They had to say that Hao Ran Court's standards for guest rooms were pretty high. Not only did they have a place to house the guests, they also had everything prepared for them. They even found some commonly used elixirs in the house, like grain liberation elixirs and spirit-returning pills.
Lonemoon took one look at the pills and elixirs and then faced Yi Qing. "Chef, what do you think of Hao Ran Court?" Did Chan Ji genuinely want to help Fatty out, or did he have a hidden motive?
Yi Qing frowned as he poured Shen Ying a cup of tea. "We cannot trust them so soon."
"No," Fatty immediately retorted without a hint of suspicion. "Isn't Hao Ran Court the most just place? What's more, Master Chan Ji helped me to fend off the attack from that immortal weapon earlier. He doesn't look like a bad person. Master, I think... they're not..."
Fatty trailed off mid-sentence as he caught Lonemoon's face. He shrank back into a ball.
"Hmph, what right do you – a fool who has given his own flesh to the Imperial Sacred Sect for years – have to speak, given your intellect and judgment?"
"..." How his heart hurt – he missed Rabbit.
Lonemoon did not bother much with Fatty. He turned back to Yi Qing and said, "I think that Chan Ji's timing was too accurate." He did not come any earlier or later – he only appeared just as Fatty was being badly beaten up. Although on the surface, he did help Fatty, and Imperial Sacred Sect did pay the price for treating Fatty the way they did, Lonemoon still felt like there was something strange about the entire matter.
"If he has other motives, what could they be?" Yi Qing asked.
This was something that Lonemoon just could not figure out. The only thing that Fatty had that was worth coveting was that special body of his. Buddhist cultivators, however, depended on merit and could not kill others. Since they could not have any blood on their hands, they were indeed the only group of people who would not harbor any thoughts about using flesh. This was all the more so now that Fatty's identity was known to everyone.
From every angle, Hao Ran Court looked like the just actor in the entire situation. They did not seem to harbor any selfish intentions. But this was all the more reason for Lonemoon not to trust them.
Suddenly, Lonemoon thought about something. He turned to face the lady who was slumped on the table. "Shen Ying, why did you agree to let Fatty come here in the first place?" Speaking of this, Shen Ying was the one who had agreed to let Fatty come to Hao Ran Court at the time. Although, once they found out Fatty's identity, it was no longer convenient for them to remain in the Southern Land. After all, demons and beasts would naturally be drawn to his special flesh.
"Huh?" Shen Ying tilted her head. Then, she answered, "Because of that lightbulb..."
Before she could finish speaking, they heard a familiar voice outside. "Fellow Daoists, are you resting well?"
They all exchanged looks, then walked out. Chan Ji was outside the yard, waiting for them to appear.
"Court Lord Chan Ji, you've come earlier than we expected," Lonemoon greeted him. "Have you settled the problem in your sect?"
Chan Ji seemed to be bothered by something. He frowned and said, "These are just everyday matters. It was just that they were chasing me to go over and take a look. I hope you would not take this to heart."
"Don't worry, Court Lord. We're already thankful to be on the receiving end of your court's hospitality."
"You're too formal, Fellow Daoist!" Chan Ji smiled warmly. Knowing that Lonemoon was the sort who would treat others as they treated him, Chan Ji offered to show them around the sect so they would be familiar with the surroundings.
Naturally, Lonemoon did not turn down an opportunity to formally explore Hao Ran Court. He politely followed Chan Ji as he showed them around the sect. Chan Ji did not seem to mind bringing a group of strangers around the sect as well. They set off from the living room and headed first for the main hall. Then they visited the side halls on either side, as well as other big and small halls around the area.
Along the way, they met with many disciples at various cultivation levels. There were indeed many of them who were of high cultivation levels – even more so than in Imperial Sacred Sect. Like Chan Ji, they received their guests very warmly. Perhaps it was because they were Buddhist cultivators – Lonemoon did not sense an ounce of cockiness about them. Instead, each of them carried a golden glow around their bodies.
The more Lonemoon saw, the more uncomfortable he felt. Yet, for some reason, he could not point out what exactly was wrong. If he had to say what it was, he would probably point to the fact that everyone in the sect seemed exceptionally nice. They did not seem in the least bit fake.
"Earlier, this was where we refined our pills." Chan Ji pointed toward a small hall in front of them.
"Oh? You refine pills," Lonemoon repeated subconsciously.
Chan Ji smiled. "Hao Ran Court is far away from civilization. It's not very convenient for us to head out and get pills and elixirs from stores, as it is for other sects. To save ourselves the trouble, we decided to produce our own pills and elixirs. Our disciples all produce these for themselves. Although our skills are not as good as those of other sects', we refine our pills under the Buddhist glow. Therefore, the pills and elixirs that we produce are generally more effective than normal."
"Oh, is there such a thing?" Lonemoon narrowed his eyes.
"Indeed." Chan Ji nodded. He thought about something, then turned to Fatty and said, "Oh yes, Fellow Daoist Hui Ze, you got seriously injured when you battled with the people of Imperial Sacred Sect earlier. I'm not sure if you have recovered fully. If you don't mind, you can have some spirit-recovering pills from the living room. It will help with the recovery."
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Court Lord." Fatty bowed respectfully toward him. "Before we arrived at the Southern Land, Master healed my wounds. I'm all better now." He also managed to refine 100 spirit swords to repay his debt!
"That's good," Chan Ji sighed in relief. It was only then that he led the group into the mini alchemy to look around. As he said, there were common herbs being prepared in that mini alchemy. They did produce their own common medicines.
Once they exited the mini alchemy, Chan JI led them through each of the remaining halls. They were all pretty average. Some of them were otherwise empty apart from several disciples. Chan Ji brought them through the rear mountain, on the way back to their tower. As he walked, he introduced, "The rear mountain is the place we grow spirit herbs in this sect. It is also where the disciples normally train at. Normally, if the sun is still in the sky, this would be the busiest place in the sect."
As he finished speaking, they walked through a patch of land where the sect was growing low-level spirit herbs. A huge pond appeared before their eyes. It looked about a hundred metres wide, and there were huge lotus flowers floating in the pond. They were red, and they filled nearly the entire pond. A golden glow surrounded this whole scene.
Yi Qing, who had been carrying Shen Ying, halted as his eyes widened. He immediately turned around and said, "Master, this place-"
"Yes." Shen Ying made herself comfortable on Chef's back and shifted her head from his left shoulder to his right. "I smelled it from afar."
Yi Qing lowered his gaze.
The three people in front did not notice those behind them. Lonemoon walked with Chan Ji in front of the group and found that there was an empty plot of land right next to the pond. There were a few hundred disciples on that plot of land, deep in meditation. There was a golden glow around each of them, much like the one around the pond.
"This lotus pond has been with the sect from its earliest days. I heard that it was built by the ancestors who started our sect. It is said that it is about several million years old," Chan Ji explained, as if sensing that they were about to ask questions. "Our ancestors ascended to this very area. That's why to this day, generations of my sect's members refer to this place as the holy land. Each day, they would sit here and participate in meditation. For this reason, perhaps, the lotus river gained this Buddhist glow over time."
"I see." So that was the reason even the pond had a Buddhist glow.