A huge thanks to Katy for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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The next day, Qin Zhou lay on a deck chair, flipping through a book.

“How come you’re not worried at all?” Wen Jue returned after wandering around. Spotting him, he walked straight over and peered over his shoulder. Qin Zhou was flipping through the villagers’ registry.

“Worried about what?”

“That valley in Shanning Realm… I still think there might be a hidden realm there that reaches all the way to the heavens.” That was his theory. But Qin Zhou wasn’t in any hurry.

Qin Zhou: “That means we’ve found the World Tree—that’s a good thing.”

“But we haven’t found the entrance yet.”

“Hmm, we’ll deal with it once Shisi arrives.” Qin Zhou continued flipping through the villagers’ registry.

“Are we just going to sit here and wait?” When on earth was Shisi going to show up? Wen Jue was so frustrated that he could have flown out there and dragged him back himself. That idiot hadn’t actually gotten lost, had he?

“Want to read with me?” Qin Zhou asked.

Qin Zhou never made a point of hiding the manual from him,  so Wen Jue had a rough idea of what was inside.

“Isn’t this just that villager registry? You flip through it every day—what’s so interesting about it?” Wen Jue leaned in and noticed that the page Qin Zhou was looking at was still his own.

It featured a portrait, painted in ink and wash—undoubtedly a full-length portrait of him. Yet the face still bore a hint of youthfulness, and his brow carried a touch of defiant spirit.

He wasn’t wearing the white robes he was accustomed to now, but rather the black-and-white robes of the Cangyun Sword Sect. It was, at the very least, an outfit from nine thousand years ago.

He could certainly be considered a handsome man in the cultivation world back then. Wen Jue curled the corners of his mouth. “Are you asking me to look at a picture of myself?”

Qin Zhou cleared his throat and explained, “…I turned the page by mistake.”  

“Do you want to see it? Let’s look at something else.”

While flipping through the book, he hadn’t deliberately avoided Wen Jue, but he hadn’t let him see much more of its contents either. He had never explicitly told Wen Jue that the Zhutian Realm was his game save file.

Wen Jue was well aware of this.

The fact that this object could collect and nurture the souls of over thirty fellow disciples already proved that it was a spiritual artifact, not merely an ordinary villager’s household register.

Wen Jue: “…Are you really going to let me see it?” 

Qin Zhou smiled and gestured for him to take it.

With that, Wen Jue didn’t hesitate to accept it.

Portraits, followed by names, ages, talents, specialties… and so on—including their life stories—were all meticulously recorded.

And below the portraits, there was a summoning button.

Wen Jue looked at Qin Zhou questioningly.

“Pressing it will forcibly summon you,” Qin Zhou explained. 

“Is there a cost?”

“There’s no cost. Because I raised you all.” Seeing the look in Wen Jue’s eyes change, Qin Zhou quickly added, “Except for those imprisoned in the Immortal Restraint Prison.”

Wen Jue: “……”

Feeling that his emotions had been anticipated, Wen Jue felt a bit resentful.

“Can I summon Shisi directly?”

“Summoning doesn’t work in the Spirit Mountain Realm,” Qin Zhou said. “What I want you to see isn’t this.”

Wen Jue:?

He flipped the handbook to the back pages and pointed them out to Wen Jue. “Lu Er, Lu Qi, Lu Wu, Bai Xing, and Shiliu, Shijiu, Ershi—they’re all in the village. The fruit must be ripe.”

Next to everyone’s status bar was a line of small text: 【 Farming】. Wen Jue immediately perked up. “Let me see who hasn’t gone to work yet.”

He buried his head in the list and started scrolling.

“Got him—it’s Old Shiyi.” His eyes lit up.

Qin Zhou chuckled. “We brought Zhanyu over with us, so there’s no one left to watch over Immortal-Demon City. Out of Shiyi, Shijiu, Shiliu, at least one of them has to stay in the upper realm.”

“If that’s the case, Lu Er and Lu Qi are both working in the lower realm. Does that mean the Demon Sect has disbanded and the conflict has eased?” Wen Jue analyzed. “But I’m not entirely sure. The Sword Sect’s tolerance for this is certainly higher than that of the Demon Sect.”

This was evident from that kid Jiang Huan.

“That bunch of rogues from the Demon Sect will probably have to be beaten into submission. But I’m not worried about that—Lu Er has broken through. Aside from me, there’s probably no one who can match him.”

“This booklet of yours is actually quite interesting,” Wen Jue remarked.

“That’s not the point,” Qin Zhou said. “The point is, the little mountain village has reached Level 5.”

Wen Jue’s hand paused as he turned the page.

He knew Qin Zhou wouldn’t show him the booklet for no reason. Qin Zhou patted the spot beside him. “Sit.”

The rattan chair was spacious enough for both of them to squeeze in.

Wen Jue didn’t want to sit. He clutched his chest, his expression wary. “I had this same feeling when you gave me the hairpin and sent me to the Cangyun Sword Sect for training.”

“Wen Jue…”

“Hmm?”

“You’re frighteningly perceptive,” Qin Zhou praised. 

Wen Jue: “……”

Qin Zhou pulled out a hairpin, gleaming golden. Wen Jue was stunned.

So there really was a hairpin. The one on his head hadn’t been replaced in thousands of years. He reached out to take it, but Qin Zhou snatched it back in an instant.

Wen Jue: ??

Qin Zhou fixed his gaze on Wen Jue’s face and smiled. “I’ll give it to you in a little while.” Wen Jue had no choice but to comply.

