These mere four maidens have truly shown a surprising variety. A girl from the Northern Wilderness, a fox-spirit woman from Qingqiu, a princess from the Feather Country, and a suspected life form... Is there some peculiar pattern to this selection?

Wu Wang first looked towards the girl from the Northern Wilderness and said warmly, "What's your name?"

The girl was slightly nervous, pursing her lips. She gave Wu Wang a Northern Wilderness salute and said in a low voice, "Xiong Li greets Young Master. And then... did you manage to get the 'True Scripture', Young Master?"

"I did, but only a little bit."

Wu Wang said with a smile, sizing up the girl.

She was a common flower-aged girl from the Northern Wilderness, yet uncommon in that she radiated Spiritual Energy despite having grown up in an environment of endless green grasses. The most noticeable feature was the dimples that always adorned her small face; the most comforting was the fragrant scent she gave off.

Wu Wang took a deep sniff, recognizing the scent of home.

"Not bad," said Wu Wang. "How did you get to the Human Domain?"

"I came over on a shuttle that flew from the sky."

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, her voice growing crisper, but it still lacked the boldness typical of Northern Wilderness children. "That shuttle really flew fast, darting in and out of the clouds. We were all scared at first sitting up there."

"Good. From now on, you'll be in charge of making the bed."

"Mhm! Rest assured, Young Master, I will certainly do it well!"

Xiong Li nodded repeatedly, a sly brightness in her eyes.

Wu Wang added, "It's forbidden to carry sticks and clubs within a three-zhang radius of me."

The Northern Wilderness girl's expression immediately fell. Though she had passed, her capabilities were restricted, and she walked off to the side to wait, downtrodden.

Wu Wang turned to Lin Suqing and said, "Suqing, you actually went to the Northern Wilderness and recruited a maiden. Truly commendable."

Lin Suqing laughed and said, "It was Young Master Xingtian who heard about this and insisted I give the Northern Wilderness a spot. Young Master, you don't know the trouble it caused! For those three spots, they almost came to blows!"

"Who are 'they'?"

Wu Wang frowned slightly. Who else was paying attention to this?

"They are... those from the Four Seas Pavilion and Heavenly Craft Pavilion that have dealings with you, Young Master," Lin Suqing whispered. "You don't have to worry about this; the women they recommended were not kept. In the end, we chose this little princess from Feather Country."

Wu Wang nodded, his gaze shifting to the Princess from Feather Country, and he couldn't help but smile. "You again...?"

"Let's not talk about it; it truly is distressing."

The Feather Country Princess sighed faintly, her brow furrowed, her lips pursed. Her delicate face looked as if it might break at a touch, and her slender neck was tinged with faint blushes. She seemed on the verge of speaking but held back, her beautiful eyes glancing about, and even the Light Wings behind her seemed to lose their color.

Dongfang Mumu quietly asked, "Is this Xiao Deng's older sister?"

Xiao Deng, holding a rice grain-sized sound amplifier, shouted, "Our Small People Kingdom has no blood relation with Feather Country!"

"You two, don't shout about over here; we're discussing serious matters."

Lin Suqing chided them softly, and Immortal Mu and Xiao Deng giggled their way back into the inner cave.

Wu Wang asked puzzledly, "How did she come here this time, Suqing?"

"His Majesty the Emperor permitted it."

Lin Suqing said, "She appeared in the Northern Region of the Human Domain and was caught. Then, with an autographed letter from the Young Master, she begged to see His Majesty. Upon reading the letter, His Majesty sent her to be your maiden. This matter stirred up some controversy, especially since she came from the north. Yet the situation in Feather Country is indeed worrying now. Pavilion Master Liu mentioned that this action was to consolidate the influence of the Human Domain in the Southeastern Region of the Great Wilderness. Moreover, this princess came to serve as your maiden. As a result, opinions within the Human Domain changed rapidly, and many considered it a face-saving event for the Human race."

