Cold wind blew, watery dew dropped on yellow leaves.
A lone gingko tree stood on the mountain, its leaves fluttering with the wind, humming slightly. Small birds perched on its branches, singing songs of nature full of melodies.
The first ray of sunlight began to shine down softly through the darkness. On the mountain that was usually cold, warmth began to take place. It spread through every corner of land, illuminating everything.
It was early in the morning.
A beautiful girl walked out of a small house beside the gingko tree. She was dressed in men's clothing, hair tied into a simple ponytail with two thick strands of bangs covering her forehead. Because of her flat chest and luxurious clothes, she looked just like a handsome young man from a prestigious family.
If one were to look carefully at her face, one would realize that she has a crimson line on her forehead, specifically at her glabella. It was a thin blood red thin line, as if a wound inflicted by a sharp blade.
This woman was Wan Zhaolu.
Wan Zhaolu walked towards the gingko tree, cupped her hands then gave a deep bow, "Good morning, senior Changqing."
The humming gingko tree paused. Shifting its attention, it swayed and said:
"Good morning to you too."
Then it stopped and continued its humming with the birds, creating a peculiar melody.
Wan Zhaolu was shocked. Throughout the years, she and this senior had interacted a lot, but she had never seen him act this carefree before.
They were strangers at first, barely talking to each other more than necessary. Having no particular interests in spell arts and her sword already sent back to her family, Wan Zhaolu could only cultivate bitterly in her first two years of being imprisoned here as a medicinal ingredient.
But when the third year approached, she saw no point in cultivating.
Why cultivate when she's only at the early Foundation Establishment realm, freshly broken through two years ago? What could she accomplish in this situation? Her life was already sold by her sect and the imperial family that she served could only bow their heads to the Glazed Lotus pavilion.
'It's not that they were powerless, it's just that my worth was not high enough to fall over with the Glazed Lotus pavilion.'
That was her understanding of the situation. She was, in fact, correct.
As a Sword Immortal wielding Sword Intent, her worth was several times higher than others in her realm. When she freshly got her Sword Intent, she had killed an early stage Foundation Establishment cultivator in a life and death struggle. When she broke through to the Foundation Establishment realm, she felt that even late stage Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be her match. Only those peak Foundation Establishment old cultivators could suppress her, and it would not have been easy for them.
But her background limited her.
She was neither from a noble house nor an Immortal clan, nor was she a descendant of Golden Core cultivators in the sect.
After waiting in the prison-like cave dwelling for two years, she vaguely felt that something was wrong.
That True Daoist Chu Fu was clearly in a hurry. He could not wait a single day for her to stabilize her cultivation after breakthrough, he took her away the moment she opened her eyes. Because for him, as long as she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, that was enough.
She figured her Dao Foundation was vital to make whatever pills he needed.
When the third year arrived, she finally resolved herself to her situation and came to terms with this certain death.
That was also the time she and the gingko tree began to interact with each other. That's also the time when she learned of his Daoist title.
The reason he never talked to her before was surprisingly because he did not want to disturb her cultivation.
To think a mighty Golden Core would respect her boundaries.
That was when she reevaluated her opinion of him and became more courteous. Throughout the years, Tian Yisong had answered countless of her questions no matter how trivial. She would ask him how the weather was outside and how her older brothers were doing, if there were any changes in the secular world, to which the gingko tree always answered in kind.
One could say she had learned a lot of things not accessible to normal Foundation Establishment cultivators in some aspect.
For example, she now knows the sect she joined was merely a Golden Core level currently. Though it possessed many treasures and immense legacy, even having produced a True Monarch in the past, it was still just a Golden Core level force at present.
Compared to Glazed Lotus pavilion or the Great Luo Dynasty which had a True Monarch's backing, they were truly lacking.
"How are you feeling?" A familiar voice snapped Wan Zhaolu out of her reverie.
She looked up and found that it was the gingko tree who had spoken, just as she had expected. She shook her head inwardly, thinking:
'Aside from senior Yisong on this mountain, who else would care about me?'
But outwardly she smiled and replied, "I'm fine, senior. I had a good rest last night so I feel a little more energetic today I suppose?"
"That's good to hear."
The gingko tree replied then fell silent and still again, as if he was an ordinary tree.
Wan Zhaolu stood there for a while until the awkwardness was too much to bear, she couldn't help but thought:
'When we talked normally in the past, it was always senior Changqing who spoke first and guided our conversations while I meditated in the cave dwelling.' Wan Zhaolu sighed inwardly, 'To think it would be this hard to carry conversation… It was because our status was too different, the gaps between us too large.'
Thinking of this, Wan Zhaolu couldn't help but lament, ' for you Things that can be asked were already asked. Things that I 3 I sought could not be spoken.'
Just as Wan Zhaolu was lamenting the situation she was in and was about to take a seat at the stone stools, she was stopped by a thick branch of a gingko tree.
It was Tian Yisong extending a branch to stop her.
Wan Zhaolu turned her head to him, only to hear his voice ring out in her ears.
"It is better that you don't sit there little friend, this is for your own good. Besides the Master's cave mansion, you can go anywhere and sit on anything, but not these stone stools and stone table.'
'No, this voice was transmitted straight into my mind. This is… Divine ability!' She thought silently in her head, terrified.
Cold sweats trickled down her spine as she thought of a possibility, 'Has senior been able to do this since the beginning? But why has he never talked to me telepathically like this before, insisting on talking like ordinary people?'
Just then, she thought of an even more absurd possibility that made her blood run cold. She dared not think of it anymore, only reminding herself:
'I'm afraid if not for senior Yisong's gentleness and respect for boundaries, then all my thoughts would have been laid bare and read by him like an open book.'
Then she thought of that True Daoist Chu Fu and the even more terrifying flood dragon. She couldn't help but sighed in despair, 'Perhaps they have already seen through me. It was not that they were helpless against my Sword Intent, but because my resistance was too weak, not worth mentioning…'
Just, the two gigantic double doors of the cave mansion was pushed opened, followed by a strong gust of wind and a deep, low voice like that of a growling beast:
"Song'er, where is my food?"