(Title: The Start of the Fool’s Journey)

  A new day began as the sun light filtered through the cabin window.

  Jiu Xian woke up first. He glanced at the bed.

  The line of pillows stood like a wall between them. Yao Qing slept peacefully on her side of the bed.

  He quietly slipped out of bed and entered the main room.

  The old woman sat in a wooden chair, legs crossed, as if she had been awake for hours.

  “Good morning...umm...” Jiu Xian hesitated, only now did he realise they had never asked how to address her.

  She waved a hand lazily.” Just call me Granny.”

  “So, Granny... about those conditions you mentioned—”

  “Let’s wait for your wife before we discuss thi—ah” She paused. “Never mind. She’s awake.”

  “She’s not my wife.” Jiu Xian murmured.

  A loud yawn echoed behind him.

  Yao Qing stumbled out of the guest room, half awake, tying her hair. Her robes were slightly crooked, sleeved uneven.

  “...Morning”

  “...”

  “...”

  Jiu Xian and granny both stared.

  Yao Qing blinked, slowly noticing the silence. She looked down at herself.

  Her eyes widened.

  She spun around and darted back into the room, slamming the door shut.

  Jiu Xian coughed and looked away.

  Granny chuckled, shoulder shaking. “And you still claim she isn’t your wife? I’m sure you two had your fun last night.”

  “We did nothing!” Jiu Xian blurted, face turning red. “There were—pillows—boundaries—Distance.”

  A moment later, Yao Qing returned, now properly dressed cheeks pink. She avoided eye contact and quickly sat at the table.

  “...can we talk about cultivation now?” She said, trying to sound serious.

  Granny fell silent.

  The air in the cabin seemed to grow heavier.

  “Yes,” she said, her voice losing all earlier warmth. “Let us speak of your futures.”

  Her hood did not move, yet Jiu Xian felt as if he were being examined from head to toe.

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  “Before talent… before strength… before cultivation—”

  “I must first examine your hearts.”

  She slid her hand into her sleeve and withdrew two scrolls. The movement was slow, deliberate.

  “Fill these.”

  Yao Qing accepted hers carefully. “A test?”

  A dry chuckle came from beneath the hood.

  “A necessary one.”

  Granny leaned back slightly in her chair.

  Jiu Xian took the scroll, unfurled it and began to read.

  Jiu Xian read the questions twice before slowly lifting his head.

  “…Is this a joke?”

  “No.” Granny’s voice came immediately.

  A dry, wheezing sound followed — perhaps laughter, perhaps a cough.

  “You must answer seriously if you want my guidance.”

  Jiu Xian pointed at the scroll. “Who actually shouts ‘YOU DARE’ in real life?”

  A faint chuckle slipped from beneath the hood.

  “Oh, child… you’ll understand after your first encounter with a ‘young master.’”

  Yao Qing blinked. “A young… master?”

  “You’ll see,” Granny said calmly. “Now stop stalling. Answer.”

  The room fell quiet except for the scratch of ink on paper.

  At first Jiu Xian thought this was nonsense. A senile old woman amusing herself.

  But as he moved through the questions, two of them made his hand pause.

  His instincts stirred.

  ‘These are not jokes…’

  Beside him, Yao Qing had also grown quiet.

  When they finished, they handed the scrolls back.

  Granny did not rush. She read slowly.

  Once…

  Twice…

  Then she spoke.

  “You made mistakes.”

  Jiu Xian stiffened.

  “But,” she added, “Your hearts are not crooked.”

  She tapped one question with her finger, explaining its answer to the two.

  ‘Granny is an arrogant person.’ That moment they realised.

  “Strength without restraint leads to demons. Pride without understanding leads to death.”

  She handed the scrolls back.

  “These questions are foolish only on the surface. Cultivation is not just about power — it is about how you choose when to use it.”

  Silence settled in the room.

  Yao Qing swallowed. “So… we passed?”

  “Just the first test,” Granny replied. “There are still more.”

  She reached into her sleeve pulling out two dull grey stones, each the size of a walnut.

  “Hold these.”

  Jiu Xian and Yao Qing obeyed.

  The stones felt ordinary. Cold. Rough.

  They waited.

  Nothing happened.

  Yao Qing and Jiu Xian’s shoulders drooped.

  “These stones must be defective. An Immortal Fairy once told me I have Earth-Grade roots.” Jiu Xian stared at Granny.

  “Humph! Boy, you dare call someone a fairy in front of me. You must have bad tastes. And! Let me tell you, there is no way my tools are defected—”

  As if in response—

  CRACKLE

  Both stones burst into a fierce crimson glow. Heat spread through Jiu Xian’s palms.

  Then—

  CRACK

  The stones shattered into dust.

  Silence.

  Jiu Xian and Yao Qing slowly looked at Granny.

  She coughed into her sleeve.

  “...Both of you possess Earth-grade roots... With a strong Fire affinity. Not extraordinary, but not poor either. With my resources I can elevate your roots to the next grade.”

  She reached into her sleeve again and produced a stack of thick, dust-covered books, placing them on the table with a soft thud.

  “Start with these. They contain the basics of cultivation… and of the cultivation world itself. Read them carefully. Only then will I guide you onto the path of immortality.”

  Jiu Xian and Yao Qing stared at the towering stack.

  “This will take days…” Yao Qing muttered.

  “Mm,” Jiu Xian agreed.

  A dry chuckle drifted from beneath the hood.

  “You didn’t think cultivation was a matter of a single day, did you?”

  With that, Granny rose and walked away, leaving them alone with the books.

  The air felt heavier now — as if the true journey had only just begun.

  “Now take these manuals. They are about basics of cultivation and cultivation world. Read these then I will take you to cultivate immortality.” She placed a large stack of dusty books in front of them. Her voice haughty and her eyes inside her hood shining with hope.