"Alas—"

The little princess sighed heavily, her voice listless as she said, "I'm already tired, weary, and fatigued. Please don't push me around anymore. If you don't want to keep me as a maiden, it would be better to end my misery quickly. The gods of the Heaven Palace are like this, and the Immortals of the Human Domain are the same. I just want to settle down, regardless of what I can do in the future. If staying in the Human Domain can ease my people's situation, suffering a bit myself is nothing."

Wu Wang crossed his legs and said with a smile, "Your name seems to be Yu Fenman, if I remember correctly. You, a princess, to be my maiden... what can you do?"

"You... you know very well what you're asking."

Yu Fenman's face was red enough to drip water. She stammered for a long time, whispering, "Aren't maidens supposed to..."

"Do laundry, cook, serve tea, fetch water; can you do these things?"

Lin Suqing laughed. "This time we're recruiting proper maidens. My Young Master is as pure as ice and clean as jade, and his reputation cannot bear the slightest stain."

Yu Fenman was taken aback, then sighed softly. "As expected, I'm of no use."

Wu Wang said in a deep voice, "The Young Master sent you here, yet I still have to be wary of you at every turn. Wouldn't it be better..."

"Look, you want to drive me away again."

The little princess of Feather Country, Yu Fenman, suddenly seemed as if her pain had been touched. She stepped forward half a step, her thin wings drooping, her eyelids lowered, and teardrops like pearls started falling from her eyes.

She said, "I can't do anything, and I can't accomplish anything. The Young Master from the Heaven Palace captured me and took me there. He spoke of so-called principles and Divine Arts, but I couldn't master them even after a hundred tries. The Young Master despised me for being stupid, so he sent me off to the Human Domain as a gift to you, but you dismissed me with just a few words. I'm even useless as a gift."

"This..."

"Now, coming to serve as your maiden, I'm already quite embarrassed, and yet you still despise me like this. I suppose I am just a useless thing in this world. I, I... it's just too hard for me."

Wu Wang felt a headache brewing and said soothingly, "Since His Majesty arranged for you to come here, it wouldn't be right for me to send you away. In that case, from now on, you will be responsible for washing and tailoring clothes. How about that?"

"Ah—"

Yu Fenman sighed softly and walked disheartenedly to stand beside Xiong Li from the Northern Wilderness, having barely passed muster.

Wu Wang looked towards the Qingqiu fox woman. She immediately tiptoed slightly, accentuating her enchanting figure even more.

The Sect Master took a few good looks up and down and nodded with a smile. "Not bad. From now on, you will be responsible for serving tea to guests. I will give you a new name; don't use the stage name from your days training at Drunken Fragrance Tower."

The fox woman was caught off guard, not expecting to pass the test so smoothly. She quickly bowed, her hands held appropriately in front of her, and when she spoke, there was a bashful and timid tone in her voice.

She said, "Thank you for your kindness, Young Master."

Pure workplace skills. Wu Wang thought.

Wu Wang said, "You come from the country of Qingqiu and are protected by a Seventh Order fox spirit. You have extraordinary talents. Now that you're working for me, I naturally won't treat you poorly in the future. You may go."

"Yes, Young Master."

She said coquettishly, then walked to the side with a swaying gait and stood next to the little princess from Feather Country.

And then…

DRIP. DROP. DRIP. DROP.

The fourth maiden stepped forward proactively, her 'faint' eyes regarding Wu Wang with curiosity.

A sense of bafflement flitted through Wu Wang's eyes. It's often said that women are as soft as water, and that women are made of water. But if the entire body is made of water, isn't that a bit too much? Does that count as a living being? Without even flesh and blood...

My first reaction, Wu Wang thought, is that this might be a remnant spirit from ancient times; perhaps a being from my mother's faction, or an incarnation, remnant soul, or a sliver of willpower from an old deity. But then, I dismissed this hypothesis. The Candle Dragon Divine Faction is a taboo within today's Heaven Palace, an enemy that the palace absolutely cannot tolerate. My mother, Cang Xue, is the Ice God. Even Emperor Shun, after learning this, deliberately concealed it. He feared that if this information were exposed, the situation could become uncontrollable and potentially disrupt the current order of the world. Even if the Human Domain was the mortal enemy of the Heaven Palace, my mother would likely not throw a ticking time bomb next to me. This 'water person' probably has no direct connection to the Candle Dragon Divine Faction. Mother communicated to Lin Suqing through Divine Thought, telling her to let this 'water person' stay, so there must be some benefit to me. The species of the Great Wilderness are astoundingly diverse, and my own horizons are not broad enough; it's natural for my knowledge to be shallow.

