443: Chapter 442 Distant Visitor 1 443: Chapter 442 Distant Visitor 1 A man in white turned around the street corner, approaching them,
“Sister Xintong, I have been waiting for you here for a long time.”
Zhao Xintong responded indifferently, “Does Young Master Yu have any matters?”
The elegant and distinguished Young Master Yu stood under the setting sun’s street view, making the two appear like figures from a mural.
Yu Buzuo, ranked among the top four lists: battle strength, second-generation cultivators, wealth, and Qian Xiu Cultivation Grass; he might not hold the top position on any single list, but his comprehensive strength that spanned four lists made him one of the undisputed top contenders among his peers at the Daoist School.
For someone like him, reaching Tongxuan was not a problem, the question was just when he would break through.
His pursuit of Zhao Xintong had begun years ago, and even though he was consistently met with lukewarm rejections, he never changed his original intention, which had become a delightful tale at the Red Leaf Villa.
At their age, cultivators could not yet be called true Cultivators; they lived colorful lives similar to ordinary people and enjoyed them.
“How about going for a meal together?
I know of a new noodle shop in the west of the city that offers authentic Anhe flavors.”
Zhao Xintong frowned slightly, “You know I usually don’t eat in the evening…”
Yu Buzuo was not upset at all, as this kind of rejection he had experienced countless times before.
“Then, I know there’s a Wei Qian lecture at the Little Mountain Lodge tonight, given by a senior God Sensing Upper Cultivator from Taihao Sect, discussing astrology, which you are interested in, aren’t you, Sister Xintong?”
Zhao Xintong was tempted, as this was precisely her favorite subject, but she also knew what she needed most now was not knowledge in astrology, but how to elevate her own realm.
“I, I won’t go, I’ve been somewhat frustrated lately…”
Yu Buzuo remained composed; in Zhao Xintong’s eyes, it seemed he had never been seen flustered, always having an unhurried demeanor, a trait very favored by the fairies at the Daoist School, and for this, she had garnered much unexplained hostility.
“Alright, cultivation is the most important; however, the Dean mentioned that the Autumn Appreciation is approaching and all disciples should prepare.
I was just passing by and wanted to inform Sister Xintong; would you be interested in participating?”
Zhao Xintong was somewhat interested.
The Autumn Appreciation at the Red Leaf Daoist School is quite a unique festival, celebrating the beauty of the mountains blanketed in red leaves.
For most of the year, the Daoist School generally does not allow its students to contact their friends and family, for fear that they might become distracted by external trivial matters.
Only during each autumn, when the leaves turn gloriously red, are outside visitors welcomed; typically, these are friends and relatives of the Daoists;
Those who have not pursued Dao are mortals, with the emotions of ordinary people that can’t be avoided; like the Daoist God, who comes to see her annually, seizing the moment in depth of fall.
As one of Wei Country’s three great Daoist Schools, the Red Leaf School is relatively the most visited by outside Daoists.
“I heard that this year’s Autumn Appreciation will be attended by many famous students’ friends and relatives invited personally by the Daoist School, a rare opportunity indeed.
The esteemed Predecessor God from Anhe is highly respected and will probably be in the list of invitees too.”
Not every autumn hosts an Autumn Appreciation Ceremony, but every ten or eight years, the Daoist School of Red Leaf organizes one, utilizing the resources behind these Daoist students to their fullest extent.
In the Jinxiu Continent, gatherings and Buddhist assemblies are popular, but unless it’s a leading Daoist sect, the ability to invite guests is actually quite limited; in this respect, Taihao cannot compete with the Great Dao Sects.
However, Wei Country’s Taihao has carved out a unique path by inviting Daoist elders as a means to similarly achieve the goal of making friends from all quarters, albeit at a not so elevated level.
Great Cultivators undergoing the Golden Core Nascent Transformation would not attend the Autumn Appreciation Feast of disciples who have not yet entered the Dao; generally, those who come are from the Tongtian Triple Realm, who are closer to these lesser cultivators in terms of level.
The so-called Great Cultivators are also those who have grown from the Tongtian Triple Realm.
By paving the way and forging good relations in advance under the guise of mentors and elders, they can better draw connections between each other, achieving better results with less utilitarianism.
In this regard, those so-called grand assemblies often engage in intrigues and struggles both openly and covertly.
How can they form any real friendships?
It’s rather good if they don’t end up making a few enemies.
Under such circumstances, specialized Daoist academies can gather a considerable number of cultivators, not only from the Southwest region but also from other regions.
As long as the offspring have been sent here, most would not reject such an invitation.
It’s essentially a disguised parent-teacher meeting.
The Daoist School of Red Leaf has thousands of Daoists; most have no significant background or have a weak background; for instance, families might have one or two cultivators of insignificant reputation, who can only mingle on the local level.
Let’s set them aside for the moment.
Even among the minority of second-generation cultivators, there are several hundred people.
Discounting those who could not attend, were unable to take leave, or knew they couldn’t show their faces, there could still be a notable number of Tongtian Triple Realm cultivators gathering, making it worthy of being called a grand event.
Zhao Xintong could barely be considered a second-generation cultivator, as the person who sent her here was Xici Daoist, who had some reputation in specific circles and was not completely unknown.
However, Xici Daoist’s influence was insufficient to rank among these parents from the Red Leaf Daoist School.
Bu Zuo was very aware of these circumstances because Xici Daoist had visited several times; naturally, he would not overlook someone he admired so attentively.
“We’ll see when the time comes, I still don’t know if my aunt is willing to attend such an Autumn Appreciation Feast…”
Zhao Xintong hesitated, she knew Xici Daoist’s temperament well: a person who enjoyed peace and quiet and disliked bustling gatherings, especially reluctant to participate in such so-called assemblies.
Bu Zuo, however, was confident, “Last time when Senior Xici came to Red Leaf City, I had the fortune to chat with him for a few moments and even mentioned various things about the Autumn Appreciation; in my view, Senior Xici would not refuse, after all, this is a Daoist academy where there isn’t much fighting and killing, all about demonstration and discussion of the Dao, which perfectly suits Senior Xici’s temperament.”
Zhao Xintong turned her head away, feeling somewhat displeased; this Bu Zuo, unable to make headway with her, had gone to ingratiate himself with Xici Daoist, and she wondered what methods he used to leave a rather good impression on Xici Daoist?
She didn’t want others to influence her thoughts, even if they were close like Xici Daoist; why should he make decisions for her?
Aunt had been cultivating all her life, walking the path alone, and she didn’t seem to suffer from loneliness or dependency.
She understood Bu Zuo’s intentions; he wanted to find an opportunity through Xici Daoist, hoping that his resources would help her, thereby establishing some sort of relationship, which was a roundabout method indeed.
But she didn’t want it that way; since she had come of age, she had even refused Xici Daoist’s financial support, so how could she possibly accept help from an outsider?
Unwilling to seek help, unwilling to accept undue wealth, such were her life’s tenets.
She had understood these principles since she was a few years old.