Luna Fairchild glanced over at Joe Di, but chose not to exchange any more words with him. No matter what Joe Di did, in the end, he would have to leave with her. When that time came, she would make sure Joe Di understood that, in her presence, he was nothing.
Joe Di did not walk with Luna Fairchild, nor with Nora Su; instead, he walked alongside Charlotte Ling.
Earlier, when Charlotte Ling tried to speak to him, she was abruptly interrupted by Shao Bingshan. Charlotte Ling also knew that, with so many ears and eyes around, it was better not to say anything.
"Xiaoshuang, there are many guests today. Go and help out; I’ll accompany Pill Saint Di myself." Nora Su felt uneasy seeing Charlotte Ling walking with Joe Di.
A maidservant was behaving a bit too presumptuously.
Charlotte Ling smiled faintly and said in a calm voice, "After today, I’ll be leaving Winterhold Valley, so I won’t be helping out anymore."
After Joe Di proved his mastery in alchemy, Charlotte Ling knew she could no longer stay in Winterhold Valley. Nora Su appeared magnanimous and humble, but in reality, she only cared when she felt threatened. If there was any threat to her, she would eliminate it without hesitation.
Originally, Charlotte Ling posed no threat to her, except for her seemingly close relationship with Joe Di. If Joe Di were not a top-tier Pill Saint, it wouldn’t matter. But now that he was, once Joe Di left, Nora Su would surely get rid of her. Even if the threat seemed unlikely, Nora Su would not let it go.
Charlotte Ling had stayed in Winterhold Valley for nearly ten thousand years and knew Nora Su all too well. Nora Su’s master was Quinn Su, the Valley Master of Winterhold Valley. When Quinn Su brought Nora Su back, there was another young woman whose talent was slightly inferior to Nora Su’s, and she became Nora Su’s junior apprentice sister.
After Nora Su advanced to the Dao Origin Realm and her junior apprentice sister reached the Dao Transformation Realm, the latter suddenly disappeared. Although Charlotte Ling never investigated, she strongly suspected Nora Su was involved.
The reason she had survived until now was, first, her cultivation was nowhere near enough to threaten Nora Su. Even so, Nora Su was always mindful of her being a Dao Transformation cultivator. Second, her looks posed no threat either. If she could truly restore her appearance, she would have left long ago—if she stayed, it would only mean death.
"You want to leave?" Nora Su looked at Charlotte Ling in disbelief. Leave? If Charlotte Ling could really leave, that would be a miracle.
She naturally knew Charlotte Ling’s origins—Charlotte was not here on her own, but was brought back by Elder Yale, the Grand Elder of their sect. After Elder Yale returned Charlotte Ling, he immediately went into seclusion and has not emerged since.
So Charlotte Ling stayed in Winterhold Valley as a maidservant, but her master had told her that Charlotte Ling could not leave.
This time, Joe Di answered for Charlotte Ling, "That's right. She plans to leave with me."
Joe Di didn’t know why Charlotte Ling remained here as a maidservant, but he could tell that Nora Su did not treat her well.
As they spoke, the group entered the open-air pavilion of Winterhold Valley. Dozens of elegant maids stood in a row, each holding a jade tray.
Joe Di saw that some of the jade trays held exquisite, translucent Dao Fruits. A faint, pure aroma wafted from the fruits, and some cultivators closed their eyes to savor the scent.
Other trays held cups filled with wine, which also exuded a subtle Dao resonance. Just a whiff was enough to know that these were no ordinary drinks.
Joe Di had no interest at all. The Dao Fruits were simply Sevenfold Frostpine Fruits, and the wine was just Dao Fruit wine brewed from Sevenfold Frostpine Fruits.
Dao Fruit wine is supposed to be a top-tier delicacy, as it is difficult to incorporate Dao Fruits into pills, and brewing wine from them is even harder. However, these Dao Fruit wines were not well made—the Dao resonance was lacking, and they had form but no spirit. Although Joe Di did not value Sevenfold Frostpine Fruits, using them to make such wine was a waste.
