Immortal Paladin

023 Arrangements

I didn’t resist.

I mean, what else could I do? Punch my way out of an arrest? That sounded like a great way to make things worse. So, I just stood there as the glowing band around my wrists tightened, locking me in some spell-infused restraint.

I didn’t have much experience with the law—either in my past life or this one—but my gut told me that keeping my mouth shut was the smartest move.

Of course, I had to say something to avoid looking too guilty.

“I invoke my right to remain silent,” I said, then added, “And, of course… I want a lawyer.”

Liang Na’s frown deepened. With a flick of her hand, her flying sword lifted into the air. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged along like a sack of potatoes, my feet barely skimming the ground as she flew ahead.

Other enforcers flanked us, maintaining a tight formation as we soared toward Yellow Dragon City.

This was definitely not how I thought today would go.

A few minutes later, I found myself sitting in a well-furnished room—still bound, but drinking tea.

Across from me sat Ren Jin, the City Governor of Yellow Dragon City.

He looked younger than I expected for someone with such authority. Younger than when I’d seen him from the bleachers. He wasn’t some ancient cultivator with a long white beard, nor a middle-aged warrior hardened by countless battles. No, he was young—fairly young for a cultivator—but carried himself with the air of someone who had seen far more than his years should allow.

Dressed in dark imperial robes with golden embroidery, he radiated power. But it wasn’t the kind that came from brute strength alone. His gaze was sharp, calculating. Every move he made felt deliberate.

I sipped the tea, letting its earthy bitterness settle on my tongue, and took a moment to process my situation. Arrested, dragged through the sky… and now, a casual tea session with the City Governor?

I set my cup down and got straight to the point.

“So,” I said, “what crimes am I here for?”

Ren Jin smiled, raising two fingers. The glowing restraints around my wrists unraveled and vanished.

“Nothing,” he said simply.

I rolled my shoulders, enjoying the newfound freedom, then adjusted my seat. “Then how may I be of service to his Lordship?”

Ren Jin chuckled. “It should be me saying that to you, considering the benefit you’ve brought to my city.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Your fight with Sect Master Jiang Zhen created a spiritual mineral vein of Thunder Sand,” he explained, his tone amused. “That alone is a considerable gain for the city. Apologies for the… unceremonious way you were brought here. My Chief Enforcer can be overprotective of me, and you do come off as quite suspicious.”

I had a guess or two about why Chief Enforcer Liang Na was wary of me. After all, she was the first cultivator I’d met upon arriving in this world. But something else caught my attention.

I leaned forward slightly. “Sect Master Jiang Zhen?”

Ren Jin nodded. “It seems you were unaware.”

I frowned. “Sect Master of what exactly?”

“The Isolation Path Sect.”

…

Huh?

That damn old man really played me.

I exhaled through my nose, picking up my tea again to mask my irritation. So he was that important? And yet, he still owed me two questions and a meeting with his sect.

Unbelievable.

This was my second time sitting across from a high-ranking cultivator. Third, if I counted Liang Na. So far, none of them had reacted negatively to my presence. A good sign. I had been paranoid that my mana might be seen as some kind of heretical energy, but maybe that worry was misplaced.

Did they even sense it?

According to Lost Legends Online’s lore, mana didn’t exist inside a person like qi did. Instead, it represented how much a person could wield through sheer willpower and mental discipline. A theoretical energy, existing in a higher dimension, accessible only to those who attuned themselves to an ideal—a path, a belief, a class.

Or as most NPCs in LLO had called it, a Legacy.

If cultivators relied solely on internal energy, maybe they just couldn’t detect mana at all. That would explain why I hadn’t been caught and burned at the stake yet.

I set my cup down. No point in wasting time.

“Can I meet Jiang Zhen?”

Ren Jin tilted his head slightly. “You sound quite familiar with him.”

“We met at a goldfish stall.”

