Chapter 429 - 405: A Person’s Name, a Tree’s Shadow

In the end, the fight between the Big White Goose and the Suanni Puppet never happened.

After all, the difference in their Levels was simply too vast. The Suanni Puppet just stood there, and no matter what tricks the Big White Goose tried—even using its signature move, the beak-twist attack—the Suanni Puppet remained completely unmoved.

It didn’t even lose a single white feather, a fact that was truly humiliating for the goose.

This instantly deflated the Big White Goose’s recently swelling ego, making it shrivel up like a popped balloon.

The Big White Goose was furious. It whipped up a gust of wind with its wings before diving headfirst into Song Ciwan’s arms, its cries of "HONK HONK HONK" loud and aggrieved.

Song Ciwan couldn’t help but laugh. She hugged the aggrieved goose, gently stroking its back. "Big White Goose," she said, "let your shame spur you to greatness. You may be weak today, but that just means you must strive to catch up and practice your Cultivation diligently. If you do this over time, making a little progress each day, you will naturally catch up to it one day."

These words of comfort and consolation instantly soothed the Big White Goose. Its mood calmed. First, it turned its head to shoot a smug glance at the quietly standing Suanni Puppet. Then, it craned its neck from within Song Ciwan’s arms and let out a series of sharp, resonant cries.

The cries were clear and filled with fighting spirit.

’Hmph!’

’A mutt-lion is still just a mutt-lion. Wanwan loves me, this goose, the most. What good are you, lion, besides being tough? You can’t laugh, you can’t cry out, and all that long fur is just for show!’

The Big White Goose couldn’t understand. The Suanni Puppet was just a Puppet, after all.

Even though the Puppet could respond flexibly to Song Ciwan’s various commands, making it seem as if it possessed sentience, in reality, a Puppet is not a living creature. It feels no Xie, Fury, or Sorrow; it is devoid of the seven emotions and six desires.

Whether the Big White Goose was feeling smug or furious, its efforts were wasted—like winking at a blind man.

The Suanni Puppet remained as serene as a piece of fine jade.

「Three days later.」

Song Ciwan left the Cyan Feather Mountain Cave Mansion with the Big White Goose.

Before departing, she made a trip to the Steward Hall. With the Big White Goose and the Suanni Puppet in tow, she returned the Jade Talisman Token for the Celestial Level Cave Mansion, Phoenix’s Cry at Dawn, under the watchful eyes of numerous Cultivators.

During her visit, perhaps because her name had become so renowned, Song Ciwan rather enjoyed the treatment she received—like that of a famous celebrity.

She overheard comments like, "Quick, look! That’s Song Zhao, Song Celestial Pride!"

"She’s still on Cyan Feather Mountain! I can’t believe she never left! It seems she enjoys raising Spirit Beasts—she has both a white goose and a white lion."

"That white lion... Song Celestial Pride just killed a Golden Lion Demon, and now she’s raising a white lion..."

"Shh! Don’t talk nonsense..."

The Suanni Puppet’s appearance was indistinguishable from that of a real lion-type Spirit Beast. Most people couldn’t tell it was a Puppet, nor could they recognize it as a Suanni.

Others daydreamed, "Where is Song Celestial Pride going? What is she planning to do? If only I could befriend her and get a bit of her guidance, that would be amazing..."

All sorts of excited remarks flew toward Song Ciwan like snowflakes.

In addition to this, she also collected a few scattered human desires, such as: [Human Desires: The excitement, curiosity, and longing of a Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator. Value: six taels and seven maces. Exchangeable.]

[Human Desires: The amazement, excitement, and inspiration of an Innate First Transformation Martial Artist. Value: one jin and one tael. Exchangeable.]

[Human Desires: The excitement, joy, and greed of a Late-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator. Value: five taels and six maces. Exchangeable.]

...

Around a hundred people saw Song Ciwan, and about a dozen of them provided human desires.

Although the total amount wasn’t substantial—the heaviest being just over one jin—it was perfectly suitable for her daily Cultivation.