At this moment, a graceful middle-aged woman stepped forward. As she appeared, nearly everyone stopped talking and greeted her with respectful cupped fists.
The middle-aged woman nodded to the crowd and even smiled at Joe Di’s group before speaking in a clear voice, "Winterhold Valley welcomes all fellow Daoists. It is our honor to host the opening of the Taiji River Secret Realm. We have little to offer, but as our Sevenfold Frostpine Fruits have just ripened, we invite everyone to enjoy a fruit and a cup of Dao Fruit wine. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
Charlotte Ling quietly told Joe Di that the middle-aged woman was Quinn Su, the Valley Master of Winterhold Valley.
Serving guests with Sevenfold Frostpine Fruits was certainly no slight. On the contrary, it was the most sincere gesture of hospitality.
Sure enough, after Quinn Su finished speaking, everyone expressed their gratitude in unison.
Soon, the maids presented the jade trays to the guests. When they reached Joe Di, he simply smiled and said, "No need for me."
Joe Di did not take any Dao Fruit wine or Sevenfold Frostpine Fruit, and neither did Charlotte Ling.
She might have fallen to such a state now, but it wasn’t as if she had never seen the world. In the past, not to mention Dao Transformation Fruits, she had even tasted Genesis Dao Fruits.
"Pill Master Di, now that you’ve come to Winterhold Valley, do you plan to enter the Taiji River Secret Realm?" Just as Joe Di and Charlotte Ling sat down, a gentle voice called out.
Joe Di stood up and cupped his fists, saying, "Greetings, Valley Master Su. I would like to enter the River Secret Realm as well, but I do not have a qualification slot."
Quinn Su possessed half-step Dao Integration strength, but to be honest, Joe Di didn’t regard her highly. He had killed half-step Dao Integration experts before, and Quinn Su’s strength was clearly inferior to that of the Kunpeng Clan’s half-step Dao Integration cultivator.
Quinn Su didn’t mention why Joe Di refused the Sevenfold Frostpine Fruit. Instead, she smiled and said, "Pill Master Di, Winterhold Valley has two slots available. If you join Winterhold Valley as an elder, entering the River Secret Realm would be simple."
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Joe Di smiled slightly but hadn’t replied yet when Quinn Su continued, "The Taiji River Secret Realm is considered the foremost secret realm in the Taiji Realm. It contains a vast number of Dao Fruits, including Dao Origin Fruits. The interval between openings is long—typically around one hundred thousand years. Because so few can enter, ordinary cultivators are not allowed. Only major sects receive one slot, at most two or three."
Seeing Joe Di’s calm expression, Quinn Su added, "It’s said that the River Secret Realm even contains Genesis Dao Fruits. Someone supposedly obtained one a hundred thousand years ago. Of course, I’ve entered the River Secret Realm myself, but I never saw a Genesis Dao Fruit."
Joe Di was slightly moved—Genesis Dao Fruits? If a secret realm contained such fruits, it meant its laws of heaven and earth were extremely complete.
Joe Di cultivated the Dao of Laws and knew well how difficult it was for Genesis Dao Fruits to form. Even he did not possess any Genesis Dao Fruits.
The Dao Fruit Tower in the Void Market did have Genesis Dao Fruits, but unfortunately, no one had ever managed to obtain one.
Seeing Joe Di’s reaction, Quinn Su knew she had almost convinced him. She was adept at reading people and did not press further about joining Winterhold Valley. Instead, she said, "Pill Master Di, there is still some time before the Taiji River Secret Realm opens. You are welcome to stay in Winterhold Valley as a guest. At any time before the secret realm opens, you may make your decision."
Joe Di cupped his fists, "Thank you, Valley Master Su. I do plan to stay for a while. However, there is one more matter I’d like to trouble you with."
He wouldn’t leave at this time anyway. If his injuries were fully healed, it wouldn’t matter. But since his wounds hadn’t yet recovered, he could leave alone, but taking Charlotte Ling with him would be far too dangerous.