Chapter 864: Immortal Peach

Kicked backward by Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou stumbled back into the chamber. It was only then that he truly beheld the visages of the three women, and a cold sweat instantly drenched his spine.

He did not recognize Jin Caiwei, but Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi were countenances he had seen before. *What in heaven’s name have you done, Lu Yang?* he thought wildly. *How did you manage to invite these two great deities into our home?*

"I was unaware that three seniors were honoring my Meng Estate with your presence, and thus failed to welcome you properly. I pray you forgive my discourtesy." Though Jin Caiwei was a stranger to him, her sheer aura was in no way inferior to that of Ao Ling or Jiang Lianyi; she was, without doubt, another ancient master.

"Ah, it is the boy from the Meng clan," Ao Ling remarked, her memory still fresh regarding this young cultivator who had pioneered the Double Nascent Soul stage.

Originally, she had assumed that modern cultivators simply favored cultivating two Nascent Souls as a matter of trend. It was only after she departed the Pointy-Sword Sect to wander the contemporary world of cultivation that she discovered Meng Jingzhou was an absolute anomaly.

"Meng Jingzhou pays his respects to Senior Ao Ling, Senior Jiang Lianyi, and this young senior."

The "young senior" was, naturally, Jin Caiwei.

Jin Caiwei held a favorable impression of the Meng family. Her Qiongqi clan frequently borrowed funds from them to weather various crises, and most importantly, the interest rates had always been quite reasonable.

"I am Jin Caiwei of the Qiongqi clan, having slumbered since the ancient era."

Meng Jingzhou drew a sharp breath. He knew well that anyone running around with Lu Yang could never possess a mundane background, yet here was another ancient immortal beast springing out of nowhere.

And from the Qiongqi clan, no less.

"There is no need to make a fuss about our presence, and above all, do not inform the elders of your Meng family," Ao Ling instructed softly, wishing to avoid unnecessary complications.

If the three of them could evade the scrutiny of the Ministry of Justice, they could naturally elude Meng Jingzhou as well.

The only reason they had not concealed their auras was out of regard for his friendship with Lu Yang.

Two days passed, and a rumor reached the ears of the Meng household: the Emperor of Xia was nearing his end and had fallen into a deep coma. The imperial palace was heavily guarded, with all entry and exit strictly forbidden. According to Meng’s father, this particular rumor was highly likely to be true.

Lu Yang had not expected the Emperor's condition to deteriorate so drastically. When they parted ways two days prior, the monarch had been full of vitality. Just as Lu Yang was anxiously preparing to rouse the Immortal Fairy to see if she could devise a remedy, an unexpected guest arrived at the Meng Estate.

"Junior Brother Man, what brings you here?" Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou stepped out together to greet him, finding Man Gu standing blankly at the grand gates, carrying a bundle on his back.

Man Gu had never seen a gateway so magnificent.

"Don't just stand there at the threshold, come in, come in." Lu Yang played the host, ushering Man Gu inside while nudging Meng Jingzhou to the side.

It was Man Gu’s first time visiting the Meng family, and he felt rather self-conscious.

Upon seeing Lu Yang, Man Gu recalled the tales he had heard on his journey, and he looked at his friend with unfeigned admiration.

"Brother Lu, you are truly incredible! I heard that you composed a poem on the spot at the Lotus Pavilion, and it has been hailed as the finest verse in the capital!"

As a Confucian cultivator himself, Man Gu had never imagined that Lu Yang’s attainments in the Confucian Dao would far surpass his own, especially after hearing that rendition of *The Sapphire Case: Lantern Festival*. He felt as though Lu Yang were a celestial being descended to earth.

Lu Yang offered a strained, awkward smile. He was too embarrassed to admit it was plagiarized, and equally embarrassed to confess that the Immortal Fairy had been the one showing off on his behalf at the time.

Hearing of Man Gu’s arrival, Meng Potian immediately ordered a feast of spiritual delicacies to be prepared in his honor.

"I am an old acquaintance of your tribal chief. How has he been faring lately?" Meng Potian laughed heartily, completely devoid of any elder's haughtiness as he inquired about the head of the Barbarian tribe.

"The chief is doing well. I saw him just half a month ago," Man Gu replied with a rustic, honest smile, still somewhat unaccustomed to such lavish hospitality.

