A few days before Chen Wentian and Long Yifei were due to set off for the frontier to fight bandits, they found a letter that had been slipped under her door. The person who had sent it was one of the many servants that worked at the school but that person was obviously not the real sender. The real sender was someone he didn't expect, Immortal Tranquil Flute Dong Ruming, the same Dong Ruming who had been friends with Long Yifei's mother.
If it were any other immortal, even if they were the pope of the Order, Chen Wentian would have ignored it. However, since it was one person Long Yifei wanted to talk to, he decided to take a chance and meet her.
The location chosen by Dong Ruming was a well-known tea garden in a large city located in a southern province. Chen Wentian didn't go himself. He instead hired a street urchin to deliver a letter to the meeting place. He stayed back in an upper-class restaurant on the other side of the city that catered to immortals. After a few messages back and forth, Dong Ruming came to the restaurant. Like this, the two people finally met face to face in a private dining room. Although it wasn't a fool-proof method to meet secretively, it was the best he could do without his true powers. And since the abbotess was fine with it, he was fine with it too.
Sitting across from the woman, Chen Wentian studied her closely. Abbotess Dong had a full head of white hair and her face showed her age. Having lived several centuries as a Spirit King, she was no longer a spring chicken. She also didn't change her appearance like she had done at the end-of-year examination.
But despite her age, he could see signs of fading beauty. Her eyes were bright and full of clarity. Her smile carried intelligence and a hint of playfulness. If it was two hundred years earlier, she would have been one of the top beauties of the continent.
Dong Ruming spoke first, breaking the silence, "You are quite a careful person. I appreciate that in a man."
"Abbotess praises me too much," Chen Wentian said, "I have to be careful. Many people want to get rid of me."
She snorted, "I know."
The pair studied each other for another while before she spoke again.
"You are probably confused why I wanted to meet you." She said and gauged his reaction.
He knew why but didn't let it show, "Confused is a strong word. Let's just say pleasantly surprised."
She chuckled lightly, "Fine, fine. I will get to the point. I have been watching your sacred daughter. She is very interesting. Dancing like a shangyang, the Dance of Rain and Fortune, she's is the most impressive sacred daughter I have seen in a century."
"Thank you, abbotess, for your praise."
She nodded and became serious, "What we are about to discuss cannot leave this room. If it does, don't worry about other people trying to kill you. I will be the first to do so, understand?"
"Abbotess doesn't need to scare me. I am very good at keeping secrets," He replied
Dong Ruming nodded, "First, tell me about your sacred daughter. Who were her parents? Where was she born? I understand you met her later in life, has she told you anything about her past?"
Chen Wentian kept his calm and pretended to think about it. He then described how Long Yifei was the top disciple of Glacier Palace. She had always been the best and her talent was famous throughout the subcontinent. He also told the story of how he came to be the administrator of the sect and his brief history with her. As for her background, her parents died in an unknown disaster when she was still a baby. Glacier Palace rescued her as they often did with orphans and she had been at the sect ever since.
"Is that so…" She muttered, somewhat disappointed.
She had no way of telling if what he said was true or not. She could only take his word as is. He knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear.
"Then… she probably isn't that girl. The years don't match either. Alas..."
"Abbotess, may I ask, who are you referring to?"
"Your sacred daughter's dance, dancing like a shangyang, it reminded me of someone from the past. They were also gifted by the heavens, with talent that defied common sense. I thought they might have been related but that seems to be impossible."
"What happened to that person?" Chen Wentian asked.
"She died."
"How did she die?"
"She was murdered."
"Oh…"
An awkward silence fell between them. Dong Ruming stared out the window, struck by melancholy. Chen Wentian was also deep in thought. He couldn't reveal the truth but he also wanted to find out more. He wasn't good at speaking to others so he had to choose his words carefully.
"Abbotess, do you have any advice for me and Long Yifei? Should I support her so that she can quickly become an immortal? How should I protect her so that she does not share the same fate as that person in your memories?"
Dong Ruming sighed and nodded, "You are careful and you have foresight. You are entirely different from your reputation. You are correct that you should try to help her advance as quickly as possible. Do not let the Order delay you, disregard their complaints. Her talent will not be stunted by an early breakthrough. There will be no ill effects. That was the mistake my friend made. She trusted the Order far too much and delayed her cultivation to learn a bunch of trashy dances and songs."
"As for how to protect her from harm, I don't know. I have thought about that for many years but still could not come up with a way to change what had happened back then. What I can say is this. There is one truth in this world, absolute strength. If you aren't strong enough to protect her, then it will still be futile in the end."
"Absolute strength, the strength to contend with the Seven Potentates of Jiannan, will that be enough?" He asked.
"If you can somehow find such power, or find a way to rely on such a power, then it might be enough," She replied.
"I see…"
"But if you can't, and you probably won't be able to in the near term, what you have to do is earn top marks during this bandit fighting operation. I heard from my sources within the school that Abbotess Li is willing to support Long Yifei as long as she can score in the top four. You must achieve this or there is no path forward for Long Yifei and you as sacred daughter and acolyte."
"I understand," Chen Wentian replied.
After that, the conversation came to an end. He tried to ask about a few more things but Dong Ruming gave empty and vague replies.
"One last thing before I go," She said as she stood up, "Have you ever heard of the name Long Tao before?"
"No," He replied evenly.
"If anybody else asks about that name, I want you to contact me. Send a letter to the tea shop."
"Understood."
"Good, farewell."
"Farewell, Abbotess Dong," Chen Wentian said as he bowed.
By the time he looked up, she was already gone.
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