Using the gentlest voice he could muster, Wu Wang said softly, "Which clan are you from?"

"She can't speak," Lin Suqing said softly at the side. "It's been several days, and we haven't heard her say a word, but she can understand what we're saying..."

"I can communicate with everyone."

The water person's indistinct lips moved slightly, and though no actual voice emitted, everyone within the cave 'heard' the Divine Thought she transmitted, an ethereal female voice echoing in their minds: "We are Innate Spirits, sir."

Lin Suqing blinked and asked, "Then why didn't you speak earlier?"

"I apologize."

The water person bowed to Lin Suqing and explained unhurriedly, "I was commanded to follow the Human Wu Wangzi. Due to the restriction of the Divine Spell, I had to see Wu Wangzi before I could lift it. It was not my intention to refrain from conversing with you all, nor was it due to pride, or because I deemed your life stages too lowly."

Lin Suqing was somewhat confused, unable to quite tell whether the being was speaking sarcastically or sincerely apologizing.

Wu Wang pondered for a moment. He searched his memory, finding the term "Innate Spirit" somewhat familiar, yet he couldn't recall in which Human Domain records he had read it. Communication through Divine Thought, Innate Spirit?

On the stone wall beside them, ripples appeared, and the Sleep god stepped out, hands behind his back, squeezing out from that 'cement pond'. The Sleep god's mouth curled into a knowing smile, and he raised his eyebrows at Wu Wang, his face all but shouting, 'Come on, ask!' 'Let's have some fun!'

Wu Wang gave a calm smile and looked at the water spirit in front of him, speaking slowly, "So, you are an Innate Spirit. Where do you come from?"

The Sleep god clenched his fists and frowned; the feeling of having to swallow his words just as they reached his lips was truly uncomfortable.

The water spirit replied again with Divine Thought, "From the West Sea, my lord. I've been asleep for countless ages, until I heard the call and guidance of the gods. I must fulfill the covenant with the gods. By their command, I traveled across the West Sea and navigated the currents in the southern part of the Great Wilderness. I finally arrived at the place indicated by them. I am to become a maiden by your side, serving your daily life and helping you understand and align with the Great Dao."

Wu Wang's fingers twitched.

Attracted by the water spirit's transmission of thought, Immortal Mu, carrying an ear mouse and accompanied by Xiao Deng, reappeared at the entrance of the inner cave, looking at the water spirit in amazement. ThreeOld Daoist Sanxian, Old Snow Eagle, the Grand Elder, and Miao Cuijiao also arrived at the entrance of the cavern, curiously observing the Innate Spirit in front of Wu Wang.

The Blue Bird chirped twice, stood up, and circled twice around the water spirit.

Wu Wang's thoughts were indeed in disarray at this moment.

"How old are you?"

"We do not speak of age in such terms, my lord."

The water spirit bowed slightly, and though her expression was not clear, everyone felt the wave of desolation that suddenly emanated from her.

She continued to convey her thoughts through Divine Thought, "We are different from living beings. We were born in the primeval world. The difference between us and the gods is that they were born from the Great Dao and grasped the rules. We, on the other hand, were merely born of the world—nothing more. We do not have the concept of Lifespan; our own demise comes from external forces or the collapse of our own consciousness. My lord, my kin disappeared in the last godly era. I am now the last spirit of the water clan. If one day my thoughts become chaotic and my will collapses, our clan will completely cease to exist in this world. It's quite a tragic thing, isn't it?"

Wu Wang nodded and turned to look at Lin Suqing.

Lin Suqing said softly, "Young Master, she suddenly floated out of the river outside Floating Jade City, then directly appeared before us, nearly getting attacked by various experts. Fortunately, Lady Cang Xue communicated with me, and I barely protected her in your name, Young Master."

