^_^~ A wry smile plays across my face. The Purple Mansion is agonizingly close to making the Top Ticket List. Today is The Purple Mansion’s final day on the New Book List; tomorrow it drops off. If it doesn't hit the main list, it won't feature on the homepage, drastically reducing its visibility. I’ll release four chapters today: one at noon, one tonight. At this life-or-death moment, it’s all down to my brothers and sisters. — Baili Xi. －－－－－－－－－－－－－ The night before the Medicine King Gang’s Medicine Trading Convention in Zhuqi County.

A massive, unmarked carriage arrived discreetly under the cover of darkness and the bustling market, gliding into the manor of the Caiyao Hall. It was personally seen to by Young Master Li Pingxi, who arranged for the occupants to be lodged in the East Garden Villa—a section reserved only for the most honored guests.

Outside the villa’s surrounding walls, three to four dozen of the Medicine King Gang’s most elite experts were strategically positioned, both openly and hidden, guarding the perimeter so strictly that not even a single insect could fly in. Yet, within the villa itself, the air was utterly still and silent.

“The three Immortal Masters have arrived. Everything here has been arranged according to your needs. All washing implements are present, top-grade sets crafted from gold, silver, and jade. The couches and chairs are brand new redwood furniture, untouched by any commoner’s taint.”

Li Pingxi drove the carriage into the courtyard, stopping before a pavilion. He waited respectfully by the carriage door, his demeanor a mixture of profound unease and intense excitement. The usual pallor of his face, usually sallow from excessive indulgence in drink and pleasure, was now flushed with an unusual tinge of red due to his agitation.

His father, Li Hong, the current leader of the Medicine King Gang, had recently instructed him that the three Immortal Masters would be arriving at Caiyao Hall that evening and that he was personally responsible for greeting them. These three had once commanded the entirety of Pingzhou; none could challenge their authority within the province. His sole duty was to strive to please them, to petition to become their disciple, and to master the celestial arts that allowed one to soar through the heavens and burrow through the earth. Should he succeed, the Li family might yet produce an immortal.

Li Pingxi had met these Immortal Masters months prior, yet he had never witnessed any genuine demonstration of their legendary earth-and-sky defying powers, leaving him somewhat skeptical. However, his father’s words were never untrue, leaving him no choice but to believe.

The carriage curtain drew back, and an elder, perhaps fifty or sixty years old, stepped out. He wore a white coronet, a flowing white Daoist robe, black boots, and carried a whisk about a foot long. His long beard trailed elegantly, giving him the distinct bearing of a transcendent master radiating an aura of solemn dignity.

The white-robed elder cast a detached glance down at Li Pingxi and proceeded directly toward the pavilion.

When the elder’s imposing gaze swept over him, Li Pingxi’s heart gave a violent jolt, as if a mouse had encountered a cat. His legs instantly weakened, and he tumbled to his knees with a thud. He internally cried out, Oh, my mother! How are this old man’s eyes sharper than my father’s?

Then, two more figures emerged from the carriage, both clad in the same white robes.

One was a young man, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, whose face still held a boyish innocence. He clearly lacked worldly experience, looking around the small courtyard with wide-eyed curiosity.

The other was a youth of about twenty-five or twenty-six, possessing a hooked nose and a perpetually cold, long face, as if someone owed him a great sum of money. The young man coldly surveyed the environment of the villa, and his gaze inadvertently fell upon Li Pingxi kneeling on the ground. He let out a contemptuous puff of air through his nostrils before following the elder into the pavilion.

It was only then that Li Pingxi snapped back to awareness, feeling a surge of shame. He scrambled to his feet and followed them into the main hall of the pavilion. Once inside, the white-robed elder and his two companions each took a seat.

Only Li Pingxi remained standing in deference, not daring to sit.

The white-robed elder inquired in an even tone, “How fare the matters I instructed you to handle?”

“Immortal Master, regarding the rare treasures you requested me to collect, I have gathered a great many.”

Li Pingxi immediately moved to present a large wooden chest already placed in the hall, working diligently to drag it over. He threw open the lid and, with a showman’s pride, began displaying the hundreds of rare treasures inside to the elder, one by one.