’I’ve discovered a whole new world,’ Song Ciwan thought. ’So this is the benefit of being a celebrity!’

’If this keeps up, will I even need to use other methods to acquire human desires? Can I just show my face in public every now and then to naturally obtain a pile of resources?’

’Come to think of it, a person’s fame precedes them, just like a tree’s shadow. Fame and fortune are two sides of the same coin; where there’s one, the other often follows. Sometimes, that saying really is true.’

With her current reputation, Song Ciwan only needed to stand there. Even without the Heaven and Earth Scale to collect human desires, as long as she wished it, all sorts of benefits would naturally flock to her.

’How interesting.’

Once again, it was Liu Siye who personally received Song Ciwan. After taking back the Token, he asked with great enthusiasm if she was interested in seeking an official position in the Court.

"Fairy Song, with your current realm, all you have to do is agree. If you join the Lantern Hanging Department, you could be made a Fifth Grade General immediately! With future accomplishments, promotions to Fourth Grade or even Third Grade wouldn’t be an issue!"

’What a huge pie in the sky!’

The offer was so sudden that for a moment, Song Ciwan was taken aback.

Liu Siye added, "Of course, if Fairy Song is willing to join the Confucius Temple, there will surely be a position waiting for you at Liuhe Academy."

Song Ciwan had been completely uninterested when he mentioned the Lantern Hanging Department, but the mention of Liuhe Academy piqued her curiosity.

She asked, "Liu Siye, do you mean that if I join Liuhe Academy, I can also become an official?"

Liu Siye puffed out his chest, his voice filled with pride and excitement. "Of course! Fairy Song, you killed the Demon Race’s Celestial Pride, Gu Peng, as easily as slaughtering a chicken. You are a true, top-tier Celestial Pride! If Gu Peng hadn’t only been ranked fifteenth—making the battle unable to affect your ranking on the Celestial Pride List—with your true strength, you would surely be far higher than tenth place!"

As he said this, a look of distinct regret appeared on Liu Siye’s face.

He seemed more vexed about her rank not rising than Song Ciwan herself was.

After a moment of theatrical frustration, Liu Siye continued, "It’s just that in Liuhe Academy, even those in the top ten of the Celestial Pride List can only start as a Sixth Grade Official. The rank might be a bit lower than in the Lantern Hanging Department."

At this, a troubled expression returned to his face.

Song Ciwan hadn’t even said a word, yet he was the one who seemed conflicted.

This remarkable empathy, this extreme ability to feel things on her behalf, was enough to make one unsure whether to laugh or cry. Still, she couldn’t help but be a little touched.

’Liu Siye... he really is a good person.’

’That wasn’t sarcasm; it was the truth.’

The Heaven and Earth Scale manifested, collecting two masses of human desires from Liu Siye: [Human Desires: The excitement, reverence, and longing of a Vast Qi Realm Scholar. Value: two jin and one tael. Exchangeable.]

[Human Desires: The regret, excitement, and conflict of a Vast Qi Realm Scholar. Value: two jin and three taels. Exchangeable.]

Song Ciwan asked, "Liu Siye, I don’t follow the scholarly path of nurturing one’s spirit with books. I practice the Immortal Dao. How could I enter the Confucius Temple and become an official at Liuhe Academy?"

Liu Siye hurriedly explained, "Fairy Song, our Great Zhou is an Immortal Dynasty! Officials from a purely scholarly background make up, at most, one-third of all Official Positions. We also have Cultivators and Martial Artists. Though they don’t follow the path of scholarly examinations, they still need to learn, do they not?"

"Liuhe Academy gathers the most brilliant talents under heaven and believes in teaching all comers without discrimination. Naturally, our recruitment of talent is just as eclectic..."

As he spoke, his face revealed his clear preference.

Just as he was about to make his final pitch to persuade her, Song Ciwan suddenly smiled. "But what if I don’t want to join the Court," she said, "and I don’t want to be an official? What then?"