Here in the reception hall of the Immortal-Retaining Residence in the middle courtyard, Zhao Yi sat down, beckoned the serving maid to enter, and casually picked up a stack of calling cards. The characters on the cards looked vaguely familiar to him, resembling the clerical script of ancient Chinese characters from Earth. If he were still on Earth, Zhao Yi might not have recognized all of them, but having inherited the memories of his previous self, he naturally recognized every single one.
Hearing the shout of the immortal cultivator in the middle courtyard, several maids from the front yard hurried over. Before even crossing the threshold, they dropped to their knees in front of the door, prostrating themselves with their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground, and chorused loudly in greeting: "Greetings, Immortal Master." Then, not daring to raise their heads, they quietly waited for a response.
The supplies needed for the daily life of the Sacrificial Hall, as well as the guards on duty, were arranged by troops dispatched by the Zhao Country imperial family, while the maidservants had been handpicked by another cultivator, Tian Junjie. Zhao Yi had paid little attention to these matters, leaving Tian Junjie to handle everything. Since arriving, his previous self had remained entirely in the back courtyard, immersed in cultivation, making this his very first time seeing these maids. Before transmigrating, Zhao Yi had lived in an egalitarian society and had never witnessed male supremacy or the subjugation of women—except perhaps in historical dramas on television. Seeing a row of kneeling maids thus struck him as somewhat novel and curious.
He gave a light cough and said in a deep voice, "Raise your heads. Which of you is the leader? State your name."
The prostrate maids lifted their heads one by one. Upon seeing them, Zhao Yi was inwardly startled. Just how gorgeous were they? Their looks were simply too high-tier; put on Earth, any one of them would easily match a top-tier celebrity. These young women were all around sixteen years old—an emperor holding a beauty pageant could hardly have done better. This Tian Junjie certainly knew how to pick them. On the left stood a young woman wearing a pink dress with an oval face and a faint, smiling gaze. Her attire looked neat and efficient, and she crossed her hands over her belly and said:
"Reporting to the Immortal Master, Immortal Tian appointed me to temporarily lead the rest of us. My name is Chuntao, and the ones beside me, in order, are Xiahe, Qiuju, and Dongmei."
Zhao Yi looked at the four women one by one. Indeed, they possessed the distinct charms of spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, each beautiful in her own way, a pleasing sight that lifted his spirits and put him in a fine mood. Zhao Yi roughly knew that countless people would break their heads trying to squeeze into a position serving an immortal master, and ordinary people could never get in. As long as the immortal master was pleased while being served, whatever casual tips he bestowed would be enough to live off for a lifetime—not to mention the possibility of becoming entangled with the immortal master or even bearing him a child, which would instantly elevate one to the heavens as an immortal master's wife, wielding supreme status. To ensure the cultivator's satisfaction, the imperial family generally conducted a large-scale preliminary selection of dozens of candidates, leaving the final choice to the immortal master. It all came down to whose luck was better.
Zhao Yi nodded slightly and smiled at Chuntao:
"Are there any others? Call them all over so I can meet them."
"There are a few more: two cooks, two laundresses, and two cleaners. Please wait a moment, Immortal Master; we will go call them over right away." With that, Chuntao stood up and strode quickly toward the outer courtyard.
Zhao Yi did not idle either. He looked at the remaining three women and asked, "Which of you will tell me what you usually do?"
The remaining three women looked somewhat frightened, keeping their heads down and not daring to look at Zhao Yi or speak. Zhao Yi amusement showed as he said, "No need to be nervous. Speak boldly."
Only Xiahe peeked at Zhao Yi. Seeing him smiling gently and seeming to harbor no malice, she felt somewhat less nervous than before and stammered:
"Reporting to the-the Immortal Master, we-we usually just sit and wait for the Immortal Master's instructions in the front hall of the outer courtyard, and we wouldn't dare wander about—"
Composing herself, Xiahe spoke a bit more fluently. Stealing another glance at Zhao Yi and seeing that he was listening intently, she continued:
"We would never dare enter the back courtyard without the Immortal Master's command. As for this middle courtyard, the four of us sisters split into two groups, and together with the two cleaning maids, we clean once a day. The rest of the time, we read books or paint in the rooms of the outer courtyard." Having finished, she prostrated herself on the ground again, terrified of saying the wrong thing, her heart pounding with anxiety. In truth, there was one more thing she had not mentioned: once summoned by the immortal master, they were required to attend to him in bed, though she had been too embarrassed to say so.
"Oh, are you proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting?" Zhao Yi asked curiously. At this, the remaining Qiuju and Dongmei grew a bit bolder and chimed in eagerly:
"Yes, Immortal Master, we all know zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting! Sister Chuntao even knows martial arts, and the current Grand Tutor once said our learning is extraordinary!" Looking at the competing girls, each youthful and radiant, Zhao Yi felt himself grow much younger. No, he was only twenty years old now—he was no longer middle-aged like in his pre-transmigration life! Zhao Yi chuckled in sudden realization.
"Haha, alright, you may all rise and stand to one side."
"Understood, Immortal Master." The three exchanged glances and stood together on the left, carefully leaving Chuntao's leading spot empty. This made Zhao Yi nod inwardly; these women knew their place and did not overstep, which was quite commendable.
Chuntao quickly led in several more young women, all equally beautiful and in the radiant bloom of their youth. Upon entering, they knelt together in front of the door and chanted in unison, "Greetings, Lord Immortal Master." Chuntao also knelt and saluted, saying, "Lord Immortal Master, they have all arrived."
"Very well, you may all rise." Zhao Yi gave a gentle wave of his hand, and the kneeling maids felt their bodies grow light. As they stood up, they looked at each other in bewilderment, then quickly lowered their heads again, not daring to draw a full breath, anxiously awaiting the immortal master's next arrangements while wondering why he had gathered everyone together.
Chuntao thought for a moment, then automatically stepped in front of Xiahe and the others, lowering her head with her hands clasped.
Seeing so many beauties gathered before him awaiting his commands, Zhao Yi felt unaccustomed to it for a moment, along with a stirring of excitement. But remembering his identity as a cultivator, he quickly calmed himself. Indeed, there was a chasm between immortals and mortals; these were all pitiful women, and he wouldn't make things difficult for them in the future.