Chapter 685
She hurried to a stall, and the vendor called out:
"Fair maiden, would you like to try our 'Fairy’s Smile'?"
Ye Shimei, intrigued, asked, "Fairy’s Smile?"
"This is a product just developed by the Agricultural Academy, brewed from twelve special spirit fruits. It has a smooth taste, a delightful fruity aroma, and can enhance your cultivation while nourishing your skin. It’s perfect for all you fair maidens."
Hearing this, Ye Shimei felt a flutter of excitement but hesitated to confirm, "It’s free?"
"Absolutely! Today, the sect leader has declared it’s on the house!"
Ye Shimei took the cup and downed it in one go. She then looked around, her eyes dreamy, a smile playing on her lips.
Elder Bi Xia watched her and sighed inwardly: It’s just a cup of wine; how could this disciple truly be intoxicated?
After all, the scene on this Paradise Island must feel like a tranquil joy to a disciple who had just escaped death.
She couldn’t help but glance at Zheng Fa, knowing that although Zheng Fa and the Jiu Shan Sect had spent some spirit stones, she had once been a senior elder and could see that after the battle, the sect was celebrating, which had only deepened the loyalty of these Jiu Shan disciples. Their pride was evident on their faces.
Not just the Jiu Shan disciples, but even her own disciples were laughing freely, some even throwing their arms around each other, as if they had become part of the Jiu Shan Sect themselves.
In the future, she wondered, would they be more willing to listen to her or to Zheng Fa?
It was clear to everyone that this was a blatant attempt to win hearts.
She surveyed Paradise Island, the air filled with the fragrance of wine and elixirs, the light of spirit treasures reflecting in her eyes, and every face wore a smile.
After a moment, she couldn’t help but laugh as she walked toward a stall selling spirit jewelry.
……
Zheng Fa, of course, was unaware that Elder Bi Xia had been so easily swayed.
He was sitting with Senior Sister Zhang and others, enjoying their time together.
Senior Sister Yuan was bustling about, picking out various delicious foods and drinks from the stalls and laying them out before them.
This wasn’t just for fun; she didn’t want to disturb the other disciples and mortals who were enjoying themselves.
After all, the Xuan Wei Realm had strict hierarchies, and even in the Jiu Shan Realm, truly mingling with the common folk was more about form than feeling.
Uncle Pang glanced at the disciples and chuckled, "Though we’ve spent some money, the disciples have worked hard. It’s nice to let them relax a bit."
"Actually..." Zheng Fa looked at Senior Sister Zhang and smiled, "It doesn’t cost that much."
"Huh?"
Zheng Fa pointed at the stalls with his chin and laughed, "These items have limited spirit energy and aren’t expensive; otherwise, the mortals wouldn’t be able to afford them."
Uncle Pang nodded in realization.
Zheng Fa continued, "Many of these, like the Fairy’s Smile and the new flying swords, are products newly launched by the sect and need to be promoted."
In simple terms, this celebration was essentially a large tasting and trial event.
Over the past few years, the Agricultural Academy’s agricultural products, along with the research achievements from the Alchemy and Weapon Refining Academies, had mostly been brought here for these people to try out.
"…"
Uncle Pang held his cup, gazing at the spirit wine, and suddenly laughed, "You’ve set a trap for us."
"Huh?"
"This wine is good; I’m actually thinking of buying a few jars to take home."
Meanwhile, Yan Wushuang, holding a skewer of grilled fish, took a big bite and mumbled, "What trap? If we were in the Tianhe... in other sects, which sect leader would bother to put in this effort?"
His words drew the attention of the others to the son of the Tianhe Sect Leader.
At this moment, Yan Wushuang was also at the Yuanying stage and was familiar with everyone, so he wasn’t intimidated. Instead, he said, "In the Xuan Wei Realm, how many sect leaders fight tooth and nail while their disciples enjoy free food and drink?"
"I think these disciples would love it if Zheng Fa went and gave Haori Mountain another beating."
The others were taken aback, surprised by Yan Wushuang’s insight. Uncle Pang pondered for a moment before looking at Zheng Fa, his gaze filled with curiosity:
"You can’t really think that way, can you?"
Zheng Fa glanced at Yan Wushuang, chuckled, and nodded while shaking his head, explaining:
"Yan, you’re half right."
"Half right?"
"The credit for the battle against Haori Mountain belongs to me, Senior Sister Zhang, the ancestors, and Fairy Xie. But to be honest, Uncle Pang, you and these disciples, including the mortals, contributed a lot as well."
