TIANLING'S POV

  I know I have come out earlier than I was supposed to. But in my defense, the cave had grown too lonely. Something that I am not used to. There wasn't even the sound of a cricket or the whispers of the wind to comfort me, so I left.

  Luckily, I didn't leave too early judging by the snow falling and the decorations all over the courtyard.

  Everything looks charming and well thought out. It is not as grand as it was in my previous life, but it still makes me feel at home.

  "Zhuren!" Xing'er's excited voice breaks from the sky.

  I glance up, only to spot her falling straight for me.

  A frown masks my thoughts, wondering how all these disciples will look at me after I let Xing'er knock me on my butt. 'Maybe she should be the one to fall.'

  The urge to step aside and let her fall overwhelms me, but my feet remain rooted and my arms open to receive her while trying not to be knocked to the ground.

  "I missed you so much. This is the longest time I have been away from you since I hatched."

  That was unexpected. So the former owner of the body always kept her close without ever showing his love for her? Wouldn't it have been easier if he had just visited her when he needed to see if he was just going to keep a distance from his little dragon without forming a deep bond?

  I have so many questions about these two, but no one can answer them other than the former divine lord.

  "How have you been? Have you caused trouble while I was not here?"

  She slides to the ground while I rub her hair. "I believe you took care of everyone in the sect for me, right?"

  Something about her dissatisfied expression tells me that she may have failed at the task. But seeing how everyone is here and accounted for, maybe no one was harmed.

  "Welcome back, Boss!"

  I turn my gaze, falling on the young woman in a long white cape over her blue robes. She salutes bowing. "I did everything as you instructed me. I hope I have not failed you."

  With how good the courtyard looks, Bai Yu definitely kept her word. The buildings no longer look like they will crumble the next second, and everyone around me is dressed warmly for the weather. All these expenses came from Bai Yu's admission fee, which was a lot.

  I smile, saying, "You have done well. All of you. I was worried that you wouldn't get along with each other, but it seems I was worrying for nothing."

  Feng steps forward. His horns are hidden, along with his black claws and any other unique feature that makes him a demon.

  Unlike when we first met, his long red hair has been cut short, just above the shoulders, and is held up in a half by a black strip of cloth.

  "Please follow me, Shifu. Your room is ready for you."

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Room?"

  I don't recall leaving behind such instructions.

  "Yes. Miss Yu made sure to prepare a place for everyone to stay. Lu'er has already seen to it that everything is as you like after consulting with Xing'er."

  Listening to Feng's words, I now realize just how much effort they put into running things while I was gone. They do not even resent me for going into seclusion as soon as I brought them here.

  I glance to the side at the children and smile. They may act naughty at times, but they can be serious about things when needed.

  "Lu'er?"

  "Ae, Boss."

  "Follow me."

  "Right away," he squeaks gladly.

  "Xing'er, you have done well. When I rest, I will come find you, okay?"

  She nods with a small smile. It may appear as though it is a glad smile, but beneath it, one can feel her sadness.

  The reason she is sad is beyond my comprehension for I have not done anything to wrong her. I have just left the cave. Is it possible that something happened while I was in there?

  Children. They crave too much attention.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Is this all I can do for now?" I ask myself, staring at the small pool of water I have successfully managed to pause in the air from my bath. It is only about a cup.

  "At least it's something than nothing."

  The formation around the water disappears, allowing time to move as normal in that specific spot. The water drops back in the bathtub, splashing on my chest as if scolding me.

  After so long in the timeless cave, I have only managed to scrape off a little of the laws. Though I have now understood that in that space, time does not exist completely.

  At first, I thought that it moved more slowly than the bigger world. But now that I have a little understanding of the laws behind time, I am certain they are behind the timelessness in that cave.

  It is complicated to understand that the very laws keeping everything moving in our world make time nonexistent in that cave.

  Did the small world come from the Dao, or did a primordial god create it? If it is a god, then where are they? Why leave behind such a valuable world?

  I can only sigh to keep my mind sane. If I fill it with too many questions that I may never find the answers to, nothing will make sense anymore.

  Instead of thinking about what I cannot understand at my level, it is better for me to concentrate on the things that are within reach.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  After my bath, I sit on the bed, Xing'er's bracelet in my hand.

  It is time for me to enter the space in the bracelet so I can access what they had stored.

  I close my eyes and transfer my consciousness into the bracelet. The barrier guarding it does not kick me out, for the very qi I wield is the same that was used to create it.

  The divine lord was very cautious. If I were an intruder, my consciousness would have suffered a heavy backlash, maybe even leaving me in a pitiful state like a shell. Without consciousness, the body is almost useless. Even the soul cannot help in such a situation.

  "This...?"

  I find myself standing on an aisle of tall shelves that go as high as ten meters. They are arranged in rows, giving the space a neat appearance.

  The divine lord was too organized. More than I could ever imagine.

  Suddenly, a book appears from nowhere to fall into my hand. After flipping some pages, I realize that this is the list of everything here.

  The names of the items the former divine lord collected leave my mind in a blank state as I try to understand just how much wealth he stored here.

  He has everything a cultivator would dream of: weapons, elixirs, pills, powerful techniques, spirit stones, essence stones, wine, nectar, cauldrons, and even, buildings.

  Why would a god feel the need to collect so many things? All of which would be useful when settling down somewhere.

  It looks like he might have planned on moving from wherever he was living with Xing'er to some other realm or world. Because no one stores underwear in their storage space or countless clothes that would fit Xing'er perfectly.

  Now I'm curious. What or who was he running from?

  Progress:

  1) Followers: 10/50

  2) Favorites; 2/30

  I have a long way to go. Hahaha!