apple Wine."
"Thanks."
Both of them held up the cup of wine and after glancing at each other, downed it in one gulp. They then showed the empty bottoms to each other and shared a laugh.
"How is it?" She asked eagerly.
"Sharp but also sweet. It has a refreshing taste, very interesting." He said.
She nodded appreciatively and opened another bottle. The next one was made with red cherries. The one after was made with plums. Just like that the two immortals shared many cups of wine under the stars and beneath the lights of the city.
They also chatted idly. Chen Wentian described Ten Thousand Flower Valley a bit. He didn't reveal too much but it was still more than he had ever told anyone besides his disciples. Although it was difficult for Spirit Lords to get drunk from this level of wine, it did fill him with a happy buzz and he felt that his tongue was a bit looser than usual.
However, his sect was still small and had just been established. There really wasn't much to talk about so Shi Shi took over and chattered about her own Legendary Fighter League.
Her sect was very big and had a long history of close to a thousand years. It had over a hundred thousand outer court disciples and ten thousand inner court disciples. Even the core disciples numbered over a thousand. It was truly massive and had a variety of cultivation methods and secret arts.
It was situated to the northeast of the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent. It controlled several provinces and bordered the Northern Wasteland, the Western Wumu Subcontinent, and the Gulf of Giant Tortoises. There were a variety of climates and environments and the whole territory was rather abundant in spiritual energy and cultivation resources.
Her sect's style was one of freedom. Its members could cultivate whatever they wished. As a result, prior sect masters had many different abilities. They broke through using their own talent and fortunate encounters. Sometimes, the sect had two Spirit Lords or even three.
"Ay!" Shi Shi let out a loud sigh and gulped down another mouthful of wine, "Being a sect master is so troublesome!"
"What's wrong?" Chen Wentian asked with sincere worry.
"My Legendary Fighter League used to always have two Spirit Lords. The longest time with only one was a few years in the past. But in my generation, I've actually been unable to produce a worthy disciple for over twenty years. How embarrassing! I've let my predecessors down! I'm so useless!"
He didn't know what to say so he poured more wine for her.
"So many annoying mortals. All they do is fight with each other over petty things. Fighting for small handfuls of resources, insignificant elder positions, and pointless alliances." She muttered.
He understood her plight. His own sect was small and he didn't have many disciples so he didn't have to worry about them. But Divine Blazing Mountain and Glacier Palace, those two sects under his control were starting to give him headaches. It was as Shi Shi described, managing so many mortals was a thankless endeavor.
The two ruminated on their lives as sect masters for a while. As peers, they could share similar thoughts and experiences. For Chen Wentian, he could say things he would never say to his disciples. He could also hear things he would never be able to hear from them from Shi Shi.
He didn't have any friends in the past but tonight's conversation with enlightening to a certain degree. He still wasn't totally convinced but at least he didn't mind it for the moment.
However, his companion wasn't satisfied with just these matters and ambushed him with a sudden change of topic.
"Say, Wentian. Can you tell me the truth? Do you sleep with all of your disciples?"
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