“You must have noticed that every time we finish the harvest, the spiritual energy in the village increases a little. That’s because the village’s level is rising. The more fruit we harvest, the faster the level increases.”

“Right now, the Little Mountain Village is at Level 5, capable of cultivating fifth-tier alchemical ingredients. Once it reaches Level 7, it will be able to cultivate seventh-tier alchemical ingredients. You can’t see the levels; only I and the Heavenly Dao are aware of them.”

“My relationship to the Zhutian Realm is roughly the same as Yan Qi’s to the Spirit Mountain Realm.”

“That World Tree was brought here by me. Through years of dedicated effort, I nurtured it into its most flourishing state. And my departure was the very reason the World Tree withered.”

As Qin Zhou spoke, he reached out and pinched the jade hairpin in Wen Jue’s hair. The pin fell out, and the hair it had held in place became loose and disheveled.

He then took out a comb and began to comb Wen Jue’s hair.

Wen Jue tried to speak, but Qin Zhou stopped him with a glance.

“After we obtained the World Tree from the Spirit Mountain Realm, it requires the soil of the village to take root. Once the new World Tree matures and the Zhutian Realm is sustained by fresh spiritual energy, they will regain the vitality and spiritual energy they possessed a thousand years ago.”

After combing his hair back into place, Qin Zhou took out a golden hairpin and slowly inserted it into his hair.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Wen Jue furrowed his brow. Does it look nice? Qin Zhou took out a pair of bracelets.

He slipped one onto each wrist. “Yes, it is a good thing.”  

“Why are there more?” Wen Jue raised his hand; the patterns on the bracelets were exquisite.

Wen Jue suddenly thought of something. “So this is the set of jewelry you mentioned earlier. But Qin Zhou, look at this…” 

He raised his hand and fiddled with the hairpin in his hair. “And this—isn’t it a bit much?”

“Try them on,” Qin Zhou said, his tone turning stern. Wen Jue froze.

Wen Jue didn’t have pierced ears, so Qin Zhou swapped the earrings for a waist pendant—a small gold medallion with tassels dangling from the end, a rather cute design. He stood there expressionless as Qin Zhou put everything on him.

Finally, the anklet.

Qin Zhou crouched down and carefully removed his shoes.

Wen Jue looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. “I feel like that golden baby in the traditional painting—covered head to toe in gold ornaments. All that’s missing is sitting on a gold ingot and holding a golden koi in my arms.”

Qin Zhou：“……”

He knew Wen Jue didn’t understand the meaning behind these things.

But… he really did look a lot like a New Year’s painting doll. Qin Zhou turned his head away and smiled. Wen Jue lifted his foot to kick him.

Qin Zhou caught his foot again and fastened an ankle chain around it.

Wen Jue’s ankles had well-defined bones; they felt smooth to the touch. Wrapped in the golden chains, they set off his fair skin with a captivating beauty.

“Didn’t you only forge one? How come there are so many?” Though he teased himself for being a “golden doll,” Wen Jue knew that each of these was a seventh-tier spirit artifact.

He didn’t yet know what their specific functions were. But just from their aura, he could tell they were extraordinary.

“Is that a lot?” Qin Zhou pondered for a moment. “Over the past nine thousand years, I’ve only managed to gather a few like these. Do you really think that’s too many?”

“Not really.” But then, a thought struck him, and Wen Jue grew wary. “Surely not everyone has one of these?” 

“No. These items are exclusively for you.”

Wen Jue was satisfied. He touched the hairpin on his head. “I still like this one best.” Qin Zhou smiled faintly.

He still remembered that the hairpin symbolized a token of love.

“And then? Why didn’t you continue? After the spiritual energy of the Zhutian Realm is restored?” Wen Jue sat up straight. To be honest, this was the first time he’d ever worn so many accessories, and all of them were seventh-tier spiritual artifacts.

“After the spiritual energy of the Zhutian Realm is restored…” Qin Zhou found his expression adorable—it was a pity there was no camera here—and mused, “It’ll be time to start thinking about settling down, won’t it?”

Wen Jue:?!

“The matter of finding a life partner.”

Qin Zhou smiled. “Right, I’ve told you before. Once I start cultivating, there are two things I need to do. First, establish a foothold—gain the strength to protect myself and accumulate sufficient savings. Second, find a cultivation partner—someone with whom I can live in harmony and grow old together.”

Wen Jue: “!”

Just as Wen Jue was about to speak, a commotion came from outside—

“Senior, it’s bad news!”

Wen Jue and Qin Zhou turned around together.

Shen Yun leaned against the doorframe, breathing heavily. “Senior Shisi has arrived!” 

Wen Jue: “……”

You hope he’ll show up, but he doesn’t.

And now he suddenly shows up. Is that kid, Shisi, asking for a beating?

“It’s good that he’s here,” Qin Zhou said.

“Senior, it’s not looking good!” Shen Yun said. “Senior Shisi has been stopped at the entrance to Shanning Realm! He’s got a bunch of Demon Beast Tamer following him—a fight’s about to break out!”

Wen Jue slowly stood up, his face clearly displeased. “Isn’t it good that they’re fighting?” 

Shen Yun: ?

What’s wrong with Senior Lu Yi? Shen Yun glanced warily at Qin Zhou. Qin Zhou gave a helpless smile.

Even he felt that Senior Shisi’s visit had come at a rather inopportune time.

Thinking of the item he hadn’t yet retrieved from his Cosmos Bag, Qin Zhou sighed. “Let’s go take a look.”