"Because a Taoist partner is the only one who walks the long road of immortality with you," Feng Nianyue said, stepping onto the deck and answering Jian Dan's question. "But they're also the hardest to truly understand."
"Exactly," Jian Dan replied softly. "Because the human heart is hard to predict—and easy to change."
The three men fell silent at her words, while Feng Nianyue looked serious.
"I never expected you to see through things so clearly, Junior Sister. Something so simple, yet I only came to understand it today."
"Senior Sister Feng," Jian Dan said gently, "don't dwell on it too much. Perhaps he did like you at some point. But once calculation seeps into affection, that love loses its purity. And anything impure won't last. The heart is greedy—once someone has one, they want two. He wanted to have it both ways, but sooner or later that boat was bound to capsize."
Her words were tactful, meant to remind Feng Nianyue not to cling to a hazy and unsteady affection, without directly wounding her pride.
Feng Nianyue smiled bitterly and nodded. She sat cross-legged on the deck, and the group quietly watched the sun rise together. A new day had begun.
The next twenty or so days passed relatively smoothly. On the twenty-second day, they finally arrived at the border between the cultivation world and the mundane world.
Jian Dan disembarked first, stowing her identity token and pulling out her Twin Moon Flood Dragon Sword. She transferred some pills, talismans, spirit stones, and gold and silver into her storage bangle. When she looked up, she noticed the other four were staring at her with wide eyes.
"Senior Sister Shan," Kong Yu asked, "what are you doing?"
"Once we cross the barrier, we'll be in the Nether Realm. Spiritual energy is thin there, so we won't be able to use the flying vessel. It's better not to draw attention, so I'm getting ready in advance."
"That makes perfect sense," he said.
The others quickly followed her example, organizing their belongings before crossing the boundary.
As expected, the moment they stepped through, they all felt their pores tighten. The spiritual energy was so thin it made their bodies uncomfortable.
"Everyone, follow me," Jian Dan said, immediately slipping into the role of guide.
Five days later, they finally entered Tianqing Kingdom and arrived at Xiangyun Town. There, they found an inn to rest and gathered to discuss the mission.
"Senior Brother He invited me to guide this mission because this is my birthplace," Jian Dan began. "Before coming here, I received word that Luoxia Village was attacked. I had intended to return and check on things, but then I encountered a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity—a purple-tier secret realm. I entered by chance. You all know what happened after I came out."
He Jintang nodded. "That's true. We asked Shan Yunzu to take this mission with us because she knows the area well. The previous five-member team that accepted this task sent one final message saying Luoxia Village was attacked by a group of demon cultivators. They pursued the enemy... and then vanished."
"They're all missing?" Kong Yu asked, frowning.
"It's uncertain for now. So we'll need to be extremely cautious when entering Luoxia Village."
"Tomorrow, we should split into groups," He Jintang said. "Senior Sister Feng hasn't fully recovered, so it would be best for her to stay in the rear. That way, she can report to the sect if anything goes wrong. I'll pair up with Junior Brother Kong Yu, and Senior Sister Shan can go with Junior Brother Cao Chenfeng."
Everyone agreed with the plan. Only Feng Nianyue looked slightly guilty, knowing her condition was dragging them down.
The next morning, the four of them left Xiangyun Town and headed toward the more remote Luoxia Village. As they walked, the presence of people dwindled. Occasionally, they passed small villages where life was simple—people worked at dawn, rested at dusk. Everything seemed peaceful.
But when they finally stood at the entrance of Luoxia Village, they were surprised.
The entire village looked serene. Elderly folks chatted under an old tree by the gate. Children laughed and played. Men carried hoes toward the fields. Women gathered at the river to do laundry.
Everything seemed perfectly normal.
"What is this?" Kong Yu asked, glancing at He Jintang, questioning the validity of the original report.
Cao Chenfeng said nothing. But his eyes were fixed on Jian Dan.
Jian Dan's pupils flashed with a flicker of blue light. A few breaths later, her expression darkened. She clenched her fists.
"Damn it," she muttered.
"Senior Sister Shan?" Kong Yu called out.
Jian Dan suddenly leapt into the air, her fists wrapped in violet light. She threw a powerful punch toward the village. The force of her strike burst forward like a tidal wave.
But the next instant, the scene before them shimmered like rippling water. Her attack was bounced back with even greater force. Jian Dan crossed her arms, activating the Obsidian Bracelet's defense array. She barely managed to block the rebound but was still pushed back over twenty feet.
For the first time, Jian Dan's expression turned grim.
The village carried on as if nothing had happened. Laughter, conversation, and the clang of tools echoed as usual.
Now it was obvious to everyone: the village was under a powerful formation. Not even Jian Dan, at peak Foundation Establishment, could break through.
What Jian Dan saw inside the illusion chilled her to the bone.
The real village was a ruin.
Crumbling walls. Broken homes. Scattered bones. Blood flowed like rivers.
A red mist hung in the air, and within it, a green-scaled dragon beast was devouring wandering souls. Their cries echoed in her ears, their desperate wails clawing at her mind. She could even smell the thick, iron scent of blood.
==
[Notes]
In cultivation, there are four foundational pillars often emphasized: master, technique, wealth, and partner. Among them, the Taoist partner is always listed last—not because they are least important, but because they hold a unique role. A master offers guidance, techniques grant power, and wealth ensures resources. But only a partner walks the long and uncertain road toward immortality with you.
Yet of all the pillars, the Taoist partner is the hardest to attain. The others rely on effort, talent, or fortune—things that can be sought or earned. A partner, however, touches something deeper. They involve the heart, a place no technique can fully command. Emotions shift, intentions change, and even the closest bond can falter under time and pressure. That is why, although essential, a Taoist partner remains the most elusive and fragile of bonds.
The road to immortality is long. Harsh. Unforgiving. Even the strongest cultivator can falter, not from wounds or failure, but from the slow erosion of the heart. Years blur, goals change, loyalties fade. What once felt eternal becomes fragile. To remain the same, to stay without letting the years wear down one's sincerity or loyalty, to endure without growing distant or indifferent, is a rarity more precious than spirit stones or divine techniques.
So a Taoist partner is not merely someone who cultivates beside you. They are the rarest kind of companion—one whose heart remains steady when everything else shifts. That is what makes them so difficult to find, and even harder to hold onto.
That is the weight behind the fourth pillar. Not just a partner, but a companion whose heart remains aligned with yours, no matter how far the road stretches.