First Immortal of the Sword

The grand hall on the ninth floor.

Su Yi stood before the roughly ten-foot black tortoise shell and casually drew a jade fortune stick.

“The ancient spring and autumn.”

The image of a slovenly old Daoist rose unbidden to Su Yi’s mind. The old man stood proudly atop a windswept, snow-covered mountain. One of his hands was behind his back.

The other held up the dome of heaven!

Ye Chunqiu. “Chun” meant spring, and “Qiu” meant autumn.

He was a Daoist cultivator who’d reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao.

This peak expert of the Daoist school of thought took the greatest pride in a battle fought on the peak of a windswept, snowy mountain. As one hand held the sky aloft, he used the other to slay three demonic Immortal Sovereigns of the Ancient Demon Domain!

His victory granted the Immortal Realm’s Eighth Gate of Heaven ages of peace!

A long time ago, Ye Chunqiu and Wang Ye clashed. They fought repeatedly over the course of eight thousand years. Ye Chunqiu lost more often than not.

After the eight thousandth year, he stopped winning altogether.

Wang Ye gave him a jug of wine and severed their enmity with a smile. The two of them became close friends, kindred spirits in their pursuit of the Grand Dao.

In a sense, only someone like Ye Chunqiu was truly fit to be Wang Ye’s “fellow Daoist.”

Before long, Su Yi drew another jade fortune stick. This one said, “Little joys of the Immortal Dao.”

An irrepressible hint of a smile tugged at Su Yi’s lips.

When one sought the little joys of the Immortal Dao, their heart knew freedom!

An unaffected, graceful figure floated into Su Yi’s mind. She carried a jug of wine in one hand. The other supported her head as she sat casually atop a cloud. Below her, there was an endless sea of blood and a mountain of corpses.

Xiao Ruyi.

She was an unparalleled yao immortal who’d reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao. Countless yao honored her as Yao Sovereign Ruyi!

She often lamented that worldly affairs were flawed and life was full of regret. Better not to seek perfection. Seeking small joys was thus to the path to great freedom.

Her given name,“Ruyi”, meant “as one wishes,” another word for joys and satisfactions. Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, the widely respected House of Little Joys took its name from hers!

That woman sought freedom and happiness through simple joys. Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, she frequently left the House of Little Joys to explore the River of Epochs. I wonder whether or not she survived the cataclysm…

As Su Yi pondered, he drew another fortune stick.

This one was, “Who is supreme in this floating world?”

Xu Fushi.

An obstinate old-timer. He too was a powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao. He once swore to defeat all foes of the same level of cultivation.

But in the end, Immortal Sovereign Xing Zhao defeated him repeatedly. He never once won against her…

Ye Chunqiu often joked about this. Every time he saw Xu Fushi, he was sure to make fun of him.

As Su Yi reminisced, a prideworthy, delicate figure arrived outside the hall.

This was none other than that exquisite, charming, sultry beauty.

She stood there, watching Su Yi draw fortune after fortune from the Joyful Fortune Lottery with the same ease as if he were taking items out of his pocket. Waves of emotion assailed her heart.

That dazzlingly beautiful face was full of utter astonishment, excitement, and disbelief.

It had been a long, long time since someone managed to draw a fortune with such casual ease! The last time was prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals!

This was because the black tortoise shell was covered in a supreme formation of the Immortal Dao!

Even the shell itself belonged to a Xuanwu Tortoise. It contained an innate, wondrous and inscrutable diagram of natural Dao Markings!

The Xuanwu Tortoise Shell could stump even top experts of the Immortal Dao and people blessed with wondrous and unbelievable abilities!

Yet now, a young man had completely disregarded its formation to draw a fortune with confident ease!

It looked like a miracle. But the beautiful woman knew that it wasn’t. Once, long ago, someone else had done the same thing!

Could he really be that Sovereign…? Her heart filled with inexplicable tension and nervousness.

“Seen enough?” Su Yi tossed his jade fortune stick back into the Joyful Fortune Drawing and turned around to look at her.

Her slender, beautiful figure quivered, and she instinctively lowered her head and bowed low at the waist. “This junior is called Qing Wei. I oversee the twelve branches of the House of Little Joys in the Jing Province. Greetings, Sovereign!”

Her soft, sweet voice contained a subtle but irrepressible quiver.

As if she were excited, but also nervous.

Su Yi casually took a seat and gazed at the exquisite, charming enchantress. “Is your Yao Sovereign still alive?”

He wasn’t at all surprised that she recognized him. After all, anyone with even a cursory understanding of this place’s rules would have understood what it meant that he could draw jade fortune sticks from the Joyful Fortune Drawing with ease.

The unparalleled beauty Qing Wei lowered her head and said respectfully, “Esteemed Sovereign, our Yao Sovereign went out exploring prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, and there’s been no word of her since. The current leader of the House of Little Joys is Immortal Queen Liu Yun. She was the Yao Sovereign’s third general.”

She paused, then added, “Immortal Queen Liu Yun went into seclusion three thousand years ago, and she isn’t in the Jing Province.”

Su Yi subtly inclined his head.

Xiao Ruyi was so free and unrestrained that he wasn’t at all surprised she wasn’t here.

In truth, Su Yi suspected that if she saw him, she’d be so overcome with curiosity that she’d insist on investigating him thoroughly.

After all, what top expert of the Immortal Dao wouldn’t have been intrigued after learning that he was Wang Ye’s reincarnation?

“No need to be so reserved. Have a seat.” Su Yi waved. “After all, this is your House of Little Joys, and I’m just a guest.”

He withdrew his gaze and didn’t look at Qing Wei any further.

