"A-Jiu, this is Wen Ruoxi from Peach Blossom Sanctuary. You can just call her Senior Sister Wen." Luna Fairchild did not neglect Joe Di, instead introducing Wen Ruoxi to him as well.
Joe Di cupped his fists toward Wen Ruoxi, smiled, and said, "Greetings, Fairy Ruoxi."
Call her Senior Sister Wen? Heh, Wen Ruoxi has no relation to him, and her cultivation is even lower than his. Just because she's lived for hundreds of thousands more years, does he have to call her 'Senior Sister'?
Hearing Joe Di address her as 'Fairy Ruoxi' instead of 'Senior Sister,' Wen Ruoxi looked at him in surprise. Then she smiled sweetly and said, "Sister Luna, A-Jiu, let's go in together. We might be the last ones to arrive."
Luna Fairchild did not comment on Joe Di's independent attitude. If Joe Di were not decisive, she would never have let him replace the person she killed earlier. Of course, bringing Joe Di along was not just to fill the emptiness and loss in her heart—there was something more important, though she had yet to figure it out.
At that moment, two female cultivators came to greet them, leading the three into Winterhold Valley.
Inside Winterhold Valley, it was just as icy cold as outside, with the Three Friends of Winter everywhere.
Passing through the outer formation, a winding celestial staircase appeared before Joe Di. Without using divine sense, it looked as though the staircase led straight into the depths of the clouds. Even with divine sense, he could only barely make out some hazy images at the end.
Stepping onto the celestial staircase, the plants on both sides finally changed—no longer pine, bamboo, and plum, but rows of Essence Trees. The further up they went, the denser the divine spiritual energy became.
After walking for nearly the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the group finally stopped before the grand doors of a palace.
As the female cultivator used a jade token to open the door, Wen Ruoxi, standing beside Joe Di, suddenly looked at him and said, "You're quite honest."
Joe Di looked at Wen Ruoxi in confusion. He hadn't spoken to her or done anything—how could she tell he was honest?
Luna Fairchild smiled slightly and explained, "A-Jiu, what Ruoxi means is that when you were on the Winterhold Celestial Staircase, you didn't use your divine sense to scan everywhere. That's why she called you honest."
Joe Di was speechless. It wasn't that he hadn't used his divine sense, but compared to Wen Ruoxi and Luna Fairchild, his divine sense was far stronger and more refined. If they could detect him scanning around, that would be truly strange.
When the grand hall doors opened, the three followed the female cultivator inside. More than a dozen people had already arrived.
"Sister Luna is here! Sister Ruoxi, how come you came with Sister Luna?" A woman no less beautiful than Luna Fairchild had already come forward, followed by a group of men and women.
What shocked Joe Di was that none of these people looked like ancient monsters, but their cultivation was terrifyingly strong. Although none had reached the Unity Realm like Luna Fairchild, several were at half-step Unity, and most were late or mid-stage Prime Realm.
Indeed, birds of a feather flock together. It seemed that everyone at this gathering was among the top cultivators of the Taiji Realm.
Joe Di stood off to the side, waiting for Luna Fairchild to greet the other cultivators.
Only after Luna Fairchild finished greeting everyone did she seem to remember Joe Di. She then took the initiative and said, "A-Jiu, come here. I'll introduce you."
Only now did the others seem to notice Joe Di, and they all nodded to him in greeting.
"A-Jiu, this is Susan Ruo from Winterhold Valley, the Valley Master's only personal disciple. You should call her Senior Sister." Luna Fairchild introduced the woman whose presence even outshone her own.
"No need. I should actually call you Senior Brother, A-Jiu. Susan Ruo greets Senior Brother." Susan Ruo took the initiative to salute Joe Di, her tone extremely humble and polite.
Joe Di returned the salute, his gaze sweeping over the maid behind Susan Ruo, who was holding a tray. To Joe Di, the maid's posture was even more perfect than Susan Ruo's. Her looks were ordinary, seemingly veiled by a faint green aura.