“This is an Engraved Porcelain Vase, one of the most famous types from Wan’an Prefecture. Its crafting technique is incredibly complex, valued at two hundred gold leaves.”

“This is the Purple Haze Art, a Supreme-level internal cultivation method. I paid six hundred gold leaves to acquire it at the trade fair.”

“And this—this is the Ranhua Sword. Legend says it was the personal blade of the renowned Hero Ranhua from Pingzhou several centuries ago; it can slice through iron as if it were mud.”

Li Pingxi spoke on, unable to stop his eager chatter as he introduced his collection, utterly failing to notice the expressions hardening on the faces of the three men in the hall.

By the time he finished, the white-robed elder’s face was already clouded with suppressed fury.

With a flick of his sleeve, a fierce gust of Gang Wind materialized from the ground. The entire wooden chest was violently struck by the gale, flipping over and sending hundreds of treasures scattering across the floor with a crash.

A sharp gleam flashed in the white-robed elder’s eyes as he surveyed the supposed treasures littering the ground. He erupted in rage, roaring, “You fool! I ordered you to collect spiritual objects—who told you to gather this trash? Are you trying to deceive me?!”

Li Pingxi, terrified, collapsed flat onto the ground, completely stunned. How could he have known the elder would be so dissatisfied with these trinkets? He could only cry out his innocence, “Immortal Master, I would never dare deceive you! But, but these aren’t trash; they are all very useful precious items! This Ranhua Sword that cuts iron like mud—it’s formidable! I tested it myself; it can easily shatter another person’s iron sword.”

“Silence! Since you claim it is so formidable, then let this old man see just how formidable it is!”

The white-robed elder snorted, chanted a precise incantation, and raised the tips of two fingers on his right hand. His face slowly reddened as if straining, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his brow.

Li Pingxi stared, wide-eyed, completely bewildered by what the elder was doing.

After a moment, a tiny spark abruptly shot out from the tip of the elder’s finger. The small spark rapidly swelled into a sinister ball of red flame hovering above his fingertip, radiating intense heat that rushed toward the four people in the hall.

Li Pingxi’s eyes bulged in horror. What was that? This—was this Immortal Fire? Could his father have been right that these three were the legendary immortals, all real?

Seeing the fireball finally manifest, the white-robed elder sighed in relief internally: What a hassle. To conjure this Fireball Technique using only the power of the second layer of Qi Condensation still required considerable effort. If he had used a Fireball Talisman, it would have been much simpler—just activate it with spiritual power and toss the paper. But the number of Fireball Talismans left in his package was severely limited; every one saved was precious. His family was not as wealthy as it had been twenty years ago, able to squander resources freely.

Having conjured the fireball, the white-robed elder flung it forward. The ball of intensely hot, crimson flame shot directly toward the Ranhua Sword held in Li Pingxi’s hand. Upon contact, the flame hissed, Pi-chzzzzz... followed by a muffled sound, and the sword instantly ignited, its material structure rapidly dissolving under the mystical heat.

Witnessing this, Li Pingxi recoiled in terror and hastily threw the burning sword onto the ground, lest the flames catch him. In mere moments, the sword was consumed by the flame, turning to ash without even leaving molten metal, before the fire gradually subsided.

Li Pingxi’s mouth hung wide open, unable to process the sheer destructive power of that small flame, which had utterly obliterated a famed sword.

The white-robed elder waved his sleeve and chastised, “Hmph, this dares to call itself a sword? Trash is trash; it cannot withstand the cleansing of Yang Fire. I ordered you to gather spiritual objects, yet you offer me mere garbage to appease me. Were it not for the fact that you are Li Hong of the Medicine King Gang’s son, and that the Li family once acted as an agent for my Nan Clan, providing significant service, I would cripple you useless thing today.”

Li Pingxi’s face turned deathly pale. Hearing these words, he was so frightened his soul nearly fled his body. He dared not utter another word of protest, bowing his head to the floor, his whole body trembling: “Immortal—Immortal Master, I truly do not know what a spiritual object is. I beg the Immortal Master to enlighten me.”