There was nothing for it. She was a Saint Realm Immortal Lady of the Yao Path, but her attire was simply audacious. She wore nothing but a sheer white cloth wrapped around her chest and a plain skirt. Her smooth arms, shoulders, squeezable waist, and long, straight legs were all on full display.

Even her jade-like feet were uncovered, revealing the little bells dangling from her ankles.

When she leaned forward, two ample mounds shifted beneath the fine white cloth. Su Yi felt apologetic just watching….

But against all expectations, Qing Wei shook her head. “I’m a junior. How could I possibly sit in front of you, Sovereign?”

“....” Su Yi took out a jug of wine, had a sip, and teased, “Then you’d best at least stand up straight. I’m afraid any man who saw you in that get-up would struggle to avoid untoward thoughts, no matter how refined he might be.”

Qing Wei was stunned.

She was an Immortal Lady of the Yao Path. In the present-day Immortal Realm, others paled at the mere mention of her name.

Yet now, her face flushed red with uncharacteristic awkwardness.

She shot to her feet and waved her hand. An undyed shirt silently covered her impressive figure, obscuring the endlessly delightful scenery.

“This junior didn’t come here dressed like this on purpose. It’s just that when I heard of your arrival, I couldn’t concern myself with anything else. I rushed here to greet you immediately, not realizing I was being remiss in my manners. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you, Sovereign.” Qing Wei lowered her beautiful head as she explained. She was nervous, as if terrified she’d left a poor impression on Su Yi.

Su Yi laughed. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not a pedantic sort, and I don’t mind. I just feel that letting you keep leaning over like that would be taking advantage of you.”

“....” Had anyone else dared say that to Qing Wei, she would have slapped him to death.

It was then that they heard a series of footsteps. A man in scholarly attire, a fierce-looking middle-aged man in black, and a white-haired elder had rushed over.

Before they could enter the hall, Qing Wei rebuked them. “You are not to barge in without announcing yourselves. It wouldn’t do to disturb our esteemed Sovereign!”

The three of them abruptly stopped in their tracks. Beads of cold sweat formed on their forehead. A Sovereign!?

The title left them so startled that their scalps went numb. They lowered their heads and stood there in terror.

Su Yi glanced at them and said, “Come in, all of you. No need to be so reserved. I’ve always disliked elaborate displays of etiquette.”

“Understood!” The three of them solemnly assented before finally entering the hall.

Qing Wei then introduced the three of them.

The scholarly man was the manager of Sky Tripod Immortal City’s branch of the House of Little Joys. His name was Wei Ming, and he was a mid-stage Void Realm True Immortal.

The fierce-looking middle-aged man in black and the white-haired elder were his right and left-hand men. Both were Universe Realm Immortals.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries, the woman in palace garb rushed in with tea, refreshments, and the immortal brew her master, Wei Ming, had been keeping in reserve.

When she saw the four higher-ups gathered in the room standing respectfully while Su Yi lounged in a chair, Yue Ning’s heart pounded uncontrollably in her chest. It’s true! This riddle-solver really is an extraordinary and terrifying existence!

Unfortunately, she wasn’t qualified to linger in such company, so she left as soon as she’d finished her delivery.

“I came here to accomplish a single task.” Su Yi didn’t want to waste any more time, so he directly stated his intentions and told her he was trying to gather immortal medicinal ingredients.

He then handed Qing Wei the list of names.

Although he’d already agreed to let Lunar Sky Tower sell the pill recipe in exchange for these same ingredients, that would require waiting three days, and there was no guarantee they could get all of them.

It would naturally be better if the House of Little Joys could take care of this for him.

“Sovereign, give this junior three days… No, two days, and I’m sure I can gather them all for you!” Qing Wei said solemnly.

“I have to wait two days, huh…?” Su Yi whispered.

Qing Wei’s heart clenched. “Sovereign, if you need them urgently, I can leave to gather them immediately!”

Su Yi shook his head. “No need for that.”

Qing Wei took a deep breath, then asked tentatively, “Sovereign, might this junior be so bold as to ask if you’re gathering these ingredients to refine a medicine for treating Dao Wounds?”

Su Yi was briefly stunned. “You’re quite perceptive.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Qing Wei’s beautiful face. She said softly, “Sovereign, you exaggerate. I happen to have a cursory understanding of pill refining, so I picked up on a few clues.”

Su Yi inclined his head. “Your deduction was right on the mark, except I’m not planning to refine medicine. Rather, I plan to use the medicinal ingredients to rid myself of an external power filling my body.”

Everyone was instantly enlightened.

And Qing Wei? Who knew what she was thinking, but she bit down on her lower lip, and her eyes flashed with an inscrutable light.

Seth's Thoughts

For those interested in the wordplay and significance of these characters' names:

"Ruyi" means "as one wishes" or "as desired." "Joy" is a bit of a stretch, but I adjusted the wording slightly for smoothness in translation, and because it's closer to (my perception of) the author's intended "feel." I also considered "small satisfactions," but I needed an adjective form, and I didn't like "satisfying" or "satisfactory." Also, "little joys" is a common phrase.

As a noun, ruyi refers to a type of scepter.

"Xiao" is an almost homonym of "Little." Thus, Xiao Ruyi sounds almost exactly like "Little Joys."

Remember Sun Wukong's weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang? That's the same "ruyi." When translators eschew pinyin, they call it things like "the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod," and the "As-You-Will Gold-Banded Cudgel."

"Chunqiu" or "Spring and autumn" also means "annals of history" or refer to the Spring and Autumn Period.

Xu Fushi's given name, "Fushi," means "floating world." "Floating" means transient, changeable, and unreliable. The term is most famous in the context of Japanese Ukiyo-e, but the term already existed in China. More about the etymology here if you wanna get into it.

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