He actually blinked at that. Then, as if deciding it wasn’t worth questioning, he gave a small nod. “Unfortunately, the Sect Master has already left. However, he informed me of your arrangement through Qi-speech.”

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Qi-speech.

According to Gu Jie, it was a communication method available only to cultivators at the Third Realm and above. It let them transmit their voice through qi alone, sending messages over vast distances.

I was a bit envious. I no longer had access to Voice Chat.

…Wait.

That was one game mechanic I hadn’t tested yet.

Maybe I should experiment with it sometime.

Ren Jin led the way through the manor, his steps measured, his robes flowing with practiced elegance. Unlike Jiang Zhen, who gave off the air of a grumpy old coot, Ren Jin carried himself with the composed dignity of someone who knew they were important—but wasn’t arrogant about it.

The hallways were lined with intricate wooden carvings, golden lanterns casting soft, warm light against the polished floors. I took in the sights with casual interest, but my mind lingered on what he had just revealed.

Sect Master Jiang Zhen.

That old man really played me. No wonder he dodged my questions and bailed the moment Liang Na showed up.

Still, he had promised me a meeting with the Isolation Path Sect. And it seemed he had followed through.

Now I just had to make sure he didn’t weasel out of answering my two remaining questions.

We arrived at a guest room.

Inside, two figures waited.

The first was a woman I recognized immediately—Fan Shi, the victor of this morning’s match. She carried the same cold, unreadable aura, her Isolation Path robes draped over her form like a shroud. Next to her stood an older gentleman, his expression calm, his sharp eyes studying me like a puzzle to be solved.

Ren Jin stopped at the entrance and gestured toward them. “I shall leave you here.”

I gave him a small nod, though inwardly, I felt a twinge of disappointment. I wouldn’t be able to watch Lu Gao’s fight. That guy was either going to put on a spectacular show… or a spectacular disaster.

Either way, I was going to miss it.

Turning my attention back to the room, I cupped my hands and bowed slightly, following the customs of this world. “Greetings, my name is Da Wei, an… acquaintance of the Isolation Path Sect Master.”

Fan Shi’s gaze sharpened. “Or so we’ve heard.”

Her tone wasn’t just cold—it had an edge to it, like a knife pressed lightly against my skin. I had no idea what I did to offend her, but she was scrutinizing me with the kind of suspicion usually reserved for street peddlers selling ‘genuine’ immortal pills.

I made a mental note to tread carefully around her.

The older gentleman beside her, however, gave a polite nod. “And I am an Elder of the Isolation Path Sect. My name is Lei Fen.” His voice was steady, composed, and entirely lacking the hostility Fan Shi carried. “The Sect Master has informed me of your arrangement with him.”

Huh. At least the old man had covered all his bases.

Considering Jiang Zhen had dipped the moment Liang Na arrived, I half-expected him to conveniently ‘forget’ about our deal. But if even an elder of the Isolation Path Sect was informed, then Jiang Zhen must have passed the message through Qi-Speech.

That was one very convenient ability.

I kept my expression neutral, but inwardly, I wondered just what kind of arrangement the old man had sold them.

The deal was simple—Jiang Zhen would mediate between the Isolation Path Sect and me so they’d help Gu Jie with her misfortune. But now that I was actually here, I had to make sure he hadn’t twisted the details to my disadvantage.

I straightened. “Elder Lei Fen, how do you wish to proceed?”

Lei Fen stroked his beard, smiling in that particular way old cultivators did when they were about to say something annoying.

“Just to clarify the terms—” he began, dragging out his words, “—in exchange for helping one of your followers transpose their demonic cultivation, you would pay us a dozen Phoenix Feathers?”

I barely kept my expression in check.

That old bastard.

I said one.

I forced a calm tone. “There seems to be a misunderstanding. I only have one.”

Lei Fen chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Ho ho ho, apologies… I must have misremembered.”

Did this guy just try to scam me?

If I were some petty immortal, I would have gone full “How dare you court death?!” on him.

But no—I was a Paladin.