Wu Wang raised his hand to the necklace inside his garment, but he did not call his mother. He looked at the Innate Spirit before him, feeling a subtle resonance in his heart. Wasn't this precisely the being of longevity he had envisioned during his previous comprehension of the Dao of Longevity?!

Wu Wang asked, "Who is the god you speak of?"

The Divine Thought of the water spirit came again: "In the last godly era, our clan was her retinue; she was our sovereign deity. Her name in this world should now be... Queen Mother of the West."

"West?!"

The Sleep god's eyes widened, and he immediately turned and walked toward the stone wall, his form melting into the 'cement pool.'

Wu Wang looked in confusion at the departing Old Brother Sleep god. Could the Queen Mother of the West hold such sway over Innate Gods that it made Old Brother Sleep god flee in such a manner? Then again, she is a formidable deity who could be listed in the Heaven Palace and yet show no regard for Emperor Shun.

But then, Wu Wang became puzzled again. I have no connection whatsoever with the Queen Mother of the West, nor have I ever met her. It was only when Shen Nong, the venerable elder, was seeking Spiritual Medicine for longevity that he had taken me to Kunlun Hills, briefly involved me, and then sent me to Jingwei's side. I'm looking for maidens in the Human Domain, yet the Queen Mother of the West, so far away in Central Mountain Kunlun, has sent an Innate Spirit, almost extinct in this era, to serve as my maiden. What could be the deeper meaning of this? Is the Queen Mother of the West best friends with my mother?

Wu Wang held the necklace; this matter indeed required some clarification.

Before he could inquire, Cang Xue had already said in a low voice, "The Queen Mother of the West? Why would she suddenly show you goodwill?"

"Mother, didn't you ask Suqing to keep this one? You didn't know about this?"

"Hmm," said Cang Xue. "I just thought this water-attributed Innate Spirit was too precious. Innate Spirits are nurtured by the world and possess infinite potential. If we trace back to their origins, the earliest Innate Spirits were born before the age of gods. In the wars that erupted with the changing of godly eras, before living beings flourished, Divine Spirits led Innate Spirits to participate. However, Innate Spirits became increasingly rare. As living beings began to rise, the world gradually lost its place for them. The gods also shifted their focus of governance towards living beings. I was wondering how the mountains and rivers within the Human Domain could give birth to an Innate Spirit. I did not expect that she was sent by the Queen Mother of the West."

Wu Wang: ...

Aren't you being a bit too cavalier, Mother? Seeing a good 'thing' and just taking it, without even asking about its background!

Wu Wang thought for a moment, then looked up at the water being and asked, "How can you prove the things you've said?"

"Prove?" The water being seemed puzzled.

Wu Wang smiled and said, "What if you are a spy sent by Heaven Palace, using these words as a cover? Would I not be fooled for nothing?"

"A spy?"

The water being was a bit confused, then said with Divine Thought, "Lies become a burden on one's thoughts. We never lie, nor do we allow our own thoughts to become too complicated. If you must have me prove my identity, please specify what I need to do."

Wu Wang said, "Show me a token from the Queen Mother of the West or a letter of recommendation."

The water being's Divine Thought fell silent for a while, then asked, "Am I not enough on my own?"

"Not enough," Wu Wang said indifferently. "I have no ill feelings toward the Queen Mother of the West. The Human Domain has received many kindnesses from the Queen Mother, and His Majesty was able to extend his life with her assistance. But that is just my respect for the Queen Mother of the West. You need to prove that you truly are the Queen Mother of the West's Envoy."

"CHEEP."

The Blue Bird beside Wu Wang chirped softly and, using its old voice, conveyed to Wu Wang, "That seems a bit difficult for her. Innate Spirits are typically referred to as incarnations of purity and chastity. They seldom get close to living beings because they find the thoughts of living beings too complicated."

Wu Wang blinked at the Blue Bird but said nothing more.

Understanding Wu Wang's intention, the Blue Bird wisely perched on the armrest of the soft couch, saying no more.

The water being stood quietly for a while before its Divine Thought transmitted again, "Then shall I leave?"