"Junior Brother Man, did you return home?"

"Yes, I just made a trip back. Half a month ago was our Barbarian tribe's Ancestor Worship Day. I wasn't particularly keen on going back, but I couldn't resist the clan's insistence that I must attend."

Meng Jingzhou nodded repeatedly in understanding. "Completely understandable. After all, you possess the ancient barbarian lineage. If anyone had to go, it would be you."

Man Gu shook his head, a rare look of bashfulness crossing his features. "It wasn't actually for that reason. It's mostly because my Nascent Soul is the 'Ancestors Nascent Soul.' During the ritual, the clan elders insisted on placing me upon the altar, forcing me to summon my Nascent Soul so the entire tribe could worship me."

Meng Jingzhou fell silent.

The mere image of Man Gu sitting upon the altar while tens of thousands of barbarians kowtowed and chanted hymns to him was enough to make anyone squirm in discomfort.

"Doesn't your Nascent Soul summon a random ancestor every time?"

"Precisely. So the elders decided to worship at random. They are all ancestors anyway, so it makes no difference who we bow to."

Lu Yang reflected that the Barbarian tribe was indeed true to its nature. Now that the curse cast by the Immortal Fairy had lifted, their thinking had become remarkably flexible and pragmatic, which was a welcome change.

"Uncle Meng, if I may ask, are you very close with our tribal chief?"

"Oh? Did he never mention it to you? Your Barbarian tribe and our Meng family share a friendship spanning a hundred thousand years. You could say we have been close for generations."

"That long?" Man Gu was astonished. The chief had never uttered a word to him regarding this matter.

"Indeed. Back when the realm was being contested, your barbarian ancestors followed the Jiang family, serving as a grand general under the First Emperor of Xia, Jiang Ping'an. Back then, your ancestors were frequently beaten by our Meng family until they ran with their heads in their hands!"

Man Gu was left speechless.

"Of course, those are stories from an old ledger, long past. Our Meng family is no longer the clan that fights for the realm; nowadays, we only wish to honestly earn our coin."

"By the way, Junior Brother Man, what is inside that bundle of yours? It smells incredibly fragrant." Lu Yang sniffed the air. The bundle Man Gu carried exhaled a refreshing, soothing aroma that surpassed even the spiritual dishes on the table.

"I am not entirely sure. After the ancestor worship ended and I returned to the Pointy-Sword Sect, Eldest Senior Sister handed this bundle to me and told me to bring it to the Imperial City to give to you. She said you would understand upon seeing it, and strictly warned me that I must not open it."

"It is rather strange. When I set out, the bundle had no scent at all. It was only as I drew near the Imperial City that this fragrance began to drift out."

"Here."

Hearing that it was a task entrusted by Eldest Senior Sister, Lu Yang took the bundle. Forgoing the rest of his meal, he took his leave of Meng's father and Meng Jingzhou, hurrying back to his quarters.

"Senior Brother Lu Yang, what is the matter? Why such haste?" Inside the room, the three ancient half-immortals, including Ao Ling, were studying the applications of the prototype Planar Fruit of Dao.

"What a familiar fragrance." Jiang Lianyi drifted her gaze toward the bundle in Lu Yang’s hands.

Lu Yang placed the bundle upon the bed and unwrapped it to reveal a familiar wooden casket. As he opened the latch, a large, tender pink peach was seen resting quietly within.

It was the subtle, exquisite scent of this peach that had seeped through the wood.

"No wonder it seemed so familiar. It is a celestial peach borne from the Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth!" Jiang Lianyi smiled, recognizing the origin of the fruit.

Lu Yang recalled seeing this celestial peach before his departure for the Imperial City. At that time, it was still unripe and green; looking at it now, it had evidently reached full maturity.

"It is indeed a celestial peach, and one that has only just ripened," Ao Ling and Jin Caiwei concurred, recognizing it as well.

All three women had tasted celestial peaches during the ancient era; Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi, in particular, had partaken of them frequently.

The celestial peach was something only those from the ancient times could recognize. Following the great war between the Four Immortals and the mastermind at the end of that era, the Spiritual Root of Heaven and Earth had vanished into the Peach Blossom Hidden Realm, never to emerge again.

Consequently, no one born after the ancient era possessed any knowledge of the celestial peach.