Chapter Forty-Four: The Immortal Descends the Mountain and Walks the Wooden Ladder

The room was very quiet; at that moment, the only sound was his subtle sipping of tea.

As the sky grew brighter and the sun climbed higher, he seemed not to recall that we were supposed to descend the mountain to the mortal world today. I couldn't help but feel anxious, my gaze stealing over to him again and again, hoping to catch his attention so he might remember.

"What are you looking at?"

At last, he set his teacup on the table, turned his head, and lifted his eyes to me.

"Nothing, nothing at all," I replied hastily.

"Little Fish isn't looking at anything." I lifted my head, widened my eyes in innocence, and shook my head.

"You may rise now."

"Thank you, Master." His sudden attention made my heart leap. I scrambled to my feet, but a jolt of numbness shot through my legs and I toppled straight to the ground. The pain was sharp, excruciating. I rubbed my numb calf, then gingerly touched the spot where I'd landed hard.

"Did Dudu bring you that robe?" he asked, watching me.

"Yes, Master," I replied, a hint of pride warming my voice as he finally noticed my attire. Lifting the hem, I hurried to his side, excitement bubbling up, "Master, did you ask Sister Cai Zhi to embroider these fish patterns on the robe just for me?"

He glanced over, a trace of doubt in his eyes. First, he shook his head, then, after a pause, nodded.

"Master?" I stared at him, puzzled. Why had he both shaken and nodded his head—was it true or not?

"Enough, let's go." He sighed quietly and turned to leave.

"Yes, Master." I hurried after him out of Biyun Pavilion. But as I glanced at my empty hands, I realized I’d made the same mistake as the first time I left the Demon Realm—I’d forgotten my bundle in the room.

"Master, I think we forgot our luggage!" I called loudly to Zilian, who was already outside the hall’s doors.

"Go back and fetch it. I’ll wait for you at the palace gate," he replied without looking back and continued on.

"Alright then," I answered glumly. I turned and dashed toward Qingshui Tower, worried that if I moved too slowly, Zilian might disappear.

I had imagined that traveling with Zilian would mean riding a crane through the clouds, or at least flying on a sword—if nothing else, even riding a horse would do.

But when I finally left the Ziwei Palace and reached the gates, I realized it had all been wishful thinking. Outside the palace gates, there wasn't so much as a wisp of cloud or a single crane—not even a little donkey could be seen.

He approached the endless flight of wooden steps, not the slightest trace of annoyance on his brow, lightly gathering his robes and stepping down the stairs with graceful ease.

I looked around in vain, hoping I'd just missed something. Clinging to a sliver of hope, I asked, "Master, where’s your divine beast mount? I don’t see it anywhere."

Trailing behind him, I pressed on, "Your mount—the one you always ride when you go out to subdue spirits and monsters—where did you put it?"

He paused, turned to me, and there was a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "Mount?"

"Yes! The one you always take when you go out to exorcise ghosts. Where did you leave it?" I looked up at him, hands cupping my chin, a hopeful smile on my face.

"Uh..." He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and continued down the mountain.