Wu Wang said, "I'm not trying to chase you away, but I am somewhat uneasy about your origins and identity."

The water being bowed to Wu Wang and was about to turn and depart when suddenly, a clear bird call sounded from outside the valley. A Qingluan with bright, long feathers flew over the Rift Valley where the Annihilation Sect was located. Before the Annihilation Sect cultivators could react, the Qingluan had spread its wings and shot towards the horizon, vanishing in the blink of an eye, just as it had appeared without warning.

A cylindrical Jade Talisman the size of a fingertip hovered in front of Wu Wang, surrounded by strands of Immortal Light.

The Grand Elder said solemnly, "The Blue Bird delivering a message is indeed consistent with the legends of the Queen Mother of the West."

The Jade Talisman trembled slightly, and a wisp of colorful Immortal Light spread out, within which a somewhat fuzzy figure emerged. It was impossible to see her face clearly; one could only discern that she was wearing a robe made of colorful feathers, reclining lazily on a bed shrouded in mist.

Wu Wang observed carefully, but only glimpsed a pair of phoenix eyes before his Primordial Spirit trembled slightly.

Then he heard that voice, which seemed to mingle the tones of an old woman, a young lady, and a little girl, slowly say, "Wu Wangzi, are you somewhat dissatisfied with the gift I sent you?"

Wu Wang stood up and clasped his hands in greeting, yet without any other ceremony.

He smiled and said, "As the saying goes, 'one doesn't accept rewards without merit.' I'm just feeling a little uneasy in my heart. Please excuse my apprehension."

"I just want to be on good terms with you so that you won't target me later," the Queen Mother of the West said as she slightly raised her hand. "If you dislike it, letting her self-destruct would suffice. However, she is the last Innate Spirit in the world. It would truly be a pity if she were to self-destruct like that. You seem quite interested in the art of immortality. Why not give it a try?"

Wu Wang furrowed his brow and asked, "How did the Queen Mother of the West come to know that I am interested in the art of immortality?"

"Someone told me," replied the Queen Mother of the West with a light laugh. The Immortal Light faded quickly, and the Jade Talisman flew to the top of the water being's head, scattering tiny glimmers of light.

In the glow, the water being's body swiftly solidified. Her vague features finally took on a fixed appearance. However, it was quite an ordinary face, one that wouldn't leave a deep impression even after a few glances. The Jade Talisman trembled lightly, transforming into a jade necklace around the water being's neck, as strands of light blue hair fell from her back…

Wu Wang watched this scene, continuously pondering in his heart. Indeed, it wouldn't be good to directly refuse the Queen Mother of the West's kindness. How did the Queen Mother of the West know I was thinking about pursuing the Great Dao of longevity? Could it be that she sensed it when I was pursuing Enlightenment? There are many mysteries surrounding Kunlun as well. However…

Wu Wang glanced at the stone wall Old Brother Sleep god had been darting in and out of and spoke out, "Since you are an Envoy sent by the Queen Mother of the West, then you may stay. From now on, your responsibility will be, um, to take care of boiling water."

Having said that, Wu Wang said to Lin Suqing, "Take them to get familiar with this place and arrange accommodations. I'll go have a chat about life with Old Brother Sleep god."

"Okay," Lin Suqing replied.

The Blue Bird fluttered its wings and alighted on Wu Wang's shoulder, chirping crisply, as if to say, Take me with you.

Of course, no problem, Wu Wang thought.

At the side, Sanxian Daoist watched this scene, seemingly in a trance, but soon he shook his head and chuckled, pulling Old Snow Eagle along to play chess.

...

「Meanwhile, in the deepest temple of the Heaven Palace.」

The Earth God strode in from outside. The Order Incarnation of the Heavenly Emperor Emperor Shun, standing before the throne with his hands behind his back, revealed a faint smile.

The Earth God bowed his head in salute. "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Shun said in a gentle voice, "There is something I wish to discuss with you, Earth God."

"Your Majesty, please state it clearly."

"In three years' time, I am considering purging the Human race's strongholds in the Southeastern Region."

The Earth God's face darkened, his eyes filled with confusion.

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