Fate?

As soon as he heard this word, Song Shuhang felt as though he had something stuck in his throat... I'm just an innocent passerby that got attracted for no reason by the gate of your palace! What does this have to do with fate?!

What happened was no different than a person standing in front of their own house seeing a good-looking girl or guy passing by in the streets and ending up knocking them out with a stick and dragging them into the house.

Right, then the person prepared two doors. One that led outside, and one that led to the bedroom.

Afterward, if the unlucky guy or girl ended up getting into the bedroom of the person... they were suddenly fated to be together! They might as well get into some action while they were at it, right?

Fate your sister!

Song Shuhang didn't say any of this out loud, but that pair of male and female attendants seemed to have read his mind and realized what he was thinking at this time.

"Fellow Daoist, it wasn't a coincidence that you drifted until the entrance of our Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion. Fellow Daoist, you were surely delivered here by someone!" the male attendant said.

The female attendant covered her mouth and gently smiled, saying, "We just prevented you from bumping into the outer gate of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion. There are some copper nails on the gate outside, and it would have been rather painful to bump into them. For this reason, we decided to bring you to the arched bridge."

The male attendant also added, "The choice you made afterward represent that there is fate between you and the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion."

Can these guys read my mind?

Song Shuhang kept under control his emotions and didn't indulge in flights of fancy.

Moreover, if he didn't casually drift until the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion and was, on the contrary, delivered here by someone... who was this person that sent him here?

Was it possible that it was Venerable Seventh Cultivator of True Virtue?

Earlier, Song Shuhang was squeezed into the cannon barrel of the immortal boat and shot outside. Such being the case, did Venerable Seventh Cultivator of True Virtue deliberately fire him toward the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion?

"It seems that Fellow Daoist is wondering who might have sent you here," the male attendant said with a smile.

Song Shuhang gently smiled and didn't reply.

After all, what he was hearing was the one-sided story of the other party. Since he didn't know the intentions of the other party, he couldn't blindly believe their words, but had to take everything with a grain of salt.

The female attendant continued, "Fellow Daoist, since there is fate between us, do you want to become part of our Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion, becoming one of its disciples?"

"It has been several hundred years since our Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion has accepted a disciple," the male attendant said.

Become a disciple of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion?

"But... am I suitable?" Song Shuhang took off the cumbersome spacesuit and said with a smile, "I have already missed the best period to practice, and I don't have that 'innate true qi' inside my body anymore. Moreover, my talent can be regarded as average at most when it comes to cultivation."

He had reached the Second Stage so quickly because the seniors of the group were taking care of him; another reason was Venerable White's incredible luck.

"We don't care about either of them while accepting someone as a disciple of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion," the male attendant said while smiling.

The female attendant added, "Talent and age don't really matter to us people of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion. As long as you are willing to stay in the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion, we'll provide you with enough natural resources to cultivate."

I have to stay in the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion...? Ah, that's right. Staying in the school or sect is a basic requirement for disciples that have just joined. A disciple isn't allowed to easily leave the school unless they have reached a certain realm and can defend themselves.

Of course, the disciples of the outer courtyard were an exception. After all, the disciples of the outer courtyard were only considered as preparatory disciples at most.

Song Shuhang gently shook his head and said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, but I'll have to refuse." Whether he would join a school or stay as a loose cultivator was something he had decided soon after joining the Nine Provinces Number One Group.

For the time being, he didn't want the rules of a school or sect to restrict him. Staying as a loose cultivator was currently the best option for him. Moreover, Song Shuhang didn't really need to rely on an organization.

He was a member of the Nine Provinces Number One Group—as long as he was willing to work hard enough, he could obtain rewards that weren't inferior to the ones that disciples of large sects or schools could get.

"Fellow Daoist, don't be so impatient to refuse our offer. How about taking a look at our Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion first?" the male attendant said with a smile.

Soon after, both he and the female attendant stood to the two sides of the pavilion and made a 'welcome' gesture to Song Shuhang.

❄️❄️❄️

Taking one step and stepping into a dreamland... this was Song Shuhang's first impression after seeing the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion.

After stepping inside the pavilion, Song Shuhang felt as though he had stepped into a fairyland.

He could hear the singing of birds and smell the fragrance of flowers. White jade had been used to pave the main road, and valuable raw materials were scattered everywhere. The water running in the rivers was also full of spiritual energy.

Actually, the whole air surrounding the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion was full of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy in the area surrounding the pavilion was extremely rich. If one were to stay in the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion and only breathe the air there, without even bothering to painstakingly train, they could obtain effects similar to practicing and meditating diligently in the outside world.

That pair of attendants guided Song Shuhang and led him to the innermost tower of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion. That place was the dwelling of the master of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion, 'Fairy Chu'.

Along the way, all the disciple of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion regardless of their gender warmly greeted the attendants. The atmosphere really resembled that of a true 'family'.

There were no personal conflicts between the disciples there. Harmony and kindness reigned supreme, and the gentleness came directly from the hearts of the disciples of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion.

This place really resembled that 'paradise' that was often mentioned in religions!

However, a strange feeling welled up in Song Shuhang's heart.

He could feel that the kindness of the disciples of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion was genuine... but at the same time, he had the vague feeling that it was all 'false'.

It wasn't that there was something wrong with the kindness the disciples of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion were showing to each other... however, he still felt that there was something strange about the whole Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion.

❄️❄️❄️

"Right in front of us is the 'Celestial Pavilion', the place where the master of the pavilion resides. The pavilion master is waiting for you in there, Fellow Daoist." The pair of attendants stopped after leading Song Shuhang in the front of the high tower.

At this time, Chu Chu, who was inside the space capsule, had also woken up.

Song Shuhang opened the space capsule and took Li Yinzhu from Chu Chu's arms.

Afterward, he asked, "Can I bring them together with me to meet the master of the pavilion?"

"Of course. The pavilion master isn't waiting only for you, Fellow Daoist. She is waiting for these two fairy maidens as well," the pair of male and female attendants said with a smile.

Soon after, the male attendant opened the door of the tower.

Song Shuhang held Li Yinzhu in his arms and entered the tower together with Chu Chu.

❄️❄️❄️

After following the stairs that spiraled upward, they ultimately reached the topmost door.

After pushing the door open, the trio entered a room full of mist.

The room wasn't big, and the first thing that appeared before their eyes was a reclining chair made of wood.

There was also a pill furnace made of metal in the middle of the room that was emitting smoke. It seemed that the smoke the pills emitted had turned into a dense mist, filling the whole room.

Just as Song Shuhang and the others entered the room, the figure sitting on the reclining chair slowly stood up.

It was a woman with black hair. Her hair was very long, and it was unknown how long it had been since the last time she cut it. Her hair was hanging loosely and covered the whole area surrounding the chair. The skin of the woman was very pale, to the point that it almost seemed transparent. Her eyes were half-closed and half-open, making her look rather sleepy. Moreover, she was emitting a dispirited aura from her whole body.

But when the dispirited aura was coupled with the looks of the woman, it gave her the aura of an incredibly lazy beauty.

After standing up, she carefully looked at Song Shuhang.

"It's you." The woman yawned and continued, "What are you doing here? Have you come here to make fun of me? Slow-Witted Song."

"Senior, do we know each other?" Song Shuhang asked.

The half-closed and half-open eyes of the woman looked at Song Shuhang carefully. Afterward, she muttered, "Oh... I mistook you for someone else."