Chapter 22 : Planting Jade Path on Bai Ri Lake

Chapter 22: Planting Jade Path on White Sun Lake

On White Sun Lake.

Several vermilion-painted pleasure boats drifted leisurely, oars creaking as they cut through the emerald waters, stirring up rippling waves.

The singing of the boat maidens mixed with the faint fishy scent of the water and drifted into the distance.

Along the shore, willow branches lightly brushed the surface, while palace lanterns hung quietly under the eaves, unlit.

At the bow, people pointed toward the shore, chatting and laughing as they discussed tonight’s lantern festival.

“You’re just leisurely touring the lake like this?”

Zhao Yuntong’s voice came from within the Black Tortoise Square Cauldron.

“What else? The True Cultivator Assembly hasn’t started yet.”

Fang Chang leaned half against the red-lacquered railing.

With a faint smile that wasn’t quite a smile, he looked toward a pleasure boat not far away.

That boat had its roof half-open, designed as a stage upon the water.

Six women with faces like peach blossoms danced gracefully.

They wore thin gauze; as they moved, the curves of their bodies appeared and disappeared, captivating and soul-stealing.

“You like this sort? Shall I capture them for you?”

Zhao Yuntong suddenly said, her voice stiff and cold.

Though she was inside the coffin,

the Black Tortoise Square Cauldron was an S-grade secret treasure—whether to block perception or not was entirely under control.

Naturally,

she could sense what Fang Chang was looking at.

Fang Chang said, “They’re not as good-looking as you. I’m just looking at their clothing—it’s quite nice.”

“If you like it, you can buy clothes for me to dress up however you want. I can’t resist anyway.”

“Don’t make me sound like some kind of pervert.”

Zhao Yuntong laughed, gentle and clear.

“Who says you’re not? Who was the one who wouldn’t let go last night?”

Fang Chang’s expression remained calm.

He had been raised by his grandfather since childhood, and his longing for his grandmother ran deep.

Meeting her and being a little more affectionate—what was wrong with that?

“Don’t be too greedy, Miss Zhao. Having a good man like me for a moment is enough. I’m destined to belong to countless young ladies.”

“Bullshit ‘good man.’ Looks flashy but useless.”

“Please, I’m only at Qi Absorption. Wait until I reach the Third Realm—just see whether I can handle you or not.”

“Not convinced?”

Zhao Yuntong’s voice turned soft and sticky with an inexplicable allure. “Then come again tonight.”

Fang Chang clicked his tongue. “Alright, now that’s just no fun to talk about.”

He changed the topic.

“The ones on stage are women from the Planting Jade Path.”

“Planting Jade Path?”

“One of the Eighteen Demonic Sects and Thirty-Six Deviant Paths. Only women can cultivate it. Its purpose is to conceive without giving birth—refining the offspring before they are born. Even more vile than the Desire Path.”

Zhao Yuntong shuddered upon hearing this.

Compared to that, the Obsession Path she cultivated seemed far more proper.

Fang Chang’s gaze sharpened as he sneered.

On the pale abdomens of the six women on stage, he could see sinister resentment entwining—there were probably no fewer than a palm’s number of dead children within each of them.

Cultivators of such a path walked a dangerous edge.

Most of them could not handle the resentment within their wombs, barely enduring while they were young and still had sufficient vitality.

Once they aged,

if two out of ten survived, it was already considered a lot.

Very few in this path could reach the Fifth Realm—but coincidentally, in White Egret City of Yan Country, where they currently were, there happened to be a female cultivator who had touched that threshold.

“Chi—chi—chi—”

A sharp sound suddenly rang out over the lake.

It was sword qi slicing through the air, wrapped in cold light as it swept across the sky above White Sun Lake.

Everyone on the pleasure boats looked up in unison.

They saw a handsome young man in green robes, hands clasped behind his back, slowly descending onto a grand and luxurious pleasure boat in the distance.

“It’s Wang Yichen of the Grand White Sword Sect—Senior Brother Wang!”

“As expected of one of the sect master’s direct disciples of the Grand White Sword Sect—truly dignified and extraordinary!”

“More than that! Last year in Vast Marsh, he drove back a hundred-year snake demon alone with a single sword, saving several villages, and didn’t even leave his name afterward!”

“The Pill Yang Sect offered a furnace of pills to exchange techniques with him, and he turned around and donated them to cure plague victims down the mountain!”

“With such character, no wonder he’s Senior Brother Wang! Sisters, who understands—what man in the cultivation world can compare to him?!”

The admiration spread softly across the boats.

