The black-faced Taoist said nothing further. With a flick of his sleeve, his figure drifted straight through the gate.
He seemed intimately familiar with every corner of this palace. After passing through a grand hall and traversing several corridors each over a hundred zhang in length, his view suddenly brightened as a secluded courtyard appeared before him.
The courtyard was filled with a profusion of lush, emerald-green trees and clusters of enormous blossoms the size of rice bowls in every imaginable color. Standing at the entrance were two palace-robed women, each wearing a veil of silver silk across their faces.
The two women possessed skin like jade and graceful, sinuous figures. The aura emanating from their bodies was faint and elusive, yet gave one the feeling of unfathomable depth.
"Greetings, esteemed immortal maidens. This humble one has come specifically to pay respects to the Palace Master," the black-faced Taoist said, stepping forward and offering a bow with unusual courtesy upon seeing the two palace-robed women.
"Lord Li, we would not dare accept your bow. Please go in quickly. The Palace Master has already given orders — she has been waiting for you inside for some time," one of the palace-robed women said with a smile, swaying her hips out of the way of his bow.
"Heh heh, the immortal maiden jests. Then this humble Li shall go in first to pay respects to the Palace Master," the black-faced Taoist replied with a smile, bowing once more to the two women before lifting his steps into the courtyard.
Passing through a fragrant thicket of flowering shrubs, a small patch of verdant green lawn appeared before him.
Surrounding the lawn on all sides were planted rows of a particular variety of elegant, pale purple-green tree. A woman in purple robes stood before one of these trees, her head lowered as she gazed at it in leisurely appreciation.
"Pay respects to the Palace Master!" The black-faced Taoist dared not be lax. He hurried forward two steps and bowed his head respectfully.
"Grand-Nephew Li, there are no outsiders here — why must you keep calling me 'Palace Master' this and 'Palace Master' that? Simply call me 'Grand-Aunt' and be done with it," the woman said without even raising her head, a light laugh in her voice.
"I wouldn't dare! We are not within the Jiuyuan Observatory at the moment, and as your grand-nephew I have no wish to invite gossip. If someone were to whisper to the Inspector about it, both you, Palace Master, and I would find ourselves in an awkward position," the black-faced Taoist replied gravely.
"Your courage is truly rather small. But with those Inspectors hovering about, it really is no fun being one of us Palace Masters at all — restrictions everywhere, bound hand and foot. It would be far more comfortable back at the Observatory. How about this: I'll resign this position and recommend you, my grand-nephew, to take over — what do you say?" The woman finally raised her head, her face revealed to be exceptionally fair and refined, with a pair of dark brows that swept sharply toward her temples, lending her an inexplicable air of authority.
"Cough — Palace Master, Grandmaster would never agree to such a thing. Although the territory governed by our Golden Radiance Palace is negligible in the context of the entire Immortal Realm, it is nonetheless the face of our Jiuyuan Observatory here. The number of immortal subjects under our rule is beyond counting — how could someone of my humble Magical Power possibly serve as Palace Master?" The black-faced Taoist shook his head repeatedly.
"Hmph, you little rogue — you certainly know how to flatter. Your master and those other grand-uncles of yours — every one of them possesses abilities far surpassing mine. Yet not one of them has stepped forward to take this position as Palace Master of the Golden Radiance Palace. Isn't it simply because I had the misfortune of joining Grandmaster's fold a few years later than they did? But I've already lingered in this palace for over a hundred thousand years — it's about time someone else took a turn, wouldn't you say?" The woman snorted.
"Heh heh, before the Palace Master even entered Grandmaster's sect, she was already the lord of an entire minor spirit realm. Serving as Palace Master now is merely a small task. If you swapped me out for my master or any of the other grand-uncles, they're all so accustomed to their lazy, carefree ways — none of them could possibly have brought the Golden Radiance Palace to such flourishing prosperity." The black-faced Taoist seized the opportunity and heaped on the flattery.
"That does sound rather pleasant to the ear. Your master and those other grand-uncles of yours — every last one either has no understanding of worldly affairs, going tens or even hundreds of thousands of years without emerging from seclusion more than once or twice, or they've cultivated themselves into stone statues completely devoid of emotion. Especially your master — even I, back at the Observatory, would flee as far away as I could whenever I saw him, not daring to approach within several zhang." The purple-robed woman seemed to recall something unpleasant, her teeth clenched slightly as she spoke.
The black-faced Taoist could only offer a bitter smile. Forget his grand-aunt — even he himself felt his blood run cold whenever he encountered his own master, not daring to say a single extra word.
"Oh, that reminds me — today is not a day for palace assembly. Was there something important you needed to see me about? I was just watching through the Heaven-Gazing Mirror, and it looked as though the gate guards were refusing to let you in and you were on the verge of forcing your way through." The purple-robed woman suddenly recalled the real reason for the black-faced Taoist's visit and turned to ask with a smile.