"I am truly sorry. I was originally ordered to rendezvous with you all here."

"But this Purple-Striped Dang Kang suddenly went mad for some unknown reason, which led to this..."

"Instead, it caused you esteemed guests to lend a hand..."

Lu Ziye waved his hand, "It’s no big deal."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoists."

Seeing that the other party did not blame him, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and looked back at the group of Cultivators:

"I will first take these esteemed guests to Linghua Valley. You all must thoroughly investigate the cause."

"This is one of the best-looking mounts, which will be used for the Flower Festival in a few days. No mistakes can be made."

"Yes."

Following Yan Xun, they walked towards the city.

Aside from Lu Ziye, the three Outer Sect Disciples had never been here before.

Not to mention Mortals, even Cultivators like them couldn’t help but exclaim "beautiful" when they saw the scenery.

Bei Ya Mountain City was like spring all year round.

Stilt houses seemed to grow out of old plum trees, with wooden beams emerging from gnarled branches.

Instead of weeds, clusters of light purple flowers sprouted from the edges of the bluestone paving.

Vine bridges spanned between the surrounding buildings, and unknown flower waterfalls and climbing ivy spilled out from unexpected places.

"Wow..."

Gu Qingqing was already dazzled.

Li Qingfeng was also a little surprised: "Why isn’t Bei Ya Mountain City just called Bei Ya Flower City..."

What truly surprised Song Yan was how close the Mortals here seemed to be to the Cultivators.

"Zhao... Auntie Zhao, what kind of flower garden do you want?"

A young man dressed as a Loose Cultivator was talking to the auntie next to him.

"Just like Auntie Wang next door... it can be a little bigger than hers..."

"This..."

The Cultivator seemed to hesitate.

"If the flower garden is too big, can you manage it by yourself?"

"Oh, it’s fine, Auntie is very strong!"

"Alright... alright, then I’ll go to your house first to see the yard."

"Good child."

"..."

Although it might not reach the level of equal coexistence described in the "Legend of Tianhai City" stories.

It was already much better than many other places.

"They are all flower lovers."

He sighed.

Sometimes, shared hobbies can weaken the distance and barriers between people.

Whether it’s status, wealth, or strength, when discussing a common interest, many things tend to be overlooked.

Perhaps it was this magic that made countless Cultivators throughout history obsessed with the art of cultivating the mind.

That was not just talk.

"Ah..."

Suddenly, Yan Xun seemed to see someone and gestured to the four of them behind him.

Then he quickly walked forward.

A graceful female Cultivator walked towards them, her steps unhurried.

"Senior... these are the Fellow Daoists from Cave Abyss Sect."

The female Cultivator nodded and looked at everyone: "Sheyang Sect, Cong Yuzhen."

Lu Ziye quickly saluted, and at the same time, sent a message to the three greenhorns.

"This is a Foundation Establishment Senior!"

Hiss... The three quickly bowed.

The Senior merely shook her head slightly: "No need for such formality."

"The Flower Festival is lively with many people."

Only three people from the Sheyang Sect came to this Flower Festival.

This Senior Cong Yuzhen was both an Inner Sect Disciple and a nominal Elder in the Sheyang Sect.

One person played two roles.

She was a bit like Elder Xu Ziqing from their own sect.

Lu Ziye was the spokesperson for the Cave Abyss Sect, so he naturally needed to step forward, stand beside Cong Yuzhen, and inquire about matters related to the Flower Festival.

The group walked and chatted towards Linghua Valley.

Two Cultivators, also dressed in Sheyang Sect Disciple robes, approached from a distance, one male and one female.

When Song Yan saw the face of the young female Cultivator, he exclaimed: "A Yun?!"

Seeing Song Yan, the girl’s face was also full of pleasant surprise.

"Brother Ye Sheng!"

The young girl was Sheng Nian’s biological younger sister, Sheng Yun.

Lu Ziye was a little surprised: "Oh? You... know each other?"

Song Yan laughed heartily. How could he not be happy to meet an old friend in a foreign land?

"This is someone I grew up playing with since childhood, so she’s like my younger sister."

"Brother Ye Sheng, before I came, I heard that the Cave Abyss Sect would send Disciples to Bei Ya Mountain. At that time, I wondered if it would be you."

"I didn’t expect it to really be you!"

Ever since she entered the cultivation world, without her two older brothers by her side, she always felt an emptiness in her heart.

Now, meeting Song Yan here, Sheng Yun was truly filled with mixed emotions.

A strange sense of security.

Seemingly feeling ignored, the male Cultivator’s expression was a little unnatural.

"I am Cheng Yu of the Sheyang Sect."

"It’s a pleasure to meet Fellow Daoist Cheng."

Song Yan’s collar moved, and Xiao He poked her head out, greeting Sheng Yun with a "Hiss~"

"Xiao He!"

Sheng Yun immediately hugged Snake Babe and kissed her several times.

"I missed you so much..."

Tears were practically welling up in her eyes.

"Hehehe..."

Cong Yuzhen watched her chat and laugh with the Cave Abyss Sect Disciple, sometimes joking, sometimes complaining.

Her expression was actually a little relieved.

"This child must have been feeling cooped up..."

Song Yan composed himself and said seriously: "A Yun, how did you join the Sheyang Sect? Where is A Nian?"

Sheng Yun’s expression dimmed.

She recounted the whole story to Song Yan.

Unexpectedly, after listening, he remained calm, only nodding.

He even smiled a little.

"Don’t worry, your brother can handle himself."

"If he really can’t, when he gets old, we’ll bring him to the immortal mountain to live out his golden years, hahahaha..."

Ignoring Sheng Yun’s reproachful gaze, Song Yan’s heart remained undisturbed.

A Nian?

No one needed to worry about him.

"The Flower Festival is approaching, and Bei Ya Mountain City has become much livelier in recent days."

Yan Xun, as a local, also began to introduce things to everyone.

"Many Mortal merchants come here to do small businesses."

"Many Cultivators also come here drawn by its reputation..."

The group walked and talked.

They passed a teahouse.

Song Yan’s heart suddenly stirred, and he stopped.

"..."

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly took a step forward and said.

"Seniors, I have an old friend nearby. How about... you all go ahead first?"

Lu Ziye was about to speak, but Cong Yuzhen shook her head.

"No harm. The Flower Festival is for fun and laughter; it should be this way." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Song Yan was surprised. He hadn’t expected that Senior Cong Yuzhen, despite her serious demeanor and cold temperament,

Spoke with such warmth.

"Senior Brother Lu and I will return to Linghua Valley to discuss matters. Yan Xun, you can take them around."

"Yes, Senior."

Under Yan Xun’s lead, everyone wandered around the vicinity. Xiao He didn’t want to drink tea, so she slipped into Sheng Yun’s embrace.

Song Yan entered the teahouse alone.

The decor here was antique.

As soon as he entered, he smelled the rich aroma of flower tea.

Step by step, he ascended to the second floor.

On the second floor, by the window, sat a person dressed in Jianghu attire, with a bamboo hat and a horizontal saber.

He sat by the window, looking at Sheng Yun in the distance.

"This trip was worth it; I saw both of you siblings."

Song Yan sat down in front of him, a cup of pre-poured flower tea placed before him.

The person chuckled, then slowly looked up.

"Didn’t you just say you were going to take care of me in my old age?"

Beneath the bamboo hat was Sheng Nian’s face.