Uncle Pang thought for a moment, stroking his chin, "That’s true. Not to mention, without these disciples, we wouldn’t have earned those spirit materials."
"Exactly. Fundamentally, our rapid progress in cultivation, even being able to obtain the Xian Sword, is thanks to their efforts. This expense is nothing in comparison."
Zheng Fa’s point was simple:
Most of the spirit materials were earned through the efforts of these disciples, and even the incense of the Jiu Shan Realm relied on their hard work. He would never forget that contribution.
Not to mention, the celebration didn’t cost much at all.
As he finished speaking, Xiao Yuying’s eyes lit up, and she said:
"I’ve never thought of it from this angle... It actually makes sense. Even the achievements of any cultivator throughout history can be understood from this perspective."
The others listened, puzzled, but Zheng Fa looked at Xiao Yuying with approval, thinking that this historian was indeed sharp.
On a larger scale, this represented a shift from a hero-centric view of history to a people-centric view. Of course, the situation in the Xuan Wei Realm was different; it couldn’t be rigidly applied, nor could the hero-centric view be discarded.
But Xiao Yuying could also see that, regardless, a cultivator’s achievements could not be separated from their environment, other cultivators, or even the era they lived in.
To put it more simply, if Zheng Fa had lost, these Jiu Shan disciples would not have fared well either; most likely, they wouldn’t have survived.
In Zheng Fa’s view, these disciples had both made tangible contributions and shared the risks with them.
It wouldn’t be fair if they lost and the disciples had to pay the price, while the credit for a win went solely to Zheng Fa and the others.
Xiao Yuying seemed to have thought of something, picking up a jade tube as if to record something.
"Xiao Fairy, what are you doing…"
Xiao Yuying glanced at Zheng Fa and suddenly smiled, "If the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor wrote 'Tianhe Chuan', I naturally want to write a 'Zheng Fa Chuan'."
"'Zheng Fa Chuan'?" Zheng Fa felt a headache coming on, "Isn’t that a bit… much?"
"Much?" Xiao Yuying asked, puzzled.
She looked around at the others, seemingly seeking their opinions.
From Xie Qingxue to Uncle Huang, though surprised, everyone shook their heads, as if they found Xiao Yuying’s idea unexpected yet somehow reasonable upon reflection.
Zheng Fa glanced at Xiao Yuying, wanting to say something, but then heard her say, "Actually, I think you have some interesting insights that set you apart from other Xuan Wei cultivators, and they need to be recorded."
"To avoid…"
She glanced at the still-celebrating disciples, seemingly unable to continue.
Zheng Fa fell silent for a moment and chose not to stop her. A heavy atmosphere began to settle over the group.
"This is the second reason I wanted to hold this celebration," Zheng Fa said, looking at Yan Wushuang, "Defeating Luo Sanxian and winning against Haori Mountain… can only give us a moment of respite."
"Now, with the Nine Nether Demon Ancestor and the deterrent of Luo Sanxian’s defeat, for a while, our Jiu Shan Sect shouldn’t fear anyone coveting us."
"But… the situation in the Xuan Wei Realm will inevitably become tense again."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"The Jiu Shan Sect is far from being at ease. Our disciples must be prepared for war."
Ultimately, holding this celebration wasn’t just a product of Zheng Fa’s idealism; it had practical implications—much like a victory parade in later times:
To let the disciples of the Jiu Shan Sect enjoy the benefits and joys of victory, to cultivate their courage.
To let them know that with the Jiu Shan Realm’s victory, they could live better and enjoy the rewards of being victors.
Uncle Pang suddenly sighed, "For cultivators, conflict… is endless."
"Zheng Fa, are you about to break through to the God Transformation stage?" Xie Qingxue suddenly asked.
"Yes, I’ve accumulated enough now. Over at Haori Mountain, Yun Zhenxian is struggling alone and won’t be coming to trouble us for a while. But who knows how long our Jiu Shan Sect can remain peaceful? The sooner I break through, the sooner I can feel secure."
At this point, Zheng Fa suddenly paused, took out the Zao Hua Yu Die, and frowned.
"What’s wrong?"
Senior Sister Zhang asked curiously.
"Master Mingde sent a letter saying that Li Shangxian from the Taishang Sect wants to visit our Jiu Shan Sect."
The others exchanged glances, surprised. Senior Sister Zhang asked again, "What do you think?"
Zheng Fa thought for a moment, sent a spiritual message back to Master Mingde, and smiled at Senior Sister Zhang, "Of course, I’ll take the lead."
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