The maid appeared to be a low-level cultivator, only at the early Dao Nurturing stage. But in Joe Di's eyes, her cultivation was definitely not Dao Nurturing; she was actually the strongest here, at late Unity Realm—or possibly even beyond.
Joe Di's gaze lingered on the green aura covering the maid's face. The aura was peculiar, seemingly not caused by anyone.
Noticing Joe Di sizing up her maid, Susan Ruo smiled and said, "A-Jiu, I thought you came here to pursue Sister Luna. Staring at my maid like that is rather impolite. But she's not very pretty—her looks are only like this because her cultivation went awry. If not for that, she wouldn't be inferior to me. Her cultivation isn't Dao Nurturing, but late Dao Transformation."
Joe Di sneered inwardly. Dao Transformation? Even you, Susan Ruo, wouldn't stand a chance against her.
The maid also sensed Joe Di's gaze and bowed slightly to him. "Sherry Lou greets Brother Jiu."
Joe Di returned the salute and said nothing more. Even if her late Unity Realm strength recovered, or she reached Dao Integration, it wouldn't matter to him.
"A-Jiu, these two are Senior Brother Sicily from Lakehaven Sword Manor and Senior Brother Charles Xun from Divine River Sacred Dao Sect. You should seek their guidance." Luna Fairchild interrupted Joe Di and Sherry Lou, introducing them.
Another two half-step Unity Realm cultivators, Joe Di thought. Lakehaven Sword Manor and Divine River Sacred Dao Sect must be top-tier sects. Sicily, dressed in white, looked handsome and carefree, with a jade flute at his waist. Charles Xun, on the other hand, seemed rather wooden.
"Haha!" Sicily laughed heartily, cupping his fists to Joe Di. "A-Jiu, there's no need for you to seek our guidance. Rather, we should ask you for advice—how do we get the chance to accompany Fairy Luna?"
Although it sounded like Sicily was teasing Joe Di, coming from him, it seemed perfectly natural.
(Irrelevant passage—skip translation)
Joe Di sighed inwardly. The prestige of the Moonspire Temple's Lord was truly lacking. If Ren Jisha were more respected, would these people dare to joke like this? After all, Luna Fairchild was his daughter-in-law.
With Luna Fairchild continuing introductions, Joe Di lost interest and just politely nodded along.
Some cultivators Luna Fairchild didn't know also came forward to introduce themselves.
With all the formalities, more than half an hour quickly passed.
Finally, after everyone had finished introducing themselves, Susan Ruo said, "Now that everyone is here, let's discuss the Dao first. Afterward, we'll conduct Dao trades. Once we're done, I expect the Taiji Secret Domain will open, and then we can enter together to seek our fortunes."
So they're all here for the Taiji Secret Domain, Joe Di thought. He had no idea what kind of place it was, but with so many half-step Unity and late-stage Prime Realm cultivators gathered, it was clearly no ordinary place.
"A-Jiu, come with me. Your cultivation is low, but you'll still gain something from listening in." Luna Fairchild seemed to be looking out for Joe Di, inviting him to join her.
Joe Di waved his hand and said, "My cultivation is low, so I wouldn't understand your Dao discussion. I'll just wait here for you."
Luna Fairchild hesitated, then said, "Alright. If you get anxious waiting, feel free to come in and find me."
No matter what, in the eyes of others, Luna Fairchild was definitely a gentle and virtuous woman, never putting herself first and always looking out for Joe Di's dignity.
Earlier, everyone was courteous to Joe Di only because of Luna Fairchild. Now that she'd gone in, no one stayed behind to chat. Once the others entered the inner hall for the Dao discussion, Joe Di found a seat for himself. To his surprise, aside from the welcoming female cultivators, Susan Ruo's maid Sherry Lou also remained behind.
Not only did she stay, but she also walked over to Joe Di, bowed, and softly asked, "Senior Brother A-Jiu, may I ask you a question?"
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)