Some female cultivators even lost their composure, drooling as they rushed to the bow to watch.

Others ordered the boatmen to dock with that luxurious vessel so they could go aboard and see him up close.

The boatmen looked troubled.

They could only explain that the large vessel had been reserved by the Crown Prince of Yan Country specifically for the Twelve Orthodox Paths—without permission, they could not approach.

Most female cultivators, upon hearing “Twelve Orthodox Paths,” reluctantly fell silent.

But some fanatical admirers still refused to give up.

The boatmen had no choice but to steer as close as possible.

As they approached, someone on the boat suddenly exclaimed, “The treasured pearl of the Taiyi Talisman Palace has arrived!”

This exclamation drew everyone’s attention away again.

Under radiant golden light, a lively and charming young woman in a red-and-white dress stepped forward on talismans.

Her skirt fluttered like butterfly wings, stopping just above her knees—noticeably shorter and bolder than those of other female cultivators, making Lü Muxue’s vitality even more vibrant.

At this moment,

behind Lü Muxue followed a slightly older female cultivator.

This woman held prayer beads, dressed in plain moon-white robes, her makeup light and refined.

She should have had a cold and detached aura.

Yet she possessed an exceedingly enchanting face—her brows slanted upward into her temples, her eyes carried a natural charm, her lips full and naturally crimson.

Her figure was tall and full; her proud, snowy bosom and rounded hips were impossible to conceal even beneath the loose, ascetic robe.

This person was Lü Muxue’s aunt, Zhang Su.

The moment these two appeared,

another wave of cheers erupted.

Perhaps the noise was too loud—

Lü Muxue heard it as well.

Her delicate brows shot up in annoyance as she glared fiercely over. “So noisy!”

Some male cultivators, upon hearing this, not only did not get angry but became even more excited, jumping about like monkeys, scratching their ears and cheeks.

“What is this…”

Fang Chang was speechless.

In Fallen Immortal, you background NPCs were pretty calm—why does it feel like, in reality, you’re all like dogs in heat?

Zhao Yuntong sneered disdainfully. “You men are all the same.”

Fang Chang ignored her indiscriminate attack.

Looking around,

he actually spotted a familiar face—Little Martial God Dai Bojun.

After not seeing him for several days, he appeared even more delicate, his skin fair and smooth, his frame slightly smaller.

The already faint masculine features on his face had almost completely disappeared.

He looked practically like a woman disguised as a man.

At this moment, he was speaking with a man wearing a bamboo hat. Sensing something,

he turned his head and met Fang Chang’s gaze.

A look of surprise immediately appeared.

“Senior!”

Fang Chang sighed and cupped his hands. “Daoist, it has been a long time.”

Dai Bojun’s shift from Yang to Yin was not something that happened overnight, and the fortune surrounding him would not disperse all at once.

He was still following the game’s storyline, seeking opportunities in the Nine Heavens Secret Realm.

Dai Bojun quickly approached. Seeing Fang Chang sigh, he looked puzzled.

“Why does Senior sigh?”

Fang Chang showed a look of shame. “My abilities are limited. I had intended to save you, but I did not expect it would only be possible in this way.”

Dai Bojun’s expression dimmed for a moment.

He forced himself to regain composure and revealed a smile—like a blooming flower, almost indistinguishable from that of a woman.

“All things in the world have their destined course. I already looked like a woman—perhaps this path is the one I was meant to walk.”

“I… sigh. Brother Dai, there’s no need to call me Senior. My name is Fang Chang, just a mere Qi Absorption cultivator.”

“That’s even better, Brother Fang!”

Dai Bojun seemed much more at ease now.

Though his appearance had become more feminine, his personality was no longer as weak as before.

As he spoke, he pulled over the man in the bamboo hat beside him.

“Let me introduce a Daoist friend to Brother Fang. I’ve had a great conversation with him—truly an extraordinary man.”

“Brother Luo, this is Brother Fang Chang. He saved my life not long ago.”

“Brother Fang, this is Brother Luo Yuli. We just met on the boat—he pointed out the errors in my cultivation. That was close, I almost went down the wrong path!”

This Luo Yuli wore a bamboo hat, its shadow covering half his face, revealing only a square and resolute jaw.

He cupped his hands. “Daoist Fang.”

Fang Chang could not hold back his laughter.

“Brother Luo, if you have children in the future, be sure to let your wife name them. Your current name is truly… obvious at a glance.”

Luo Yuli’s entire body stiffened…

No—this was not Luo Yuli, but Luo Yi of the Pure Yang Path!