And I had more patience than that.

I exhaled through my nose, reigning in my irritation. “I will go fetch my follower.”

Fan Shi stepped forward. “Let me come with you, Senior.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly. That was not the tone of someone paying respect.

Elder Lei Fen looked vaguely annoyed but kept his diplomatic smile intact. “Please, ignore the disciple. She’s just eager to meet someone who was a peer to the Sect Master.”

Somehow, I doubted that.

If anything, this lady wanted to cause trouble for me.

I gave a noncommittal nod and immediately activated TriDivine, switching to Divine Speed. The world blurred around me as I shot forward, my body propelled by divine will. Then, with a flicker, I engaged Zealot’s Stride and vanished from the manor’s interior.

By the time I slowed at the entrance, the guards barely reacted. Their eyes tracked me, carefully memorizing my face, but they didn’t raise an alarm.

Finding Gu Jie didn’t take long.

A woman in black robes embroidered with crimson serpents, carrying a fishbowl, wasn’t exactly inconspicuous—especially to someone with superhuman speed.

She turned just as I appeared beside her.

“Master!” Gu Jie’s eyes widened in relief. “I was worried! There was a giant flash of thunder—”

“It’s fine,” I interrupted. “That was me.”

She blinked. “M-Master?”

“Let’s go have you fixed.” I gestured for her to follow. “The Isolation Path Sect has agreed to help you.”

Gu Jie froze. Her grip on the fishbowl tightened, knuckles going white as she stared at me like I had just sprouted a second head.

“What?” she breathed, barely above a whisper.

“The Isolation Path Sect,” I repeated. “They’ve agreed to help you.”

Her lips parted, but no words came out. She looked down at Ren Jingyi’s bowl, as if searching for some kind of answer from the fish, then back at me.

“You’re joking,” she said. Her voice was flat—hollow, even. “Master, please tell me I am dreaming…”

I shrugged. “Nope.”

She shook her head. “No… No, that can’t be right. Master, I…” She swallowed hard. “That kind of thing doesn’t just happen. Even if…” Her breath hitched, and her fingers trembled around the bowl. “Even if it they agreed, why would they do it for me?”

I sighed. I had expected some disbelief, but this reaction felt deeper than just doubt.

“Gu Jie.” I met her gaze. “I made a deal with Jiang Zhen, and the Isolation Path Sect is holding up their end.”

Her eyes shimmered, a storm of emotions flickering through them: hope, fear, and something dangerously close to longing.

She clenched her teeth. “Master, if you’re lying to me…” Her voice wavered. “If this is some cruel joke—”

I placed a hand on her shoulder, firm but steady. “Do I look like the type to joke about this?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. A choked sound escaped her, and then—just like that—she broke.

Tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks, her breath hitching as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her whole body trembled, and she let out a shaky exhale. “I—” She bit her lip. “I wasn’t ready for this.”

The way her voice cracked made something twist in my chest.

I had never seen Gu Jie cry before.

She always carried herself with that cold, unwavering confidence—sometimes bitter, sometimes sharp, but always firm. This was different. She wasn’t just relieved. She was unraveling.

I let her cry for a few seconds, then exhaled through my nose.

“Save your tears,” I told her. “For joy or when you’re truly in despair. Not for something like this. We aren’t even starting…”

Gu Jie choked. Then she guffawed—loud, sudden, and completely unrestrained.

I blinked.

Then she laughed.

Not a soft chuckle or a bitter scoff, but a full-bodied, head-tilted-back, unrestrained laugh. The kind that sounded like it had been bottled up for years and was finally let loose.

I crossed my arms, waiting.

She wiped at her eyes, still laughing as she tried to catch her breath. “Ha… Master, you really know how to kill the mood.”

I smirked. “You’re welcome.”

Gu Jie inhaled deeply, steadying herself. Her eyes were still red, but the storm had passed.

“Alright,” she said, voice stronger now. “Let’s go.”